2nd Regulan Hussars

2ndregulanhussars.jpg
Second Regulan Hussars
Formed 2478
Nickname The Penitents;[1]
The Vindicated[2]
Affiliation Principality of Regulus;
Free Worlds League (previous)
Parent Command Regulan Hussars

The Second Regulan Hussars is a regional Free Worlds League BattleMech regiment, raised originally as a defense force for the Principality of Regulus.

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The unit was first formed in the twenty-fifth century, where it served as early testbed unit for BattleMechs. Fighting under the principality's House Selaj ruling family, the unit initial years with other two regiments of early BattleMech design proved to be initially unreliable usage.[3]

Reunification War[edit]

The Second Regulan Hussars was one of six regiments chosen to serve in the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps formed in 2581[4][5] 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.[6]

The Second Marik Auxiliary Corps incorporated the Second Hussars along with the Second Defenders of Andurien, the Second and Sixth Marik Militias and the First and Second Brigades of the Fusiliers of Oriente. 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 and would serve alongside the Draconis Auxiliary Corps, the Lyran Auxiliary Corps and the SLDF IV Corps, VI Corps and VIII Corps.[4][7]

The Second Hussars spent the bulk of Operation MAILED FIST operating alongside the Defenders of Andurien and the Second Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente. Together, the three regiments would fight campaigns on Urjala in 2583, Kitopler in 2586, New India in 2587, Slewis in 2590 and Toland in 2593. The Defenders of Andurien and the Hussars went on to fight on Apollo in 2596, but the Fusiliers remained on Toland.[4][7]

Urjala[edit]

The campaign to secure Urjala saw the Hussars fighting against the same battalion from the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers[8] that had successfully conducted a very damaging raid on at the main spaceport facility on Alarion in 2581,[9] and while the Free Worlds League forces quickly crushed the Amaris Fusiliers they rapidly found themselves experiencing similar problems to Task Force MAILED FIST units on other worlds - they lacked the numbers to exercise sufficient control over the ground, and as a result found their hold on Urjala slipping away in the face of a rebellious population. Eventually, a portion of the garrison on the nearby world of Bolan was dispatched to Urjala to help secure the Star League grip on the world, but the Second Hussars would remain on Urjala for another two years.[8][4]

New India[edit]

The Second Hussars fought the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers for a second time on New India, which was the garrison posting of the other half of the Fourth; in contrast to many of the other planetary campaigns being fought at the time, the fight on New India was actually a stand-up fight, with the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers fighting hard and selling themselves dearly, but without resorting to the more desperate or savage guerrilla and resistance tactics the SLDF was facing on other worlds.[10]

Slewis[edit]

In contrast with the difficult occupation of Urjala and the fierce battle for New India, the campaign for Slewis was remarkably easy; an agricultural world with a large timber industry, Slewis was targeted by the Fusiliers, Defenders of Andurien and Regulan Hussars in May 2590 and was the last world in the Timbuktu Province to be captured, but the occupation consisted largely of the leaders of Slewis calmly acknowledging the arrival of the Free Worlds League forces before simply continuing their farming and logging operations.[11]

Toland[edit]

The Second Hussars and their companion units from the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps operated largely independently of the other units within Task Force MAILED FIST; other than the large-scale operation to secure Apollo, the only exception to this was the campaign to secure Toland, where they fought alongside the SLDF Eighteenth Division against the local militia forces.[4][7]

Apollo[edit]

Duke Narinder Selaj, the overall commander of the Second Marik Auxiliary Corps and the second-in-command of the ground component of the operation to secure Apollo led the Second Hussars and the Defenders of Andurien personally to liberate First Consul Gregory Amaris from the Rim Provisional Government forces besieging his island estates. Duke Selaj managed to easily defeat the forces besieging the Amaris estates, only to find Amaris himself to be unpleasant, hostile, and thoroughly ungrateful for his rescue; Amaris regarded Selaj as a provincial minor lordling from the Free Worlds League, despite the far greater wealth and population of the Principality of Regulus, and bitterly resented the time taken to rescue him and the poor conditions he considered himself to have lived in... conditions far more opulent than most of his citizens or the soldiers of the Task Force had endured. Despite the difficulties in dealing with Amaris, Duke Selaj was able to send his troops and liberated Amaris loyalists to join the forces outside Terra Prime.[12]

