To go directly to the Introduction, click here.
To go directly to detailed information regarding the organization and equipment of the armed forces, click here.
To go directly to a chart showing the organization of the armed forces, click here.
To visit Wotanberg's military museum, the Sergeant Joe Gunn Museum, click here.

The origins of Wotanberg's armed forces are found in the feudal levies and town militias of the middle ages. To this day, the nation's military remains a "militia" army similar to Switzerland's, but it was also greatly influenced by Major Sir Trevor Patrick, whose companies of Irish and Scottish Foot repelled an attempted French invasion of Wotanberg in 1815. Along with many of his Scottish and Irish soldiers, Sir Trevor stayed on in Wotanberg after the defeat of Napoleon. A grateful nation made him its army's first Inspector General.

 

The first task Sir Trevor set for himself was to rebuild and reorganize the Army, which had, up to that time, been organized like that of other "German" states. The resulting structure reflects a mixture of Continental, British, and even American influences. Although Sir Trevor retained Brigade Wotanberg--in which all of Wotanberg's non-militia units had fought in 1815--he decided to institute a regimental system similar to Britain's in which each regiment serves as the administrative & "traditional" home for the units and soldiers assigned to it.

 

To this end, Sir Trevor established six regiments--the Household Troops("HT"), Sir Trevor's Own Foot ("STOF"), the Grand-Ducal Foot ("GDF"), the Grand-Ducal Horse ("GDH"), the Grand-Ducal Dragoons("GDD"), and the Grand-Ducal Artillery ("GDA"). In addition to its six regiments, the Wotanberger Army of Sir Trevor's time included a number of company-sized militia units whose names reflected those of the towns and city they were created to protect.

 

As originally organized by Sir Trevor, each regiment was composed of 4 companies (squadrons or batteries in case of cavalry or artillery) each of two platoons (or troops in the case of cavalry or artillery), with an extra platoon/troop thrown in to each regiment for good measure. Each platoon/troop had approximately 25 men, giving a company/squadron/battery strength of 50 and a regimental strength of only about 250 (including headquarters and support personnel). Although the total regimental strenth of the two infantry regiments was unusually low compared to other armies, another unusual feature of the Army as organized by Sir Trevor was that units of company strength (and in some cases, even platoons) were given individual names.

 

However, Sir Trevor's most radical departure from usual practice and tradition was to organize the dragoons into companies and platoons rather than squadrons and troops. Sir Trevor's stated reason for doing this was his conviction that dragoons were "mounted infantry" not "cavalry" and should be organized like infantry. (However, the suspicion persists that Sir Trevor's incurable predilection for rhyme was what led him to organize the dragoons into platoons. This suspicion is supported by the "coincidence" that all of the names given by Sir Trevor to the dragoon companies and platoons just happened to rhyme with "dragoon".)

The cost of raising and maintaining the Army was generally borne by the Grand-Ducal government. However, the cost of the Household Troops was borne by the Grand-Ducal family itself, and the members of all cavalry units (and some dragoon units) were required to provide their own horses and uniforms.

During the crises which beset Europe during the mid-1800's, the Grand Duchy significantly increased the size of its army by expanding each of the companies of the GDF into batallions of four companies each. (The regiment's elite "Jäger" platoon was expanded into a company at the same time.) This expansion was made possible because of the nation's more prosperous economy (due in large part to the then-still clandestinely operated Siebenzwerge Mine) and its increased population. This expansion also reflected, and responded to the increasing democratisation of Wotanberger society.

After the Grand Duchy acquired the Seiber Islands as a colony in 1881, an additional regiment was created to serve there--the Seiber Rifles--as well a small naval force and a "Colonial Constabulary". Gradually, these force's rolls were filled out almost entirely by inhabitants of the archipelago, and, when independence was granted in 1950, the units were transferred to the new country. (To this day, one platoon from the Seiber Rifles is attached on a rotating basis to the Foreign Coy of Foot, Sir Trevor's Own Foot and one platoon from that coy is attached to the Seiber Rifles.)

In 1890, when Germany and Britain transferred their respective holdings in the Mustela Islands to the Grand Duchy, yet another regiment was created--The Grand Duke's African Rifles--as well as a small naval force and a Colonial Constabulary. Gradually, these force's rolls were filled out almost entirely by inhabitants of the archipelago, and, when independence was granted in 1950, the units were transferred to the new country. (To this day, one platoon from the Kikundi cha Nyani ("Baboon Battalion") is attached on a rotating basis to the Foreign Coy of Foot, Sir Trevor's Own Foot and one platoon from that coy is attached to the Seiber Rifles.)

The need to keep pace with technological and other developments also led to other changes in the nation's armed forces. After acquiring a dirigible in 1919, the Air Force was established. In mid-1939, when war in Europe loomed, the number of platoons and soldiers in infantry (but not dragoon) companies was doubled. In order to meet this increased need for soldiers, women were, later that year, allowed to enlist for service. The Support Regiment was established in 1945 in order to rationalize and enhance logistic support of combat units. In 1982, the Grand-Ducal Aero-Cavalry was established, bringing the number of Army regiments to eight. (Earlier the Household Horse Jägers HT had been converted into the Household Aero-Cavalry HT.)

Historically, even units not designated as "militia" have relied on reservists to fill out their ranks in time of war or emergency. This tradition continues today although the increased speed and lethality of modern weapons--and the Grand Duchy's commitment to peacekeeping and humanitarian operations around the world--have required that a larger number of personnel be maintained on full-time status than in the past.

In addition to the Army and Air Force, the nation's law enforcement, fire and rescue, emergency medical, customs, and border control personnel are organized as the Constabulary, while the state-owned airline--Air Wotanberg--provides air transport support to both the Army and Air Force. Although normally separate from the armed forces, both the Constabulary and Air Wotanberg work closely with them during peacetime, and can be integrated into the armed forces in time of war or emergency.

The Grand Duchy is a member of the Wotanberger Commonwealth and a key feature of the Commonwealth is the cooperation of the three nation's in joint defense and peacekeeping operations. To this end, a permanent headquarters has been established in the Mustela Islands for the Wotanberger Commonwealth Command (WOCOCO).

For detailed information regarding the current organization and equipment of the various parts of the armed forces, click here.

To visit Wotanberg's military museum, the Sergeant Joseph ("Joe") Gunn Museum, click here.