Empire



The Empire (帝国), or alternatively The Fatherland, Reich (ライヒ ), is a powerful nation residing in the alternate Earth. The main character, Tanya Degurechaff, was sent to here following her first encounter with Being X. It is characterized by a strong military and rationalist attitude towards warfare. The Empire's capital is Berun. The Imperial administration is close to constitutional monarchy. They use Mark as their official currency.

International Relations

 * Francois Republic (フランソワ共和国) - They recognized each other as the main threat. Their long-smoldering border disputes and territorial issues between the two have erupted into localized wars on multiple occasions in the past.
 * Commonwealth (連合王国) - Although praising the right to self-determination, the Commonwealth worries about a new great power on the continent to challenge the balance of powers. In the beginning of Great War, it kept neutral yet sent limited support to the Empire's enemies.
 * Legadonia Entente Alliance (レガドニア協商連合) - They used to had an unofficial dispute over the domain of Norden. The Treaty of Londinium, which was mediated by Commonwealth, allowed them to resolve their dispute by compromising and recognizing a common national boundary. However, multiple isolated accidents have occurred along the border recently. There has been unintentional fire on both sides, which led to firefights due to misunderstanding, causing the situation to become tense. Those finally led to the outbreak of Norden Incident. See also Norden Incident.


 * Kingdom of Ildoa (イルドア王国) - It was an alliance with Empire, maintaining its neutrality in the beginning of Great War. The Kingdom had a skirmish with the Empire about Unredeemed Ildoa, a part of Ildoa-speaking regions yet presently governed by the Empire. Their treaty of alliance only stipulated some war provisions without the obligation to join the war on ally's side. In order to expand their influence on the Southern Continent, the Kingdom acquiesced in the Imperial Army stationing in its colonies.
 * Russy Federation (ルーシー連邦) - The government signed a nonaggression pact and other treaties with Empire, while claiming the domain of Imperial Ostland to the Empire. It kept neutral in the beginning of Great War. However, in year 1926, they declared war on the Empire upon their General Secretary's order.

Territories
Since the founding of the Empire, it secures its historical territory through Great Reichism but was also hounded by territorial conflicts, so there was never any lack of sparks for the next war. Its territory border mostly follows the borders of the modern Europe nations in our world. Based on that, its territories contain Germany, Denmark, Scania of Sweden, all of low countries, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, and Kaliningrad of Russia. Here listed the disputed territories of the Empire. In the anime, the Empire has larger territory compared to the novel one.
 * Imperial Norden (to Legadonia Entente Alliance) - It refers to Denmark and Scania of Sweden. It is mountainous while having the mineral deposits that cause local magnetic abnormalities.
 * Low Lands industrial region - It refers to Low Countries. It is one of the vital industrial regions of the Empire.
 * Unredeemed Ildoa (to Kingdom of Ildoa) - It refers to Slovenia. The Kingdom of Ildoa claimed the domain since part of the locals speak Ildoa language.
 * Imperial Dacia (to Grand Duchy of Dacia) - It refers to Hungary.
 * Imperial Ostland (to Russy Federation) - It refers to the part of Poland at the east of the Vistula and Kaliningrad of Russia.

Background
For historical reasons, the Empire is located right in the middle of the continent and has territorial disputes to most neighboring countries, which formed a containment net against the Empire, so the Empire had to think of its neighboring countries as potential enemies. To defend its vast territory, its troop numbers were always a tricky topic. To prevent the inferior numbers on all fronts, the Imperial General Staff decided to adopt a national defense plan that could ensure the overwhelming advantages in one front to destroy the invading forces one by one, while avoiding the lethal depletion of others.

Interior Lines Strategy
As known as Plan 315. It is a delicate defense policy which requires taking advantage on railway and fortifications. It will commit troops superior in quality and quantity topically, transfer the advantages to another front rapidly, finally defeat all enemies by winning several decisive battles. Based on it, regional army group is dictated to obstruct the enemy's advance and for the Great Army reinforcements to surround and annihilate the forces that have penetrated too deeply into Imperial territory. Since the Great Army is the main forces of the Empire, the plan 315 focuses on maximizing the speed of domestic theater maneuvering, making the Great Army the rapid reaction troops of the Imperial Army theoretically.

