ASH Warfighting

''Honesty is only achieved through conflict. War strips pretensions away, forcing us to acknowledge who we are and what we value. I regret ever having the curiosity.'' -1st Legion Field Marshal Roland Depaix

Warfare
Cursed, dirigibles, and Deviants change the dynamics of mass combat. Most battles are fought with great lines of soldiers operating under a central command. However, the chaos caused by the addition of Cursed or technology create much more difficult conditions for field armies. The threat of massively destructive weapons like airships and Cursed forces combat between armies of the great powers into more varied terrain as opposed to open fields. It is not the age of ‘battlefields’ when faced with the Cursed, it is a time of ‘theaters’. Instead of focused engagements, modern war has become an expansive brawl that drag whole provinces the maelstrom war.

Communication is paramount. To successfully navigate the expansive lines of battle, the front lines are relatively sparsely manned with the best units constantly probing to find the Cursed or similarly destructive weapons. Once weak areas are confirmed (or created), large masses of less well-trained reinforcements ready to pour into any gap. These masses of troops are kept near the rear, meaning a frontline is more akin to hunting grounds that stay eerily quiet until contact is made.

General Staff
Every Field Marshal has a general staff to continually plan and refine the Legion. Outside the general staff, the closest interactions with high command are three talented Generals that serve as field commanders at the Field Marshal's request. These three Generals are chosen for their aptitude, one excelling at one of three types of battle: Frontier Legions are practically autonomous states and the forces of the interior are centralized by province. Different demands will see various forces of the ASH put emphasis on different aspects of warfare. However, the overall structure of large military formations follow the same principle. Communication is slow so the ability of a Field Marshal to respond to any type of threat is paramount. Every Legion or army group keeps the specialized tools on hand to respond to every kind of problem while still keeping control of the rest of the area of operation with the others that are not in use.
 * Mundane Warfare
 * Counter Insurgency
 * Cursed Battlefields

In such large areas of operation, it is entirely possible to be fighting an insurgency while tackling a mundane foe as another force engages Cursed and their sympathizers.

Structure
The first decision a Field Marshal must make when responding to a threat is manpower. Armies are released in a semi-feudal manner. Each of the three Generals will maintain a pool of two or three regiments of dedicated troops. Further troops are sent to reinforce a General by the Field Marshal based on the situation.

Cursed Battlefields
If Cursed or other weapons capable of wiping out whole divisions in seconds are not present on the battlefield, two masses of troops fight face to face.

Massively destructive weapons/individuals change the dynamic considerably. The battle lines begin to resemble a flow chart, with a large mass of rear echelon soldiers that feeding into smaller bases until finally reaching a multitude of small groups along the most difficult terrain. The entire set up shifts as one side gains or loses more territory.

To prevent catastrophic losses, the ASH seeks varied terrain to prevent being caught in the open. Cursed battlefield Generals will use it to their advantage. A large rear echelon is set up as a supply base miles from the front and houses the poorest quality of soldier, kept ready to exploit advantages and secure territory.

Closer to the front, smaller supply dumps are constructed to ferry supplies in the contested ground (a dangerous task). This is manned/secured by a better quality of soldier.

The front is generally well concealed/varied and over a long stretch of land. Rear and mid echelon troops are there to secure an area, but the battlefront is a confusing melee with groups of highly skilled soldiers prowling the entire line. Their attacks are to determine where a Cursed or wonder weapon is not to secure more ground and give mundane weapons a better chance to kill the Cursed without exposing the ASH soldiers to additional danger. This is often done with a mixture of specialists, Vanguard teams, and veterans. The unit that is able to break the line is often given special commendation and virtually guaranteed rewards or promotion.

Once an all-clear is given in an area, the supply lines are moved forward or around. The end result of a well-executed battle is a gradual encirclement, meant to grow organically around weak areas. Interestingly, this type of warfare also brings the civilian population into the maelstrom of war. Towns and villages are often caught in the crossfire. Those operating on the front face tough diplomatic circumstances as well as combat.

