Krell OOB

[Madbomber Mike]

Hey All, I'm working on a loose Order of Battle for the Krell based upon the troop levels from Nathan Deckers Travel Guide but tweaked for a 4th Edition (2017) Wardate.

I'd Love to hear your input, especially if someone has already tackled this.


Of Course, it's a VERY loose organizational structure, particularly since it's predominantly a conscript Infantry Army similar to that of the PLA during the Korean War.

And...……….GO!


Heres the Numbers from the Travel Guide:
KANSAS
The Krell Army of Kansas: The Krell Army in Kansas is large and effective, organized into "battalions" made up of basic cannon fodder with better-trained sergeants and officers. There are about 8,000 soldiers in the Army of Kansas, of varying degrees of effectiveness. The current overall Commander of the Krell Army forces is General Victor Daison, hand-picked by Krell himself. For the most part the average warrior does not wear uniforms, and there is no standardization of weapons. Weapons range from shotguns to assorted rifles, halberds to pikes and bows. The Krell armament factories are geared up and working daily. They produce fair copies of the WW2 British Sterling SMG, the M1917 Enfield, the BARs, and a .38 caliber revolver. Though the weapons are not of the most precise manufacture, they are adequate for the Krell Army. There are some heavy weapons platoons, mostly with machineguns and mortars (60mm and 81mm). Usually tactics are limited to human wave attacks. Most of the units are foot infantry with a few trucks. Some tanks and armored cars are being introduced. One of the problems the Warriors of Krell face is a shortage of heavy weapons and armored vehicles in any quantity. The biggest news for the Krell Army is the slow but steady introduction of a tank. For the last ten years they have been producing a limited number of versions of the old M4 Sherman tank. So far they have only made High Explosive rounds for the 75mm guns. They also have some captured Morrow Project weapons, but the majority of these are low on ammunition, and supplies are not as plentiful as Krell would like, one of the big reasons Krell's forces are striking out to locate and capture MP caches, bases, and boltholes in a search for more supplies.

NEBRASKA
The Krell Army of Nebraska: The Krell Army in Nebraska is now some 4,600 men, dispersed in Krychek City and in garrisons stretching north to the enclave at Sioux City, Iowa. For the most part they are armed with newly-made copies of the venerable Springfield rifle, and assorted blade and staff weapons. They have limited support weapons apart from a scattering of bazookas and 4.2 inch mortars. There is a large cavalry element to the Army, and horse patrols can be found ranging far past Highway 81 to the west and deep into Iowa to the east.

IOWA:
Sioux City is occupied as the northernmost outpost of Krell influence. A large expedition is currently forming here, preparing for a spring-time move across the Mississippi River into Illinois for some good ole' fashioned looting and plundering. This army is composed of approximately 3,000 men, supported by some armored pick-up trucks.

MISSOURI
Kansas City is the largest urban city that is controlled by the Warriors of Krell, though there is not much left of it to really brag about. The southwestern suburbs, Olathe, Shawnee, Lenexa and Overland Park, are the only areas populated now. Along with a considerable number of administrators, slavers and tax collectors, the city houses a large army of Warriors. The number of Warriors in the city range from about 1,000 to 6,000 or more depending on the season and what raiding expeditions are in operation.

MINNESOTA (from Operation Lucifer)
The Warriors of Krell are advancing along the Western Banks of the Mississippi. Krell has made one of his rare appearances and exhorted his hordes northward.
Starting from Southern Iowa, the forces of Krell have been marching north for about a month now, burning and looting as they come.
The exact strength of the force is not known, but refugees state that the advance force is about 2,000 strong and is covering an area 100 miles wide, west from the river. These forward units are fast, using either horses or light vehicles. So far, only small arms have been encountered. Heavier stuff may be following.

[Madbomber Mike]

Anyone have any input?

Buhler????

Buhler???

Buhler???

