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Human ingenuity surpasses and shatters Marley's Armor at last. | 
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| — International media praises the Mid-East Allied Forces[1] | ||
The Mid-East Allied Forces (中東連合 Chūtō Rengō?, also translated as Mid-East Alliance) are a coallition of multiple nations that waged war against Marley for four years after the Warriors' failure to capture the Founding Titan during the Paradis Island Operation.[2] Ultimately, the Allies lost the war after the battle of Fort Slava.[3]
Geography[]
While little can be said of the climate or exact location of the Mid-East Allied Forces, it is said that the nations are located on a peninsula.[1]
Culture[]
Connie partying with Mid-East refugees while wearing a fez
Not much is known about the culture of the different nations that formed the Mid-East Alliance, but a noticeable trait that distinguishes them from other nations such as Marley, is the fact that both soldiers and civilians from those lands wear on a consistent basis a fez. This cultural hat is so important to them that it is a part of their standard military uniform. The women originating those lands also distinguish themselves by wearing headscarfs. Though Eldian and Marleyan women are also seen wearing headscarfs, not all of them wear it, while every single Mid-Eastern woman is shown to wear that on their heads. The people from the Mid-East are also shown to be more tan skinned on average than Eldians and Marleyans, and also having more facial hair when it comes to the men.
The different nations members of the Mid-East share a common hatred towards Marley and its people. This enmity can logically be explained by the century long abuse of the power of the Titans after the fall of the Eldian Empire during the Great Titan War in order to further the Marleyan imperialistic and colonialist goals of conquering most of the world, which led to the conquest and subjugation of multiple neighbouring countries.
Mid-East soldier refusing to be helped by an Eldian for fear of demonic corruption
The Allies both feared and resented Eldians to a fanatical degree, reflecting the world's attitudes toward Subjects of Ymir. For example, Allied soldiers were willing to fire on a seemingly unarmed and surrendering Warrior cadet Gabi Braun, simply because they suspected that she was an Eldian and might turn into a Titan at any moment. In another instance, when Falco Grice tried to save the life of a wounded Allies' soldier, the captive vehemently refused it because he did not want to be "corrupted" by the Eldian "devils."[3] In fact, it is said that the nations who formed the Mid-East Alliance also host Eldian populations and internment zones, where the local Eldians have to endure hatred and enmity in Mid-East lands that is more fanatical than what Eldians in Marley go through. As the rest of the world, the non-Eldian populations of the Mid-East wish nothing other than the complete eradication of all Subjects of Ymir worldwide.
Military[]
The Mid-East Allied Forces was Marley's major adversary in the four-years long Marley Mid-East War. It was a technologically advanced world power, a result of being compelled to focus on military development due to the threats posed by Marley's Titans. The Allies' armament had some weaponry that was of more-or-less similar sophistication to their enemy nation of Marley, but was superior in many other areas, namely in the sea and against Titans.[1]
Army[]
An Allies' machine gun crew
Like Marley, the Allies had in service modern small-arms such as bolt-action rifles and water-cooled machine guns, but the similarity ends there. Perhaps the best example that illustrates the Allies' vigilance of Titans was the anti-Titan artillery. Designed with fighting Titans in mind, it can fire 150mm armor-piercing shells which are capable of destroying even the Nine Titans, but can also fire fragmentation shells for regular bombardment missions.
The gun was ubiquitously mounted on a field gun carriage, but was also fitted on the turrets of armored trains. In the battle of Fort Slava, the fort was rung by a large number of anti-Titan field guns, suggesting that the Allies had mass-produced the weapon to the point that it became its standard artillery piece.[3]
The Allies' anti-Titan field guns
Being the defenders in Fort Slava, the Allies built extensive fortifications in and around the fort to fend off the Marleyan assaults. Its troops were well dug-in in an all-around defense line formed by a single ring of trench, which was augmented by numerous concrete machine gun pillboxes, and overwatched by AT artillery pieces installed on the forts. For some reasons (likely due to limited depression angle), the guns on the fort were able to engage Titans inside but not outside the fort, reducing their role in the latter fighting to bombardment by indirect fire.
