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Description

Backstory:

The All-Russian White Army was a remnant paramilitary formation of the White Army from the days of the Russian Civil War. It was located in Manchurian, where a considerable amount of White emigres were located and, most importantly, where the Transbaikal Cossack Host decided to retreat to after the Bolshevik victory. This meant there was a considerable anti-communist sentiment amongst those Russians living in Japan, Manchuria, China and Inner Mongolia. The Japanese exploited this sentiment to form the Asano Brigade, a special operations unit operating within the Manchurian Imperial Army. It was named after the advisor responsible for the brigade’s creation: Colonel Asano Takashi. This group was used to guard railways and only fought once during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, where they were subsequently almost completely destroyed.

                After Khalkhin Gol, it was clear to the White Russian emigres and the Russian Fascist Party’s leader, Konstantin Rodzaevsky, they were under the wrong leadership. Japan had been the first to grant them the right to form an army (which, granted, was only a brigade), but it had been a disaster, and their number were limited, they couldn’t just keep bleeding these casualties without problem. It was during the Second Sino-Japanese War the Russians saw their chance. China was namely supported by the Third Reich, a competent anti-communist state which, if the Cossacks and White Russian officers offered it their service, would allow them to take revenge against the Bolsheviks. They would wait to see how the wind blew and, if China was gaining the upper hand, would approach Germans in Manchuria to contact the German embassy in Nanjing.

                When Chinese panzers rolled into Hsinking, the capital city of Manchuria, and arrest Pu-Yi, a Cossack delegation approached the leading Chinese general stating the Russians and Cossacks would not interfere with the Chinese advance in return for their freedom, the Chinese agreed. Vladimir Alexandrovich Kislitsin, leader of the Harbin Russians, Konstantin Rodzaevsky, the aforementioned leader of the Russian Fascist Part also situated in Harbin, and Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov, ataman of the Transbaikal Cossack Host were dispatched to Nanjing where the German ambassador, Oskar Trautmann, who had also successfully mediated the peace between Japan and China in favour of both sides, received their wishes to cooperate with Germany. A letter was written directly to the Führer, Adolf Hitler, addressing the potential of White Russian and Cossack cooperation in the Far East if the Reich accepted. Hitler himself was sceptical about their loyalty and wanted to wait until they were really needed, but Joseph Goebbels emphasised the propaganda Germany could produce for their own citizens, stating Russians would rather cooperate with the Aryan than live under the Bolshevik rule. The proposal was accepted four days after it had arrived in the Führer’s office.

                The plan was for the Cossacks to form the core of the new concept of Panzerkavallerie, which consisted of mechanised and armoured units working together to quickly overrun enemy forces whilst also conducting armoured reconnaissance. Regular Russian troops had tank, mechanised, light infantry, airborne, marine, etc. units and were equipped to those ends by German armouries. Due to German investments in the Far East there were enough factories by the end of 1943 to supply all allied and proxy armies under German patronage. The All-Russian White Army would attack the USSR’s Far East, quickly taking Vladivostok and the Buryat lands, occupying and fortifying them to ensure continued supply for their campaign westwards to link up with the Germans and earn their right to a portion of the land dictated by the New Order.

Uniforms:

The Cossacks and Russians were, as per the agreement, eligible to receive German aide, just like the Chinese had received. It is for this reason the Reich-sponsored All-Russian White Army became a “Prussian army in the Far East” in looks. They wore the M35 steel helmet, had German-designed uniforms with, at first, the traditional shoulder straps of the Imperial Russian Army. These shoulder straps were, however, too impractical and thus smaller versions were instated based on the scalloped shoulder straps of the 1935 Heer and Kriegsmarine. Ranks were still that of the Imperial Russian Army and insignia too was retained. Cossacks were allowed to wear breeches with special colours to denote their Cossack status, though later on they were “upgraded” to mechanised and armoured cavalry, donning the panzer wrappers specially designed and adapted by German uniform manufacturers operating in Manchuria. The wrappers were in the colour of the standard Imperial Russian Army uniform of old, in fact, all All-Russian White Army ground forces were clad in it. Panzer units adopted the German shirt and tie for their “smart look” when parading their armour, but when out of the limelight this would be discarded in favour of an informal and casual dress.

                On the caps the Tzarist colours of black and gold could be seen in oval cockades. The M42 forage cap was introduced for the tank crews at the same time the German equivalents got them, the same was true for when the M43 field cap was distributed. Some would wear their White Army peaked caps as it made them feel “back in the good old days”.

                The old Czarist uniforms were, at times, used as a parade dress, but this was exchanged for a Waffenrock-type dress adapted with Czarist shoulder boards and the regular grandeur expected with German uniforms. In fact, White Army officers would compare the uniform as a better alternative to their parade uniforms during the pre-War times.

                However reluctant Hitler was at first, as soon as their services were accepted, the Germans seemed to have equipped their Russian Far Eastern proxy army well, their uniforms weren’t lower grade to their German counterparts and equipment was distributed amongst their men as soon as the upgrades were available, as opposed to being geared up with older weapons.
Disclaimer: I do not support any of the views these people might have had, this is just for creative purposes and alt-history curiosity!

Credit to TheRanger1302 for the base uniform, base headgear and the male body.
The gimnastyorka uniform, the Tarist cap insignia, the shoulder straps, the enlisted insignia for all ranks, and modelling of the Russian cap was all done by me.

