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Nature of Warfare

General/Overarching Characteristics and Customs

1.) Their offensive martial technology levels are behind that of their other fields, and thus they are maybe 25-50 years ahead of us in that regard. IRL, we can and have made directed energy (laser) weapons and railguns, but they are only just starting to be produced. On Takomen, they are very commonplace. Defensive martial technology and materials are somewhat more advanced compared to offensive, so a great deal of ordnance is required to destroy a heavily armored target such as a bunker, panzer, or warship. An average battleship would need to be hit by at least two large nuclear weapons on the same arc to lose armor integrity entirely, for example.

2.) A relatively low percentage of the population is in the military at any one time, and far fewer serve in combatant roles. Something like 4-7% of the population is in the military of any of the four nations, and 50-70% of them are in combatant roles (panzer crews, pilots, infantry, combat engineers, etc). The weapons, field units, warships, and heavy fortifications of Takomen require enormous amounts of financial and industrial capacity to maintain, construct, and replace, and thus few or no more military personnel can be equipped. Rotation, turnover, and retirement are infrequent in relation to Terran wars due to advanced medical technology and a variety of other factors. Higher proportions of the militaries both in general and of the combatant roles are female, so the male populations are not going to be utterly devastated by the war's conclusion.

3.) Takomen's wartime conduct is dictated by the Karamesh Convention, their equivalent of our Geneva Conventions/Protocols. The things which are prohibited and allowed by the two planets' codes are extremely similar, one of the very rare occasions the two planets are ideologically in agreement. The Karamesh Convention is slightly more restrictive/protective overall. Combat in dense and special ecosystems such as the Kleintrin Forest is restricted, heavy weapons such as artillery and bombers being generally disallowed. Warfare in general on Takomen is very humane and chivalrous relative to most of the conflicts on Terra, though the weaponry at the planet's disposal remains quite lethal to the combatants it is directed against.

4.) I believe some aspects of the war on Takomen are greatly sped up relative to reality even considering their more advanced technology. Ship repairs, fortification construction, designing and prototyping, and manufacturing, are very rapid processes. Catastrophic damage to a battleship might require at most three weeks to repair, and very extensive armor and weapons damage maybe 72 hours. Capital ships are constructed within 3 months. A formidable line of fortifications across an entire front can be constructed in 1-2 months in the absence of complications. Events and factors in their war are tied to and inspired by a RL counterpart, and thus things have to be done and transpire quickly enough for the two parts to match chronologically. Conversely, the pace of battles tends to be equivalent to or slower than reality.

5.) Battles, developments, and explanations generally are at least semi-plausible and realistic. It really bothers me when what I have portrayed or wish to portray doesn't seem to conform to the parameters of reality, and I will expend great amounts of energy either making something realistic or changing it entirely to something that is. Obviously, the storylines overall do deviate somewhat from what would be plausible, but that is inevitable.

6.) The sorts of extreme rationing that took place on Terra during and after WW2 (I just read a Wikipedia article on it; did you have any idea rationing in Britain went on until the FIFTIES?!), except for certain strategic manufacturing and fuel materials, doesn't happen even in Kantaria. Such measures would be seen as beneath Takomenian society even during a great world war, and they are generally unnecessary since agricultural technology is advanced to the point it's almost trivial to grow food, and clothing is almost as easy to make. The quality of life in general on Takomen right now is actually higher than it is in modern peacetime Europe or America, since it's so much easier to meet various needs. Notwithstanding that, they are accustomed to far more prosperity and freedom of consumption and feel deprived and burdened as a result.

Ground Warfare

1.) Major conflicts on the ground, considering the Takomenians' overall level of technology, feature a high number of personnel and thus a high number of casualties. There can easily be 2-3 million personnel who will be in combat of some sort if one side launches a front-wide offensive. Casualties are heightened by the fact static defenses are extremely heavily utilized, and by the occasional use of atomic weapons. If 3 million troops take part in an offensive/defensive, when captured troops are factored in, there might be something like 450-600k combined losses if the operation is particularly lengthy and/or ferocious. I envision such battles naturally not just because they're more dramatic and glorious, but also because they often reflect how difficult it is for me to accomplish or contend with something IRL. I have to exert a massive level of effort, planning, and will to carry out even trivial functions sometimes, let alone major projects (this thing alone has taken 24 hours more than I had expected due to my terrible efficiency and concentration). I'll delve more into that in the Symbolism submission.

