Black Legions: Difference between revisions

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Combat units may be deployed independently of the remainder of the legion. Under these latter circumstances they are often referred to as [[streïkrupp]]is.
Combat units may be deployed independently of the remainder of the legion. Under these latter circumstances they are often referred to as [[streïkrupp]]is.
==Organisation==
===Land Forces===
====IV Corps====
====VI Corps====
===Maritime Forces===
===Aerospace Forces===


==Equipment==
==Equipment==

Revision as of 17:53, 21 April 2019

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.

Overview

Doctrines

Strategic

Operational

Naval

Aerospace

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.

Boot camp

Hardening

All non-commissioned personnel assigned to the Legions, along with new 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. 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 S.W.O.R.D. operatives dressed up as Laqi bandits. 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 community servants equipped with riot guns and cudgels, who had been promised their freedom if they successfully survived the drill. None did.

At the conclusion of the three weeks each participant was given a weeks leave, a pint of grog from the academy canteen and an enamelled lapel badge featuring a blood-red hand held palm upwards.

Wild-hunts

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 with periodic deployments of Fiþn (Troop) sized contingents into Lach infested territory, usually via a nighttime "vertical insertion" utilising re-purposed "Walrus" gravimetric transporters escorted by Whirdlebirbs. Once in hostile country the troop is 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 a refresher course in the basics of field craft, these "wild-hunts" also help to thin out the numbers of Black Lach who might otherwise be tempted to filter southwards over the old frontier from Inner Benacia into Lywall.

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
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 (General) / Frumst Frainan Magister (Lt General) / Frainan Hohmin 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

IV Corps

VI Corps

Maritime Forces

Aerospace Forces

Equipment

Uniforms