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Gunther Member

Captain, Infantry (Retired)

STATUS: Summer break begins today! 1 mo ago
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Status

Recent Statuses

1 mo ago
Current Summer break begins today!
1 like
4 mos ago
I will continue to be one of the oldest members of this community in August.
12 likes
6 mos ago
If you are a fan of Warhammer 40,000 or Age of Sigmar, let me know. Maybe we can put together an RP. I play Ironjawz & Kruleboyz in AOS and Salamanders & Drukhari in 40K.
1 like
2 yrs ago
Happy holidays, everyone!
6 likes
2 yrs ago
Summer break is almost over. Back to work/school and all that non-fun stuff.
5 likes

Bio

I am a veteran of the United States Army and the US Army National Guard. I spent three years on Active Duty serving in the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Ft. Carson, CO, and the 3rd Armor Division at Kirch Göns, West Germany. I spent 18 years in the Army National Guard with the 26th Infantry Division "Yankee" and 29th Infantry Division (Light), "The Blue and the Gray". I was deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina with the 29th ID (L) in 2001 - 2002. I have also been reading military history articles and books since I was 10 years old. I do prefer Military Role Plays over all other genres, primarily because I have a vast knowledge of the subject including personal experiences. At the very least, my characters are always veterans.

I have been writing for pleasure for at least 35+ years but only got into forum-based Role Playing about eighteen years ago. I do enjoy Nation Role Plays and get into minute detail when designing my military. The only reason I enjoy excruciating detail in my militaries is because for me, it is fun. My education and experience on this subject afford me the insight to see the depth of the structure. It is not just a General and a large pile of soldiers. If someone wants assistance in designing an army, navy, or air force, please send me a PM. I will help. Please specify what level (echelon) or depth you would like me to go. When I say echelon, I mean Army, Corps, Division, Brigade/Regiment, Battalion/Squadron, Company/Troop/Battery, Platoon, and Squad/Section.

When I was a student in High School, I used to play Dungeons & Dragons. Recently, I have been DMing a 5e campaign of my creation for my son and his friends. 5e is so much less cumbersome than earlier editions of D&D. I do have an interest in Tolkien-esque fantasy-styled Role Plays as well. Time travel has always been a fun genre for me, but to do it well, one must have a firm grasp of historical facts.

There are only a few fanfictions I will participate in; Star Wars and Star Trek are two of them. I want to do an exclusively Klingon RP one of these days. I also avoid Canon characters.

I have real-world martial arts experience. I would love to write an RP about hand-to-hand combat, no fantasy magic chit, just hands elbows, knees, and feet. Maybe the occasional head butt thrown in to mix things up. I trained in Krav Maga for six and a half years. I earned a first-degree black belt in Krav Maga on 3 June 2017.

Krav Maga is an Israeli martial art form that employs practical self-defense techniques drawing forms & techniques from Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Taekwando. It is very brutal, demanding, and aggressive. During the seven years I trained, I have bruised two ribs, sustained several muscle pulls, and various lacerations and bruises over my body. I have received a sprained ankle and a fractured wrist. Before the first black belt test, I received a bone bruise to my right shin; where my roundhouse kicks impact. Yet, I am stupid enough to continue training. [Regardless of the physical pain, it is more fun than any other physical activity I have engaged in. Fortunately, the bone bruise healed up prior to the third and final test. EDIT: I did leave the sport over five years ago. :(]

Over two years ago I completed my first novel, a science fiction set in the 24th century. It focuses on a Private Military Corporation solely employed by the earth government. I started a second book in November 2022 and hope to work on that this summer when I have more time.

Send me a PM for a Role Play or if you would like to see what sort of an army I could build for you.

--Gunther (AKA: Old School)



Gunthers Cast of Hooligans

Most Recent Posts

In Technology Defines Tactics → 6 yrs ago Forum: The Gallery
Technology Defines Tactics


Pre-19th Century Organizations
Early 20th Century Organizations
Late 20th Century Organization
21st Century Organization
Fire and Maneuver
Command Relationships

Pre-19th Century Organizations

How nations organize their armies and how those armies fight are defined by technology, innovative thinking and lessons learned from experience. This essay intends to illuminate the evolution of military organizations throughout history.

From the time of the Roman Legions through the late 18th Century armies were organized into Corps-sized formations. The three primary corps are the Infantry, the Cavalry and the Artillery corps. In ancient days, the "Artillery" corps may have been more accurately referred to as the "Siege" Corps, as crude siege weapons were employed for high impact ranged weapons.

