Republic Liberation Army

What the hell? I never knew the Seps created such organized organic units."
"They didn't. Those are defectors, the Republic Liberation Army.
—CC-7567 and Gilad Pellaeon

The Republic Liberation Army, abbreviated RLA and sometimes referred to incorrectly as the Republic Army, was a unit of former Grand Army of the Republic and Republic Navy personnel that served the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Clone Wars. It was formed after the defection of General Alix Balan's 903rd Star Corps in the first year of the conflict. Over the course of the war, the RLA also recruited other members, mainly clone troopers from the Republic. Some bounty hunters and mercenaries were also employed, and occasionally the RLA conscripted from populations of Separatist-controlled planets, with the CIS command's permission. The bulk of their force, however, consisted of former Republic soldiers and clone troopers, as well as some Navy personnel. It was made up of several infantry divisions, a few armored divisions, and a fairly small starfighter corps.

Under command of General Balan, they fought against Republic forces during the Clone Wars. Count Dooku liked the idea, using the organization as a psychological factor against the Republic. He knew many Republic personnel did not like fighting their former comrades. However, the Separatist Council did not like the idea very much, not trusting the RLA, despite it's successes. The reaction of other Separatist generals and admirals varied, though many of them did not trust the RLA either. As a result, the RLA often carried out operations independently of other units or was assigned to secondary roles by officers, such as guarding supply lines and helping built outposts. However, units of the RLA did manage to score several successes during the conflict. Under General Ballan, they fought on fronts such as the Battle of Velex, Battle of Ushmin, and Battle of Yukka.

Organization[]

Command[]

General Alix Balan, commander of the RLA.

The organization was under direct command of General Balan, to whom the officers of the Army reported to. However, in a ruling by the Separatist Council, officers of the Separatist Droid Army were automatically superior to those of the RLA, and so to Balan's annoyance, the unit was sometimes placed under command of other officers. Many of them distrusted the organization, and gave them tedious assignments not related to the battle. On some occasions, Dark Acolytes were given command of RLA formations. However, the majority of the time, RLA units were under direct command of Balan and his officers.

After the defeat of the Confederacy in 19 BBY, Balan formed his own government, the Committee for Liberation of the Republic. The RLA became the military of that government, though it only lasted a few months before being dissolved.

Infantry divisions[]

The bulk of the Republic Liberation Army were the infantry divisions. There were six divisions, each under command of a colonel. Each division numbered to about ten to fifteen thousand troops, including support personnel. The main soldiers were known as Army troopers, occasionally referred to as Balantsy by the Neimoidian leaders in their language. The name was sometimes used by Republic troops to refer to them. Each trooper was usually armed with an ARX-17 blaster rifle and an LK-9 blaster pistol, both of which were produced for them by the Baktoid Combat Automata. However, supply shortages were common, since the RLA often operated alone and was a low priority in the CIS command's view. As a result, some troops were not given proper uniforms or weapons, and often scavenged from dead enemies.

The infantry divisions often used bounty hunters and mercenaries to train them and fight alongside them. The Droid Army issued several battle droid formations to the RLA, though they were not officially part of the organization. This was due to the CIS command strictly keeping the RLA an organic unit to avoid confusion, and due to Balan's dislike of droids. Many defecting Republic officers were given high ranking positions in the RLA for their experience. Officers typically kept their Republic uniforms, adding the RLA patch on their arms.

In combat, the infantry performed well in general, and the Jedi Council concluded that they were on par with clone troopers. Battle reports from Republic troops often said that the infantry troopers are deadlier than the regular battle droids. General Balan extensively drilled the infantry, and due to the vehicle shortages, used infantry tactics the most. The armored divisions worked often with infantry nonetheless, providing cover fire and destroying enemy armor. Not all soldiers of the Army performed well, though. Some conscripts and defectors were sent into battle without proper briefing or equipment, and were little more than cannon fodder.

Infantry divisions:

1st Infantry Division
2nd Infantry Division
3rd Infantry Division
4th Infantry Division
5th Infantry Division
6th Infantry Division

Armored divisions[]

A Ground Assault Tank (GAT), one of the main tank models used by the RLA.

