Norse Army: A preliminary overview

[Walter]

Going to copy/paste some of snip's thoughts on the Roman Army, edit them a bit, fill them in with Norse region stuff as well as some stuff that snip did not pick up and put them as the Norse Army here for public comment. Probably not as good, but better than nothing at all. :)

[Walter]

Rifle cartridges:

-- 7.7x56mmR Norse / .30-06 Springfield : The current standard cartridge used for all the modern Norse rifles and machineguns. The cartridge was adopted in 1888 with the introduction of the Lee-Metford rifle. As the Springfield Arsenal makes use of the Old Royal Measurements (= OTL Imperial), their designation of the cartridge is .30-06 Springfield. The "06" refers to the year the cartridge was adopted by the Springfield Arsenal for its weapons (1906).

-- .45-70 Springfield: Used by the Springfield Model 1873 and some other Springfield-made rifles no longer in service or which never entered service.

-- 11.43x60R Martin–Henry (= OTL .577/450 Martini–Henry): Used by the older Martin–Henry single-shot lever-action rifle. The older rolled foil cartridges were prone to jamming as the barrel heated up, and were subsequently replaced by drawn brass cartridges. It is considered to be a great choice for hunting medium and large game.


Shotgun cartridges:

-- 12-gauge, 16 gauge: Used by Winchester shotguns.


Pistol cartridge:

-- .32 ACP: Used by the Colt Model 1903.

-- .38 Long Colt: Used by the Colt M1892 Army and Colt M1892 Navy.

-- .38 ACP: Used by the Colt Model 1908.

-- .45 Long Colt: Used by the M1873 Army revolver and the Colt New Service revolver.

-- 11.6 mm: Used by the Enfield revolver.


Other:

-- 37x94mmR: Large shell used by the 1-pounder Mark 6.

[Walter]

Rifles:

- Martin-Henry lever-actuated rifle (OTL)
----- 1871-
----- 11.43x60R (61R) Martin–Henry
Designed by Frederick Martin, who combined the dropping-block action first developed by Henry O. Peabody with the polygonal barrel rifling designed by Alexander Henry, and produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield in Ireland. It was one of the main weapons used by Norse forces during the fourth quarter of the 19th century and today an estimated 5000 rifles are still in use by reservists and a popular weapon for hunters.

- Springfield Model 1873 trapdoor Springfield (OTL)
--- 1873-
--- .45-70-405
Designed by Erskine Allin and produced by the Springfield Armory in Scotland, it was one of the main weapons used by Norse forces during the fourth quarter of the 19th century and also made as Cavalry Carbine and Cadet Rifle. Several hundreds are still used for cadet training.

- 7.7mm Krag–Jørgensen bolt action repeating rifle (OTL)
--- 1886-
--- 7.7x56mmR Norse
Designed by Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen and produced by the Kongsberg Weapons Factory in Norway, this rifle is used by Norwegian soldiers.

- 7.7mm Lee-Enfield bolt action rifle (OTL)
--- 1895- (MLE), 1904- (SMLE)
--- 7.7x56mmR Norse
Designed by James Paris Lee and produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield in Ireland, this rifle is used by Irish, Icelandic and Novgorodian soldiers.

- Winchester Model 1895 lever-action repeating rifle and carbine (OTL)
--- 1895-
--- 7.7x56mmR Norse / .30-06 Springfield
Designed by John Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in Scotland, the vast majority of the Model 1895 produced are carbines. The rifle is used by some soldiers while the carbine version is the main weapon for cavalry forces. It is popular with both the Emerald Rangers of Ireland and the Highland Rangers of Scotland.

- Springfield Model 1903 bolt-action rifle (OTL)
--- 1906-
--- .30-06 Springfield
Designed and produced by the Springfield Armory in Scotland, this rifle is used by Scottish soldiers.


Shotguns:

- Winchester Model 1897 pump-action shotgun (OTL)
--- 1897-
--- 12-gauge, 16 gauge
Designed by John Browning and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in Scotland, the shotgun is used by Norse assault forces and law enforcers.


Rapid-fire weapons:

- Maxim gun (OTL)
--- 1886-
--- 7.7x56mmR Norse / .30-06 Springfield
Designed by Hiram Maxim and produced by the Maxim Gun Company in Scotland, the Maxim is heavy, bulky, and awkward. Most were replaced by the lighter M1895 though some still remain in service.

