CDF divisions

The Community Defence Forces of Sober Thought, like most NationStates and real world armed forces, organises its land troops into formations called divisions.

This is normally the smallest grouping of soldiers who are expected to fight unsupported for extended periods of time, with a balanced force of combat and support troops. In theory, each division is raised for a specific mission and its constituent units are chosen to achieve that mission. In practice, however, divisions of certain types look substantially alike and differ on relatively unimportant details, especially regarding the provision of support services.

Insignia

Divisional patches in the Community Defence Forces are rather utilitarian and dull, for both practical and political reasons. Division patches should, as much as possible, be devoid of bright colours and detail which might make their wearers targets on the battlefield.

Politically, regular soldiers in the CDF Land Service derive their identity from the CDF or their arm of service as a whole, while citizen soldiers in the CDF Civil Guard derive their identity from their province of origin and geographically based regiment.

Each divisional patch consists of a rectangle two units tall by three units wide, the colour(s) indicating its role. The patch's field is a single solid colour or two solid coloured triangles per bend, and the divisional number appears in the centre of the patch.

As suggested by the sample patches on the right, there is one combined sequence for all armoured and infantry-based divisions. Airborne and heavy infantry divisions are always cobbled together from independent brigade groups, so they are always 0 series divisions. Likewise, motorised infantry divisions are only created by rearranging divisional resources after several population waves, typically in the CDF Civil Guard divisions of Central Province and Hochelaga.

Marine divisions, operationally attached to the CDF Naval Service, maintain their own ordinal sequence. Artillery divisions, either operationally attached to the CDF Naval Service for coastal defence or concentrated at the army or army group level, also have a separate ordinal sequence from either their Land Service or Naval Service counterparts.

Armoured divisions

Main articles: CDF armoured divisions and 9 series divisions.

Tanks and their close relatives armoured cars pack the biggest punch in the CDF Land Service. They are designed to destroy enemy armour, infantry and obstacles with their powerful guns. Their armour makes them impervious to small arms fire and highly resistant to artillery.

Light armour typically reconnoiters enemy positions, then heavier armour exploits any weaknesses in the defences which were discovered during the reconnaissance. All armoured assaults, however, must be supported by infantry which is why armoured divisions invariably operate with armoured infantry divisions.

In Sober Thought, most armoured divisions are part of the regular CDF Land Service but a few are part of the Central Province militia in the 9 series divisions.

Armoured infantry divisions

Main articles: CDF armoured infantry divisions, 5 series divisions, 8 series divisions and 9 series divisions.

Armoured infantry divisions still pack quite a punch, merely reversing the ratio of armour to infantry from 6:5 battalions from their heavier relatives. However, these divisions typically have armoured vehicles with smaller calibre guns and much more likely to have wheeled armoured vehicles.

They support friendly armour when acting against armoured enemies, and act as armour when acting against unarmoured enemies. Some armoured vehicles combine a true fighting aspect - sporting 40 mm or 60 mm cannon - but most serve as mere battle taxis, protecting their soldiers from small arms fire until arrival on the battlefield.

In Sober Thought the parttime militia in the CDF Civil Guard provide most of the armoured infantry divisions, with only one regularly constituted division each wave of one hundred million national population coming from the Land Service proper.

Motorised infantry divisions

Main articles: 8 series divisions and 9 series divisions.

These are sort of the poor general's armoured infantry divisions, organizationally similar to their more powerful cousins but using softskinned trucks for frontline service rather than armoured vehicles. Organic trucks allow infantry battalions to move swiftly, but clearly these provide no protection even from small arms fire. The Divisional Reserve Demi-Brigades are where you will find the strongest units in these divisions.

In Sober Thought, these exist only as Civil Guard formations in Central Province and Hochelaga, and even then they are only created after every third population wave.

Airborne divisions

Main article: 0 series divisions.