Following the injuries taken by Archon Viola Steiner-Dinesen in an attempted ambush that went wrong and saw the Lyran Fourth Royal Guards mauled by the Seventh Amaris Legionnaires and the Eighth Amaris Fusiliers, command of the ground operations on Apollo passed to General Nathan Isaacson of the SLDF. Ignoring calls from Gregory Amaris for a highly destructive campaign to destroy the rebel forces, Isaacson directed the Second Hussars and the other Task Force MAILED FIST units on Apollo to lay siege to the Rift Republican Army and RPG forces on Apollo, resulting in a campaign that limited the loss of life on both sides and saw the Provisional Government and their supporting forces surrender in September 2596.[12]

Star League Era[edit]

The Regulan Hussars fell under suspicion during the war between Gerald Marik and House Selaj, the ruling family of the Principality of Regulus, following the assassination of Captain-General Terrence Marik in 2678.[1] The war finally ended in 2680, but not before the three regiments of Regulan Hussars had fought a delaying action on Hellos Minor and Harmony against six federal regiments to allow several members of House Selaj to escape into exile. The Regulan Hussars fought after a personal visit by Rajneesh Selaj, in which he protested his innocence, and as a consequence of the Hussars' experiences the brigade would remain wary of putting faith in politicians for centuries afterwards.[13]

When the Marik Civil War erupted the Regulan Hussars sided with Captain-General Elise Marik rather than her brother, Oliver Marik, and remained loyal to Elise and her son Bertram throughout the conflict despite the Hussars having been initially hit hard by the various forced retirements and purges instigated during the witch hunts conducted both by Elise Marik and her father before her. The Hussars' loyal support regained them the support and respect of Bertram and the rest of House Marik; Bertram rewarded the Hussars accordingly, with the Hussars receiving quantities of the latest equipment from production lines in the Marik Commonwealth.[1] Bertram also instigated the practice of ennobling the senior commanders within the Hussars down to the battalion commanders and awarded the Hussars a ten thousand acre estate in perpetuity.[13]

The Second remained vocally supportive of the Captain-General throughout the remainder of the Star League era; with the Principality's borders being largely secure, the Second and the other regiments of the Hussars were known to deploy outside the boundaries of the Principality despite being a provincial force. These deployments were usually either to engage in wargames and exercises with other regiments for training purposes, or to reinforce federal forces.[1]

As a formation the Hussars maintained a high level of combat readiness, but Duchess Cameron-Jones refused to send any of the regiments to join the units being assembled on Solaris by Captain-General Ewan Marik following the attack on the Timothy Leary by the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces in 2745.[14] The Duchess cited the requirement to preserve the security of the Principality as the main reason out of a number of political reasons for not deploying the hussars, despite the majority of the Hussars regiments expressing willingness to comply with Marik's request; fortunately for the Hussars, the relationship between the brigade and the Captain-General wasn't damaged, as Marik took out his frustrations on the Duchess rather than the brigade.[1]

Despite the loyalty displayed to the Captain-General by the Hussars, SAFE agents were still operating within the support personnel within the brigade in the 2760s; the Star League Intelligence Command had evidence showing the presence of those operatives, and believed that their presence was most likely a result of orders from Ewan Marik following the Solaris incident. The Second was a cause of some concern for SLIC because of their emphasis on training and practicing for planetary invasions, a type of battle and campaign that the existence of the Star League should have rendered moot.[1]

Early Succession Wars[edit]

Anton's Revolt[edit]

In May of 3014, the Marik Civil War broke out with Anton Marik declaring himself Captain-General over his brother Janos Marik. The Second Regulan Hussars saw its sister units, the Fourth and Fifth Regulan Hussars declare loyalty to the rebel leader. While the Second Hussars and other Regulan Hussar regiments remained in place, taking on Principality's neutral stance in the conflict.[15]

Only in the last year of the conflict, would the Second Hussars be called into action. The Principality's government had finally been moved to declare its loyalty to Janos Marik as Captain-General.[16]

In March 3015, the Second Hussars were deployed with the First Hussars on McKenna where the unit were to face against rebel aligned Fifth Hussars fled to. Their presence on planet, forced the rebellious sister unit to flee. However, months after the Fifth's retreat, most of Wolf's Dragoons would arrive and force off the regiment with heavy damage. They fell back to the world of Ling for rest of the conflict.[17]

Aftermath and the End of the Third Succession War[edit]

By the late Third Succession War, the Third Hussars had weaken in strength. As of 3025, the unit was known for its close-quarters fighting style. The unit was used in a mission that called for planetary assault. While under the command of Colonel Banford (since 3015), the unit had poor recon assets but a winning record. However, its fighting style fatigued its assets. Colonel Banford redirected the unit's resources from its other battalions, were redirected to support the unit's famed Green Monster Assault Battalion. The Green Monster's commanding officer, Major Ingrid Sjornsson, bullies resources to keep the battalion in top readiness at the cost of rest of the regiment.[18]

