I decided to create an omake in the form of an in unverse information pamphlet for the CFC armed forces before the Erie War
Organization and equipment of the Victorian Armed Forces
In the preparation for the upcomming attack on Detroit the high command of the Commonwealth of Free Cities (further referenced as CFC), has come to a decision to issue this pamphlet containing the summary of what we know about the Victorian Armed Christian Forces (further referenced as VACF), icluding their organisation, equipment and common tactics. It is important to note that our information including the information found in this pampflet may not be 100% accurate.
1.1 Introduction
VACF uses a 3 tiered system with the Victorian Citizens Militia (further referenced as VCM) at the bottom, the Victorian Army in the Middle and Christian Marine Corps (further refernced as CMC) at the top.
1.2 VCM
Little is known about the VCM, as they are rarely deployed and it is unknown if they were ever deployed outside Victoria´s current borders. However estimations can be made based on what we know of similiar units outside Victoria and Victorian culture. The VCM is most likely conscripted (even if Victorians will claim that it´s made up of volunteers) by the CMC Inquisitors (see section 1.4), from local able bodied men to assist the army and the CMC with holding the line during defensive operations in Victorian territory. They have minimal training if any and the quality of their equipment is expected to be extremely poor (consisting of various manualy operated civilian firearms with automatic weapons and mortars difused among the units). The role of NCOs an officers are probably taken up by a mixture of veterans and iquisitors. Encountering the VCM is extremly unlikly, unless we end up pushing into the Victorian held territory.
1.3 Victorian Army
Victorian Army consists of 12 light infatry divisions named after the 12 Apostles and one armoured loosely organised into three corps sized units known as army groups: North, Centre and South (further referenced as AGM, AGC and AGS). During the Pacific War the Victorian Army reportedly also had multiple artillery battalion integated into the army groups, but these were not to our knowledge observed afterwards. Corps and above level command is almost non-existent and mostly boils down to individual generals agreeing to not step on each other´s toes. The Victorian Navy and the Victorian Air Force (further refernced as VAF) are also considered part of the army. Detailed information on the army can be found in the section 3.
1.4 CMC
The CMC consists of 2 branches the Inquisitors and the Crusaders. Inquisitors play the role of both an inteligence agency and a secret police. In the Victorian Army (and presuamlby the VCM) they are integrated as millitary police and political officers. The Crusader branch consists of 3 divisions of mechanized infantry. Most of the information in this pampflet will be focused on the Crusaders. More detailed information on the Crusaders can be found in the section 4.
2.1 Victorian doctrine
Victorian doctrine (referenced by Victorians as 4th generation wrfare) is heavily tied into the retroculure and as such heavily focuses on light infantry living of the land, with little focus on logistics (supplies are meant to be aquired through foraging or more commonly raiding) and heavy weapons. It heavily emphatises aggresion, manouver, intiative and morale (refernced by the Victorians as fighting elan), giving large degree of autonomy to individual officers and NCOs, resulting in a heavily decantralised force. To maximalise the decentralisation and officer initiative of the armed forces, officers and NCOs as low as platoon commanders are frequently only given a set of goals they are supposed to achive, rather then concrete orders. Enemy defences are supposed to be suppresed by mortars, which advance with the infantry.
3.1 Victorian Army infantry division structure
The smalest unit of in the Victorian Army is a squad, which cosists of:
- A squad leader with a PDW
- An assistant squad leader (also knowns as a first riflemen) with an Assault Rifle
- Machine gunner with a SAW
- A grenadier with a RPG
- An assisstnag grenadier with assault rifle carrying additional RPG munition
- A designate marksmen with a scoped assault rifle
- Three additional riflemen with assault rifles
It is important to note that the arnament and the composition of the squad is not allways cosistent. 4 squads together with a light mortar team with a 60mm mortar and a sniper team form an infatry platoon. A company contains 3 platoons alongside a light mortar battery with 3 60mm mortars, a machine gun team with a MMG.
A battalion contains 3 such companies alongside a mortar company with 9 81mm mortars organised into 3 battreis of 3 mortars, a machine gun company with 9 MMGs organised into 3 platoons of 3 MMGs, a batery of 73mm recoilless rifles with 3 such weapons, an AA company equiped with MANPADS and a sniper platoons. Exact organisation of the AA company and sniper platoon is unknown.
