German Infantry Equipment at the Western Front — WW2044 Dev Diary
World War: 2044 -What if WW2 happened in the 21st century?
In the 2043 Eastern Front spring campaign, infantry equipment could vary widely. Field kit would typically be tailored to the specific mission and unit, and worsening logistics meant the Kaiserreich increasingly relied on more outdated equipment alongside its modern gear.
Bringing the Panzergrenadier 2044 to 3D
A big shout-out is due to @Damiaanski, who took the original 'panzergrenadier 2044' concept art and realised it in 3D using a mix of Garry's Mod and kitbashing techniques. The results are a striking reminder of just how capable that twenty-year-old engine still is. The renders genuinely hold up as retro 2000s FPS visuals, which is very much part of the aesthetic of WW2044.
Beyond the infantry models themselves, Damiaanski also produces full dioramas and 3D scenes in the engine. His work gets reposted regularly in the Kaiser Cat Collective Discord, and for good reason!
Building the Kit: Mix, Match, and Photobash
The soldier kit is assembled from whatever models can be sourced and imported online, with stock photobashing layered on top to fill the gaps. It's a scrappy but effective pipeline — concept art provides the vision, and kitbashing in-engine gets it as close to that vision as available assets allow.
The Modernised STG-44
The signature German infantry weapon in WW2044 is a modernised version of the iconic STG-44. Getting it right in 3D meant pulling a lot of AK-47 parts onto the STG frame — an imperfect fit, but it works visually. The intended final design, if budget ever allowed for a dedicated 3D weapon artist, is already finalised as pixel art: a fully modernised STG-44 with a folding stock, red-banded magazine, and optics rail, sitting alongside the classic WW2 original for comparison.
More Alt-History Content
If WW2044 is your kind of alt-history rabbit hole, there's plenty more to explore across the Kaiser Cat Collective project site, concept art pages, and social channels — including dev diaries on D-Day in 2044, the US Army at the Battle of the Bulge, the Japanese Army in 2044, and the American Kingdom of Vinland.
To stay across new releases, follow @KaiserCatCinema on YouTube, X, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and beyond. Multi-channel followers are what actually beat the algorithm — so the more places you connect, the better.
About the Author
Vincent 'VincentDN' De Nil is an alt-history concept artist, flag designer, and founder of Kaiser Cat Cinema and Flagmaker & Print. KCC is a global coalition of content creators united in the mission of creating high-quality narrative alt-history content, set in the great What-Ifs of alternate timelines.
🎨 ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/vincentdn 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentdn/ 🏛️ Kaiser Cat Cinema: https://kaisercatcinema.com/about 🚩 Flagmaker & Print: https://flagmaker-print.com/pages/about-vincent