The DAS REICH file was put together based on historical graphic accounts. In the current version:
A) TAN / SAND FELD BLUSE - DARK YELLOW TROUSERS.
The DAK uniforms included a WIDE variety of tunics, shirts, knickers in an even wider range of tints! The tunics were either olive-drab/grey (yet, NOT feldgrau) dark yellow, or tan / beige. On some wartime color pictures (like the one included in my "DAK Documents.jpg" file) one can notice that there are barely two identical uniforms!!! So, for camo/tactical reasons, I decided to go for a "sand" colored bluse. It is by far a wiser choice than EA/DICE incredible "fluo" green tunic (it is. IMHO, their WORST uniform ever, by the way!) My tunic is featuring FLAT pockets, 1 1/2 the size of regular pockets.
Dark yellow trousers were definitely a standard (if not the sole, at least, the main) and there was no hesitation in picking up that color (EVEN EA knew that *lol*). I've working a lot with brightness contrast effect (and 45 minutes with Photoshop's airbrushes!) to get them a baggy look.
B) OPEN COLLAR TUNIC
A standard for the Afrika Korp, the Luftwaffe infantery and some of the troops based in Italy. EA's automatic features were bypassed by transforming the usual TUNIC collar into a SHIRT collar, with satisfying results.(just like I did with my DAS REICH late war Uniform V 1.0)
C) KNEE HIGH LACED BOOTS
SPECIFIC to the DAK, it existed in a ankle boot version. Made from both red-brown leather AND canvas.
D) HOBNAILS (heels)
Another (NOW) standard in my production.
E) COLLAR PATCHES & SOULDER BOARDS
OBERFELDWEBEL= Master sergeant
F) DAK CUFFTITLE
Standard, even though there were MANY versions to choose from. That one is one of the earliest & most famous.
G) CHICKEN WIRE HELMET COVER (scouts)
Our snipers now look great with a newly added REALISTIC chicken wire (!!!) "net". I doubt, however, that EA's idea of generating leafs as a desert camo is a good one : if you see a bush (or BUSH...) moving in the middle of a desert S-H-O-O-T !!!!*lol*
I) MEDALS & DECORATIONS
a) Spanienkreuz: Our storm trooper is a veteran of the Spanish civil War, presumably from the former "Legion Condor" - worn on the right breats pocket.
b) Spanish Civil War wounded medal : lower left breast pocket
c) Iron cross first class - left breast pocket (and ribbon)
e) Ribbon bar: North African Front (obvious!) - above left breast pocket
f) DAK version of the national emblem (eagle) light blue thread on a orange/brown outline - over the right breast pocket
k) Dark yellow (painted) "Gott mitt uns" Whermacht belt buckle
J) LEATHER SUSPENDERS Olive or dark yellow canvas suspenders and belt were a common but non exclusive feature of the DAK equipment. IF NO BROWN LEATHER suspenders were issued, brown leather belts were distributed randomly in North Afrika. However, the regular black leather suspenders and belt were widely used and there as shown on many wartime photographs. For a matter of “artistic” contrast and aesthetic color balance, I’ve decided to keep the regular black equipment, minus the usual aluminum / feldgrau (late war) buckle and to replace it with the official “Gott mitt un” buckle spayed in dark yellow (or flat olive drab in some cases).
NOTE: EA's ORIGINAL MODELS do NOT allow us to provide an ACCURATE depiction of the following elements:
- Any Sniper,flag bearer, specialty badges etc... should be displayed on the LEFT sleeve any attempt to use such badges in BF1942 resulted in a ridiculously over-charged model since the badges appear on BOTH arms. The idea (a great one) was the dropped...
