Difference between revisions of "Union Defence Force"

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Once the tabor-laager/castra configuration metastasised into a more permanent F.O.B., typically featuring the assembly of earthen dams, concrete barriers, gates, watchtowers, bunkers and other force protection infrastructure, it would become the secured position and 'jumping off point' for support tactical operations such as targeted raids and long range patrols into enemy or insurgent territory.
 
Once the tabor-laager/castra configuration metastasised into a more permanent F.O.B., typically featuring the assembly of earthen dams, concrete barriers, gates, watchtowers, bunkers and other force protection infrastructure, it would become the secured position and 'jumping off point' for support tactical operations such as targeted raids and long range patrols into enemy or insurgent territory.
  
To ameliorate the loss of force strength that would be caused by having hold back 'front-line' troops to guard and patrol the main lines of communication and supply against guerrilla incursions, the patrolling of these routes and the garrisoning of depots was passed to the [[Combat Support Services Corps]] supported by the [[Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels|Cudgellers]] and locally recruited [[Stratioti]] alongside personnel drawn from the Fästningbataljon of operationally deployed brigades, 2nd line personnel held back at the main depot, normally made available through the substitution of individual losses or through the roulement of companies.
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To ameliorate the loss of force strength that would be caused by having hold back 'front-line' troops to guard and patrol the main lines of communication and supply against guerrilla incursions, the patrolling of these routes and the garrisoning of depots was passed to the [[Combat Support Services Corps]] supported by the [[Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels|Cudgellers]] and locally recruited [[Stratioti]] alongside personnel drawn from the ''Fästningbataljon'' ('fortress-battalion') of operationally deployed brigades, 2nd line personnel held back at the main depot, normally made available through the substitution of individual losses or through the roulement of companies.
  
 
==Table of Organisation==
 
==Table of Organisation==

Revision as of 14:26, 26 August 2016

Union Defence Force
D3KBC1A.png
Active: 1508–1613 & 1629–
Motto Pax in Bello
In use by: His Riverine Majesty in Council
Allegiance: Elwynn

Type: Defence Force
Size:
  • Statutory Peacetime Manpower: 2,791,966 men or women at arms
  • Active Strength: 919,892 personnel
Nicknames: Elwynn's Shield, The Ironsides
Commanders: King Noah as Överbefälhavaren

The Stallari of the UDF


Allies
Opponents
Conflicts & Deployments

Under the Martial Code of Shireroth, the Union Defence Force (UDF) exists to defend the territorial integrity of the Elwynnese Union as an Imperial State within the Imperial Republic of Shireroth. The UDF is held in strict subordination to the King of the Lands of the Two Sacred Rivers and owes Him abolute obedience.

History

The UDF has been through various incarnations but traces its ancestry back to the feudal militias raised by Elwynn to fight in the War of Vengeance and the Elwynnbrigaden which fought in the War of Jeremy's Nose and the Kai Aphmyarkaiph before being re-established as the Elwwehr in the wake of the White Lily Revolt. The UDF expanded dramatically in size during the era of Elwynnese independence and emerged as a political power broker in the tumultuous years prior to the establishment of the Coordinated State. It was abolished after the Communist Revolution of 1613 and replaced by various ad hoc revolutionary groups and a People's Militia. Following the Kalirion Restoration the UDF was re-established by decree of the Steward of Elwynn, Hallbjörn Haraldsson, in 1629 AN.

Duties, Functions, and Responsibilities

The UDF is, aside from its primary duty of the defence of the realm against internal and external aggressors as well as other enemies, by law also charged with the following duties, functions, and responsibilities:

  • the furtherance of, where applicable and allowed, the foreign and domestic policies of the King;
  • the protection of the interests of the Elwynnese Union, whether in the Elwynnese Union itself or elsewhere;
  • the provision of executive assistance to maintain public order and security, to prevent and interrupt terrorist acts, and otherwise to protect society at large;
  • the provision of assistance in rescue operations by contributing equipment, personnel and expert services;
  • the participation in assisting another country in case of a terrorist attack, natural disaster, major accident or other similar occurrence;
  • the protection and advancement of the international rule of law;
  • the provision of any public service.

