Black Legions
Banner of the Black Legions | |
Founded | 1671 |
---|---|
Type | Armed Forces |
Role | Territorial Defence, Expeditionary Warfare |
Headquarters | Panopticon Citadel, Merensk |
Part of | Benacia Command |
Size | 1,752,073 personnel |
Motto(s) | TBC |
Engagements |
Overview
As the Kalirion Fracture led to the unravelling of the Imperial Republic of Shireroth, the Imperial Forces themselves began to disintegrate. However, as the main driver, in terms of contributions of personnel, equipment, and financial support, to the Raspur Pact, Shireroth was too invested in the Pact, and the Pact was too invested in Shireroth, for the falling away of the formerly paramount power of the Benacian continent to be countenanced. Fall Luikur would see Pact-Loyalists ruthlessly turn upon the remaining Imperialists in order to secure 25% of land forces, 50% of naval forces, 75% of aviation assets, and 75% of auxiliary forces, only to be defeated in their ultimate objective of a complete takeover of the Imperial Forces by the scale of the popular uprisings against the Imperial system and the sheer scale of the territorial dispersion of the isolated garrisons, depots, and manufacturies. In spite of this ultimate failure, the Benacian Stabilisation Force remained true to its objective - a Benacian continent, unified and obedient, secure as one of the foremost powers of the grand anti-USSO coalition. In consequence, the Black Legions were formed from the remnant of the Imperial Forces who had remained true to the vision of Nationalist-Humanism which had animated the Imperial Republic during its apogee as a global power.
Doctrines
The strategic objectives of the Black Legions, informed by the political imperatives of Benacia Command are, in their most succinct summation at least, refreshingly straightforward:-
- The reunification of the Benacian continent into a Commonwealth;
- The adherence of that Benacian Commonwealth to the Raspur Pact;
- The fullest possible assertion of the Human Supremacy over the resulting polity;
- The systematic and sequential reduction, by political and or military means, of all forces opposing or capable of opposing the implementation of the above points.
The doctrine that these objectives then proceed to inform however, being impacted by adverse political, economic, societal, geographic, and military realities, is rather more elaborately involved and less open to pithy summarisation.
The Black Legions, obligated to act on a continental level to advance the interests of the Pact, and on a local level to defend the territories under its direct administration, prepared interlinked strategic and operational doctrines with additional adjuncts regarding naval and air warfare.
Strategic
Operational
In an era when the burden of policing the high seas and assuring protection to allied trade fleets now falls squarely on the shoulders of the Natopian and Constancian navies, the priority for the Black Legions is the defence of the littoral waters of Benacia. With what remained of the Imperial Navy of Shireroth's captial fleet now gently rusting at anchor in the harbour of Marinestation Sabatini, the main means of force projection available to the Maritime Forces of the Black Legions are the collection of missile corvettes, fast attack boats, offshore patrol vessels, and logistic support vessels built up in the aftermath of the War of Lost Brothers. Naval doctrine emphasises the importance of fast-paced and aggressive swarming attacks against enemy task forces, carried out in coordination with airborne and land-based stand-off missile barrages, with the intention of disrupting and overwhelming the opposing force before it is able to put troops ashore.
In the unsettled conditions of the early 1670's, the Maritime Forces have been obliged to improvise, and to use such assets as were available to them, in order to secure their immediate objectives, be they the conducting of anti-piracy sweeps in the Iridian Isles, the putting of troops ashore on Florencia, or the Isle of Benacia, or the evacuation and then subsequent reoccupation of the former MoMA naval bases in the Khaz Modani archipelago. The Black Legions will readily commandeer civilian vessels for military operations and their attitude generally has been that if a boat floats and can house a containerised modular missile launcher then it can and must be made available for service as and when required. The Maritime Forces may be said to have a capability gap when it comes to anti-submarine warfare, and it is for this reason that Benacia Command lavishly sponsors the operations of ESB industrial-archaeology teams operating out of Rothaven and Šlomxala.
In spite of still possessing a solitary aircraft carrier, the Mortis-class Kaiser Mors VI, Benacia Command considers the age of the aircraft carrier to be effectively over. The venerable and timeworn flattop was effectively mothballed in place, serving as a barracks ship whilst its capacious hangers were re-purposed and used as repair workshops.
Air and Space
Training
Training for the Black Legions follows the pattern established under the Prince of Modan for the discipline of Imperial troops assigned to the Central Banner Group of Benacia Command.
Those who dedicated themselves to the black banners of the new legions swore absolute obedience to their commanders, who in turn sore unquestioning obedience to their commanders and so forth all the way up the chain of command. Soldiers, irrespective of their origins, were forbidden to pillage, steal or molest civilians, accept gifts, have relations with women, eat meat or drink alcohol for the term and duration of their service, except during specified and authorised respite periods. An Inspectorate of Training and Discipline was established with inspectors for the separate legions under the authority of an Inspector General reporting directly to the Marshal. Officers were forced to undergo examinations to assess their familiarity with Kalgachi battle drills, New Zimian Manoeuvreist principles and Nova English Fire Team tactics, largely with the intention of weeding out those still wedded to the set piece actions and frontal assaults which characterised the old Imperial way of war.
