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imperial marine combat battalion

where needed and appropriate, heavy artillery and strike support for imperial marine infantry is provided by one or both of two methods: ground attack craft and artillery ships.

ground attack craft

for exposed surface targets, individual ground attack craft (60-dton space-going small-craft designed for long-term operations well within a planetary gravity well) provide on-call immediate "aerial" strikes with lasers, missiles, fusion guns, or em/ecm operations. operating at close-quarters in any or no atmosphere, these craft are streamlined ovoids for high-speed 5G/5-agility performance, have full hover and any-aspect-flight-regime capability for constricted environment engagement, are equipped with full weapons turret and gunner for maximum target engagement flexibility, and are heavily armored (7+11=18) for crew survivability. crew is four: pilot, co-pilot/craft sensor suite operator, turret gunner/em/ecm operator, and engineer aboard. the sensor suite is a model 7, constructed at tech 15 capability for 5 dtons displacement and 3 energy points required.

the weapons hardpoint mounts a 1 or 2 dton turret, installed at mission setup time, and is supported by a local gunnery station and battery backup (6 energy point actions - 1 ep per laser shot and 1 ep per hour of turret operation). four weapon turret types are available for mounting - a 1 dton triple laser turret (operable to provide on demand a factor 4 beam laser attack or a salvo of 3 factor 2 pulse laser attacks), a 1 dton triple missile turret (operable to provide on demand a factor 3 missile attack or a salvo of 3 factor 2 attacks), a 2 dton double fusion gun turret (providing 2 factor 5 attacks), or a 2 dton electronic warfare / electronic countermeasures suite to enhance and supplement the factor 7 sensor suite capabilities. in addition to 3.6 ep for craft maneuverability and 3 ep for the model 7 sensor suite the craft power plant also provides 6 energy points for the weapon mount, allowing double-fire for the lasers or three shots total per turn for the fusion guns or ample power for the ew/ecm suite. 9 missiles total are available in the missile turret.

Code: 
hg2 (construction/ep rules, if not combat/operational rules)
tech:        15 over-all
hull:        60 dtons, spheroid
crew:        4 - pilot, co-pilot/em/ecm operator, turret gunner, engineer
bridge:      standard, two pilot seats
computer:    model 7 (3 energy points)
maneuver:    5h (5g max maneuver/agility, unlimited hover, any-aspect flight regime) (3.6 energy points)
power plant: 12.6 energy points available
fuel:        2.5 dtons, 5.6 days
armor:       18 (7 for tech 15, +11 factors built on)
cabins:      4 (1dton ea)
cargo:       2 dtons
hard point:  2 dtons (6 energy points available)
             full gunnery station
             full battery backup (6 energy expenditure points)
weapons:     1 dton triple turret with three beam/pulse lasers
             1 dton triple turret with three missile racks
             2 dton double turret with two fusion guns
             2 dton turret with em/ecm projection antennae dishes

ground attack craft may land on any level surface and operate out of any ship or facility capable of berthing them, but typically a ground attack wing of 24 craft (6 flights of 4 craft each, 3 squadrons of 2 flights each) is mounted in a 4900 dton alice module which includes command/control/admin/support facilities, mass-launch rapid deployment tubes, command/launch/strike control facilities, full maintenance crews and facilities, and crew rescue/recovery teams.

action deployments usually consist of one squadron of 8 craft (1 flight of 4 deployed, 1 flight of 4 on ready standby) dedicated to a ground combat element in contact with enemy forces - brigade or battalion or company or perhaps even platoon depending on the intensity of the engagement - but squadrons may also simply loiter in a combat area and await assignments as opportunities arise. a typical weapons loadout for a flight is one craft with fusion gu -s or lasers, one craft with missiles, and two craft with ew/ecm suites to cover for and screen the two attack craft, but other operational configurations may be called for as required by the wing commander or as requested by the ground unit commander.

to properly implement ground attack strikes, 6 teams of 2 men (one lieutenant or senior enlisted as a forward observer and strike coordinator and one enlisted communications expert), with 3 teams out at any one time, deploy forward with the ground combat elements being supported, to competently coordinate and control the strikes requested by the ground commanders. but ground forces may also request and direct strikes on their own initiative using their own resources.

artillery ships

in practice most ground combat actions take place in subterranean structures or sub-maritime facilities not directly accessible to energy weapons and missiles, or in large high-value space habitats that are worth more captured than destroyed, thus more comprehensive strike support for ground troops is supplied by 6000 dton dedicated artillery ships mounting meson gun bays. non-jump-capable, these ships are brought in by jump-transports to lurk high over battle zones and provide meson strikes anywhere in the area of conflict. in addition to the meson bays the artillery ship is equipped with a factor 9 missile bay and a factor 9 beam laser battery for direct engagement of high-value or high-priority surface targets of opportunity, and 10 factor 4 beam laser turrets (organized into 5 batteries of two independent turrets each) for direct engagement of minor surface targets of opportunity. firing of all weapons simultaneously seldom occurs, so extra power frequently is available for double-fire by the lasers.

for defenses the artillery ship also has a full factor 9 nuclear damper screen and a factor 1 meson screen, in addition to whatever physical armor factor is inherent to the ship's hull.

all bridge and weapon and screen stations have double crew for long-term continuous operation endurance.

12 teams of 2 men (one lieutenant or senior enlisted as a forward observer and strike coordinator and one enlisted communications expert), with 6 teams out at any one time, deploy forward with the ground combat elements being supported, to competently coordinate and control the strikes requested by the ground commanders. these teams communicate with the artillery ship fire control center which, under the command of a fire control officer, seats 10 dedicated controllers, one for each weapon system.

