Grenadiers

Grenadiers refer to the mechanized infantry units of the Grand Army, and along with the Regulars (battlesuited infantry) and GA Tank Troops (tanks...duh) are the "direct combat branches" of the GA's ground forces. Branches such as Artillery and magic users (see Warkaster) are designated "combat support" and are assigned to regiments of one of these types. Medics, the Office of Supply, Logistics, and Ordinance (OSLO), GAPP, and other rear-echelon functions of the army are designated "service support".

The Grenadiers take great pride in being the most down-and-dirty, rough-and-tumble branch in the GA, viewing themselves as the true Frontsoldaten of GACA.

Role

GA operational doctrine envisions the Grenadiers role as primarily defensive, with the tank troops forming the main striking power, and the Regulars switching between the two as needed. Infantry mounted on mechanized vehicles moving in the wake of an armoured assault to secure territory has become a fairly standard operational practice throughout the Web, but it was revolutionary when Celiose conceived it following the battles over Ticondera. (Burzmale independently conceived of the same idea; see Dark Wrath Motorized Corps.) The creations of the Grenadiers was in reaction to the GA's difficulty in the early years in defending territory. They have also served well as fighters in jungles, cities, and other restricted terrain where vehicles are not used.

Equipment

Grenadier ethos is clear on one point streteching back to the Great War. A Grenadier has two pieces of equipment that are essential above all others: his weapon and his spade.

The spade, used for digging entrenchements ranging from personal foxholes to the complicated network that ran the length of the penninsula around Trianable, has become little changed. The Grenadiers are interested in some of the innovations coming from SLCM Assault Engineers, however. Infantryman that cannot entrench soon become dead infantryman.

The weapons have become increasingly elaborate and complicated. The signature weapon of the GA Grenadier remains the flamethrower. These magitek-powered flame projectors inspired terror in the first few people who faced it. Modern GA flamethrowers have a high enough output to cook battlesuited troops alive inside their armor. Although widely used in the Great War, it does suffer from limitations due to its range and the fact that it reveals the position of the person firing it. Nonetheless, this is the first weapon Grenadiers learn.

Gyrocs, weapons firing .50-cal fin stabilized rockets, have become increasingly popular in the Grenadiers. The "standard" GA Grenadier force is split about 50/50 between flamethrowers and these longer-ranged weapons, although equipment is adjusted as per mission profile. Compared with Needle weapons gyrocs have greater range and hitting power but a much slower rate of fire (most gyroc weapons are single shot). Gyrocs can fire armor-piercing, high explosive, or smart guided "Backstab" rounds.

The Lenart GFV was, until recently, the standard way for Grenadiers to get into battle. This 8-wheeled vehicle is equipped with a high explosive cannon and anti-tank missiles. However, due to cutting costs, only one Lenart is available per platoon; the rest of the platoon arrives in Kuat Consortium Weasel APCs.

Grenadiers will have flak vests and body armor made of kevlar, but it is not powered or sport any integrated weapons. The Greandiers are, after all, mechanized infantry, not battle armor troops. The helmet is the official headware of the Grenadier; Grenadiers' helmets have communications systems and a small throat patch that allows Grenadiers to communicate through subvocalizing.

The Seer Combat Information System is a full tactical datanet that allows coordination between all GA forces in a specific area. It allows every unit to see what everyone else can see, and it also coordinates soldiers calling in for requests for fire support from air or artillery assets. The Grenadiers have a forearm datapad mounted on a gauntlet to integrate their link into the system; it is nicknamed "The Power Glove".

For artillery support, see Grand Army Artillery.

Structure of a Platoon

A platoon will have three nine-man squads. Each squad will have six people equipped with either gyrocs or flamethrowers, a sniper, a heavy weapons expert (carrying either an ATL or a minigun), and an anti-tank soldier (typically using a SuperStreak man-portable unit). Squads are deployed as the CO of the platoon sees fit; he could, for example, send all the snipers on a mission. It should be noted that this is just the standard configuration; responsibilities in a Grenadier unit are rotated, so that everyone is expected to be able to do any of these jobs. For example, should the need arise, all of the soldiers should be able to operate anti-tank weapons.

A platoon will also have the CO, the senior NCO, and the platoon Warkaster. These are responsibilities that are not rotated.

Training

The Grenadiers consider themselves the only branch not to have become more lax about training in the post-war era.

Grenadiers officers train at GAMA but tank a break to complete twenty-month Grenadier Combat Training (GCT). By infantry school standards, GCT is extremely long; the fact that the GA has no pressing conflicts allows the Grand Army to take its time training infantrymen.

The first few months are pure physical torture. The Grenaiders maintain the highest standards of physical conditioning in the Grand Army, and the first few months are designed both to ensure those standards. Those unable to meet the rigors of this part of the training are given three options. They can quit, they are snidely told that perhaps the Tank Troops are more their speed, or they can spend additional months of remedial training in a facility known as Fat Camp. Some have suggested that the name of Fat Camp is demeaning; with typical GA callousness, the Grenadiers have completely ignored these pleas.

Although physical conditioning continues throughout, the bulk of GBT is spent teaching equipment and tactics. Part of the ethos of the GA is that any officer should be able to do the job of someone two levels above them; hence, even the lowest soldier should be well-versed enough in tactics to command a platoon, and a low-level officer commanding a platoon should be able to organize a battalion with little difficulty. This trait allowed the GA to continue functioning as a fighting force in the Great War despite sustaining massive casualties; it is also why GA soldiers who later join national militaries tend to progress quickly.

One of the more contreversial aspects of the training is called the Sons of the Flame. Grenadier candidates sit in a house which is then set on fire. If they flee, they fail the test. After a certain time, they are rescued. The point of the ceremony is to conquer one's own fear of flame.

After completing GCT a Grenadier is assigned to a garrison in the Home Army. He will need to spend at least an additional year training before being eligble to be assigned to a front-line regiment.

Famous Grenadiers

• Model Steinmetz, GA Sub-General and Commander of the Sixth Army, recently dismissed
• Revlan Kursdorff, Commandant of the Republic Marine Corps, served as a drill instructor for GCT