[gamerguy]

Sorry I have no input. In the campaign I played in Krell was the boogeyman as it was mostly based in the northern fringes of the US and southern Canada from the Rockies to the Great Lakes. I am following this as I always wanted to wargame a Krell based series of scenarios.

With that in mind a TOE concentrating mostly on company sized units would be great.

In the campaign I was in Krell's troops used horses for almost all transport. They had bases/forts or requisitioned local lodgings. You were basically expected to house and provide for a unit of troops as protection for your town. Think taxes with a more direct and visible benefit. It was the whole town's responsibility. If you didn't or fell short then a larger unit would arrive and demand a larger share of the town's supplies. Usually leaving just enough for three quarter's of the town's population to make it through the next winter. It was expected the shirkers were the ones who fared the worst.

[.45cultist]

Looking at "Lucifer", I'd say company sized would be best. This isn't the KFS, Anything more than a band of "X" size might cause more headaches. The exception to this should be when the Krell believe Project assets are close by.

[Madbomber Mike]

Absolutely agree with you gentlemen, a Company being the highest level of defined organization, anything greater than that being a cobbled together mess of whatever forces are available.

One thing that I have done was define three "Elite" types of organization within the Krell Army:
1. Infantry Company (Mechanized) - all highly reliable fanatics mounted in (still limping along) M2 Bradleys and captured MP V-150s
2. Tank Company - all highly reliable fanatics that are intelligent and trained enough to use and maintain the few remaining M-1 and M60 series MBTs and the trickle of M4 Shermans being produced.
3. Artillery Battery - all highly reliable fanatics that are intelligent and trained enough to use and maintain the few 75, 105, and 155mm artillery pieces in inventory.


These personnel are selected more for their fanaticism and reliability to Krell, and less for their actual abilities.

This is very similar to the organization of the Chinese Army (PLA) during the Korean war, which is the basis for my organization (lots of leg infantry, some Equine Infantry, very few quality units(as above) and virtually no logistics infrastructure to speak of. Like GAMERGUY said, they live off the locals in the medieval fashion of extortion/foraging..... a plague of locusts wherever they go.

I'll get something up this weekend for y'all to look at.

[Madbomber Mike]

OK guys, here's what I have so far, a work in progress, so feel free to chime in.


THE KRELL ARMY

UNIT RELIABILITY CATEGORY:
Conscript: The Lowest reliability, these units are exclusively for use as Cannon Fodder. The majority of the troops being conscripted into the Krell Army by force. They are almost exclusively foot mobile infantry forces armed with whatever weapons happen to be at hand (pikes, spears, bows, clubs). The Officers assigned have the only firearms in the formation which they use on their own troops just as regularly as anyone else. They lead through fear and intimidation and threat of summary execution. These formations have no heavy weapons.

Veteran: These units are formed from the remnants of conscript formations that have proved themselves both in battle and in their loyalty to Krell by readily informing on those that are less loyal. Brutal and vicious thugs, most were seized by the Krell as children and raised into the horde. These are the only units allowed to “forage” away from the main force for food, slaves and plunder. Nearly the entire formation will have whatever firearms they can seize, but very little ammunition. Infantry Formations will have approximately one 20mm AT Rifle per 25 troops with the occasional light support weapon. They will have some mobility in the form of Technicals / Armored Cars to better forage for the army. Their officers will be the worst of the worst, absolutely brutal thugs that hold their positions by brute strength and force of terror.

Elite: “The Children of Krell”, all the troops in these formations were raised from birth in the Krell Warrior class, and there are very few of them. They are the best educated and most reliable of the Army and as such, regularly look upon the rest of the Army as expendable resources. Absolute Fanatics that will fight to the death for their “Father Krell”. These are the only personnel educated enough and reliable enough to operate the few Tanks, Heavy Weapons, and Artillery Pieces in the Army. They also are the only ones to use captured Morrow equipment beyond small arms. They are not necessarily the best fighters, but they certainly are the most reliable. These formations make up a very small percentage of any Krell Army and are normally shifted around depending upon the composition of the enemy faced (Heavy Weapons and Artillery for Assaults, Tank and ATGM for armor threats). There is also a separate Elite force that is hand selected from these troops to be the personal bodyguards of Krell.

