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1st Fusiliers of Oriente

1st Brigade.jpg
First Fusiliers of Oriente
Formed 2485
Nickname The Jesters
Affiliation Duchy of Oriente

Free Worlds League

Parent Command Fusiliers of Oriente


History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The First Fusiliers of Oriente were formed in 2485 to protect the Duchy of Oriente from Capellan Confederation raids.[1] Though the Ducal Guard is older and known for its honor and bravery, the First Fusiliers prefer to use cunning and clever tactics to win the day. This ability to improvise and adapt has served the Free Worlds League well over the years. The Dark Shadows battalion of SAFE recruited extensively from the First Fusiliers of Oriente.[2]

Reunification War[edit]

By the time of the Reunification War, the First Fusiliers and their sister regiments had become known as brigades, although they still operated at regiment strength; as a result, records of their deeds during the various campaigns of the war record the First Fusiliers as the First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade. The First Fusiliers served in two different major campaigns during the war, acting first as a part of the First Marik Auxiliary Corps commanded by General Ian Marik as a part of the SLDF Task Force Canopus, before being redeployed as a core part of the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps commanded by General Duke Narinder Selaj as a part of the SLDF Task Force Mailed Fist; as a result, the First Fusiliers saw extensive service in the campaigns against both the Magistracy of Canopus and the Rim Worlds Republic.[3][4][5][6][7] As a result of being a part of two campaigns the First Fusiliers fought on no less than eleven worlds during the Reunification War, more than any other Free Worlds League Military unit.[8]

Ruschegg[edit]

The First Fusiliers had been moved to the world of Mauripur close to the border between the Free Worlds League and the Magistracy during the buildup to the invasion into Canopian space. Although they didn't take part in the first wave of attacks in 2577, Captain-General Marion Marik, the commander of both the Star League Defense Force Task Force and VII Corps, selected the First Fusiliers to be a part of the detachment tasked with conquering the world of Ruschegg in 2578, a relatively easy campaign.[5][9]

Ruschegg was one of three former Free Worlds League worlds which had defected to the Magistracy in the 2550s, all three of which were conquered through a display of overwhelming force and agile diplomacy by Captain-General Marik. The defenders of Ruschegg effectively offered no resistance to the SLDF landings, although it would have been difficult for any local militia to contest an invasion which saw the SLDF Fifty-eighth Brigade deploy alongside the Sixty-second Royal Brigade, the First and Third Marik Militia and the First and Second Fusiliers of Oriente Brigades. Within a very short period of time the planetary leader of Ruschegg had not only surrendered but was actively petitioning for Ruschegg to be admitted into the Free Worlds League. The relatively peaceful capture and annexation of Ruschegg, Payvand and Scheuerheck was an important publicity victory for the Free Worlds League, one that the Captain-General's allies in the Parliament used extensively against opponents of the Star League.[5][9]

Eleusis[edit]

The battle for the Magistracy world of Eleusis was expected to be more difficult than the majority of the previous planetary campaigns wagered by the SLDF task force due to the eight assorted regiments of defending forces expected to be on the planet, but the MAF upped the stakes considerably; the VII Corps' Fifty-seventh Brigade and the Sixty-first Royal Brigade were assigned to conquer the world, with the 401st Independent Regiment, the Thirty-fifth Royal CAAN Marine Regiment, the Fifth Marik Militia and the First Fusiliers of Orient providing support. Unknown to VII Corps the MAF had played an elaborate shell game, moving regiments around and between planets, and had increased the defending force from eight regiments to twenty-two, including four BattleMech regiments - three of which were from the elite Chasseurs á Cheval, the premier Magistracy 'Mech unit.[5][10][11]

The MAF had sabotaged the computer records at the system cargo waystations and recharge station, giving the SLDF no information on traffic on the system and no intelligence on the forces gathered on the planet; the MAF Navy had also stationed an aerospace fighter carrier in the system at a covert location, and the MAF aerospace squadrons waited until the SLDF DropShips were halfway through their burn to the planet before striking at the SLDF transport ships, savaging more than twenty vessels before being driven off. A large portion of the landing troops were effectively trapped in-system, and arrived on the planet only to find that a predicted two-week campaign for control of the planet would instead take four months as Colonel Ann-Britt McMillan led the defending forces on an extended cat and mouse game that let them inflict more damage on the SLDF strike force than they received in return, only finally giving up control of the world when ordered to retreat by the Magestrix.[10]

The campaign for Eleusis was the second and final major campaign the First Fusiliers took part in as a part of the First Marik Auxiliary Corps; the successes the MAF had enjoyed at Eleusis and elsewhere slowed the invasion down considerably, with relatively few major actions taking place in 2580 as the SLDF changed tactics and rearmed, and in 2581 the First Fusiliers were redeployed alongside the Second Fusiliers to form a part of the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps as the campaign against the rebellion within the Rim Worlds Republic began.[5]

