Difference between revisions of "Royal Army of Listeneisse"

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Latest revision as of 08:43, 23 December 2005

Listeneisse > Royal Army of Listeneisse

History

The legends surrounding the Royal Army of Listeneisse bring it all the way back to those followers of Joseph of Arimathea who left the Holy Lands in the days after the ascencion of Jesus Christ.

Joseph's journey to settle in Listeneisse with his companions was filled with battles and wars against those who would have exterminated the followers of this new religion. Unlike many who chose to be martyred, the followers of the Grail Company fought back. Furiously.

They had such militaristic roles in their circle as the Standard Bearer of the Grail, who bore the first red-cross-on-white banner into battle against the godless foe. The fashioned themselves as Knights, or Equites, following the traditions of martial Rome.

They wielded swords and shields and cut a swath through their enemies, ever vigilant to defend the Holy Grail, the vessel that had come into their possession. They build strong castles, and married into royal lineages of the lands wherein they settled. This was how the Grail Kingdom was founded.

It has been hard to put down the sword ever since.

The original bulwark of defenders of the Kingdom were known as the Knights of the Temple of the Holy Grail, also called the Grail Templars. They wore white surcoats with the red cross upon it. They had common sergeants as well amongst them. They were crack shock troops, defending the borders from attack, keeping away bandits and nefarious interlopers. However, they were not indiscriminant butchers. If they could tell someone was of good nature and quality, they would invite the person into the Kingdom, where they could enjoy the King's hospitality.

During the ages, the Knights also snuck out into the world, intermarrying with people of other nations. Sometimes creating secret chapterhouses of their order. Other times bringing back their families or followers to Listeneisse, to flee an ever-more-chaotic world around them.

16th-18th Century Army

In the age of gunpowder, the Kingdom began to rely more on Yeomanry -- citizen soldiers -- to defend its border. They were taught how to use guns and drill. A rule of 1% of all men of able body (eventually this became 'persons of able body' to include women) were drafted as reservists. Others, at a lower rate, were drafted to serve full time in the military forces.

Reservists, until recently, served only two weeks per year for four years. Or, if they wished, they could serve 8 weeks at one time. During their service, they would mostly drill and learn how to use their equipment. Outside of their two weeks, they were given course work on military terms, geography, operations. They would then be tested, and their pay would be based on their passing their final muster and exams.

19th-20th Century Army

As modern armies took shape around the world, the standing army moved further and further away from its origins in the nobility and knighthood, and more towards professional soldiers. Sergeant Majors became important to regiomental cohesion, especially to instill discipline in unwilling draftees.

The age of cavalry passed by, and motorized vehicles made their way into the nation, bouncing and bounding across the unpaved borders, filled with explorers in search of the mystical kingdom.

They'd be impounded by the Royal Foresters, and marched off to see the King. During those days, the Kings of Listeneisse were a highly religious, suspicious bunch. They did not like outsiders generally traipsing through the Kingdom. But they did admire the daring of these early explorers in their odd vehicles. Soon there were motor cars being built for the Kingdom, and especially, the Royal Cavalry Corps.

Reports of mechanized war around the world alarmed the Kingdom. Many of the adventurers were let to go back into the world with missions to keep tabs on technological developments taking place. They often took with them Grail Templars, trusted allies by their sides. They would wander the world, from the Far East to the Wild West, seeking out what was going on in terms of military advancements. Yes, they would even steal secrets from nations, and brought them back to keep the Grail Kings apprised of the changes in the world.

From this, a modern army emerged, shadowing developments of the world around it.

From gunpowder, to more powerful explosives. Smoothbore cannons gave way to mortars and howitzers and antiaircraft guns. Rockets and missiles were developed.

However, the Kingdom was very small. Never more than a few million people. There was no way it could keep up with the massive changes going on in the world, especially as isolated as it was.

When the atomic bombs were first invented, it sent a shudder through the nation. Here was a weapon they could not stop if it came their way, except by the grace of God.

The Grail Kingdom began to consider how to truly defend its borders from any interlopers, and how it could survive any nuclear exchange by other powers, or against it, if enemies of their faith decided to target them.

Modern Army

After it was decided to engage the world, the Kingdom of Listeneisse expanded rapidly. It had to purchase many systems from overseas at first, creating a huge trade deficit. But as the Kingdom developed its own technology, its modern army came into existence.

It specialized in R&D to combat Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). It has many NBC Reconnaissance Vehicles of a native design.

The Army Reserve, for a time, had been increased to a full month of service for four years, or four months in one year. Yet this proved unsustainable. With nearly 200 million inhabitants, there were 2 million persons under arms, but poorly trained in all the technology and doctine necessary for modern battlefield operations. It was seen as a huge draw of resources. A smaller, more professional army was proposed.

It pleased those in the Kingdom who thought that the nation had grown far too militaristic, and it pleased the Minister of Defense, who has seen costs of the Reserves as a draw away from a professional and fully-recruits-based regular Army.

