Freikorps, Marauders, and Militias

[Top-Break]

One thing that would be increasingly likey, and is supported by canon material, is the possibility of Free-Corps, aka Freikorps.

Among the possibilities are

Deutsches Volksarmee

Formed by Soviets/Warsaw Pact from German POWs, many possibly former DDR troops.

Freikorps Osterreich

Austrian troops under NATO command.

Iron Brigade

Stateside militia organised in Pennsylvania & West Virginia for local defence of mines and steel mills.

Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Aztlan

Mexican backed Chicano/Hispanic militia in US southwest.

Equipment would probably be limited to small arms and very limited heavy weapons.

[HorseSoldier]

Depends. I could see Freikorps evolving as a catch all term in central Europe for paramilitary organizations that are more than part time militia but less than marauders. Their actual firepower could be all over the map -- in the European theater they could be gunned up with all sorts of firepower. In less wild places fire power might be expected to be leaner.

[Webstral]

It is my considered opinion that militias are ubiquitous in Twilight: 2000. Everyplace not under the control of a warlord will have a militia-constabulary to provide local defense. It’s possible to imagine that some locations under the control of warlords will have militias, although these militias may appear very differently than militias in towns with elected or pre-Exchange governments. Even cantonments that are ostensibly under the control of a Milgov or Civgov formation will have militia to handle local crises or at least keep a lid on things until the heavies arrive.


It is also my opinion that marauders are ubiquitous. They take many forms. Some marauders are basically armed thieves who survive off small-scale theft and fight only when necessary. Other marauders are organized bands living by the sword, so to speak. Still other marauders blur the line between marauders and warlords. This last group may control a territory with specific limits. They keep out other marauders and charge protection from the communities within their boundaries, but they don’t administer the communities in any way. So long as the communities pay, they are free to conduct their own business.

Free corps probably are not especially common in CONUS. As I have opined elsewhere, I think the majority of EPW in CONUS meet an untimely end at the hands of their guards following the TDM. Still, it’s entirely possible for groups of former Pact soldiers to operate in specific locations. I have incorporated thousands of former EPW into the force structure of SAMAD in Thunder Empire (thus, the EPW don’t technically constitute a free corps because they have been fully integrated). The Shogun in Nevada has many former criminals, some military and police deserters, and a few former EPW from camps in the region. However, these folks don’t really constitute a free corps, either, as they are also thoroughly integrated into the force structure.

[Raellus]

I see Free Companies making a comeback in 2000 or so, especially in particularly hard-hit areas like Poland. They work for the highest bidder (warlord, military commander, Free City gov., etc.), switch sides when it suits them, and generally make a great nuisance of themselves wherever they go. They're multinational in nature. They attract disaffected soldiers from all combatants. They usually don't pick a fight that they can't comfortably win and they're quick to retreat when faced with a tough fight. They fight to make a living and because they don't really know any other way. A lot of them just really enjoy the thrill of combat. They take their pay in gold, or local scrip, or medical supplies, or drugs, or the first spoils. They run large scale protection rackets and set up toll stations in their AOs. They're considered marauders by most armies but some of these Free Companies have become so powerful, that some regular military units would rather buy them off somehow than fight them. They don't consider themselves marauders. They consider themselves freelance soldiers for hire- a natural byproduct of the chaos and destruction visited upon most of the world in the late 20th century. They are fairly well organized and reasonably disciplined (not to mention heavily armed). Chasing off some of the more powerful Free Companies is a large-scale military enterprise. Free Companies are the scourge of the Twilight World.

[Webstral]

I like it. Mexican units listed as marauders might be interpreted as free companies. Perhaps this is the fate of some Soviet units in the northwest Pacific, too. Soviet units isolated in Eastern Europe easily could go this route. Americans left behind by OMEGA. The possibilities are varied and rich...

So many blurry lines. Marauders, free corps, warlords, military governors--who is to say who is who?

I know I've had my ideas about the definitions of marauder, warlords, and so on, but I'm wondering if we every really tried to come up with clear definitions. When does a marauder band change sufficiently for its leader to become a warlord? When does a warlord's army become a marauder band? How do free corps fit into the picture? When does a military governor become a warlord? What would be required for a warlord to become a military governor? As the US (or any nation) rebuilds, the powers that be are going to have to make some deals. Co-option is the term, I believe. The Shogun in Nevada (Silver Shogunate) is a good example of someone who could be either warlord or marauder, depending on one's definition. Suppose Milgov concludes that destroying the Gunryo, his army, would cost more than Milgov wants to pay. The decide instead to co-opt him and offer him a job commanding his force for Milgov. Is the Shogun now a military governor?

[Legbreaker]

It's all about perception really - one man's marauder is another man's militia.
Some settlements may even send their militia out on raids to acquire resources. They may not even see it as aggression but rather a recovery mission if the militia are based on a pre-war official organisation. For example, the sheriffs department in some US backwater may have deputised a few of the locals and on occasion raid neighbouring areas abandoned during the war due to any number of reasons, and which have since been taken over by refugees.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by Webstral

I know I've had my ideas about the definitions of marauder, warlords, and so on, but I'm wondering if we every really tried to come up with clear definitions. When does a marauder band change sufficiently for its leader to become a warlord? When does a warlord's army become a marauder band? How do free corps fit into the picture? When does a military governor become a warlord? What would be required for a warlord to become a military governor? As the US (or any nation) rebuilds, the powers that be are going to have to make some deals. Co-option is the term, I believe. The Shogun in Nevada (Silver Shogunate) is a good example of someone who could be either warlord or marauder, depending on one's definition. Suppose Milgov concludes that destroying the Gunryo, his army, would cost more than Milgov wants to pay. The decide instead to co-opt him and offer him a job commanding his force for Milgov. Is the Shogun now a military governor?

Short answer: yes. Powerful marauder captains with solid control of a certain area would probably be considered by most to be warlords. I'm sure that most of them would prefer this title to marauder or bandit leader. In many cases, it would probably be easier and less expensive for the local regional/national government to co-opt these warlords rather than trying to drive them out using military force. I can see a lot of these warlords accepting offers of military governorship as means of gaining legitimacy. It's a way to parlay being a war criminal into being a de facto feudal lord with formal recognition from whatever "legitimate" government still exists in the region. It's a win-win situation.

Would it be cheaper/easier for MilGov to try to win over the Shogun with money, resources, and clemency than to assemble/supply/lead sufficient military forces to try to eliminate him? It very well could be.

It also depends on how open the warlord is to such offers. Individual psychology would play a deciding factor here. I can't remember if the Polish government made any such offers to the Margrave of Silesia or Black Baron Czarny but, if so, I suspect that theose two would likely reject the offer, believing themselves to have the power to expand their control (or at least dominate their respective holdings) without having to make any concessions.

I might take a stab at writing up a history of a local warlord type, from his desertion, to the assembly of his Free Company, to his dominance of a particular region, to his recognition as the legitimate military governor of his holdings. A case study or two would be helpful and it sounds like a fun challenge to this writer.

[simonmark6]

We have some examples in cannon: King Julian Filipowicz, The Red Bear and others.

[Tombot]

What about "Konrad Kohls Freibruderbund" in Paderborn (Going Home) ?

Did anybody use him/ his group ?