For example, when Pieck Finger and Porco Galliard attacked the outer defense, the guns merely responded by firing ineffective fragmentation shells. To compensate for that weakness, there was a network of rails between the fort and the trenches. An armored train patrolled the three-rings network and provided moving anti-Titan firepower to the outer layer of defense.[3]
The Allies' armored train
While initially successful against Marleyan human wave assaults, the Allies defense plan proved vulnerable to an attack from the air. Its outer defense also overly relied on the armored train for anti-Titan fire support, as when Gabi Braun put the train out of action, it was easily picked apart by her two Titan comrades.[3] The Allies brave efforts were completely shattered as the Cart Titan's Panzer Unit and the Jaw Titan managed to dominate the battlefield, not being restricted anymore thanks to the armored train that left the interior of the fort being destroyed, leading to a massive number of Mid-East soldiers being slaughtered by the Panzer Unit's machine guns, and the Eldian Unit soldiers who managed to charge inside their trenches and kill many of them with their bayonettes.
[]
The Mid-East navy
The Allies' navy was the primary combatant in the four years war, which until its very end was fought on the sea. It was comprised of state-of-the-art warships that outmatched any Marleyan vessels, giving it a significant advantage in the sea battles against Marley.
The Allies' steam-powered battleships were armed with a main barrage of two large caliber dual-gun turrets and a number of smaller guns on either boards. While heavily armored, they were not above withstanding a mass barrage of 100mm armor-piercing shells hauled by Zeke and were all sunk. It was unclear whether its main guns were of similar design as the anti-Titan artillery pieces used on land. Although the blast of its shell was powerful enough to stun and maul the Armored Titan, it did not penetrate, unlike the anti-Titan artillery, which may suggest that it was the sheer mass of the naval shells rather than dedicated anti-Titan design that did the deed.[3]
Zeke targetting the Mid-East fleet
With its considerable technology gap over its Marleyan counterpart, the Allies' navy inflicted horrid damage to the latter over the course of the naval engagement period of the war. Udo mentioned that it took four years for the Marleyan navy to control the sea with almost half of its own fleet lost, while Magath noted that Marley won only by numerical superiority. Even though it was no longer in command of the sea, an Allies fleet still remained in Fort Slava's naval station, and its importance was such that its destruction could influence the outcome of the war. Towards the end of the war, the Marleyans attacked Fort Slava and the fleet was destroyed by Zeke Jaeger, effectively securing a Marleyan victory in the war.[3]
Uniform[]
Mid-East soldiers on top of Slava's wall
Mid-East soldiers wore a maroon fez cap, dark grey tunic and trousers, tan or white puttees, and black ankleboots, alongside with black webbing and a tan satchel bag in some cases as well as a red sash.[3] There were several small differences in the uniforms of the Mid-East soldiers in Fort Slava, possibly differentiating them by their ranks or their occupations in the military inside and around the fort, or perhaps by simple personnal choice from the soldiers themselves. Some men had the red sash running diagonally from the right shoulder to the left waist, while others didn't have that. Others wore the black webbing and the tan satchel bag while others didn't.
Politics and Diplomacy[]
The Mid-East Alliance is made up of multiple nations from the same peninsula who share a common hatred for Marley that is intense enough for them to form the alliance in the blink of an eye after learning about Marley's loss of the Colossal and Female Titans in Paradis Island. [3]
Although the Allies were defeated, they earned worldwide sympathies for putting up a good fight against Marley, which is already resented for its aggressive expansionism. Based on that, it can be assumed that the Allies have warm relations with other countries in the world.[1]
A Mid-East ambassador reminding Willy Tybur of a childhood memory
The Tybur family is widely acclaimed in the Mid-East despite being Eldians, as they have saved the world from the Eldian Empire's grip during the Great Titan War. Willy Tybur himself personnally know some influential Mid-Eastern ambassadors since children.
Since the Mid-East Alliance shares alongside the rest of the world the universal hatred towards Eldians, especially towards the "island devils" of Paradis Island, they have managed to put their enmity towards Marley aside in order to join hands with them in the massive global military alliance in order to counter the Rumbling after the raid on Liberio.
