RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Interlude: 501st Airborne Division

RM Vol 3: For a World without Boundary – Interlude: 501st Airborne Division

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501st Airborne Division Organization Structure:

501st Airborne Division consists of a division headquarters and headquarters battalion, three brigade combat teams, a division artillery, a combat aviation brigade, and a division sustainment brigade. The 501st DIVARTY commands all artillery battalions. The 501st Airborne Sustainment Brigade commands all brigade support battalions.Each Brigade Combat Team consists of a Brigade Headquarters and Headquarters company, an armored battalion, three mechanized infantry battalions, and one brigade engineer battalion.Divisional artillery includes a Headquarters and Headquarters battery, with one artillery regiment consisting of three battalions.501st Combat Aviation Brigade has a Headquarters and Headquarters company and an additional UAV recon company. Five battalions formed up the bulk of the brigade: an Attack/Reconnaissance battalion, another Attack battalion, an Assault battalion, a General Support battalion, and lastly an Aviation Support battalion.To keep everything running, the 501st Airborne relies on its Airborne Division Sustainment Brigade. Forming up of a Headquarters and Headquarters company, a Special Troop battalion, three Brigade Support battalions, and a Division Sustainment Battalion.

The 501st Airborne Division is formed from the remnants of Belka's 1st Airborne Regiment, the latter being a casualty of the Reich Marshal's military reform when she came to power. Specializing in parachute assault operations into hostile areas, the division's mandate is to be "on-call to fight any time, anywhere" at "the knife's edge of technology and readiness." Currently and for years to come, the 501st Airborne Division is the Belkan Armed Force's most strategically mobile division.

Coincidentally, the division employs soldiers from all known races and across the entire country of Belka. This led to the adoption of the All-Belkan nickname, the basis for the AB shoulder patch of the division.

As a division that is over 18000 men and women strong, the 501st is poised as the most elite airborne division the Reich has to offer. Consequently, the unit is formed up of well-trained loyalists, many of them are battle-hardened and over 1/3 of the division is recruited from the infantry component of the Marshal's personal 404th Armored Division or have experienced working with them. This ensures that the 501st will bear its deadliest fangs to the enemy and no one else.

A typical 12-person 501st airborne squad consists of one squad leader, a single JTAC, one combat medic, one combat engineer, an LMG gunner and the accompanying ammo bearer, a squad marksman, and five riflemen. Squad-level firepower comes in the form of the derivatives of the 8 mm Mauser G1 rifle.

The machine gunner of the squad is equipped with an MG1 with 100-round C-Mag, a detachable bipod, a collapsible buttstock, a medium magnification combat optical gunsight, and a free-floating, heavy, quick-change barrel.The squad marksman is given the PSG1, offering a longer barrel than even its relative which is the light machine gun MG1. The marksman rifle comes equipped with a detachable bipod, an adjustable stock, an adjustable zoom medium to long-range optic, and a free-floating contoured barrel that is weighted at the tip to aid harmonic stabilization of barrel whip to enhance accuracy.The other ten members of the squad will be using G1 rifles. For the airbornes, the G1 rifles come standard with collapsible stocks. However, the team leader is given a medium magnification gunsight, much like the one used by the machine gunner. While other members are either using red dot sights or iron sights. All members can choose to mount either foregrip or bipod at their own behest.Of the five riflemen, one will be carrying a G1 with an under-barrel 40mm grenade launcher. Two will be carrying disposable Panzerfaust with standard HEAT warheads. And another will be the squad's demolition expert.It has to be noted that the modern G1 family of weapons comes standard with rail systems and the ability to freely mount or demount suppressor, compensator, or flash hider. For night combat, a laser/flashlight module can be mounted to be used in conjunction with a night vision device.Each member is given a sidearm in the form of a 9x25 mm USP pistol.Handheld grenades come in many shapes and utilities.Breakthrough in night vision technologies allows panoramic night vision to be fielded for all branches of the armed forces, thus each member is given a GPNVG.

On the vehicular aspect, motorized vehicles, ranging from the Survivable Combat Tactical Vehicle Humvee made by Mercedes to the HX family of tactical military trucks, served as the backbone of the 501st's protected ground logistics. Going up the scale, MRAPs are used by the division for reconnaissance or to provide its troops with a swift and protected transport option and short-range defense against tactical-level threats. Most commonly seen are the Fennek multipurpose scout car and the Dingo squad-MRAP. For a bigger punch or a stronger combat logistical ability, the eight-wheeled and modular Boxer Armored Fighting Vehicle is outfitted for the division to use in hot zones. They can be employed in a multitude of roles, whether it's battlefield MEDEVAC, ERV, or combat milk runs.

It's important to know that depending on mission requirements, the second and third artillery battalion can forego their trademark but heavier equipment to simplify logistics.

Non-divisional artillery includes 82 mm or 120 mortar systems that are infantry-deployable or mounted on the back of vehicles.

Coming up on the last but mighty important combat branch of the 501st would be the Combat Aviation Brigade. For recon purposes, the brigade has a dedicated UAV company, operating a fleet of Barracuda drones from the backline to provide the frontline with up-to-date battlefield intelligent and precision airstrikes. Across the other battalions of the brigade, the Fi-22 Osprey sees widespread usage, enjoying its status as Belka's sole, but reliable, multirole airlift.

For pure combat and recon, a heavily armed variant of the Osprey, the Fi-22G Guns-a-go-go is made, sacrificing troop-carrying capability for ordnances... Lots of ordnances. Moving away from the absurdity of firepower though, the Osprey truly shines when it can be fitted for aerial recon, MEDEVAC, electronic warfare, or base logistics... There's something to be said about using a medium-large aircraft for everything... But Belka will cross that bridge later.

With everything the 501st has to offer, they're just simply over-qualified for their task in Sardegna. But then again, their motto is this.

"All the way!"