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North Germany | | Military Overview
Military Overview |
The North German Federal Defense Force (Norddeutsches Bundeswehr), also known as the Imperial Defense Force (Reichswehr), are the armed services responsible for the defense of the North German Federation. They promote North Germany's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts, provide humanitarian aid, and defend the North German State, its citizens, subjects, and military or economic interests throughout the world.
Following a long Prussian tradition, the relatively-young North German Defense Force has seen action in a number of wars involving major great powers including the second Boer War, the two World Wars, the second French-American War and the Aggression for Crimea, among others. Repeatedly emerging victorious from conflicts has allowed North Germany to establish itself as a leading military power, especially in the matter of Land Force.
Today, the North German Defense Force consists of: the Federal Navy, a blue-water navy with a fleet of 380 ships, together with the Sea Battalions, a highly specialized amphibious light infantry force; the Federal Army, the nation's principal land warfare branch bolstered by its Shock Troops; and the Federal Air Force, a technologically sophisticated air force with a diverse operational fleet consisting both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft along with the Sky Battalions, a highly specialized airborne special force. North Germany employs a unique reserve system, relying on a highly professional but not completely voluntary military force.
Its Commander-in-chief is the North German monarch, currently Kaiserin Sophie, The Bundeswehr pledges allegiance to the North German Nation, North German Emperor, and the people of the North Germany. The North German Federation is a recognized nuclear power, a founding and leading member of a number of military organizations including the Hague Treaty Organization, the Singapur Treaty Organization, and the Karlsruhe Pact. The North German Confederation has military bases across the world, especially in its Pacific possessions as well as foreign bases in various European countries, the members of the German Confederation, Persia, South Africa, Chile, Papua, Israel, India and the United States of America.
History
With the Unification of North Germany in 1867, the armed forces of various North German States, chief among them that of Prussia, were merged into the North German Federal Defense Force.
For much of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the North German Armies primarily acted in its colonies, suppressing native revolts, intervening in native wars, and otherwise defending North German interests. North Germany fought in a number of wars on the side of its allies or vassals (chief among them the Swedish-Danish War), participated in the Boxer Rebellion as one of the Eight-Nations Alliance, and intervened in the Spanish-American war to annex a strategic colony.
In 1908, in the conclusion of an Anglo-North German naval arms race, the accumulated tensions in European relations finally broke out in the First Great War (1908-1911), where 2 million were killed and another 6 injured. The Pact victory resulted in the establishment of the Bundeswehr as the most powerful military in the world.
Poor diplomatic skills and another increase in European tensions including ideological conflicts between National Militarists and Revolutionary Socialists resulted in a second Great War later in 1932. The Bundeswehr fought alongside its former rival in Britain against a plethora of enemies, chief among them the Italian Empire, the French Empire, Turkey, and Ukraine. The conflict was the most widespread in North German history, with North Germans fighting in Africa, Asia, Oceania, and America. The Second Great War was considerably less destructive, but it did ensure that North Germany would be the sole power in Continental Europe at the cost of 1 million casualties and another 3 in injuries.
The North German military did not face its true defeat until after the second Great War. The economic and political decline and a change in North German socio-political atmosphere resulted in a humiliating series of defeats against native self-determinist uprisings in various North German Colonies including Papua and Mittelafrika. Reflecting its new role as the "protector" of the Continent, North Germany became a founding member of the Hague Treaty Organization, a military organization in defense of European interests, especially against the British Commonwealth of Nations and the American Continental Association, which saw its first military action in the second French-American War.
Since the Great Tension (1950-1985), an increatingly international role for the Bundeswehr has been pursued, restructuring the military to deliver a greater focus on expeditionary warfare and power projection -which had not been the focus ever since the Interwar Era. This new era has resulted in making the Bundeswehr a major component in peacekeeping operations, especially in wartorn areas or regions in crisis. The most heavy commitment of the modern Bundeswehr has been in the Hashemite Province of Lebanon, which has been ongoing since 2001 and has seen the largest number of air, marine, and airborne missions in North German history ever since the second Great War.
