THE NEW MODEL ARMY

"The Hammer of the Midwest"

“In time, we will bring our forces to bear against the traitors to the East and West, only then will our Union have its rightful claim over the Great Lakes."

Commanding General Katherine Devens, March 2164

ARMY UNIT DIRECTORY

Thanks to the size of the NMA, many individual units either work together or have been merged together under the same command structure. In the Eastern Theatre, this is no different, and the 25th Naval Infantry Regiment has merged several subunits under its command structure for as long as it remains in the Sunrise Isles. To view the Unit Directory, expand the "New Model Army" tab on the Navigation Bar to your left, and select "Army Unit Directory". Alternatively, click on the button below.

ARMY UNIT DIRECTORY

NMA RANK GUIDE

With the New Model Army featuring an array of ranks, Army Command has devised a command structure that will keep the NMA running like a well oiled machine. To view the NMA Rank Guide, expand on the "New Model Army" tab on the Navigation Bar to your left, and select "NMA Rank Guide". Alternatively click on the button below.

RANK GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

With the need for a military to exert federal control over the hostile Coalitions, the Midwestern Union’s solution comes in the form of the New Model Army. The New Model Army was only founded in January 2164 and has a history to pave ahead of itself as it has just concluded a war against the Western Coalition. By the end of this war, the fledgling army was standardized for the most part across the board. Front-line troops were given the best of the best, with newer units being given the absolute basic equipment.

The army has become vast and expansive following the assimilation of the majority of Coalition militias. The current General is Katherine Devens.

THE INFANT AMONG GIANTS

CREATION OF THE NEW MODEL ARMY

Shortly after the secession of the Midwestern region on November 2nd, the rapidly organizing government called for a summit of the top militia commanders from each major city in the region. To develop a new military with a single, consolidated command structure, the summit produced the blueprints for a radically new fighting force by the week’s end: The New Model Army.

Throughout December 2163, riders from Lakeview were dispatched across the entire Midwestern Union with the blueprints for this new military. Most veteran soldiers were stunned by these sudden changes. As new faces poured into forts, and militias were broken up and scattered across the Union, many struggled to adapt - some even resisted and deserted. In contrast, hundreds of young people joined the force, eager to serve the Union and earn glory for the nation. By the end of December, the foundations were successfully laid, despite the protests.

With the militias converted, training grounds established, and a new command structure, the Bureau of War instituted the final piece of the New Model Army’s blueprint: On January 1st of the new year, the Bureau instituted the Nationwide Service Mandate. Under the Nationwide Service Mandate, all citizens of fighting age were to be registered for a nationwide draft, and those not serving in crucial workforce positions would be conscripted immediately. By the next day, trains throughout the Midwestern Union were filled to capacity, the passengers bound for their nearest training center. Meanwhile, high command schemed the army’s first foray: war with the Western Coalition.

WAR OF THE ASHES

THE WESTERN THEATER

"These woods are too thick to assault and too protected to sneak past. We will simply remove them from the equation."

-Major Katherine Devens, May 2164, Duluth Front Daily Briefing

On January 12th, 2164, the Midwestern Union officially declared war against the Western Coalition. The first regiments were given orders to march to Hancock and knock the city out of the war - then, the rest of the Western Coalition would fall without a leader. The top commanders of the New Model Army expected an easy campaign; when Hancock and its inexperienced defenders surrendered, so too would the rest of the belligerent nation.

The Western Coalition, however, proved to be incredibly resilient. While Major Katherine Devens’ 2nd and 4th Expeditionary Regiments were able to besiege Hancock early in the war (thanks to rapid encirclement tactics and smoke from a manufactured forest fire), the New Model Army slowed elsewhere. Incompetent officers, given their commission through political appointments and nepotism, struggled to lead effectively. Combining this incompetence with struggling logistics, a still-unorganized government, and a disastrous Deep Wintertide, the New Model Army was locked in a drawn-out war with the highly motivated Western Coalition.

However, on June 8th, 2164, the winds changed in favor of the Midwestern Union. Relieved from the siege of Hancock, the 2nd and 4th Expeditionary Regiments once again proved themselves at the Battle of Duluth. By cleverly drawing out the Duluth City Guard with a fake flanking maneuver, Devens’ units were able to surround and rapidly destroy the city’s defenders. When militia reinforcements from 3 nearby cities arrived, they had little time to organize a coordinated attack; the New Model Army was simply too fast to counter. By day’s end, an entire block of the Western Coalition had surrendered to a force half its size.

