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2nd Donegal Guards

Donegalguards02rd.png
Second Donegal Guards
Formed September 3, 2128[1]
Previous Designation(s) 11th Terran Rangers
Nickname The Unwearied Second, The Leinster Regiment (2765),[2] Caesar's Legion (3025)[3]
Affiliation Terran Alliance, Mercenary, Protectorate of Donegal, Lyran Commonwealth
Parent Command Donegal Guards


History[edit]

Age of War[edit]

Formed by the Terran Alliance in the wake of the First Exodus[1], the Second Donegal Guards were originally the Eleventh Terran Rangers. Following the collapse of the Alliance, the Eleventh Rangers became mercenaries, contracting with the various worlds in the area that would become the Protectorate of Donegal for protection. When Seth Marsden formed his Protectorate, he offered the Eleventh Rangers, who had been serving as some of the finest mercenaries in the region for almost a century, a place in their nascent military. They accepted, becoming the Second Donegal Guard.[4] Having served the Lyran Commonwealth for over a millennium, the Guard have fought in every major conflict in Commonwealth history save the Clan invasion.

Like the other early regiments of the Guards the Second were named for a regiment from Terran history that shared the largely Irish heritage of the Protectorate; in the case of the Second, this regiment was the Leinster Regiment.[2]

Star League Era[edit]

Like the other regiments of the Donegal Guards the Second enjoyed access to the best equipment found outside of the Royal Guards brigade during the Star League era, and was staffed largely with officers looking to advance through their leadership abilities and grasp of strategic skills, rather than through the political favoritism that often held sway in other formations.[2]

In 2765 the Second was positioned two jumps away from the border between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Rim Worlds Republic, in anticipation of any action involving the Republic. Stationed on Roadside, a world that was both a forward base of operations and an important logistics hub, the Second's position allowed it to react to a range of possible crisis fronts along the Republic border without leaving a gap in the overall defenses of the region. For some time the Second had habitually maintained at least one company of forces in an off-world rotation, working with local forces that required assitance and patrolling the local region.[2]

Succession Wars[edit]

First Succession War[edit]

The Second began the First Succession War on Roadside, but ended the bloody fighting with only 41% of their force combat-ready, stationed on Barcelona.[5]

Second Succession War[edit]

Using the break between wars to rebuild, the Second Donegal was overstrength as fighting broke out. By the end of the conflict, the unit would be down to roughly a single battalion of combat-ready troops stationed on the world Csesztreg.[6]

Third Succession War[edit]

In 3011 they mobilized to relieve the survivors of Winfield's Brigade on Sevren.[7] By 3025, the unit and its commander, Colonel Caesar Steiner, achieved a string of successes against Combine forces that were impressive enough that the Archon was willing to pardon Caesar when his carousing got him into legal trouble.[8] The unit was stationed on the Wyatt Theater world of Pollux at the time.[9]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

To mark the 900th anniversary of the unit's founding, Colonel Steiner ordered his troops to depart their garrison and jump across the Combine border, where they looted a distillery. Caesar was subsequently arrested and served a week in a stockade before he was pardoned by the Archon. He and his unit then used their plunder to celebrate the unit's founding.[1]

War of 3039[edit]

The Second Donegal conducted the first offensive operation of the War of 3039 when they were tasked to take the world of Kessel alongside the Fourth Skye Rangers and Eleventh Lyran Regulars, defeating the Second Sword of Light, as well as the Fifth Sun Zhang Cadre and Twelfth Sun Zhang Cadre.

Clan Invasion Era[edit]

During Operation Bulldog, they made history as the first Lyran regiment ever to be welcomed on to Luthien, and the first to land at all in almost three centuries. Due to the rapid collapse of the Jaguar occupation zone, the Second were only needed for mop-up duty, rather than the subsequent waves SLDF leadership had planned.

Civil War Era[edit]

The Second was very active in the FedCom Civil War, taking part in the brutal fighting on Giausar[10] before General Caesar Steiner called upon them to end the Skye Revolt on Hesperus II.[4][11][12] Prior to that, they moved from Gienah to Arcadia, where they intercepted the Kristen's Krushers mercenary force. Pursuant to their orders to "eliminate neutral or hostile forces" they engaged the mercenaries and inflicted heavy damage on them, leaving only two companies of mercenaries alive. They stopped their assault when the 6th Marik Militia landed on world and forced the Donegal Guards to withdraw.[13]

Jihad[edit]