2.) Battles strongly resemble those from World War 1. As I alluded to above, defensive works are an extremely prominent feature of ground warfare. Whenever possible, units will start entrenching territory they just took and are told to hold, and these earthen fortifications quickly develop into long trench lines. If one side really wants to hold a line or shelter units close to the front before they start a new offensive, hardened and enclosed subterranean fortifications are constructed once the appropriate materials, specialists, and logistical capability are allocated and deployed to that task. Units of regular infantry are frequently held up by trench and subterranean garrisons, and the abundance of field and static artillery only magnify the losses they can incur. Furthermore, when a full-scale general offensive is launched, infantry do indeed emerge from their trenches or tunnels en masse and advance towards the opposing lines, though they advance in intelligent and modern fashions rather than blindly charge across to the other line.

3.) For a variety of reasons, battles also are highly reminiscent of those of World War 2. In WW2, defenses could still be very effectively used (Kursk is one example, and there are many others), but they could also be bypassed or punched through with tanks, mechanized infantry, and paratroopers, and could also be bombed from the air. There was much more mobility in WW2, and Takomenian battles are as much battles of maneuver as they are of attrition and fortifications. In WW2, some infantry units were motorized (unarmored) or mechanized (armored), but most infantry units were purely foot-troops, and this is more or less the norm on Takomen. Basic unit tactics would mirror or at least somewhat resemble those of WW2 rather than WW1 and before. The equipment and general appearance (disregarding species differences) of the average infantryperson would cause them to much resemble those of the WW2 era, though overall they would most resemble our modern infantry (body armor, night vision equipment, miscellaneous electronic gear, etc).

4.) Ground battles tend to be very energetic and violent, and ordnance usage is extremely high. Typically, when one side launches an offensive, there is first a preliminary bombardment from static and mobile artillery, aircraft, warships, and whatever else is capable of that. Terraforming on grand scales is absolutely essential because the landscape is absolutely lunar and unusable in many places because of the intensity of shelling and bombing from start to finish, with some cannons of fortifications and capital ships being 700 mm in diameter. Various types of units will then charge in, the numbers of those types depending on a variety of factors. If the region is coastal, marines might land. Paratrooper divisions frequently will land wherever the battle transpires unless it's in a forest. There can easily be 10s of thousands of howitzers, tanks, and APCs/IFVs from each side fighting in an operation or even a particular battle.Particularly when the Kantarians are attacking, massive armored formations comprised of mechanized infantry and tanks assault relatively narrow sections of the front and attempt to effect encirclements while also fighting off armored and other counterattacks. In the Western Campaign of February-March 2016, 30-40k panzers were used by both powers combined. Battles between panzers last much longer than IRL because their armor is far more resilient relative to weapon strength, and also are fought at far greater ranges.

Aerial Warfare

1.) As with ground battles, aerial battles can be extremely large and violent in terms of ordnance dropped/fired and planes deployed in any given area or battle. Kantaria's two enemies can deploy something like 5k heavy/strategic bombers at a time against them, and of course they have at least as many fighters and hybrids. A front could have 10k or more aircraft flying innumerable combat sorties on any given day during offensive and defensive operations. A ubiquitous feature in aerial battlefields are blizzards of flak from surface assets, especially if Kantaria is one of the main combatants. If exposed ground units are not sufficiently protected with aerial and ground anti-air defense, they easily and rapidly could be absolutely pulverized from the air from bombers or missiles. Speaking of missiles, I haven't envisioned how many launchers any particular nation has, but there could certainly be thousands of missiles streaking through the air towards aerial and surface targets in addition to the huge warplane armadas.