Administration

The King of Elwynn is, by virtue of the consolidation of powers upon the sovereign under the Elwynnese Constitution and by the Royal Decree of 1629 refounding the UDF, Commander-in-Chief (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB) of the force and every aspect of its organisation and administration lies within his gift. The King may chose to appoint a Stallari (marshal) to whom would be, at the sovereign's discretion, delegated some or all of the powers pertaining to the organisation, rank structure, training, discipline, efficiency, administration and good government of the UDF.

The position of Stallari is an office of state, in practice the Stallari would also be the most senior general or admiral of the UDF.

Culture

As a force recruited from across the Twelve Peoples of Elwynn communication within the ranks of a heterogeneous force was an acute issue from the earliest days of the UDFs establishment. As a consequence the UDF evolved its own distinctive dialect or Army Crandish formed of a creole of the Norse and Froyalanish languages leavened with a heavy dose of Babkhi command words.

Every year the UDF solemnly, and with due pomp and circumstance, observes the Battle of Vijayanagra, which took place during the dark days of the War of Vengeance and in which the brave Count Harald of Araxion and his valiant Huskarls threw back the Antyan invasion fleet, as both a grave and proud reminder of their first and foremost duty.

Doctrine

Following experiences in the River War the UDF reorganised the Territorial Defence Corps into four divisions, three of which comprised of fours brigades. The lead brigade of each division was built around two pansarbataljons of Horjin Armoured Fighting Vehicle supported by specialist mechanised infantry, towed-artillery and modular anti-aircraft missile systems. Of the remaining three brigades, one would be built around heavy artillery, one around heavy assault infantry (Huskarls) and the last brigade would be dominantly comprised of light infantry skirmishers (Fedayeen).

The lead brigade in each division would act as a rapid reaction force in defensive operations and, when on the offensive, the force penetrator intended to drive through and shatter the enemy line before moving on to secure objectives to the enemies rear. Broken enemy formations would then be held in place by a fast moving following wave of Fedayeen before being ground down by heavy artillery bombardment, after which the húskarlar would move in to dispatch whomsoever still displayed the least indication of resistance.

The only exception to this is the 2nd Division in which, although it followed the four brigade pattern, Huskarls are entirely predominant and, in 1639, experiments began with a view to creating a force of fallskärmhúskarlar or paratroopers trained in the Huskarl tradition to act as an air assault formation which could double as a strategic force reserve for the Generalstaf of the UDF.

The UDF doctrine also encompassed the concept of a 'battle in depth' in which the rear areas of hostile formations and their vital supply chains and communication networks would be comprehensively disrupted and interdicted by the operations of the two tactical aviation divisions of the Union Aerospace Corps as well as the special operations and electronic warfare activities of the Union Intelligence Corps and the Panopticon Corps.

From a doctrinal standpoint, the UDF does not expect to operate in isolation on the battlefield but rather as part of a broader coalition of allied forces, including the Fleur de Lys-Longships Guard, the Vanic Temple Guard, the Corps of the Gentlemen-at-Cudgels, ad hoc militias raised by the Royal Governors of the various precincts and, eventually, the Imperial Forces. Nonetheless as a combination of solid mass, momentum and firepower, the UDF would be expected hold its own effectively against any immediate threat of aggression, and in so doing fulfil its basic remit of providing for a comprehensive defence of the realm.

Tulloch Reforms

The deployment of the 10th Division of the UDF (Zjandarian Guards) on a counter-insurgency operation in the Vale of Angularis in 1639 exposed weaknesses in Union Defence Force|UDF's logistical supply chain which were subsequently addressed by the so-called Tulloch Reforms implemented by the Zjandarian Guards' newly appointed Generalmajor, Petro Tulloch, and subsequently rolled out across the entire UDF.

The reforms emphasised the importance of adequate lines of supply and communication for an advancing force by establishing a chain of fortified depots or magazines and the establishment of a motorised transport corps capable of drawing supplies from these magazines for dispatch to the tabor-laager, an armed convoy of roaming merchants, commissary officers and camp followers carrying all the necessary supplies and rear units, such as field kitchens, sanitation wagons, field hospitals armourers or shoemakers, necessary to sustain a brigade level force in the field.

