Armed forces by country - a reliable estimate

  • We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
What exactly are the criteria for sources? Because there seem to be no guidelines whatsoever, we have source ranging from Wikipedia to fan websites. What criteria is used by you Cardus to determine which sources are accurate and which aren't?
 
  • 2
Reactions:
I have a decent amount of information on the armed forces of all the major and minor nations for 1939, is it worth adding these numbers to the posts?
I have Rifle, SMG, Tank, Aircraft and artillery piece construction numbers for each year in the period too, although perhaps only for the major nations.

Edit: Source is Mark Harrison of Warwick University, wrote a paper compiling economic data from the period and its effects on the war, which includes rough numbers on the total armed services personnel. https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/mharrison/public/ww2overview1998.pdf
 
What exactly are the criteria for sources? Because there seem to be no guidelines whatsoever, we have source ranging from Wikipedia to fan websites. What criteria is used by you Cardus to determine which sources are accurate and which aren't?
Where did you see a fan website?
 
By the END of ww2 1.6 million Canadians had served. To claim Canada's army had 1.2 million in 1937 is just wrong. Your number is more like 1939 after all the conscripts and volunteers joined....

Since that is 20% of all men you have to realize that is not a basic conscription amount. Its closing to one of the final tiers of conscription levels for HOI4
 
  • 1
Reactions:
I have a decent amount of information on the armed forces of all the major and minor nations for 1939, is it worth adding these numbers to the posts?
I have Rifle, SMG, Tank, Aircraft and artillery piece construction numbers for each year in the period too, although perhaps only for the major nations.
For the time being I need only the number of men in 1936
 
By the END of ww2 1.6 million Canadians had served. To claim Canada's army had 1.2 million in 1937 is just wrong.
men in the army in 1936 please
 
Don't post wrong information and demand we do your research for you to fix it.
If I posted something wrong please let me know that I will amend it

If I run across something, I will add it.
Thank you

I have a decent amount of information on the armed forces of all the major and minor nations for 1939, is it worth adding these numbers to the posts?
I have Rifle, SMG, Tank, Aircraft and artillery piece construction numbers for each year in the period too, although perhaps only for the major nations.

Edit: Source is Mark Harrison of Warwick University, wrote a paper compiling economic data from the period and its effects on the war, which includes rough numbers on the total armed services personnel. https://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/mharrison/public/ww2overview1998.pdf
I have added this to the first post.
 
Last edited:
Some info on Poland, though for a 1939 (if not otherwise specified)

Army composed of 30 inf divisions (3rgt, 1art rgt), 11cav brigades(4x4rgt+art division, 7x3rgt + art division), 1mot cav brigade and another in organization (finished during the war).
another 7 inf divisions were to be formed during mobilization as reserve units.
Another ~40 battalions were independent, most of them KOP (in theory militarized border guards, in fact ordinary inf battalions and cav companies, only under Internal Affairs Ministry, tasked with protecting border with Soviet Union)
Poland had 211 light tanks (~132 7TP, 38 Vickers E, 49 Renaut R35), 102 Renault FT, ~500 tankettes and 100 armoured cars (In 3 battalions and 37 companies)

At peace regular units had strength of about 30%, KOP was at ~80%.

On 1st march 39 (almost at normal peace numbers) polish land forces had 282 877 men, with additional 30 000 in KOP


To this should be added ~85 battalions of Obrona Narodowa - militia units organized into brigades and half brigades (they were formed from 1937), in 1939 some were reformed into reserve inf battalions (for ex in 55th reserve inf Division) while others were attached to inf divisions and cav brigades.

Inf division was composed of:
3 Inf regiments @3 battalions @1000men (3212 in rgt)
1 light arty rgt @3divisions (2+1 or 1+2 - 30 75mm guns and 12 100mm howizers or 15 + 24)
engineer battalion
AA battery (4x40mm)
cav company (scouts)
field hospital (~2company size)
signal company


cavalry regiment was similar to inf battalion in numbers

Cav OOB in 1936
2nd Cav division (3 brigades @2 regiments)
9 brigades @2 regiments
5 brigades @3 rgt
1 brigade @1 rgt

In 1936 Poland had 170-180 Renault FT (a lot were sold to Spain later), 38 Vickers E, ~400 tankettes, 100 ACs. Also first 7TP were in production from 1935, though those were twin turret MG tanks, many were later (from 1937?) rebuilt into standard version (single turret 37mm gun)
During 1936 production of 37mm AT guns started. In 1939 each inf rgt had a company of 9 ATGs (for 27 total in division), while cav rgt got 4 ATG platton (for 14-18 total in brigade)
AA batteries were formed from 1937
10th cav brigade was motorized in 1937, though plans were formed since 1923 - Poland was pioneer using motorized units - during polish soviet war (1920) improvised motorized units were formed and used in deep breakthroughs, but limited number of trucks and cars limited this force to 2 inf battalions with artillery and ACs company. Unfortunately low number of motor vehicles were major problem for Poland esp as the numbers fell rapidly during great depression. in 1939 there were only around 35 000 trucks and cars registered in Poland, many of them in the military.
 
