The East Prussian Infantry (Overview)

[Heinrich]

   

Wilkommen! The East Prussian Infantry was formed in December 2010 for the purpose of accurately representing historic military structure and tactics to the best of our ability within the gaming universe, while maintaining a social-community style atmosphere. Our unit and family has grown over the years, and we've had the opportunity to educate many not only on game-play, but on the tactics and structure of a military unit of the era. We've found that recreating historical structure in a video-game attracts a more mature crowd, and makes game-play a little more challenging. From our humble beginnings as a Prussian line-company practicing Napoleonic-era battle doctrine to subject-matter experts on German small-unit infantry practices on the field during WWII, The East Prussian Infantry is a one-of-a-kind, organized, professional group of historians reenactors, and gamers using 21st century gaming as a way to entertain and educate. Onward, to victory!  Für das Vaterland! A Long, Proud History Originally established as a Prussian Infantry regiment set in the Napoleonic-era, for over 6 years, the East Prussian Infantry served as a professional line-unit well-versed in historically accurate battle doctrine, capable of fielding mass formations of soldiers, each fully understanding his or her duty and role.  What the East Prussian Infantry was able to achieve took much teamwork and enthusiasm from the many who participated over the years. In 2017, the East Prussian Infantry sought a new challenge, and decided to bring the world of historical structure, tactics, discipline, and professionalism into the gaming universe of ARMA III. The EPI - 2012

   

Expectations Whether as a recruit, or a full-fledged soldier, our members are expected to do the following: ✠ Learn and follow the Code of Conduct ✠ Learn, and become proficient in basic Tactics and Skills ✠ Be relatively active, attend training when possible, and alert your squad leader if you are unable to participate or are taking an extended leave. ✠ Display humility, respect, and motivation. Those who can do these four things will find themselves a good match for the EPI, and will be prime candidates for promotion should they be proficient and willing to take on leadership roles.

Code of Conduct As general guidelines, members are to practice the following points: a more detailed outline of our code of conduct can be found Here! 1. Be respectful to everyone. This includes your comrades in the 1st, members of other regiments, public players, admins, officers, non-commissioned officers, and people on the forums. 2. Conduct yourself in a professional and mature manner. This means that cursing, glitching, trolling, flaming, and name calling or other forms of fighting are not allowed. This is especially important when we are in events or on a public server. 3. Follow Orders. It is paramount for the survival of the regiment that all orders given by our Offiziere and Unteroffizieren are followed to the letter and without question or argument. There is a time and place to discuss tactics and whether or not certain orders should be given or not. Directly after the order is given is not one of those times. This also applies to the Rules laid out by admins on their servers. We respect the right of admins to run their servers. 4. Do not retaliate. Regardless of the situation, if something is done to you (ie Teamkill, insult, etc) you are not to retaliate! Instead, you are to inform an officer or admin and report the problem. Anyone found retaliating will be dealt with in the same manner as the original offender.