Data released by the Ministry of War suggest that more than 10,000 North German soldiers have lost their lives in theatres of war since 1950, and a number of 75,000 personnel are deployed in foreign theaters.
Today
Command organisation
As Sovereign and head of state, Empress Sophie is Head of the Bundeswehr and its commander-in-chief. The Ministry of War is the highest level of military headquarters charged with formulating and executing defense policy for the armed Forces; employing 70,000 civilian staff as of early 2019.
The Chief of General Staff is the professional head of the Armed Forces, an appointment that can be held by the highest ranking officers in either of the four branches of the Bundeswehr.
Personnel
The Bundeswehr is a professional force with a strength of 750,000 active personnel and 2.25 million reserves. The distribution of personnel between the services and categories of service on 1 January 2019 was as follows:
Service | Active Personnel | Deployed Personnel |
Federal Army | 400,000 | 42,312 |
Federal Navy | 235,000 | 20,000 |
Federal Air Force | 115,000 | 12,688 |
In addition to the 75,000 deployed forces operating in peacekeeping missions, a total of 12,500 North German personnel are stationed in permanent foreign garrisons. 5,650 in France, 3,000 in South Africa, another 2,000 in other African countries, 1,500 in the United Kingdom and 350 in other countries.
Defense Expenditure
North Germany has the third largest defense budget in the world. North Germany spends the largest percentage of its GDP in Europe and only spends less than the British Commonwealth, Russia, and the United States of America. In term of GDP, The UK and the US are the only countries that spend a larger amount than the North German Federation. A passive 2% of the Annual Budget is always dedicated to Defense, while the number can be increased up to 15% in wartime or during times of international tension.
Nuclear Weaponry
North Germany is a recognized nuclear power and holds the third largest stockpile of Nuclear weaponry, in large part thanks to its treaties of resource extradition with various former colonies and allied nations, as well as its identity as the first country to develop nuclear weapons in the first place. Other weapons of mass destruction possessed by the North German confederation include kinetic and ballistic weaponry both on an orbital and planetary level. North Germany held a large stockpile of biological and chemical weapons, though those were renounced and destroyed after a Hague Conference in 1973.
Overseas military installations
The North German Bundeswehr maintains a number of overseas garrisons and military facilities which enable the country to conduct operations worldwide. In addition to having military installations in most of its allies in addition to its overseas territories, North Germany also maintains facilities in strategically important countries all over the world. The most significant of these are the Permanent Jumpboard Stations, three strategic military complexes in Zanzibar, Reichshafen, and Singapur, which have played tactical parts in military interventions in various locations in the world.
In addition, North Germany maintains military installations in allied countries (including 7 historical training camps in South Africa, another 2 in Chile, and one in Denmark which originate from the 1800s). It holds a small number of camps in various European countries and their overseas department, as well as seven installations in Britain and the US. These camps are part of a number of treaties North Germany is part of which gives the signatory nations the right to build permanent military bases in other signatory members' territories.
Expeditionary forces
The Bundeswehr places significant importance in the ability to conduct expeditionary warfare. The entirety of North Germany's "special forces" (the Sky Battalions, the Sea Battalions, and the Shock Troops) are trained and equipped to deploy at very short notice. In addition, its number of strategically placed "jumpboard" bases -coaling stations, staging posts, airfields- and speed-oriented transport fleets help in increasing the rapid speed with which North Germany may deploy its armed forces in a foreign theater.
The Armed Forces
The Army
The Basic peacetime Organizational structure of the Federal Army is the Army Inspectorate (Armee-Inspektion), the Army corps (Armeekorps), the division and the regiment. During wartime, the staff of the Army Inspectorates form Field Army Commands which control the corps and subordinate units. Theoretically, there can be a higher command level, The Army Group (Heeresgruppe). An Army Group controls several Field Armies and is assigned to Theaters of War.
Army Group
Once in a war, the General Staff has the right to inspect situation, and if they reach the decision for it, apply to the North German Emperor to form Army Groups. An Army Group is, in North German terminology, the Highest level of Field Command in case of war. Each Army Group is nominally designated for a single theoretic Theater of War.
