Ogre Faction Insignia
There are many factions in the era of the Last War. Easily the most recognized are the North American Combine and the Paneuropean Federation. But Nova Brasilia, the Nihon Empire, and many others existed as well, affecting the military balance of power within their own spheres of influence. All of these factions had their own insignia.
The North American Combine was the most uniform, with all units flying the hourglass insignia, usually in red, white or black. But some units had their own distinctive markings such as the black horse head on a yellow shield of the First Cavalry or the crossed sabers of Seventh Cavalry as well as the "Big Red One" of 1st Infantry. Additionally, some personalization was tolerated, often honoring imagery of past military vehicles, such as pinup girls on Superheavies or shark grins or flames on GEVs. Kill rings on tank barrels and enemy silhouettes on other vehicles were also common.
The Paneuropean Federation, true to their political underpinnings, had far greater variety in unit insignia. Most carried the Spartan helmet representative of the Federation, in yellow, blue or white, but virtually all had some additional markings representative of their "home" region: the double-headed eagle of Russia; the German iron cross; the crowned white eagle of Poland; a white cross on a blue shield for Greece; and many more. There were even subdivisions within these geopolitical demarcations each with their own insignia!
Great Britain and Australia, both tied closely with the North American Combine, still flew their own colors on Combine equipment. The Union Jack was featured on all Great Britain vehicles although there were frequently additional markings denoting company and unit affiliations. Australian units were more sporadic in displaying the Australian flag, some preferring the Corps insignia or other military crests. But the flag was the most common symbol found on those units.
In a similar manner, Israel displayed its flag on all military units. The ubiquitous nature of this marking was rivaled only by the Combine's hourglass. Unlike the Combine, however, these Combine-made units almost never had other markings beyond unit identification letters and/or numbers displayed on their chassis.
The Nihon Empire also had strict codes in unit markings. The red rising sun of the Empire's flag was found on all units, often on a field of white. Status emblems of elite units were assigned to deserving companies. The only personalization of a vehicle were kill markings, as they were seen as a symbol of honor and were proudly displayed on combat units.
Nova Brasilia commonly displayed the 12-pointed yellow sun on a field of green, in correspondence with its flag, but often would only have the yellow sun (or more rarely, a green sun) as the sole national insignia. Unit and/or company markings were frequent and personalization of the vehicle, sometimes excessively so, was exceptionally common. Notable differences in livery were even seen within the same troop or lance!
A red star outlined in gold represents the armed forces of the Chinese Hegemony. Early in the Last War, units were all adorned with the same consistent markings and livery. As the war progressed and the Chinese empire slowly crumbled, tanks often had varied color schemes, even within the same squad. The red star remained a constant, however, even if it was painted on by hand in the final years of the Hegemony.
The Arabian Confederation was a loose association of Middle Eastern Islamic states. With no unifying political identity, only the persistent threat of outside forces kept it together for any period of time. All military units carried the red Crescent and Stars of the Confederation's flag, but most wore the colors of the parent nation as well, frequently shown more prominently than the Confederation insignia.
The Vatican was a major global force by the mid-twenty first century, with three divisions of armor including the elite Magna Veritas. Always adorned in purple with gold trim and highlights, its presence was felt across the continent and beyond. The insignia of the Guard was the crossed keys and crown representing the Papacy. Minor variations existed between the different companies and services, some having more or less gold, but the overall concept was consistent across the force.
Two mercenary units were commonly seen on the continent. The first was the Black Rose, a force comprised of Combine veterans. A single black rose, often on a field of yellow, represented this cadre. The vehicles themselves were usually painted in shades of green. They could be seen throughout Paneurope.
The second mercenary division was the Sons of Old Nassau, a smaller but exceptionally well-trained and equipped corps. Incorporating tiger imagery throughout its equipment, the Sons used a black tiger paw print as its symbol, usually on an orange or white background. The White Tigers, the elite Special Forces of the Sons of Old Nassau, wore the black paw print on an ice blue field. Many combatants on all sides used the Sons throughout the Last War.
In the later years of the Last War, a group unaffiliated with any country was seen in Paneurope. Named the Anarchist Relief Front, it was led by a charismatic leader that chose to fight on behalf of the citizens of the continent rather than a country. A thorn in both the Paneuropean and Combine's sides, the Front's livery was quite varied. Two themes ran throughout the ARF, however: pink was a prominent color in their markings, and an "A", often rough and usually encircled, was their logo. Beyond those two concepts, just about anything was fair game.
Long after the Last War, during the Factory States era, the rise of Nightfall led to new warfare on the planet. Using the Omega sign, either red or black on a field of the opposite color, this force presented mankind with an enemy other than each other. All units within a group of Nightfall's forces would carry the same version of the logo. There were never any other markings visible on these Ogres.
