Talaharan Black Guard Corps

UCDF Black Guard Corps
ⵛⴰⵛⵀⴰⵜ ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰⵯⴰⴱⴰⵛⴰⵏ Šašhat I’Daf’a’abašan
Roundel of the Talaharan Black Guard Corps
Active	Since 1836 (1836)
Country	Talahara
Type	Militia
Role	Land warfare
Size	119,500
Part of	United Communes Defense Forces
Colour	Black
Engagements	List Talaharan Civil War
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	Executive Council
Executor of Defense	Taos Jebar
Defense Committee Senior Representative	District Colonel Akzi 'Albun
Defense Committee Enlisted Representative	Sergeant Amastan Tsahana

The Talaharan Black Guard Corps (Takelat: Šašhat I’Daf’a’abašan N'Talahara; ⵛⴰⵛⵀⴰⵜ ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰⵯⴰⴱⴰⵛⴰⵏ ⵏ'ⵜⴰlⴰⵀⴰⵔⴰ), officially the United Communes Defense Forces Black Guard Corps and commonly referred to as the Black Guards, is a community militia branch or national guard of the United Communes Defense Forces. Both the oldest and largest branch of the UCDF, the Black Guard Corps is a volunteer organization of part-time members. The Black Guard Corps's members live in their own communities and work in normal industries. However, they also dedicate a significant amount of time to training and other activities associated with the national defense of Talahara. On average, Black Guards have a greater number of training hours than reservists in most armies, though proportionally they dedicate more time to service. In addition, Black Guards are limited to territorial defense and cannot assist in offensive actions or deployments. The term "Black Guard" can be used to refer to the Black Guard Corps as a whole, regiment-sized guard units in the force, or individual members of the force, interchangeably.

Unlike the rest of the UCDF, the size of the Black Guard Corps is not limited by statute. As of 2022, the total number of Black Guards is 119,500. This equates to an average of 95 service members per commune, though the distribution of Black Guard units is not consistent across the country. Many of these members are not standard militia members of the Black Guard Corps, but rather perform administrative functions for the branch or other service branches of the UCDF. The typical commune is thus able to support two platoons of combat-ready Black Guards.

While small units of the Black Guard Corps maintain the typical Talaharan advancement system based on elections and seniority, the appointment of officers differs. Rather than qualified candidates being put forward for election, Communal Legislative Councils appoint officers subject to ratification by the entire commune. Units that span multiple communes are subject to coordination between Communal Councils. At the Defense Committee, the Black Guard Corps has two seats as with any other branch. The senior representative is District Colonel Akzi 'Albun. The enlisted representative is Sergeant Amastan Tsahana.

History

Origin

The Black Guards emerged in the early period of the Talaharan Civil War as peoples' militias opposed to both the Third Talaharan Kingdom and the competing Liberal Republic of Talahara. The organization of different Black Guard units varied greatly, but in general the militias were radically democratic units who accepted combatants from all walks of life. The name of the forces came from the black banners and armbands the members used to identify with the people's cause. The first Black Guard movements carved out independent communities, some forming alliances with neighbouring communities. With the arrival of Ziri Akli, a revolutionary scholar and organizer in February 1836, the Commune Council was founded as a central coordinating body for the various Black Guard units.

By April 1836, the Black Guards was between 8,000 and 9,000 strong. The Commune Council had convinced many units to consolidate a foothold in Takalt. For many, this meant abandoning villages, fields, and mines to pick up arms and fight the monarchists and capitalists. By mid-summer, the area from the hills west of Takalt to the Tyreseian border were under Communard control. The fall of 1836 brought another coup for the Communards as the 3rd, 5th, and 6th regiments of the Royal Talaharan Army defected to their cause, forming the Central Commune Army. In the west of the country, Yisraeli forces landed in northern Kirthan and annexed the region into a protectorate. Many of the displaced residents fled east to join the Communards.

Over the next year, the Third Kingdom was battered into a few noble household guards and warlords. The Liberal Republic and the Commune Council remained the two major belligerents of the conflict. While the Central Commune Army became the driving force of Communard offenses, the Black Guards defended against Republican raids and offenses, reinforced cities and forts, and protected workers. In January 1838, Communard forces had encircled the capital of Maktarim. A short-lived Black Guard Navy was organized to counter Republican ships, quickly succeeding in locking down the harbour.

The Liberal Republic of Talahara fell in June 1838. The Commune Council convened and set a mandate of writing a new constitution for the country but also arrived at a consensus for the interim form of governance. One of the interim measures called for the dissolution of the Central Commune Army, leaving the Black Guards as the sole military power in the United Communes, albeit a decentralized and democratic force.