The North German Realm has designated Five theoretical Theaters of War:
Kriegsschauplatz Ost: Designated for any possible conflict between North Germany and the Russian Tsardom.
Kriegsschauplatz Süd: Designated for any possible conflict between North Germany and the other members of the German Confederation, or potentially the German Confederation and the Balkan states.
Kriegsschauplatz West: Designated for any possible conflict between North Germany France or the British Commonwealth.
Kriegsschauplatz Asien: Designated for any possible conflict involving North German Pacifica.
Kriegsschauplatz Afrika: Designated for any possible conflict involving North German Africa (most importantly against the West African Federation).
Kriegsschauplatz Amerika: Designated for any possible conflict involving North German West Indies.
Of these five Theaters, K.S. Ost is seen as the most likely, and the K.S. that has been activated the most).
Upon activation of any of these theaters, A number between three and five Field Armies will be assigned to the formed Army Group -the criteria in assignment is the approximate distance of the Field Army to the theater and its level of mobilization. An Army Group is made of 750,000 to 1,250,000 personnel and as the largest possible military unit, is a concept only to be debated during wartime mobilization.
Army Inspectorate
North Germany is divided into army inspectorates. Each Inspectorate oversees five corps.
I Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Berlin, will become the 1st Field Army upon mobilization.
II Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Danzig, will become the 2nd Field Army upon mobilization.
III Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Posen, will become the 4th Field Army upon mobilization.
VI Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Saarbrücken, will become the 6th Field Army upon mobilization.
V Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Kassel, will become the 7th Field Army upon mobilization
VI Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Hanover, becomes the 3rd Field Army upon mobilization.
VII Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Breslau, will become the 5th Field Army upon mobilization.
VIII Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Berlin, will become the 8th Field Army upon mobilization.
IX Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Kiel, will become the 10th Field Army upon mobilization.
X Army Inspectorate: Headquartered in Königsberg, will become the 9th Field Army upon mobilization.
Each Field Army is ultimately commanded by a General or a Generaloberst, and is made of five corps components.
Corps
The Basic organizational formation of the Bundesheer is the Army Corps (Armeekorps). A Corps consists of two Divisions and various support troops, covering a geographical area. The Corps is also responsible for maintaining the reserves and Landwehr in the area. Besides the regional corps, there is also a Guard Corps (Gardecorps) which controls the elite Prussian Guard units. A corps usually includes a light infantry (Jäger) battalion, a heavy artillery (Fußartillerie) battalion, two cavalry battalions, and an engineer battalion.
The areas covered by the corps become responsibility of a Wehrkreis (Military District). The Military Districts supervise the training and enlistment of reservists and new recruits. Normally, a Wehrkreis is linked to an army corps (Wehrkreis I takes over the area under responsibility of I. Armeekorps and sends replacements to the same formation).
Division
The basic tactical formation is the division. Made of -when at full capacity- 25,000 men, a standard North German division consists of two infantry regiments each, two cavalry regiments, and one artillery regiments. One of the divisions in a corps area usually also manages the corps Landwehr region (Landwehrbezirk). As of 2019, North Germany maintains 30 active divisions at any given time, Upon mobilization, they will be reorganized, receiving engineer companies and other support units from their corresponding corps, and giving up most of their cavalry units to form Cavalry divisions. Reserve divisions may be drafted into full service, while Landswehr regiments may be aggregated into divisions.
Regiment
The regiment is the basic combat unit as well as the recruiting base for soldiers. When inducted, a soldier enters a regiment through its replacement battalion and receives basic training. There are three main types of regiment: Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery. Other specialties such as pioneers (Combat Engineers) and signal troops are organized into smaller support units. Regiments carry the traditions of the army, in many cases stretching back into the 17th and 18th centuries. A regiment is normally up to 5,000 men strong.
Stoßtruppen
The main format of Land Special Forces, the Stormtrooper regiments are highly trained, well-equipped mechanized infantry units primarily used in shock-based infiltration tactics. They originate from the later stages of the Great War especially in the Great Front, but were repurposed during the Antillian Agitation for Puerto Rico during which they were used for annihilation, espionage, and commando missions. Stormtroopers go through the second hardest training routines in the world, compared only to the British Commandos.