The tools used for this work are: www.deviantart.com/theranger13… and www.deviantart.com/theranger13…

Description

Backstory:

The All-Russian White Army was a remnant paramilitary formation of the White Army from the days of the Russian Civil War. It was located in Manchurian, where a considerable amount of White emigres were located and, most importantly, where the Transbaikal Cossack Host decided to retreat to after the Bolshevik victory. This meant there was a considerable anti-communist sentiment amongst those Russians living in Japan, Manchuria, China and Inner Mongolia. The Japanese exploited this sentiment to form the Asano Brigade, a special operations unit operating within the Manchurian Imperial Army. It was named after the advisor responsible for the brigade’s creation: Colonel Asano Takashi. This group was used to guard railways and only fought once during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, where they were subsequently almost completely destroyed.

                After Khalkhin Gol, it was clear to the White Russian emigres and the Russian Fascist Party’s leader, Konstantin Rodzaevsky, they were under the wrong leadership. Japan had been the first to grant them the right to form an army (which, granted, was only a brigade), but it had been a disaster, and their number were limited, they couldn’t just keep bleeding these casualties without problem. It was during the Second Sino-Japanese War the Russians saw their chance. China was namely supported by the Third Reich, a competent anti-communist state which, if the Cossacks and White Russian officers offered it their service, would allow them to take revenge against the Bolsheviks. They would wait to see how the wind blew and, if China was gaining the upper hand, would approach Germans in Manchuria to contact the German embassy in Nanjing.

                When Chinese panzers rolled into Hsinking, the capital city of Manchuria, and arrest Pu-Yi, a Cossack delegation approached the leading Chinese general stating the Russians and Cossacks would not interfere with the Chinese advance in return for their freedom, the Chinese agreed. Vladimir Alexandrovich Kislitsin, leader of the Harbin Russians, Konstantin Rodzaevsky, the aforementioned leader of the Russian Fascist Part also situated in Harbin, and Grigory Mikhaylovich Semyonov, ataman of the Transbaikal Cossack Host were dispatched to Nanjing where the German ambassador, Oskar Trautmann, who had also successfully mediated the peace between Japan and China in favour of both sides, received their wishes to cooperate with Germany. A letter was written directly to the Führer, Adolf Hitler, addressing the potential of White Russian and Cossack cooperation in the Far East if the Reich accepted. Hitler himself was sceptical about their loyalty and wanted to wait until they were really needed, but Joseph Goebbels emphasised the propaganda Germany could produce for their own citizens, stating Russians would rather cooperate with the Aryan than live under the Bolshevik rule. The proposal was accepted four days after it had arrived in the Führer’s office.

                The plan was for the Cossacks to form the core of the new concept of Panzerkavallerie, which consisted of mechanised and armoured units working together to quickly overrun enemy forces whilst also conducting armoured reconnaissance. Regular Russian troops had tank, mechanised, light infantry, airborne, marine, etc. units and were equipped to those ends by German armouries. Due to German investments in the Far East there were enough factories by the end of 1943 to supply all allied and proxy armies under German patronage. The All-Russian White Army would attack the USSR’s Far East, quickly taking Vladivostok and the Buryat lands, occupying and fortifying them to ensure continued supply for their campaign westwards to link up with the Germans and earn their right to a portion of the land dictated by the New Order.

Uniforms:

The Cossacks and Russians were, as per the agreement, eligible to receive German aide, just like the Chinese had received. It is for this reason the Reich-sponsored All-Russian White Army became a “Prussian army in the Far East” in looks. They wore the M35 steel helmet, had German-designed uniforms with, at first, the traditional shoulder straps of the Imperial Russian Army. These shoulder straps were, however, too impractical and thus smaller versions were instated based on the scalloped shoulder straps of the 1935 Heer and Kriegsmarine. Ranks were still that of the Imperial Russian Army and insignia too was retained. Cossacks were allowed to wear breeches with special colours to denote their Cossack status, though later on they were “upgraded” to mechanised and armoured cavalry, donning the panzer wrappers specially designed and adapted by German uniform manufacturers operating in Manchuria. The wrappers were in the colour of the standard Imperial Russian Army uniform of old, in fact, all All-Russian White Army ground forces were clad in it. Panzer units adopted the German shirt and tie for their “smart look” when parading their armour, but when out of the limelight this would be discarded in favour of an informal and casual dress.

                On the caps the Tzarist colours of black and gold could be seen in oval cockades. The M42 forage cap was introduced for the tank crews at the same time the German equivalents got them, the same was true for when the M43 field cap was distributed. Some would wear their White Army peaked caps as it made them feel “back in the good old days”.

                The old Czarist uniforms were, at times, used as a parade dress, but this was exchanged for a Waffenrock-type dress adapted with Czarist shoulder boards and the regular grandeur expected with German uniforms. In fact, White Army officers would compare the uniform as a better alternative to their parade uniforms during the pre-War times.

                However reluctant Hitler was at first, as soon as their services were accepted, the Germans seemed to have equipped their Russian Far Eastern proxy army well, their uniforms weren’t lower grade to their German counterparts and equipment was distributed amongst their men as soon as the upgrades were available, as opposed to being geared up with older weapons.
Disclaimer: I do not support any of the views these people might have had, this is just for creative purposes and alt-history curiosity!

Credit to TheRanger1302 for the base uniform, base headgear and the male body.
The gimnastyorka uniform, the Tarist cap insignia, the shoulder straps, the enlisted insignia for all ranks, and modelling of the Russian cap was all done by me.

The tools used for this work are: www.deviantart.com/theranger13… and www.deviantart.com/theranger13…