Roman Army: A preliminary overview

Started by snip, July 09, 2017, 10:24:27 PM

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snip

Going to gather some thoughts on the Roman Army here for public comment.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

A list of all the cartridges in Imperial Arsenals.

Rifle

6.5x52mm Imperial Standard: The current cartridge in use for all modern Army and Marine rifles and machine guns. Adopted in 1891 across all services it is the first time all services have shared a common cartridge.

10.4x47mm Carcano: Used on older Army rifles, the round fell out of active use. Can still be found with weapons in older City or Regional Guard arsenals.

8x50mm Lebel: Used on older Navy and Marine rifles, the round still sees use with specialized Sharpshooters in all branches, tho it becomes less desirable by the year. It, however, remains a popular cartridge for civilian and export use.

Pistols

10.4x19.6mm Webley: Matching the standard sidearm of the Roman Army and Marines and one of the most popular revolvers in the Imperial Republic, the 10.4mm Webley is a widely produced around.

8x27mm Arsenal Paris: The cartridge of another popular revolver. Preferred by some over the revolvers that take Webley, it is mostly a civilian and export cartridge.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

Going Oldest to Newest, OTL Analogs in a linked bracket.

Chassepot [OTL]: The first breach loading rifle in the Imperial Arsenals, the Chassepot bridge the gap between muzzle-loading muskets and the modern rifles employed at present. Now more of a museum piece than a viable weapon, it still sees some use as a family hunting rifle. The rifle is commonly chambered for an 11mm cartridge, of wich there are many variants.

Imperial Armaments Model 1870 [OTL]: The breechloader purpose built to fire metallic cartridges in the Roman Army, the Model 1870 overtook the Chassepot due to the initial organizational resistance to breechloader having been overcome. An army weapon it can still be found in Guard Arsenals in its later clip loading variants. This weapon was originally chambered for the 10.4x47mm Carcano, but all rifles in military service have been rechambered for 6.5x52mm Imperial Standard.

Lebel Model 1886 [OTL]: A failed attempt by some Francia-based manufacturers to get the Army off of the Model 1870, the Lebel was picked up by the newly reformed Roman Marines. It proved satisfactory but has since been phased out. It is still a favored weapon of some sharpshooters. This weapon is only chambered by 8x50mm Lebel.

Imperial Armaments Model 1891 [OTL]: The current service rifle of the Roman Army and Marines, the Model 1891 saw the introduction of a common cartridge into military service across all branches, the 6.5x52mm Imperial Standard. The Model 1891 is considered a great success, with multiple variants existing.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

#3
Two models in service.

Imperial Armaments Model 1908 [OTL]: The first machine gun in service with the Roman Army and Marines, the Model 1908 was a very heavy weapon that made it impractical to move around. It is mostly used in fixed fortifications or pre-made positions. Not a particularly satisfactory weapon, its procurement has been limited. Chambered for 6.5x52mm Imperial Standard.

Hotchkiss Model 1909 [OTL]: The first portable machine gun in service, it was adopted almost immediately by the Army and Marines. Usable as both an emplaced and mobile weapon, its main limitation is that it does not have a large belt feed available. Chambered for 6.5x52mm Imperial Standard OR 8x50mm Lebel (export use only).
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

Two main types in service, very small numbers of other models are used as personal sidearms by some officers.

Webley Model 1902 [OTL]: The standard issue sidearm of both the Roman Army and Marines, the Webley is also a popular civilian weapon. Firing the large 10.4x19.6mm cartridge of the same name, the Webley packs plenty of stopping power. In service since 1887, the Webley still has a long service life ahead of it. There are two older models, the Model 1887 and the Model 1899.

St. Etienne Model 1892 [OTL] A later revolver produced by a Frankish company. Uses a smaller 8mm cartridge, which is preferred by some over the large rounds of the Webley. While never formally adopted by either the Army or Marines, it has become the most popular non-standard sidearm of the officer corps.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

The Roman Army has a peacetime strength of ~6.9 million men. Of this, ~2.8 million are active troops and ~4.1 are considered to be quick-activating reserves. The Roman army uses Univeral Conscription to fill most enlisted positions. NCOs are typically volunteers or conscripts that opted to re-enlist at least once after mandatory service. The Officer Corps is drawn from the more educated segments of society, but there exist paths for enlisted positions to eventually become Officers tho this is uncommon. Conscription classes are typically taken twice a year, in March and again in September. Eligible males ages 18-20 are taken in for a three-year term. After this three-year term, males fall into one of two reserve categories. Each category lasts for three years after which the individual is no longer considered a formal Reservist. Taking civilian jobs considered important or pressing some educational opportunities after the three years of active service removes an individual from reserve duties (eg, Studying Mechanical Engineering or working in a public service such as Firefighting)
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon

snip

At its highest levels, the Roman Army is organized into nine administrative districts. These districts each have an active Field Army and a Reserve Field Army assigned to them.  The district are as follows.

--Italia
--West Francia
--East Fancia
--West Aquitaine
--East Aquitaine
--West Pannonia
--East Pannonia
--Wessex-Londinium
--Northumbria

In addition, there are five Floating Reserve Army Groups.

The smallest organization unit considered capable of operating independently is the Legion. Legions consist of 12,500 men. There are 222 Active Legions and 333 Reserve Legions. Each Field Army has 24 Legions. These Legions are organized into Corps of 4 Legions each.
You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when solider lads march by
Sneak home and pray that you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.
-Siegfried Sassoon