- Location
- Fort Worth, TX
[X] Plan: Insert Snappy Plan Name Here
East Africa 1930: An ORBAT Quest
- Thread starter 4WheelSword
- Start date
- Original Alt. History
Eukie
Powered by furious Canadian redheads
I have a suspicion you might be able to squeeze a tiny bit more performance out of something like .280 Remington or 7×46 mm because there are some very nice modern (and I emphasize modern—it's not going to help Reewiin anytime soon) bullets in that caliber, but it's a bit academic.
- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/They
At this point we're getting way past the limits of my expertise, but probably. The recent popularity of .284 Winchester and its associated variants and wildcats in F-class would tend to support that. Something to keep in mind a century down the line
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
While that will primarily be based on player decisions and the way things work out, I would certainly like to see a united East Africa.
- Location
- Earth, Sol
A NATO or EU style organization would be preferable in my opinion. I fear having too much different groups with their own goals will stretch a united East Africa too much with ethnic and religious tension.
Yeah, I'm thinking we unite with the rest of the Somalis first and then we make some kind of trade union with our neighbouring countries.
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Eukie
Powered by furious Canadian redheads
Move over NATO, move over SEATO, it's EATO time!
Vote closed
4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Can someone check the exact nature of our rural areas because something it could be very relevant to how we conduct a guerrilla campaign. Also we should turn our cities into poison pills, we likely can't defend them so pulling a Switzerland and just blowing up infrastructure and running for rural area's sounds clever. Someone well versed in geography should look into defensible locations/places to retreat to and commit guerrilla campaigns from a defense in dept seem the best handle things as most of our likely opponents will target the cities first.
en.wikipedia.org
National Redoubt (Switzerland) - Wikipedia
Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
Random thought: our next big infrastructure ticket should probably be improving our roads; we don't have a lot of a vehicle traffic (yet), but improved roads for carts, marching troops, and other such movement is always important!
Also ended up thinking again on my daily walk so more rambling ahead:
We have a basic idea of what we want our battalions to look like, now I'm curious about our companies.
Could so something potentially:
-Company HQ (2 Officers, 14 other ranks)
-3xRifle Platoons (Each 1 Officer, 37 other ranks)
--three rifle squads, each with an LMG
-1xWeapons Platoon (1 Officer, 38 other ranks)
--Includes a machine gun section with two MMG/HMGs (depending on how we do things, these could be either our LMG with tripod mounts or water-cooled/heavier pieces) and mortar section with three 60mm mortars
For a company total of 6 officers, 163 other ranks.
With four rifle companies, plus a heavy weapons/support company and a battalion gun section.
I just like drawing this in my head lol.
Also ended up thinking again on my daily walk so more rambling ahead:
We have a basic idea of what we want our battalions to look like, now I'm curious about our companies.
Could so something potentially:
-Company HQ (2 Officers, 14 other ranks)
-3xRifle Platoons (Each 1 Officer, 37 other ranks)
--three rifle squads, each with an LMG
-1xWeapons Platoon (1 Officer, 38 other ranks)
--Includes a machine gun section with two MMG/HMGs (depending on how we do things, these could be either our LMG with tripod mounts or water-cooled/heavier pieces) and mortar section with three 60mm mortars
For a company total of 6 officers, 163 other ranks.
With four rifle companies, plus a heavy weapons/support company and a battalion gun section.
I just like drawing this in my head lol.
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4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
I should really sit and draw the current make-up of Reewiins forces as an actual TO&E table...
Unless someone else wants to
Unless someone else wants to
Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
I should really sit and draw the current make-up of Reewiins forces as an actual TO&E table...
Unless someone else wants to
What is our current TOE below the battalion/company level?
A detailed geography survey would also be useful for actually being able to plan how we would actually conduct a guerrilla war.
For reference, this is a Japanese Type A Rifle Company:
Company headquarters (command section). 18 men.
Warrant officer in charge of personnel 1
Sergeant major in charge of personnel records 1
Noncommissioned officer in charge of supply 1
Noncommissioned officer in charge of arms and equipment 1
Runners and orderlies (including buglers) 10
Medical orderlies 4
3 Rifle platoons (each 62). 186 officers and men.
No. 1 Rifle platoon.
Platoon commander 1
Liaison noncommissioned officer 1
3 rifle-light machine gun sections (noncommissioned officer and 14 men) 45
1 grenade discharge section (noncommissioned officer and 14 men) 15
No. 2 and No. 3 rifle platoons. Same as No. 1.
Equipment. There are in the company 150 rifles, 9 light machine guns, and 12 grenade dischargers.
The Type A with a Heavy Weapons Platoon would strengthen that further with 2 MMGs and 2 AT rifles. I don't particularly see value to that addition. Otherwise, the basic Type A company seems to be a good pattern to emulate? I could see shrinking it the size of each section slightly, or embedding the mortars at the section level instead of the platoon level as other possible modifications.
Along the coast, there's a mix of jungle, wetlands, forest, etc. Once you go inland, it's mostly scrubland or deserts. Most of the land is pretty flat, although there are a few isolated mountains and hills scattered around.
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Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
I kind of like giving the companies a heavy weapons platoon and folding the light mortars/MMGs in there to provide the companies a bit more 'oomf'/firepower. Would also give company commanders a bit of tactical flexibility to hand out the support wepaons where they think they're most needed or use all of the mortars as a small battery instead of penny-packeting the firepower out. Otherwise, yeah, the Type A organization looks like it might work well for us. The large rifle sections might be handy for us, considering what we're working with.
