The Janissary Revival
The Ottoman Army, while up to the standards of the day, we by no means the worlds finest force. Training was decent, as was armament; but nothing was exceptional. Talat Pasha knew this. He also knew that modern warfare would call for a force of exceptional soldiers, well-armed, well-trained, an elite to form the steel backbone of the Army.
The Grand Vizier looked to the past. The Janissaries had at one point been the finest troops in the world, fanatically loyal, a symbol of Ottoman power. Yes, they had been corrupted later on, but during their prime they were unstoppable. It was this sense of greatness, of power, and of honor that Talat Pasha wished to capture in the new Ottoman elite corps. It was for this reason that, with the approval of the Sultan, Talat Pasha reconstituted the Janissary Corps as an elite shock infantry force.
The new Janissaries were not the Christian slaves of old. No, these elite infantrymen were hand-picked from the ranks of the regular Army; the strongest, brightest, and most loyal were chosen to form the elite force.
Janissaries underwent advanced training which provided them with skills beyond those of any regular infantrymen. Janissaries trained to peak physical fitness, practied marksmanship, learned proficiency in various weapons, gained engineering and demolitions skills, and were educated in battlefield tactics.
The Janissaries were outfitted unlike any other soldier in the Ottoman army. Each Janissary wears a sleek, streamlined khaki uniform ideal for fighting in deserts or the hill country of the Balkans, and which allows a great range of mobility and easy movement. Each elite infantryman is also protected by a steel helmet of German design and a steel chest plate (wore inside a khaki pouch inside the uniform jacket). Each Janissary is armed with an Ottoman-made duplicate of the Madsen Light Machine Gun (built under license), several German-style stick grenades, and a traditional Kilij (a big, menacing-looking Turkish scimitar).
The Janissary Corps is an elite reserve. When figting breaks out, the Janissaries are not immediately committed; rather, they are held in reserve, and committed to the fight when an opportunity to break the enemy lines presents itself, or when the Ottoman regular line appears to be breaking at a certain point. The Janissaries are used as shock forces, focused on a small section of the enemy line to create a breach, which they then exploit to destroy the enemy's coherence; or used defensively, to strengthen a weak section of the Ottoman line.
Janissary tactics allow them to strike an enemy with maximum shock value. Each Janissary division has its own organic artillery detachment. When it is time for the Janissaries to be sent against the enemy, the artillery launches a short, concentrated barrage against the section of the enemy line the Janissaries seek to break. Covered by the artillery fire, the Janissaries advance. Once the artillery stops, the Janissaries should be very close to the enemy line; some drop down and take cover, providing supporting fire for those who advance. Those Janissaries that advance charge the enemy, spraying the enemy with light machinegun fire and tossing grenades. The idea is that the advancing Janissaries overtake their enemies as quickly as possible, forcing the enemy to fight at close range, where the high rate of fire of the Madsen machine gun, as well as the powerful fragmentation grenades and the large, deadly, scary-looking scimitar can be used to decimate infantrymen carrying bolt-action rifles. The Janissaries who took cover and provided covering fire then leap-frog ahead, advancing as a second wave against the enemy.
Once the enemy line is broken, the Janissaries advance through the breach into the enemy rear, hold open the breach so other units can advance, and strike at the enemy from behind to create confusion and disorder in his ranks.
In weapons, tactics, and origins, the new Janissaries differ from the old; but their fighting spirit is the same. Whereas the old Janissaries swore loyalty directly to the Sultan, the new Janissaries take an oath of loyalty to the Ottoman state; this, however, does not distinguish their fanatical devotion to their country. They are the elite, the finest the Ottoman Empire can muster.