A regiment cosists of 3 infantry batalions, a recon company, a HMG company, a 105mm recoilless rifle company and at least one heavy mortar company (probably with 9 heavy mortars organised into 3 batteries with 3 mortars each) with 105mm mortars.
In addition to 3 infantry regiments, the infantry division is believed to contain a heavy mortar battalion (these mortar battalions are believed to be at least somewhat motorised, with technicals being used for transport) a recon battalion, engineer company, communications company, field hospital, logistic company (including a repair platoon and a field workshop) and an AA unit of undetermined size (suspected to be a company or a battalion), equiped with technicals with 30mm AA guns.
3.2 Victorian Army armored division structure
Much less is known about the Victorian armoured divisions then the infantry ones. We suspect that the armored divisio is identical to the infantry one with 2 of the infantry regiments being substituted for 2 armored ones. We suspect that a tank platoon is made up of 3 viechles and that a Victorian armored company is made up of 3 such platoons, with an armored battalion being 3 armored companies and an armored regiment being a 3 armored battalions. Little is known about suppoert units in the armored division´s organisation.
4.1 CMC Crusader mechanised division structure
A CMC Crusader Squad is identical to the army squads but features a driver and a gunner for their IFV, both probably equiped with a PDW. 3 mechanised platoons form a mechanised company. 3 mechanised companies, and a self propeled mortar company form a mechanised battalion. A Mechanised regiment contains in addition to 3 mechanised battalions, a AA motorised AA company with 30mm autocannons a recon company (possibly equiped with armored cars) and a mechnised engineer company.
CMC Crusader division contains 3 mechanised regiments a motorised heavy mortar regiment (these mortar regiments are believed to be at least somewhat motorised, with technicals being used for transport) a recon battalion with armored cars, morised engineers (either battalion or companysized), communications company, motorised field hospital, motorosed logistic company, an AA unit of undetermined size (suspected to be a company or a battalion), equiped with technicals with 30mm AA guns, a repear unit of undetermined size (probably a company) and possibly an artillery unit (probably a battalion) with a short range large callibre gun-mortar.
5.1 Victorian small arms
Not all of Victoria´s internal designations are known to CFC, as such we will for the sake of simplicty an internal naming scheme for captured enemy equipment has been created.
Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, V1 (designated in the VCAF as M25 assault rifle) is the main infantry weapon of the victorian army, it is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, has a cyclic rate of fire 700 rpm, a effective fireing range of 500m and feeds from a standart 30 round NATO magazine. It is a simplified version of the M4 carbine used by the US millitary before the Colapse.
AK-29 (designated in the VCAF as M29 assault rifle) is an assault rifle and an AK derivate used in VCAF in limited numbers. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, has a cyclic rate of fire 700 rpm, a effective fireing range of 500m and feeds from a standart 30 round NATO magazine. It was supplied to Victoria by the Russian Empire.
PDW, Caliber 5.56 mm, V2 (designated in the VCAF as M25s assault rifle), is a shortened version of V1 with a colapsable stock. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, has a cyclic rate of fire 700 rpm, a effective fireing range of 300m and feeds from a standart 30 round NATO magazine.
SAW, Caliber 5.56 mm, V3 (designated in the VCAF as M25m machine gun), is a lenghtened version of the V1 with a reinforced barrel and a bipod. It is chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, has a cyclic rate of fire 700 rpm, a effective fireing range of 1,000m and feeds from a either a 45 round box magazine or (rarely) a 75 round drum magazine.
Sniper Rifle, Caliber 7.62 mm, V4 is a victorian bolt action sniper rifle. It is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, has a maximum rate of fire 20 rpm, a effective fireing range of 800m and feeds from a either a 10 round box magazine.
RPG-7 is rocket launcher desinged in the USSR. While the Russian Empire long since abbandoned it, it is still used (and domesticly manufactured under the dsignation M7) by Victoria. It fires a 85mm cumulative charge with an effective range of 300m. It can pierce under 500mm of RHA.