Fourth Succession War and Andurien Secession[edit]

The unit did not see action in either the Fourth Succession War or during the Andurien Secession, where it remained on Avior the entire rebellion.[19][20]

Intermediate Years of the Clan Invasion Era[edit]

Used its assault expertise along the Federated Commonwealth and Capellan borders, attacking Masterson in 3045 and Chamdo in 3048.[21]

Gibson Crisis[edit]

Became the instigator of the Gibson crisis in 3054 when the then commanding officer, Nathan Roush used elements of the unit in an attempt to discredit Captain-General Thomas Marik. He provided insurgents on Gibson with a nuclear weapon from Regulan stocks and covertly transferred the Second Hussars' second Battalion to Gibson.[21] The Word of Blake forces on the world fought the insurgents, and later the Knights of the Inner Sphere that came to investigate the rumors swirling around the planet. The Regulan-backed insurgents fought alongside the Knights against the Word of Blake and Regulan Hussars on the world. The Blakist forces surrendered to the Knights when the Second Regulan Hussars' commander launched his tactical nuclear device. The captured Regulan Hussar equipment was given to the Knights as spoils of war, and the battalion was disbanded.

In Exile to the Periphery[edit]

By 3059 the Second Regulan Hussars was stripped of its support and would be kept at partial regiment with only 2 battalions' worth of BattleMechs. Prince Kirc Cameron-Jones saved the unit from being completely struck from FWLM's combat roster. The unit was then dispatched to the Periphery in exile.

Captain-General Thomas Marik would personally assign the unit's new commanding officer, Colonel Oskar Hausen. The Second Hussars would be divided, due to distrust of their new commanding officer. Opposition would come from the unit's principal combat battalion, the Second Battalion, nicknamed the Green Monster Assault Battalion. It was believed that Force Commander Marie Lowe would someday invoke the Regulan Hussars' tradition of right to take command of the unit by combat.[22]

The new unit was reassigned to Goth Khakar, a system along the Periphery border. This tough world allowed the Second time to regroup and recover. After rebuilding to regimental strength, they served as escorts for diplomats heading to the Niops Association as well as pirate hunters.[23]

Jihad[edit]

Destruction[edit]

Sometime during the Jihad, the Second Regulan Hussars deployed to Wallis to defend that planet from invaders. In May, 3071 the Forty-ninth Shadow Division attacked the world and destroyed the Second Regulan Hussars completely.[24]

Reconstitution[edit]

By 3077, the Second Regulans had been rebuilt by Regulan Prince Titus Cameron-Jones. The reconstructed unit as part of Brigade wide reconstruction and rebuilding, had its iconic Second Battalion the Green Monster Assault Battalion, reactivated for service. The Regiment's lances sometimes would receive same-design lances.[25]

In 3079 the Second Regulans were based on Vosloorus.[26]

The rebuilt Second Regulan Hussars use the same insignia as their predecessors, but they have taken a new regimental slogan: "The Vindicated." They use this slogan to remind everyone that they never trusted the Word of Blake.[2]

Dark Age[edit]

In 3145 the Second served as the bodyguard unit for the Captain-General. This prestigious assignment only occurred after the First Regulan Hussars were defeated on Atreus in 3139.[27] Their assignment as the Captain-General's bodyguard meant that they were stationed on Regulus.[28]

Stationed on Regulus in 3147, the Second mobilized when troops of Clan Sea Fox's Beta Aimag landed. They didn't engage the Regulans; instead the Sea Foxes only protected their merchants.[29]

In 3148 the Second provided an honor guard for Lester Cameron-Jones when he visited Nikol Marik on the FWLS Lancelot.[30]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Second Regulan Hussars
Colonel Sweeney "Beadle" Banford 3015 - 3025[31]
Colonel Janet Simmons 3050 - 3054[32][33]
Colonel Oskar Hausen 3059 - 3067[21][34]
Colonel Vinoth Singh 3085[35]
Colonel Alex McGowan 3145[28]

Other Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

  • In 2765 the Second was actively training and practicing for planetary invasions.[1]
  • During 3025, the unit utilized its heavy weight for up-close combat and planetary assaults.[37]
  • In 3059, the unit remained specialized in assault operations and planetary invasions, the unit favoring frontal assaults.[21]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[38]

- At this point in time the Second was stationed on Wallis.[38]

