Throughout the 20th Century, the rise of ultra-nationalism and fascism gave rise to prominent escorts and bodyguards for their party leaders.
Imperial Manchukuo Guards- Puyi's all-Manchu escort; who engaged China's warlords and the Soviet Red Army throughout the Second World War.
VS.
The Sturmabteilung- Hitler's original bodyguards, whose rise to power put them in the crosshairs of the SS in 1934.
WHO...IS...DEADLIEST?
To find out the history of war and modern science collide, as we test the weapons and tactics used by these instruments of war. We dissect their strengths and weaknesses and file them in for an all new battle to the death. It’s no rules, no safety, no mercy. It’s a duel to the death as we find out who is the Deadliest Warrior.
| Stats | IMG |
|---|---|
| Reign of Terror | 1932-1945 |
| Size | 200 |
| Allegiance | Aisin-Gioro Puyi |
Patterned off of the Japanese Imperial Guard and the older Qing Imperial Guard, the Imperial Manchukuo Guard was an elite unit of the Imperial Manchukuo Army. Tasked with protecting Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the puppet Emperor of Manchukuo, and the imperial palace at Hsinking, the Imperial Manchukuo Guard were made up only of ethnic Manchus and trained independently of the Manchukuo Army and the Japanese Kwantung Army.
Equipped with the latest weapons and Japanese-style swords, the unit's role was largely symbolic. However, they participated in wiping out Chinese and Korean guerrillas in Manchukuo and were commanded by Puyi's younger brother, Aisin-Gioro Pujie. The unit was functionally and practically disbanded following its last act of military use; during the Soviet Invasion of Manchukuo in 1945.
Mukden Type 13 Mauser
The region of Inner Manchuria was home to the Mukden Arsenal. During the 1920s, the leading Fengtian Clique set about production of Mauser-style rifles at the arsenal. The rifle would continue production when the Japanese took over the facility in 1932 until 1938.
- Range: 500 metres
- Calibre: 6.5x50mmSR Arisaka
- Capacity: 5 rounds; Stripper Clip/Individual Rounds
Type 3 HMG
The Manchukuoan state was heavily armed by their Japanese overlords. As such, the Imperial Guard made use of Japanese Type 3 Heavy Machine Guns; a copy of the French/US Hotchkiss pattern of machine gun used in the First World War.
- Range: 700 metres
- Calibre: 7.7x57mm Arisaka
- Rate of Fire: 450 RPM
- Capacity: 30 round strip
Mauser C96
The Chinese Armies of the early 20th Century favoured the use of the Mauser C96. Despite being mostly Japanese equipped, C96 pistols were used extensively by the Manchukuoan Army and Imperial Guard; especially among officers.
- Range: 200 metres (effective)
- Calibre: 7.63x25mm Mauser
- Capacity: 10 rounds; stripper clip
MP 18
The MP-18 was manufactured in a significant quantity in China (mostly from Tsingtao Arsenal). As it was plentiful enough in the Warlord Era of the 1920s, some of them would have found their way into the hands of the Manchukuoan Imperial Guards and Army following the Pacification of Manchukuo in 1932.
- Range: 100 metres
- Calibre: 9x19mm Parabellum
- Rate of Fire: 500 RPM
- Capacity: 20 rounds; stick magazine
Type 98 Shin Gunto
Many of the officers of the Imperial Manchukuo Guard and Army carried swords in a similar vein to their Japanese masters. The most common type of sword used by lower ranked Japanese officers in the Second World War was the Type 98 Shin Gunto.
- Length: 60 centimetres
- Material: Steel
- Weight: 0.9 KG
| Stats | SA |
|---|---|
| Reign of Terror | 1920-1945 |
| Size | 11,000 (Height) |
| Allegiance | Adolf Hitler |
The Sturmabteilung' or SA has its origins in 1920, when Adolf Hitler was giving a speech at a brewery, and several protesters who didn't want the rally to take place, where sent "flying down the stairs with gashes on their heads" by Hitler's army friends, who were armed with mainly truncheons. That was the birth of the SA Organization. Originally made up of Ex-soldiers and beer hall brawlers, their main job was to stop Social Democrats and Communists from interrupting party meetings. Two units were originally born from the SA: the Hitler Youth, originally called the Jugendbund; and the Schutzstaffel (SS), were originally branches of the SA. They earned the name Brownshirts from their brown uniforms, which were leftover from WWI German African Troops.