RANK STRUCTURE
of the German rifle company

Schutzen	Unteroffiziere	Offiziere
-No Rank Insignia- Rekrut (Rkt): Upon enlisting in the EPI, new members will be granted the title of Rekrut, until successful completion of the Schutze Basic Training Course. This basic course will provide the new member with a basic understanding of the gameplay Mechanics of ARMA, as well as the role of the rifleman in the rifle squad. New Rekruts will also be given instruction on the structure of the infantry platoon, and basic tactics.	Obergefreiter (OGefr) / Stabsgefreiter (StGefr): An Obergefreiter or StabsGefreiter is  a Gefreiter who has chosen to pursue a path of leadership within the EPI. These are successful graduates of the Team leaders course (TLC)and show an understanding of how to take care of not only themselves, but others on the field.  They are reliable and can be called on by the Unteroffizer to lead a detachment from the squad. They know how formations are to be applied and when to use them. They understand the operation as well as how to coordinate and communicate. In the event that the Unteroffizier has been killed, an Obergefreiter is able to jump into action and assume command of the squad without any loss of momentum. The StabsGefreiter title is assigned to a soldier of the same pay-grade who has been assigned to an administrative duty within the EPI. Many times this involves maintenence of personnel records, ensuring communication lines are flowing, and assisting in new Rekrut in-processing.	Leutnant (LT): The Leutnant is the lowest commissioned officer within the german army, and serve as platoon leaders. They are ultimately responsible to their company commander for their platoon, administratively. They process awards and promotions for soldiers within their platoon. Ultimately,  they assume command of their platoon within the field, through the use of their Feldwebel and Unteroffizieren.
Schutze (Schtz): Graduation of the Basic Schütze course comes with a promotion to Schutze, the basic rifleman and lowest official rank in the EPI. Schützen are expected to follow our code of conduct and carry out the orders of superiors. They act as professional representatives of the EPI. They work to expand their knowledge and ability in the game, tactically and technically.	Unteroffizier (Uffz): Unteroffiziere are the Squad leaders within the rifle platoon. These sergeants are responsible for effectively maneuvering using formations and employing the assets of their squad to close and destroy the enemy in order to accomplish the mission, while coordinating with their Platoon's Feldwebel and peer squad leaders. They can communicate orders both with their squad and can coordinate movement and attacks with the other rifle squads. Unteroffiziere are responsible for maintaining discipline and combat effectiveness of their squad. They resolve issues on the squad level and are proficient in both giving and receiving orders. They are expected to interact with the members of their squad and make sure that all are fully functional. Unteroffiziere are the true leaders of the EPI	Oberleutnant (OLT): An Oberleutnant is a seasoned Leutnant who can either fill the billet as a platoon leader, or has been selected to serve as the Executive Officer (XO) of the Company.  The executive officer's duties are mostly administrative, coordinating training for the company, and maintaining a high level of readiness. The Stabsgefreiteren within the company work as clerks with the executive officer  In the field, an Oberleutnant serves as an assistant to the commander, and steps in to lead the company in his absence.
Oberschutze (OSchtz): Oberschutzen are experienced soldiers. Members who have proven that they understand the role of the rifleman on the field, and can use this effectively. They understand the formations used, and can efficiently maneuver and communicate as an effective member of the squad.	Feldwebel (FW): The Feldwebel is the senior-most NCO in the Platoon, responsible to the Platoon Leader (Leutnant), and a coordinator on the field. The Feldwebel uses his subbordinate squads to fufill orders and successfully accomplish the mission. He resolves issues in the platoon, which cannot be handled by the Unteroffizeren. He acts as a communication link between the officers and the enlisted personnel. He ensures that his platoon maintains a high level of readiness, and assists in maintaining accountability. He recommends awards and promotions to the Leutnant for members of the platoon.	Hauptmann (Hpt): The Hauptmann is the commander of the rifle company, and assumes command on the field. He is ultimately responsible for everything the company does or fails to do to his battalion commander, and makes command decisions on behalf of the company. He uses his executive officer and platoon leaders to ensure training is coordinated and the soldiers are fully functioning and capable. He coordinates with outside support on the field and issues orders to his platoon leaders to most efficiently close and destroy the enemy.
Gefreiter (Gefr): Gefreiteren in the EPI compose the bulk of the force. These soldiers are experts in their craft, fall seamlessly into the organization and are the ideal rifleman. They understand individual soldier tasks, and look out for one another. They represent the EPI on and off the field. At this point in their military career, Gefreiteren are free to begin earning certifications on other weaponry, and learn how to expand their knowledge beyond that of the rifle. Medics, Radio operators, and Machine Gunners are just a few examples of necessary assets during battle, and Gefreiteren are the reliable soldiers who take the initiative to learn and fill these roles.  These soldiers demonstrate the utmost level of professionalism, and provide guidance for new members	Hauptfeldwebel (HFW): The senior-most NCO in a company, responsible for coordinating the movement and use of the rifle platoons within the company. He maintains discipline within the company, and acts as the right-hand man and a communication link between the enlisted men of the company and the Hauptmann.

OUR ORGANIZATION

Our Unit
There are many opportunities within the East Prussian Infantry to provide members with an understanding of military history of the era, in a social, mature atmosphere. Here you will find some basic information on our unit regarding our event times, and references to our manuals, not only from WWII, but those that have been compiled from the Napoleonic-Era / American Civil War, which have been written and adapted for use in-game over many years.  We invite you to participate with us, and feel free to ask questions!