The Infantry and Cavalry corps may have been organized into subordinate echelons. The Roman legion, a subordinate command of the Roman Infantry Corps was further organized into six cohorts. A cohort is similar in size to what we would call a battalion or regiment today. The cohort was divided into ten centuries; which is where the term Centurion is derived. A Roman Century was composed of 70-100 soldiers depending on which author you read and which period of Roman history you read. Various authors have defined the organizational structure differently.

Genghis Khan organized his army into 10-man squads; 10 squads into 10 companies; and 10 companies into 10 "regiments". Genghis Khan also conducted After Actions Reviews (AAR) of all military actions. This was a lessons learned review for the leader and his subordinate commanders. All advanced armies in the world today conduct an AAR at every level from squad to echelons above reality.

17th - 18th Century British Infantry Regiments began life with ~1000 men. The regiment was organized into 10 Companies; similar to Genghis Khan and the Roman Legions. The Regiment had 8 Companies of the Line or Line Companies. These were the units that met the enemy hand to hand and attempted to kill them. The other companies were a Grenadier Company and a Light Company.

The Grenadier Company was composed of large men who were 70" or taller. They were armed with a crude grenade which was lobbed en masse at the enemy. The Grenadier Company was considered an elite unit due to the members' size, they often intimidated their opponents. Later, when the "grenade" went out of style, the units retained their Grenadier status. In some cases, the Grenadier companies were joined together from various regiments and called Grenadier Battalions or Grenadier Regiments.

The Light Company was composed of small men who were 70" or shorter. These men were agile on their feet and could run fast and far. Due to their agility and size, the Light company was often used for picket duty; a means of informing the unit that the enemy was about to attack. Light Companies could be used for long range reconnaissance missions as well. Similar to the Grenadiers, the Light Companies were pooled from various regiments to form Light Battalions or Light Regiments. Eventually Line Regiments removed the Light and Grenadier companies completely and used an 8 Company formation of 800 soldiers.

As regiments incurred losses in the 19th Century and earlier, Armies did not replace them. Therefore, if a unit initially mustered in with 800 soldiers it would be quite possible for them to muster out with two or three hundred or fewer. Most of the losses would have obviously come from death, but a percentage would also be due to loss of limbs or serious illnesses, prisoners of war, and desertions.

Napoleon Bonaparte was the first military thinker to introduce a new formation, what I will call a Combined Arms Corps. Napoleon's Corps is essentially an Independent Command that integrates Infantry, Cavalry and Artillery units under one subordinate command. Napoleon used this new formation at the outset of his campaigns in 1797. Eventually his opponents learned how he operated and utilized these lessons learned for their own uses.

Here is an example of a French Corps at Waterloo:

I Corps - Field Marshal Jean Baptiste d'Erlon (19,800 soldiers & 46 artillery pieces)
1st Division - Baron Quiot (4200 soldiers in 8 Bns & 8 artillery pieces)
1st Brigade - Quiot (2110 soldiers in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bn, 54th Line Infantry (960)
1st & 2nd Bn, 55th Line Infantry (1150)
2nd Brigade - Bourgeois (1880 soldiers in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bn, 28th Line Infantry (900)
1st & 2nd Bn, 105th Line Infantry (980)
Artillery Brigade - Hamelin
20th Battery, 6th Foot Artillery (Hamelin) 85 soldiers, 6x6 pdrs & 2x6" howitzers
5th Company, 1st Train Squadron (Paleprat) 99 soldiers

2nd Division - Francois Donzelot (5300 soldiers in 9 Bns & 8 artillery pieces)
1st Brigade - Schmitz (2915 soldiers in 5 Bns.)
1st, 2nd & 3rd Bns, 3th Light Infantry (1875)
1st & 2nd Bns, 17th Line Infantry (1050)
2nd Brigade - Aulard (2200 in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bns, 19th Line Infantry (1030)
1st & 2nd Bns, 51st Line Infantry (1170)
Artillery Brigade - Cantin (185 soldiers & 8 artillery pieces)
10th Battery, 6th foot Artillery (Cantin) 90 soldiers, 6x6 pdrs & 2x6" howitzers
9th Company, 1st Train Squadron (Vaillant) 95 soldiers

3rd Division - Marcognet (4100 soldiers in 8 Bns & 8 artillery pieces)
1st Brigade - Nogues (1930 soldiers in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bns, 21st Line Infantry (1040)
1st & 2nd Bns, 46th Line Infantry (890)
2nd Brigade - Grenier (1975 in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bns, 25th Line Infantry (975)
1st & 2nd Bns, 45th Line Infantry (1,000)
Artillery Brigade - Emon (180 soldiers & 8 Artillery pieces)
19th battery, 6th Foot Artillery (Emon) 85 soldiers, 6x6 pdrs & 2x6" Howitzers
2nd Company, 1st Train Squadron (Cosqueterre) 95 soldiers

