painting Indian troops

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  • November 3, 2021 at 6:25 am #186650
    richard zamudio
    Participant

    Did Sikhs have different colored turbans, i.e. enlisted or NCOs?

    Did Sikh units have English officers?

    Thanks for any help in this matter!

    November 26, 2021 at 10:34 am #186742
    Paul Nettle
    Participant

    As far as I know, all turbans were the same.  It would be bad practice to identify officers and NCOs to the enemy by such obvious markings.

    Indian units in 1939 were well on the way to being “Indianised”.  Of the 31 Officers, 12 were King’s Commissioned Officers (British) and 19 were Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers (the ratio could vary in practice).  A platoon would usually be comanded by a “Jemadar” (2nd Lt) or “Subadar” (Lt) whilst the Company was commanded by a British officer – usually a 2nd Lt or Lt.  All Viceroy’s Commissioned Officers ranked below Kings Commissioned Officers.  There was also a single Subadar-Major per battlion who ranked as Maj and worked with the battalion commander as a sort of surpeme NCO.

    NCOs would all be Indian.  Lance-Naik, Naik (Cpl), Havildar (Sgt) and Havildar-Major.  I hope this helps.

    November 26, 2021 at 4:26 pm #186743
    richard zamudio
    Participant

    Thanks for the help! Here in the USA there is very little printed information as regards these matters.

    November 27, 2021 at 4:41 pm #186752
    Christoph Hintze
    Participant

    Here is the trick that I use so as to be able to recognize enlisted from NCO from officer; I paint the rims of the bases the appropriate colors.  Such as black for enlisted, silver for NCO, and gold for officer.  My sniper teams get green for Rifles.

    I hope this helps,

    Stoff

    November 29, 2021 at 1:46 pm #186763
    Paul Nettle
    Participant

    If you want some good reference books, the first two autobiography books by John Masters are good.  “Bugles and a Tiger” is about his life in the British Indian army before WWII (as a 2nd Lt in charge of a rifle company), and “The Road Past Mandalay” describes his was service.  Both very good books.

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