Turn 3 Vote: July 1930
- Location
- Yes
Current Events
The Battle of Addis Ababa: The history books would record the time between the Battle of Anchem (31st March 1930) and the Battle of Addis Ababa (17th-19th June 1930) as a quiet time for Ethiopia. In reality, it was no such thing. Fitawrari Wondosson Kassa commanded a noble but doomed fighting retreat to the doorstep of his nation's capital. Ras Tafari spent inordinate amounts of political capital to secure his position as the new Emperor while quashing unrest on the streets. The world (and Reewiin especially) watched with bated breath.
Some senior figures in the Ethiopian establishment had hoped the excommunication of Gugsa Welle, the death of Empress Zewditu, and the gruelling march from Anchem to Addiss Ababa would lead the rebellion to fizzle out, allowing the loyalists to sweep in and brush aside what remained of the movement. Every day that passed dispelled this hope as the now-renamed Army of the Empress' ranks swelled. Runners, sent by the widowed Ras Gugsa Welle, went to towns and villages with news of the Empress' passing and allegations that it happened at the hands of Ras Tafari. Many hundreds and even thousands took up arms to join the growing force as it travelled south.
Gugsa Welle did not travel with his army, at least not initially. Instead, he went north to Lalibela with a small band of his closest confidants. There he visited the eleven rock-hewn churches to pray. After spending a night in Biete Medhane Alem, the House of the Saviour of the World, and receiving a blessing with the Lalibela Cross, he emerged with a proclamation. He was now Negus Tewderos III, the true Emperor of Ethiopia, and he rode south secure in the knowledge that God went with him.
Ras Tafari had not spent this time resting. A second chitet, the traditional mustering of the levies, was called; this time, its focus was in the south. It did not come in the name of Tafari, but in the name of the new Emperor–Neguse Negest ze-'Ityopp'ya Haile Sellasie I. Some feared indecision and discontent from the southern nobility, but this was not the case. Fifteen thousand regulars, including the seven thousand men of the Imperial Guard, and sixty-thousand irregulars answered the call to arms. The people of Ethiopia, it was said, knew the truth, and their loyalty was to their true Emperor.
On the 15th of June, the rebels reached the capital's outskirts. Reconnaissance reports from the Ethiopian aircraft said they numbered almost a hundred thousand. At night, the horizon to the north of the city glowed with the light of a thousand campfires. Songs sung by unnumbered throats could be heard as a dull roar. If nothing else, the rebels' morale could not be doubted.
At dawn on the 17th of June, the newly crowned Negus Tewderos III led his army's advance from atop a white charger. The best of his rebel force held the flanks, machine guns scattering loyalist militia as the centre broke into the city's outskirts. A commanding hill allowed Tewderos' few artillery pieces a dominating field of fire and shells began to land amongst the buildings. The loyalist guns answered from the steps of the Imperial Palace, raining hell amongst the advancing rebels.
The battle soon descended into brutal street-to-street fighting. The guns of both armies could not fire; the loyalists feared hitting their own soldiers, and the rebels risked devastating a city they hoped to capture. In these tight confines, the spear and the bow could once again shine, and the streets ran red with the blood of thousands of Ethiopians.
The first day ended with neither side retreating more than a handful of streets. Fresh soldiers from both sides moved into position for a resumption of hostilities. Artillery traded a few desultory shots in the darkness, damaging the Te'eka Negist mausoleum and the Zufan Aradash. A great fire began in the north-western sprawl, which would not be extinguished for several days. The dead of that first day would not be counted for months more.
The 18th was a slower affair but no less lethal. It was a day of skirmishes between small groups of soldiers, with no great pushes or advances on either side. Frustration grew in the afternoon as Negus Tewderos committed a large portion of his professional forces to the centre to capture Menelik Square and the Cathedral of Saint George. By nightfall, the rebels had a dominant position in the city.
Dominant, yet overextended. The rebels were beginning to flag, and the loyalists had maintained an overwhelming reserve.
The 19th of June opened with the rumble and clank of something previously unseen in Ethiopia. A trio of Fiat 3000 tanks descended on Menelik Square alongside fresh battalions of the Imperial Guard. The mechanized assault shattered the rebel forces in less than an hour; a single tank was lost to mechanical failure, while the remaining pair fought for six more, twin machine guns reaping a bloody toll as the loyalists drove the rebels from Addis Ababa.
Hundreds died in the desperate retreat, and thousands more fled the field. Many retreating forces were captured, among them the so-called Negus Tewderos III.
Internal Tension:
Government Tension: -10
Military Tension: 25
Ongoing Projects:
[X] Establish the Ordnance Office - Developing an arms industry from scratch will take time and effort. An Ordnance Office will allow us to delegate some of that work to specialists. (Constant Investment.)
[X] Establish the Analytical Research Team - This group will be tasked with drafting reports on external threats, internal dynamic shifts, and other non-standard areas of intelligence. (6 Months Remain) ☑☑◻◻
[X] Establish the Carabinieri Oversight Office - No one really keeps an eye on the paramilitary police force that keeps watch over the nation. If the force is to be reformed and re-established in a new role, then oversight is needed at the very least. (Constant Investment.)