Modern form

Black Guards practice marching in Weskera, c. 1940

In the years following the Civil War, the Black Guards were largely demobilized to their home communities. Despite demobilization for most units, the retained cohesion, training, and supplies made them a major stabilizing factor and successfully dissuaded foreign invasions and opposition to the revolutionary state. Many other units remained engaged in hunting down remnant monarchist and capitalist warbands. At the same time, the Black Guards struggled to remobilize into a large-scale offensive force. Plans to retake northern Kirthan from the Yisraeli-backed Protectorate of Tarshish never came to fruition.

In order to supplement the land power of the Black Guards and protect the Talaharan stretch of the Rubric Coast, the Talaharan Navy was founded in 1845. The Black Guards's irregular nature and niche of territorial defense was further enshrined in 1854 with the formation of the Talaharan Army Corps, one year after the Talaharan Navy and the Black Guards were renamed to the Navy Corps and Black Guard Corps, respectively.

Over the course of the next century, the Black Guards remained an important civic and military fixture in a defensive capacity. However, the Black Guard Corps was not mobilized for either the Annexation of Amara, nor the Liberation of Kirthan. During the Social War, a number of Talaharan Black Guards were likely among Tyreseian volunteers who travelled to Latium to assist the Latin Social Republic. The effort ultimately failed and the Social Republic fell in 1947. As offensive participation fell beyond the mandate of the branch, any evidence of Black Guard activity in the war effort was suppressed, though culturally some fighters were seen as martyrs for international socialism.

In the present day, Black Guards have less cultural capital but remain an important component of the UCDF. Many administrative and auxiliary tasks in the unified armed forces are fufilled by semi-civilian specialists who operate through the Black Guards. Furthermore, the Black Guard Corps is relied upon for national defense plans and a significant amount of personnel and equipment.

Structure and organization

The structure of the Black Guard Corps differs significantly from that of the Army Corps, adhering more closely to the legislative structure of the United Communes of Talahara than to a military organization. Each commune raises a company of Black Guards. The size of a company can vary between two and four platoons. Auxiliary staff such as medical professionals and administrators are siloed off into auxiliary companies. At present, there are 1,250 communes in Talahara and thus there are 1,250 Black Guard companies of varying strengths.

Groups of 25 companies are made into "black guards", regiment-equivalent units which are organized at the Regional Council level. Each black guard is subdivided into five battalions, each with five companies. Black guards generally count between 2,300 and 2,500 troops. One of the five battalions in a black guard is a tank battalion, another is an artillery battalion, and the remainin three are infantry battalions. Mechanization is uncommon and the bulk of the Black Guard forces are light infantry.

The auxiliary forces of the Black Guard Corps are also organized into auxiliary guard units at the Regional Council level. An auxiliary guard may be an auxiliary administrative guard or an auxiliary medical guard unit. These units may be seconded on a long or short-term basis to the administrative or medical divisions of other branches of the UCDF.

The core of the Black Guard Corps's military doctrine is area defense, primarily in defense-in-depth. While Black Guard companies are raised in local communities, black guard units are frequently deployed around the country for exercises and preparing for multi-stage defense plans. In case of invasion, the Black Guard Corps can activate and mobilize units from across the country. Different defense plans exist for a number of scenarios, including land, sea, and air invasions from each cardinal direction, or multiple invasions at once.

The most common strategic unit in battle organization is the battalion. Entire black guard units are occasionally grouped together for large-scale manoeuvres, particularly groups of tank battalions taken from a cross-section of black guards in a district. However, due to an emphasis on static defense, maintaining extended fronts, and unit cohesion for comparatively untrained groups, units smaller than a battalion are rarely directly accounted for in battle plans.

Equipment

Infantry equipment

Personnel protection
Model	Image	Origin	Type	Notes
T101		Rubric Coast	Combat helmet	Constructed from proprietary polyethylene fibres, protects against fragmentation and pistol-calibre bullets
ZFA99		Ostrozava	Gas mask	Includes a voicemitter, a drinking system, and ambidextrous filter mounting, filters up to 17 different agents
HF98		Talahara	Military camouflage	Three-tone desert pattern
Small arms
Small arms
Model	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Notes
M87T2		Rubric Coast	Assault rifle	7.5×35mm	Standard service rifle
M71T1		Rubric Coast	Battle rifle/designated marksman rifle	7.5×54mm	Rear echelon rifle and DMR
M53/63T4		Rubric Coast	Designated marksman rifle	7.5×54mm	Former service rifle, DMR
AK115		Rubric Coast	Pistol	9×25mm 10×25mm	Standard service pistol
AK59		Rubric Coast	Pistol	9×25mm 10×25mm	Standard service pistol
SK61T3		Rubric Coast	Medium machine gun	7.5×54mm	Section support and vehicle-mounted weapon
SK61/67T1		Rubric Coast	Heavy machine gun	13.5×99mm	Vehicle-mounted weapon
Personnel ordnance
Model	Image	Origin	Type	Notes
GG99		Rubric Coast	Infantry mortar	Fires 51mm HE or smoke grenades and 47mm flares
GHR87		Rubric Coast	Rocket-propelled grenade	Fires 89mm HEAT or fragmentation grenades
GU103		Rubric Coast	MPATS/MPADS	Wire-guided, fires 137mm HEAT missiles