The Navy
The North German Navy (officially Federal Navy, Bundeskriegsmarine) is the Second Branch of the Bundeswehr. Upon conception, its mission was to defend North Germany's coasts. However, as the North German Colonial Empire grew, effective domination of North Germany's Seas became an official mission of the Navy. Its commander-in-chief is the North German Emperor, and until 1888 it was mostly under the care of The Land Force. Modern North German Navy is the second most powerful in the world, bested only by the British Royal Navy. The Navy is divided into Battle Fleets (Kriegsflotte), largely independent Fleets in charge of the Empire's Naval Sectors.
Battle Fleet
A Battlefleet, commanded by officers of the highest Naval Rank (Großadmiral), is a largely independent fleet in charge of the Realm's six Naval Sectors. Below are the Empire's designated 'Naval Sectors'
Marine-Sektor Heimat: The Battlefleet in charge of this naval sector is the "Home Fleet" (Heimatflotte), made of nearly a hundred ships. This sector directly border the North German Realm's Metropole. It is divided into the North Sea sector and the Baltic Sea sector and has its Naval Bases in Danzig (Batlic Sea) and Wilhelmshaven (North Sea)
Marine-Sektor Hochsee: The Battlefleet in charge of this naval sector is the "High Sea Fleet" (Hochseeflotte). This Sector encompasses the entirety of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is divided into the Guinea sector, the Caribbean sector, and the North Atlantic sector, and has its naval bases in Accra (Guinea), and Sankt-Johannburg (Caribbean).
Marine-Sektor Indien: The Battlefleet in charge of this naval sector is the Mittelafrikan Fleet (Mittelafrikanische Flotte). This sector encompasses the entirety of the Indian Ocean, and is divided into the Coastal sector, and the Indian Ocean sector, with its naval bases in Sansibar-Stadt (Zanzibar) and Pondichery (India).
Marine-sektor Pazifik: The Battlefleet in charge of this naval sector is the Pacific Fleet (Pazifik-Flotte). This sector is mostly concerned with securing and protecting North Germany's possessions in the Pacific Ocean, with its naval base primarily located in Samoa and Singapore.
Marine-sektor Tsingtao: The fleet in charge of this naval sector is the Tsingtao Fleet (Tsingtao Flotte), the smallest battlefleet in the realm, its base is in Tsingtao, and is in charge of protecting North Germany's possessions in Tsingtao and does not have a Grand Admiral. In certain situations, this fleet comes under the authority of The Pacific Fleet.
Fleet
Each Battlefleet is made of a number between one to seven fleets. The smallest Battlefleet, the Tsingtao Fleet, is the only battlefleet that does not consist of multiple smaller fleets. Each Fleet is led by multiple admiral officers (Konteradmiral and Vizeadmiral) who inevitably answer to an Admiral. The old style of building fleets has been mostly discarded, with each fleet holding particular functions in a larger Battlefleet (A Battlefleet often has 2 Carrier Fleets, three Assault Fleets, and two transport fleets).
Marines
The Marines, called Seebataillon in North German military lingo, are the main, and generally only, amphibious military units in North German Realm. Unlike most Navies where the marine units are placed aboard warships, the Bundeskriegsmarine employs Infanterieismus, where seamen are trained as naval infantry, qualified in using small arms and competent in infantry tactics and amphibious operations. This approach positions the Seebataillon as a compact, self-contained organization. Every Sea Battalion is made of four companies (Seekompanie), while scheduled exchanges of Army officers brings current tactical thinking to the sea battalions. The North German Marines are the second most elite force in North German military. North Germany employs a total of twelve Sea Battalions (9,600 personnel). Each Sea Battalion holds its own amphibious assault fleet.
Air Force
The North German Air Force is the third most powerful in the world, bested only by the USAF and the RAF (The airforce is the only branch of military that The US is more powerful than North Germany in). North German air force classifies its air groups by their primary air mission. It has an active fleet along with a stockpile of bombers. It is responsible for all missile warfare, and until fairly recently it was the main proponent of space research in the country.