[X] Weapon Testing: Rifles - The Ordnance Office will buy a handful of rifles from around the world and test them until they break. Afterwards, they will make recommendations to the Defence Council on the topic of rifle licensing. (6-Month Investment. Recommendations will be made at the end of this process.) ☑◻
Kismayo-Turkana Line:
Progress, Kismayo-Marsabit: 12.5% (Est. completion June 1932)
Report on 'Army Reform Program 1930'
The ARP-30 has begun not with a bang but with a quiet redistribution of forces that will better enable future doctrinal changes. The Army Headquarters Unit, referred to in some documents as Division Command, is intended to serve as an overarching command and control formation with precedence over each of the three regiments.
As such, three subunits have been assigned to AHQU:
Responses to these changes from within the Army are mixed at best. The Colonels commanding the 2nd and 3rd Regiments have voiced their full support, looking forward to future reform expanding the army (and the government's financial contribution to it). However, the Colonel commanding the 1st Reewiin has been less than enthusiastic. Given that the First has donated a large portion of their force to the new formation, this comes as no real surprise.
The Brigadier who now holds the overall command of the army-in-being has passed some suggestions to the Defence Council:
The Reewiin Army (~6300 men, 200 horses)
Select Reports From Ordnance Office Rifle Division Rifle Tests
Tests of new rifles are in full swing. While the Ordnance Office Rifle Division does not expect to have a final report ready until late September, progress reports, internal memos, and drafts have begun filtering across the Council's desk.
Compared to the Type 30, bullets from the Type 38 flew well, extending effective range by approximately 10% and reducing sensitivity to wind. However, it was discovered that the ammunition provided with the rifle was not the same as the ammunition already in use with the Type 30. Tests of the new ammunition in the Type 30 and the old ammunition in the Type 38 rifle showed this to be caused by the ammunition differences only. The rifle has an internal magazine for five rounds that is loaded with the same type of clip as the Type 30 and most other repeating rifles in the test.
The rifle is of simpler but more robust construction than the Type 30, and significantly fewer malfunctions were experienced when operating the bolt. Openings that allowed ingress of dust in the Type 30 rifle have been closed, making the rifle more reliable on windy days. The marksmen recruited for the tests took to the rifle easily, probably owing to its similarity to the existing Type 30.
Overall, the Type 38 is lightweight while retaining a high level of accuracy. It improves upon the Type 30 in several ways without compromise.
The accuracy appeared equal to most other rifles tested, but marksmen found it easier to compensate for the descent of bullets at longer ranges than the Arisaka Type 30 reference rifle. The sensitivity to wind at long ranges was reduced in comparison to the reference rifle.
During tests, marksmen commented that the M.95/30 rifle was among the easiest to fire rapidly of the non-self-loading rifles, due to its straight back-and-forth chambering motion. The rifle has an internal magazine that holds five rounds. The internal magazine is reloaded with a metal clip, which is required for the proper functioning of the magazine. Without it, rounds must be loaded directly into the chamber, one by one. When the fifth round in the clip is loaded into the chamber, the clip drops out the bottom of the magazine. While this simplifies extraction of the clip from the rifle, it requires additional effort to preserve clips for reuse. The fragile clips are easily damaged once on the ground.
Overall, the M.95/30 rifle offers advantages in terms of weight and rate of fire.
The 11.43×23 mm round fired has a quoted velocity significantly below all other rifles in the test and is slow to reach the furthest targets. The accuracy is also very poor, both at short and long ranges. No sights are provided for ranges over 550 metres.
While the catalogue mentions that 100 rounds can be fired in a minute, this could not be replicated in tests: rates of fire were closer to 30 rounds per minute, over double that of most other rifles but comparable to the other autoloading rifles tested. Recoil was very gentle.
Marksmen doing the tests commented that the rifle was very easy to use. It was found that fire from the prone position required raising the soldier's head higher than with most rifles. Replenishing the supply of ammunition is similar to Lee-Metford rifles, requiring replacement of the entire magazine. Unlike the Lee-Metford, a magazine cannot be filled while loaded in the gun and must be detached before it can be reloaded. Some failures to automatically eject and load new rounds were experienced on windy days and appeared to be caused by dust in the mechanism.
In addition to automatic loading, the rifle can fire continuously as a machine gun. Laying down accurate automatic fire at longer ranges was basically impossible, even with the help of a support. At closer ranges, our marksmen could effectively lay down fields of fire.
Overall, the Thompson rifle is easy to use and gentle to fire, but its lack of range will seriously disadvantage its use in open-ground combat. At very close ranges, it provides a flexible option for each rifleman to act as a machine gunner. It also suffers from deficient reliability, low accuracy, and excessive weight.
The Auto-Ordnance catalogue supplied with the gun indicates it can be supplied with a sling, bayonet, and/or bipod, with 50 and 100-round ammunition drums, and in a variety of other calibres, though it does not specify which. On consultation, an Auto-Ordnance representative was quoted: 9×19 mm rounds, 9×25 mm rounds, an 11.43×25 mm round noted as more powerful than the 11.43×23 mm round, and 8.9×35 mm rounds. While Auto-Ordnance provided no physical examples of these, testing with a borrowed civilian auto-loading rifle in the 8.9×35 mm calibre showed that effective range would still be 20-35% less than that of all other rifles tested.
Defence Council Investment
The Defence Council currently has two investment points available to be spent anywhere and one to be spent on reform of the Carabineri.
