Imperial Army

The **Imperial Army**, also known as **Imperial Forces** or **Ground Forces of The Imperium**, is the land-based force of The Imperium's Military. The Imperial Army is a direct descendent of the German Army (Heer) after the Imperiumist Takeover and collapse of Nazism in Europe. The Imperial Army quickly conquered Europe, Asia and Africa using Highly Trained Soldiers, mechanized Infantry and Skilled Armoured Corps. The Imperial Army works closely with The Imperial Airforce. The Imperial Army , more specifically The Armoured Corps, relied heavily on Air Support to support Ground Troops in engagements. The Imperial Guards (Infantry) makes up a large Bulk of The Force but Elite Imperial Stormtrooper Shock Divisions are now being widely used. These Imperial Storm Divisions are fiercely loyal to The Imperium.

## **Structure**

The Imperial Army is a Branch of The Armed Forces of The Imperium , dealing in Ground Operations. As such, The Army has various Sub-Branches to deal with specific aspects. For Example, The Imperial Border Command is in charge of reinforcing and guarding the Russo-Imperian Border and they have been doing so since 1943.

The Leading Commander of The Imperial Army is the Chief of The Army who is the Most Superior Officer in The Imperial Army. This position has been held by High Field Marshall Erwin Rommel since The Army's Foundation. The High Field Marshall is also The Head of The Imperial High Command. The Generals of The Army are The Second in Command of The Army and Advise The Chief of The Army in making decisions for army operations and was itself a part of Imperial High Command. The Chief of The Army serves on the Imperial High Command Cabinet and reports directly to The Imperial Emperor.

The Army is also commanded by The General Staff who are the collective of Generals and Field Marshalls who advise the Chief of the Army to make decisions on the High Command. They also control Division Movements and Compositions and Logistical Matters unless the High Command Says otherwise.

The Imperial Army often favoured the use of a tactic known as Lightning Warfare , in which both infantry and armoured cavalry were used together against a target so the enemy would have to defend against both. These Infantry and Armoured Units would be supported by Close Air Support Aircraft of The Imperial Air Force. The Imperial Army also maintained its own Imperial Army Military Police, although they were overshadowed by the Imperial Storm Corps. Other divisions included the Imperial Overseas Command, Special Forces Command, and Imperial Border Command.

## **History**

### **Formation**

The Imperial Army was originally 15 Infantry Divisions under the command of Model, Guderian and Rommel who defied an order from Hitler to attack into Belgium and instead betrayed The German Reich and Pledged Support to The Emperor. Rundstedt attempted to inform the SS about the betrayal but was killed under Model's orders. Heydrich also sided with Model and instead stayed on the border with the SS to keep control. This was the Initial Beginnings of The Imperial Army. In Imperian Propaganda - These 15 Divisions are called "The Loyal 15".

### **Imperiumist Takeover**

The Mission for The Newly Formed, Imperial Army was to overthrow a strong and consolidated Nazi Government with Fanatical Supporters ready to die for their Fuhrer. Model and Rommel had linked up with The Emperor and began a March on Berlin. The Waffen-SS Garrison of around 13,000 Men had kicked The Wehrmacht out of Berlin and commandeered a defence of the City. Wehrmacht Forces were in open revolt and many Divisions pledged Loyalty to The Emperor. An Initial Attack was repelled by The Waffen-SS Garrison. Many Waffen-SS Divisions had garrisoned themselves in Towns and Cities in Germany and Poland and refused to surrender. The Africa Corps was another problem facing the Imperial Army as the DAK had not been swayed by The Emperor. Imperial Forces were still being Bombed by Allied Forces and this slightly hindered their abilities to overthrow Regional Nazi Leaders.