Heavily involved in the Skye-Bolan Offensive against the Free Worlds League, having been led to believe them responsible for the assassination of their commander in 3068, the Second Donegal pulled back in the face of the Marik counteroffensive and focused on keeping the border secure. Having absorbed the remnants of the Third Donegal Guards following the liberation of Donegal, the Second made it through the Jihad cohesive enough to stage attacks in to the Blakist Hegemony.[14] At the end of the Jihad they found themselves rotated to the Clan front, garrisoning A Place.[14] One of the central pieces of the defense against Clan Jade Falcon, they found themselves faced with troops looking to keep an edge against worthy opponents, and found themselves fighting trials of possession over alcohol and contraband while rebuilding. The Unwearied Second gained a reputation for giving better than they took, and during one such battle, the Unwearied Second captured a Jade Falcon Flamberge after pushing it into a river with an exposed engine.[15]

In 3099 the Second Donegal Guards defended Graus from a raid by the Third Jade Falcon Talon Cluster. The Falcons bid away all their air support, and the Second Donegal's aerospace fighters inflicted massive damage on the Falcons. The Falcons were driven off, suffering heavy losses.[16]

Republic Era[edit]

The Second was stationed on Kandersteg as the thousandth anniversary of its founding approached. Archon Melissa II and other leaders in the LCAF saw the anniversary as an opportunity to drive up recruitment and planned a grand ceremony that would publicize the unit and, by extension, service in the LCAF as a whole. The Commonwealth's major arms manufacturers also used the opportunity to show off their products. A number of high-ranking officers and noble dignitaries attended the event, as did media representatives from the Commonwealth's media outlets, primarily the Donegal Broadcasting Company, Tharkad Broadcasting Company and Nashan Communications, who were invited to ride along with the unit's MechWarriors during their parade.[17]

The event also prominently featured the insignia of the Star League, ostensibly a reference to the unit's time with the Second Star League Defense Force. In truth, incorporating SLDF colors as part of the parade was intended to provoke Clan Jade Falcon. The Clan made an orbital drop just before the parade was due to begin, and the unit sent out ad-hoc forces to intercept Clan attackers that were bound for Kandersteg's capitol of Thul. While the Guards successfully repelled the Clan attackers, it was not without casualties. Subsequent coverage of the battle in Lyran media was heavily influenced by the Archon and her staff.[18]

Dark Age[edit]

The Second Donegal Guards refused to support Duke Vedet Brewer in his 3141 coup, and instead focused on raiding Clan Jade Falcon forces as they came across the Commonwealth's borders. They also refused to respond to the LCAF High Command when Brewer was in charge. Despite being branded a "rogue unit" they defended the Commonwealth with distinction.

In June 3142, the Second was forced to evacuate A Place. Leutnant-Colonel Claire Hendershot fought a rearguard action that allowed most of the survivors to escape.[19]

In 3143 after Trillian Steiner became Archon, the Second was redeployed to Crevedia.[20]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 2nd Donegal Guards
Colonel Caesar Steiner 3025 - post–War of 3039
Hauptmann General Delmar Voss pre-3049 - 3054[21]
Leutnant-General Delmar Voss 3062 - 3065[4]
General Caesar Steiner 3067
Leutnant-General Violet Gates 3085[4][11]
Leutnant-General Arnaud Zardetto 3128[1]
Leutnant-General Herman Henriot 3141-3145[22][23][24]

Tactics[edit]

The Second Donegal Guard possessed a reputation for unorthodox, yet effective, tactics. They preferred high-speed combat over the usual Lyran "mountain of metal" tactics, as well as the heavy use of aerospace assets.[4]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[2]

- At this point the Second was stationed on Roadside.[2]

2786–2821[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[25]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Roadside. In 2821 the command was reduced to 41 percent of its strength and was deployed on Barcelona.[25]

2830[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[26]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Barcelona with an operational readiness of 109 percent.[26]

2864[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[26]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Csesztreg with an operational readiness of 34 percent.[26]

3025[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[27]

  • CO: Colonel Caesar Steiner
Note: At this point in time the Second was erroneously reported as stationed on the still-Marik world ofPollux.

