1st Sword of Light

Sword of Light 1st logo.png
1st Sword of Light
Nickname The Ivory Dragon
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Sword of Light


History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

In 2765 the First Sword of Light was stationed on Capra. Relations between the First and the SLDF were cold,[1] despite the SLDF placing the 82nd Royal Jump Infantry Division[2] and the headquarters of XXIII Corps in the same system.[3]

First Succession War[edit]

In the spring 2787 Coordinator Minoru Kurita launched an attack on the Federated Suns involving over fifty BattleMech regiments to demonstrate the might of the Draconis Combine and support his claim to the throne as First Lord of the Inner Sphere. The first Combine unit to land on Franklin, the First Sword of Light was led by Minoru's eldest son and Heir-designate Jinjiro Kurita.[4][5]

Third Succession War[edit]

Takashi Kurita[edit]

In 3023, a company from the First Sword of Light accompanied Coordinator Takashi Kurita (along with a company from the Seventh Sword) on a raid of the Davion world of Quentin. Coordinator Takashi wanted to see his newly hired mercenaries, the famed Wolf's Dragoons, in action on an objective raid. The Kuritan troops spearheaded the final push to secure the Independence Weaponry factory, though they lost some warriors during their charge.[6]

In 3025 the unit was stationed on Luthien.[7]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Ronin War[edit]


War of 3039[edit]

Halstead Station[edit]

In August 3039 the First attacked Halstead Station supported by the 7th Sword of Light.[8][9]

Clan Invasion[edit]

During the Battle of Luthien in 3052 the First Sword of Light stopped several assaults by the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats. They were successful, but these actions cost the First two of its four battalions. To replace their losses, the First recruited an entire battalion from the Fifth Sun Zhang Academy Cadre.[10] The First Sword faced the First Jaguar Guards Cluster and the 119th Nova Cat Striker Cluster.[11]

Operation Bulldog[edit]


Dominion War[edit]


Federated Suns Incursion[edit]

After the Ghost Bear/Combine war was ended, the Federated Suns was in control of Proserpina. The Coordinator ordered the First Sword of Light to retake the system, which they did.[12]

Jihad[edit]

Upon hearing of the Black Dragon Society's coup on Luthien the First requested permission to return to Luthien, but Kanrei Minamoto provided them with different orders. The First Sword of Light conquered Xhosa VII in 3068. They repelled five separate Federated Suns counterattacks, only leaving the world in 3074 to join Operation SCOUR.[13]

In 3077 the First Sword of Light attacked Quentin with Tau Galaxy. There the two units destroyed the 47th Shadow Division, but only after the Blakists launched biological weapons that killed many and poisoned food stores.[14] The next year saw the First Sword of Light taking Epsilon Indi away from the Word of Blake. The Combine warriors saw the Blakists use biological weapons again, which poisoned the world's water supplies.[15]

During the liberation of Terra the First Sword of Light attacked ROM headquarters in Cairo with the Kell Hounds, 2nd Dieron Regulars, and Stone's Revenants.[16] The 36th Division and several Light of Mankind special operations teams set a trap that devastated the Kell Hounds and Dieron Regulars. The First Sword of Light, previously guarding the flanks, redeployed quickly to shelter the survivors and hold the territory the Hounds and Regulars gained. The mission to take Cairo became a brutal slugfest as ROM operatives used any weapon, including chemical and biological agents, to hold off the Coalition forces. Eventually the First Sword of Light had to settle for a siege, containing the Blakists in their fortress. After a few months of this Precentor ROM Kernoff tried to escape from the Cairo Castle Brian complex only to be captured by Sword of Light members.[17] The actions taken by the Coalition forces left the First Sword with a low opinion of the RAF.[18]

After all the fighting on Terra ended, the First Sword of Light was reassigned to David.[13] In 3085 they were assigned to the Raven Alliance border, garrisoning Sverdlovsk.[19]

Dark Age[edit]

During the Second Combine-Dominion War, the First Sword of Light was kept away from the front lines at the order of Hohiro Kurita. He was worried about his son Shinjiro, who was serving in the First at that time. Instead the unit was sent to the Raven Alliance border and fought forces from that realm many times.[20]

In the early 3110's, the First Sword of light fought the Raven Alliance on Schirmeck.[21] During the destruction of Clan Nova Cat the First Sword of Light faced elements of Alpha Galaxy's Ninth Cluster on Irece.[22] Afterwards they volunteered to be posted to the Rasalhague Dominion border. Though deliberately missing out on the invasion of the Federated Suns, the First sees more honor in protecting the Dragon by being in close proximity of four large formations of Rasalhague Dominion troops.[23]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 1st Sword of Light
General Ano Rentoshi 3025[24]
Tai-sho Ano Rentoshi 3039[8]
Tai-sa Shigeru Yoshida 3052 - 3058[25][10]
Tai-sa Tahara Sakamoto 3067[26]
Tai-sa Soru Yukimura 3085[19]
Tai-sho Theodore Ichiriu 3145[27]

Other Unit Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

The unit was skilled in night fighting.[29]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

