The People's Vanguard was mostly known for its brilliant military successes and stringent moral code. However, numerous war crimes were committed, both individual and systemic.

Early Expansion, 68 - 89 OW

Systemic Extermination

It was often standard practice for the army to show no mercy. This policy was ordered by the highest echelons and thoroughly implemented at all levels; soldiers were ordered to kill all fighting enemy, even those that surrendered or deserted. The goal was to terrify future opponents into surrendering without a fight, and demoralize the targeted army.

Physical Abuse

Molestation. Though this practice was not centrally dictated or all-encompassing, it was relatively common for soldiers to beat up and harm whomever they perceived as "enemies". This evolved out of the no-mercy policy: anyone fighting Holderhold was an enemy of socialism and thus the people, and had to be treated as an evil abuser should be - with abuse. Since most military personnel was killed before being seriously harmed, mainly civilians suffered from this.

Sexual Abuse^[1]. The Holderhold Empire banned prostitution and any kind of abuse of female individuals. Nonetheless, there was much pent-up frustration among mostly non-human male personnel: they could find satisfaction by "putting back in their place" human women who typically were of higher station than them. In less supervised units, especially in countryside fighting, orcish troops were known to rape, and even slave bordelloes were opened. Of course, most officers intervened when they heard of this, but an estimated 12'000 (primarily human) women died during these campaigns, and only 600 soldiers - doubtlessly a tiny amount of the perpetrators - faced military justice.