1st New Hessen Irregulars

Hamptons hessens.png
First New Hessen Irregulars
Affiliation Capellan Confederation,
Mercenary
Parent Command Hampton's Hessens


History[edit]

Part of the Hampton's Hessens mercenary unit, the First New Hessen Irregulars primarily served to defend the world of New Hessen.

Succession Wars[edit]

As with the entirety of the Hampton's Hessens, the First New Hessen Irregulars was formed by the military-oriented noble families of the Capellan Confederation world of New Hessen primarily to defend that world as well as nearby Westerhand and Alrescha from the maelstrom of the Succession Wars. Save for the Hessens' involvement in a moderately successful raid against House Davion–held Aosia in 2987, the units of Hampton's Hessens remained on the defensive in the Tikonov Commonality. With the nobles of New Hessen rather than Capellan treasury supporting the Hessens, successive Chancellors would be content to leave them in place to strengthen the region and allow the posting of Capellan Confederation Armed Forces line-units elsewhere.[1]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

The Hessens took heavy losses during the invasion of New Hessen during the Fourth Succession War; both the Second New Hessen Irregulars and the New Hessen Armored Scouts were destroyed, while the First lost two out of three battalions, with the third battalion retreating.[2] The Armed Forces of the Federated Suns had dropped both regiments of the New Ivaarsen Chasseurs on New Hessen in the first wave of Operation RAT.[3] The timing of the attack was unfortunate for the Irregulars - normally, there would be several regiments training on New Hessen at any given point in time, as the planetary nobility rented out the wide expanses of open plains and mountains to the CCAF for training, but the timing of the Chasseurs attack brought them to New Hessen when only the light Irregulars regiments were on the planet. The First Irregulars attempted to outmaneuver the First Chasseurs on the Joburg Plains, but the Chasseurs had the advantage in terms of the number of available aerospace fighters and those fighters kept the Irregulars pinned in place until the First Chasseurs' ground forces arrived. Meanwhile, the Second Irregulars were outmatched and crushed by the Second Chasseurs in a battle fought within the boundaries of Buchvaal, the planetary capital city.[4]

Re-formation and Jihad service[edit]

The First New Hessen Irregulars would be reconstituted shortly before the Jihad. Their first contract was with the LAAF to garrison Thorin. When the Jihad started a few months later, the Word of Blake destroyed much of Hampton's Hessians. The survivors were ordered to Galatea, where they linked up with the rest of the Hessen Irregulars. The Hessen Irregulars made plans to return to New Hessen, and took many smaller mercenary units and civilians with them. The trip took many months, because the Hessens lacked complete JumpShip assets, but as they faced Blakist forces, casualties quickly reduced the flotilla's size. Their largest loss took place in the New Canton system, where the Irregulars were forced to abandon a battalion of friendly troops. A few weeks later they arrived at New Hessen and found a strong garrison in place. The local government had built up a massive defense garrison, and the Hessens were quickly rebuilt. They then jumped to New Canton and dropped every BattleMech into the Blakist garrison and reeducation camps while fighters destroyed static defenses and opened holes in the camp walls. As the Irregulars' DropShips landed outside the city, General Hampton led a fighting withdrawal to protect the refugees from the Word of Blake forces. The brutal close range fighting cost the Irregulars a battalion of troops, but they rescued the battalion of soldiers they had to abandon earlier and hundreds of refugees.[5]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 1st New Hessen Irregulars (CCAF)
Colonel Lori MacDonald 3025[1]
Commanding Officers of the 1st New Hessen Irregulars (Mercenary)
Colonel Fillippe Asaeu 3067[6]

Tactics[edit]

The First New Hessen Irregulars would attract the focus of enemy forces to lure it away from important targets, before the key objectives attacking en masse the defenders could regroup.[6]

Dragoon Ratings[edit]

3067[edit]

Dragoon Rating: C[6]

Composition History[edit]

3025[edit]

First New Hessen Irregulars (Regular/Reliable)[1]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on New Hessen.[7]

3067[edit]

First New Hessen Irregulars (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[6]

  • CO/1st Battalion: General Kurt Festerling
  • XO/2nd Battalion: Major Roberto Smythe
  • 3rd Battalion: Major Jonathan Carrey

- The unit contains two companies of assault 'Mechs, four heavy companies, and the rest evenly split between medium and lights. The unit is 50% upgraded.

128th New Hessen Urban Defense Regiment (1 Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)

  • CO/1st Battalion: Colonel Murray William
  • XO/2nd Battalion: Major Jack Durgan
  • 3rd Battalion: Major William Perot

- The regiment provide heavy armor support for the 'Mech units of the brigade

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 96: "Hampton's Hessens"
  2. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 103: "Capellan Casualties"
  3. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 11: "Operation RAT"
  4. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 16: "New Hessen"
  5. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 64
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 41: "Unit Profile"
  7. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107

Bibliography[edit]