Overview

This figure represents a Republican machine gunner armed with the Soviet Degtyaryov DP-27, set in spring 1937 — by which point Spanish crews had had time to train on the new Soviet weapon and it had entered proper front-line service. Leather jacket over a work shirt, a Spanish M1926 ("con ala") helmet, and improvised webbing capture a newly-armed but still improvised Republican militiaman of that period.

Historical Context

Through most of 1936, the Spanish Republic's militias fought with whatever weapons they could seize from barracks or buy on the international arms market — a chaotic mix of ageing rifles and few machine guns. That changed from October 1936, when the Soviet Union began large-scale arms shipments to the Republic. On 25 October 1936 the freighter SS Kursk docked at Cartagena carrying, among other matériel, 150 Degtyaryov machine guns. Through 1937 the DP-27 became one of the standard light machine guns of the Republican forces, fed by its distinctive 47-round flat pan magazine mounted on top of the receiver.

Though the first Degtyaryovs reached Spain in time for the defence of Madrid in November 1936, there's good reason to think they weren't actually fielded in numbers that early: a specialised weapon like the DP-27 needed Soviet-trained crews before Spanish troops could use it properly, and it isn't documented in action until into 1937. In the meantime, International Brigade volunteers with prior military service would have been far more familiar with older, WWI-vintage light machine guns like the Lewis gun, already long in service with Britain, the United States, Belgium and other countries. We've set this figure in spring 1937, at the Battle of Guadalajara (8–23 March) — the Republican and International Brigade victory over the Italian Corpo Truppe Volontarie, fought with heavy Soviet material support (T-26 tanks and aircraft prominent among it), by which point the DP-27 would plausibly have reached front-line units.

Sourced from IMFDB: Degtyaryov DP, Wikipedia: Degtyaryov machine gun, and Wikipedia: Battle of Guadalajara.

Clothing & Equipment

Chaqueta de cuero (leather jacket): a brown leather jacket. Leather jackets carried real political resonance at the time — black leather had been the informal "uniform" of Bolshevik commissars and Cheka officers since the Russian Civil War, earning them the nickname "the leather people" among their enemies. But the garment wasn't exclusively Soviet: it was also simply practical, fashionable kit worn widely by International Brigade volunteers of every nationality, a mix of civilian workwear, motorcyclist and aviator jackets, and military surplus that arrived with them from home. Both readings fit this figure.

Camisa (shirt): a plain blue work shirt worn underneath, civilian rather than military issue.

Casco M1926 (helmet): the Spanish M26, nicknamed "con ala" ("with brim") for its more flared rim compared to the earlier brimless M1921 — designed at the National Arsenal of Artillery at Trubia, adopted in 1930, and one of the two most widely used Republican helmets of the war. Pre-Civil War helmets like this one were painted plain grey; the switch to green paint only came with a 1943 refurbishment, well after this figure's setting. This kit includes a second, interchangeable head wearing a chapiri instead — a soft cloth barracks cap with a front pompom, descended from the "Isabelino" cap of the 19th century. It was worn informally by troops on both sides during the war (later becoming the signature headgear of the Spanish Legion), so either head is a legitimate option for this figure.

Pantalón (trousers): loose khaki trousers, army stock.

Alpargatas (espadrilles): cream/undyed canvas with a rope sole — the cheap, everyday footwear of Spanish working people before the war, and by far the most common footwear on both sides once army boot stocks ran short. A natural fit for a militiaman still largely equipped from civilian life.

DP-27: Degtyaryov Pekhotny obr. 1927 — note this is the infantry pattern with its wooden buttstock and bipod, distinct from the turretless DT tank version. Recognisable by its flat 47-round pan magazine on top of the receiver and perforated barrel jacket. Often called "DP-28" in the West, but no Soviet source ever used that designation — the weapon was accepted for service in 1927 and is correctly the DP-27, or simply the DP.

Pouch and canteen: a general-purpose canvas bag — more like a bread bag (macuto) for odds and ends than a dedicated magazine pouch — and a metal water bottle, both carried on shoulder straps. Improvised load-carrying gear typical of Republican militia rather than matched Army webbing.

Sourced from sovietuniform.com: NKVD Leather Jackets and Army Museum, Toledo — International Brigades leather jacket. Built from Linden Models' own reference photography and approved sculpt; some details may be refined once final box art is confirmed.

Colours Overview

Colour names are generic mixing targets, not brand-specific codes. Swap in your preferred paint range (Vallejo, AK Interactive, Scale75, etc.).

Glossary

DP-27 (Degtyaryov Pekhotny): Soviet light machine gun, 7.62×54mmR, accepted for service in 1927, fed by a distinctive top-mounted 47-round pan magazine. Commonly (but incorrectly) called "DP-28" in Western sources — no Soviet source ever used that name. Not to be confused with the DT, a turret-mounted tank variant without a buttstock.

Casco M1926 ("con ala"): the Spanish steel helmet, nicknamed "con ala" ("with brim") for its flared rim; one of the two principal Republican helmet types of the war.

Chapiri: a soft cloth barracks cap with a front pompom, worn by troops on both sides during the war; later became the signature headgear of the Spanish Legion.

This glossary is shared across the Linden Models Spanish Civil War series. Terms already defined on other guide pages are not repeated here.

Historical References

This figure is a composite type representing a Soviet-armed Republican gunner at the Battle of Guadalajara, rather than a portrait of a named individual.

Sourced from IMFDB: Degtyaryov DP, Wikipedia: Degtyaryov machine gun, Wikipedia: M1926 helmet (Spain), and Wikipedia: Battle of Guadalajara.

Recommended Reading

• The Battle for Spain: The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 — Antony Beevor
• The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge — Paul Preston

Links carry the lindenmodels-20 Amazon Associates tag. We haven't yet verified a title specifically on Soviet arms shipments to Spain — Beevor and Preston both cover the Battle of Madrid and the arrival of Soviet aid within the wider war. Note: the product name "DP-28" follows the common Western usage printed on this figure's box art; the technically correct Soviet designation, used throughout this guide, is DP-27.

Downloads

A print-ready PDF of this guide — handy to keep next to your paints while you work.

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