Dropping by parachute, landed by helicopter or transported by airplane, the airborne infantry are organised like understrength general infantry but for their means of arrival. Unlike most other RL or NS armies, airborne troops have no special cachet in the forces since parachuting is actually a less useful skill these days than mountaineering or even urban warfare.

They are used behind enemy lines to seize airports, bridges, roads, communications centres, headquarters and other high value targets. Although they are expected to fight alone for brief but intense periods, their combat and logistics support services are much weaker than their counterparts.

The Community Defence Forces raise one airborne brigade group for every one hundred million people in Sober Thought. Occasionally, these are cobbled together to form zero series divisions subordinated to army or army group commanders.

Mountain divisions

Main article: 7 series divisions.

Like RL Alpini of Italy, Chasseurs alpins of France and Gebirgsjager of Germany, Sober Thought has felt the need to create infantry that is especially skilled in moving and fighting in mountainous terrain. While other divisions rely to a greater or lesser extent on mechanical power to more troops, supplies and weapons, mountain troops rely on pack animals and their own backs for these things.

These are largely Civil Guard divisions, based around the Thuvian militia forces which have extensive peacetime experience climbing in the Thuvian Mountains. This is especially true of the supporting arms, including a battalion of pack artillery. In fact, a Thuvian militia officer customarily serve as division executive officer for odd-numbered waves and as division commanding officer for even-numbered waves beyond the second.

The full-time professional nucleus of the Land Service operates as a powerful artillery-heavy brigade group which looks and acts more like a pocket division than a brigade. Upon mobilisation, it is broken up to stiffen the Civil Guard brigades.

General infantry divisions

Main article: 8 series divisions.

Prior to mechanisation, these were the most common types of divisions. However, since the army found vehicles - and especially armoured vehicles - the unspecialised infantry division has all but disappeared. Today, this term is used by heterogeneous infantry formations, for example containing battalions of mountain and light infantry or armoured and pedestrian infantry.

The only formations normally constituted as an unspecified infantry divisions are in the Garde civile, but even those 8 series divisions are reorganised into specialised infantry every third wave.

Marine divisions

Main article: CDF Naval Service#Marines.

Unlike many NS and RL armies, marines are just soldiers with special skills and are not considered better than their peers. Marine divisions are organised like general infantry divisions and are rather heterogenous. Furthermore, its troops are organised differently when afloat than after a successful amphibious landing.

The sharp end of an armoured and armoured infantry brigade are permanently embarked on landing ships. While afloat, they exist as pairs of companies on each ship, and afterward the two branches are disentangled.

The nucleus of a marine light infantry brigade -- one battalion and some headquarters troops -- is permanently embarked on each aircraft carrier. Much smaller groups are permanently embarked on cruisers, destroyers and frigates. Marines on the latter warships are designed mainly to provide landing parties and internal security rather than true forces of manoeuvre.

Light infantry divisions

Main article: 6 series divisions.

Unlike the heavy divisions which are highly dependent on mechanised vehicles and need wide areas to manoeuvre, the light infantry divisions are designed to fight in tight spaces. Light also refers to their weaponry, dropping the heavy machineguns and mortars of their other infantry counterparts.

Thus, light infantry divisions are tailor made for fighting in urban environments. They may also be used to harass the enemy, infiltrate frontlines and perform rudimentary reconnaissance. Although they fight on foot they may arrive near the battlefield in motorised vehicles. When such vehicles are organic to the light infantry battalion rather than attached from a logistics battalion, they resemble weak motorised infantry divisions.

Each notional field army raised in Sober Thought includes one joint Civil Guard-Land Service light infantry divisions. The large cities of Schweindorf, Mont Royaume, Georgetown, Zalevfyerma, Cholmestay and Worthington have light infantry regiments.

Artillery divisions

Coastal artillery is the most common division created under this category, with large calibre fixed guns. Otherwise, it is rarely seen outside truly mammoth army groups regularly conducting intensives barrage across a wide front.