The main objects of legionary training were fourfold: firstly, to produce a spirit of discipline and comradeship, second to none of the armed forces of any power; secondly, to learn the lesson that darkness is a help and not a hindrance; thirdly, to endow the legionary with a degree of physical fitness approaching that of a trained athlete, and at the same time to give him skill in handling all infantry weapons liable to be encountered on the battlefield; and finally – the most consistently reinforced message throughout training to make the legionary eager always to attack as and when opportunity permitted, even – especially – when the odds were not in his favour.
The legionary was expected, and required, to cultivate a spirit of continual aggression that would hold up under any circumstances, fair or foul; moreover, to attain this versatility, the legionary was expected to acquire a mastery of the art of war in all conditions, not only on land, his natural element, even when that land was a precarious foothold on a steep mountain crag, or a tangle of woodland brush and bog sown with dread-nettles and shrapnel-lilies, but also on sea, and, if need be, in the air.
Induction
Basic training for all personnel enlisted with the forces under the direct control of Benacia Command is the responsibility of the Inspectorate of Training and Discipline whose primary establishment is located within the Zitadelle of Merensk. Volunteers for the legions, and all personnel assigned to the legions must be volunteers, are normally recruited from amongst the wider pool of personnel maintained by the General Inspectorate, as well as the Aerospace and Maritime Forces maintained by Benacia Command. N&H and ESB paramilitaries are also eligible to volunteer although they, being blessed with their own defined career paths and material comforts, typically tended not to avail themselves of this opportunity.
Berht Klarænst, known to those passing through it as the "Depot"[1] is situated within an eponymous bailiwick that has been depopulated by the expulsion of the Black Lach. One thing would become apparent from the beginning for new arrivals: officers, non-commissioned officers, and men alike, all went through the same training, leapt or clambered over the same obstacles, learned to handle the same weapons in the most efficient way, and lived the same hard life together.
The physical part of the legionaries training had its impact upon their state of mind. As the days went by and the legionary became able to march faster and still faster for longer and longer distances with heavier and heavier loads until he could cover 15 kilometres in ninety minutes, and 55 kilometres in nine hours, the innate pride born of an awareness of one's own strength took a hold on him. The legionary, spurred on by healthy competitive rivalry with his comrades, became more and more a man apart, as indeed he was by reason of his own conscious decision to join; thus the constant series of physical efforts the legionary undertook were, in and of themselves, an excellent form of mental training.
Hardening
After basic training was completed the inductees were cycled through three week courses of so-called "spiritual hardening", inspired apparently by the methods and insights of the Urchagin. Those who flunked the course would be cashiered and their records stamped, in green ink, with the initials LMF ("lacking moral fibre") effectively rendering them unemployable upon their return to civilian life anywhere in the territories of the Unified Governorates of Benacia. The motto of the training regime henceforth was that 'Faith and Endurance surpasses Might'. The hardening process began on the first day with trainees forced to line up in files of ten and, at a charge, bayonet a row of live pigs suspended from the rafters before them. Each file would train together, be rewarded together, and be punished together, they were solemnly warned, for the remainder of the three weeks. As an illustration of this the files where any member had baulked at bayoneting a live squealing animal would be denied food and sleep but would be instead assigned to punishment details for the entirety of the rest period while everyone else enjoyed pork stew and a good night's sleep. As first two weeks progressed the trainees were subjected to a barrage of assault courses, long forced marches along wilderness tracks, and competitions where the files were set against one-another to obtain dispensation vouchers for meat and alcohol or else merely to avoid bringing up the rear and being assigned to yet another punishment detail. The final week consisted of tutorials on living off the land, vehicle dismount drills, counter ambush drills, and close quarter combat practice against veteran legionaries dressed up as Laqi bandits. One of the perks for the old-timers was the opportunity to inflict upon the new recruits all the nasty tricks, traps, and humiliations, that had been heaped upon them during their own induction. The concluding action of the week was a bunker clearance drill focusing on oblique angles of approach with use of stealth and concealment, forced entry with demolition charges, room to room clearance with gas grenades and thermite sticks followed by the gunning down of those still standing and the bayoneting of those prostrate on the ground. To add an extra dimension of realism each of the practice bunkers was held and defended by a detachment of surplus protected persons, tethered in place but equipped with riot guns and cudgels, who had been promised their freedom if they successfully survived the drill. None ever did.
At the conclusion of the three weeks each participant was given a week's leave, a pint of grog from the Depot canteen and an enamelled lapel badge featuring a blood-red hand held palm upwards.
Vaszvaþnur
The old Imperial practice of targeting minority groups for the purposes of sharpening a unit's blood-lust and improving situational awareness has continued into the present practices of training cohorts, with regular deployments of Fiþn (Troop) sized contingents into Lach infested territory. These raids would be conducted usually via a nighttime "vertical insertion" utilising re-purposed "Walrus" gravimetric transporters escorted by Whirdlebirbs. Once delivered into hostile country, via the hair-raising practice of "grav-tank desant", the troop would be obliged to utilise the time honoured practice in dealing with the Lach and to bring a specified quantity of tongues (including some with the bodies of their owners still attached) to the prearranged extraction point within a set number of hours or days.