The Battle of Berlin (Or Siege of Berlin) was still taking place and involved 700,000 Imperial Soldiers fighting a Force of 13,000. The Battle was fierce but definitely not One Sided. The Waffen-SS had the advantage of being the Defenders and in a Heavily Fortified City. It was only due to the efforts of Felix Steiner, who betrayed The Nazis and allowed the Imperial Forces to breach apart of the Defences, the Mission succeeded with minimal casualties. Hitler is killed after Imperial Forces storm the Reichstag. The Emperor proclaims a New Imperium and denounces Germanism and Nazism (causing resistance from Far-Right Germans and remaining Nazis who have gone into hiding). The Imperial Army had a brief victory but now a bigger task is upcoming.

### **Nazi Insurrections and Italian War**

Due to The Strong Opposition from Right-Wing Germans and Nazis along with Waffen-SS strongholds, The Imperial Army is forced to undertake a largescale Operation to rid The Imperium and Imperia (Berlin) of Nazi Sympathisers and Waffen-SS Terrorists. Poland had become a hotbed for the SS who (much to the dislike of The Polish People) had set up key strongholds in Warsaw, Krakow, Danzig and Lodz. The SS also had Strongholds in Munich, Stuttgart and Nuremberg who were controlling a large portion of the surrounding region.

#### **Italian War**

The Imperial Army was forced to deal with the problem. Upon the End of The War in 1941, The Imperium not only had a growing Nazi Uprising but also entered into a war with The Italians. The War in Italy was going to be difficult for The Imperial Army from the Start due to the Alpine Forts. The Imperial Army was tasked with breaking the Alpine Forts and Sweeping to Rome. As such, High Field Marshall Rommel was tasked with this Mission due to his combat in Italy during The Great War. Initial Attacks onto the Alpine Forts were failures and Imperial Army Commanders knew taking the Alpine Line would mean massive Imperian Casualties. However, The German Exile Army had made a mistake. Led by Field Marshall Schörmer charged from their fort to meet the Imperian Assault Force in The Battle of Mals. This would be a decisive Imperian Victory and The GEA retreated to their fort heavily outnumbered and outgunned. The Imperian 9th Guard Division flooded into the Fort in a massacre and killed 3,000 German Soldiers in the entire Battle. The Alpine Forts had been broken and Imperian Tank Divisions breached the gap.

Meanwhile, The Imperial Army had swept through The Balkans with their Greek Allies. The Imperium Tank Divisions spearheaded into Hungary which was again ruthless and headed by General Felix Steiner who was known for his aggressive tactics and disregard of loss of life. On the 7th of September, The Imperium Army surrounded Budapest and demanded a surrender. Miklós Horthy refused and The Imperium Army crushed Budapest. The Hungarians were overwhelmed and surrendered during the fighting. Romania surrendered on the 12th September after the Fall of Budapest in fear of The Imperian Army. The Greeks and Imperians launched a combined Invasion of Bulgaria on the 15th which would see the deaths of 6,000 Bulgarian Soldiers in a few days which would end the Balkan Campaign.

On the Alpine Front, The Breach had forced Italian Forces to retreat to better defensive positions. The Italian Forces had to retreat from their forts as an Imperian Grand Offensive occurred all along the front. The Imperian Invasion was ruthless and entire villages and towns were bombed and shelled to cripple the retreating Italians. Venice was a last holdout of Italian Forces where the Italian Troops fought valiantly but inevitably surrendered. The Alpine Wall had fallen along with most of the North by 16th September. The Italians had suffered defeat after defeat. The German Exile Army fled to Rome as a last stand. 30,000 Italian Soldiers had already been killed. The Imperial Navy and Imperial Marines invaded Sicily which allowed Imperial Army Troops to land. Imperian Marine Divisions flooded the Eastern Coast and All Remaining Italian Soldiers fell back to a defensive line around Rome. In the early days of November, not much happened. The Italians formed a flimsy defence around Rome which they thought would fail. Then on the 5th, the attack began. The Imperial Army had severely overestimated the determination of The Italian Defenders and they were beaten back on the 7th after a 3 day attack. The Imperial Army was surprised by this as they thought The Italians were at breaking point. The 10th saw a Second Imperian Assault which broke the Outer Line of Defence and the remaining Italians fled to Rome. Benito Mussolini vowed to fight until the last man.

