Ground Warfare is a type of warfare related to ground battles.
Overview[]
Ground battles normally happen between nations that border with other nations through the land. From Earth, ground warfare is already common warfare far before when humans start to form advance civilization, it already existed on prehistoric times such as the Stone Age when one clan wages war with another clan for supremacy. It then continues when the Bronze Age started and through the advance of the ground war itself, people start to utilize arsenals and even assets such as horses, building the fortress, and eventually, developing gunpowder and guns at the modern era. Some war is being recorded and kept remember for histories such as Alexander The Great Campaign, Genghis Khan Campaign, Edo Period, and many more. The advancement of the ground warfare escalates further into the development of the ironclad arsenals such as Armored Car and Tanks that are introduced widespread on World War I and become a popular vehicle that remains in use in the modern era. In this New World, ground warfare is very common due to the mindset of the people about "strong devour the weak" and lack of war knowledge and wisdom such as Sun Tzu's famous word, "Know Your Enemy".
Varieties[]
Plain Warfare[]
Plain Warfare is the most common warfare happens where two or more sides are clashing at the battlefield where there is a lack of cover and soldiers often make camp on the plain. While anyone can be exposed to the attack, the plain field is often used as a place to take the battlefield. The first recorded Plain Warfare is during the Battle of Fenn Kingdom where Japan deployed tanks to intercept the Parpaldia Empire's Ground Army to stop them from reaching Fenn Capital.
Guerrilla Warfare[]
Guerrilla Warfare mainly happens when a small number of troops make an attempt to either slow the enemy down, to demoralize them gradually, or to conduct a hit and run tactics to exhaust the enemy. This kind of warfare mainly relies on ambushes, traps, and hit and run tactics to whittle down enemy numbers and to slow their advance and this kind of warfare is commonly happening in the forest or near the forest. The primary intention of Guerrilla Warfare is not to eradicate the enemies completely as the main objective is to slow the enemy down and to demoralize their ranks. Should they are behind the enemy lines, one of the most efficient ways is to conduct a hit and run strategy while maintaining Guerrilla Warfare.
One of the problems is the troop must keep mobile to avoid being detected or captured by the enemy units. Should the hideout was compromised, the units must relocate or they will suffer losses.
Japan uses this warfare when 10 Type-10 Tanks ambushed over 200 Hound I tanks during the first phase of battle at Battle of Hollow Mountains. Once the goal was reached, Japan makes a full retreat into Kielseki Plains for the next phase of operations.
Guerrilla Warfare is one of the most effective warfare on the ground. Even when the enemy has far more superior technology, as long as the Commanders can outsmart them, it can give the enemy a heavy blow or difficult time to advance. One of the clear evidence is Global War on Terrorism where the Guerrilla Warfare applied on Terrorism Cells was proved very effective even against the UN that has better technology.
For Naval Warfare, it's only very effective when the nation possesses a submarine and operates it deep behind enemy lines.
Amphibious Warfare[]
Amphibious Warfare is the warfare when the army is conducting an assault on the enemy's shoreline. This happens when ground troops are being deployed to the beach while the Navy provides a supporting and suppression fire so the troops can land into the beach safely. This kind of warfare is only exclusive at shoreline battle where a nation attempts to secure a beachhead before advancing into the next target. Amphibious Warfare first was recorded during the initial assault of the Parpaldia Empire Imperial Army on Fenn Kingdom's shoreline before capturing Nishinomiyako.
Mechanized warfare[]
See Tank Warfare
Mechanized warfare or known as Tank Warfare is warfare where people are using an armored vehicle such as Light-Armored Vehicle and Tanks. For full potential, Tank Warfare often happens at the plains and this warfare was introduced when the enemy is introducing Trench Warfare, a type of warfare where the infantries are dug in so the artillery or airstrike will not be able to strike accurately due to abundant amount of cover.