Industry and Logistics
[ ] Weapon Testing: Machine Guns - The Ordnance Office will buy a handful of machine guns from around the world and test them until they break. Afterwards, they will make recommendations to the Defence Council on the topic of machine gun licensing. (6-Month Investment. Recommendations will be made at the end of this process.)
[ ] Production Licencing: Ammunition - Buy the tooling for one calibre of ammunition currently in service or soon to be in service. Expanding the .43 Egyptian factory will not be cheap, but it will be worthwhile. (6-Month Investment. Initial production will be low-rate, and improve over time.)
- [ ] 6.5 mm Arisaka
- [ ] 6.5 mm Carcano
- [ ] .303 British
- [ ] Write-In
[ ] Production Licensing: Machine Guns - Attempt to buy the rights to produce a machine gun design. Include a weapon available in 1930 as a Write-In. Some will be easily acquired, others will be immediately refused. (12-Month Investment. Initial production will be low-rate, and improve over time.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Purchase Arabians - Buy Arabian horses for service en masse from Egypt. They will be monogender, and we will not be able to maintain the line if they're used for breeding stock. They also may not be resistant to AHS/ASS. (3-Month Investment. Sufficient mass of horses should be available in as little as one year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Donkeys & Mules - Buy partially resistant donkeys and mules for service en masse from South Africa. This sturdy stock will immediately enable us to improve our logistical and supply services while being somewhat resistant to AHS/ASS. (3-Month Investment. Sufficient mass of donkeys and mules should be available in as little as one year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Stud Farms - Buy a small number of Arabian studs from the United States. These will make good breeding stock for future programmes. (3-Month Investment. A breeding programme can begin within the year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Requisition Locally - Requisition local Borana horses from the cavalry and agriculture for breeding stock. (3-Month Investment. A breeding programme can begin within the year.)
[ ] Government Action: Push for Equine Conscription - While pastoralism is not exactly a major industry in Reewiin, there are a large number of animals that could be put to wartime use, were they assessed in a proper census. (6-Month Investment. Implementation will occur at the government's pace.)
[ ] Road Expansion: Inland Networks - Improve the unimproved road network to be more extensive and less vulnerable to flooding in the wet season. (6-Month Investment. Construction will begin during this time.)
Doctrine and Organisation
[ ] Information Review: Army - Determine the state, readiness and mood of the Army. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Information Review: Carabinieri - Determine the state, readiness and mood of the Carabinieri. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Information Review: Government - Determine what the civilian government wants out of their armed forces. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Ethiopia - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Ethiopia. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Britain - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Britain. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Italy - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Italy. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: The Foreigners Have Some Good Ideas - Form overseas observation teams to take the best ideas from foreign nations. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Police Force - While the Carabinieri is responsible for internal security, its position as a military force can compromise that. Each Region should have a specialist policing force subsidiary to its larger military formation. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Wilderness Rangers - The Carabinieri is responsible for massive tracts of rural land. A specialist ranger unit trained in long distance patrol and survival would be useful to the force as a whole. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Somali border - Diverting funds to the North-Eastern border will better protect against any future Italian aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Ethiopian border - Diverting funds to the North-Western border will better protect against any future Ethiopian aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Kenyan border - Diverting funds to the Southern border will better protect against any future British aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Doctrinal Reform: Army Drill - Dispatch the Army Training Detachment to spend time with each Carabinieri force, improving and formalising some aspects of their training methods. These troops will be better suited as a wartime reserve and as partisans. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
There will be a 6-hour moratorium on voting to encourage discussion. The vote will close in three days.
The Battle of Addis Ababa: The history books would record the time between the Battle of Anchem (31st March 1930) and the Battle of Addis Ababa (17th-19th June 1930) as a quiet time for Ethiopia. In reality, it was no such thing. Fitawrari Wondosson Kassa commanded a noble but doomed fighting retreat to the doorstep of his nation's capital. Ras Tafari spent inordinate amounts of political capital to secure his position as the new Emperor while quashing unrest on the streets. The world (and Reewiin especially) watched with bated breath.
Some senior figures in the Ethiopian establishment had hoped the excommunication of Gugsa Welle, the death of Empress Zewditu, and the gruelling march from Anchem to Addiss Ababa would lead the rebellion to fizzle out, allowing the loyalists to sweep in and brush aside what remained of the movement. Every day that passed dispelled this hope as the now-renamed Army of the Empress' ranks swelled. Runners, sent by the widowed Ras Gugsa Welle, went to towns and villages with news of the Empress' passing and allegations that it happened at the hands of Ras Tafari. Many hundreds and even thousands took up arms to join the growing force as it travelled south.
Gugsa Welle did not travel with his army, at least not initially. Instead, he went north to Lalibela with a small band of his closest confidants. There he visited the eleven rock-hewn churches to pray. After spending a night in Biete Medhane Alem, the House of the Saviour of the World, and receiving a blessing with the Lalibela Cross, he emerged with a proclamation. He was now Negus Tewderos III, the true Emperor of Ethiopia, and he rode south secure in the knowledge that God went with him.
Ras Tafari had not spent this time resting. A second chitet, the traditional mustering of the levies, was called; this time, its focus was in the south. It did not come in the name of Tafari, but in the name of the new Emperor–Neguse Negest ze-'Ityopp'ya Haile Sellasie I. Some feared indecision and discontent from the southern nobility, but this was not the case. Fifteen thousand regulars, including the seven thousand men of the Imperial Guard, and sixty-thousand irregulars answered the call to arms. The people of Ethiopia, it was said, knew the truth, and their loyalty was to their true Emperor.
