Officers...

[Amedeo]

I was pleased to see that in CMFI Axis armies have specific 3D models and textures for officers (platoon, company and battalion commanders).

I was wondering whether:

1. Officers will also be modelled for allied armies.

2. This feature will be retrofitted to CMBN via the 2.0 upgrade.

[LukeFF]

There are already officer models for Axis units in CMBN.

[Darknight (DC)]

Its the Allies that have less variation (at least for now)

[Amedeo]

There are already officer models for Axis units in CMBN.

But only for higher HQs. IIRC platoon leaders are dressed like privates.

In CMFI, German and Italian platoons commanders have different models/textures.

[Battlefront.com]

Germans and Italians both have three different leader uniforms. Germans have 1x NCO and 2x Officer, Italians have 3x Officer. The problem with the Americans is in real life they are boring Not worth doing a unique texture for a couple of small bits of metal on the jacket.

CMBN will get the same treatment with its Upgrade 2.0.

This is an example of the work done to improve soldier uniforms. More variety than the old system, less work for us than the old system.

Steve

[Sequoia]

Since its Sicily you need to have a 7th Army Hq unit available in the editor which would have George Patton in his uniform and pistols !

[Darknight (DC)]

Germans and Italians both have three different leader uniforms. Germans have 1x NCO and 2x Officer, Italians have 3x Officer. The problem with the Americans is in real life they are boring Not worth doing a unique texture for a couple of small bits of metal on the jacket.

CMBN will get the same treatment with its Upgrade 2.0.

This is an example of the work done to improve soldier uniforms. More variety than the old system, less work for us than the old system.

Steve

That is the biggest thing isn't it....the Allied officers usually only had a few bits of insignia to differentiate them from the enlisted men (and sometimes the hat or beret).

In the CMBN upgrade, I'd actually be more interested to see a variation in dress for the tank crews, where some CW tankers are in the overalls and some are in battledress....some random mix of the two.

[sburke]

That is the biggest thing isn't it....the Allied officers usually only had a few bits of insignia to differentiate them from the enlisted men (and sometimes the hat or beret).

In the CMBN upgrade, I'd actually be more interested to see a variation in dress for the tank crews, where some CW tankers are in the overalls and some are in battledress....some random mix of the two.

I'd rather my tank crews stay in their tanks so I don't need to see their uniforms, however lately JonS seems to have punched holes in my tanks with these flimsy little tube thingies and my guys keep wanting to go for a walk outside the tank afterwards.

[Mord]

The problem with the Americans is in real life they are boring Not worth doing a unique texture for a couple of small bits of metal on the jacket.

CMBN will get the same treatment with its Upgrade 2.0.

This is an example of the work done to improve soldier uniforms. More variety than the old system, less work for us than the old system.

Steve

I've noticed one thing, the packs and shovels are not being distributed amongst any of the US guys. They all have web belts and the various items attached to those but no stuff on their backs anywhere. Haven't found anyone outside of the radio guy with something on his back. I haven't even seen a shovel on a belt yet.

Mord.

[A Canadian Cat]

I feel this is a good opportunity to point out that officers in the modern era make an effort *to* look just like the private near by. I have no knowledge of WWII but I have talked to my Dad (Infantry officer up to Battalion 2IC in the 60s and 70s). On many an occation he wore a helmet and not his barett and carried an assault rifle not an SMG all because he wanted to *not* stand out.

Did officers - working close to the front obviously - in WWII make a similar effort? Or not? I am curious?

[Fernando]

I've noticed one thing, the packs and shovels are not being distributed amongst any of the US guys. They all have web belts and the various items attached to those but no stuff on their backs anywhere. Haven't found anyone outside of the radio guy with something on his back. I haven't even seen a shovel on a belt yet.

Mord.

If you look at pics of US infantry in action in Sicily, you will notice that they were lightly equiped. No haversack, no shovel and most of the time no suspenders.

I saw a pic of fully equiped US infantry (haversack anbd other equipment) near Enna but they were on the march (tidy marching lines, no danger near), not in combat.

[Fernando]

Did officers - working close to the front obviously - in WWII make a similar effort? Or not? I am curious?

It depended on nationality but as a rule they did indeed.

American junior officers were usually dressed and equiped like their men, so it was quite difficult to tell them apart from their men. There were some visible signs like the vertical white bars painted on the back of their helmets, but once they get some experience they learned to eliminate them.

German officers were at first usually dressed and equiped different from their men, but there was an increased effort to make them less conspicuous. It was ordered that they wore soldier belts, it was allowed for them to get rank and file jackets (they usually modified it a bit and added officer insignia to "smarten" them) on the unit depot etc. However at the end of the war they had learned to be less conspicuous than 6 years earlier. Anyway there was usually something that gave themselves away for a trained eye right down to the end of the war.