In addition to serving as an introduction to the basics of field craft, these "vaszvaþnur" also helped to thin out the numbers of Black Lach who might otherwise be tempted to filter southwards over the old frontier from Inner Benacia into Upper Lywall.
Sifting
Survivors of their first vaszvaþnur received a silver-gilt lapel badge, tastefully depicting a dagger embedded in a Lach skull, a five year service bond of ₦50,000, and a fortnight's leave. As a test of the initiate legionaries initiative, the cohort upon being dismissed would be instructed to reassemble at the end of the fortnight period at a new location, entirely removed from the Depot, anywhere on the Benacian continent. The exact location and time was spelt out. How the recruits would make it to the destination was their own affair. Those who failed to be present and correct on parade at the time and place specified would be returned to the ranks of the General Inspectorate. For the most part the locations would prove to be somewhere absurdly remote and inhospitable within the Raspur Pact's sphere of operations - New Blackstone and Raikoth were popular choices for testing an initiate legionary's ability to organise his own travelling arrangements on the fly. One, somewhat rakish, instructor specified that his recruits were to assemble on the steps of a specific gin house in Shirekeep's entertainments district[2] - which they did, prompting a riot amongst the bar's patrons and obliging the Palatini Corps to send an armoured personnel carrier equipped with a high-pressure water hose in order to quell the disorder.
These excursions, and the subsequent return journey to the Depot, would provide one final opportunity for the instructors to evaluate their charges before the final sifting. By this stage those unable to make the grade ought to have either been flushed out of the system or else solemnly cremated with all due ceremony on a pyre at the edge of the Depot's hinterland of cleared forest. This then, barring mishaps, was the opportunity to pick out candidates for commissioned and non-commissioned officer training, as well as those who might be suited for specialist training in the armoured, aerospace, or maritime arms of the Black Legions.
For those remaining at the end of the sifts however, assignment to the legions awaited. Although the need to replace casualties would sometimes override other considerations, normal practice would be to assign the newly minted legionary to a cohort at some considerable remove from his place of origin.
Cultivation
One of the more unusual aspects of legionary training was the insistence upon each trainee, as a part of his assigned section, tending to an allotted plot of land in which it was their duty to plant, tend, and cultivate a variety of vegetables during their time at the Depot. The purpose for this becomes more clear when the trainees are expected to first clear a patch of the forest adjacent the depot, a forest teeming with deliberately planted urtica terribilis, primula ballistis and lilium discerptionis. For the ordinary legionary it provides an education on how to recognise, avoid, or neutralise the most noxious and fatal reminders of Benacia's legacy of reckless bio-engineering by the Transhumanist foe; for junior officers on the other hand it is an opportunity to contemplate the difficulties inherent in uprooting and containing persistent rhizomic structures.
The other positive is that it helps keep catering costs for the establishment at Berht Klarænst under control.
Specialist Training
Further training would be provided for those personnel selected to perform specialist functions within the legions or else according to their assigned functions within the Aerospace and Maritime Forces of the Black Legions or the General Inspectorate.
The School of Engineering, located at St Riksburg in the Severnaya Gubernya, provided a wide range of training not only in the engineering disciplines that would be fundamental for the Engineers of the General Inspectorate but also: Canine Attack Handlers; Explosive Ordnance Technicians; and Foremen and Project Managers.
Formation and structure of units
The Black Legions retained, at least at the outset, the administrative structure inherited from the Imperial Army resulting in the formation of two Combined Arms Corps (IV & VI) reporting to the Inspectorate of Land Forces and assigned respectively, for operational purposes to the Central and Southern Banner Groups of Benacia Command.
Type of Unit | Hohm (Field Army) | Uihmanz (Corps) | Salb (Legion) / Afzælt (Division) | Gauht (Cohort) / Furgsaddâ (Vexillation) | Opratzt (Maniple) / Haß (Squadron) | Aht (Watch) / Fiþn (Troop) | Tiï (File) / Droþ (Lance) | Fire Team/Detail |
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Contains | 3 Corps | 8 Legions 3 Divisions |
10 Cohorts 3 Vexillations |
3 Maniples 10 Squadrons |
3 Watches | 5 Files | 2 Fire Teams | 4 Individuals |
Personnel | 172,800 | 28,800 Infantry 28,800 Specialists |
3,600 Infantry 3,600 Specialists |
360 Infantry 1,200 Specialists |
120 | 40 | 8 | 4 |
Commanded by | Magister Militum (Lt General) / Frainan Hohmin | Magister (Maj General) / Frainan Uihmanzis | Legate / Salbnan | Spear (Infantry): Cohort Tribune / Ahmst Tazstraneï Lance (Specialist): Tribune Laticlavii / Ahmst Bræþstranin |
Spear (Infantry): Ordinate / Opratzan Lance (Specialist): Decurion / Fiþnan |
Spear (Infantry): Tesserarius / Ahtaldan Lance (Specialist): Draconarius / Golsapbir |
Prime / Frum | Chosen Man |
Units are divided into Spear units (i.e. Infantry), Lance units (i.e. Cavalry, Pioneers, Special Forces, etc), and Ballista units (i.e. Artillery).