On the 15th of June, the rebels reached the capital's outskirts. Reconnaissance reports from the Ethiopian aircraft said they numbered almost a hundred thousand. At night, the horizon to the north of the city glowed with the light of a thousand campfires. Songs sung by unnumbered throats could be heard as a dull roar. If nothing else, the rebels' morale could not be doubted.
At dawn on the 17th of June, the newly crowned Negus Tewderos III led his army's advance from atop a white charger. The best of his rebel force held the flanks, machine guns scattering loyalist militia as the centre broke into the city's outskirts. A commanding hill allowed Tewderos' few artillery pieces a dominating field of fire and shells began to land amongst the buildings. The loyalist guns answered from the steps of the Imperial Palace, raining hell amongst the advancing rebels.
The battle soon descended into brutal street-to-street fighting. The guns of both armies could not fire; the loyalists feared hitting their own soldiers, and the rebels risked devastating a city they hoped to capture. In these tight confines, the spear and the bow could once again shine, and the streets ran red with the blood of thousands of Ethiopians.
The first day ended with neither side retreating more than a handful of streets. Fresh soldiers from both sides moved into position for a resumption of hostilities. Artillery traded a few desultory shots in the darkness, damaging the Te'eka Negist mausoleum and the Zufan Aradash. A great fire began in the north-western sprawl, which would not be extinguished for several days. The dead of that first day would not be counted for months more.
The 18th was a slower affair but no less lethal. It was a day of skirmishes between small groups of soldiers, with no great pushes or advances on either side. Frustration grew in the afternoon as Negus Tewderos committed a large portion of his professional forces to the centre to capture Menelik Square and the Cathedral of Saint George. By nightfall, the rebels had a dominant position in the city.
Dominant, yet overextended. The rebels were beginning to flag, and the loyalists had maintained an overwhelming reserve.
The 19th of June opened with the rumble and clank of something previously unseen in Ethiopia. A trio of Fiat 3000 tanks descended on Menelik Square alongside fresh battalions of the Imperial Guard. The mechanized assault shattered the rebel forces in less than an hour; a single tank was lost to mechanical failure, while the remaining pair fought for six more, twin machine guns reaping a bloody toll as the loyalists drove the rebels from Addis Ababa.
Hundreds died in the desperate retreat, and thousands more fled the field. Many retreating forces were captured, among them the so-called Negus Tewderos III.
Internal Tension:
Government Tension: -10
Military Tension: 25
Ongoing Projects:
[X] Establish the Ordnance Office - Developing an arms industry from scratch will take time and effort. An Ordnance Office will allow us to delegate some of that work to specialists. (Constant Investment.)
[X] Establish the Analytical Research Team - This group will be tasked with drafting reports on external threats, internal dynamic shifts, and other non-standard areas of intelligence. (6 Months Remain) ☑☑◻◻
[X] Establish the Carabinieri Oversight Office - No one really keeps an eye on the paramilitary police force that keeps watch over the nation. If the force is to be reformed and re-established in a new role, then oversight is needed at the very least. (Constant Investment.)
[X] Weapon Testing: Rifles - The Ordnance Office will buy a handful of rifles from around the world and test them until they break. Afterwards, they will make recommendations to the Defence Council on the topic of rifle licensing. (6-Month Investment. Recommendations will be made at the end of this process.) ☑◻
Kismayo-Turkana Line:
Progress, Kismayo-Marsabit: 12.5% (Est. completion June 1932)
Report on 'Army Reform Program 1930'
The ARP-30 has begun not with a bang but with a quiet redistribution of forces that will better enable future doctrinal changes. The Army Headquarters Unit, referred to in some documents as Division Command, is intended to serve as an overarching command and control formation with precedence over each of the three regiments.
As such, three subunits have been assigned to AHQU:
- First Regiment Cavalry has become the Division Cavalry Detachment, intended as the core building block of a future brigade-level quick response force.
- First Regiment Artillery has become the Division Artillery Detachment, a fire support unit that can be attached wherever it is needed.
- Second Regiment Training has become the Division Training Detachment and will hopefully be better able to provision training to the entire force.
Responses to these changes from within the Army are mixed at best. The Colonels commanding the 2nd and 3rd Regiments have voiced their full support, looking forward to future reform expanding the army (and the government's financial contribution to it). However, the Colonel commanding the 1st Reewiin has been less than enthusiastic. Given that the First has donated a large portion of their force to the new formation, this comes as no real surprise.
The Brigadier who now holds the overall command of the army-in-being has passed some suggestions to the Defence Council:
- Increase recruitment, improve resource allocation, and bolster numbers.
- Unify the structure of the 2nd and 3rd regiments and make them symmetrical forces. Potentially, unify the structures of all three regiments.
- Improved equipment in a number of areas, such as artillery and communications.
