![]() |
---|
Military of the Morsian Empire (From 20,000 BBY onwards) |
Structural history |
Rutilarian reforms · Farranaxian reforms · Reforms of 3,920 · Cracian reforms · Unit types and ranks · Equipment · Legions (Canon · Legends) · Navy (Canon · Legends) |
Campaign history |
Wars and battles (Canon · Legends) · Civil Wars and rebellions (Canon · Legends) |
Strategy and tactics |
Infantry tactics |
Borders and fortifications |
Castellum · Castra · Escensio · Finibus Galacticus (Finibus Septemtrionis Galacticus (Finibus Otega ad Qiilura · Finibus Thanium ad Ashicus · Finibus Meram ad Quelii · Finibus Kanz ad Raioballo) Finibus Coruscanticus · Finibus Teraab ad Trax · Finibus Meridionali Galacticus (Finibus Chommell ad Brema · Finibus Arkanis ad Cadavine · Finibus Lambda ad Bothanicus)) |
Under different political systems |
Royal Morsian Army · Morsian army of the Dictatorship Morsian army of the First Republic · Imperial Morsian Army (Canon · Legends) |
![]() |
Morsian infantry tactics were the primary way in which the Imperial Morsian Army and its predecessors undertook warfare and battles. Since the foundation of the Royal Morsian Army to the army of the Morsian Empire, many different tactics had been invented, employed, and often subsequently dropped or changed as the army underwent reforms.
Prior to the formation of a standing army the defense of the Morsian Kingdom, and its predecessor the Kalla'tarucc Tribe, was left to a disorganized and untrained force of militia who were levied from whatever settlements were convenient. Towards the end of the life of the kingdom, king Caesar Tarqui'in I began to organize the militia into a more permanent, or at least trained, force. He formed a total of 300 swordsmen, arranged into groups of fifty men, who fought in the Siege of Favarae. Following the narrow defeat suffered there he reformed the army yet again into a legion of 1,000 heavy infantry called legionarii, or legionaries, which were in ten cohorts.
By the time of the early Morsian Military Dictatorship, the dictator Gaius Rutil'iar would reform the army using the Rutilarian reforms. The units of the army were split into three types, the light infantry luxarii, medium infantry mediares and the heavy infantry legionaries. In the final years of the dictatorship, these were joined by a contingent of mounted infantry known as the legionarii equites.
Following the costly Second Morsian-Sicc'orax War and subsequent Third Morsian Civil War, the newly formed First Morsian Republic underwent a rebuild period for several decades which also saw reformation once again in the army. These Farranaxian reforms saw expansion and restructuring of the army to include spearmen as well as officially attaching siege equipment and mounted units to the legions, allowing them both extra flexibility against a range of threats while also better destroying fortifications and fortified settlements during wars.
A Morsian Empire legion consisted of 3,000 legionaries arranged into thirty cohorts of 100 men, which were broken down into ten sections of ten men each. A cohort was commanded by a centurion, and five cohorts commanded by a centurion maximum, and ten cohorts by a centurion imperator maxius. The whole legion was commanded by a legatus, or legate.
Equipment[]
During the time of the late kingdom, a legionary would carry his own armor, a short sword known as a gladius, his rectangular shield called a scutum, whatever small personal effects they owned as well as a few day's rations and equipment to eat it. The earliest legions did not carry any equipment for siege craft or entrenching due to the structure of the army being minimal at that time. Pack animals may also have been employed when a legion was designated to move.
During the time of the dictatorship and later, the equipment carried by a soldier had been expanded. In addition to the previous equipment, they now carried some entrenching equipment as well as extras to construct a marching camp, called an escensio. This greatly increased the weight of what they carried on a march, and so much of the non-essential equipment was carried in a marching pack that could be left either in the camp or in the rear lines prior to a battle. pack animals and carts carried much of the other non-essential equipment which could include items for siege craft, such as artillery pieces or wheels for siege towers, or could be used to carry wounded and medical supplies. These carts also carried the rest of the equipment to construct an escensio such as the tents, and various lockboxes that would contain the legion pay chest, records and all other things pertaining to operating the legion. The legatus, the commanding officer, would often have their own cart which would contain their personal chest, equipment, and effects.
By the time of the First Morsian Republic, the combat equipment of troops had expanded to include two pila, or javelins. These were thrown prior to an infantry charge and were used to create additional casualties while breaking up the charge. They could also cause morale damage from the many pila being thrown into the enemy ranks. On the march, the javelins would be carried by the soldiers as part of their marching pack.