Spear units form the organic components of the standard salb (legion), which are organised into constituent cohorts, which themselves are composed of maniples. Lance units are organised into specialist corps comprised of independent vexillations, which are composed of squadrons. Ballista units are also organised into specialist corps consisting of independent divisions, which are composed of batteries.
Vexillations and Divisions may function independently (e.g. special forces, THAAD, etc), or are attached to legions in order to provide combined-armed support. Independently-deployed vexillations and divisions will have other support units attached to it. Vexillations serve as a primary source for fresh commissioned officers and are intentionally officer-heavy as a result.
Legions may be designated as Light or Heavy, depending on the level to which its cohorts are equipped and trained for mechanised and air-mobile armoured combat.
Maniples are named with the number of their cohort followed by "Hastati", "Principes", or "Triarii", thus the third maniple of the 1st Cohort is referred to as "1st Triarii" or 1T.
Combat Groups
Legions are nominally organised into ten cohorts of infantry with other units attached in support. When deployed, the legion is reorganised into ten Combat Groups, built up around each of the legion's cohorts. The combat support units' staffs join the Legionary HQ in order to provide continuing support to Legionary HQ and to their own distributed sub-units. When a legion is significantly reinforced by additional afzælt (divisional) units of specialists, auxiliaries or allied troops, the Legate will receive a brevet promotion to Dux (Major General / Frainan Uihmanzis) for the duration of his expanded command.
Combat units may be deployed independently of the remainder of the legion. Under these latter circumstances they are often referred to as streïkruppis.
Organisation
Land Forces
I Uihmanz
Formed from locally recruited Yehudim, augmented by Mishalanski levies at the culmination of their basic training, Babkhi recruits called to the colours by the preaching of a Humanist jihad in southern Elwynn, and transferees from the Maritime Forces made available after the decommissioning of old capital ship. The particular circumstances brought about by the Kalgachi occupation of the Upland Confederation meant that these new legions were formed up in place, with troops being rotated out of the line at the individual and squadron level to complete their hardening and specialist training at the Depot in Upper Lywall. Armed and equipped with the glut of hardware spewed forth from the manufacturies of Mishalan and Lachmeren, these new legions would nonetheless lack the polish and hardened elan of their veteran counterparts garrisoned in Upper Lywall and Drak-Modan for some considerable time to come.[3]
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Insignia | Location |
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Headquarters & Central Services | ||||||
Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Frainan Uihmanzis Shapur Reporter | Litkov | ||||
Ænst Streïafzælt (1st Battle Division) | ||||||
Hvaszunig Streïafzælt | Afzælthvaszhaldan Hydericht Kalends | Berht Sankt Elmo | ||||
Streïkrupphvasza-A | Salbnan Hostilian Gortz | Sector North, facing towards Karelshoogh | ||||
Streïkrupphvasza-B | Salbnan Veren Metris | Sector North, facing towards Karelshoogh | ||||
Salb IV Aurangzeb | Salbnan Rustam Shahrokh |
|
Litkov | |||
Salb V Fretensis | Salbnan Tiberius Sourdust | Istenbruck | ||||
Salb VI Jahangir | Salbnan Ardashir Jahangir | Sector North, facing towards Karelshoogh | ||||
Salb VII Siqari'im | Salbnan Gustav Vermilion-Krust | Istenbruck | ||||
Tasz Streïafzælt (2nd Battle Division) | ||||||
Hvaszunig Streïafzælt | Afzælthvaszhaldan Piroz Jalal Akbar | Leegveldt | ||||
Streïkrupphvasza-C | Salbnan Salbnan Salbnan | Sector South, facing towards Waldenstein | ||||
Streïkrupphvasza-D | Salbnan Valdegar Forgern | Sector South, facing towards Waldenstein | ||||
Salb VIII Anandja | Salbnan Domnik Grifos |
|
Daschau | |||
Salb IX Kokhba | Salbnan Corderwell Muzzlehatch | Sector South, facing towards Nieuw Ingelheim | ||||
Salb X Kana'im | Salbnan Selder Dreesbach | Sector South, facing towards Nieuw Ingelheim | ||||
Salb XI Svyashchennaya Druzhina | Salbnan Xaverevich Chaldernik | Abatis Lines | ||||
Ænst Berhtnaz & Holïursafzælt (1st Fortress & Artillery Division) | ||||||
Hvaszunig Berhtnaz & Holïursafzælt | Afzælthvaszhaldan Murad Kirghim | Berht Sankt Guido | ||||
Berhtkrupphvasza | Salbnan Waldemar Thorgilsson | Assigned to formations | ||||
Holïurskrupphvasza | Salbnan Mordecai Morden | Assigned to formations |
IV Uihmanz
IV Uihmanz, comprising of six legions, was attached to the Central Banner Group of Benacia Command.