Urban Warfare[]
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical levels. Complicating factors in urban warfare include the presence of civilians and the complexity of the urban terrain, limiting the capability of both air and artillery support to suppress civilians casualty. Urban combat operations may be conducted in order to capitalize on the strategic or tactical advantages with which possession or control of a particular urban area gives or to deny these advantages to the enemy.
The first Urban Warfare recorded is during Operation Momotarou where the JSDF and Topa Knights hustle to rescue the civilians trapped on the Square.
Siege Warfare[]
Siege Warfare existed when a nation manages to create any equipment to breach the enemy's defenses such as Battering Ram, Catapult, Ladder, etc. at the town that has a wall too high to climb along with a sturdy gate to breach. Following the advancement of the era, medieval weapons becomes obsolete, instead, it was replaced with Artillery and Tanks to lay siege on enemy town. Siege warfare is very exhausting since it involves psychological warfare to know how to lure the enemy out, to keep them occupied until the food supplies run out, or to make sure the enemy opens up negotiations. It can take up from days to months or even years depends on how long a nation wants to set up the siege on the enemy's fortress and to make sure they surrender.
Siege Warfare on towns can usually lead to Urban Warfare if the army breaches the City's Defenses and fighting the army inside the city. If it does happen, Siege Warfare often makes some support attack from siege units becomes limited due to lack of the visual designation for the target which often happens when the Artillery stationed outside the town while the Main Unit is laying siege on enemy strategic points inside the town.
In this world, Siege Warfare can be broken under certain circumstances and when one of these three conditions are fulfilled. The first is to obtain Air Superiority when defensive troops are able to gain Air Superiority and forced the siege troops to retreat. The second is to secure a path to retreat so the residents and soldiers trapped in town can escape. The third and last is when an opposing army decides to end the siege and either retreat or going on a full-scale attack.
The first known Siege Warfare is during Battle of Ejey where the Lourian Army lay siege on the Ejey Fortress and taunting Qua-Toyne's army in an attempt to lure them out from the fortress.
Trench Warfare[]
Trench Warfare was first introduced during World War I where the troops are stationed inside the trench, providing cover from bullet fire and allow them to survive under intense attack. The downside of this type of warfare, however, an unoccupied land called "No Man's Land" was created when both sides keep each other in check.
The construction of the trench can take hours to days, depends on how deep they are doing to make and how far they are going to make the trench. In World War II itself, the Trench Warfare was upgraded with Bunkers to provide more security for soldiers stationed there so they can take cover more quickly. Light arsenals are often installed such as Machinegun emplacement and mortars to maximize the damage.
Trench Warfare often created not in a line formation due to the military often try to establish a "Killzone" so they can inflict more casualties to the advancing army. Following the advancement of warfare, trench warfare remains in use as more defenses can be made such as Anti-Tank Personnel Mines, Anti-Tank Weaponry for ground defenses.
To counter this warfare, an aircraft must be in the correct position to conduct a bombing run from a high angle since using a precision attack, even with modern technologies remains proven as a difficult task to execute due to a slight miss from the target will not deal considerable damage to the infantries taking cover inside the trench but only enough to suppress them. The mortar was also developed to counter this warfare as the most effective weapon due to the high-angle attack where Artillery was unable to reach it. Another is Tank or Mechanized Warfare where nations start using a tank to cross trench without plunging itself into the trench left behind by both factions.
Mu is the first country to use Trench Warfare but unsuccessfully defended Arou due to Gra Valkas Empire's Hound I medium tanks can cross it easily.
Airborne and Air Assault[]
Airborne refers to the use of transport aircraft to drop infantry, vehicles, and supplies equipped with parachutes onto a battlefield, often in difficult to reach locations or onto strategic positions. Japan and Mu are so far the only countries to deploy airborne forces in the New World. Although the Gra Valkas Empire has airborne forces, they've had no known appearance.