The Reewiin Army (~6300 men, 200 horses)
- Army Headquarters (~650 men, 200 horses)
- Army HQ formation (~150 men)
- Brigade Cavalry Detachment (~100 men and 150 horses)
- Brigade Artillery Detachment (12 guns, ~150 men and 50 horses)
- Brigade Training Detachment (~250 men and 2 HMG's)
- Army HQ formation (~150 men)
- 1st (Reewiin) Regiment (~900 men)
- Regimental HQ & Signals, including baggage and medical (~200 men)
- 3 x Infantry Company (~200 men and 2 HMG's each)
- 2nd (Kismayo) Regiment (~2850 men)
- Regimental HQ (~100 men)
- Signals Company (~100 men)
- 3 x Infantry Battalion (~900 men, 6 HMG's and 2 guns each)
- 3rd (Bur Gaabo) Regiment (~1900 men)
- Regimental HQ (~100 men)
- Signals Company (~50 men)
- 2 x Infantry Battalion (~900 men, 6 HMG's and 2 guns each)
Select Reports From Ordnance Office Rifle Division Rifle Tests
Tests of new rifles are in full swing. While the Ordnance Office Rifle Division does not expect to have a final report ready until late September, progress reports, internal memos, and drafts have begun filtering across the Council's desk.
Arisaka Type 38
This is a modification of the Type 30 Arisaka rifle already in service with the Army. Compared to most other rifles tested, it is light: it weighs 3.7 kg unloaded, and 4.2 kg loaded and fitted with a bayonet, comparable to the unloaded weight of many other rifles. The accuracy was good, comparable to the other Mauser-type rifles tested.Compared to the Type 30, bullets from the Type 38 flew well, extending effective range by approximately 10% and reducing sensitivity to wind. However, it was discovered that the ammunition provided with the rifle was not the same as the ammunition already in use with the Type 30. Tests of the new ammunition in the Type 30 and the old ammunition in the Type 38 rifle showed this to be caused by the ammunition differences only. The rifle has an internal magazine for five rounds that is loaded with the same type of clip as the Type 30 and most other repeating rifles in the test.
The rifle is of simpler but more robust construction than the Type 30, and significantly fewer malfunctions were experienced when operating the bolt. Openings that allowed ingress of dust in the Type 30 rifle have been closed, making the rifle more reliable on windy days. The marksmen recruited for the tests took to the rifle easily, probably owing to its similarity to the existing Type 30.
Overall, the Type 38 is lightweight while retaining a high level of accuracy. It improves upon the Type 30 in several ways without compromise.
Steyr-Mannlicher M.95/30
This is a modification of the M.95 Mannlicher rifle made by the Steyr company in Austria. It uses an 8×56 mm cartridge. Compared to most other rifles in the test it is very light: unloaded, it weighs only 3.4 kg. It is also shorter, at approximately 1 metre.The accuracy appeared equal to most other rifles tested, but marksmen found it easier to compensate for the descent of bullets at longer ranges than the Arisaka Type 30 reference rifle. The sensitivity to wind at long ranges was reduced in comparison to the reference rifle.
During tests, marksmen commented that the M.95/30 rifle was among the easiest to fire rapidly of the non-self-loading rifles, due to its straight back-and-forth chambering motion. The rifle has an internal magazine that holds five rounds. The internal magazine is reloaded with a metal clip, which is required for the proper functioning of the magazine. Without it, rounds must be loaded directly into the chamber, one by one. When the fifth round in the clip is loaded into the chamber, the clip drops out the bottom of the magazine. While this simplifies extraction of the clip from the rifle, it requires additional effort to preserve clips for reuse. The fragile clips are easily damaged once on the ground.
Overall, the M.95/30 rifle offers advantages in terms of weight and rate of fire.
Thompson Gun Military Model
This is a version of the infamous 'gangster gun' with a 364 mm barrel. Compared to most other rifles in the test, it is heavy: it weighs 6.5 kg with 20 rounds loaded.The 11.43×23 mm round fired has a quoted velocity significantly below all other rifles in the test and is slow to reach the furthest targets. The accuracy is also very poor, both at short and long ranges. No sights are provided for ranges over 550 metres.
While the catalogue mentions that 100 rounds can be fired in a minute, this could not be replicated in tests: rates of fire were closer to 30 rounds per minute, over double that of most other rifles but comparable to the other autoloading rifles tested. Recoil was very gentle.
Marksmen doing the tests commented that the rifle was very easy to use. It was found that fire from the prone position required raising the soldier's head higher than with most rifles. Replenishing the supply of ammunition is similar to Lee-Metford rifles, requiring replacement of the entire magazine. Unlike the Lee-Metford, a magazine cannot be filled while loaded in the gun and must be detached before it can be reloaded. Some failures to automatically eject and load new rounds were experienced on windy days and appeared to be caused by dust in the mechanism.
In addition to automatic loading, the rifle can fire continuously as a machine gun. Laying down accurate automatic fire at longer ranges was basically impossible, even with the help of a support. At closer ranges, our marksmen could effectively lay down fields of fire.
Overall, the Thompson rifle is easy to use and gentle to fire, but its lack of range will seriously disadvantage its use in open-ground combat. At very close ranges, it provides a flexible option for each rifleman to act as a machine gunner. It also suffers from deficient reliability, low accuracy, and excessive weight.
The Auto-Ordnance catalogue supplied with the gun indicates it can be supplied with a sling, bayonet, and/or bipod, with 50 and 100-round ammunition drums, and in a variety of other calibres, though it does not specify which. On consultation, an Auto-Ordnance representative was quoted: 9×19 mm rounds, 9×25 mm rounds, an 11.43×25 mm round noted as more powerful than the 11.43×23 mm round, and 8.9×35 mm rounds. While Auto-Ordnance provided no physical examples of these, testing with a borrowed civilian auto-loading rifle in the 8.9×35 mm calibre showed that effective range would still be 20-35% less than that of all other rifles tested.