2.) Takomenians don't often use missiles to down planes and their falling ordnance from the surface, most often using either lasers or artillery. The Kantarians have a doctrine of versatility, and thus they tend to favor dual-purpose howitzers over lasers, especially in areas close to the front. Warplanes' anti-air armaments more often than not are primarily energy-based since that type has some advantages over missiles, though missiles are the second most common form and can be used to bombard surface targets. These air-mounted missiles would be somewhat more favored by the Kantarians, and would add to the extraordinarily intense maelstroms of exploding ordnance they create when defending against aerial attacks. Because of all of the above, the stereotypical and iconic 'dogfight' is rare on Takomen. Planes will routinely shoot at each other from ranges of 100-200 km with lasers and missiles, and planes can also be shot at from far greater ranges by surface defenses. Short-range combat and the use of autocannons in air-to-air combat is unusual, but due to the high speed of interceptors it would only take 2-5 minutes for a plane to travel a distance equal to the range of lasers and missiles. In a minority of scenarios it would be advantageous or necessary to fight within autocannon range.

3.) Air-to-air and ground-to-air engagements often happen over substantial horizontal distances, but very short vertical distances. At least some designs of aircraft are capable of entering orbital altitudes (meaning, they're in space rather than air at that point) and thus might fly above the ranges of the surface weaponry. However, if they were to drop bombs or fire missiles or shells from such heights, the defensive weaponry would easily destroy them since they'd be falling for so long (lots of time to lock on and fire at them) and the defenses wouldn't have to choose between ordnance and the aircraft. Thus, aerial bombardment tends to take place from the same heights Terrans have fought between World War 2 and now, which just adds to the flak and general violence in the skies.

4.) Bombers, and to a lesser extent other types of aircraft, tend to be more resilient than those we have built IRL. Armor is used sparingly or not at all in Terran warplanes, while Takomenian warplanes usually have some level of armor and might absorb one or a few hits before the armor fails. This contrasts with typical aerial combat in WW2, where any direct hit on a plane would guarantee internal damage. Bombers and transports will typically have at least some capability to neutralize ordnance and planes with weapons and electronic warfare systems. Kantarian heavy bombers are typically used on frontline positions and infrastructure not far from the front line, and they cannot divert much industry to replacing bombers, so theirs have the greatest defensive and weakest offensive capabilities. Wesitarian bombers enjoy a heightened degree of stealthiness and speed, the Bengarian ones are very durable and destructive but slow, the Likurian ones are more balanced but outfitted to have more range.

5.) Aerial warfare is highly intercontinental in nature. We do have the capability of resupplying aircraft indefinitely (or at least until the pilot collapses from exhaustion or lack of food and water), but it's a difficult and cumbersome process. The Takomenians do utilize midair refueling often, but they often or usually are able to fly to the target and return on the same tank of fuel. Aircraft are much faster and somewhat more fuel-efficient, and the distance between continents is much shorter than the distance between, say, New York and Tokyo. The faster planes can take off and reach the target in a couple of hours. Allies can readily support each other with aerial assets, though the numbers and types of planes they can send at any given time will vary. Also, ICBMs do exist but they are extremely expensive and are seldom the type of weapon needed for a task, so they are few in number.

6.) Strategic-level warfare is generally limited to major military complexes and transportation infrastructure. Attacks on factories have been made to directly attack a nation's capability to wage war, but this became increasingly costly and unrewarding as wartime mobilizations and defensive measures were progressively implemented, and it was also a strategy which made leaders uncomfortable from the start. Rather than continue incurring severe losses bombing factories well to the rear and doing relatively little damage, the Takomenians (primarily Wesitaria and Bengaria, since the enemy alliance has so few heavy bombers) determined it was more effective to bombard airfields, rail lines, highways, and strategically significant bases and depots. They can also frequently bombard these targets to the degree they are capable without having to worry about civilians since they frequently are far from civilization.