The Battle of Rome began on the 15th and The German Exile Army fought bitterly alongside their Italian Allies. The Imperium and The Emperor were very impressed by the determination and defiance of The Italians who resisted and held out. As such, The Battle of Rome ended on the 20th with widespread Italian surrender. The Imperial Guards stormed the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana and killed many German Exile Soldiers. They captured Benito Mussolini and took him straight to Imperia. This ended the Italian War of Conquest in 116 Days. This Victory in the War was staggering for The Imperial Army. However, their services were not yet finished.

#### **Nazi Insurrections**

The 2nd and 3rd Imperial Guard Divisions were sent to Stuttgart on the 18th November 1941. The Commander of The Force, Field Marshall Model, ordered a Surrender of The SS and Militia Garrison of around 5,000 Men. The SS refused and a Siege began. The Imperial Guard Divisions broke into Stuttgart and burned down many Buildings. The Imperial Army killed 4,000 of The Garrison and 20,000 Civilians in a Massacre. The Army couldn't tell who was a Nazi and who wasn't because the SS hid among the population. SS ambushes would scare Imperial Soldiers and kill many and then the SS would sleek back into The Back Alleys. The Army had to use reprisal attacks to draw out SS Fighters. A Blockade of The City Began and it was put under Military Control. This would be a common theme throughout the Nazi Insurrections. Erwin Rommel's Search and Destroy Tactic worked extremely well at finding and destroying Nazi Bases and Soldiers but resulted in High Civilian Losses because Soldiers couldn't distinguish who was a Nazi and who wasn't.

The Imperial Army would be bogged down in the Nazi Insurrections all the way until 1954 with Imperial Forces frequently having to destroy small Nazi Uprisings or retake Towns and Cities in the later Stages of The Insurrection. On the 5th of April 1954, The Nazi Insurrections would end as all Nazi Strongholds and Bases were destroyed or abandoned after the Destruction of Warsaw and The Nazis were forced to go into hiding. It would not be until 1960 when Himmler returns to the political scene that Nazism would rise again but with less Fighting and more Swaying of The Populous.

The Newly Formed , 1st Imperial Storm Division was deployed to Munich to retake the City and Install Order. The 1ISD arrived in Munich on the 3rd Feb 1942 and by the 1st of March, 5,000 SS Fighters had been killed and over 4,000 suspected Nazis had been arrested. The Effectiveness of The 1ISD impressed the Imperial High Command and scared Nazi Leaders who surrendered to The 1ISD in fear of being tortured and killed. Munich had been subdued by the 14th March.

Finally the Nazi Insurrections would End in 1954 after a Grand Imperial Offensive on Remaining Nazi Holdouts and The Nuclear Bombing of Warsaw. This Nuclear Bombing was a Devastating Event which leaves the City and Surrounding Area Inhospitable to this day.

### **Invasion of The USSR**

With the Imperium in control of the Balkans to The Baltic Sea, The Imperial Army launched a Massive Invasion of The USSR involving 5,000,000 Imperial Soldiers and a combined 300,000 Puppet Soldiers on the 3rd April 1943. With the End of The War of Liberation and The Italian War of Conquest, The Imperium held a desire to invade Russia. The Imperial Army Reformation in 1941 meant the Imperial Military could easily hold a long war in Russia With Functioning Supply Chains. With the Nazi Counterattack On 16th July 1942 to the 4th February 1943 being destroyed and a Calm Period occurring which would last from the 4th February 1943 to the 19th September 1945, The Emperor saw this as a perfect time to Invade The Soviet Union. He began amassing a Supreme Army Force of 5 Million Imperial Soldiers, many being conscripts, on the Imperium-Soviet Border in Poland stretching to The Black Sea. He assembled many of his finest Generals to command The Invasion. He also Took Part in the Planning.