The Midwestern Union now saw the viability of fast-paced combat, dubbed Tidal Warfare. When used against the slower, methodical militias of the Coalition, the tactic proved to be lethal. Thus, high command (now under newly-appointed General Devens’ control) ordered the retooling of the army for Tidal Warfare and had any resistant officers replaced with those who supported the move. Soon, the New Model Army was outfitted for one purpose: Outmaneuver and Destroy.

The New Model Army did not suffer any major defeat in the Western theater after the implementation of Tidal Warfare. By August 1st, the forces of Thunder Bay were crushed after their city was burned to the ground. The next day, the siege of Hancock finally ended as the gates of the city opened for negotiators. By then, the entire city had been blanketed in a coat of ash from the still-raging forest fires, like many other cities that faced similar tactics. This phenomenon gave the war its name: The War of the Ashes.

Troops of the 44th Integrated Infantry during the Battle of Sandusk, 2165

Troops of the 25th Naval Infantry and 2nd Kathleen Company in the Sunrise Isles Front, 2165

Troops of the 21st and 42nd Naval Infantry upon capturing Fort Ash during the Battle of Hope Bay, 2165

Soldiers and Airmen of various units alongside General Devens herself after the Battle of Bulwark, 2166

THE BROTHERS WAR

THE EASTERN THEATER

"Even now, the traitors make ready to wage a senseless war against their interests and their people's safety, for which the consequences will be dire."

-Declaration of War between the Midwestern Union and Great Lakes Coalition, 2164.

With the successes seen in the War of the Ashes, the New Model Army emerged from its cocoon in a metamorphosis of blood and iron. After the war, the army’s officer corps became competent in the art of warfare. Likewise, the logistical organization transformed from a sluggish and disorganized mess into a fast and efficient operation. Most important, however, was the perception of the fledgling nation: Now, the Midwestern Union had a reputation to defend.

The New Model Army has expedited its growth and modernization. New unit formations and combat styles have been introduced, including the implementation of proper radio communication systems, alongside the fielding of motorized and mechanized units paired with conventional infantry. With glory obtained in battle, tens of thousands had enlisted to defend their nation. Many skeptics of the federalist cause were reassured of its viability, and propaganda had finally begun to sink into the minds of die-hard Coalition loyalists. Hearts have turned to the glorious crown of the Federalist’s cause, and a nation hungry for battle looks to its next target: The Eastern Coalition.

Thanks to the industrial might and powerful navy of the Midwestern Union, the New Model Army was at an inherent advantage when it comes to equipment and logistics. But unlike the West, the East had a trove of old money and trade connections to keep its heart beating under intense pressure. Tidal Warfare had initially struggled to break the strong defensive lines of the Eastern Coalition. Their former countrymen's years of experience in defensive warfare, combined with their monetary power and high morale, blunted the overconfident NMA in their first attacks on their former brothers in arms.

Tidal Warfare developed rapidly as a result. The formation of Motorized Communications Companies, the use of helicopter gunships to transport troops and provide fire support against enemy positions, as well as the deployment of units with armored vehicles became increasingly common. The Coalition and its Provincial Armies provided spirited resistance to the NMA, however their defenses began to falter as the Coalition began internally buckling under immense monetary, military, and political pressure. In a desperate Hail Mary move, the Coalition decided to launch an all out raid on the city which started it all: Bulwark.

The Pontiac Raiders of the Coalition stormed into the city, but found their supplies and manpower quickly diminishing under intense resistance put up by the 13th Homeguard and other units like the 3rd Infantry. After a month of fighting, the last of the Raiders failed to take the city's main water treatment plant, where the NMA was holding its ground, and retreated. This finally gave the NMA the legitimacy and reputation it deserved. Now, surrounded by powerful nations in an ever-devolving Wasteland, the NMA must hold firm in defense of the Midwest. While the Brothers War isn't over with the continued existence of Coalition holdouts, many breath the sigh of victory.

To view the Faction Relations that the New Model Army has, click on this link.

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