First Sword of Light (Expanded BattleMech Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[30]

Note: at this time all Sword of Light regiments were supported by two Aerospace Wings and stationed on Capra.[30]

2786–2821[edit]

First Sword of Light (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[31]

- At this point in time the First Sword was a heavy-weight regiment operating at a strength of four battalions and stationed on Capra.[31] In 2821 the unit was operating at five-sixths of full strength and stationed on Benet III.[31]

2830[edit]

1st Sword of Light (Regiment/Regiment/Elite/Reliable)[32]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Benet III with an operational readiness of 145 percent.[32]

2864[edit]

1st Sword of Light (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[32]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Luthien with an operational readiness of 57 percent.[32]

3025[edit]

First Sword of Light (Expanded Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[24]

  • Headquarters Air Lance CO: Major Sheila Utchakov
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Luthien.[7] The unit contains six medium, three heavy and three assault companies.[29]

3040[edit]

First Sword of Light (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[34]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Luthien.[34]

3050[edit]

First Sword of Light (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[35]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Luthien.[35]

3054[edit]

First Sword of Light (2 Battalions/Veteran/Fanatical)[36]

  • CO: Tai-sa Shigeru Yoshida

3059[edit]

First Sword of Light (Expanded BattleMech Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[10]

  • CO/First Battalion: Sho-sho Shigeru Yoshida
    • XO: Tai-sa Tahara Sakamoto
  • Second Battalion: Chu-sa Paul Katarious
  • Third Battalion: Chu-sa Alexander Horitsu
  • Fourth Battalion: Chu-sa Thomas Owen

Note: The unit contains 36 OmniMechs and many of the others machines were heavily upgraded. Some machines were unchanged because they are a legacy of the forefathers.

101st Aerospace Wing: Dragonkind (Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[10]

  • Wing Commander: Sho-sa Carter Richtoff

Note: The command is attached permanently to the 1st Sword of Light.

1st Luthien Battlesuit Infantry (Battalion/Green/Fanatical)[10]

  • Troop Commander: Chu-sa Gavin Bjornsson

Note: Only recently introduced, these newcomers must fight their first battle.

3067[edit]

First Sword of Light (Expanded BattleMech Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[26]

  • CO/1st Battalion: Tai-sa Tahara Sakamoto

101st Aerospace Wing: Dragonkind (Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[26]

  • Wing Commander: Sho-sa Raimer Hettig

Seventy-second Proserpina Militia (Battalion/Green/Reliable)[26]

  • Troop Commander: Tai-i Andrei Yokohama

3079[edit]

First Sword of Light (Reinforced Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[37]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on David.[37] After the Jihad the First Sword of Light was reduced to 40% of its nominal strength.[13]

3085[edit]

First Sword of Light (Elite/Fanatical)[19]

101st Aerospace (Wing/Elite/Fanatical)[19]

Seventeenth Sverdlovsk Militia (Green/Fanatical)[19]

3145[edit]

First Sword of Light (Veteran/Reliable)[27]

  • CO: Tai-sho Theodore Ichiriu

Seventy-third Aerospace (Wing/Veteran/Fanatical)[27]

Eighth Kiamba Regulars (Regular/Reliable)[27]

Notes[edit]

  • Special Rules for the 1st Sword of Light can be found on First Succession War, p. 147, and Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 28.

References[edit]

  1. Field Report 2765: DCMS, p. 8
  2. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 256
  3. Field Manual: SLDF, p. 182
  4. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 53: "History - The First Succession War - The Dragon Strikes"
  5. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 40: "History of the Nation - The First Succession War"
  6. Wolves on the Border, p. 69
  7. 7.0 7.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 134
  8. 8.0 8.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 83
  9. Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 28
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 84: "1st Sword of Light Profile"
  11. Luthien, p. 42
  12. Field Manual: Updates, p. 111
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 Field Report: DCMS, p. 13
  14. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 33: "Official Update 3"
  15. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 70: "Fomalhaut, Epsilon Indi Liberated"
  16. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 96
  17. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 115: "Cairo Surrenders"
  18. Field Manual: 3085, p. 44
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Field Manual: 3085, p. 50: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3085"
  20. Historical: Wars of the Republic Era, p. 22
  21. Era Report: 3145, p. 75
  22. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 18
  23. Field Manual: 3145, p. 56: "First Sword of Light"
  24. 24.0 24.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 134: "DCMS Deployment Table"
  25. Luthien, p. 16
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 116: "Deployment Table"
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Field Manual: 3145, p. 63: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3145"
  28. Total Chaos, p. 168
  29. 29.0 29.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 141
  30. 30.0 30.1 Field Report 2765: DCMS, p. 8
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 First Succession War, p. 137: "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS)"
  32. 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Second Succession War, p. 97
  33. Technical Readout: 3025, p. 142: Shilone entry (Notable Pilot Major Sheila Utchakov)
  34. 34.0 34.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 139
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 20 Year Update, p. 42
  36. Objective Raids, p. 28
  37. 37.0 37.1 Field Report: DCMS, p. 13

Bibliography[edit]