4th Division - Durutte (4,000 in 8 Bns & 8 Artillery pieces)
1st Brigade - Pegot (2135 soldiers in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bns, 8th Line Infantry (985)
1st & 2nd Bns, 29th Line Infantry (1150)
2nd Brigade - Brue (1730 soldiers in 4 Bns)
1st & 2nd Bns, 85th Line Infantry (630)
1st & 2nd Bns, 95th Line Infantry (1100)
Artillery Brigade - Bourgeois (180 & 8 artillery pieces)
9th Battery, 6th Foot Artillery (Bourgeois) 90 soldiers, 6x6 pdrs & 2x6" howitzers
3rd Company, 1st Train Squadron (Drulin) 90 soldiers

1st Cavalry Division - Jacquinot (1700 in 11 Squadrons & 6 artillery pieces)
1st Brigade - Bruno (910 in 6 Sqdns)
7th Hussars (495) *There are 3 Squadrons in a Regiment
3rd Chasseurs (415)
2nd Brigade - Gobrecht (800 in 6 Sqdns)
3rd Lancers (460)
4th Lancers (340)
Artillery Brigade - Bourgeois (160 soldiers & 6 artillery pieces)
2nd Battery, 1st Horse Artillery (Charlet) 75 soldiers, 4x6 pdrs & 2x6" Howitzers
4th Company, 1st Train Squadron (Daux) 85 soldiers

Artillery Reserve - Dessalles (200 soldiers & 8 Artillery pieces) Corps Asset
11th Battery, 6th Foot Artillery (Charlet) 90 soldiers, 6x 12 pdrs & 2x6" howitzers
6th Company, 1st Train Squadron (Didier) 110 soldiers

Engineers - Garbe (355 soldiers) Corps Asset
2nd Company, 1st Engineers (350)

The above organization utilizing Combined Arms Corps or Independent Corps Commands was used all throughout the 19th Century; including The Spanish American War. There are minor changes that occur throughout the century.
In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
I like it, and to me I envision there being more Battalions, upwards to like 90 or so. Would you agree to the sort of British-like Regimental scheme? Other than that, I like it. We would just rename the alotted Battalions to numbers down the chain and have these be like the Battalions on Targus IV.


90!? Really? I have never seen an organization with 90 battalions in it. I wonder what century you are referring to? I've read accounts of British regiments back as far as the 17th century and they were maybe 7 or 8 battalions at most. But they saw how unnecessarily cumbersome they were and scaled it back considerably.

Even in the US Army, the regiments have contained usually three battalions, but there are a few examples where that number is slightly greater, but never 90. That is way to much. I have an essay I wrote on the evolution of organization. I will attempt to post it soon and link it here for you to read. Even if you go back to the Roman era or Genghis Khan, you won't find an organization with 90 battalion sized units. This Panchalan organization I created is larger than the US & British WWI regiments, but not by much.

In 1959, the US Army broke up its regiments and created Brigade units with 3 or 4 maneuver battalions in each brigade. The US Army teaches its company and field grade officers to task organize their subordinate units with a combined arms mix of units. When I was in 1st Brigade, 3rd Armor Division there were two mech infantry, two armor and one field artillery battalion in our brigade. My battalion was mech infantry. Often times when we went to the field, we would give our B company to a sister armor battalion and they would give us their B Company. Then the battalion HQs would give one armor platoon to one of hte companies and another company would give up one of its platoons to the armor company. We would also get an engineer platoon to assist the armor and infantry with their operations. Also integrated into the Brigade Combat Teams were Target Acquisition Specialists from the FA (Forward Observers) and Air Defenders (Duck Hunters).
In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
Grenadier Regiment

Regimental HHC (61 soldiers)
3x Grenadier Battalions (3,972 soldiers)
Total: 4,033 soldiers

I Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 1 Company 246 soldiers
No. 2 Company 246 soldiers
No. 3 Company 246 soldiers
No. 4 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

II Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 5 Company 246 soldiers
No. 6 Company 246 soldiers
No. 7 Company 246 soldiers
No. 8 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

III Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 9 Company 246 soldiers
No. 10 Company 246 soldiers
No. 11 Company 246 soldiers
No. 12 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

I finally got the Regimental organization posted. I had problems with the hider tags. The forum insisted I had some misaligned tags. I spent hours trying to find them on Wednesday. I could not. I finally found them this morning and was able to post the organization. You will notice, I did not repeat the Grenadier Battalion three times or the Grenadier Companies four times or the Grenadier platoons four times. Just note that there are four platoons in each company and four companies in each battalion. I hope this meets your needs. It took me a bit of time to put it together. But the longest was just finding that damn misaligned tag. LOL

In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
25th Royal Panchalan Grenadier

Regiment




Regimental Vehicles



In Post a random fact about yourself. → 6 yrs ago Forum: Spam Forum
Pizza tonight for dinner! Yay! right? Wrong...I started intermittent fasting yesterday. I can only eat between 6AM and 2PM. I am starving and won't be able to eat this pizza until tomorrow for lunch. What makes it worse, I have to go pick the thing up and pay for it. :(
In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
OK. I have finished the Regiment. I need to clean it up before I post the entire thing. But it will look like this except I have every swinging dick accounted for. I will post the full one in the Characters tab. It is huge. I will use Hiders to contain everything.