Naval Warfare

1.) Compared to modern wars on Terra, Takomenian naval battles are gargantuan in terms of numbers of vessels, combined tonnage, and area. Even the largest naval battles in World War 2 were fought by far fewer ships than the number of vessels engaged in even mundane moderate engagements on Takomen. Well over 1,000 ships fought in numerous battles during the climactic campaigns by both alliances in early 2016 to decisively establish naval supremacy, the largest of them containing over 1,400 warships. Of course, this does not count coastal defenses and other land-based assets. The area across which battles tend to take place is so large not only because of the aforementioned factor, but because the primary weapons- warplanes and artillery- have such high ranges. The capital ships' primary howitzer turrets can hit targets well over 400 km away, and a couple of classes can exceed 500 km without overcharging. Missiles and planes have far greater ranges, obviously. Warships on Takomen also tend to be heavier than their Terran counterparts.

2.) Naval battles on Takomen are quite reminiscent of WW2 ones for several reasons. The first is the primary weapon of non-carrier warships is artillery, albeit the ranges are drastically higher. The second is, due to the high concentration of dual-purpose cannons of various calibers, there are ordinarily great blizzards of flak put up to defend against both aircraft and incoming ordnance. The third is the larger warships on Takomen have various calibers of turrets and cannons placed into Primary (main offensive turrets), Secondary (best for closer targets of any type), and Tertiary (very limited anti-surface use, overwhelmingly point-defense/anti-air) categories, and the battleships of both World Wars used the same general configuration. The fourth is carriers and warplanes are substantial components of Takomenian naval arsenals, and thus sorties to duel with aircraft, shoot down incoming, or bomb ships, are routine. The fifth is the general process of amphibious landings: a preliminary bombardment followed by transports coming ashore and disembarking troops and weapons- sometimes under intense fire.

3.) Naval battles on Takomen are also very dissimilar to those of WW2 for several reasons (besides those in #1). The first is the strength of armor on warships on Takomen relative to firepower is extremely much stronger than that of even the modern era. It becomes apparent very quickly when reading about WW2 naval battles that even the battleships were prone to severe damage immediately from large shells and bombs- captains and admirals were wounded or killed straight away on battleships from an enemy battleship's shell striking the bridge. The second is battleships on Takomen are the dominant component of fleets (though aerial power is very close behind) and are very formidable in any situation, while in WW2 and beyond battleships were highly vulnerable to aerial attack and carriers were very far and away the ascendant class. The third is, while torpedoes are still more menacing than a shell of the same strength, they do not cripple ships so quickly, nor are they fired as often by vessels other than submarines. The fourth is warships and naval aircraft on Takomen have varying complements of laser cannons; those on warships are purely defensive due to the curvature of the planet limiting direct-fire ranges from those heights. The fifth is warships are often equipped with atomic weapons in the forms of shells and missiles, those being most effective if more than one hits the same side of a ship simultaneously.

4.) As is the case with the other types of warfare, naval engagements tend to be extremely violent and energetic. The sheer number of warships, planes, and other assets alone guarantees a lot of fire being exchanged. Artillery is the main weapon on the average warship, which means their primary weapons are fired frequently compared to rates of fire for missiles and torpedoes and planes. The size of the shells fired by warships and fortress cannons can reach 700 mm, over 50% larger than even the Yamato's record-setting cannons. Takomenian ships tend to be larger than their comparable Terran equivalents, which means there are not only more ships shooting things at each other but more weapons per ship as well. Sometimes shells are nuclear, and those are always extremely conspicuous when they reach their target. Laser cannons from the surface can be fired at howitzer shells from great distances, which adds to the furor and spectacularity of engagements. The effectiveness of active (weapons) and passive (armor) defensive systems causes ships to cease firing more often due to exhaustion of supplies than because of being destroyed or crippled.

