Aerindinus' military is one of the finest military forces within the great river coalition, boasting a strength consisting at two full infantry brigades that happens to be well-equipped, well trained and well led.
-Military Structure:
--The smallest basic within the ducal military is the five-man team. Typically equivalent to a pre-war fireteam, this sort of unit is barely used within the warfare that dominates the post-war environment. Most squads are homogeneous in equipment, simplifying the logistics of the small unit actions by the duchy.
--Next up is the platoon, consisting of six teams, or thirty troopers, the platoon is the smallest tactical formation used by ducal forces.
--The company is the smallest, autonomous unit within Aerindinus' military. Consisting of five platoons, the company is also typically heterogeneous, consisting of three melee platoons, a crossbow platoon and an artillery platoon. Separate artillery batteries are also formed at this level, and integrated at the battalion level.
--The battalion is largest independent field unit in use. Consisting of five companies the Aerindinan battalion is a formidable, self-sufficient fighting force, with four standard companies, the fifth company being a dedicated artillery company. These units are the independent units assigned to different parts of the duchy, though it only deploys half it's forces this way according to doctrine.
--Finally, the brigades. Consisting of three battalions each, Both brigades have an estimated strength of over two-thousand soldiers. These formations are the largest tactical formations in the duchy, and the smallest strategic one. The strength and firepower that one brigade can mass against a target deems it somewhat unnecessary to deploy them in all but the most dire circumstances. Typically, the brigades rotate their individual battalions in and out of the three districts that make up the military area of operations.
-Equipment:
Boasting several mines that gather weapon-grade ores, and the relative abundance of scrap metals have meant the level of equipment derived from such materials is more or less total, with every trooper having a set of metal armour along with their weapons. In addition, the duchy has organised the equipment of the various branches to simplify logistics of maintaining such units.
--Light Infantry: Consisting of the swords- and axemen of the duchy, the light infantry is still comparatively heavy to most equivalent units in the other states. Typically wearing a breastplate, mail shirt, Corinthian helm, greaves and gauntlets in addition to the basic uniform, and wielding shield with either an axe or a broadsword, the light infantry is used to screen the flanks of the formation at large.
--Heavy Infantry: The pikemen of the duchy are the heavy infantry the duchy musters in times of war. Covered from head to toe in a full suit of plate armour and wielding five metre pikes, the heavy infantry tend to be the base of the ducal armies.
--Crossbowmen: Utilising their titular weapon, the crossbowmen are likely the most feared formation within the ducal army by their enemies. Capable of laying down volley after withering volley, the crossbowmen are the bane for most troops facing the duchy, able to kill quite a few foes in each volley and carrying enough ammo to fire many. Furthermore, most crossbowmen have chain-mail shirts, kettle hats, gauntlets and boots, along with a short sword. This gives them surprising longevity to most of their equivalent units.
--Artillery: The artillery crews tend to be the 'lightest' troops within the duchy, though while only wearing kettle hats, the artillery crews are considered by the duchy to be an integral part of their military, easily picking off heavily armoured units or skewering several unarmoured soldiers from relatively vast distances. Each ballista team tends to have two ballistae in them, meaning the average company has about twelve machines firing upon a foe, and a battalion having a whopping 108 ballistas firing.
-Training & Doctrine:
The Duchy maintains a rather sharp level of discipline of their troops. While individually, most troopers are only average, the emphasis on larger unit formations, and co-operation between units means that the skill of an individual soldier isn't too important compared to the ability of said troops able to fight in a cohesive unit. Thus, while an Aerindinan soldier is quite capable at being bested in a one on one, typically they fight with a friendly formation nearby, allowing one unit to flank the attackers of another.
The emphasis of discipline means that hordes of foes tend to be considered 'easy prey' in the minds of their commanders. Most hordes tend to clump up and attack as a singular entity, making it vulnerable to the massed fire of the ballistae the duchy is so fond of, as well and allowing their crossbowmen to easily thin the ranks of such troops as well.
Doctrinally, the duchy maintains that offensive tactics is best, though given the large concentration of artillery within it, it can easily pull off the defensive sort. A typical commander seeks to weaken a foe via ranged firepower, before ordering a heavy pike charge at the enemy formation.
And not yet finished to. Feast your eyes on THAT though.
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Topic: Great River Politics [11/20] (Read 32162 times)