German tactical signs

[Schlonz]

While browsing my HD, I've found some old Campaign Series goodies.
Using one of those files, I replaced the tactical NATO signs with
contemporary German signs in the "icons2d.bmp" file.
You can download the files for WF, EF and RS here

NATO


German


Ingame


Those files are only graphic mods and won't affect your current games/campaigns.
Nevertheless, you should backup the stock files.
Use the new files on your own risk.

[Jason Petho]

Excellent find!

Thank you!

Jason Petho

[Von Luck]

Correct i have an old very large board game called the longest day which i had to import from the US at some cost which shows the German symbols for units at that time.Very nice of you to put it up and draw attention as to what the Germans used for military symbols.Hard to make sence of at first but after a few good look's no prob's.

[Crossroads]

While browsing my HD, I've found some old Campaign Series goodies.

Thanks!

I cannot play this fine game anymore without using the Panzer Leader and Panzerblitz user interfaces :)

About NATO-signs... How long have they been in use? Were similar signs already in use in WW II? By US only? What about Commonwealth?

Regards Petri

[Schlonz]

I don't know when the NATO symbols were introduced, but they are defined in
Allied Procedures Publication APP-6 „Military Symbols for Land Based Systems“

and based on
Field Manual FM 21-30 „Conventional Signs, Military Symbols and Abbreviations“

[Larry Reese]

NATO was based loosely on the WWII US Army organizational symbology. Some of the minor problems with it (NATO symbology), in my opinion, is that is has changed over the years (which it was designed to do; if you use the guidelines to develop the new symbols you need; and don't go absolutely crazy like the Bundeswehr, which added literally hundreds of new symbols on their end, greatly complicating the overall symbol system) and basically assumes everything is mechanized (which for NATO was mostly true, but not applicable to WWII and others). The symbols were standardized under the Standardization Agreement (STANAG ) No. 2019, 2nd Edition. I've mainly had occasion to use US Army [FM 21-30] and Bundeswehr [zDv 1/11] manuals dealing with the symbols, but other NATO members should be similar.

I've always felt the WWII German symbology to be unnecessarily overly complicated, almost to a fetishishtic extent (like many of their weapon systems and actual organizations) and find it interesting that this bent continued even under NATO.

Anyway, my two cents. Great find; just not my cup of tea.

LR