Air Assault refers to infantry supported by helicopters, providing transportation and fire support. This style of highly mobile warfare became well suited for difficult battlefields such as mountains and jungles back on Earth. As the only country with helicopters, Japan has a monopoly on this kind of warfare, first using it during the Pacification of Jin-Hark.
Doctrines[]
First Civilization[]
Ground warfare is unique in the First Civilization due to the regions emphasis on magic infused technology.
Second Civilization[]
The Second Civilization is generally considered to be at WW1-Level technology and they are well-versed in trench warfare, especially Mu. Armies are armed with bolt-action rifles and machine guns. Mu's army used motorcycles for recon, but it isn't know how heavily motorized vehicles are used. They are also supported by biplanes.
The difference of the 2nd Civilization to the armies of Earth during WW1 is that they don't still conceptualize mechanized warfare. Trench warfare is overwhelmed by the light and medium tanks of the Gra Valkas Empire. During the Battle of Arou, Mu is still designing their tanks with help from Japan when GVE attacked.
Mu deployed airborne infantry, but it is unknown if, like the the tank, this is a concept they learned for Japan or already possessed. In reality, airborne infantry was conceived in the first World War, but the first units were never actually formed until the interwar years.
Third Civilization[]
In the Third Civilization, the Parpaldia Empire has strived to keep itself technologically ahead of the rest of the continent, giving it a unique war doctrine compared the the rest of the Third Civilization and even the world. Parpaldia's ground forces are formed primarily by infantry armed with Flintlock rifles and pistols, deployed in line formations to maximize the volume of fire, although it still maintains cavalry and troops are still equipped and trained with swords and other close quarters weaponry. Magical cannons are used to provide devastating artillery fire. These focuses on ranged combat was part of the reason the Empire so easily subjugated the rest of the continent.
The exact level of technology varies, but other countries in the Third Civilization area are still reliant on melee equipped infantry and archers, similar to areas outside the civilization areas.
Outside Civilization[]
Areas outside the three Civilized Areas, such as the Rodenius Continent, are on a technology scale similar to medieval armies. Infantry armed with swords, spears, and other melee weapons as well as heavily armored cavalry are expected to approach the enemy and engage them in direct combat. Like parts of the Third Civilization area, archers are the primary ranged unit.
Siege warfare is still common, and weapons like catapults and ballista are still employed in battle.
Gra Valkas Empire[]
The Gra Valkas' ground forces are of an early WWII level, but still easily the second most advanced ground force in the New World. Many of their divisions are infantry equipped with bolt action rifles and portable machine guns, supported by artillery and aircraft from the Empire's aerial forces. Mechanization is an important aspect of these divisions, with motorcycles, trucks, armored cars, and light and medium tanks used for recon, logistics, and direct firepower. Tanks do seem relatively uncommon in the Gra Valkas arsenal, mainly concentrated in elite units whose objective is to destroy enemy resistance sufficiently enough to allow infantry to sweep through the rest.
Despite a hefty naval power, the Gra Valkas have so far shown no examples of amphibious ground forces. They do, however, have paratroopers.
Japan[]
The Japanese Ground Forces still largely outfitted and organized based on the realities of the global political situation back on earth, where the principle enemy they expected to face were Russia and China. Despite this, by drawing on their own history and numerous parallels in the New World to Earth, the Japanese have expertly adapted to fight in the New World.
Japanese technology is unparalleled in the New World, with a variety of specialized combat vehicles and an assortment of assault rifles, pistols, sniper rifles, and machine guns available to its soldiers.
The best word to describe Japanese doctrine is 'diverse', with units focused on mechanized warfare, amphibious warfare, and airborne and air assault all part of the JGSDF. Even its regular infantry units are complemented with detachments of artillery, tanks, armored and unarmored vehicles, and even helicopters.
All these factors mean Japan can employ almost any strategy it chooses, depending on the circumstances it is facing, making it the most versatile and capable army in the entire world, even without being the most numerous.