- QF 1-pounder Mark 6 "pom-pom" (OTL)
--- 1892-
--- 37x94mmR
Designed by Hiram Maxim and produced by the Maxim Gun Company in Scotland, the 1-pounder Mark 6 is an enlarged version of the Maxim machine gun. It is universally known as the pom-pom due to the sound of its discharge.

M1895 Colt–Browning machine gun (OTL)
--- 1895-
--- 7.7x56mmR Norse / .30-06 Springfield
Designed by John and Matthew Browning and produced by the Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, this is the main machine gun currently in use by the Norse Army.


Pistols:

- .45 Colt M1873 Single Action Army revolver (OTL)
-- 1873-
-- .45 Long Colt
Designed by William Mason and Charles Richards and produced by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, this gun was famous during the wild years in the Western part of the Northern Kingdom and liked by both outlaws and law enforcers. Nicknamed the "Peacemaker", it is still used by a few officers and is popular gun among collectors.

- 11.6 mm Enfield revolver (OTL)
-- 1880-
-- 11.6x22mm
Designed and produced by the Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield in Ireland, most of these revolvers have been phased out, although some are still being used by the Northern Mounted Police.

- .38 Colt M1892 Army / .38 Colt M1892 Navy revolver (OTL)
-- 1892-
-- .38 Long Colt
Designed and produced by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, this gun was introduced to replace the M1873 revolver.

- Colt New Service double-action revolver (OTL)
-- 1898-
-- .45 Long Colt
Produced by Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, this gun was introduced to replace the Enfield revolver.

- .32 Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless pistol (OTL)
-- 1903-
-- .32 ACP
Designed by John Browning and produced by the Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, the M1903 is a non-revolving cylinder pistol being used by higher ranked officers. The pistol is also used by law enforcers.

- .38 Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless pistol (OTL)
-- 1908-
-- .38 ACP
Designed by John Browning and produced by the Colt's Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company in Scotland, the M1908 is a Variant of the Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless pistol, using .38 APC instead of .32 APC. Like the M1903, it is used by higher ranked officers and law enforcers.

[Walter]

The Royal Norse Army has a peacetime strength of 5.244 million men. Of this, 2.553 million are active troops and 2.691 are considered to be quick-activating reserves. The Royal Norse Army uses Universal 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 those who graduated from the Northern Military Academy and sometimes the more educated segments of society, and while it is uncommon, there exist paths for enlisted positions to eventually become Officers.

Conscription classes are typically taken twice a year, in January and again in July. Eligible males aged 20-25 are taken in for a five-year term. After this five-year term, males fall into one of two reserve categories. Each category lasts for two years after which the individual is no longer considered a formal Reservist. Taking civilian jobs considered important or pressing some educational opportunities after the five years of active service removes an individual from reserve duties (eg, Studying Mechanical Engineering or working in a public service such as Firefighting).

[Walter]

1 Regiment = 1000 men
1 Infantry Brigade = 5 Regiments of Foot = 5000 men
1 Marines Brigade = 4 Marines Regiments = 4000 men
1 Cavalry Brigade = 3 Dragoon Regiments = 3000 men
1 Infantry Division = 3 Infantry Brigades = 15000 men
1 Marines Division = 3 Marines Brigades = 12000 men
1 Cavalry Division = 3 Cavalry Brigades = 9000 men
1 Corps = 2 Infantry Divisions + 1 Cavalry Division = 39000 men
1 Marine Corps = 3 Marines Divisions = 36000 men
1 Field Army = 3 Corps = 117000 men.
1 Deployable Army = 4 Corps = 156000 men.
1 Marines Army = 4 Marines Corps = 144000 men


Ireland and Scotland ------------------- 13 Armies + 1 Deployable Army + 1 Marines Army
Southern Norway ------------------------- 4 Armies + 1 Deployable Army + 1 Marines Army
Central Norway and Iceland -------------- 6 Armies + 1 Deployable Army + 1 Marines Army
Northern Norway and Western Novgorod ---- 6 Armies + 1 Deployable Army + 1 Marines Army
Central Novgorod and Eastern Novgorod --- 9 Armies + 1 Deployable Army + 1 Marines Army


38 Field Armies, 5 Deployable Armies, 5 Marines Armies. Total Number of Divisions = 462 (3 divisions per land/deployment point)