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Insignia | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Frainan Uihmanz Ermanaric Parsamyan | . |
|
|
. | Gloomburg |
I Salb | Salbnan Artur Woyrsch |
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Lachdolor | |
II Salb | Salbnan Berjouhi Vithimiris |
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Litel | |
III Salb | Salbnan Vartan Barsamian |
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Litel | ||
XIII Salb | Salbnan Hermann bi Salza |
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Upper Lywall (Assigned to Tee-al eradication duties) | ||
XIX Salb | Salbnan Laurens bi Rorkfesten |
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Lower Lywall | ||
XX Salb | Salbnan Stropp bi Kelb |
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Lachmeren |
VI Uihmanz
VI Uihmanz, comprising of six legions, was attached to the Southern Banner Group of Benacia Command. Legions garrisoned in Drak-Modan (XXXI, XXXIII, XXXIV & XXXV) deployed to Sathrati in 1676 (Operation Winter Sun).
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Insignia | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Frainan Uihmanz Akbar Jalal Alinejad | . | . | . | . | Novi Nigrad (Yardistan) |
XXX Salb | Salbnan Godascalc Berahthram Vasilescu |
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Florencia | |||
XXXI Salb | Salbnan Stefan Tudor Adam |
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Zy-Rodun | |||
XXXII Salb | Salbnan Ansovald Aldebrand Popescu |
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Benacia Isle | |||
XXXIII Salb | Salbnan Arnold Ernst Lacey |
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Nordagaat (Mirioth) | |||
XXXIV Salb | Salbnan Darius Hludowig Derban |
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Negrixnaht (Amity) | |
XXXV Salb | Salbnan Bahman Eskandar Alinejad |
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Novi Nigrad (Yardistan) |
Szodanin-Uihmanz
The Szodanin-Uihmaz (Sovereign's Corps) originated from the defecting operatives of the Shirerithian special forces unit S.W.O.R.D., grouped as a part of Streïkrupp Kasha, who had remained steadfast in their loyalty - remaining at their posts in their isolated Inner Benacian cantonments whilst blockaded and besieged by Lach insurgents for the better part of two years. Whilst it might seem paradoxical for a unit comprised of defectors to be lauded for their dedication, the unedifying spectacle of the Imperial Government willingly abandoning members of the Imperial Forces to their fate rather than bestir themselves to confront a minor rebellion was in many respects the catalyst that set in motion the Kalirion Fracture by destroying the confidence of the armed forces in the political leadership of Shireroth. Extricating those left behind in Inner Benacia therefore became a point of honour for the Black Legions and a capstone upon the edifice of its legitimacy. Those veterans, with their prior elite training and the mass of experience garnered from a prolonged period in the wilderness of Inner Benacia, therefore were a natural choice to serve as the cadre around which the Sovereign's guard corps would be established.
Performing a similar remit to the Palatini Corps of the Imperial Regency, the Szodanin-Uihmanz provides a guard for the Commander-in-Chief and the General Staff of Benacia Command whilst also providing a reserve of manpower available for specialist actions at the direction of the Chiefs of Staff, often at the behest of the Military Intelligence Directorate or through the Special Operations Group of the Political Directorate.
Since 06.XV.1676 The Szodanin-Uihmaz has assumed responsibility for the administration of legionaries deployed outside the territories of the Unified Governorates in support of Raspur Pact Military Missions embedded with the armed forces of allied successor states across the Post-Shirerithian space of Benacia.
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Establishment | Location | Affiliations / Alliances |
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Sazn Þeïnszæhan Furgsaddâ The Guards Pathfinder Regiment |
Bivarhins Salbnan Melkdan Haltorthen |
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Merensk | |
Saznan Darneï The Secret Guard |
Bivarhins Salbnan Ulfric Pentermacht |
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3,960 Guardsmen 18,125 M14 Fragmentation Hand Grenade 25,000 M15 White Phosphorus Anti-Lich Grenade |
Port Benacia |
Varþataræn
"Homeland Defence" is the umbrella term for all of the second line formations assigned to combat support and rear area duties formerly under the control of the General Inspectorate until the reorganisation of forces in 1676 intended to allow for a more rational separation between the fighting forces and the support services of the Black Legions.
