Kimsŏng divisions
Kimsŏng divisions (Menghean: 킴성장 사단 / 金星章師團, Kimsŏngjang Sadan), also known as Gold Star divisions, are elite military formations in the Menghean Army. Otherwise identical to Army divisions of the equivalent type, they generally receive higher priority in the allocation of new equipment, and have a larger share of volunteers in combat units. Kimsŏng divisions are similar in role to Guards units in Letnia, but differ in their history and in the way Kimsŏng status is assigned.
History
The predecessors of today's Kimsong divisions were Hongbyŏl brigades (홍별 여단 / 紅- 旅團, Hongbyŏl Yŏdan), or "Red Star divisions." These were conventional and guerilla units which had distinguished themselves during the Menghean War of Liberation. As the Menghean People's Army expanded, the Hongbyŏl brigades were expanded into Hongbyŏl divisions, which retained their original numbers in honor of their revolutionary contributions. Under the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe, the Hongbyŏl divisions remained relatively few in number even as the armed forces expanded to meet Menghe's defense needs.
After the Decembrist Revolution, these formations took on their present name, and grew in number. By 2008, eighteen of Menghe's 309 active and reservist divisions and brigades bear the Kimsŏng or "Gold Star" designation. Many of the new additions were chosen because they bore the same designation number as distinguished Army divisions of the Pan-Septentrion War. For a brief period in the late 2000s, units could also be promoted to Kimsŏng status if they performed exceptionally well on inspections or during major exercises.
Role
In contrast with other elite units, such as the Army Special Forces or the Airborne Assault Forces, Kimsŏng divisions share the same organization as regular Army divisions, and fight using the same doctrine. They tend to have priority in the allocation of more advanced military equipment, such as the BSCh-9 IFV in its more recent configurations or the YDCh-72 ATGM, though this equipment is then allocated to other Army units once Kimsŏng divisions are fully supplied. Compared with other Army formations, they tend to have a higher share of volunteer personnel in combat roles, though they are not exclusively volunteer formations and still rely heavily on conscripts in various logistic and non-combat roles. As such, while they are often described as "elite," they are distinct from special forces and special-purpose units, and are best thought of as regular Army divisions of a relatively higher quality.
In a major conventional war, Kimsŏng divisions would likely serve as the vanguard of the Menghean Army's offensive operations, employed in breakthroughs, counterattacks, and the exploitation of major gaps in the enemy line. Because they are division-size units deployed long in advance of an offensive, they would not be able to exploit such opportunities as they arose, but might be held in the Corps Reserve or organized ahead of time to reflect a breakthrough plan at the operational level.
Based on publicly available information, the vast majority of Kimsŏng divisions are concentrated in the 4th, 7th, and 8th Armies. Some foreign intelligence officials and defense analysts have used this to predict that the main thrust of any Menghean offensive would come along the northern edge of the People's Republic of Innominada and cut into southern Maverica.
During the Innominadan Crisis, international media observed several tanks of non-Kimsŏng divisions painted with gold star insignia, which are also rare on Kimsŏng units except during parades. This appears to have been part of a masking operation aimed at deceiving Innominadan and Maverican observers as to the true location of the 5th Kimsŏng Tank Division.
List of current Kimsŏng divisions
- 1st Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 1st Army
- 2nd Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 4th Army
- 5th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 8th Tank Army
- 10th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 8th Tank Army
- 12th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 8th Tank Army
- 17th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 6th Army
- 25th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 4th Army
- 44th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 4th Army
- 48th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 7th Army
- 52nd Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 8th Tank Army
- 75th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 4th Army
- 97th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 7th Army
- 112th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 7th Army
- 120th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 7th Army
- 125th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 7th Army
- 140th Kimsŏng Tank Division, 8th Tank Army
- 184th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 9th Army
- 225th Kimsŏng Mechanized Division, 4th Army