Free Western Army

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The Alliance of Democratic Western European States

Flag of the Free Western Army
Flag
Coat of arms of the Free Western Army
Coat of arms
Anthem: God Save the Queen
Map of FWA global jurisdiction. Member states in blue, Treaty Protectorates in light blue, and condominiums with the Eastern Union in magenta.
Map of FWA global jurisdiction. Member states in blue, Treaty Protectorates in light blue, and condominiums with the Eastern Union in magenta.
Administrative centerLondon, England
Largest cityMexico City
Official languagesVaried, English in diplomacy
Religion
Secular
GovernmentAlliance of Democracies
National hero(es)Timmy Turner, Bernard Montgomery
CurrencyPound
Chief contributorsUnited Kingdom
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Mexico
Drives on theleft

The Free Western Army is a multinational, albeit primarily British military organization encompassing most of Western Europe. It emerged during the Second Napoleonic War as partisan resistance against the Franco-German army. Despite antiquated equipment and substandard training, the FWA achieved many successes due to exceptional commanders and a solid resolve among the men. At its birth, it consisted of barely 6,000 volunteers operating in disjointed units; but thanks to a successful propaganda campaign, their numbers had grown to over two million regular troops by the end of the war. As of the Third Nazi War its standing strength is 3,000,000 personnel made up primarily of the British Army, although there is a significant number of Italians, Spaniards and, as of High Noon, Mexicans.

History

Second Napoleonic War

By early 2008, Napoleon's armies had conquered most of Europe, but had failed to reach Britain.[1] On April 23, a unified resistance movement calling itself the Free Army of Western Europe, having assembled an arsenal of Second World War equipment, made a public declaration of intent against the Napoleonic armies and the remaining Avatars.[2] The counteroffensive was a sweeping success, liberating most of Western Europe within days, and by May 7, the FWA entered Paris.[3]

The Napoleonic campaign effectively emasculated NATO, and the FWA adopted the role of Western counterpart to the Eastern Union. After the war, the FWA garrisoned the British protectorates designated by the Treaty of Paris, and worked alongside Union forces to administer the three condominiums.

An archenemy rises

Not a month after the allied victory, Europe came under a new threat in the form of the mysterious FDR. As if in resistance to the resisters, FDR's terrorists began engaging both Union and Free Western forces.[4] Brusilov mistook FDR for Mulroney, and his report back to the Kremlin would eventually lead to the invasion of Canada.

After a string of devastating attacks, FDR's machinations abruptly tapered off at about the time of the Combine Insurgency. A crack squad led by Sandy Cheeks, originally tasked with rescuing Cosmo and Wanda from Fort Schmerzen, was reassigned to lead the HMS Red Dwarf after intel received word the fairies had been moved to Arrakis. [5] The FWA discovered that FDR was, in fact, a successor of sorts to Napoleon's army.[6]

Although FDR was murdered by a third party toward the end of the expedition,[7] subordinate commanders Roosevelt, Patton and Franklin escaped, taking what was left of the army with them. They returned in DRAW Your Own Story 10.5 as the leaders of the Clone Guild's advance party to Earth, working in loose collaboration with the Space Nazis in a shot at revenge against the FWA.[8]

DYOS 11

In response to the Hacker subjecting London to a vicious, out-of-season snowstorm, FWA military command activated Echelon 1, heralding the beginning of a long and arduous campaign against both the Hacker and the Umbrella Corporation[9] under the oversight of MI5 Agent Phillip Grimsby. The mission suffered catastrophic setbacks, including the capture of Patrick during investigations on Thear,[10] and the capture and attempted interrogation of Sandy.

Progress ground to an abrupt halt when Grimsby revealed himself a double agent, killing Field Marshal Montgomery in a coup that instated him as Prime Minister of the New British Empire.[11] The return of the Thear expedition to Earth led to a brief but devastating civil war that saw London nearly destroyed and that claimed the lives of high-profile FWA personnel, including Kaidan Alenko and Spongebob Squarepants.[12]

2011 reformation

Following the defeat of the New British Empire, a series of sweeping reforms were launched in the FWA's military. The armies of all participating nations (bar Mexico) have been unified under a single command structure headquartered in London, headed by Field Marshal Alanbrooke.[13] Most regiments and divisions continue to exist, albeit with changed names or numbers.

DYOS 12

Organization

Free Western Army
FWA space roundel.png
Roundel of the FWA Interstellar Fleet
Founded2008
Current form2011
Service branchesBritish Army
Royal Navy
Royal Air Force
HeadquartersLondon
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefMargaret Thatcher
Chief of DefenseSir Alan Brooke
Manpower
Active personnel3 000 000

The FWA is divided into three arms - the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

British Army

File:Thompson 02.jpg
A British soldier with his M1928 Thompson.

The British Army (historically controlled by Parliament, and therefore not the 'Royal Army') is the land arm of the FWA, and is a highly regimental system. Troops identify far more to their regiment than to their division, and it is not common to see men of the Royal Engineers mix with the Royal Northumbrian Fusiliers, as an example.

A British soldier usually wears the olive green 1938 battledress, with a Mk. II Brodie Helmet which may or may not be netted. Other variations exist for different climates, such as a short sleeved sandy-brown for desert operations and a white winter variant with a greatcoat. Officers have their own uniforms, similar to those seen on the Western Front in 1917. Most member nations of the FWA (eg. Spain, Italy, Portugal) retain their own uniforms.

British troops usually carry the Short Magazine Lee Enfield, the Mk. II Sten or the Bren, although the American M1928 Thompson and the M1918 Browning Assault Rifle are not uncommon. Officers are issued with the Webley revolver, although some use Colt 1911s or Smith & Wessons.

The FWA has a startling array of tanks and armour, the newest and most efficient being the Centurion and the A34 Comet. The older tanks, such as the Matilda II and the Crusader, are still in use but are being gradually withdrawn.

Parachute Regiment

File:Britishparas.jpg
Paras prior to a jump.

The Parachute Regiment is the main airborne unit of the FWA, and wear a camouflaged Denison smock and a red beret. They should not be confused with UNIT - they wear black.

In combat, the paras can also be distinguished by their helmets, which do not have the Brodie's distinctive rim. This may lead them to be confused for German Fallschirmjäger if the light is bad.

Most FWA intelligence officers seem to come from this unit. Don't mention the commandos when they're around.

Royal Navy

These guys are the ones with the ships. For a long time, the Royal Navy was the largest in the world, and even today it is a formidable force.

Royal Marine Commandos

These are the ones with the green berets, and are the primary elite force of the Free Western Army. Some of them carry the experimental 'MK. 47' (read: AK-47 knockoff with incendiary rounds). They all all vigorously trained, to the point that it is said that 99.99% need not apply.

Don't mention the Paras when they're around.

Royal Air Force

File:Lancaster.jpg
Who you gonna call? DAMBUSTERS!

The RAF is divided into three units - Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command. The latter is almost never seen or used.

Fighter Command deploys mostly the Spitfire, Hurricane and Tempest, while Bomber Command consists of the Lancaster, Wellington, and Mosquito. They also have a large number of C-47 Dakotas for the paras to use.

Special Case: The Mexicans

The Mexican Army continues operate independently of the FWA, and is armed mostly with captured French stores from the Second Napoleonic War.

See also

References