Scythian Sniper Corps

The Scythian Sniper Corps is a brigade-sized element of soldiers trained and equipped for warfare in an irregular fashion. Emphasis in all cases is placed on the ability for small-scale units to maneuver into position undetected, apply extreme amounts of violence to a prejudiced or opportune target, and escape or evade to repeat. Such operations have made the corps extremely versatile on operations, effectively bridging the gap between conventional and special forces.

History

The history of snipers in the Scythian army is as old as Scythia itself, with the King's bodyguard recieving exceptional independent training on the use of shortbows in long range combat against neighbouring tribes and political dissidents alike. These groups would be dissolved by 1921 with the revolution seeing the dissolution of all Royal formations, by which time their role as marksmen was largely symbolic. Their men and equipment were still nonetheless hand-selected by the king for their loyalty and accuracy respectively.

The Corps itself was founded in 1941 during the Thracian invasion of Scythia. Even as early as April, Thracian pressure was deeply constricting Scythian resources, and in response many Scythian brigades were resorting to irregular operations. Noting the wealth of experience spread throughout the army, the Scythian high command ordered the construction of the Scythian Rangers on August 3rd, 1941.

By the end of October 1941, the Scythian Rangers had been hastily assembled and equipped with equipment pulled from reserve stockpiles; Martini-Enfield single-shot rifles were not uncommon among their ranks, and their primary method of travel would be the horse cavalry deemed unfit for modern maneuver warfare. Despite this, the situation on the Scythian front was so dire as to require their immediate employment and, with only two and a half months of training, the Rangers would see their first combat.

The opening actions of theScythian Rangers would dispel any doubt, however, in the capabilities of massed irregular warfare on a mechanized battlefield. Through ingenuity and patience, snipers of the Rangers would kill or wound 48 senior officers of the 33rd and 16th Thracian Infantry Divisions over the course of the next two months, with countless other ambushes being without attribution to any force in the area. By the end of 1941, Thracian advance into Scythia would be ground to a halt.

By the end of the war in 1946, the Scythian Rangers would become a core element in all League of Nations operations. In the immediate postwar period, the formation was renamed to the Scythian Sniper Corps, and reorganized into it's current structure, with the 5th, 6th, and 7th Sniper Regiments being dissolved in their entirety into the remaining four, and support elements being integrally attached to the Regiments, and the Corps as a whole.

The Scythian Rangers would go on to see combat in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Kathic Civil War, and the Global War on Terror; earning battle honours and decorations in all.

4 Squadron, 1st Scythian Sniper Regiment Controversy

In the 1946 restructure, the First Scythian Sniper Regiment was intended to function as an airborne force along with the 2nd and 3rd Regiments. In 1955, however, several events lead to the stripping of the 4th Squadron's wings and commendations. Although the 4th Squadron, 1st Sniper Regiment retains it's airborne capabilities, it's honors and decorations are no longer adjusted to reflect that.

Being an irregular formation, standardization is loose and doctrine is often written and rewritten as situations evolve, with RoEs from Regiment or higher being the only standard. This would see many curious innovations, several brilliant solutions, and a number of dangerous shortcuts evolve. As early as the summer of 1952, with electronic warfare and direction finding becoming an evolving threat in the battlespace, some elements would elect to enforce levels of radio silence in the field, an unequivocable decision. The 4th Squadron, 1st Sniper Regiment took this a step further, and began training on minimal radio traffic - elements would not communicate except when absolutely necessary, often being out of contact for weeks at a time.

In January of 1955, it was decided that a Sniper Regiment would be needed in order to strike a defining blow against the North Korean and Zhenian army. In February, the 1st Scythian Snipers were deployed in-theater. The plan, on paper, was for each squadron to be deployed for a single month, pass rearward through friendly lines, and recuperate for three months before redeploying as necessary. In March, 1 Squadron would be dropped behind enemy lines, with 2 Squadron deploying in April, 3 Squadron in May, and half of 4 Squadron in June.

