"Modern "Facings" and Battle Standards" Topic

In the 18th century, uniforms included "facings", cuffs and bits of exposed coat lining, to help distinguish units.

In the video below you can see a modern version! :-)

The video shows Ukrainian para-military units fighting while wearing strips of yellow tape and ribbons. Some of their civilian vehicles even sport Ukrainian flags. This would make my wife happy since, when she plays with us, she finds it difficult to distinguish modern troops.

YouTube link

And in the middle east insurgents have been using flags as large as medieval battle standards on their vehicles for years.

Such antics certainly provide welcome opportunities to field more colorful forces in our modern games. While building forces for our "Warfare in the Age of Madness" games I thought that our rebel flags might be over the top. Now they seem to be perfectly realistic! : -)

More in the line of 'field signs' which were common in Medieval and Rennaissance battles where one side woud use some readily obtained material to distinguish their troops – some examples include wearing a part of a particular plant (broom flower) or a piece of white paper tucked into their hat band.

And great fun when both sides accidentally picked the same field sign……