Story[]
Marley arc[]
Fort Slava
After Marley lost the Colossal Titan and the Female Titan during the operation on Paradis, the Mid-East Allied Forces took advantage of their enemy's weakened military capabilities and triggered a war with Marley. Over the course of four years, the Mid-East Allied Forces gradually lost their advantage against the enemy, losing control of the seas as the numerical superiority of the Marleyan navy overcame the Allies' more technologically advanced ships, albeit at the expense of half their own fleet.[3]
At some point before or during the war, the Allies develop the anti-Titan artillery, a heavy cannon designed to kill any Titan in a single shot, even one of the Nine Titans.[3]
The train protecting the fort is derailed
After four years, the Allies made a final stand at Fort Slava, heavily fortifying it with heavy machine gun defenses and a large array of anti-Titan artillery. The fort had also overlooked the Allies' last naval station and a large number of their remaining warships. Commander Magath of the Marleyan military leads a siege against the fort alongside the 800-person Eldian Unit, with their warriors kept on standby, as Magath is unable to use them due to the anti-Titan defenses implemented by the Allies. However, when cadet Gabi Braun destroys the armored train carrying artillery around the fort, the Allied soldiers are attacked by the Jaw Titan and Cart Titan, the Titans of Galliard and Pieck.
Soon afterward, once the outer defenses of the fort are destroyed, an airship overhead carrying Zeke Jaeger and Reiner Braun releases dozens of parachuting Eldians above the fort which Zeke turns into Titans using his Titan powers, raining devastation down upon the Allies. Afterwards, Reiner's Armored Titan and Zeke's Beast Titan finish off the remaining artillery guns, and Zeke tosses spare artillery shells at the fleet in the nearby bay, destroying it and ensuring victory for Marley.[3]
Transfer of Mid-East POWs suffering from emotional trauma because of the battle
A peace treaty is signed after the Allies' defeat at Fort Slava, and the Mid-East Allied Forces presumably lose their autonomy following the war. However, other nations opposed to Marley praise the Allied Forces for their success with the anti-Titan artillery, signaling the coming of the age when mankind has overcome the power of the Titans and Marley.[3]
One month after the war's end, Allies' ambassadors attend a festival held in the Marleyan city of Liberio at the invitation of Willy Tybur, where he delivers a rousing speech, attempting to convince them to unite with Marley against the threat of Paradis Island.[4]
Trivia[]
- Given the fact that the Mid-East Allied Forces are said to be located on a peninsula that lost its political autonomy, it is possible that the nation is located either on the peninsula resembling a mirrored Arabian Peninsula or the peninsula resembling a mirrored India which is southeast of Marley.
- Their army uniforms resemble that of Ottoman Empire during World War I.
- Its service rifle seems to model after the German Gewehr 98 rifle, and its machine gun seems to be the MG-08.
- In the English dub of the anime, the captured Mid-East Allied Forces soldier was depicted as speaking Turkish, supporting their resemblance to the Ottoman Empire.
- The Allies' trench was built in a clean straight line, allowing a whole line of defenders to be wiped out by the flanking Cart and Jaw Titans in one fell swoop. In real life, WW1-era trenches were always dug in zigzag lines to prevent exactly that kind of damage from happening.
- As with most other weapons featured, the mortars utilized by the Mid-East are vaguely reminiscent of the Granatwerfer 34 used by the Germans during WWII.
- The battleships of the Mid-East Allied Forces strongly resemble dreadnoughts, a dominant type of battleship in the late 19th century.
- The battle at Fort Slava closely resembles the 1904-1905 Siege of Port Arthur in modern-day Lüshunkou in China between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan.
- Fort Slava was indeed a very fortified position which was protecting the remaining Mid-East Allied warships and was a critical location to the war effort, as Port Arthur was also a very fortified position which was protecting numerous Imperial Russian warships. At the end of the battle, the remaining Mid-East Allied warships were sunk from land shelling, parallel to the remaining Russian warships sinking from land shelling at the end of the Siege of Port Arthur.[3]