3040[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT(Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[28]

  • CO: Leutnant-General Caesar Steiner
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Hyde.[28]

3050[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[29]

  • CO: Marshal Hiram Trainer[29]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Hyde.[29]

3054[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[21]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Gienah.[21]

3062[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[4]
CO: Leutnant General Delmar Voss
Aide: Colonel Ellwood Goulding

2nd Donegal Guards Aerospace Brigade (2 Wing)[4]
CO: Kaptain Grayson Pakes
- 4th Donegal Wing
- 112th Donegal Wing

2nd Donegal Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)[4]
CO: Colonel Lionel McGruder
Aide: Leutnant Colonel Evelyn Basil
- 19th Donegal Light Tank: Colonel Narayan Iyer
- 13th Donegal Armored Cavalry Regiment: Colonel Denise McGreggor
- 4th Arcadia Panzer Regiment: Colonel Leonard Ward

2nd Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)[4]
CO: Colonel Nick Lucas
Aide: Leutnant Colonel Pitr Sarpong
- 9th Donegal Heavy Infantry Regiment: Colonel Patrick Tregana
- 21st Donegal Infantry Regiment: Colonel Gimnan Sloane
- 26th Light Infantry Regiment: Colonel Leslie Conway
- 92nd Mounted Rifles: Colonel Ashim Roy
- 109th Jump Infantry Regiment: Colonel May Zoega

3067[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT (Elite/Reliable)[30]
CO: General Caesar Steiner

2nd Donegal Aerospace (Veteran/Reliable)[30]
CO: Kaptain Grayson Pakes

2nd Donegal Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[30]
CO: Colonel Lionel McGruder

2nd Donegal Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[30]
CO: Colonel Nick Lucas

3079[edit]

Second Donegal Guards RCT (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[31]
CO: Leutnant General Viktor Bedolodia
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on A Place.[31]

3085[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)
CO: Leutnant-General Violet Gates

2nd Donegal Aerospace (Green/Reliable)
CO: Kaptain Pramoda Tiraboschi

2nd Donegal Armor Brigade (Regular/Reliable)
CO: Colonel Elio Schuttmann

2nd Donegal Infantry Brigade(Green/Fanatical)
CO: Colonel Dariusz Nicolescu

3128[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT
CO: Leutnant-General Arnaud Zardetto

XO: Leutnant-Colonel Friedrich Steiner

Note: The unit was stationed on Kandersteg[32]

3145[edit]

2nd Donegal Guards RCT (Regular/Reliable)[22]
CO: Leutnant General Herman Henriot

2nd Donegal Aerospace (Regular/Reliable)[22]
CO: Kommandant Sergio Owen

2nd Donegal Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[22]
CO: Colonel Jimmie Collier

2nd Donegal Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[22]
CO: Colonel Maria Wood

Notes[edit]

  • The Second carried the unofficial nickname "Caesar's Legion" while under the command of Caesar Steiner. According to Caesar's granddaughter Claudia, LCAF leadership planned to make the nickname official, but he declined.[1]
  • Often, members of the Steiner family not closely in line for the Archonship serve in this unit. The unit's logo, a Steiner fist holding a golden crown, represents this.
  • The The Leinster Regiment was a British Army unit raised in 1881 with the merger of the 100th (Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Infantry). Strongly associated with Canada, the Leinster Regiment was headquartered in Leinster in Ireland, and was one of six regiments raised in Ireland to be disbanded in 1922 following the creation of the Irish Free State.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 One Thousand in Shrapnel, Issue 12, p. 208
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Field Report 2765: LCAF, pp. 10–11: "Donegal Guards"
  3. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 71
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 63: "2nd Donegal Guards Unit Profile"
  5. First Succession War, p. 139: "Deployment Table: LCAF"
  6. Second Succession War, p. 99: "Deployment Table: LCAF"
  7. Technical Readout: 3025 Revised, p. 10
  8. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 161
  9. House Steiner (The Lyran Commmonwealth), p. 117
  10. FedCom Civil War, pp. 89, 101, 102, 130
  11. 11.0 11.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 169: "Donegal Guards bio"
  12. FedCom Civil War, p. 178
  13. FedCom Civil War, pp. 38–39
  14. 14.0 14.1 Field Report: LAAF, p. 11
  15. Field Report: 3085, p. 100: "Donegal Guards"
  16. Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 48
  17. One Thousand in Shrapnel, Issue 12, p. 202-207
  18. One Thousand in Shrapnel, Issue 12, p. 207-218
  19. No Substitute for Victory, Prologue
  20. Field Manual: 3145, p. 127
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Objective Raids, p. 19
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Field Manual: 3145, p. 133: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"
  23. Field Manual: 3145, p. 127
  24. No Substitute for Victory, Prologue
  25. 25.0 25.1 First Succession War, p. 139
  26. 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Second Succession War, p. 99
  27. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 119: "Deployment Table"
  28. 28.0 28.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 137
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 20 Year Update, p. 27
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 177: "Lyran Alliance Armed Forces"
  31. 31.0 31.1 Field Report: LAAF, p. 11
  32. One Thousand in Shrapnel, Issue 12, p. 203

Bibliography[edit]