Strength
Originally, the plan called for Central to send 3 divisions within 24 hours of mobilization orders, including an Imperial Guard Division as vanguard, and within 72 hours, seven more divisions to follow. Within a week or so, the Great Army itself would invest an overwhelming force──20 divisions of their dignified regular troops and enough reserves for 60 divisions. In 1926, as Russy Federation declared war on the Empire, the Imperial Eastern Army Group had 60 divisions, while the Great Army was expanded to 100 divisions yet lacked the well-trained NCOs, machine guns and the canons in service.

Army
The Empire is known for its superior armaments. It has the most outstanding and advanced army in the alternate world. The majority of their manpower is focused in land, air and not sea. Now, both air and land are prioritized due to the spread of mages. The Imperial Army is supplied with relatively new equipment, so much so that they've gone beyond believing in firepower supremacy and more in obeying it as accepted doctrine. They are also known for their heavy firepower troops on the front line and emphasizing maneuver capability and maneuver warfare.

Navy
They have a large amount of submarines than long-ranged and heavy barreled battleships. Submarines can move under the sea and cannot be seen by the destroyers. They have limited manpower because of less priority in navy so they are not powerful than Allied Kingdom in sea. Their Imperial High Seas Fleet has more naval ships while the Imperial North Sea Fleet has newer ones, whose flagship is SMS Helgoland.

Airforce
They have minimum air power and resistance but advanced long-ranged fighter planes. All of their pilots are elite and highly-trained personnel. Therefore, they put a lot of effort to maintain the air superiority in the sky.

Research and Development
In 1924, with the guidance of Dr. Schugel, Empire finally created an unlimited orb such as Type 97 Elinium Orb that help their mages to move freely to 8,000 feet above sea level. The researchers are dedicated and motivated to create and improve their technology.

Land/Air
In land, Empire's researchers and engineers developed long-ranged bombers, long-ranged artillery and also heavy and light tanks. Surpassing the technology of the other countries, they improved the guns and equipment of their troops. In 1923, there were some of armored units took part in Norden Incident. In 1924, some of dive bombers joined the retraining mission of V601. In 1925, several tanks and mechanized infantry took part in Operation Revolving Door. They also developed new model of assault rifle in 1925.

Sea
The warships the Imperial Navy use are mostly from WWI. In light novel, SMS Helgoland was considered the newest model in 1925. In both anime and manga, they have SMS Bayern as flagship instead. However, their torpedo is criticized by many submarine captains for several defects of its fuse.

Failed Attempts To Stop The War
1st moment: Reject Ludwig, who was the Chief of General Staff at that time, to mobilize the entire Great Army against Legedonia. The Empire could just defeat the invading army and threaten their government by political means. However, its massive assault finally destroyed the fragile balance and led to a series of war against itself, which were called “The World War” afterwards.

2nd moment: Accept Commonwealth's call for ceasefire before the defeat of the Republic. Commonwealth asked the Empire for “restitutio in integrum”, and was rejected by the Imperial General Staff.

3rd moment: Allow Tanya to take out General de Lugo so the Free Republic can't form and prevent the Commonwealth from entering the war. That would have ended in a clear Empire's victory but the General Staff prevents her.

4th moment: Don't allow Tanya to strike at Moscow and go with the original plan 315. Let the Federation forces inside the Empire's territory and defeat them each time they invade. Eventually they will sue for peace. Tanya prevents this path to be taken.

5th moment: Accept Ildoa's ceasefire deal in the middle of Federation Spring Offensive. The General Staff rejected this offer. Accept Ildoa's ceasefire deal after the defeat of Federation Army. The Imperial cabinet rejected this offer.

Trivia

 * In the manga, the Empire's soldiers resemble the German Wehrmacht from World War Two, and in the anime, Imperial soldiers resemble the German Kaiserliches Heer from World War One.
 * In name, territorial boundaries, culture, and geopolitical situation, the Empire heavily presents itself as a parallel to Imperial Germany and Austria-Hungary during the First World War.
 * The Fatherland, the Empire's second most prominent title, among it's own citizenry and military especially, was also a common epithet for Germany spoken among German nationalists during the World Wars.
 * On the maps that show up in the background of the anime, the country's name shows up as "Vaterland" in a highly stylized font.
 * It is interesting that even the tank technologies had taking place in this era, a massive trench warfare still occurred in Rhine.
 * In the novel, the flagship of Imperial North Sea Fleet is SMS Helgoland. In the anime and the manga, it seems to be a Bayern-class battleship.

Reference
Империя