Stormtrooper Legion

As mentioned elsewhere in this Manual, Stormtrooper Legions, whilst remaining a part of the overall Imperial Army, are considered entirely separate in matters of command and logistics. They have evolved their own independent system of recruitment, training, structural observations and military tactics & deployment. The reasoning for this dates back to the formative years of Palpatine's court and his desire to create his own loyal, military force (in which he succeeded). Since those heady days, the numerous Legions have been assimilated into the Army, but for whatever reason without them losing their cherished independence.

This unique existence has in the past led to what can be mildly described as incidents, during which Stormtrooper Legions operation contrary to the overall aims of the Imperial Army, often to the consternation of the General, who is powerless to oppose. The Legions tend to recognise their own commanders first and the Surface Marshal second - and no-one in between.

Were this situation to exist anywhere else in the Imperial Military, it would've been eradicated early on. However, the very nature of the Legions permitted it's allowance - Stormtroopers are considered to be nothing less than Elite Troopers. Highly skilled, motivated and equipped with the very best the Imperial Army has, they stand head and shoulders above regular Army Troopers in effectiveness. If a Surface Marshal assigned a task to the Legions under his command, he did so knowing that it would be accomplished as efficiently as possible. Stormtroopers are generally employed as Shock troopers used to crush entrenched enemy positions, eradicate strongholds and other locations generally considered too dangerous for regular Army troops. In addition, specialize Stormtroopers are capable of operating in virtually any environment, from heavy forests and swamps, to the hard vacuum of space. All of this has meant that the almost renegade nature of the Legions is grudgingly accepted by Army commanders.

This independence has led to an almost unique evolution of development in the structure of the Stormtrooper Legions. While they follow in basic stages a similar nature to that of the Imperial Army, there are fundamental difference in Stormtrooper Units. The Legions also place more emphasis on Officer-level commands, using less NCOs in command positions than the regular Army. A clear example of this is the lowest units of both organisations - an Army Squad is commanded by a Sergeant wherease the equivalent Stormtrooper unit, a Platoon, is commanded by a Lieutenant (sometimes even higher). Whatever some critics of the Legions may say, they cannot argue against the effectiveness of them.

Stormtrooper Legion

This is the largest level at which a Stormtrooper unit will operate (or indeed decide to place themselves under a Surface Marshal's command). As at all levels, a Legion will supply in totality it's own chain of logistics and command. A Legion will be commanded by a Praetor and consist of 3 Brigades. It should noted that in all instances, Infantry are the usual model of a Stormtrooper Regiment. Heavy Cavalry, Armour and Artillery exist as attached Troops or Squadrons, rather than as entire Regiments. This is a clear distinction from the regular Imperial Army. 1200 Troopers.

Brigade (Bgd) Usually commanded by a General, a Brigade will be formed of 3 Infantry Regiments and their associated Armour and Artilley units, consisting of 390 Troopers.

Regiment (Rgt) The most commonly encountered size of any Stormtrooper deployment, commanded by a Brigadier General or Major General. A Regiment will consist of four combined-arms Battalions, usually 2 of Light Role and 2 Mechanised Infantry. A Regiment will also have attached a number of Heavy Cavalry, Armour and Artillery units allowing it to operate independently of the main Brigade with full effectiveness. A full strength Regiment will contain 128 Troopers, plus attached units.

Battalion (Btn) Commanded by anything from a Lieutenant Colonel to a Brigadier General, and consisting of four Platoons per Battalion. Three of these will generally be Infantry Support and the fourth will be Special Operations, such as Recon (Scout Troopers) or Urban Operations (Assault Troopers). A number of Legions contain Battalions made up entirely of such specialised Troopers, such as Desert and Snow Troopers, and are deployed in their respective environments. Including Officers, a full Battalion will consist of 32 Troopers.

Platoon (Plt) The smallest operation unit of a Legion, commanded by Lieutenant and consisting of 7 other Troopers. A Platoon is typically split into two Sections, Alpha and Beta, with the Senior NCO commanding Beta Section.