Following the Morsian Empire's rise to a galactic power, the entire equipment roster of the legionaries changed. Thanks to the wealth of technology now gained from discovering the galaxy, the Morsians were able to modernize their infantry. Their shields were replaced by energy shields which were emitted from a central emitter behind the shield boss. Their gladius were eventually replaced by a lightsaber, the technology taught to them by a Morsian Jedi. Replacing their scutum and gladius with the lighter energy shield and lightsaber resulted in a far lighter marching pack. In addition, their ranged weapons were replaced by blaster carbines on slings, which could just hang to the side when on the march. Entrenching equipment and the like were carried in vehicles, while additional marching equipment came in the form of Thermal detonators. Extra ammunition and rations were still carried on their military belts while marching.
Formation tactics[]
Morsian infantry tactics mainly relied on various formations that could be formed by the cohorts that made up the legion. Often these could be formed independently by each cohort, however certain other tactics required a larger cohesion of two or more cohorts to achieve. As the unit types that formed a legion, and the legions themselves, underwent composition changes, this meant that new tactics had to be invented and previous ones often dropped. However, this did not mean that all tactics were forgotten or replaced, as certain tactics remained a core constant of the legions.
Shield wall[]
The shield wall was a favored defensive formation that was used to created a solid line of defense against a charging enemy. The soldiers of the cohort would line up shield to shield to create an unbroken wall which faced the enemy. Each partially overlapping shield protected their neighbor, while providing space to jab out of the formation with a sword or spear. The wall protected the infantry further behind in the formation while providing little purchase for the enemy to exploit and break through the formation. As a primarily defensive formation, the shield wall provided limited mobility options, and so was not well suited for offensive operations.
Wedge[]
The wedge formation was a primarily mounted formations that riders would form to give their charge more impact or shock value. Infantry were long considered too slow to create a similar effect. However, the break through that a wedge formation gave was undeniable, and so eventually adopted for infantry use. When the order was given, the cohort created a triangular shape with a point formed of one or two soldiers. In the formation, the cohort could charge into a cluster of enemies, where the point could create a break through and potentially cut the enemy defenses into two, allowing the legion to exploit it. Unsuited for defensive operations, the wedge became a useful tool for a legate wishing to break an enemy defensive line.
Testudo[]
The testudo formation was a mostly defensive formation that protected the infantry from ranged attacks, primarily arrows and slingshot. Upon given the order, the infantry at the front created a shield wall while those behind would raise their shields above their heads, also protecting those in front of them. The raised shields created a roof which greatly protected the formation of infantry and stopped most projectiles from penetrating the defensive screen. Due to the enclosed nature of the formation, it was widely considered a static defensive formation, however due to the protection given it was also used during offensive manoeuvres when there was a high amount of hostile missile troops.
Box[]
The box formation was a well rounded defensive formation that rendered the cohort, or cohorts, completely static for the most part in exchange for defense on all sides. When a box formation was called, the infantry formed a hollow square to face each direction while creating a space inside for VIPs, officers, wounded or any other valuable things that needed protecting. It exchanged frontal protection for protection on all sides, however it proved particularly adept at deterring or breaking up mounted charges on the box, especially if the infantry were provided with or carried spears. The formation proved to still be of use to the Publicae Auxiliam due to them still carrying javelins, which served a dual purpose of being a makeshift spear, allowing them to effectively break mounted charges against them.
Triplum linea[]
The triplum linea, or triple line in Galactic Basic Standard, was a formation created by Gaius during his reforms and associated with the army during its existence under the rutilarian system. The system introduced three different unit types to the legion which separated them out in equipment and function. The triplum linea was designed to utilize them to their maximum effectiveness. The triplum linea arranged the legions battle line into three, with the heavy legionaries at the rear, the mediares in the middle line and the luxarii at the front. The light infantry would first engage the enemy and/or harass them into attacking the main Morsian formation. If the luxarii were in danger of being overwhelmed, or suffering from failing morale, they would either retreat into the lines of the mediares or they would advance to take the place of the luxarii. If the enemy was particularly difficult, then the mediares could be replaced by the legionaries.
This constant wave of fresh troops meant that the enemy units would be unable to pause and recuperate, instead being constantly faced by a fresh wall of troops which became increasingly better armed and armored. It also prevented a sudden gap being created in the defense by infantry routing, as any retreating Morsian infantry would have to retreat through the following line of infantry, which would take up the fight and prevent the enemy from exploiting any breakthroughs.
Hasta murus
The hasta murus, or spear wall in Galactic Basic, was a formation employed largely by the First and Second Morsian Republic after the Farranaxian reforms which introduced spearmen named hopliarii into the ranks of the Morsian army. With spears now in the arsenal of the army, a new formation largely copied from the Kingdiomi Di Sparti was introduced to use them which was identical to the shield wall except with better offensive capabilities. The spearmen could form a wall to repel both infantry and mounted charges as well as advance while presenting a wall of spikes. If the enemy was unable to flank the formation, they would have no choice but to attack it head on and try to get inside the range of the spears. It proved to be most effective on flat ground and when deployed near the middle of the Morsian battle line, where other units would be able to protect its flanks.