The entire process is deliberative. During the Lankast War, large bodies of ASH troops learned how devastating dedicated Cursed could be. Entire columns were wiped out on the field, decaying where they stood or burned to a cinder in the line. The Commonwealth learned how damaging the mobile air force of the ASH could be. Supply lines were easily cut by ASH airships while their wonder weapons could be pummeled by rockets and cannon fire before set up. Both sides needed line of sight and were most effective against clustered formations. The ASH began to take the fight to the forests and hills, denying engagement when at a disadvantage. Air raids and terror bombings by airships forced the Commonwealth to stretch their magical might along supply lines.

Eventually, they were forced to engage in difficult terrain and as the ASH moved to stretch the lines of battle, the Commonwealth had to match them. Neither side could absorb the horrific casualties of traditional warfare. This type of battle means the victor is able to get away with fewer casualties while the retreating side must either stay and fight or face a rout if they are in the contested terrain.

Whenever feasible, either side will attempt to keep their main base outside the contested terrain to enable an orderly retreat. Cursed or indirect fire artillery attacks covered by canopy or shrouded by hills are a huge concern for retreating forces, especially if their destructive capability is lost and cannot ward off pursuers.

It is a game of cat and mouse. The first one to reveal the position of game-changing weapons is at a severe disadvantage unless they can quickly follow up on their attack.

Technology
Flares

Teams of ground-based troops are able to mark targets with flares during the night, meaning clever commanders are theoretically able to wipe out whole divisions before the battles even begin. Airships are often used as a reserve in larger engagements to pound areas that may harbor a Cursed or more difficult enemies.

Different colors or types of flares will signal the rest of the army. Military flares have notches on the side to change the shape of the projectile’s signal which is used to confirming the identity of a unit as a friendly from the same army. Springs within the notches reset, an enemy would need to know what the shape of the unique shape the army they were attacking uses and decipher the coded notches to send up the right configuration. Anything from marking where the unit is to calling in artillery is done via flare.

Flares are given to Lieutenants. Anyone entrusted with a military flare is forced to remember the cipher (not write it down) to correctly signal the rest of the army. The flare is the most valuable piece of equipment in a unit. Losing a flare launcher or not being able to account for a flare is an executable offense.

If a flare that doesn’t match the army’s unique flare shape is launched it will be assumed whoever launched it is hostile, this will prompt an immediate bombardment if artillery is on hand and an aggressive reconnaissance by nearby units if not. This has a severe drawback when two army groups are close to one another. Friendly fire is very common in large operations.

Lanterns

Flares can only convey very simplistic messages. When carrier pigeons are not usable, frontline units will use covered lanterns at night to send status reports to airships which then relay them to rear echelons.

Carrier pigeons

Carrier pigeons are used for fast written communication but cannot deliver their message unless the battlefield unit signals their location. Pigeons are too valuable a resource to take into battle so they are sent by the commanders to their frontline troops.

Dirigibles

The ASH has a major advantage when utilizing their ‘floating fortresses’. A single military dirigible can hold as much artillery as a warship, supporting the land armies from the safety of the sky. With the exception of a few rare instances of other states fielding their own air units, the Autocracy is able to view a battle from a unique perspective. Carrier pigeons, signal lanterns, and customizable flares enable a level of battlefield control that would not be possible otherwise.

Airships are fragile and kept low by cloud cover. Sufficient ground-based artillery or a moderately powerful Cursed that is close enough can take dirigibles out of the sky.

Dirigibles are able to inflate or deflate easily to land on the ground if there is enough space. Certain types of airships are able to use this to great effect.

Fire dust and pyre ships

Pyre ships are specialized dirigibles that dump “firedust” over swathes of land. The firedust is then ignited with an incendiary rocket from a supporting ship which ignites a firestorm. Firedust is poured from a mill at the back of a pyre ship. The pyre ship moves over the intended area before turning around to fully saturate the target. Pyre ships are extremely flammable and the firedust is at the mercy of wind conditions.