Vehicles

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Armament	Quantity
S68/74T3 Serval		Rubric Coast	2nd generation main battle tank	105mm tank gun 20mm coaxial autocannon 7.5mm pintle machine gun	380
Model	Image	Origin	Type	Armament	Quantity
A85T2 Sand Racer		Rubric Coast	Armoured personnel carrier	7.5mm pintle machine gun	988
Model	Image	Origin	Type	Armament	Quantity
R94 Jackal		Rubric Coast	Scout car	MPATS/MPADS 7.5mm machine gun	205

Artillery

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Calibre	Quantity
G99		Rubric Coast	Howitzer	155mm	116
G61		Rubric Coast	Howitzer	155mm	180
G70		Rubric Coast	Heavy mortar	120mm	266
G106		Rubric Coast	Medium mortar	80mm	98

Aircraft

Model	Image	Origin	Type	Quantity	Notes
Fixed-wing aircraft
TMT72 Griffon Vulture		Tsurushima	Transport aircraft	2	Cargo capacity of 16 tonnes, transport capacity of 93 infantry, 88 paratroopers, or 62 stretchers
MT97 Heron		Talahara	Transport aircraft	4	Cargo capacity of 5.5 tonnes, transport capacity of 48 infantry or 32 stretchers
Rotary-wing aircraft
MI74 Leopard		Rubric Coast	Utility helicopter	3	Can transport up to 16 passengers or 10 stretchers, can be equipped with a door-mounted 20mm autocannon and two 7.5mm machine guns
MF76 Sandpiper		Rubric Coast	Light helicopter	18	Can transport up to five passengers, can be equipped with two forward-facing 7.5mm machine guns or two missile/rocket pods

Watercraft

Class	Image	Type	Displacement (tonnes, standard)	Armament	Vessels	Notes
Sisafir-class coastal patroller		Patrol boat	100	1× 13.5mm machine gun 1× 7.5mm machine gun	TBGV Alitifaq TBGV Awtuf TBGV Haja TBGV Harz TBGV Huruf TBGV Qorďa TBGV Rerafay TBGV Titimsaha
Azivi-class riverine patroller		Patrol boat	40	1× 7.5mm machine gun	TBGV Daw Tayat TBGV Fanina TBGV Tadawat TBGV Talahalut TBGV Tiyira TBGV Zezayda

Ranks and insignia

Officer ranks

	OF-6	OF-5	OF-4	OF-3	OF-2	OF-1
Insignia
Takelat name	ⴰⵇⵍⴰⵍ ⵏ'ⵎⵓⵏⵞⴰⵇⴰ	ⴰⵇⵍⴰⵍ ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰ	ⴰⵇⵍⴰⵍⴰⵛⵉⵔⵡⴰ ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰ	ⴰⵎⵣⵡⴰⵔ ⵏ'ⵜⴰⴱⴰⵡⴰⵔ	ⴰⵎⵣⵡⴰⵔ ⵏ'ⵛⴰⵔⵉⴽⴰ	ⴰⵎⵣⵡⴰⵔ ⵏ'ⵜⴰⵣⵍⴰ
Transliteration	Aqllal N’Muntsaqa	Aqllal I’Daf’a	Aqllalaširw I’Daf’a	Amzwar N’Tabawar	Amzwar N’Šarika	Amzwar N’Tazla
Translation	District Colonel	Guard Colonel	Adjutant-Guard Colonel	Battalion Commander	Company Commander	Platoon Commander

Enlisted ranks

	OR-8	OR-7	OR-6	OR-5	OR-4	OR-3	OR-2
Insignia
Takelat name	ⵎⵧⴽⴰⴷⴻⵎⵀⵍⵓ ⵏ'ⵜⴰⴱⴰⵡⴰⵔ	ⵎⵧⴽⴰⴷⴻⵎⵀⵍⵓ ⵏ'ⵛⴰⵔⵉⴽⴰ	ⵎⵧⴽⴰⴷⴻⵎⵀⵍⵓ ⵏ'ⵜⴰⵣⵍⴰ	ⵎⵧⴽⴰⴷⴻⵎ	ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰⴽⵔⴰⴷ	ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰⵙⵉⵏ	ⵉ’ⴷⴰⴼⵯⴰⵢⴰⵏ
Transliteration	Mokademhlu N'Tabawar	Mokademhlu N'Šarika	Mokademhlu N'Tazla	Mokadem	I'Daf'aširwa	I'Daf'asin	I'Daf'ayan
Translation	Battalion Sergeant-Major	Company Sergeant-Major	Platoon Sergeant-Major	Sergeant	Guard III	Guard II	Guard I

See also

• United Communes Defense Forces
• UCDF Army Corps
• UCDF Air Corps
• UCDF Navy Corps