When on the march, particularly in enemy territory, the brigade would, after a day's advance, establish a defensive perimeter around the furthest point reached by the tabor-laager. While the brigade headquarter's would be a part of the tabor-laager encampment, each of the 4 battalions of the brigade would construct a fortified camp or castra of an embankment and surrounding ditch with dugouts, mortar pits and machine-gun nests, requiring as raw materials only earth, turf and timber. Camp construction were the responsibility of special engineering units (ingenjörkompani) to which specialists of many types belonged. These engineers would requisition manual labour from the soldiers at large as required. An infantry bataljon could throw up a camp under enemy attack in as little as a few hours. The typical 4 castra arrangement would cover the cardial points surrounding the tabor-laager encampment, preferably dominating any approach roads or pathways - the tabor-laager would ideally be situated on raised ground overlooking a cross-roads or some other convergence point and have access to fresh water. The defensive positions should be sufficiently distant to reduce overcrowding, milling about, confusion and vulnerability to threats such as artillery fire or encirclement, yet should be sufficiently close to permit mutual indirect fire support in the event of an attack and the conduct of perimeter patrolling.

Depending on the duration of the occupation of the site, the brigade engineers would select from a menu of standard fortification measures designed to suit their needs. Typically an occupation of an encampment for a period longer than five days would see aspects of a forward operating base (F.O.B.) brought into being, including a dedicated helicopter landing site and improved fortifications using gabions made from collapsible wire mesh container and heavy duty fabric liner that would be filled with soil and gravel and stacked to create blast walls against explosions or small-arms.

Once the tabor-laager/castra configuration metastasised into a more permanent F.O.B., typically featuring the assembly of earthen dams, concrete barriers, gates, watchtowers, bunkers and other force protection infrastructure, it would become the secured position and 'jumping off point' for support tactical operations such as targeted raids and long range patrols into enemy or insurgent territory.

To ameliorate the loss of force strength that would be caused by having hold back 'front-line' troops to guard and patrol the main lines of communication and supply against guerrilla incursions, the patrolling of these routes and the garrisoning of depots was passed to the Combat Support Services Corps supported by the Cudgellers and locally recruited Stratioti alongside personnel drawn from the Fästningbataljon ('fortress-battalion') of operationally deployed brigades, 2nd line personnel held back at the main depot, normally made available through the substitution of individual losses or through the roulement of companies.

Table of Organisation

Manpower

UDF Manpower: [919,892 personnel]
Territorial Defence Divisions 94,892
Gendarmerie Division 25,000
Auxiliary Service Corps 200,000
Non-Combatant Corps 600,000

Ranks

(Officer Ranks)

  • OF-10 (Överbefälhavaren, ÖB Supreme Commander)
  • OF-9 (General, Amiral)
  • OF-8 (Generallöjtnant, Viceamiral)
  • OF-7 (Generalmajor, Konterameral)
  • OF-6 (Brigadgeneral, Flottiljamiral)
  • OF-5 (Överste, Kommendör)
  • OF-4 (Överstelöjtnant, Kommendörkapten)  
  • OF-3 (Major, Örlogskapten)  
  • OF-2 (Kapten)  
  • OF-1 (Löjtnant)  

(Other Ranks)

  • OR-6 (Förste Sergeant, Förste- styrman,konstapel,maskinist)
  • OR-5 (Sergeant)
  • OR-4 (Korpral)
  • OR-3 (Vice korpral)
  • OR-2 (Menig 1kl)
  • OR-1 (Menig)

Uniforms

Figure 1: Ceremonial Uniforms of the Independence era UDF.
(Design: Tarjei Einhornsson)
Figure 2: Field Uniforms of the post-1629 UDF
(Design: Thorgils Tarjeisson)

In Popular Culture

The War of Vengeance feudal militias which are among the predecessors of the UDF are extensively featured in the Elwnet TV series called The Most Glorious War. The same applies to the Elwynnbrigaden with regard to the Elwnet TV series that is known as The Iron Brigade, which is a show about the War of Jeremy's Nose.

The UDF also is quite the regular in the The Duel of Princes, an Elwnet TV series about the Coordinated State.