5.) The majority of the fighting in major naval battles is at ranges of 300-500 km, with some preliminary long-range attacks from missiles and planes occurring outside of that. Aircraft simply aren't powerful enough against such heavily armored and armed surface targets to make the cost of attacking formed and multiple fleets with only air power worth it, especially since the enemy usually also has air power to send. Even if one naval force is far larger than the other, the smaller one usually is near strategic naval bases and associated ground defenses, and thus their defensive strength is augmented. Missiles are too expensive and cumbersome relative to their strength to be used as a primary means of winning battles, and tend to be utilized to cripple and disorder parts of the line shortly before the main event, very much as the ancient Roman legionnaires would throw their pila before closing with the foe. Thus, battles usually have to be resolved within the capital ships' artillery ranges. It's very easy for each side to maintain sight of the other with their sensorial technologies and devices, which both makes long-range duels feasible and generally makes the tactic of having smaller ships close to within their own weapons' ranges impractical at best.

6.) It is usually eerily serene aboard capital ships during intense combat except when atomic strikes are incurred. The ships are large enough, and the armor strong and shock-dampened enough, to cause impacts from conventional battleship shells and large bombs to be imperceivable by much or most of the crew. The only indications they would have of their vessel being in combat would be the aural and visual alarms and commands. The super-battleships which serve as the flagships of the Takomenian navies are even more insulated from harm and the indications of incoming and outgoing fire due to their size and importance, and the Wesitarian flagship's crew would barely feel a low-yield nuclear strike. This is the main reason the delicate and prissy Roketsune is comfortable playing grand admiral when even memorials are too much for him to tolerate emotionally (something Lucien pointed out recently when badgering him into allow him to join him on the bridge in the next naval battle).

Atomic Warfare

Atomic weapons on Takomen are not the world-ending weapon of war they are on Terra, as they were never created with the intention of obliterating a country. They are most often used tactically and operationally, sometimes strategically against military targets. There are limits on how many can be used within a given area and period of time, they use versions that produce less fallout, and they are generally used in ways which generate less airborne particulate fallout. To the Takomenians, if they are used responsibly, they are merely super-powerful explosives, a tool which can change the course of a battle if timed properly.

The Takomenians prefer to use atomic weapons in naval battles due to environmental and civilian factors. Nuclear missiles or torpedoes are especially dangerous since they are stealthy and evasive types of ordnance, though they have limitations. Artillery shells are the most versatile, easily used, and durable type of ordnance, but they're also the most easily detected and fired on. Nuclear weapons can also be used defensively, to destroy many incoming planes and projectiles quickly and simultaneously preempt a potential nuclear strike, though that removes the weapon from play offensively and might not have been necessary.

Atomic weapons are powerful enough to severely damage whatever sections/quadrants are facing the blast. A conventional 700 mm shell might do 1-5% armor damage to one compartment, while a nuclear one might throughout virtually the entire deck and starboard quadrants do 20-30% damage and knock weapons offline due to EM and radiation. It is preferred to land two or three on a prime target in rapid succession to maximize the disabling effect and punch through the armor. No one wants a nuclear weapon directly impacting the internal structure of their ship. A battleship might only have 5-10 nuclear weapons and submarines maybe 1 or 2, so such attacks are limited in scale and largely a matter of luck. Atomic ordnance tends to be more heavily armored, though Takomenian computer and sensor technology is advanced enough to often determine which ones are probably nukes while they're still in the air.

Atomic weapons on land are extremely effective against personnel exposed on the ground, moderately effective against most armored divisions and infantry in open trenches and structures above-ground, and nearly useless on deep and hardened subterranean fortifications. The side that is on the offensive or in a state of retreat is the most vulnerable to such attacks, and thus most land-based tactical and operational nuclear strikes happen in those scenarios. Atomic weapons are not used on land as often as they once were. Environmental, terrain, and population factors were more conducive to their use along the front lines previously, but in the last year or so the lines have been in areas which were not suitable for them, or the tactical situation was inappropriate, or too many had already been used in naval engagements. A secondary factor is the militaries of Takomen have developed mounting aversion to using weapons that can be extremely cruel to combatants who aren't instantaneously killed by incineration or blast force. Takomenians can treat radiation poisoning and reverse all cellular damage arising from it, and fully treat thermal trauma, but the former especially is very expensive and complicated, and both injuries are potentially agonizing to the extreme at first.