CDF hieroglyphics

The Community Defence Forces of Sober Thought use a system of graphical symbols to represent their troops on maps, vehicles, tables of organisation, etc. It applies equally to the land, naval, air and combined services formations, units and sub-units.

Basic rules

If you keep a few rules in mind, and execute them in the order they appear, the meaning of the symbols becomes clear:

1. Each element of a particular symbol is cumulative. So superhuman special forces units whose members fly choppers, skydive, ride horseback and operate submarines all at the same time may use elements to form their whole symbol.
2. If the meaning of the symbol is already implied or unclear, remove as many elements as possible or necessary to make the symbol helpful and clear. While it may be accurate to list all the applicable symbols for a landing ship laden with its normal complement of seven marine platoons and four helicopter flights, why not list one marine assault group (battalion equivalent) and one composite helicopter squadron instead? Better yet, leave them out entirely if the meaning is already clear from the context.
3. Only elements which are logically compatable are permitted. An oxymoronic heavy light infantry division cannot exist because heavy infantry and light infantry divisions are mutually exclusive members of the infantry division class. However an improbable but nevertheless logically possible heavy mountain division could exist, although one hopes there is good reason and the Chief of Staff who raised such a division does not fear career changes.
4. An element must be applied if all of the subordinate groupings qualify. This states the obvious, namely that if a squadron consists entirely of fighter aircraft that that makes the unit a fighter squadron and not a generic squadron.
5. An element may be applied if at least half (and preferably at least three quarters) of the subordinate groupings qualify.Let us consider a dozen hypothetical but quite plausible engineering battalions, each with three to five field and one headquarters companies. In the Land Engineering Branch, there are three sub-branches (combat, construction and maintenance engineering) and ten types. Companies are normally independently raised from within the types (plus headquarters as the final de facto type), the lowest level of bureaucratic organisation. Regardless of the configuration, these would have the symbols indicating "battalion" and "engineering." Below is what else, if anything, they would get according to their mission and composition:

• combat support for a desert division; mine clearance, mine clearance, flamethrower, water; "combat engineering"
• rear area security for a field corps; mine, mine clearance, mine clearance; "mine"
• explosives expertise for an army; mine, mine clearance, ordnance; "ordnance"
• engineering support for a brigade group; mine clearance, NBC defence, water; none
• restoration of municipal infrastructure; bridge, construction, construction, construction, water; "civil engineering"
• rebuilding bridges and other structures; bridge, construction, construction, construction; "construction engineering"
• service support for an urban division; bridge, construction, water; "civil engineering"
• operating a railway in territory prone to guerrilla warfare; mine clearance, bridge, railway; "railway" (although only one company is nominally a railway company, another is tasked with keeping the railway tracks free of explosives and the last is tasked with keeping the railway bridges free of structural defects; an identical composed battalion with less unified goals would rate no additional symbol)
• railway, mechanical, electrical; "maintenance (engineering)"
• mechanical, electrical, ordnance; "maintenance (engineering)"
• mechanical, mechanical, electrical; "mechanical engineering"
• construction, electrical, electrical; none

Elements applicable to each service

The hollow square 200 units wide by 120 units high with solid borders, capped with an element 40 units high indicating size attached, forms the basic generic or non-specific unit. The size of the groupings are indicated by one to five repetitions of three different figures: Xes, with a base of 28 units, represent the largest formations; perpendicular lines spaced 20 units apart when required; and, solid circles with a diametre of 20 units and 10 units space on all sides. The names of the units they refer to are different for each service and sometimes for formation consisting of troops from at least two services.

Elements applicable to multi-service formations

For bi- or tri-service formations, the elements indicating size are as follows: XXXXX means community command, XXXX grand command, XXX chief command, XX command and X vice command.

Elements only applicable to the Land Service

Elements indicating formation size are as follows: XXXXX means army group, XXXX army, XXX field corps, XX division and X brigade group. Elements indicating other groupings' size are: |||| brigade, ||| group (equivalent to regiment or demi-brigade in some real life armies), || battalion, | company, **** platoon, *** squad, ** team and * individual troop.

Elements only applicable to the Naval Service

Elements indicating formation size are as follows: XXXXX means grand fleet, XXX chief fleet, XXX fleet, XX vice fleet and X carrier or troopship group, the latter of which are actually tri-service formations always commanded by senior naval officers. A large number of small craft gathered together under the command of a tender make up a flotilla, indicated by an X as well.

Peculiar to the three services, the navy cannot make the distinction between unit and sub-unit in quite the same way because all vessels of whatever size are by definition units because you cannot launch half a submarine or three quarters of a cruiser. So vessels themselves are the units and they are divided into sub-units. Furthermore, "large" vessels are called ships and "small" vessels are called boats. In practice this boundary is somewhat elastic since in real life very large and powerful nuclear (SSBN not just SSN) submarines are called boats while rather puny corvettes are called ships. The Naval Service's fudging position is that boats are vessels commanded by Vice Lieutenants or below while ships are vessels commanded by Lieutenants or above.

Within every vessel are found at least three departments: bridge, naval engineering, plus one or more of naval weapons, naval stores or maintenance -- whether there are two or two hundred people in a particular department. Additionally, ships' departments may be subdivided into sections, watches or both (e.g., the Naval Gunnery Section of the Naval Weapons Department on a destroyer, the Second Watch of the Naval Engineering Department on a tender, the Third Watch of the Transmission Section of the Naval Engineering Department on an aircraft carrier).

Elements indicating ship unit size are: |||| unladen aircraft carrier, unladen troop ship and battleship (none built or ordered), all normally under the command of a Commander; ||| cruiser and destroyer, normally Vice Commander and Chief Lieutenant respectively; || frigate, tender, supply ship, all normally Chief Lieutenant; | attack submarine and corvette (none built or ordered, but plans available), both normally Lieutenant. Elements indicating ship sub-unit size are: department, using the botton half only of the next lower unit symbol; section, second lower; and watch, third lower.

Those for boat unit size are: **** fast patrol boat, Vice Lieutenant; *** minelayer/hunter, Vice Lieutenant; ** launch (built but so inconsequentially they are not detailed), Vice Warrant Officer or Leading Sailor ; and * inflatable raft or dinghy (built but so inconsequentially they are not detailed), Leading Sailor or Master Sailor. The element indicating boat department sub-unit size is the botton half only of the next lower unit symbol and boat watch sub-unit size half of the second lower. There are no sections on boats, given they normally have fewer than fifty crew.

Elements only applicable to the Air Service

Elements indicating formation size are as follows: XXXXX means army group, XXXX army, XXX field corps, XX division and X brigade group. Elements indicating other groupings' size are: |||| brigade, ||| group (equivalent to regiment or demi-brigade in some real life armies), || battalion, | company, **** platoon, *** squad, ** team and * individual troop.