21st Imperial Guards Infantry Rentai

The 21st Imperial Guards Infantry Regiment is an elite unit of the Yamatai Imperial Army, responsible for carrying out. It is the only unit in the Imperial Army that specialises in amphibious warfare. The 21st Regiment is part of the 2nd Imperial Guards Division and is headquartered at Camp Azatoi, Inaba.

The 21st Regiment maintains an intense but friendly rivalry with the Yamatai Imperial Navy's SNLF, the marine force under the Navy and the primary amphibious warfare force of Yamatai, as both units make up the amphibious warfare units of the Yamataian Armed Forces.

Formation history
The success of light infantry forces under the Imperial Navy during the 1775 Nhâm Thìn War led to the official formation of the Imperial Navy's Special Naval Landing Force, which became Yamatai's primary amphibious warfare force during the colonial era. Eventually, the infamously intense inter-service rivalry between the Imperial Navy and Imperial Army during the era of military rule led to the SNLF expanding to 12 divisions. In 1870, the Imperial Army formally complained to the Imperial Grand Marshal, as it was believed that the Navy was attempting to undermine the Army's mission by raising its own land forces. The result was that the SNLF was specifically prohibited from operating more than 20 kilometres from the coastline during combat conditions, and the Imperial Army was also granted permission to begin raising its own amphibious warfare force.

In 1873, the 2nd Imperial Guards Infantry Division was officially inaugurated at Camp Azatoi, the first of numerous Imperial Army amphibious forces. Under the 2nd Division were the 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Regiments. Training on amphibious warfare and jungle fighting commenced in the Yamataian colony of Kita Imoshima. As the pioneer marines force of the Imperial Army, the 2nd Division was entrusted with the task of developing the standard procedures and battle tactics to be adopted by the Army's amphibious troops, and would remain at the forefront of amphibious warfare development in the Imperial Army for years to come. By the 1900s, the Imperial Army had raised 15 divisions of marines, and many of its line divisions were also trained in rudimentary amphibious tactics based on what the 2nd Division had developed.

During the First Escar-Varunan War, the 2nd Division was the first Imperial Army unit to land on mainland Chisei. The 21st Regiment specifically was also the first Yamataian unit to enter Wanshu, and a Lieutenant Suzuki Taro from the 21st Regiment raised the Yamataian flag over the Ginsagi Royal Palace at the conclusion of the battle.

Later, during the Second Escar-Varunan War, the 2nd Division was part of the forces deployed to Imoshima during the fighting in the Crosswind theatre, seeing heavy fighting against Chiseian troops on Imoshima. During the closing stages of the war, the 2nd Division was recalled to Hinomoto, where it participated in the Battle of Hinomoto.

During the post-war era, the majority of the Imperial Army's marine forces were de-mobilised in the post-war military reduction. The newly-formed Yamataian Ministry of Defence decided in 1953 that the Navy SNLF would be designated as the primary amphibious warfare force of the military. With the reforms to the Imperial Army's structure at the time, the remaining Imperial Guards units became increasingly specialised, coming to be considered elite forces in specific tactical roles such as airborne troops. It was decided that only the 21st Regiment would remain as the only Army unit that specialised in amphibious warfare, primarily focusing on defensive applications of amphibious warfare such as the coastal hook, allowing the 21st to remain as the custodian of the proud heritage of the Army's marines.

During the Hinoan War, the 21st Regiment was deployed to Hinomoto alongside the SNLF, carrying out landing operations in the south-west around Asagi. Subsequently, the 21st Regiment was also deployed to Masuka in the 2010 Masukan War, though as second-wave occupation troops. Throughout the years, the 21st Regiment has participated in numerous international exercises, and has proven itself as an elite amphibious light infantry unit against the world's marine forces.

Organisation

 * 21st Imperial Guards Infantry Regiment HQ
 * 21st Imperial Guards Infantry Battalion
 * 22nd Imperial Guards Infantry Battalion
 * 23rd Imperial Guards Infantry Battalion
 * 24th Imperial Guards Motorised Battalion (Operates self-propelled artillery and self-propelled anti-aircraft guns for sustained operations)
 * 211th Independent Signals Company
 * 212th Independent NBC Company
 * Imperial Army Amphibious Warfare Development Section