[spoiler=Weekly Event Schedule]

These Events Occur on a weekly basis:
Thursday Primary Training - 8PM EST
Saturday Main-Operation - 530PM EST


In addition to these recorded weekly events, weekly social events and occasional ''special'' events will typically be scheduled once or twice a month on a Saturday evening. Members are given notice well in advance of these additional opportunities

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[spoiler= Medals]

Click Here

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[spoiler=Manual Reference]
Most of these manuals require an account on our forums. If you would like to view them, feel free to create an account and reach out to an officer who can give you access

German Infantry Regiment Structure - http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt09/german-infantry-regiment.html

German Field Manual - http://forums.1stepi.com/index.php/topic,2989.msg31094.html#new

The Field Manual of the Dragoon - http://forums.1stepi.com/index.php/topic,1352.0.html

The School of the Infantry Battalion - http://forums.1stepi.com/index.php/topic,2491.0.html

Structure of the Prussian Infantry - http://forums.1stepi.com/index.php/topic,1943.0.html

UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF THE RIFLE COMPANY

Organization of the Company
The Company is the smallest unit to complete itself, and should be able to field at least 40 men rank-and-file. For this purpose, given an average attendance rate of 50-66% for any given event, at least 80 active members should be maintained on paper. The unit is ran at the company-level by the Hauptmann (Captain) and HauptFeldwebel (1st Sergeant).

Each company is divided into platoons, termed "Zug." Ideally, each Zug should be able to field 20 soldiers rank and file, in addition to one Officer (a LT or OLT) who is designated the Platoon Leader, a ranking Feldwebel, who is designated the Platoon Sergeant. Each Platoon should consist of at least 2, 10 man rifle squads called a "Gruppe", each of which are led by an Unteroffizier

Thus, the minimum strength Company comprised of two Zug shall include:
1 Hauptmann - Company Commander
1 Oberleutnant - Company Executive Officer
1 Hauptfeldwebel - Company 1st Sergeant
2 Leutnants - Each overseeing a Zug
2 Feldwebels - Each assigned to a Zug
4 Unteroffiziere - Min. 2 in each Zug assigned as squad leaders
4-8 Obergefreiteren/Stabsgefreiteren - 2~4 in each Zug, NCOs capable of serving as team/detachment leaders and File closers
4 MG Schutzen - Min. 1 per squad, who is responsible for the MG assigned to each squad
32+ Schutzen - 16+ in each Zug

Also included may be:
Medics, Radio Operators, Anti-Tank soldiers


Thus, a full strength Company on paper shall be comprised of no less than 44-52 men in total. The Company's field strength will generally be only 50-66% of its strength on paper for any given event, accounting for average attendance. Should the Company maintain a high level of activity and attendance, the number of men required to maintain a full strength Company on paper may be lower than prescribed above.

   

RECRUITMENT All Recruiting related questions should be directed to the 1st East Prussian Infantry's Civil Affairs Representative: -VACANT- Steam Page:- We ask that All people interested in joining the 1st East Prussian Infantry Visit our Website: www.1stepi.com.  and Post an application Here: http://forums.1stepi.com/index.php/board,62.0.html.    If you have any Problems with this feel free to reply and let us know whats up, so that we will be able to help you in your application Process. Also, feel free to pm Questions to the author of this thread, or email them to  the1stepi@gmail.com Other Information We have our own Message Boards and Team Speak Server.  Members should check the forums on a regular basis, and have bookmarked both the forums and the EPI TeamSpeak servers. Our Steam Group - http://steamcommunity.com/groups/1stepi_nw the Steam group is open, please join to be invited to events Our Website and Forums can be found here: http://www.1stepi.com Team Speak - ts3.1stepi.com You do not need a mic, but everyone will need to have TeamSpeak for trainings and events in order to hear orders. STAFF POINTS OF CONTACT Company Executive Officer: Erhard Schenk Steam Page - 1stEPI Gunny Personnel: Hans von Odin Steam Page - 1stEPI HandofGod Please direct questions involving matters of administration concerning the regiment, Website/Forum issues, Server groups, and distribution of awards to the listed point of contact. Operations: Albert Wegmann Steam Page - 1stEPI Shermanator Please direct questions or comments regarding the scheduling of events or calendar to the listed point of contact Civil-Military Relations:  Tatum Spieler Steam Page - Tatum Gamer Please direct questions or concerns with Civil-Military Relations, or seek guidance from the listed point of contact when needing assistance with the application process or new member indoctrination.