Last edited:
Some info on Poland, though for a 1939 (if not otherwise specified)

Army composed of 30 inf divisions (3rgt, 1art rgt), 11cav brigades(4x4rgt+art division, 7x3rgt + art division), 1mot cav brigade and another in organization (finished during the war).
another 7 inf divisions were to be formed during mobilization as reserve units.
Another ~40 battalions were independent, most of them KOP (in theory militarized border guards, in fact ordinary inf battalions and cav companies, only under Internal Affairs Ministry, tasked with protecting border with Soviet Union)
Poland had 211 light tanks (~132 7TP, 38 Vickers E, 49 Renaut R35), 102 Renault FT, ~500 tankettes and 100 armoured cars (In 3 battalions and 37 companies)

On 1st march 39 (almost at normal peace numbers) polish land forces had 282 877 men, with additional 30 000 in KOP

At peace regular units had strength of about 30%, KOP was at ~80%.

To this should be added ~85 battalions of Obrona Narodowa - militia units organized into brigades and half brigades (they were formed from 1937), in 1939 some were reformed into reserve inf battalions (for ex in 55th reserve inf Division) while others were attached to inf divisions and cav brigades.

Inf division was composed of:
3 Inf regiments @3 battalions @1000 men (3212 in rgt)
1 light arty rgt @3divisions (2+1 or 1+2 - 30 75mm guns and 12 100mm howizers or 15 + 24)
engineer battalion
AA battery (4x40mm)
cav company (scouts)
field hospital (~2company size)
signal company


cavalry regiment was similar to inf battalion in numbers

Cav OOB in 1936
2nd Cav division (3 brigades @2 regiments)
9 brigades @2 regiments
5 brigades @3 rgt
1 brigade @1 rgt

In 1936 Poland had 170-180 Renault FT (a lot were sold to Spain later), 38 Vickers E, ~400 tankettes, 100 ACs. Also first 7TP were in production from 1935, though those were twin turret MG tanks, many were later (from 1937?) rebuilt into standard version (single turret 37mm gun)
During 1936 production of 37mm AT guns started. In 1939 each inf rgt had a company of 9 ATGs (for 27 total in division), while cav rgt got 4 ATG platton (for 14-18 total in brigade)
AA batteries were formed from 1937
10th cav brigade was motorized in 1937, though plans were formed since 1923 - Poland was pioneer using motorized units - during polish soviet war (1920) improvised motorized units were formed, but limited number of trucks and cars limited this force to 2 inf battalions with artillery. Unfortunately low number of motor vehicles were major problem for Poland esp as the numbers fell rapidly during great depression. in 1939 there were only around 35 000 trucks and cars registered in Poland, many of them in the military.
Do you have a source?
 
I have another document pertaining to economies of Nations conducted by the League of Nations from 1935, I will dig it up, have a read through it and see if there is any military information in it. Other than that, military or national archives from the respective nations probably have all of this information.
 
I have another document pertaining to economies of Nations conducted by the League of Nations from 1935, I will dig it up, have a read through it and see if there is any military information in it. Other than that, military or national archives from the respective nations probably have all of this information.
Sure. I'm finding some info even though it is not easy
 
Do you have a source?

I do not have a singular source, though data comes from a nice stash of books on polish ww2 military (in Polish). Here I used numbers from wiki filtered through my memory to speed up the process. They may be slightly off in tank totals and numbers of Obrona Narodowa units (esp as I bet not all planned units were formed while few not planned were) but regular units OOB is OK.
 
I do not have a singular source, though data comes from a nice stash of books on polish ww2 military (in Polish). Here I used numbers from wiki filtered through my memory to speed up the process. They may be slightly off in tank totals and numbers of Obrona Narodowa units (esp as I bet not all planned units were formed while few not planned were) but regular units OOB is OK.
Well I have added your info (please check it) but it would be better to specify the source
 
Reichsheer..400,000
Landespolizet ..100,000
S. S. Feldjàgerkorps...100,000
Total.. 600,000

I don´t think you should add the Landespolizei to the army strength, since this are mostly the regular police officers of the Ordnungs- and Schutzpolizei. I would also doubt the numbers of the SS Feldjägerkorps. The only thing i know of was the SA Feldjägerkorps, which was integrated into the SS by 1936 and a strength of 100.000 for a corps of the military police seems to be quite high.
 
I don´t think you should add the Landespolizei to the army strength, since this are mostly the regular police officers of the Ordnungs- and Schutzpolizei. I would also doubt the numbers of the SS Feldjägerkorps. The only thing i know of was the SA Feldjägerkorps, which was integrated into the SS by 1936 and a strength of 100.000 for a corps of the military police seems to be quite high.
That was from an official report submitted to the French parliament. Maybe the idea was to overestimate the German army to get more funds for the French army. Unless you have a different source I would keep it.

EDIT
Please note that I think that you are right. The issue is to find another reference as I don't want to change based on the common sense.
 
Last edited:
Sure. I'm finding some info even though it is not easy
I've dealth with Archives before, and always from English speaking countries, it is 100% of the time a huge pain, which I guess is why they are archives. Dealing with French, Soviet and Italian archives will be an even bigger ordeal.
Another place to look would be reports by the League of Nations or government/military budgets from those years, the budgets might reference a roster or even give the total number of personnel employed in the armed services.