Siege tactics[]
In the early life of the Morsian Army, they were untrained and unfamiliar with siege tactics and equipment, knowing only the most basic of knowledge on scaling walls and battering down a gatehouse with a wooden ram. This knowledge would be remedied and expanded on, however it wouldn't be until the First Morsian Republic that siege tactics and warfare was properly understood and supported. Until then, the legions carried no dedicated equipment or had any in a reserve stockpile to call upon. The extent of their siege tactics could be summarized as dispatching some troops to the nearest wood, felling trees, and using them to create siege ladders to prop against the walls and create stout wooden battering rams to break down gates.
Towards the very end of the dictatorship, siege warfare began to be understood and accounted for. Artillery began to appear in the Morsian arsenal which could bombard the enemy defenses and create breaches in the walls, which would usually save on casualties during the assault. When proper engineering had been slotted into the Morsian legions, a typical siege would begin with exterior defenses being constructed by the engineers to defend against any potential attacks coming from either the besieged defender or a relieving army. Next, artillery would bombard the defenders, aiming to destroy static defenses such as towers or create breaches in walls or the gatehouses to allow infantry to directly assault. If needed, the Morsians would construct siege equipment such as ladders, rams or siege towers to scale the walls. The assault came in the form of testudo formations while approaching the walls, to defend against missile attacks, before assaulting using the siege equipment to take and hold the walls and gatehouse. From here, if the gatehouse was not already destroyed or breached, the successful infantry would open the gate to allow the rest of the army to enter the battle.
After the Morsian Empire became a galactic power, siege warfare changed due to the new equipment both purchased and developed by the Morsians with knowledge gained from the rest of the galaxy. The opening phase of the siege began in much the same way, with engineers created fortifications facing the besieged target, as well as a marching camp being constructed. Usually the legion would have attached an artillery auxiliary detachment, so these auxiliaries would begin to bombard the target with the aim to breach the walls and blow down any gates. In addition, they would aim to destroy any hardpoints, such as bunkers or static emplacements that could prove problematic in an assault. If the legion had tank auxiliaries, these may also add to barrage, specifically targeting smaller defenses that artillery may struggle to hit accurately from long range. If the target was particularly well fortified, the bombardment may also include either orbital bombardments or aerial bombing. The assault came in the form of combined arms, if available, with tanks assaulting with infantry to both shelter them and fire on the defenders. If a sufficient breach had not already been achieved, the assault may be supported by specialist Morsian Armored Vehicle Imperial Engineers (AVIE) tanks which carried large howitzers as their main weapon, which could create a breach that way. Following the initial assault, the infantry would fight for the walls and gatehouse and when successful, open it to allow the rest of the army to enter the battle.
Usage of marines[]
The Morsian Marines were raised during the time of the dictatorship to serve on the boats of the Morsian Navy. They were specialised troops who were trained in fighting at sea, but also in making shore-borne landings to take and hold ports or sea front settlements. Sometimes thought of as shock troops, if marines were available and a seaborne landing was required, they would be sent in as the first waves to create a break and hold a position to allow legions to be landed. If the parent fleet was equipped, this would usually be supported by artillery fire from ships. Following this, the marines would fight alongside the legions to secure the coastal settlement or port before they were relegated to guard and garrison duty.
Following the Morsian Empire being a galactic fighting power, the marines required modernization, which included fighting in space. They were placed on starships as security forces to defend the ship if it was attacked and hostile troops managed to board it. They were also trained to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, taking shuttles, gunships, and landing craft to an enemy ship to take it over by force. Their role of shock troops or beachhead creating forces did not change either, however that too needed to be modernized to reflect on the now planetary scale of potential invasions. Gunships, shuttles and landing craft would now take marines down to the planet surface from the orbiting fleet where they would secure one or more landing zones. These could be existing installations, a settlement or even just a secluded area of the planet where mass landings could be staged. All attempts would also be made to support their landings with fighter and bomber support as well as orbital bombardments. Upon landing, the marines would secure the area and ensure that further legion forces could be landed as safely as possible, who would continue the surface campaign. The marines would then be security details or garrisons, fulfilling their existing role but on a galactic scale.
This combination assault of a marine breakthrough followed by legions continuing the fighting ensured that the superior forces of the legion would land fresh for the fight while the marines did the brunt of the initial fighting. While hard on the marines, it meant that fresh troops could be landed shortly after at full strength to fight the already damaged enemy units who had previously been fighting the marines. It proved to be an effective tactic to create breakthroughs and breaches into other difficult to penetrate defenses.
|