FORCE COMPOSITION:
CONSCRIPT FORMATIONS: 85%
Infantry Company – 250 Warriors / 10 Officers
Cavalry Company - 200 Warriors / 10 Officers – Horseback (normally fight on foot)

VETERAN FORMATIONS: 10%
Infantry Company - 100 Warriors / 8 Officers / 4x 20mm AT Rifle
6 Armored Car/Technical w 20mm AT Rifle or GPMG
2 Cargo Truck

Cavalry Company - 100 Warriors / 5 Officers – Horseback

Scout Platoon - 20 Warriors / 4 Officers – Horseback

Weapons Platoon - 4x Armored Car/Technical w 20mm AT Rifle
4x Support Weapons (7.62 GPMG, M2HB HMG, 60mm or 81mm Mortar)
20 Warriors / 4x Officers

ELITE FORMATIONS: 5%
Elite Infantry Company - 70 Warriors / 10 Officers
2 V150 w Rh202 Turret or TOW
2 V150 APC
6 M113 or M2 Bradley IFV

Tank Company – 1-3x M1A1 or M60A3 MBT
8-12x M4 Sherman Tank (Krell Mfr.)
3 Tankers / 1 Officer per Tank

Heavy Weapons Platoon – 2 M113 or V150 APC w Machinegun (7.62 or .50)
4x Cargo Truck
6x Heavy Mortar (120mm or 4.2in)
36 Warriors / 4x Officers

Anti-Tank Platoon - 4x M113 or V150 APC
4x TOW or Recoilless Rifle (57mm, 84mm, 90mm or 106mm)
20 Warriors / 4x Officers

Artillery Battery - 6x Cargo Truck
6x M1 (75mm) M119 or M102 (105mm) or M198 (155mm) Howitzer


Example of a Krell “Army”
Conscript Units - 10x Infantry Company (2600 men)
2x Cavalry Company (420 men)
Veteran Units - 1x Infantry Company (108 men) (6x Technical)
2x Scout Platoon (48 men)
1x Weapons Platoon (24 men) (4x Technical w 2x MG, 2x Mortar)
Elite Units - 1x Tank Company (48 men) (2x M1A1, 10x M4)

[Madbomber Mike]

OK, I tweaked a couple things, fleshed some stuff out.
Tell me what ya think?


UNIT RELIABILITY CATEGORY:
Conscript: The Lowest reliability, these units are exclusively for use as Cannon Fodder. The majority of the troops being conscripted into the Krell Army by force. They are almost exclusively foot mobile infantry forces armed with whatever weapons happen to be at hand (pikes, spears, bows, clubs). The Officers assigned have the only firearms in the formation which they use on their own troops just as regularly as anyone else. They lead through fear and intimidation and threat of summary execution. These formations have no heavy weapons. The only tactic employed by these formations is the frontal human wave assault.

Veteran: These units are formed from two different sources, the remnants of conscript formations that have proved themselves both in battle and in their loyalty to Krell by readily informing on those that are less loyal, and brutal and vicious thugs, most were seized by the Krell as children and raised into the horde. These are the only units allowed to “forage” away from the main force for food, slaves and plunder. Nearly the entire formation will have whatever firearms they can seize, but very little ammunition. Infantry Formations will have approximately one Support Weapon (20mm AT Rifle or Machinegun) per 25 troops with the occasional light support weapon. They will have some mobility in the form of Technicals / Armored Cars to better forage for the army. Their officers will be the worst of the worst, absolutely brutal thugs that hold their positions by brute strength and force of terror.

