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Old 05-23-2009, 07:17 PM
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Raellus Raellus is online now
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In order to determine what a cantonment would look like, it's helpful to start with why cantonments exist in the first place.

In a nutshell, canon implies that cantonments were developed due to:

1. Low troop concentrations. Due to a variety of factors (attrition, lack of replacements), late in the Twilight War, a continuous front could no longer be maintained.

2. Need for units to produce their own food. As modern industry and transportation systems broke down, whole divisions found themselves needing to grow their own food (and fuel).

3. Distance and available motor transportation. In the modern world, with helicopters and STOL capable transport aircraft, a division or RCT can "cover" hundreds of square miles. It's still pretty incredible how much territory a division is asked to control in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. In the Twilight world, with few aircraft serviceable/available, and fewer trucks, this area would be shrunk down to a couple dozen square miles.

So, in order to become relatively self sufficient from a supply standpoint and for defensive purposes, cantonments were developed.

The "look" of the cantonment would also depend on unit size.

A divisional cantonment would be based around a large town or small city. The divisional HQ, along with its various attached support units, would be based in the central settlement. The division's component regiments would then take up positions in surrounding towns and villages. The division's artillery would be established in "firebases" (discussed elsewhere) which would be distributed in a couple of key locations so as to cover the area of the entire cantonment (or as much of it as possible) with defensive fires.

I would imagine that the whatever combat AFVs the division possesses would be maintained centrally to act a mobile counterattacking force or to be concentrated for raids on enemy cantonments. It wouldn't make much sense to disperse the AFVs around the cantonment's perimeter. Defensively, AFVs are used to defend against the enemy's AFVs. The division's infantry formations would have their own AT weaponry so they could hold off an attack until the mobile reserves could arrive.

Rifle companies would rotate between garrison duty in the cantonment's various settlements and firebases and performing patrols and such.
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