The Devil in Georgia

After another hiatus as artblock struck again, I finally decided to do a depiction of Georgian soldiers during WW2, though I had trouble coming up with a title that would be be a Civil War-era reference to Georgia, kind of like how S.M. Sterling used the title of a Civil War marching song as the title of one of his 'Domination of the Draka' books.

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After gaining its independence in the aftermath of the October Revolution, the Democratic Republic of Georgia found a key ally in the form of Germany: eager to try to undermine Russian/Soviet power in the Caucasus, the German government lent its support towards the newborn states of Georgia and Azerbaijan. With German support, the two Republics were able to stop the Soviets from trying to annex them and maintained their independence; united by their Menshevik ideology, they signed a defensive treaty against Soviet aggression in 1921, and joined the Central Powers four years later, in response to Armenia and Kurdistan joining the Entente in 1923. In the 1930s, the Georgians in particular had become concerned with how Stalin seemingly had one eye fixed on his original homeland and how it embraced Menshevism; as a result, a massive military buildup was begun by the Georgian government in 1934. By the beginning of war in 1939, Georgia could mobilize a hundred thousand soldiers of the People's Guard and National Army and possessed the largest air force and one of the largest navies in the region.

In October 1939, the USSR declared war on Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia and the forces of the North Caucasian Front (consisting of the 44th, 47th, and 53rd Armies) smashed through the defensive lines the Georgians and Azeris had established along the length of the Caucasus Mountains in a huge offensive lasting from the 11th to the 19th of October, though suffering enormous casualties in the process. The ensuing winter and the outbreak of partisan groups in occupied territory ground the invaders' offensive to a halt. Unfortunately, the combined multinational forces of Georgians, Azeris, Armenians, and Turks (as well as Kurds from 1943 onwards) had great difficulty dislodging the Soviets and it was only until the Summer of 1944, with the Red Army diverting troops in the Caucasus to reinforce its beleaguered armies in Eastern Europe and Siberia, that the Allies were finally able to push the Reds out of Georgia and Azerbaijan. A prolonged siege of Grozny ensued which lasted through the Fall and early winter until the defenders surrendered on December 16, after which the advance north trudged along slowly until it was temporarily stopped during the spring thaw, after which it resumed in mid-April. Army Group Chorokh, under the command of Field Marshal Mehmet Nuri Pasha, had reached the outskirts of Rostov-on-Don when news regarding the Soviet surrender was received on May 3, 1945. Over the course of the war, Georgia had suffered over 300,000 fatalities, civilians and combat personnel alike.

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For the uniforms of the Georgian soldiers, I decided to go with uniforms that showcase a mix of German and Russian styles, referring to the nation's location and history. The cuff insignia I loosely based off that of the Georgian Legion of WW2. As for the species, well, as there isn't really any evidence of dinosaur fossils in the Caucasus (unless you count that clutch of eggs found in Chechnya), I decided to go with dinosaurs found in Eastern Europe and Kazakhstan. The Maiasaura is a bit sketchy though, as  websites detailing Dinosaur species discovered in Europe mention Maiasaura fossils discovered in Ukraine, yet nowhere else is there mention of Maiasaura being found there.