Operation MAILED FIST[edit]

The First Fusiliers were one of six regiments chosen to serve in the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps formed in 2581[6] to support the Star League Defense Force when the Star League decided to intervene in the civil war that had been raging inside the Rim Worlds Republic since 2575.[12]

The Second Marik Auxiliary Corps incorporated the First Fusiliers along with their sister brigade, the Second Fusiliers, as well as the Second and Sixth Marik Militias, the Second Regulan Hussars and the Second Defenders of Andurien. The Second Marik Auxiliary Corps was one of a number of Corps that made up Task Force MAILED FIST, the military component of Operation MAILED FIST, the Star League operation within the Rim Worlds Republic between 2581 and 2596.[6][13]

The First Fusiliers sent the bulk of Operation MAILED FIST operating alongside the two Marik Militia regiments; together, the three units would conduct campaigns in the Star's End system in 2581, on Stirling in 2583, Viborg in 2588, Marisura in 2589, Barcelona in 2591, Götterdämmerung in 2592, Bensinger in 2594 and Crellacor in 2595. The only exception was the campaign for control of Kladnitsa in 2584; the Second Marik Militia remained in place as a garrison on Stirling while the Kladnitsa campaign was fought by the Sixth Marik Militia and the First Fusiliers.[6][13]

The Star's End campaign was one of the first systems to be designated as a target for the Star League forces; still considered a newly colonized system in the late twenty-sixth century, the population of the Star's End system numbered less than five thousand but was considered a strategically significant system. As a result, it merited a strong garrison, and during the early years of the civil war within the Rim Worlds Republic that garrison was a battalion from the Fifth Amaris Fusiliers. The Fifth were considered to be loyal to First Consul Gregory Amaris but with no idea of how these loyalist forces would react, Task Force MAILED FIST was forced to treat the Fifth Amaris Fusiliers with suspicion.[14]

The First Fusiliers and the other FWLM units entered the Star's End system in May 2581. Unsure of what resistance to expect, if any, the Free Worlds League forces were surprised to find no visible military presence when they entered the system. The colonies had all been established on various asteroids along with the military garrison, all of which had gone dark to evade detection; with no charts of the system to draw on, the SLDF forces were forced to survey the system for themselves, a long, laborious fourteen-month task. Despite the difficulties in surveying the system, the Star's End system was declared to be secure in June or July, and the SLDF began to establish a fleet base in the system that ironically became the single biggest customer for the local mining colonies. The SLDF also established a supply depot on Novo Cressidas, the one habitable world in the system.[14]

In addition to facing the Fifth Amaris Fusiliers at Star's End, the First Fusiliers of Oriente would also come into conflict with the Third Amaris Fusiliers on Viborg, the Seventh Amaris Fusiliers on Marisura and the Third Amaris Legionnaires on Stirling.[15][16] While many of the campaigns were fought against local militia and partisan forces rather than line regiments from the Rim Worlds Army, the First Fusiliers found that the overall campaign became increasingly difficult after the atrocities performed by the Draconis Auxiliary Corps when they captured Nightwish in mid-2584 resulted in a massive increase in resistance from local forces and partisans and increasingly rebellious populations.[17]

The First Fusiliers and their companion units from the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps operated largely independently of the other units within Task Force MAILED FIST; the exceptions to this were on Marisura, where they operated alongside the First Arkab Legion and the Fourth Proserpina Hussars from the Draconis Auxiliary Corps, on Barcelona where the forces of the Lyran Auxiliary Corps and the Thirty-First Armor Division were also deployed - and where the First Fusiliers would be responsible for separating the Lyran Commonwealth troops during the Day of Rage[8] - and lastly on Bensinger, where the First Fusiliers fought alongside the Seventeenth Royal Division.[6][13]

The Succession Wars[edit]

First Succession War[edit]

The First were among the FWLM defenders prepositioned on Calloway VI in March 2789 in anticipation of a massive Capellan assault. In the ensuing battle they helped inflict heavy losses on the Capellan attackers before the Liao forces finally left the planet.[18]

Second Succession War[edit]

When Irian was invaded in January 2842 by the Lyran Commonwealth, the First was the only frontline FWLM unit present on that world. Under the direct command of Captain-General Charles Marik, the First fought fiercely for eight weeks. While the First, together with mercenaries and second-line FWLM units, made the Steiner troops pay heavily for their gains, the defenders were down to barely one-quarter strength by mid-March and were on the verge of defeat. Only the arrival of fresh and well-supplied FWLM regiments saved the First and turned the tide, driving the LCAF invaders off-world.[19]

Thirty-first Century[edit]

Anton's Revolt[edit]

During the Marik Civil War the First Fusiliers of Oriente were on Griffith, dissuading Lyran adventurism.[20]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

The First Fusiliers went to a higher alert status, but other than that didn't participate in Janos Marik's Operation Dagger. They would guard their homeworld against attacks from the LCAF instead.