AQUILA
README FILE : AQUILA'S DEUTSCHE AFRIKA KORPS V.1.0 COPYRIGHT FREE - please provide the following references when distributing and / or editing: I INVITE ALL USERS TO EDIT MY FILE AS THEY WISH UNDER THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS: - IMPROVE IT by at least 70% :) - MAKE SURE you are ADDING details and accuracy. - USE IT EXTENSIVELY IF YOU ARE A NEWBIE: If it helps you to practice on it, then go on! :) - If you are to use it for commercial purpose or in a "CLAN" context, then GIVE ME MY FULL CREDIT. (I would be glad to help you if you ever need any special German, British and/or Commonwealth skin). Designed by Aquila, March 15 2003 [email protected] Then, add any personal info THANKS ------------------------------------------------------------------ INCLUDED: A complete set of 7 DDS files to use with MERCILESS TEXTURE SET ------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 -HOW TO INSTALL- A) You must install MERCILESS TEXTURE SET (available at bf1942files.com) B) EXTRACT the included files in a temp (or permanent, so you can backup it on a CD-R) Ex: C:\AFRIKA KORPS BF42 skin\ C) Open your BF1942 folder, then locate the Texture sets: Ex: (presumably) C:\Program Files\EA GAMES\Battlefield 1942\TextureSets\BF1942\ D) You will see all BF1942 MAPS and options located in their respective Folder Ex: Battle_of_the _Bulge Battleaxe Berlin Coral_Sea etc... E) To backup all your DDS files in a newly created sub-folder would be a VERY GOOD idea at this particular stage. F) Extract your AFRIKA KORPS DDS in the appropriate folder (Ex: El Alamein). You will be asked to confirm that you want to overwrite the existing files with your new DDS. Ex: Do you want to replace the existing DesGer1_z.dds etc... G) After MAKING SURE you backed up your original DDS files, overwrite with new one. H) Start BATTLEFIELD 1942, select either MULTI or SINGLE player, select the map you just modified (in this case, El Alamein). Enjoy your new troops! -------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 -HISTORICAL FACTS- Unlike obscure SS Divisions or other specific Whermacht units, the Deutsche Afrika Korps (DAK) is one of the best known german special korp, thanks to it's outstanding commander, Feldmarshall Erwin Rommel. Very few (probably no other) other Axis commander was praised by the British Parliament for his military skills and fair play! Even Hollywood was soon to praise the "Desert Fox" and acknowledge that he was not "just another goose stepping racist", but rather a great soldier, in the most noble sense. From James Mason's "Desert Fox" to Spielberg's "Raiders of the lost Ark", let's not forget "Patton", the Afrika Korps became a regular "special guest" in a huge serie of movies (some very representative, some other, blame it on hollywoodian proverbial need of bad guys, a total B.S.). What makes the DAK so "romantic"? Well, things were quite clearer and simpler on the North African front. One can easily admit he admires the DAK troops without fearing that the guy or girl next door will almost automatically conclude he is "a nazi"... How come? My own personal theory is: Any scholar interested in the Waffen SS HISTORY always have to deal with the fact that, to most, chances are that they'll mixed up with the Gestapo, the war crimes and the Shoah. This, sadly enough, is true in many cases. You may argue that these guys were the best fighters of the 20th century, you will however be labeled as a Nazi in the end (which is a shame, but...) The same goes for the Wermacht: these guys were not, of course,a bunch of war criminals, but some units were undoubtedly involved in dramatic events, to say the least. That is sufficient to darken the picture in the opinion of most people: Like it or not, Western and Eastern fronts will always be linked to political and racists issues, with, in first place, all the shameful atrocities against jews, homosexuals, gypsie, intellectuals etc... On the other hand, the North African front was mostly a non urban, army to army, tactical game, in a very traditional way. Civilians were not an issue as important as in Poland or Russia. Troops were there to win battles and conquer the land: the Rommel Vs Montgomery fight was not totally unlike a Scipio/Hannibal dead match, even in it's landscape! The Afrika Korps VS the "Desert Rats" combat was a soldiers' thing, with no ethnic or political canvas, as far as the fighters themselves were concerned. Elite troops against elite troops: that's what it was all and strictly all about. In an almost Shakespearian way, Rommel ended his life by "cleaning" his honor for all coming generations to see: related to the 1944 aborted "coup d'etat" (col Klaus Von Stauffenberg placed a bomb in Hitler's H.Q in Rastenburg, two meters away from the Fuhrer: the bomb violently exploded... Hitler was not even hurt!!!), he was arrested and given two choices: committing suicide, which would officially save both his honor and family, or facing a (faked) trial and being executed. He went straight for the first option. So DAK was an outstanding unit, in a "clean" war, respected by both the german people and it's ennemies. It's commander being one of the greatest soldier ever, popular among his troops, who died refusing to follow Hitler's disastrous strategies and politics - that is what legends are made of! WHERE TO USE THE AFRIKA KORPS FILE? That one is so obvious! *LOL* - El Alamein - Tobruk - Battle axe - Gazala BUT: it would also be accurate to use it with some of the maps offered in "Road to Rome" since the "tropical" uniform was, in some cases, worn in Italy (Sicily etc...) as well. In that case, you will have to make sure that your DDS files are renamed accordingly since DESERT files were labeled with specific names: Ex: The "Germov_r.dds" file (tunic) has been renamed "DesGer1_Z.dds" in african maps. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3- WHAT ABOUT THE DAS REICH LATE WAR UNIFORM FILE The DAS REICH file was put together based on historical graphic accounts. In the current version: A) TAN / SAND FELD BLUSE - DARK YELLOW TROUSERS. The DAK uniforms included a WIDE variety of tunics, shirts, knickers in an even wider range of tints! The tunics were either olive-drab/grey (yet, NOT feldgrau) dark yellow, or tan / beige. On some wartime color pictures (like the one included in my "DAK Documents.jpg" file) one can notice that there are barely two identical uniforms!!! So, for camo/tactical reasons, I decided to go for a "sand" colored bluse. It is by far a wiser choice than EA/DICE incredible "fluo" green tunic (it is. IMHO, their WORST uniform ever, by the way!) My tunic is featuring FLAT pockets, 1 1/2 the size of regular pockets. Dark yellow trousers were definitely a standard (if not the sole, at least, the main) and there was no hesitation in picking up that color (EVEN EA knew that *lol*). I've working a lot with brightness contrast effect (and 45 minutes with Photoshop's airbrushes!) to get them a baggy look. B) OPEN COLLAR TUNIC A standard for the Afrika Korp, the Luftwaffe infantery and some of the troops based in Italy. EA's automatic features were bypassed by transforming the usual TUNIC collar into a SHIRT collar, with satisfying results.(just like I did with my DAS REICH late war Uniform V 1.0) C) KNEE HIGH LACED BOOTS SPECIFIC to the DAK, it existed in a ankle boot version. Made from both red-brown leather AND canvas. D) HOBNAILS (heels) Another (NOW) standard in my production. E) COLLAR PATCHES & SOULDER BOARDS OBERFELDWEBEL= Master sergeant F) DAK CUFFTITLE Standard, even though there were MANY versions to choose from. That one is one of the earliest & most famous. G) CHICKEN WIRE HELMET COVER (scouts) Our snipers now look great with a newly added REALISTIC chicken wire (!!!) "net". I doubt, however, that EA's idea of generating leafs as a desert camo is a good one : if you see a bush (or BUSH...) moving in the middle of a desert S-H-O-O-T !!!!*lol* I) MEDALS & DECORATIONS a) Spanienkreuz: Our storm trooper is a veteran of the Spanish civil War, presumably from the former "Legion Condor" - worn on the right breats pocket. b) Spanish Civil War wounded medal : lower left breast pocket c) Iron cross first class - left breast pocket (and ribbon) e) Ribbon bar: North African Front (obvious!) - above left breast pocket f) DAK version of the national emblem (eagle) light blue thread on a orange/brown outline - over the right breast pocket k) Dark yellow (painted) "Gott mitt uns" Whermacht belt buckle J) LEATHER SUSPENDERS Olive or dark yellow canvas suspenders and belt were a common but non exclusive feature of the DAK equipment. IF NO BROWN LEATHER suspenders were issued, brown leather belts were distributed randomly in North Afrika. However, the regular black leather suspenders and belt were widely used and there as shown on many wartime photographs. For a matter of “artistic” contrast and aesthetic color balance, I’ve decided to keep the regular black equipment, minus the usual aluminum / feldgrau (late war) buckle and to replace it with the official “Gott mitt un” buckle spayed in dark yellow (or flat olive drab in some cases). NOTE: EA's ORIGINAL MODELS do NOT allow us to provide an ACCURATE depiction of the following elements: - Any Sniper,flag bearer, specialty badges etc... should be displayed on the LEFT sleeve any attempt to use such badges in BF1942 resulted in a ridiculously over-charged model since the badges appear on BOTH arms. The idea (a great one) was the dropped... AQUILA [email protected] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- INTERESTING LINKS: 1- http://plinks.pt-quorum.com/dak/dak/dakmenu.htm DEUTSCHE AFRIKA KORPS: A very good and informative website 2- http://www.skalman.nu/third-reich/index.htm A HUGE source of precious and WELL DOCUMENTED information on Third Reich militaria NON - POLITICAL 3- http://www.lexicon-der-whermacht.de All WWII German MILITARY oriented information...IN GERMAN LANGUAGE ONLY 4- http://www.afrika-korps.de DEUTSCHE AFRIKA KORPS: A very good and informative website… IN GERMAN LANGUAGE ONLY 5- http://www.eliteforces.freewire.co.uk\index.html Elite forces of the Third Reich: Nice website, with a lot of "under construction" pages though --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: __________ NOTE: I DO NOT endorse Nazism and / or fascism under any circumstances. These graphics and historical information were assembled to provide alternate & historically accurate troop options for all fellow Battlefield 1942 players. The interest in WWII German military history, itself, is NOT an equivalent of right wing political claims or Propaganda, the same way an interest for Roman legions should not be considered to be a potential danger of propagating ideas about feeding lions at your local Zoo with Christians! DISCLAIMER 2: ____________ Even though I try to choose OUTSTANDING and HISTORY-ORIENTED websites in my link section, I CAN NOT be held responsible for the content of any website referred to in my postings.
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