2786–2821[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[39]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Wallis. In 2821 the command was reduced to 48% of its strength and was deployed at Epsilon.[39]

2830[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[40]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Epsilon with an operational readiness of 115 percent.[40]

2864[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[40]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Epsilon with an operational readiness of 75 percent.[40]

3025[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (BattleMech Regiment)

  • Note: Unit was considered a heavy regiment,[41] with Regular skills and light aerospace fighter cover. The regiment has three battalions, which includes the Green Monster Assault Battalion which is top Readiness, while others are poor fighting condition. The unit had Questionable loyalty rating in 3025, and was stationed on world of Avior.[42]

3028[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[43]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Avior.[43]

3050[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[44]

  • CO: Colonel Janet Simmons[44]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Avior.[44]

3059–3067[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (2 Battalions/Regular/Questionable)[21][34]

Second Hussars Aerospace (1 Squadron/Regular/Questionable)[21][34]

3079[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[45]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Vosloorus.[45] In 3079 the Second was still rebuilding. They had only reached a quarter of their nominal battalion strength.[26]

3085[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (2 Battalions/Regular/Reliable)[35]

3145[edit]

Second Regulan Hussars (2 Battalions/Veteran/Fanatical)[28]

  • CO: Colonel Alex McGowan

Notes[edit]

  • The unit's famed Green Monster Assault Battalion first noted in the original House book and active in 3025. In Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, the sourcebook notes the reactivation of the Green Monster Assault Battalion, but does not say when.
  • Special rules for the 2nd Regulan Hussars can be found in Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 133.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 16: "Regulan Hussars"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 86
  3. House Marik, p. 103: Early History of Hussars, ties with 2nd
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Historical: Reunification War, p. 152: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-off - 2587)
  5. Rolling Thunder, p. 5
  6. Historical: Reunification War, p. 131: "False Starts (2579-81)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 153: "Rim Worlds Republic Front (2588-2596)"
  8. 8.0 8.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 134: "Helbrent to Nightwish (July 2582 - November 2584)"
  9. Historical: Reunification War, pp. 132–133: "Alarion (December 2581)"
  10. Historical: Reunification War, p. 135: "Arlina to Viborg (December 2584 - September 2588)"
  11. Historical: Reunification War, p. 136: "Illium to Barcelona (March 2589 - August 2591)"
  12. 12.0 12.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 139: "Bitter Harvests (2591-2596)"
  13. 13.0 13.1 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 103: "Regulan Hussars"
  14. Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 4: "Strategic Update"
  15. Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 18, 20: Opening Moves - Second Hussars' sister units choose back Anton Marik in his Rebellion. Principality of Regulus, had decided to maintain a neutral stance, keeping the Second Hussars and other units on the sidelines
  16. Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 23–24, 27: Other Actions and Collapse- Regulus government convinced call suppose for Janos
  17. Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 31, 39: Unit's actions during Anton's Revolt. Unit presence in April, indicated in description of the McKenna action. Month later Wolf's Dragoons would kick them off planet
  18. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 104: Unit fluff from the original house book
  19. Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 86, 89: Second Hussars set out the Andurien Secession
  20. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, Second Regulan Hussars not listed active in war
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 107: "Second Regulan Hussars Unit Profile"
  22. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 107: Unit History / Officers - unit's history after the battle with the Knights and intermediate years of rebuilding
  23. Field Manual: Updates, p. 158
  24. Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 16
  25. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 81: Regulan Hussars - Second Hussars noted as being active again as of 3077
  26. 26.0 26.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 9
  27. Field Manual: 3145, p. 110
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 116: "Regulan Strategic Military Command"
  29. Shattered Fortress, pp. 36–37
  30. Shattered Fortress, p. 54
  31. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), pp. 104, 108: Commanding Officer noted. Second Hussars' profile notes Banford as being command of the unit for 10 years. (The book was written in game year 3025)
  32. 20 Year Update, p. 57: FWLM Deployment Table - 3050
  33. Objective Raids, p. 39: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3054"
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 Field Manual: Updates, p. 162: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3067"
  35. 35.0 35.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 92: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3085"
  36. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 104: "2nd Hussars Profile"
  37. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 104: Unit's specialization noted, and its earlier close-quarters abilities
  38. 38.0 38.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 16: "Regimental Status"
  39. 39.0 39.1 First Succession War, p. 138
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 40.3 Second Succession War, p. 98
  41. Rolling Thunder, p. 4
  42. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), pp. 81, 105: Regiment's status as of 3025
  43. 43.0 43.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 86
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 20 Year Update, p. 57: "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"
  45. 45.0 45.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 9

Bibliography[edit]