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Selim Nadir Shah |
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Jeremiah Avon-El |
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Fränz Boamund |
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Afzælt III Merensk | Lysander Falk |
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Afzælt IV Altan | Heinrich Turenne |
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Afzælt V Rothaven | Johann Tserclaes |
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Afzælt VI Šlomxala | Walter Dornberger |
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Peccavi Scinde |
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Afzælt I Litkov | Waldermar Tarjeisson (Evocatus) |
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Litkov, Siyacha |
Afzælt II Siyacha | G. V. Pompeius |
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Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Petras Nikolaus Thrangel |
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Zitadelle Bratva, Mishalan |
Afzælt VII Alva | Alva |
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Afzælt VIII Montrose | Montrose |
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Afzælt IX Piccolomini | Piccolomini |
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Afzælt X Pappenheim | Pappenheim |
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Streïkrupp XI Wallenstein | Wallenstein |
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Commissariat | Marius Herman Saxe |
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Ermanaric Parsamyan |
Unit Name | Commandant | Order of Battle | Personnel | Establishment | Location |
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Hvaszunig Uihmanz | Selardi Jen Daniyal |
Maritime Forces
The once formidable capital ship force of the Imperial Navy had, by time and neglect more than enemy action, been whittled down to the point where, at the moment of fracture, only two ageing battleships (of the Aurangzeb and Grifos classes respectively) and an aircraft carrier (Mortis) were capable of leaving harbour under their own power. In spite of this, the maritime component of the Black Legions was far from being an inconsequential force, with Pact Loyalists managing to cobble together, during the course of 1671 AN, an armada comprising of 3 destroyers, 12 submarines, 20 corvettes, 38 oil tankers, 49 logistic support vessels, 50 off-shore patrol vessels, 166 cargo vessels, and 250 coastal patrol boats. This fleet reflected the shift in production priorities for the Raspur Pact during and in the aftermath of the War of Lost Brothers and the preference of the admiralty - in the aftermath of the debacle of the Battle of Carama Bay - for small and fast missile carriers.
Unfortunately for the Black Legions the temporary loss of the MoMA Naval Stations (Sabatini and Sagittarius) in the Khaz Modan island chain denied the fleet access to long established deep water anchorages and dockyard facilities. While the ex-Imperial port facilities at Klymdown, Rothaven, and Slomxala, were being repaired and expanded by contractors assigned to the task by the General Inspectorate and working at a frantic rate this still left the fleet dispersed and reliant upon access to safe anchorages along the coastlines of the various Pact-aligned 'vulture states', particularly Drak-Modan and Elwynn, during the early months of 1672.
The primary remit of the Maritime Forces is to support landward forces and to defend the littoral waters of the Benacian continent from USSO intrusion. Maritime Forces are therefore structured so as to permit naval task forces (built around corvettes and logistic support vessels) to support the Banner Groups whilst flotillas of missile and torpedo armed patrol vessels and attack craft support Combined Arms Corps where their areas of operation border onto the maritime environment.
In early 1674 it was announced that the two battleships would be scrapped in place by the ESB Group over the course of the next two years, commencing with the immediate removal of the ship main armaments and their transfer to the Land Forces on the Benacian mainland.
Coastal Defence
Aerospace Forces
The reorganisation of personnel and aviation assets recovered from the Imperial Shirerithian Air Forces began in 1672 at a point when the Aerospace Forces were in the novel position of enjoying a bonanza of hardware but a shortage of fuel and components, in addition to difficulties in marrying up operational units with operational airfields in the wake of the unfortunate incident with the Palatini Corps over Shirekeep-Foley Aerodrome in the preceding year.
There were, as of 1672 , four major regiment "types" within the Aerospace Forces; these are:–
- Tactical Effect Regiments, assigned as flight-level detachments to provide close-air support for ground forces.
- Operational Effect Regiments, attached to Combined Arms Corps.
- Strategic Effect Regiments, attached to Banner Groups.
- Aerospace Superiority Regiments, directly assigned to Benacia Command.
In early 1673 these squadrons, whilst still fulfilling the above roles, were reorganised and grouped into three division types with one of each division attached to Banner Groups directly; these being:–
- Holïurs Afzælt-bi-Łoïd (Bombardment Division).
- Vaþnur Afzælt-bi-Łoïd (Pursuit Division).
- Brunïak Afzælt-bi-Łoïd (Air Cavalry Division).
In addition the Aerospace Forces maintain the Aerospace Training Establishment and Air Transportation Service, both collocated at Sansabury Aerodrome.