Andurien Secession[edit]

During the Andurien Secession crisis, the First Fusiliers attacked Shiro III with the Atrean Hussars and First Marik Militia. There they faced off against the First Defenders of Andurien and the Fifth Defenders of Andurien.[21] The Fusiliers performed a series of raids against the First Defenders. This increased the pressure until the First Defenders' Alpha Battalion struck at the First Fusilier's positions. The strike forced the Fusiliers out of position long enough to allow the Defenders' conventional forces to escape. The First Fusiliers would destroy a company of Andurien 'Mechs, but most of them escaped as well.[22]

Shortly after the fight on Shiro III ended, the First Fusiliers were ordered to Xanthe III. There they reinforced the Tenth Marik Militia and the Fifteenth Marik Militia. Their arrival allowed the Fifteenth to withdraw from the fighting and stiffened the Tenth's lines. Unfortunately their presence wasn't enough to drive the Third Defenders of Andurien and Fifth Defenders of Andurien off-world. Reinforcements arrived for the FWLM forces, however, and the Andurien loyalists were driven off-world.[23]

After spending six months rebuilding, the First Fusiliers of Oriente assembled as part of the FWLM task force that invaded Andurien.[24] The First Fusiliers, First Regulan Hussars, and Atrean Dragoons besieged the Third Defenders of Andurien in their base. After failing to drive them out quickly, the First Fusiliers and the other units performed a building by building clearance operation that drove the Third Defenders out of the city after three weeks.[25] Shortly after this the First Fusiliers slipped past the lines of the Fifth Defenders of Andurien and struck them from behind. This unexpected attack caused the Fifth Defenders to splinter into lance-sized units that were easily destroyed by the First Fusiliers and other Federal forces. The Fusiliers then went on to capture Humphreys Palace[26] and the People's Assembly.[27]

Clan Invasion Era[edit]

Following their service in the Andurien Secession, the First returned to Griffith and conducted occasional raids against Lyran and Circinus worlds. Its most significant raid was mounted against Penobscot in 3055. One battalion was secretly deployed to the world ahead of the main force, disrupting the AFFC defenders and preventing them from countering the raiders.[28]

During Operation Bulldog the First Fusiliers of Oriente were seriously damaged by Clan Smoke Jaguar's Alpha Galaxy Command Trinary.[29] Their losses were so severe that they spent the next three years rebuilding.[30] After their participation in Operation Bulldog, they returned to Griffith.[31]

Jihad[edit]

Timbiqui came under fire from a portion of the Knights of the Inner Sphere and the First Fusiliers of Oriente. The planetary militia held off the Knight's arrival, forcing the elite Marik unit to retreat less than a week later. The Fusiliers of Oriente were holed up in the remains of a Ninnimaki Steel foundry, cut off from their DropShips. They were finally able to evacuate the planet though.[32]

In late 3075, the First Fusiliers of Oriente and several unspecified units from the Lyran Alliance attacked Word of Blake and Circinus Federation forces that were holding Poulsbo and Khon Kaen. This proto-Coalition force was able to completely destroy the defenders of Khon Kaen. On Poulsbo only 10% of the Blakist and Circinian forces were able to escape the planet's surface.[33]

The Jihad found the First Fusiliers repelling several Blakist retaliatory attacks. They took up station on Dayr Khuna and Jouques.[34]

Between 3079 and 3085 they were frequently countering raids from the Principality of Regulus. After splitting into company and battalion sized forces, the First Fusiliers raided every world along the Regulan border. Instead of engaging in a slugfest, the Fusiliers instead attacked Regulan infrastructure. These raids were impressive, but the most noteworthy were a raid on Harmony where the Jesters destroyed a corporate security force and seized fusion engines and another raid on Cameron where the Jesters drew the defending Tenth Regulan Hussars out of position and destroyed their main ammunition dump. The most impressive raid, however, has to be the Jester's assault on Regulus. A group of Jester MechWarriors slipped onto a cargo DropShip delivering Patron LoaderMechs and stole them, running wild in Regulus City's primary spaceport and inflicting millions of dollars of damage. In fact this raid delayed outgoing shipments for several weeks, weakening the Regulan economy.[35]

Dark Age[edit]

By the Dark Age and the reunification of the Free Worlds League, the First Fusiliers were among the units in the brigade reclassified as Federal troops and used to form new units or fill out the Oriente Hussars.[36]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the First Fusiliers of Oriente
Colonel Butler Allison Reunification War[8]
Colonel Aaron Barksdale 3025[2]
Colonel Roy Chapman-Potemkin 3050 - 3067[37][38][27][31]
Colonel Mira Garphen 3085[31][39]