Firedust clings to whatever it lands on and is about as heavy as sand, a pyre ship’s mill is used to spread the substance in a wider radius.

Artillery

The armies of the Autocracy have robust assortment of heavy munitions because of their industrial base, ranging from muzzle loaded cannons to the fearsome rocket artillery. The yellow flare is the universal signal for a Cursed, artillery units have standing orders to refocus their fire on any Cursed that are confirmed on the battlefield.

Rocket launchers

Multiple rockets are loaded onto a rack and ignited to fire off a swarm of explosives at a target. These are favored over cannons to allocate resources to other sectors. The reduced demand for metal by favoring rockets over cannons allows the ASH to use those resources in the thousands of melee weapons, shields, armor, and kit for the bloated military.

Doctrine
Mission tactics:

Building on the militia traditions of some Hemosan lords and the homeguard militia of the Valanites, the Interior Legions and some of the more disciplined militia formations began the process of implementing smaller unit formation. These formations all have officers (often with little training in command) with explicit permission to act independently when deployed without commanding officers. “Mission tactics” allows for increased flexibility in situations outside of pitched line battles. In command circles, leadership often uses the old Duralian tongue to  highlight the word choice. Mission tactics are called “Auftragstaktik” in old Duralian.

Unfortunately for the ASH, mission tactics can also result in less disciplined units essentially turning into bandits. The strain on trained manpower and ever increasing need for quantity often sacrifices quality. Inexperienced officers or unmotivated soldiers means small units of lower quality have greater potential to go rogue as soon as they are not under the watchful eyes of the chain of command. Desertions and defections are common among non-specialists behind enemy lines. The Auftragstaktik doctrine is extremely effective when carried out by specialists, otherwise generals are just dumping warm bodies in hostile territory.

However, putting soon-to-be bandits and soldiers with clever misinformation for their orders can also be a benefit.

Specialists:

Due to the increasingly decentralized nature of warfare, specialist troops are seeing more prominent roles. Elite troops existed already but utilizing new technology has led to a renaissance in soldiery trained exclusively to fulfill important battlefield roles.

When specialized units are unavailable or considered too valuable, commanders are known to use Vanguards in their place.

Enemies
Cursed

A powerful Cursed makes the traditional structure of large armies a hindrance or even outright suicide. If the Cursed has line of sight, entire lines of soldiers can be quickly annihilated. Less deadly Cursed can still wreak havoc on smaller groups or supply lines.

The Autocracy utilizes Lobotomized Cursed in area defense roles. They are completely outmatched by the independent Cursed of other nations (such as the princes of the Technocratic Commonwealth). No mere human is in tune with the abilities of the Cursed, thus ASH Cursed and their handlers suffer a severe lack of awareness and utility compared to other armies.

Depending on the Cursed type accompanying an enemy army, they may also have a traveling source of food or water. No supply lines means that army is much more difficult to harass, slow, or even find.

Deviants

Cavalry is fast, but a ‘Royal Guard’ is faster. Heavy infantry is tough, but a unit of Mechanos will always be tougher. A spy or assassin can be quiet, but an Infiltrator will be quieter.

Deviants are uniquely difficult opponents for the Autocracy. Super soldiers with no will of their own is a massive boon for any commander.

Wonder weapons

Used and named by the Cursed princes of the Commonwealth, wonder weapons are devastating structures that channel a Cursed’s power over an even larger area. Towers that can project blasts of fire over entire acres of land, pyramids that radiate decay, or mechanical obelisks that scour anything within sight with horrendous winds were all examples of wonder weapons encountered during the Lankast war. The city of Lankast itself was only taken because of a lone detachment of specialists that managed to infiltrate the city and disable the wonder weapon that overlooked the sea gate.