Sky Battalions
Sky Battalions are highly trained airborne troops and the most elite forces in North German military. Sky Infantry units undergo the most difficult military training regiment on the planet. They were originally created as glider infantry units in the late interwar era, and played an important part in the Great War and operate as the primary method of military intervention by North Germany. Trained in High-Altitude Military Parachuting, stealth tactics, and heavily armed, Sky Battalions are employed similar to Storm troopers in scenarios where a military objective needs to be achieved in record time. While they originally suffered from a lack supplies for prolonged combat, the inclusion of supply drops have negated that problem for the largest part, though Advances in helicopter technology have brought increased flexibility making Sky battalions' original function as nearly obsolete -and thus forcing them to train in air assaults instead.
Reserve System
The North German reserve system is a continuation of the Prussian reserve system that was active throughout the German Confederation era. In this model, every young man is drafted into military service at the age of 18. Upper-class draftees become officers. Every draftee serves three years with color and then four years in the reserve. In reality, the North German Standing army is a training cadre for the intake of conscripts, and so the army's organization is the same both in peace and war. As a nation with an active military tradition, conscription does not have much opposition in the country. Egalitarian laws in 1960-70 have meant females, just as males, are required to undergo military training and serve as active and later reserve personnel.
Ranks
Rank | Heer | Marine | Luftwaffe |
Recruit | Soldat | Matrose | Flieger |
Enlist | Gefreiter | Gefreiter | Gefreiter |
Senior Enlist | Obergefreiter | Obergefreiter | Obergefreiter |
Head Enlist | Hauptgefreiter | Hauptgefreiter | Hauptgefreiter |
Staff Enlist | Stabsgefreiter | Stabsgefreiter | Stabsgefreiter |
Leading Staff Enlist | Oberstabsgefreiter | Oberstabsgefreiter | Oberstabsgefreiter |
Subofficer | Unteroffizier | Maat | Unteroffizier |
Staff Subofficer | Stabsunteroffizier | Obermaat | Stabsunteroffizier |
Sergeant | Feldwebel | Bootsmaan | Feldwebel |
Staff Sergeant | Oberfeldwebel | Oberbootsmaan | Oberfeldwebel |
Sergeant 1st Class | Hauptfeldwebel | Hauptbootsmaan | Hauptfeldwebel |
Master Sergeant | Stabsfeldwebel | Stabsbootsmaan | Stabsfeldwebel |
Senior Master Sergeant | Oberstabsfeldwebel | Oberstabsbootsmaan | Oberstabsfeldwebel |
Officer Cadet | Fahrenjunker | Seekadett | Fahrenjunker |
Ensign | Fähnrich | Fähnrich zur See | Fähnrich |
Senior Ensign | Oberfähnrich | Oberfähnrich zur See | Oberfähnrich |
Lieutenant | Leutnant | Leutnant zur See | Leutnant |
First Lieutenant | Oberleutnant | Oberleutnant zur See | Oberleutnant |
Captain | Hauptmann | Kapitänleutnant | Hauptmann |
Staff Captain | Stabshauptmann | Stabskapitänleutnant | Stabshauptmann |
Major | Major | Korvettenkapitän | Major |
Lieutenant Colonel | Oberstleutnant | Fregattenkapitän | Oberstleutnant |
Colonel | Oberst | Kapitän zur See | Oberst |
Brigadier General | Brigadegeneral | Flottillenadmiral | Brigadegeneral |
Major General | Generalmajor | Konteradmiral | Generalmajor |
Lieutenant General | Generalleutnant | Vizeadmiral | Generalleutnant |
General | General | Admiral | General |
Conflict | Date | Form of Engagement | Deployed | Result | Casualties |
The Samoan Civil War | 1886 – 1894 | Military Intervention | 250 | Victory | 3 Ironclads |
