BOB Artillery colors?

[coggon]

Currently on my painting table are the Red, White and Chinese artillery packs from Copplestone.  Any suggestions on color schemes?  The research that I've done (looking at Ignatieff's wonderful pictures ) has been inconclusive.

[Ataman]

White artillerymen tended to simply use Tsarist shoulderboards and insignia, with White accoutrements (AFSR/Siberian chevron) added on. For the enlisted troops, I recommend simply having fully khaki uniforms with scarlet shoulderboards. As for officers, they would have dark "Tsar's" green breeches with a scarlet stripe. Cossack artillerymen would be very similarly dressed, the only noticeable exception being that most, if not all would be wearing dark blue breeches with the appropriate host stripe.

I am admittedly not very knowledgeable on the Red Army's uniforms (if they could even be called that.) I recommend painting them in a variety of khakis and greys to represent the rag-tag nature of the Soviets. The Red Army tended to be far less colourful than the White, and with the Copplestone figures the only really noticeable area that colour is mandatory for is the red star cap badge.

I know almost nothing about the Chinese, but on Copplestone's website their product image has painted miniatures.

[Mark Plant]

Don Cossack artillery can be found at:  http://www.pygmywars.com/barendspages/steppehosts/donartillery/donartillery.html

If you look down the page you will see the colours for an AFSR officer: khaki top, dark green (or khaki) trousers with thin red stripe. Shoulderboards were scarlet with yellow cipher (red cipher on khaki side) with gold braid. Cipher was a number under crossed cannons.

Horse artillery differed by having blue trousers, not green, and light blue piping on khaki shoulderboards. Also spurs and short swords. Mountain artillery had black trousers.

Soviets khaki. Elite units sometimes had red trousers. Horse artillery was much more likely to have boots.

Canons themselves in green.

[coggon]

at:   ://www.pygmywars.com/barendspages/steppehosts/donartillery/donartillery.html


Canons themselves in green.

Any particular shade of green?  I've already painted one of the Russian ones olive drab.  I think for the Chinese gun I am going to mix Vallejo "German Uniform" and "German Gray" til I get a color I like.  Was anybody using camo patterns on the actual guns at this time?

[Ataman]

Any particular shade of green?  I've already painted one of the Russian ones olive drab.  I think for the Chinese gun I am going to mix Vallejo "German Uniform" and "German Gray" til I get a color I like.  Was anybody using camo patterns on the actual guns at this time?

The colours of the cannons themselves tended to vary from theatre to threatre in the First World War, and the Russian Civil War only exasperated it. Olive drab tended to be the most common colour for Russian cannon, though khaki and grey were also frequently used depending on what paint was available.

Camouflage tended to be rare, and I personally have never seen any period photographs of Russian pieces with camo patterns on them. However, they did exist as I have seen several pieces in museums with camo patterns highly reminiscent of those the Germans used on theirs.

Here are a few examples I found online of both drab and camo'd pieces:

76mm Putilov

76mm Mountain Gun

122mm Schneider

[cuprum]

By Red gunners have this information:

In 1918 he introduced the first signs of differences, rectangular valves on the left sleeve with embroidered gold star, triangles and squares, the number of which corresponded to the post of soldier. For example, the gun commander assumed the two triangles. On hats were worn red star with a picture of a plow and a hammer. Often insignia sewn directly on the cloth shirt or coat, from red cloth.
In early 1919, the Revolutionary Military Council of the Republic adopted a new uniform - a steeple winter hat "Budenovka, shirt, like an old shirt and coat, reminiscent of an old Russian kaftan. All this was made from a protective, gray-green tissue, and on his shirt and coat sewed three transverse breast valve, known as "conversation". Their colors indicate that the soldier to a particular kind of troops - for the Gunners took the orange. On the left sleeve, above the elbow, they were a sign resembling a silhouette of a shell, and below sewed triangular or rectangular decals cut from red cloth.

In 1920, the instrumental color red artillery changed from orange to black.

In 1922 the Red Army launched a new form. In winter, men and officers were "Budenovka", greatcoat, gray woolen shirts and trousers in summer - clothes made of light gray-green cotton fabric and peaked Panama. Their narrow field formed at the front and rear visors. In addition to breast-colored stripes "conversations" appeared and the vertical valve on the left sleeve for the insignia. In gunners "conversations" and rectangular tabs were traditionally black with red trim. They fastened the yellow metal letters and numbers. For those who have served in the Main Artillery Directorate, logo supplemented flaming grenade, and the staff of artillery parks - a picture of a shell and flame.

... 1922 marked the elimination of the last remaining pockets of resistance, the White Army and interventionists in the Far East, with the men who fought the People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic (pro-Soviet state, merged in the Soviet Russia in 1922).
Some special forms they did not have, except for a gold star with the symbols of the republic and sleeve orthorhombic stripe red-blue, symbolizing the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean. In the upper part of the letter were the NRA, at the bottom - crossed guns and the insignia: a red stripe on a blue background corresponded to the post of commander of the gun.



1. The commander of the guns, the Red Army. 1918-19.
 2. The commander of the guns, the Red Army. 1922-24 years.
 3. Sleeve mark gun commander, People's Revolutionary Army of the Far Eastern Republic. 1920 - 1922 years.
 4. Hash mark artillery of the Red Army. Black - since 1920. In 1919 - base color - red.