The most recent development was the massive reduction in Army Reserve forces. The rate of the Reserve Draft dropped from 1% of the entire populace down to 0.1%, a force reduction of 90%.

The number of full-time draftees also dropped. The Army of Listeneisse was changing.

Doctrine

The Kingdom of Listeneisse had been a national-defense-oriented force until the modern engagement with the world. Because of that, at the beginning of the era of century, it consisted primarily of heavy divisions. Perfect for national defense, but impossible to stage outside of the Kingdom.

Recently, it has begun to develop air mobile, light infantry, and sealift/airlift capabilities to put their forces wherever they need to go in the world.

The Royal Army must be ready to rapidly deploy a tailored force for peacekeeping operations, defensive response for regional allies, stabilizing actions in case of governmental failure in anarchic states, and, if need be, a full-scale war.

It has also begun operating more and more in cooperation with the Royal Air Force of Listeneisse (RAFL) and Royal Navy of Listeneisse (RNL) for truly integrated missions. A new Joint Tactical Radio System was purchased so that every squad on the ground could contact any ship at sea, or any plane or helicopter overhead.

Operational Units

The Royal Army of Listeneisse (RAL) focuses strategically on the independent Corps, which includes all generally necessary assets for offensive and defensive operations. It is the Corps, of about 30,000-50,000 personnel, which can be dispatched in whole or in part to engagements around the world, whether as part of a defensive alliance of the Warzone of the Defenders, or as a peacekeeping operation, or for joint military exercises.

Specialized organizations, such as combat engineering units, military police, theater air defense systems, and medical hospitals are usually attached at the corps-level.

Below the Corps, the next most important units of maneuver are the Mechanized Divisions, Armoured Brigades, Light Divisions and Airborne Divisions.

The Mechanized Division and the Armoured Brigade are considered heavy units, designed for fierce fighting against the most well-armed opponents the nation might need to face. They are to be airmobile or sealift-capable, but their weapon systems can be designed to fit in a heavy (C-141, C-17 or C-5B Galaxy class) transport aircraft. Many of their vehicles and systems can also fit in a medium (C-130 class) transport, but it is impractical to carry a modern Main Battle Tank within one, since it can weigh upwards of 60-70 tonnes.

  • The Mechanized Division is seen as more of a large-front or large area of operations unit, designed to hold strategic objectives, or to move forward along a wide front. It is the main force of a Corps, and there are usually one, two, or three divisions in a Corps. It included armor, antiarmor, infantry, artillery, and air defense forces, plus a fleet of transport helicopters and vehicles.
  • The Armoured Brigade is seen as a shock force, designed primarily for offensive operations. While it includes some infantry forces for screening the armoured and artillery assets of the brigade, it is primarily designed to take territory, or to destroy enemy assets in a territory, turning over the area of operations to the mechanized or light infantry division in relief. It has about as many tanks as a Mechanized Division, but far fewer supporting infantry.

Light Infantry and Airborne Divisions are both designed for rapid mobility. They are to be entirely transportable by the common mule of the modern world, the C-130. It it cannot fit inside one of those birds, it does not belong in these divisions. Exceptions are made for certain pieces of key equipment, but generally, it's a rule that they need to travel light and fast.

  • Light Division troops are trained for disbursed and coordinated operations in different terrain types: forest, jungle, mountain, desert, urban, surburban. Their role is to move fast and thus, travel light. They are not designed to fight toe-to-toe with heavy units. They are trained instead for insurgency and counterinsurgency operations. What some might have called "guerilla tactics." However, the term is eschewed, in favor of "irregular operations." They are trained to be self-sufficient if need be, or to support the other major units of maneuver in their operations, usually in a supporting or relief role. Alternately, as an advanced deployment force, to await relief by heavy units. They are not solely "ground pounders," as they get quite an array of light attack vehicles at their disposal.
  • Airborne Division troops are trained for both paradrops and helicopter-based deployment (via rapelling while hovering, or conventional landing zones). They are tactically similar to the Light Divisions, but spend more time with coordinating air-to-ground strike operations. They also get light, air-transportable, and air-droppable vehicles and weapons designed specifically for their use. (It's quite a sight to see a light tank land by parachute!)

Order of Battle

Tables of Organization & Equipment (TO&Es)

Personnel

I Corps

1st Mechanized Division

1st Armoured Brigade

  • Major Cadoc "Amazing" Grace, Commander of A Squadron, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, 1st Armoured Brigade; MILEX VL '05: Tabernas
  • Staff Sergeant Cadrieth ap Gandwy, Tank Commander, 2nd Troop, A Squadron, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, 1st Armoured Brigade; MILEX VL '05: Tabernas
  • Corporal Stewart, Command Vehicle Driver, A Squadron, 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, 1st Armoured Brigade; MILEX VL '05: Tabernas

II Corps

  • General Sir Lionel Fitzbors, Commander of the II Corps; Service Medals: Zodno-Pomorskie
  • Colonel Beverly Lincoln, G2 for II Corps; Service Medals: Zodno-Pomorskie

Equipment