Defence Council Investment
The Defence Council currently has two investment points available to be spent anywhere and one to be spent on reform of the Carabineri.
Industry and Logistics
- Armaments
[ ] Weapon Testing: Machine Guns - The Ordnance Office will buy a handful of machine guns from around the world and test them until they break. Afterwards, they will make recommendations to the Defence Council on the topic of machine gun licensing. (6-Month Investment. Recommendations will be made at the end of this process.)
[ ] Production Licencing: Ammunition - Buy the tooling for one calibre of ammunition currently in service or soon to be in service. Expanding the .43 Egyptian factory will not be cheap, but it will be worthwhile. (6-Month Investment. Initial production will be low-rate, and improve over time.)
- [ ] 6.5 mm Arisaka
- [ ] 6.5 mm Carcano
- [ ] .303 British
- [ ] Write-In
[ ] Production Licensing: Machine Guns - Attempt to buy the rights to produce a machine gun design. Include a weapon available in 1930 as a Write-In. Some will be easily acquired, others will be immediately refused. (12-Month Investment. Initial production will be low-rate, and improve over time.)
- Breeding and Working
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Purchase Arabians - Buy Arabian horses for service en masse from Egypt. They will be monogender, and we will not be able to maintain the line if they're used for breeding stock. They also may not be resistant to AHS/ASS. (3-Month Investment. Sufficient mass of horses should be available in as little as one year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Donkeys & Mules - Buy partially resistant donkeys and mules for service en masse from South Africa. This sturdy stock will immediately enable us to improve our logistical and supply services while being somewhat resistant to AHS/ASS. (3-Month Investment. Sufficient mass of donkeys and mules should be available in as little as one year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Stud Farms - Buy a small number of Arabian studs from the United States. These will make good breeding stock for future programmes. (3-Month Investment. A breeding programme can begin within the year.)
[ ] Equine Acquisition: Requisition Locally - Requisition local Borana horses from the cavalry and agriculture for breeding stock. (3-Month Investment. A breeding programme can begin within the year.)
[ ] Government Action: Push for Equine Conscription - While pastoralism is not exactly a major industry in Reewiin, there are a large number of animals that could be put to wartime use, were they assessed in a proper census. (6-Month Investment. Implementation will occur at the government's pace.)
- Lanes, Trains, and Automobiles
[ ] Road Expansion: Inland Networks - Improve the unimproved road network to be more extensive and less vulnerable to flooding in the wet season. (6-Month Investment. Construction will begin during this time.)
Doctrine and Organisation
- DCIRRO
[ ] Information Review: Army - Determine the state, readiness and mood of the Army. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Information Review: Carabinieri - Determine the state, readiness and mood of the Carabinieri. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Information Review: Government - Determine what the civilian government wants out of their armed forces. (3-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Ethiopia - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Ethiopia. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Britain - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Britain. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: Italy - Long-term analysis of the optimal army to defend Reewiin against our eternal enemy, Italy. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Analysis: The Foreigners Have Some Good Ideas - Form overseas observation teams to take the best ideas from foreign nations. (12-Month Investment.)
- Reforming the Carabinieri
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Police Force - While the Carabinieri is responsible for internal security, its position as a military force can compromise that. Each Region should have a specialist policing force subsidiary to its larger military formation. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Wilderness Rangers - The Carabinieri is responsible for massive tracts of rural land. A specialist ranger unit trained in long distance patrol and survival would be useful to the force as a whole. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Somali border - Diverting funds to the North-Eastern border will better protect against any future Italian aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Ethiopian border - Diverting funds to the North-Western border will better protect against any future Ethiopian aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Reinforce the Kenyan border - Diverting funds to the Southern border will better protect against any future British aggression. (12-Month Investment.)
[ ] Doctrinal Reform: Army Drill - Dispatch the Army Training Detachment to spend time with each Carabinieri force, improving and formalising some aspects of their training methods. These troops will be better suited as a wartime reserve and as partisans. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
There will be a 6-hour moratorium on voting to encourage discussion. The vote will close in three days.
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Okay, we just saw how terrifying tanks are.
Before we get into any war, we need to make sure that we have 1) armour and 2) AT guns.
I have a truly wonderful idea for a knockoff T-70/SU-76/ZSU-37 family a decade early, but we probably aren't there yet.
Further army reforms should probably wait until we fix the Carabinieri? We've done a token reform to show we mean to address it, but let's not split our attention too much.
So we got our gun test results, and it's not unexpected. I don't have a strong opinion on straight-pull versus rotating bolt. I like the 6.5 mm more just because I think it's a more future-proof cartridge (can be thrown into a psuedo-AR easily enough), it's ballistically good for sniper rifles supposedly, and lighter bullets = more bullets per soldier when our logistics are already tough. We should be able to get the Mannlicher in 6.5 though if we're doing domestic production?
The failure of the Thompson is expected, but the idea of them is appealing. Come the late-'30s, we should try and revisit it.
Once again, I think modernizing the .43 Egyptian itself is a mistake. We intend to replace those guns at the end of the year anyways, wasting time tooling up a factory for it only to then stop isn't great. I'd be fine with keeping it around as our HMG calibre for future light AA guns and the like, if it weren't for how stubby the case is - it's almost half the length of .50 BMG.