Elite: “The Children of Krell”, all the troops in these formations were raised from birth in the Krell Warrior class, and there are very few of them. They are the best educated and most reliable of the Army and as such, regularly look upon the rest of the Army as expendable resources. Absolute Fanatics that will fight to the death for their “Father Krell”. These are the only personnel educated enough and reliable enough to operate the few Tanks, Heavy Weapons, and Artillery Pieces in the Army. They also are the only ones to use captured Morrow equipment beyond small arms. They are not necessarily the best fighters, but they certainly are the most reliable. These formations make up a very small percentage of any Krell Army and are normally shifted around depending upon the composition of the enemy faced (Heavy Weapons and Artillery for Assaults, Tank and ATGM for armor threats). There is also a separate Elite force that is hand selected from these troops to be the personal bodyguards of Krell.


FORCE COMPOSITION:
CONSCRIPT FORMATIONS: 85%
Infantry Company – 250 Warriors / 10 Officers
Cavalry Company - 200 Warriors / 10 Officers – Horseback (normally fight on foot)


VETERAN FORMATIONS: 10%
Infantry Company - 100 Warriors / 8 Officers / 4x Support Weapons (7.62 GPMG/20mm AT Rifle)
6 Armored Car/Technical w Support Weapon (7.62 GPMG/20mm AT Rifle)

Cavalry Company - 100 Warriors / 5 Officers – Horseback

Scout Platoon - 20 Warriors / 4 Officers – Horseback

Weapons Platoon - 24 Warriors / 4x Officers
4x Armored Car/Technical w Support Weapon (7.62 GPMG/20mm AT Rifle)
4x Support Weapons (7.62 GPMG, M2HB HMG, 60mm or 81mm Mortar)



ELITE FORMATIONS: 5%
Elite Infantry Company - 70 Warriors / 10 Officers
8x APC or IFV –
V150/20, V150/TOW, V150 APC, M113 or M2 Bradley IFV

Tank Company – 3 Tankers / 1 Officer per Tank
1-3x Main Battle Tank (M1A1 or M60A3)
8-12x Light Tank (M4 Sherman (Krell Mfr.))


Heavy Weapons Platoon – 36 Warriors / 4x Officers
2-4x APC (M113 or V150) w Machinegun (7.62 or .50) or M2/M113/V150 Mortar Carrier
4x Cargo Truck
6x Heavy Mortar (120mm or 4.2in)


Anti-Tank Platoon - 20 Warriors / 4x Officers
4 M113 or V150 APC or V150/TOW
4x TOW or Recoilless Rifle (84mm, 90mm or 106mm)


Artillery Battery - 48 Warriors / 8x Officers
6x Cargo Truck
6x M1 (75mm) M119 or M102 (105mm) or M198 (155mm) Howitzer



Example of a Krell “Army”
Conscript Units - 10x Infantry Company (2600 men)
2x Cavalry Company (420 men)
Veteran Units - 1x Infantry Company (108 men) (6x Technical)
2x Scout Platoon (48 men)
1x Weapons Platoon (24 men) (4x Technical w 2x HMG, 2x Mortar)
Elite Units - 1x Tank Company (48 men) (2x M1A1, 10x M4)

[Matt W]

Just a few suggestions (no particular order)

The infantry officers should have horses.

Conscripts should get some form of pay and/or share of loot (otherwise they'll simply kill the officers and desert)

Even conscripts should have guns (Bolt action rifles? Or maybe something like a semi-auto version of a sten gun)

There should be Krell "priests" or "commissars" attached to every unit. These guys also have the radios

There needs to be a "Military Police" unit to discourage deserters and to look after prisoners

There doesn't seem to be much in the way of a logistics "tail". Foraging will be very important (and the main job of a cavalry unit)

There should be a number of "high tech mercenaries". (Badges and Bikers, for instance. Maybe even some Truckers. All of these take payment in spare parts and loot).

Forget the tanks and the tracked APCs. They need far too much fuel and maintenance. If Krell forces can build a Sherman, they'd be better off with an armored car. The AML-90, for instance. Or even just a Vietnam-style "gun truck"