Aerospace Training Establishment
Formation | Aircraft | Number |
---|---|---|
1st Training Division (Basic Training) | ||
101 Training Regiment | Te.42 Sagittario | 13 |
102 Training Regiment | Te.63 Cicogna | 6 |
103 Training Regiment | T-2 Saeqeh | 16 |
104 Training Regiment | Gliders, various | 24 |
2nd Training Division (Advanced Training) | ||
201 (Jet) Training Regiment | T-3 Akóntio | 24 |
202 (Gravimetric) Training Regiment | Gravimetric Testing Rig | 16 |
203 (Rotorcraft) Training Regiment | R-1 Whirdlebird | 16 |
Air Transportation Service
Central Tactical Air Force
Formation | Aircraft | Number | Locations |
---|---|---|---|
3rd Holïurs Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi | |||
301 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 72 | Łoïdhafen &zeter |
302 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 72 | Łoïdhafen Merensk |
303 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 72 | Dispersal Airfields, Zitadelle Bratva |
304 Strategic Effect Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen Sansabury |
305 Pathfinder (Electronic Warfare) Regiment | EA-6B Prowler | 2 | Łoïdhafen &zeter |
7th Vaþnur Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi | |||
701 Tactical Effect Regiment | T-2 Saeqeh | 50 |
|
702 Tactical Effect Regiment | T-3 Akóntio | 48 | Dispersal Airfields, Upper Lywall |
703 Operational Effect Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen Sansabury |
704 Operational Effect Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen Merensk |
705 Maritime Operations Regiment |
|
|
Marinestation Klymdown |
706 Maritime Operations Regiment |
|
Marinestation Šlomxala | |
8th Brunïak Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi | |||
801 Air Reconnaissance Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen &zeter |
802 Air Assault Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen &zeter |
803 Air Landing Regiment |
|
|
Łoïdhafen &zeter |
804 Rescue & Evacuations Regiment |
|
|
Berht Litkov |
Eastern Tactical Air Force
Formation | Aircraft | Number | Locations |
---|---|---|---|
4th Holïurs Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi | |||
401 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 96 | Dispersal Airfields, Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal Sector North |
402 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 96 | Dispersal Airfields, Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal Sector North |
403 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 96 | Dispersal Airfields, Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal Sector East |
404 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-49 Delta | 96 | Dispersal Airfields, Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal Sector East |
405 Strategic Effect Regiment | B-66 Vulcan | 44 | Dispersal Airfields, Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal Sector East |
5th Vaþnur Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi | |||
6th Brunïak Afzælt-bi-Łoïdi |
Northern Tactical Air Force
Southern Tactical Air Force
Western Tactical Air Division
Territorial Air Defence Force
Established 17.XIII.1675, to group together mobile ground-based air defence systems, radar stations, observation posts, air traffic control networks into a single integrated system of command and control built around VLS-Flaktowers under construction at various strategic locations including Łoïdhafens, marinestations, arsenals, depots, and power stations.
- XLIX Air Defence Corps
- Air Traffic Flaktower I, Verkehrsflughäfen Merensk (under construction, 1675)
General Inspectorate
Garrisons of Inspectorate Troops (auxiliaries and commissariat) were maintained in the Alalehzamini Autonomous Republic, Lachmeren, Lywall, Mishalan, New Blackstone, So-Sara and the Sovereign Confederation. In a manner similar to the old Corps of Auxiliaries of the Imperial Republic, these Inspectorate Troops were responsible for providing the full range of combat, non-combat, and administrative support, that the Legions, as well as their Aerospace and Maritime Services, might require. To them fell also the responsibility for the defence of facilities and lines of communications - which brings with it obligations of near-continuous anti-partisan warfare in certain parts of Benacia.
In 1676 the field formations of the General Inspectorate were separated out to form the Varþataræn (Praeta: Homeland Defence), a force dedicated to combat support services, garrison duties, the protection of lines of communications, and the provision of a reserve of recruits and replacements for the legions. This separation allowed the General Inspectorate to refocus its mission upon force generation and sustainment.
Organisational overview
Depots, Garrisons & Stations
Garrison Flag | Garrison Name | Location | Parent Inspectorate | Units Headquartered |
---|---|---|---|---|
Berht Benac | Benacia Isle, Benacia–Iridia (UGB) | Inspectorate of Land Forces |
| |
Berht Klarænst ("The Depot") |
Upper Lywall (UGB) | Inspectorate of Training and Discipline | Land Warfare Establishment | |
Berht Litkov | Siyacha (UGB) | Inspectorate of Land Forces |
| |
Berht Raynor | Raynor's Point, Capshire (DM) | Inspectorate of Land Forces | XXXIV Salb "Derban" | |
Berht Sankt Elmo | Sankt Elmo, Siyacha (UGB) | Inspectorate of Land Forces | Ænst Streïafzælt, I Uihmanz "Siyacher" | |
Berht Sankt Guido | Sankt Guido, Siyacha (UGB) | Inspectorate of Land Forces | Ænst Berhtnaz & Holïursafzælt, I Uihmanz "Siyacher" | |
Cortallia-Rathwood Arsenal | Cortallia-Rathwood, Suthergold (SC) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces |
| |
Łoïdhafen &zeter | &zeter, Upper Lywall (UGB) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces |
| |
Łoïdhafen Merensk | Merensk, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces |
| |
Łoïdhafen Sansabury | Sansabury, Upper Lywall (UGB) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces |
| |
Łoïdhafen Watson | New Blackstone (UGB) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces |
| |
Marinestation Doyle | New Blackstone (UGB) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces | ||
Marinestation Klymdown | Klymdown, Lower Lywall (UGB) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces |
| |
Marinestation Norestria | New Harbor, Norestria (SC) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces | Hvaszunig Stagguskrupp - Eastern Banner Group | |
Marinestation Sabatini | Sabatini Isle, So-Sara (DM) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces | ||
Marinestation Sagittarius | Naudia'Diva, Benacia–Iridia (IMP) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces |
| |
Marinestation Šlomxala | Šlomxala, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces | Cosimo Sea Flotilla (50%) | |
Marinestation Wolfraven | Wolfraven, Cimmeria (ELW) | Inspectorate of Naval Forces | ||
Medical Services Station | Altan, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of the Commissariat |
| |
Panopticon Zitadelle | Merensk, Lachmeren (UGB) | Quartermaster General's Office |
| |
Rothaven Arsenal & Depot | Rothaven, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of the Commissariat | ||
Verkehrsflughäfen Merensk (Garrison Cantonment) |
Merensk, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of Aerospace Forces | Air Traffic Control Flaktower I | |
Zitadelle Bratva | Severnaya Gubernya (UGB) | Inspectorate of Land Forces |
| |
Zitadelle Merensk | Merensk, Lachmeren (UGB) | Inspectorate of Training and Discipline |
| |
Zitadelle Nuï Sartfals | New Blackstone (UGB) | Inspectorate of the Commissariat |
|
Sanitäts Uihmanz
Established in 1673, the Sanitäts Uihmanz (Medical Corps) is a formation of the General Inspectorate, subordinate to the Inspectorate of the Commissariat, that delivers medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services for the Black Legions. In contrast to the former Imperial Forces, the Black Legions takes seriously its obligations regarding the health and welfare of service personnel. The primary mission of the Sanitäts Uihmanz is therefore to maintain the health of legionaries, so they can carry out their duties; and to deliver health care during wartime. The tasks of the Sanitäts Uihmanz include medical testing and screening of recruits, emergency medical treatment of personnel wounded whilst on operations, and the maintenance of physical standards of legionaries in the service of Benacia Command.