Code: 
hg2 (construction/ep rules, if not combat/operational rules)
tech:        hull/engineering tech 10-12, tech 13-15 all other equipments
hull:        6000 dtons, cylinder
crew:        175
computer:    model 9fib
maneuver:    6
jump:        n/a
fuel:        4 weeks endurance, fuel purifier present
armor:       2-4 (2 to 4 for for tech 10 to 12, +0 factors built on)
cargo:       10 months endurance
weapons:     3 factor 4 meson gun bays
             1 factor 9 missile bay
             1 factor 9 beam laser battery
             10 factor 4 beam laser batteries

these ships have the standard service crew, 4 gigs, and 6 lifeboats typical of any spacegoing ship. construction of most artillery ship hulls is assigned to lesser tech 10-12 yards such as bevey, equus, karin, iderati, mertactor, adabicci, duale, and persephone to develop those worlds' capabilities, while the ship's electronics and weapons are constructed at various tech 13-15 facilities.
 
Amazing!

This is one heck of a useful thread :) Especially as I am just going through chargen for a couple of Marine characters and this really helps me to get under their skin. My military knowledge is mainly based on friends who served in Northern Ireland, West Germany, Iraq & Afghanistan. I've always had difficulty getting into the heads of high energy fireteams of the far future. I'm much more comfortable dealing with assymetrical warfare than say Imperial ground forces versus Zhodani ground forces.

But I have found this thread very useful indeed thanks. Now I am totally distracted from what I was doing an hour ago, but I'm thoroughly entertained and a bit better educated thanks :)

Tempted to set up and game out a ground war between Imps and Zhos for this coming summer. I fancy reading about their differing doctrine and tactics.
 
Now I am totally distracted from what I was doing an hour ago
Click to expand...

(laugh)

I'm much more comfortable dealing with assymetrical warfare than say Imperial ground forces versus Zhodani ground forces.
Click to expand...

they probably aren't too comfortable dealing with each other ....
 
flykiller said:
yeah. but it all seems to be unused.
Click to expand...

Wellll, I wasn't around for any of this discussion due to big hole behind my right ear, but I'm wandering around getting caught up now and I assure you that your work will have influence on the organization of mobility for Marine outfits IMTU, if/when I get to that point in organizing again. The 4900 dton module would likely be the greater part of a single ship rather than small section of very large ship (5000 tons is a d* big ship IMTU), but if the job requires more than one battalion of Marines (!), they'll just send more ships.
 
And the below is a long quote from a website, Regimentalrogue, in which they analyze a modern Canadian mechanized platoon (the article is entitled "The Canadian Infantry Section Attack")
http://regimentalrogue.tripod.com/papers/sect_atk.htm

Let's consider the infantry platoon's strength and organization. The doctrinal infantry platoon is 1-4-31 (officers - NCOs - infanteers) strong. When eight personnel (12 in a LAV-III platoon) are left in the platoon vehicles, the dismounted fighting strength of the platoon is 1-4-23 (1-4-19), which includes only 18 (14) riflemen. These riflemen are the key element when infantry "takes or holds" ground. Without enough riflemen, the infantry cannot achieve its mission. Traditionally, individual riflemen have another fundamental duty. They carry the ammunition for the platoon or the section support weapons - the belts of machine-gun ammo, the mortar bombs, the rockets. Reducing the number of available riflemen reduces the fighting power, the sustainability, and the survivability of the platoon in the dismounted role and, by extrapolation, that of the company, the battalion, etc.

The eight-man section is based on the size of a dismounted section of mechanized infantry, leaving a driver and a gunner out of a ten-man section in the section vehicle. That eight-man section is, therefore, the basic dismounted manoeuvre unit of the mechanized rifle platoon, but there are some inherent requirements for its survivability. Principally, it expects to be delivered between and to its objectives under armour. Also, it expects to have that vehicle carry its extra ammunition and other combat supplies, and, doctrinally, it expects that vehicle to be available to supplement its firepower with machine-gun or cannon fire. And in a mechanized role, it is very easy to imagine that the primary task of infantry is to execute short intense assaults from a dismount area in close proximity to an objective. The section, it is presumed, would always be an element of the larger tactical unit and the section commander would have limited tactical options or associated requirements for training. That's why mechanized infantry sections can be smaller and have limited tactical options. But, it's also why light infantry sections should be larger and should be trained in tactics that minimize the impact of the absence of the mechanized unit's vehicle-based logistical capability and fire support.

Infantry sections don't all come from Regular Force mechanized units. And even these units should be prepared for operations employing infantry in the fully dismounted (light) role. Few infantry soldiers simply ride in their APCs between assaults, and not every infantry platoon commander has four armoured personnel carriers to rely on for transport and fire support on every mission. Most important to realize, not every infantry platoon or section assault will take place within the context of a mechanized company or battalion operation.
 
modern warfare simulation suggests that it is no longer possible to conduct amphibiious operations as has been done in the past - draw the ships close to shore, send in the troops on smallcraft, and once the troops are dropped they're on their own. rather now the "supporting" ships must stand back 200 miles from the coast and send in troops from there - to do this in any effective manner is proving very difficult and expensive. in a future involving high-speed orbital and intercontinental assaults it is likely that straight-leg infantry maneuver will not be possible and that all infantry action will be vehicle-mounted and vehicle-dependent.
 
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