In the Early Hours of The 3rd April 1943, 5 Million Imperial Soldiers crossed into Soviet Occupied Poland and Ukraine. The Soviet Soldiers on the West were completely taken by surprise. The Imperial Army was relentless and used this period of confusion to take as much land as possible. On the First Day of the War, 10,000 Soviet Soldiers would be Killed and a Further 5,000 Captured. With Soviet Troops retreating to the Volga River Line and the Salient Around Moscow, Imperial Soldiers could freely march into Russia. On the 20th of April, The Whole of Soviet Occupied Poland was now largely under Imperial Control and Imperial Army Group North under General Olbricht had reached The Baltic Nations occupied by the USSR. Model's Army in the South had made Great Gains toward the Caucuses Oil Fields. The Oil Fields in the Caucuses were a Key War Target. The War in the Air was a Overwhelming Imperial Victory and the Soviet Airforce made Valiant Attacks despite being overwhelmed to stop their War Machine from being Bombed into submission. The War was by no means Easy for The Imperium. In the Centre, Steiner, De Pell and Fromm's Combined Force had fully occupied Poland and began pushing into The Belarusian SSR by the end of April. In April Alone, 150,000 Soviet Soldiers had died and around 50,000 Imperial Soldiers had died.

The Tide was firmly in Imperial Hands. On the 5th of July, The First Imperial Soldiers reached the Volga River. It took longer than expected due to the Soviet Scorched Earth Tactic. The Volga River Line was now Heavily Fortified. Especially in the South around Stalingrad protecting the Caucuses Oil Fields. Model's Southern Army reached The City of Stalingrad and prepared to attack. The Battle of Stalingrad was a complete slaughter on either side. The City was on the Opposite Side of the Volga River and Soviet Forces had to turn the City into a Fort itself. Model's Forces managed to capture the Bridges crossing the Volga and Soviet Troops had to land on the Bank. Artillery Barrages and Aerial Bombings by either side destroyed 90% of The City. Finally on The 21st September, Stalingrad would fall to the Imperium. On the 30th September, Stalin called for another 10 Million to Join the Fight. On the Same Day, Imperial Forces started a Grand Push across the Volga River. Leningrad was now fully encircled and would hold on until the Formal Surrender. On the 5th November, 5 Imperial Armoured Divisions crushed The Red Army in Smolensk and began a Drive to Moscow. On the 10th, The Salient around Moscow would be under attack by the Imperial Armoured Divisions. However, The Armoured Divisions were forced to halt because the Infantry needed to catch up costing valuable time.

Eventually, Steiner's Force would Siege Down Moscow. The 3rd Imperial Storm Division Accompanying them slaughtered the NKVD defenders inside The Kremlin and Executed Joseph Stalin on the Orders of The Emperor himself. By now, Most Soviet Soldiers had stopped fighting and a provisional Government was regrouping in the Urals. Imperial Forces continued to crush Soviet Strongholds and Positions leading to the Urals. Finally, on the 10th January 1944, The Provisional Government lead by Andrey Vlasov. The Imperial Forces began Occupying the Russian Lands annexed by The Imperium and The Imperial Border Command was founded.

### **Post-Invasion of the USSR**

After the Invasion of The USSR, The Army would drastically drop in numbers as no threats existed that required a Large Standing Army. The main Imperial Guard Divisions were volunteer only. The Imperial Overseas Brigade and Russo-Imperian Border Units would remain as Conscripted but they are by no means as good as the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Army would assist the Atlantean Army in the War of the Pacific with Advisory Support and Weapon Training from 1951 onwards. The Second Imperial Storm Division would actually see combat in the Invasion of Hawaii in 1952. The 2ISD were vital in repelling the attack alongside the FAS Marines and Army Forces stationed on the island. Over the course of the war, 16 Imperial Army Personnel would be killed, 4 of these being Stormtroopers. It is estimated the Advisory Support and Supplies given to the Free Atlantic States saved around 50,000 American Lives in the Battle of Hawaii.

In 1953, General Freidrich Fromm would retire from The Imperial Army after suffering a stroke, Fromm was a War Hero of both the War of Liberation and Nazi Insurrections which was a deep shock to many in the Imperial Army.

The Imperial Army is a symbol of the Emperor's Might in the Realm of The Imperium and few are in any position to challenge it, let alone defeat it.