As soon as we decide on a modern cartridge, however, I agree - we should begin domestic production.
The one thing I think is very important is the "commissioning officers" option. We can start a tradition of promoting from within the Carabinieri, and proper leadership will make future changes - like improving their training - stick much better.
Edit: as a possible write-in, could we have MPs/"policing" officers at the platoon level instead of a dedicated specialist police force separate from them?
Before we get into any war, we need to make sure that we have 1) armour and 2) AT guns.
Further army reforms should probably wait until we fix the Carabinieri? We've done a token reform to show we mean to address it, but let's not split our attention too much.
So we got our gun test results, and it's not unexpected. I don't have a strong opinion on straight-pull versus rotating bolt. I like the 6.5 mm more just because I think it's a more future-proof cartridge (can be thrown into a psuedo-AR easily enough), it's ballistically good for sniper rifles supposedly, and lighter bullets = more bullets per soldier when our logistics are already tough. We should be able to get the Mannlicher in 6.5 though if we're doing domestic production?
The failure of the Thompson is expected, but the idea of them is appealing. Come the late-'30s, we should try and revisit it.
Once again, I think modernizing the .43 Egyptian itself is a mistake. We intend to replace those guns at the end of the year anyways, wasting time tooling up a factory for it only to then stop isn't great. I'd be fine with keeping it around as our HMG calibre for future light AA guns and the like, if it weren't for how stubby the case is - it's almost half the length of .50 BMG.
As soon as we decide on a modern cartridge, however, I agree - we should begin domestic production.
The one thing I think is very important is the "commissioning officers" option. We can start a tradition of promoting from within the Carabinieri, and proper leadership will make future changes - like improving their training - stick much better.
Edit: as a possible write-in, could we have MPs/"policing" officers at the platoon level instead of a dedicated specialist police force separate from them?
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4WheelSword
The original N-body Problem
- Pronouns
- It/She/They
Just to be clear, the rest of the rifle groups report is coming, they have not reached a conclusion. They have simply provided initial reports on the weapons selected by the DC.
I think we should wait a turn till we complete the rifle trails and know what type of bullets we need.
I think at least one reform and Government Action: Commissioning Officers at that, having low level officers would make other reforms easier as we could employ the best of them.
Equine Acquisition: Requisition Locally is the second one i would take local horses are a good way to improve our logistics there is a reason they where used all the way till WW2.
and Information Review: Government as the final action and its 3 months so we have two actions next turn one to adopt a gun and a second to make ammo for it.
Rat King
Izutsumi-pilled
I imagine going with a Mauser clone will be the solid, if somewhat boring, choice. It's a mature system and pretty fool-proof.
With regards to the Carabinieri, I think we should work on getting officers trained up. Basically throw all of our points at 'em.
[ ] Doctrinal Reform: Army Drill - Dispatch the Army Training Detachment to spend time with each Carabinieri force, improving and formalising some aspects of their training methods. These troops will be better suited as a wartime reserve and as partisans. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
Then we can handle the police/rangers when we get more points or when these finish up. Puts us on a timeline of finishing up the Carabinieri reforms within a year.
Next turn we'll have a point or two freed up to handle adoption of a weapon.
Alternatively....
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
This sets us up to do our more in-depth reforms with a better trained and controlled force, which might be for the best.
Then we can use the last point for something else. Possibly more infrastructure? Getting metalled roads and better interior roads will be handy in the future.
With regards to the Carabinieri, I think we should work on getting officers trained up. Basically throw all of our points at 'em.
[ ] Doctrinal Reform: Army Drill - Dispatch the Army Training Detachment to spend time with each Carabinieri force, improving and formalising some aspects of their training methods. These troops will be better suited as a wartime reserve and as partisans. (9-Month Investment.)
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
Then we can handle the police/rangers when we get more points or when these finish up. Puts us on a timeline of finishing up the Carabinieri reforms within a year.
Next turn we'll have a point or two freed up to handle adoption of a weapon.
Alternatively....
[ ] Government Action: Commissioning Officers - The Carabinieri lacks the ability to operate in small units. The Government, via the Defence Council, will commission a number of junior officers and promote long-serving carabinieri officers to senior positions. Companies will be reorganised into operational 'platoons.' (6-Month Investment.)
[ ] Organisational Reform: Regional Headquarters - The Carabinieri currently has a national headquarters based in Bur Gaabo. Regional HQ units would enable better management of the various units and duties of the force. (6-Month Investment.)
This sets us up to do our more in-depth reforms with a better trained and controlled force, which might be for the best.
Then we can use the last point for something else. Possibly more infrastructure? Getting metalled roads and better interior roads will be handy in the future.
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On informational stuff stealing from the Germans(who were well ahead of the curve doctrinally though we might lack the resources to emulate this or looking into Italy as an enemy seems like a useful play to make. What were the most successful early-mid 20th century guerilla's?
- Location
- The Netherlands
I may be wrong but is one of the three investment points not supposed to be locked to the Carabinieri reform category.
[] Establish the Carabinieri Oversight Office - No one really keeps an eye on the paramilitary police force that keeps watch over the nation. If the force is to be reformed and re-established in a new role, then oversight is needed at the very least. (Constant Investment.)
[] Establish the Carabinieri Oversight Office - No one really keeps an eye on the paramilitary police force that keeps watch over the nation. If the force is to be reformed and re-established in a new role, then oversight is needed at the very least. (Constant Investment.)