This is not a DEI post. I do not want Battlefield V virtue signalling in Enlisted.
As an Australian however I am sympathetic to getting recognition for the veterans of all countries and groups wherever possible. At minimum it makes the game more interesting and unique, and allows people to play as their countrymen and women which is important (it can also attract new markets in some cases).
Occasionally we get poorly written posts along the lines of ‘wheres muh black people’ or ‘how much for ze women?’ which unsurprisingly arent taken very seriously.
The following post is my humble attempt at presenting proper and practical suggestions for how diversity could be actually be added to the game.
This is not something I expect added overnight, just ideas for the future.
Unfortunately the dropdown menus did not work as expected, please click through to see all the different countries/groups I propose.
UK
**Scottish squad.** Probably an assault squad. Customisation options kilt and Tam O'Shanter forage cap.
There could be an event where similar to swords players can unlock bagpipes. When played they give your squad a ‘morale boost’ so for a certain time they can run faster, aim better and react more quickly.
Free Polish and Free Czech.
These brave men escaped from their homelands and fought with the British Army using British uniforms and equipment. The picture below is Polish soldiers at Monte Cassino. I would suggest that some Polish/Czech names be added to the possibilities of names for British squads. (these can always be changed if so desired).
Options for uniforms specifying Free Polish/Free Czech would be even better.
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Commonwealth
AUSTRALIA
Owen gun assault squad should be given Australian uniforms. Australian uniforms currently with the guerilla squad should be made freely available to all squads, along with the slouch hat and digger hat from the premium and event squads.
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians fought alongside each other in WWII. Therefore I would propose that at least a couple of appearance options be Australian Aboriginals.
NEW ZEALAND
New Zealand uniforms as currently featured in the Charlton squad should be freely available customisation options.
I further propose the 28th Maori Battalion be added as a premium assault squad.
BRITISH INDIA
An Indian machine gunner squad to go with the Vickers-Berthier should be added. Some Indian units were entirely Indian, others were a mix of British soldiers/officers and Indian soldiers.
I would propose Indian appearances and national uniforms (eg turban) be added as options. I believe it would be acceptable to have a British squad with some British and some Indian soldiers.
CANADA
Canadian squad added with the Ross rifle. Uniforms freely available.
SOUTH AFRICA
South African uniforms added as free appearance options. South African units I believe were segregated.
However for the British Empire I would propose that African (i.e black) appearance options be made available and these could be used for various British African colonies. More specific uniforms such as British Sudanese would be even better.
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USA
African-American servicemen. People often shoot down these sorts of ideas due to the U.S Army being segregated.
I believe the solution is simple in Auto Full Squad Apply. African-American appearances would be added to possible options and players could choose if they want an African-American squad in which case all soldiers would be African-American. You would not mix and match.
As for soldiers on the battlefield, I see no issue with this. There were black and white American units fighting on the same front in the Battle of the Bulge for example, and at the moment weve got all manner of squads fighting together even in entirely the wrong campaign so it shouldnt matter.
Navajo Marines:
A regular radioman squad with appearance of Native Americans.
Nisei premium squad -
Japanese-Americans who fought for the Allies. There are some Asiatic faces included in the USA appearances. I would propose a full Japanese-American appearance squad be added as premium. They could reuse faces from Imperial Japan faction.
Brazilian premium squad.
Would use US uniforms and weapons simply with the BRASIL snake patch on the shoulders. There may be a unique weapon these guys could have.
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Other Allied Nations
Pacific Islanders
For the Pacific campaign I would really like to see at least some sort of recognition to the Islanders whose villages and homes we were fighting over and without their support we couldnt have done it.
I therefore propose:
Fiji premium squad either regular army like rifleman squad (1st picture) or guerilla squad (2nd picture)
In Papua New Guinea 3500 islanders fought in the Pacific Islander Regiment. There were also 400 Solomon Islanders in the Solomon Islanders defence force.
There is ample evidence of Pacific Islanders fighting as armed soldiers like above so we could have PI squads for riflemen, assaulters etc.
I would propose a medic squad as a way to recognise Pacific Islanders contribution in assisting wounded Allied soldiers + they are armed so can fight as regular soldiers.
Greek Army
In the event of a Balkan campaign being added naturally we should include our Greek allies.
The same goes for Norway which could have our first ski mounted soldiers.
Please see my other post regarding a France-Poland-Belgium-Netherlands tech tree for the regular armies of those countries.
Resistance Fighters
The introduction of guerillas as regular squads means we can now have resistance fighters and partisans in the game. This is where women’s contribution to the Second World War can be recognised within the bounds of the game.
We currently have a French Resistance squad. Female faces should be added to the appearance options.
Players should be reassured that you wont see female GIs or Tommies running around because female appearances could be locked to guerilla squads, same as civilian clothes currently are.
Polish resistance would be important to add, Dutch resistance and various other resistance movements.
Filipino resistance could be a premium guerilla squad for USA.
Yugoslav partisans/Greek and Cretan resistance would be great for a potential Balkan campaign.
On the topic of adding women in the game, Tito’s partisans were specifically known for having male and female soldiers who all lived and fought alongside each other.
Japan
For Japan it would be good to add some Korean names as possible options when buying Japanese soldiers.
Some Pacific Islanders were convinced to fight for the Japanese, this could be added too likely as a premium unless there would be too much confusion having Pacific Islanders for both Allies and Axis forces.
There were also anti-British Indian soldiers who fought for Imperial Japan. These could be a premium or event squad as well.
According to Mark Felton, some White Russians fought with Imperial Japan. This could be an interesting event or premium squad. Note that White Russian refers both to their ethnicity relative to the Japanese, but more specifically that they were pro-Tsarist and anti-communist who had escaped to the Far East.
USSR
I am less familiar with the USSR. What I do know is that the Soviet Union was vast, incorporating many different people beyond simply ‘Russians’. Adding names and where necessary, uniforms, to reflect this would be good.
The majority of these would fit into existing maps. At the moment we have Volksturm units in Tunisia, Australians in the Battle of the Bulge and French Resistance everywhere the Allies fight, so I think it should be fine.
I have specified suggested new ‘campaigns’ where applicable. By campaign I mean new maps and tech.