For heavy fire power, the Army utilized a few armored divisions. They primarily used Ground Armored Tanks, though occasionally deployed super tanks and Armored Assault Tanks. Being Republic defectors, the armored divisions sometimes used Republic vehicles, including All Terrain Tactical Enforcers. Since vehicles were in short supply, the RLA was very conservative with them, unlike the the regular Droid Army. Officers of the armor divisions were usually former Grand Army non-clone officers. As supplies dwindled near the end of the war, the armor divisions scavenged vehicles and parts from warzones; resulting in the majority of the force being made up of former Republic vehicles in the final days of the war.

The armored divisions had frequent shortages of engineers, people who were capable of operating vehicles. This led to further conservatism from General Balan and his officers.

Armored divisions:

1st Armor Division
2nd Armor Division

Starfighter corps[]

Since the Confederate Navy rarely was willing to aid the RLA, the organization possessed it's own starfighter corps. This was also due to the fact that General Balan and the other officers recognized that vulture droids were very effective against living pilots. Thus, many former Republic Navy and local pilots were recruited to serve in the Republic Liberation Army Air Force (RLAAF), which primarily utilized customized Z-95 Headhunters. Occasionally, the RLA did use droid fighters, but usually as distractions—not much more than cannon fodder. Pilots of the RLAAF were given extensive training, and used a variety of craft to give direct support to their ground troops.

The RLAAF stole Republic Navy starfighters during raids on military bases and cruisers. Fighters were also purchased from different firms and companies, though were primarily captured from other factions. The RLAAF did conjure several ace pilots during the war. Pilots were typically equipped with armor similar to their ground counterparts, and LK-9 pistols.

Other units[]

Not all personnel fell into the typical formations. Many conscripts were killed before they could be organized into a unit. There was a special forces unit also, under direct command of Balan, called Thunder Battalion. They were infantry who stood out during battle, and carried out special operations for the RLA.

History[]

Origin[]

In 22 BBY, the Clone Wars broke out after the Battle of Geonosis. When that occurred, Alix Balan, a general of a militia defending the Core Worlds, was made an officer of the Grand Army of the Republic. He was given the command of a clone trooper unit called the 903rd Star Corps. Early on in the war, Balan and the 903rd were placed under command of High Jedi General Mace Windu and Jedi General Saesee Tiin. They were deployed to the planet of Iktotch in the Expansion Region, to subdue a Separatist presence. However, an officer ordered Balan to commit a cruel punishment against the natives, for their support of the CIS. It was considered a war crime, and it disgusted Balan. He refused to comply, and when threatened by the officer, surrendered to the Confederacy.

After the 903rd surrendered, Count Dooku heard of General Balan's capture. He wished to interrogate the general, and met with the former Republic officer on Geonosis. There, during interrogation, Balan told Dooku why he surrendered, and asked if he could defect. Dooku, surprised, considered it, and Balan proposed something else—defecting to lead a unit of former Republic personnel for the Confederacy, and set up a new Republic puppet government for the Separatists after they won. Dooku liked the idea, and agreed. However, much of the Separatist Council did not like it. They distrusted Balan, thinking he would betray them at sone point. Dooku convinced them to go with the plan, as he was the overall leader of the CIS. Darth Sidious, his master, thought it was an interesting development.

Balan went to work, going to Confederate prisons and giving speeches to Republic prisoners of war. He began forming the first divisions of the "Republic Liberation Army", out of the troops of the 903rd, as well as a few other defectors. Balan told the Republic prisoners that they could not escape, and would have been executed for treason by the Republic if they somehow did. Most believed him, and for one reason or another, joined the RLA. Among them was a tank commander named Ziril Tarridax. Balan heard of his reliable tactics, and promoted him to colonel. He also enlisted the aid of Colonel Soku Odom, an infantry officer. A Republic Navy ace pilot later defected as well, Major Wier Alvak, and Balance began setting up a starfighter corps. Several months later, the first divisions of the RLA were ready.