Hauptmann

Taznikanze

Hauptmann, literally "head man", was the honorific given to the captain of a ship. In old old times (three thousand years ago or more), the Hauptmann might win his position in battle, or even be elected; in old times (up to the founding of the Republic fourteen hundred years ago) the Taznikanze had a more capitalistic notion: the Hauptmann owned the ship, or put up enough money for the ship. In Aesimond, Hauptmanner were de facto priests to Zahd, the God of War and the Seas, and performed some of the god's rites such as christening a ship by breaking a bottle of an alcoholic beverage across the prow.

Early Republic

With the creation of the Republic, "Hauptmann" came to have a more strictly military terminology. Tasnica had no standing army until eight hundred years ago; the military was a citizen force called into being whenever the Republic went to war. There were a handful of career military men responsible for training the citizenry to be soldiers in short order and leading them in battle; these men were called Hauptmanner. The Hauptmann Principal served as the chief of this administrative skeleton.

Military Reforms of Ulrich von Ritter

Ulrich von Ritter stands next to Ginaz Falke and Celiose Cole as a Tasnican military innovater; he is the father of the Tasnican military. Ordered by Prime Minister Elros Nabrun to create a standing army, he created an iinstitution infused with an extraordinary sense of professionalism and purpose that would last until the Republic Expeditionary Force became the seed for the Grand Army. Ritter died before seeing all the fruits of his accomplishments, and Nabrun in his honor named the new leaders of the army "Ritter" (Knights). Hauptmann, however, still had a place; they were the highest-ranking soldiers to regularly see combat.

Hauptmann Today

Hauptmann is a military rank used by the RAF, RMC, and Grand Army. It refers to the highest ranking soldier who will regularly participate in combat himself. In ground forces, this means the commander of a company (between one and two hundred men); in sea and space commands, this refers to the commander of a ship. Almost every senior officer in these militaries serves at least one tour as a Hauptmann of a combat unit.