The central hub of Sanitäts Uihmanz is the Medical Service Station located in Altan, Lachmeren, but the support network extends, via field hospitals, triage stations, and ambulances, all the way down to the troop level with provision for every forty legionaries deployed on operations to be supported by a squad of eight medically trained orderlies. The Sanitäts Uihmanz employs 194,675 personnel in 65 hospitals, 412 clinics, and 414 dental clinics at facilities across the continent of Benacia.
In 1674, following a sudden uptick in sightings of cerahippos, kraugasos, and other engineered horrors brought forth by the biomancers of old, by ESB personnel sent out to investigate the natural gas fields of Lachdolor[5], the Veterinarian Service was established within the Medical Corps with a remit to draw together health and welfare services for working animals employed in the service of the Black Legions[6] and to study the impact of the hostilely reworked and corrupted environment upon those creatures whose service was and remained essential to the preservation of the Human Supremacy over Micras rested.
Corps of Invalids
Equipment
Aerospace
Type | Image | Origin | Class | Role | In service | Number | Producer | Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Air | ||||||||
F-8M Shrike | Shireroth | Jet | Multirole | 1559 | 1,147 | Allied Production Matrix | ||
F-10 Carnifex | Natopia | Spaceplane | Superiority Fighter | 1653 | 19 | Dingo Engineering Aerospace Division | ||
F-8M-T Shrike | Shireroth | Jet | Two-seat trainer/Multirole | 1654 | 24 | Allied Production Matrix | ||
F-9 Ashavan II | Talenore | Jet | Superiority Fighter | 1676 | 112 | Allied Production Matrix | ||
Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance | ||||||||
AEW-1 Floret | Kalgachia/Constancia | Jet | Airborne Early Warning Aircraft | 1676 | 6 |
|
||
Air Mobility | ||||||||
Helicopters | ||||||||
Trainers |
Land
Maritime
Ranks & uniforms
Lance | Spear | |||
General Officer |
Magister Primarius / Frumst Frainan | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Magister Militum (General) / Frainan Streïakeï | ||||
Magister (Lt General) / Frainan Hohmin | ||||
Dux (Maj General) / Frainan Uihmanzis | ||||
Legate (Brig General) / Salbnan | ||||
Field Officer |
Tribune Laticlavii / Ahmst Bræþstranin | |||
Tribune Cohortis / Ahmst Tazstraneï | ||||
Tribune Angusticlavii / Ahmst Mairstranin | ||||
Company Officer |
First Decurion / Ænst Fiþnan | First Ordinate / Ænst Opratzan | Ordinary | |
Decurion // Fiþnan | Ordinate / Opratzan | |||
Draconarius / Golsapbir | Tesserarius / Ahtaldan | Principal | ||
Squire / Silbir | ||||
Signifer / Tzæknak | ||||
Supplier | Prime / Frum (Specialist) | |||
Prime / Frum | Specialist | nu Saltznân without fatigues | ||
Soldier | Trainee | mi Saltznân with fatigues |
References
- ^ Named in the Minarborian era for one Clarence Etzeterra, mechanically-augmented lich and father of Mondo. The ironic implications of training for a vernichtungskrieg against Benacian transhumanity in a venue named for a noted specimen of the latter has doubtless popularised the "Depot" designation as an more ideologically-palatable alternative.
- ^ It was subsequently discovered that the establishment had reminded this particular instructor of his overdue bar tab once too often.
- ^ Some would go so far as to call them a "damned wretched and wasteful meatshield, only useful for slowing the mountaineers down for a day or so if the abominations ever at last decide to descend upon the lowlands."
- ^ On loan from Natopian Spacefleet
- ^ Formerly the Minarborian province of Novodolor, latterly overrun by the Red Lach during the fleeting independence of Inner Benacia
- ^ It would eventually be claimed that the Black Legions showed more care for their dogs and horses than the old Imperial Forces ever evidenced for their human servicemen.