Tactics[edit]

The First uses unusual strategies and tactics.[27]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[40]

- At this time the First Brigade was stationed on Pec.[40]

2786 - 2821[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[41]

Note: At this time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Pec. In 2821 the command was reduced to 54 of its strength and was deployed at Kwamashu.[41]

2830[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[42]

Note: At this time the heavy-weight unit was stationed on Kwamashu with an operational readiness of 91 percent.[42]

2864[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[42]

Note: At this time the assault-weight unit was stationed on Irian with an operational readiness of 57 percent.[42]

3025[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Elite/Reliable)[2]

  • CO: Colonel Aaron Barksdale

3028[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente (Regiment/Elite/Reliable)[43]

Note: At this time the command was stationed on Griffith.[43]

3050[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Elite/Reliable)[37]

  • CO: Colonel Roy Chapman Potemkin
Note: At this time the unit was stationed on Griffith.[37]

3054[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Elite/Reliable)[38]

  • CO: Colonel Roy Chapman Potemkin
Note: At this time the unit was stationed on Griffith.[38]

3059-3067[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[27][31]

  • CO/First Battalion: Colonel Roy Chapman-Potemkin

- The First fields a various mix of 'Mechs

First Fusiliers Aerospace (Wing/Veteran/Fanatical)[27][31]

Fourteenth Griffith Recon Regiment (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[27][31]

Thirty-ninth Oriente Rifles (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[27][31]

- Contains a Company of anti-'Mech troops

3079[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[44]

Note: At this time the unit was stationed on Dayr Khuna and Jouques.[44] The First Fusiliers of Oriente lost 60% of their strength during the Jihad.[34]

3085[edit]

First Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade (Elite/Fanatical)[39]

  • CO: Colonel Mira Garphen

First Fusiliers Aerospace (Wing/Veteran/Fanatical)[39]

Fourteenth Griffith Recon Regiment (Elite/Reliable)[39]

Thirty-ninth Oriente Rifles (Veteran/Fanatical)[39]

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 95
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 96
  3. Historical: Reunification War, p. 95: "SLDF Task Force Canopus"
  4. Historical: Reunification War, p. 129: "SLDF Task Force Mailed Fist"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Historical: Reunification War, p. 148: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off - 2582)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Historical: Reunification War, p. 152: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-Off - 2587)"
  7. Historical: Reunification War, p. 153: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-Off - 2596)"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 38: "Second Defenders of Andurien"
  9. 9.0 9.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 100: "Ruschegg, Payvand and Scheuerheck (August-October 2577)"
  10. 10.0 10.1 Historical: Reunification War, pp. 100–101: "Eleusis, Obrenovac and Bethnolog (March 2579-January 2580)"
  11. Historical: Reunification War, p. 150: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off-2582)"
  12. Historical: Reunification War, p. 131: "False Starts (2579-81)
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 153: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (2588-2596)"
  14. 14.0 14.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 132: "Persistence, Treeline, Star's End and Black Earth (May-December 2581)"
  15. Historical: Reunification War, p. 154: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-off - 2587)
  16. Historical: Reunification War, p. 155: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (2588-2596)"
  17. Historical: Reunification War, p. 134: "Arlina to Viborg (December 2584 - September 2588)"
  18. First Succession War, pp. 58–59
  19. Second Succession War, p. 51
  20. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 31
  21. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 72
  22. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 73
  23. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 75
  24. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 80
  25. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 82
  26. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 82
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 27.4 27.5 27.6 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 75: "1st Fusiliers of Oriente Unit Profile"
  28. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 75
  29. The Dragon Roars, p. 44
  30. Field Manual: Updates, p. 151
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 Field Manual: Updates, p. 160: "FWLM Deployment Table - 30067"
  32. BattleCorps: INN Newscast (Solaris Broadcasting Co. section), news item published [14/10/3068]: "Knights, Legionnaires Retreat, But Others Fight On"
  33. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, pp. 38–39: "Lyran, League Troops Repel Circinus Invaders"
  34. 34.0 34.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 10
  35. Field Manual: 3085, p. 83
  36. Field Manual: 3145, p. 103: "Fusiliers of Oriente/Orloff Grenadiers"
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 20 Years Update, p. 56: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3050"
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 Objective Raids, p. 38: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3054"
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 39.4 Field Manual: 3085, p. 91: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3085"
  40. 40.0 40.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 14: "Fusiliers of Oriente"
  41. 41.0 41.1 First Succession War, p. 138
  42. 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 Second Succession War, p. 98
  43. 43.0 43.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 86
  44. 44.0 44.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 10
  45. Historical: Reunification War, p. 183: "Free Worlds League"

Bibliography[edit]