Machine Gun, Caliber .30, Browning, M1919 is a tripod mounted medium machine gun of American desing used by Victoria. It is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO, has a cyclic rate of fire 600 rpm, a effective fireing range of 1,400m and feeds from a belt.
Browning machine gun, cal. .50, M2, HB is a tripod mounted heavy machine gun of pre-Colapse American desing, used by Victoria. It is chambered in .50 BMG, has a cyclic rate of fire 600 rpm, a effective fireing range of 1,800m and feeds from a belt.
DShK is a Soviet tripod mounted HMG known to be used by Victoria. The Victorian version has been rechambered for .50 BMG ammunition. It has a cyclic rate of fire 600 rpm, a effective fireing range of 1,800m and feeds from a belt. A large quantity of these guns was delivered to Victoria in the Pacific War
FIM-92 Stinger is an American pre-colapse MANPAD system. It is probably suplied to Victoria by the New California Republic (further refernced as NCR)
5.2 Victorian mortars
Mortar, 60mm, V5 is a Victorian 60mm mortar. It is a heavily simplified version of the pre-colapse M224 60mm LWCMS. It weighs 22kg has a sustained rate of fire of 18rpm and a range of 70–3,450m.
Mortar, 81mm, V6 is a Victorian mortar based on the British desinged M252 mortar. It weighs 42kg has a sustained rate of fire of 12rpm and a range of 90–5,930m.
Mortar, 105mm, V7 is a 105mm mortar devoloped by Victoria. It only weights a 100kg, has a sustained rate of fire of 10rpm and ha a maximum range of 6,300m. This weapon can be disassembled into pieces for easy transport by infantry.
Mortar, 120mm, V8 is a Victorian mortar based of the Russian 2B11 mortar. It weighs 220kg has a sustained rate of fire of 10rpm and a range of 460–7,150m. This weapon can be dissambled into pieces for easy transport by infantry.
5.3 Victorian veichles
Victoria uses a a variety of technicals made from converted civillian veichles for reconesence, suply and AA. AA Veichles appear to be mostly armed with 30mm autocannons.
BRDM-2 is a Soviet desinged amphibious armored car, used for reconnaissance by the CMC Crusaders. It has a mass 7 metric tons, can move at 100km/h on land, 10km/h on water and is armed with .50 BMG HMG and a 7.62 NATO MMG.
BMP-1 is a Soviet desinged amphibious IFV, used by the CMC Crusaders. It has a mass 13.2 metric tons, can move at 45km/h on land, 7km/h on water and is armed with 73mm low velocity gun and a 7.62 NATO MMG. Multiple variants exist, including a self propelled mortar and a armore buldozer
T-34-85 is a Soviet desinged WW2 era medium tank. It has a mass 32 metric tons, can move at 24km/h and is armed with 85mm gun and two 7.62 NATO MMGs.
5.4 Victorian Artillery
SPG-9 is a Soviet 73mm recoilles rifle with a weight of 59.5kg an has an effective range of 800m.
M40 is an American 105mm pre-collapse recoilles rifle with a weight of 209.5kg an has an effective range of 1,350m.
85 mm divisional gun D-44 is a Soviet WW2 era 85mm gun with a weight of 1,725 kg an has an maximum range of 15,650m. This weapon has to our knowledge not seen action since the Pacific War. It shares ammuniton with the 85mm gun of t-34-85.
Victoria also possessis stockpiles of pre-Collapse US Army artillery, mostly M101, M102 and M119 105mm howitzers. There are also rumors of a 155mm rifled gun-mortar being in use by the CMC Crusaders with few reports of such weapon being observed in the Pacific War and only rummors afterwards. If such a weapon is captured it should be designated V11 155mm Gun-Mortar
OOC: I spent a stupid ammount of time looking (and making) up stats for Victorian weapons. The 155mm gun-mortar was inspired by the ww2 era sIG-33. I imagine that Victoria had a lot of old 155mm howitzers laying around so they decided to reuse their barrels for a lighter weapon. The weapon may be clasified as a mortar to make it look more in line with doctrine. I used metric systen because that´s what I´m fammiliar with. Also please tell me if I got something obvious wrong (such as misnaming a millitary unit)
