Outlandish Military Uniforms of 1930s Central America?

[FifteensAway]

While I plan to 'design' my own national uniforms for my pulpish Banana Wars games, wondering if folks have images to share of some of the more outlandish uniforms of Central America circa 1935 but plus or minus a decode or two (though more going back in time than forward - but who knows?). Ideally these are 'standard' uniforms rather than some tiny guard unit or band - but show those, too.  South American uniforms are welcome as well - but please identify as such.

The game will be very much tongue-in-cheek and, hopefully, the uniforms will add to the merriment.  And, no, not quite imaginations.  Just fanciful but grounded in reality, more or less.

So, feel free to drop images into this thread (not copyrighted, of course) or links.

I'm asking here because there is just not much traffic of late on the Interwar threads.

Thanks! 

Once I have uniforms 'designed' and figures posted, I'll show them off - or link to them - as appropriate.

[carlos marighela]

Not Central but in South America there was and to a degree still is a taste for Prussian style uniforms. the latter three countries  went so far as to ape the Germans in their field dress, right down to stalhelms. The Argentines mostly used the Swiss M.18 version but also had fibre copies of the German M.35, the classic WW2 coal-scuttle helmet. Chile used M.35s for much of last century as parade dress (they have a plastic copy to this very day) as well as the earlier pickelhaubes. The Colombian Presidential Guard also still uses pickelhaubes. IIRC the Bolivian Pesidential Guard still uses them as well.

Dunno about outrageous but a number of Central American and Caribbean nations under US influence adopted the Montana hat as part of their uniforms. Haiti and Cuba had them as did Nicaragua's national guard.

In miniature it means you could have an army made up of FPW era Germans and WW1 era Yanks. Minifigs did some WWW1 US Army in campaign hats.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

I did something similar for 1930s Cobra troops; Warlord Games early war German bodies (with the jackboots) with Italian helmets and rifles. Another option would be the British pith helmet heads on those bodies and Italian rifles and the odd BAR tossed in. It'll look period appropriate without looking like any nation in particular.

[Cat]

I think the exotic end of uniforms all faded out around the turn of the century.  You might have better luck going back to 1915, maybe 1905.

There was an interesting thread not too long ago on the Mexican military.  Not very outlandish, but fun mix of German and French helmets and jack boots.  I think the German helmets were mostly a 1920s thing, and the 30s went more for the Adrian helmets.
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=146487
 
Nicaraguan National Guard in 1931 has a serious 'cowboys with Thompsons' look going:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Guard_%28Nicaragua%29#/media/File:Lewis_Puller_with_Nicaraguan_National_Guard_Detachment,_circa_1931_(14459116184).jpg

[FifteensAway]

I must confess to already having figures.  So, it will be coming up with uniforms that work for the era - and for my whims within the story.

A BIG HINT - the game setting is the Banana Wars!   

Yellows, greens, browns, purples, even some reds are all under consideration - as long as the color relates to natural banana plants.  Heck, there is even a Blue Banana!  And here it was I just thought that was a name of a bar in the old Pretty Woman movie.  Live and learn.  Here is a photo:



Wargaming can be quite illuminating at times. 

And I don't just need one uniform design but at least three, probably four: the forces of El Presidente, the forces of the rightists, the forces of the leftists, and the Imperial Guard.  No self-respecting Banana Wars president can be without his guard troops - or his outrageous ambitions.  Well, at least not so in my story line.

The leftists and the rightists will actually be government forces being usurped by wannabe dictators so their uniforms can be similar but distinct from the president's forces.  As to the guard, well imagination shall run riot I suspect.

Some proto-Nazis may appear and there will be Germans in picklehaubs (probably painted pickle green!  ).  And Montana hats may appear - on the heads of American army figures.

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Look at French officers from the early 20th century if you need flamboyant uniforms for El Presidente, the extreme leftist wanna-be dictator and the extreme right wanna-be dictator. Though left would probably pattern themselves after the Soviets or over play "I'm just one of the people." A simple man surrounded by armed guards.

It's also worth noting the sheer variety of bananas and pineapples that are not safe to eat. I used to warn newcomers to Okinawa during orientation briefs to not try and eat pineapples they see on base because that's a guaranteed trip to the emergency room to get your stomach pumped.

[anevilgiraffe]

disappointed to find out the Banana Wars are not linked in anyway to the Banana Apocalypse...

[carlos marighela]

Nor the Banana Lounge or even Banamarama for that matter either.

Strictly speaking, no American influence = no banana appelation, Banana Wars included. The reason the term exists is a vertiable essay on US economic colonialism. It gave you Chiquitita and the secret source of wealth of the Dulles brothers. Far less desirable outcomes for the locals and the effects are felt to this very day.

[anevilgiraffe]

it was just the same era as the apocalypse so wondered if it was linked...

[Rick]

The Gros Michel (Big Mike) banana apocalypse or the potential Cavendish banana apocalypse?
The countries that rely on banana crop imports to the USA (and were badly hit after the Big Mike banana apocalypse) are also some of the banana republics kept afloat by US State Department subsidies (bribes). They are sort of linked, although these are considered seperate issues.

[anevilgiraffe]

Oooo didn't know we were on the brink of apocalypse 2

[Rick]

Oooo didn't know we were on the brink of apocalypse 2

Not 'on the brink' but maybe in it already! The Bike Mike banana was wiped out by the Panama disease, the Cavendish banana was brought in because it was resistant to the original disease but is now proving susceptible to the TR4 variant of the Panama disease. It's been detected in half a dozen banana producing regions so scientists are in a race against time to develop a resistant Cavendish before 'Banana Apocalypse II: The Return' happens.

[FifteensAway]

Little did I know when I embarked on this little journey that I'd be learning about the Banana Apocalypse and that there was a Big Mike variety (cultivar) of banana!  But, most certainly, there will just have to be a Big Mike character in my gaming options, probably an American of some stripe (whatever we had prior to the CIA). 

So, as I look through my figures, I'll have to designate someone as Big Mike.

And that's how we turn a thread back on topic.   . Maybe.  We lot can derail anything at any time for any reason on a whim.  But thanks to bringing this up - it has added to the fun.

[Rick]

Prior to the CIA and WW2 OSS the USA didn't have anything in the form of a unified intelligence service - outside the USA they used army or navy intelligence officers or perhaps someone from the State Department might get involved, it was all a bit of a mess until they put the OSS together.
You should have Big Mike (Army Intelligence) and Cavendish (State Department) working together! 

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

I can see Big Mike & Cavendish as an Odd Couple pair of wacky spies.