On June 12th, 1955, the first planned peace trials were coordinated between Zhenian and League forces, and a ceasefire would be called for all involved forces. A delegation was sent from Seoul North to the edge of the battle area, and likewise the Zhenians South from Pyongyang. The Zhenian delegation, however, would never arrive - about 63km North of the proposed meeting point they would be ambushed by at least two coordinated teams from 1/4 Squadron. The deaths of multiple Zhenian and North Korean politicians and high-ranking generals would see the war resume for a further 25 days before a second delegation would be arranged and all Scythian Snipers could be pulled from the field.

Upon return, the 1/4 Squadron would be held to account for their actions by an international tribunal for "Abuse of Arranged Ceasefires"; it was at this point it became clear that the message had not in fact been successfully passed to the Sniper detachments. For further details, see Korean War.

Organization and Equipment

The Organization and Equipment of the Scythian Sniper Corps is as specialized as it is unique. As such, it offers only speculative parallels to other military formations; it's "parade" manpower and equipment should be taken as a suggestion.

Organization

The Scythian Sniper Corps currently operated 5 regiments, plus support elements:

• 1st Scythian Sniper Regiment "Death's Wager"
• 2nd Scythian Sniper Regiment "Vultures"
• 3rd Scythian Sniper Regiment "Righteous Fury"
• 4th Scythian Sniper Regiment "Tip of the Spear"
• Corps Combat Support Squadron "Under, Over, Through"
• Corps Admin and Headquarters Squadron "And Hell Follows With"

Each Regiment has the following structure:

• Sniper Squadron
  • Sniper Troop (8x Sniper Detachments of 2 Snipers)
  • Sniper Troop
  • Sniper Troop
  • Sniper Troop
  • Sniper Troop
  • Weapons Troop (5x Weapons Detachments of 4 Soldiers)
• Sniper Squadron
• Sniper Squadron
• Sniper Squadron
• Sniper Squadron
• Regiment Combat Support Squadron
• Regiment Admin and Headquarters Squadron

Again, the on-paper and doctrinal strength of the Scythian Sniper Corps is known to differ widely from the actual combat strength; as each task force is custom-tailored to the terrain, these numbers are only useful as an estimate.

Equipment

The Scythian Sniper Corps currently operates a wide variety of equipment, much of it retired from regular force usage but some separately purchased.

Infantry Weapons
M10 SMG	[1]	10mm Auto	Personal Defense Weapon
M7 Rifle	[2]	6.8mm SPC	Service Rifle
M12 Marksman Rifle	[3]	6.8mm SPC	Designated Marksman's Rifle
M8 Rifle	[4]	8.6mm Lapua Magnum	Sniper Rifle
M2 AntiTank Rifle	[5]	14.5x114mm	Anti-material Rifle
M68 Light Antitank Weapon	[6]	66mm	Anti-vehicle Rocket

Support Weapons
M56 Recoiless Rifle	[7]	84mm Venturi Rockets/Shells	Medium Antitank Launcher, Squadron Antitank Support
G2 Mortar	[8]	60mm	Light Mortar, Squadron Artillery Support
F92 Anti-Air Missile System	[9]	70mm	Low-altitude Air Defense/Anti-helicopter Missile, Squadron Air Defense
G99 Self-Propelled Howitzer	[10]	155mm	Self-Propelled Gun, Regiment Artillery Support
F02 Anti-Air Missile System	[11]	180mm AIM-120 AMRAAM	Medium-Altitude Air Defense, Regiment Air Defense
G63 Self-Propelled Gun	[12]	170mm	Long-Range Self-Propelled Gun, Corps Artillery Support
F10 Air Defence System	[13]	S400 Missiles	Long-Range Air Defense, Corps Air Defense

Vehicles
M14 Ultralight Utility Vehicle	SimbaCo ULSV	4x4	0 tonne	Tactical Personnel Transport
M17 M-Gator	[14]	4x4	1/4 tonne	Tactical Equipment/Supply Transport
M93 Light Support Vehicle	[15]	4x4	1/2 tonne	Command and Admin Vehicle
M18 Medium Support Vehicle	[16]	6x6	5 tonne	Heavy Logistics and Prime Mover