The Abushiri Revolt | 1888 - 1889 | Suppression of native revolt | 1,000 | Victory | 78 |
The Danish-Swedish War | 1894 - 1895 | Military intervention | 1. division Schlesweig | Victory | 975 |
The Second Samoan Civil War | 1898 - 1899 | Military Intervention | 500 | Diplomatic Compromise | 127 |
The Second Boer War | 1899 - 1900 | Unofficial Military Support | African Expeditionary Force (46,000) | Victory | 15,350 |
The Boxer Rebellion | 1899 - 1901 | Eight-Nation Alliance Intervention | 7,800 | Victory | 198 |
1900s African Revolts | 1902 - 1907 | Suppression of native revolts | 40,000 | Victory | 5,000 |
The Spanish-American War | 1907 - 1908 | Military Intervention | 3. Karibik Geschwader | Puerto Rico occupied and later annexed | 1,600 |
The Months of Unrest | 1908 | Suppression of ideological revolts | 235,000 | Victory | 75,000 |
1908 - 1911 | Leader of the Pact of Rome | 15,500,000 | Victory | 8,204,000 | |
The First Papaun War | 1911 - 1912 | Suppression of native revolt | 7. Seebataillon | Victory | 190 |
The Second Papaun War | 1920 - 1922 | Suppression of native revolt | Papaun Garrison | Victory | 158 |
1920 African Revolts | 1921 - 1927 | Suppression of native revolts | 2. Colonial Field Army | Victory | 12,675 |
The Second Great War | 1932 - 1941 | Member of the "Big Three" | 13,750,000 | Victory | 5,670,405 |
Decolonization of Mittelafrika | 1942 - 1957 | Suppression of native revolts | 2. Colonial Field Army | Defeat | 1,670,500 |
The Third Papaun War | 1958 - 1961 | Suppression of native revolt | 1. Colonial Army | Defeat | 15,750 |
Luderitz Expedition | 1961 | Military Intervention | 5. Paratrooper Regiment Sansibar | Victory | 236 |
The Second French-American War | 1961 - 1964 | Military Intervention | 3. Colonial Field Army | Stalemate | 56,000 |
The Federal Execution in Wastrecht | 1966-1967 | Bundesexekution | 125,000 men | Federal Victory | 15,000 |
The Second Hashemite-Saudi War | 1967 - 1973 | Military Intervention | 2. Paratrooper regiment Sansibar | Stalemate | 15 |
Crisis in Czechoslovakia | 1983-1988 | Military Intervention (1983-1985) | 127,000 | Stalemate | 30,000 |
The Seventh Turkish War for Constantinople | 1987 | Military Intervention | 6. East African Fleet | Victory | N/A |
The Intervention in Congo | 1989 - 1992 | Military Intervention | 1,500,000 | Victory | 456,570 |
The Third Kurdish War | 1993 - 1994 | Pacification Effort | 15,000 | Defeat | 15 |
Antillian Agitation for Puerto Rico | 1996 - 2001 | Defender | 1. West Indian Fleet | Diplomatic Compromise | 3 Warships seized |
The Hashemite-Persian War | 2004 - 2007 | Military Intervention | 150,000 | Victory | 1,099 |
The Argentine-Chilean War | 2009 - 2012 | Military Intervention | 15,650 | Victory | 1,000 |
Russian Aggression for Crimea | 2013 | Military Intervention | 15,000 | Victory | 6,700 |
Malayan Aggression for Singapur | 2019 | Defender | 3,000 | Victory | 0 |
The Macedonian Crisis | 2015-2020 | Peacekeeping Mission | 16,195 (total) | Conclusion of Crisis through Conference of Belgrade | 100 killed |
Crisis in Lebanon | 2001-2020 | Peacekeeping Mission | 267,000 (total) | North Germany pulled troops in 2020 due to domestic pressure | 3,000 killed |
Conflict with Tunisia | 2020 | Military Intervention | 1 Aircraft Carrier | Victory | 19 injured |
Active Engagements
Conflict | Date | Form of Engagement | Deployed | Result | Casualties |
The Philippine Crisis | 2004 - Present | Peacekeeping Effort | 175,000 | Ongoing | Ongoing |
The Crisis in Sudan | 2007 - Present | Peacekeeping Effort | 19,500 | Ongoing | Ongoing |
The Alexandretta War | 2020 - Present | Military Intervention | 45,750 | Ongoing | Ongoing |