Druthenian Military

The armed forces of Druthenia is divided into the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, and the Mage force.

The Army
With its lack of population and manpower, Druthenian doctrine has been one of quality over quantity during its existance. With the enormous material wealth available in the northern and north-eastern mines, indigenous high-quality designs have been cheap and desireable enough to mass-produce for the armed forces.

Infantry
Boots on the ground; merry men armed with guns, ready to fight in wars for glory. At least, that was the general image of war before the trenches of the Great War showed a different reality.

Riflemen
The backbone of any military, the Rifleman has existed in various forms ever since the introduction of handheld gunpowder weapons.

The riflemen of Druthenia are, compared to their international counterparts, better equipped and trained; for example, Druthenia is the only nation who has equipped all their soldiers with steel helmets by the outbreak of the Great War. Druthenian riflemen are also equipped with lever-action rifles, rather than the standard bolt-action rifles used by most of the world. This is because the lever action allows for a faster rate of fire, while also making it easier for the user to remain with their sights on target during cycling. It is however more difficult to use in prone or otherwise cramped positions.

Automatic riflemen
The advent of machine guns changed warfare forever. But heavy machine guns are large, unwieldy, and requires multiple people to operate efficiently. Enter the automatic rifleman.

While the sheer firepower of a full-size HMG is impossible for one man to handle, experimentation for a lighter automatic rifle began in the early 1900's. The resulting weapon was a 20-round box fed rifle with an attached bipod, which, whilst heavy, is easy enough for one man to handle alone. This automatic rifle is given to soldiers who display an ability to remain calm in pressing situations, and are stronger than average.

Shock troopers
Trenches are tough nuts to crack, but never tell a Shock trooper the odds.

Only the bravest and nimblest of soldiers are selected to become Shock troopers. These men are equipped with lighter gear and weapons for close quarters combat in trenches, usually sporting a sub-machine gun or a shotgun. They are also equipped with grenades, and when necessity calls for it, explosives for sabotage or similar disruptive operations.

To maximize the efficiency of Shock troopers, they usually advance whilst something else is distracting incoming enemy fire. This could be a regular assault by other riflemen, advancing vehicles, or accompanying mages. It's also common for Shock troopers to attack in the cover of smoke screens, emerging from the mist close enough to engage any enemy fortification that would pose a danger.

Royal Sentinels & Royal Guards
The kings' finest, the pride of the armed forces, are ready to defend their monarch and their country with their lives.

The most experienced soldiers (either with 5 years of service or 1 year of combat service) are selected for a chance to become Royal Sentinels. They are given increased training and better equipment, most notably self-loading rifles and personal handguns. To complete the set, they are also given a blue cape, to signify their status as the forefront guardians of Druthenia. This cape is simpler in design that that of a mages, making it easy to discern who's who on a quick glance.

Royal Guards are Royal Sentinels that have the honour of defending the monarch and the royal house. These soldier forego the cape for an all-white uniform adorned with golden details. While essentially just people on guard duty who rarely see combat, the Royal Guard can and will fight with the same skill and ferocity as their Sentinel brothers, something the Red Revolutionaries would learn during their uprising.

Vehicles
The first industrialised wars in history would take place during this time, and it's easy to see the use of vehicles in combat.

Armoured cars & trucks
WIP

"Land Crawlers"
Land Crawlers, or Tanks as we know them, make their first appearance in the Northern War. These armoured vehicles, equipped with caterpillars to traverse uneven ground, would tremendously change warfare by being able to so easily breach the enemy's lines and exploit the new opening itself. Equipped with machine guns, and later cannons, these steel monsters are lethal to any infantry in range, who do not usually possess any means to engage the Crawler with. Some variants even had flame throwers installed, making them literal nightmares that roam the battlefield.

The Radovian experience with Crawlers in Druthenia kickstarted a new arms race, where Radovian and CSR engineers (who had followed the Northern War with great interest) scrambled to produce something similar. While not ready for the outbreak of the Great War, their Crawler designs would soon meet each other on the battlefield, leading to the very first Crawler battles in warfare history.

Armoured Trains
The railroad would become the lifeblood of the new industrialised world, and trains would become vital parts (and targets) of the supply lines required to support advancing armies.

Most industrialised nations would experiment with Armoured trains, and develop their own designs catering to their different doctrines. Druthenian armoured trains are equipped mostly with machine guns and automatic 20mm cannons, with a single short-barreled cannon in a front mount at the frontmost carriage. Additionally, the modular design of trains allows for different carriages to be added at need. Armoured trains fighting in the Red Revolt would pull soldier compartments with infantry for additional support, while the Northern War saw extensive use of railway artillery and mortar carriages, though the lack of infrastructure in Satímaa would limit the use of armoured trains.

The Great War would see intense use of Armoured trains, due to the prevalence of railway infrastructure in the warzones. Special "Rail regiments" were set up by both sides to quickly repair damaged rail or even lay new track when necessary.

Army
5 soldiers are organized together into a Section.

5 Sections are organized into a Manor (25 soldiers).

4 Manors are organized into a Barony (100 soldiers).

10 Baronies are organized into a County (1.000 soldiers).

10 Counties are organized into a Duchy (10.000 soldiers).

An Army is then comprised of at least 5 Duchies, though it is usually more. If an army is comprised of 10 or more Duchies, it's called a Rike.

A example of a Duchy is the modern Xhis Regiment, made up of both Druthenians and volunteer Xhitali from Xhis.