"Who has made an army because it mirrors your nationality?" Topic

For example, I am mostly Polish, so I started a 1700s era Polish Commonwealth army many years ago just because it matched my DNA. I might assemble a small force of German peasants to give a nod to that part of the family tree.

Me. I've worked my ancestors in northern and western Germany pretty hard--Hanover and Westphalia, mostly, and a spot of Brunswick--Marlburian, SYW, French Rev, Napoleonics and 1866.

Three – a motley horde of 18th century cossacks to commemorate my mother's ancestry from the Zaporozhian Sich (who would give your Polish lads a good run for their money!) and two more recent ones, a WWII North Eastern Europe Canadian army and a Riel Rebellion – British Colonial Canadian army (including my favourite unit, the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, aka The Little Black Devils)

For my dad's side I suppose I should at some point paint up some German Swiss/Bavarians but I guess some of my medieval knights would work for medieval Bavarians

I built force for a SYW Austrian army to honor my ancestry with a regiment of Bohemian infantry, a regiment of Moravian infantry and a squadron of Bohemian cuirassiers. I supplemented these with a regiment of Hungarian infantry and some artillery to round out the Austrian force. I had everything painted and complete except the cuirassiers when the gaming group decided to move on to a different period. I have never gone back to the SYW. (I did not stay much longer with the group either.)

I have WW2 US Airborne as a tribute to my father (507th PIR).
I also have a medieval Scotts-Irish army (inspired by Somerled) to fight Viking hordes (in a slightly anarchronistic way) as my ancestors come from that neck of the woods.

Same here. My entry into Napoleonics consisted of Polish troops followed closely by Bavarians, the countries where my Family originated. At the time, my entire knowledge base for the Napoleonic Wars was a Hinchliffe 25mm catalog. It was a beautiful thing, it was bound like a "collectors" magazine and had line drawings of all of their figures. I would pore over it for hours planning out my grand armies. Then they stopped operating, or at least that is what Tom at the game store told me, and I had to switch to Minifigs. One of the first searches I did on the "new" internet was for "hinchliffe" once I became convinced that computers were not a passing fad and I got a computer. Yes, we are talking the stone ages. I'm still not fully convinced about computers, however.

More individual units that ancestors served in – or individual figures

Texans for Texas Revolution and Republic of Texas. And, of course, their Mexican opponents.

I no longer have the figures, but I did 1919 Irish Rebellion and Irish Civil War.

Also, I guess it goes without saying that I do FIW and AWI.

I have a strong interest in Medieval Germany because… My family is from Germany. If I did Napoleonic I would for sure do Wurttemberg as that is where my family comes from.

Not really. My heritage is Polish but my favorite army is a Zulu army (go figure). I also have Parliamentarian troops for the ECW even though I'm a Catholic. I do have a number of Michigan units for my ACW since I live in Michigan but our family didn't arrive in the USA until 1914.
Paul

I put my own family crest on a knight:

I've done DBA a Celtic army for my Irish ancestry as well as a Medieval Irish army. Also have a Irish Brigade for my ACW, even tho my ancestors were never in the Irish Brigade but did fight for the Union in the war.

Lots of English/British for me.

Nope, just those armies from conflicts that interested me.

Did it in reverse, I started painting Napoleonic Württemberg THEN found out that's where some ancestors came from.

Not yet, though I'd love to make a Dutch WW2 28mm army.

I'm British but part French part German, so lots of choice for me!

I did paint a couple of medieval European archers in traditional Karelian (black, red, yellow) and modern Finnish (blue, white) colors. I think that they are generic enough to pass.

My medieval Welsh army has flags taken from shield designs used by my actual ancestors.

Normans, ACW in Missouri and Scots-Irish in the Pale.

Paul (Grattan 54), like you I have a connection to Württemberg. My grandfather was born in the Kingdom of Württemberg in 1907. Over the last few years I have built a fairly large 28mm Napoleonic Württemberg army. Also, I am a direct descendant of Charles-Armand Tuffin, le Marquis de La Rouerie and although the American Revolution is not a conflict I normally game, I have built a 28mm Armand's Legion in his honor.

Though from German Anglo-Saxon heritage, not why I started my first major Napoleonic army of Prussians, it was because I live near King of Prussia.

Scottish troops for me. Born in Glasgow, 1st couple of years at various barracks in Scotland

Instead of nationality use DNA. 66% Irish/English, 16% French, 14% German, 2% Scandinavian. I play Dark Age SAGA figure the odds.

I've got a few Great Northern War Swedes, but it's not really because I'm Swedish – I've got Russians and Saxons too.

Though of course my being intrested in the war in the first place may have something to do with my nationality.

My latest armies are Comanche and SYW Hungarian. My DNA includes neither. 🤷

I also have Saxons, and of course Ancient Britains (but doesn't every Wargamer of my age have Airfix Ancient Britains ?)

Only when I owned an ECW army, otherwise I deliberately avoid British armies as they are usually a peripheral irrelevance.