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The Grand Colonel Effect
- Thread starter David Flin
- Start date
"Torchbearer" is a particularly great one.
Alexander Rooksmoor
Well-known member
Fascinating read as I am currently writing a novel featuring Imperial Russian ranks. There is a Shtabs-kapitan which equates to Captain in many armies and then a Kapitan, the next rank up. At times Russia had a rank of Maior but in the period I am writing about Kapitan is a major. To try to give the flavour of the setting and the times, I do tend to use the rank names untranslated (though transliterated from Cyrillic to Latin script), as in this case the average reader might keep thinking I meant a lower rank. Do not even get me started on how Russian Deputy and Sub-Ensigns are NCOs rather than junior commissioned officers.
At times I do worry that I am becoming too much like a 'trainspotter' myself and/or overly fearful of how commentators will complain bitterly, 'but that gun had not been issued in those numbers by April 1937' and so end up nit-picking myself as much as they do. In their case I feel it is often because they cannot write novels, they feel obliged to assert some authority through picking us up on such details to kind of equalise, or indeed seek to dominate, the relationship with the author.
A prime challenge for AH authors, as opposed to historical fiction authors, is while it is great to show the distinct nature of the historical context, our worlds by definition are not precisely like that and us using different ranks or organisation, is sometimes/often not a 'mistake' on our part and in fact intentional, as with the 'Grand Colonel' discussed here to show that it is similar, i.e. this is a middle/senior army rank, but it is different.
The most fun I had with this was in 'Byzantium Express' imagining what ranks a 20th Century byzantine army would have, both based on the very numerous civil service, military and naval ranks Byzantium had had and the fact the modern Greek military in fact uses some of those older terms anyway.
At times I do worry that I am becoming too much like a 'trainspotter' myself and/or overly fearful of how commentators will complain bitterly, 'but that gun had not been issued in those numbers by April 1937' and so end up nit-picking myself as much as they do. In their case I feel it is often because they cannot write novels, they feel obliged to assert some authority through picking us up on such details to kind of equalise, or indeed seek to dominate, the relationship with the author.
A prime challenge for AH authors, as opposed to historical fiction authors, is while it is great to show the distinct nature of the historical context, our worlds by definition are not precisely like that and us using different ranks or organisation, is sometimes/often not a 'mistake' on our part and in fact intentional, as with the 'Grand Colonel' discussed here to show that it is similar, i.e. this is a middle/senior army rank, but it is different.
The most fun I had with this was in 'Byzantium Express' imagining what ranks a 20th Century byzantine army would have, both based on the very numerous civil service, military and naval ranks Byzantium had had and the fact the modern Greek military in fact uses some of those older terms anyway.
Alexander Rooksmoor
Well-known member
Advance Towelmaster ... and be recognised.
Nice, I did an article about this some years ago but there's some new ones here I was unaware of.
I also think (and may write another post either here or on my own blog) that this can apply to variations on character names. Like a common fantasy trope of taking a real name and slightly altering it actually actually fits with linguistic variations on real names (John,Johan,Ion,Ivan,Jan,Jean,etc...).
I've always felt we rather missed a chance with Air Forces mostly inheriting unit structure from armies and thus having Generals and the like, and then the US Space Force in particular splitting off from the Air Fore and mostly just sticking with Air Force which is to say mostly Army ranks. I was suggesting jokingly someplace that the Space Force should have its flag ranks be "Starlord"....
.....Anyway, Marvel references aside but on a relatively similar level of seriousness, I also proposed that the Space Force should solve the Army vs Navy question of how important a Captain is by making them the most important rank in any new force: the equivalent of a sergeant, as the base rank for senior enlisted.
.....Anyway, Marvel references aside but on a relatively similar level of seriousness, I also proposed that the Space Force should solve the Army vs Navy question of how important a Captain is by making them the most important rank in any new force: the equivalent of a sergeant, as the base rank for senior enlisted.
Meanwhile in "Well Met By Starlight" I have a joint ESA-NASA-ASEAN mission where the US Space Force uses Air Force ranks and the ESA uses navy ranks, just to confuse everyone because captains are also lieutenants depending on whom you're speaking to.I've always felt we rather missed a chance with Air Forces mostly inheriting unit structure from armies and thus having Generals and the like, and then the US Space Force in particular splitting off from the Air Fore and mostly just sticking with Air Force which is to say mostly Army ranks. I was suggesting jokingly someplace that the Space Force should have its flag ranks be "Starlord"....
.....Anyway, Marvel references aside but on a relatively similar level of seriousness, I also proposed that the Space Force should solve the Army vs Navy question of how important a Captain is by making them the most important rank in any new force: the equivalent of a sergeant, as the base rank for senior enlisted.
- Location
- UK
Some of the ranks considered for use when the RAF was set up are interesting.
Under this proposal the names were to have been: ensign, lieutenant, flight leader, squadron leader, reeve, banneret, fourth ardian, third ardian, second ardian, ardian and air marshal. A further proposal was: ensign, lieutenant, flight-leader, squadron-leader, wing-leader, leader, flight ardian, squadron ardian, wing ardian, ardian, air marshal. However, this system was rejected within the RAF, due in part to dislike of the neologism ardian.
RAF officer ranks - Wikipedia
Ardian meaning "chief bird" in Gaelic?!
Can't see a source for this (nor on Google) but I would love for that to be true.
Can't see a source for this (nor on Google) but I would love for that to be true.