Grenadier Regiment

Regimental HHC (61 soldiers)
3x Grenadier Battalions (3,972 soldiers)
Total: 4,033 soldiers

I Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 1 Company 246 soldiers
No. 2 Company 246 soldiers
No. 3 Company 246 soldiers
No. 4 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

II Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 5 Company 246 soldiers
No. 6 Company 246 soldiers
No. 7 Company 246 soldiers
No. 8 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

III Battalion/25 RPGR


No. 9 Company 246 soldiers
No. 10 Company 246 soldiers
No. 11 Company 246 soldiers
No. 12 Company 246 soldiers
Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) 194 soldiers
Combat Support Company (CSC) 146 soldiers


Total: 1,324 soldiers in the Battalion

It ended up being over 4,000 soldiers instead of the 3700 I was aiming for. I did add a Pioneer platoon and an ADA Section to each battalion That pushed it a bit higher. I stopped using my WWI reference when I was designing the Headquarters sections at Battalion and Regiment and used what I knew from real life. I spent many years as a primary staff officer at Battalion. I was an HHC company commander at Brigade; equivalent to the Regimental HHC and I served in a Mechanized Infantry battalion in Germany during the Cold War. The Headquarters and Headquarters Companies (HHC) at Battalion is very complicated, I actually broke up the HHC into the HHC and the CSC. I put all the Combat Support Assets in the CSC. I should have it up later tonight.

With the Regiment being at 4,033 soldiers (authorized), I'll put their effective strength for the current operation at 2,420.
In The Hidden People [Fantasy/Modern] → 6 yrs ago Forum: Casual Roleplay

In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
I like the idea of there being towed anti-tank weapons, perhaps of a railgun-type variety.

As for the vehicles, I think sticking with the Germanic theme would be interesting.

What do you think of my concept as the Regiments being more organized like the British Army?

Railguns do not exist, but we can create them for our sci fi adventure. :)

A Germanic theme will work. I will look at Germanic tracked personnel carriers (marder?) and armored cars (Fennek) as well as the utility trucks and cargo trucks (Lorries?).

I have done a lot of research today and have put a lot of work into the REgiment based on the American WWI regiment. I have taken some pieces from WWII, the United Kingdom and modern infantry units. But it is not based solely on one nation. You should see the rank structure I created. I can post that here for you to peruse. It is UK rank insignis with German rank names...


Click on the image for a larger more crips image.


In Battle of Targus IV (Gunther/Starboard Watch) → 6 yrs ago Forum: 1x1 Roleplay
I am working on a table of organization and equipment for the Panchalan army and the 25th Grenadiers Regiment. I have a few questions.

What sort of Anti-Tank weapon would we be carrying? rocket, gun or railgun? I have slots for a Light Anti-Armor Weapon, a Medium AT weapon and a heavy AT weapon. In the current US Army or USMC that would be the AT-4 (Light), Medium Anti-Armor WEapon System (MAAWS) and the TOW II (Heavy). As opposed to using a 57mm AT gun or 75mm AT gun from WWII era. What is your thoughts on this?

For Mortars, I will go with the 120mm mortar, track mounted.

I have created several different vehicles. Looking for some concept ideas you may have on these.

Utility truck: equivalent to a Jeep or HMMWV
10-ton Cargo Truck: same
Tracked Combat Vehicle: I imagine something like the M113 APC or the Soviet-built BMP or the current UK-built FV-510 Warrior tracked section vehicle.

Armored Car: Soviet-built BRDM-2, US Stryker, or German built Fennek
In Post a random fact about yourself. → 6 yrs ago Forum: Spam Forum
I have never seen the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, or Star Trek.

That is not possible. Like POOHEAD said, you better do it. Especially Star Wars. The only Star Wars show I have not watched in too much time is the animated Lego show. I've seen the original three dozens of times. You have not idea what you are missing.

I recommend watching in this order: IV, V, VI, I, II, III, VII, VIII & IX. But you can do without VIII. That movie kind of stunk. Also watch the two Star Wars Stories, Rogue One and Solo. Those were very good.
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