Training The Army of Koenwitz
All new recruits to the army, whether they are volunteers or national servicemen, report to the Recruit Depot at Teufel Military Camp [1], a few miles northwest of the Teufel Gorge battlefield. Whatever their intended arm of service, every recruit undertakes a two-week basic-training course where they are ‘broken in’ to Army discipline and nomenclature, brought up to the required physical standard and given basic weapons training.
If recruits pass basic training they have a large Graduation parade and a three-day leave period before they are assigned to their respective formations for their specialised advanced training. Some in Koenwitz have criticised the style of basic training in that friendships established during basic training are lost when the training units are broken up, but so far Army studies into this issue have revealed little drop in morale, for, even if men end up in a new branch of service with unfamiliar faces, everyone has at least shared similar hardships.
All recruits who have completed their advanced training participate in the two annual wargames that take place in January and July in the large military training area on Nicole Heath [2]. The area was the site of two major engagements during the war, and afterward was purchased by the Army for its exercises – there is no longer any public access to the region, which has been the cause of much consternation among Koenwitz’s populace. The wargames focus on peacekeeping operations and preparations for foreign wars and invasions, and last for 30 days.
Contents
Infantry and Motorised Training
All infantry and motorised recruits are sent Nicoleheide [3] were they undergo a one-month advanced training course teaching them tactical and weapons skills. If the recruits pass this training they are assigned to whichever division requires them and undergo further weapons and tactical training. Motorised infantry that pass advanced infantry training spend two additional weeks at Nicoleheide learning motorised tactics (i.e. how to dismount properly or fire from their trucks) before being assigned to their division.
Jäger Training
All Jäger recruits report to Schwarzwald [4] for a four-week “selection” course. Typically only 6 out of every twenty applicants are accepted into the force. Upon acceptance, the men are assigned to the 7th Jäger (Training) Division and undergo a rigorous three-month advanced training programme in the southern valleys. The high-point of this course takes place on Mount Gurz, the largest mountain in Koenwitz. Recruits must first complete an endurance march which takes them up and down its 6,000ft-high slopes four times. They must then navigate to the summit without getting involved in any major firefights with serving Jäger soldiers who dig in and play the role of defenders. If, at the end of the advanced training, the recruits pass every element of the course, they are given their Jäger caps and oakleaf Jäger badges and assigned to whichever division requires them. If they fail more than three of the courses during the training programme, they must start again.
Mechanized and Armoured Training
Mechanized Infantry and Panzergrenadier recruits spend one-month with the regular infantry troops completing the advanced training course at Nicoleheide before moving to Panzerwald [5] and the 5th Mechanized Training Division for a two-month advanced training course in dismount and APC tactics before they are sent to their assigned Mechanized Division/Panzergrenadier Regiment
Armoured crews spend six months undergoing advanced armoured training with the 6th Armoured Training Division at Panzerwald, completing two-months of theoretical work before spending four months learning how to operate and care for the Pz-48 medium tank. Tank gunners spend two weeks away from Panzerwald on the gunnery range at Schusseheide (see below). If armoured recruits pass their advanced training they are subsequently assigned to whichever Armoured Division, or Armoured Regiment (from Mechanized Infantry Division) that requires them.
Airborne Training
Airborne recruits must undergo a full health examination before they can even be accepted for training. If they pass, they are sent to the 7th Jäger (Training) Division at Schwarzwald to toughen them up and train them in basic airborne tactics (airborne troops are essentially light infantry like the Jäger and share many tactics). If they pass the advanced Jäger training, they will be assigned to the 3rd Airborne Training Division at Jorgen [6], where they spend two months on the advanced airborne training course which teaches them parachute and heliborne assault techniques. If they pass this, they are then assigned to whichever division requires them.
Army Air Corps Training
All Air Corps recruits report to the 1st Air Training Regiment of the 1st Airtraining Division based at Theodorplatz [7] for a two-month theory course. If they pass the examinations at the end of this they are sent on a flight experience course that lasts a further month. This gives prospective pilots experience with both fixed wing propeller and jet aircraft and helicopters. Depending on test scores and the soldier’s preference, they are then assigned to one of the other three training regiments (see above) for six-ten months to ensure their flight skills are tuned to perfection. At the end of this, if they are flight approved, recruits undergo a two-week escape and evasion course with the Jäger troops at Schwarzwald, before being assigned to whichever squadron or aviation regiment that requires them.
The Artillery
All artillery and anti-aircraft units undertake their training separately from their intended divisions at the Artillery Base & Firing Range at Schussheide [8]. The name, naturally, comes from range which is on the northern tip of the Nicole Heath. Artillery recruits spend twenty weeks here perfecting their gunnery before returning to their division. However, every year artillery regiments are obliged to return to Schussheide for three weeks refresher training and practice shoots. The artillery involvement in the two annual training exercises also takes place here. In addition, Infantry and Jäger troops spend a week of their advanced training at Schussheide learning how to use anti-armour and mortar weaponry, and as stated above, tank gunners also train here.
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