Corps and armies

From: Svechin_at_...
Date: Fri, 30 Jul 2004 09:38:05 -0400


Donald comments:
>I can see the necessity of corps commanders on campaign - a general
>doesn't have time to command all regiments individually.

He would command them as a block and yes individually if need be. The organisation is flat, Regiment - Army. No divisions or brigades. There are vexilla of several regiments and these are commanded by Fereshori.

>However administering a number of units with home cities spread across the
>empire doesn't seem to make much sense - the Cavalry Corps being
>the most extreme example with Rinliddi winged lancers, Carmenian
>Cataphracts and Char-un all being administered together.

Yes, it was done this way because Magnificus wanted a Cavalry arm that was independant form the HC, as both a means of control and to promulgate a cavalry ethos alien to the stolid thinkers of the HC. Remember that the CC was formed as a deliberate effort to counter the nomads, something that the infantry plodders of the DH originated HC were frankly poor at. The HC used to be the Dara Happan Main Army until the Jannisor rebellion.

>It makes more sense to me that regiments are adminstered locally by the >city they're raised in

Oh no, definately not! Think Jannisor rebellion. You have to look at the Imperial army structure as being a direct result of those traumatic events. The Red Emperor has built an army that might not necessarily work the best, but it certainly does what he wants - obey with little risk of rebellion or at least rebellion that would encapsulate a large part of the army, as it did in the Jannisor era.

Logical or sensible? Not really no, but Stalin purged the Red Army to the tune of 70% of its officer corps to avoid a Napoleon, crazy? Yes. But effective in some regards. He was never opposed by a military coup so he would count it a success.

>although if they are posted away from home for a
>long time they start recruiting locally and changing their nature.

Modern lunar military practice is to recruit Empire wide and assign me to the unit from accross the Empire, however some units are still recruited locally. It depends on their origins.

Martin Laurie

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