Hitler feared the growing power of the SA, which was aiming to replace the normal German Army. On 30 June, 1934, Ernst Rohm (head of the SA) and 200 other senior SA officers were arrested, and between 100-150 of them were killed, including Ernst Rohm. Even though mainly existing on paper after the murder of many of their leaders, attacks on Jews in the '30s escalated, many of those terrorism acts perpetrated by the SA. They beat many Jews to death and arrested 30,000 more over the course of all actions.
When WWII began, most of the remaining SA members joined the Wehrmacht. Just like there were SS Combat Units, a plan went through to create a SA combat unit, which was formed as the Panzer Corps Feldherrnhalle in 1944. They saw action on the Eastern Front.
Gewehr 98
By the time of the establishment of the Sturmabteilung, most German political paramilitary forces had leftover weapons from the First World War. The most common of these was the Gewehr 98 bolt action rifle. The Gewehr 98 served the German military from the Boxer Rebellion up until the end of the Second World War. Though, by the Interwar period, it was largely superseded by the shorter Karabiner 98k.
- Range: 500 metres
- Calibre: 7.92x57mm Mauser
- Capacity: 5 rounds; Stripper Clip/Individual Rounds
MG 08/15
Armed heavily with First World War era equipment, the SA made use of surplus MG 08/15 machine guns. Based off of the Maxim Gun, the MG 08/15 was a water-cooled weapon with a capacity of 250 round fabric belts.
- Range: 2000 metres
- Calibre: 7.92x57mm Mauser
- Rate of Fire: 500 RPM
- Capacity: 250 round belts (drum container)
Luger P08
A common sight in the hands of German officers during the First World War, the Luger P08 was used by many Interwar German militias and Reichswehr commanders. Many SA commanders used the pistol during the NSDAP's rise to power and subsequently in the Second World War.
- Range: 45 metres
- Calibre: 9x19mm Parabellum
- Capacity: 8 round box magazine; +1 chambered
MP-34
The MP-34 was manufactured in Austria on the urging of the German government to avoid the Treaty of Versailles. Finely made, it was considered the "Rolls-Royce of Submachine Guns" by many. It was purchased in small numbers by Germany until the Anschuluss.
- Range: 150 metres
- Calibre: 9x19mm Parabellum
- Rate of Fire: 600 RPM
- Capacity: 32 rounds; stick magazine
Bokor M1915
The most common weapon in the hands of the trench fighters of the First World War was the Bokor M1915 trench knife. As many SA members were former First World War soldiers, some had access to surplus M1915 knives.
- Length: 10 cm
- Weight: 50 grams
- Material: Steel
Battle[]
IMG: 
1936
A Type 82 Kubelwagen with an MG-08 /15 pulls up outside of a government building. A unit of 4 Sturmabteilung troopers and their commander disembark. Two chamber their MP-34s, the other two troopers disengage the safeties of their Gewehr 98s. Down the block, five members of the Imperial Manchukuo Guards march on patrol; three with their Type 13 Mausers, one with an MP-18 and their leader with a Shin Gunto and Mauser C96. As the Manchukuo Guards approach, one of the SA troopers takes aim and fires his Gewehr 98, dispatching on of the Manchu riflemen. The remaining Manchu scatter in pairs, their commander firing his C96. One shot wounds one of the SA. Two of the SA troopers pursue two of the survivors into a building wile the commander and the other two get into the Kubelwagen, the commander manning the MG-08/15.
As the two SA troops on foot enter the building, they notice a Type 3 HMG on the top of the stairs. The machine gun starts up, killing one as its distinctive woodpecker sound filling the air.
The remaining SA trooper fires his MP-34 back at the Manchu, before being shot down. The two Manchu Guards head back down the stairs, one picking up the MP-34.
X-Factors[]
| X-factor | Manchukuo | Brownshirts | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience | 50 | 60 | While the Imperial Manchukuo Guards did see service in the Second World War, it was mostly relegated to chasing down bandits. The SA's earliest members had several veterans of the First World War. |
| Training | 70 | 65 | The Manchukuo Guard were trained extensively by the Imperial Japanese Army. The SA had several veterans but the majority were mostly armed thugs with basic training. |
| Equipment | 60 | 60 | Both sides were armed with WWI and Interwar era equipment. |
| Total | 200 | 205 |
Notes[]
Battle is 5vs5 and set in an urban environment.
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