30th Marik Militia

30thmarikmilitia.jpg
Thirtieth Marik Militia
Nickname David's Heirs
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Marik Militia


History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The Thirtieth Marik Militia was raised at some point after 2765.[1] The Regiment was stationed on Nockatunga in 2786 and by 2821 they were on Ilion.[2]

In 2805 the Thirtieth successfully defended the planet of Bella I from attach by the Eleventh Donegal Guards, however a year latter in 2806 they were forced off world by the 13th Lyran Guards and the 20th Lyran Regulars.[3]

Reactivation[edit]

The Thirtieth Marik Militia were re-formed in 2980 alongside their sister regiment, the Thirty-first, by Captain-General Stephan Marik in an attempt to maintain his war efforts against the Capellan Confederation and Lyran Commonwealth in the face of concerted opposition from the Free Worlds League Parliament. Unfortunately, both regiments were plagued with supply and maintenance problems that would dog them for the next forty years.[4]

Third Succession War[edit]

In June 3011 two mercenary units in the employ of the LCAF, Snord's Irregulars and the Kell Hounds, launched a joint attack on Castor. The mission was to find and destroy a rumored stockpile of old nuclear weapons, and to give the Kell Hounds some combat experience in the process (their first combat mission in fact);[5] Cranston Snord also intended to try and acquire a collection of Fabergé eggs believed to be on Castor, and to have the Irregulars humiliate the Thirtieth Marik Militia. According to subsequent commentary from Captain Jonathan Taylor, Thirteenth Marik Militia, Second battalion, First company, Cranston Snord personally destroyed his Centurion during that joint raid, indicating that at least elements of the Thirteenth Marik Militia were involved in the fighting.[6] The attackers managed to identify and destroy the weapons cache just before the defenders could use the nuclear weapons on the attackers with the intent of framing them for using them. By lucky chance, Cranston Snord, while looking for the Fabergé eggs, apprehended Colonel Nage of the Thirteenth Marik Militia in the open market of Alfagemini City and also ultimately managed to secure nine Fabergé eggs for the Irregulars' museum on Clinton.[7]

Anton's Revolt[edit]


Fourth Succession War[edit]

During the Fourth Succession War, the Thirtieth captured the Lyran world of Phecda, and then were required to hold it against a hostile population until 3029. The Thirtieth spent most of the next two decades on the border world of Wing. They picked up their nickname, David's Heirs, in action against the Federated Commonwealth in 3047, by destroying the Seventeenth Arcturan Guards main supply cache despite being completely outmatched, forcing the FedCom unit to withdraw. Marshal Van Creval compared the fight to the story of David and Goliath.[8]

Andurien Secession[edit]


Operation Guerrero[edit]

During Operation Guerrero the Thirtieth landed on Graham IV and took the world for the Free Worlds League. The tactics employed by the Thirtieth were later used by several Free Worlds League academies to teach hunter-killer tactics to cadets. Their performance also led to a better supply situation.[9]

Jihad[edit]

The Thirtieth Marik Militia was part of Operation Broken Fist, the defense of the Free Worlds League against invading forces from the Lyran Commonwealth's Skye and Bolan Provinces.[10] One battalion also fought in the Coalition invasion of Terra, striking Babylon with the Sixth Benjamin Regulars and Juggernaut.[11] This battalion took heavy losses and was effectively destroyed. The remainder of the unit was recalled to the Tamarind District before the Terran assault. The unit split into two battalion-sized formations and garrisoned Dalcour and Cerillos.[12]

The Manei Domini raided Cerillos at the end of the Jihad. The Blakists slammed through the battalion and inflicted heavy casualties. The Marik Militia battalion was able to hold out long enough for their sister battalion to arrive from Dalcour. The arrival of the second battalion tipped the scales in favor of the Militia, but the Domini were able to escape out of the system after inflicting massive losses on both battalions.[13] The Thirtieth Militia was reduced to 20% of their nominal strength after tangling with the Manei Domini, and relocated to Loongana to rebuild.[14]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 30th Marik Militia
Colonel Oliver Nage 3011[15]
Colonel Forest McCall 3025[16]
Colonel Stephen Harter 3047-3059[17][18][8]
Colonel Mira Alexander-Jorge 3067[19]
Force Commander Ruben Lopez 3085[14]

Tactics[edit]

The Thirtieth is adept at hit-and-run tactics, and used them to great effect during the Andurien secession conflict.[8]

Composition History[edit]

2786–2821[edit]

30th Marik Militia (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[20]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Nockatunga. In 2821 the command was reduced to 42 percent of its strength and was deployed on Ilion.[20]

2830[edit]

30th Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[21]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Ilion with an operational readiness of 95 percent.[21]

2864[edit]

30th Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[21]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Pollux with an operational readiness of 65 percent.[21]

3025[edit]

Thirtieth Marik Militia (Regular/Fanatical)[16]

  • CO: Colonel Forest McCall

3028[edit]

30th Marik Militia(Regiment\Regular\Fanatical)[22]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Wing.[22]

3050[edit]

30th Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[23]

  • CO: Colonel Stephen Harter[23]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Wing.[23]

3050–3054[edit]

Thirtieth Marik Militia (Regular/Fanatical)[18]

  • CO: Colonel Stephen Harter

3059–3067[edit]

Thirtieth Marik Militia (1 Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[8][19]

  • Second Battalion: Force Commander Mira Alexander
  • Third Battalion: Force Commander Ruben Lopez

- A quarter of the light 'Mechs is equipped with MASC

Thirtieth Militia Aerospace (1 Reinforced Wing/Regular/Reliable)[8][19]

Third Wing Armored Regiment (1 Battalion/Green/Reliable)[8][19]

- Reinforced to three light and one heavy Companies

Sixteenth Wing Mechanized Infantry (1 Regiment/Green/Reliable)[8][19]

3079[edit]

Thirtieth Marik Militia (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[24]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Dalcour and Cerillos.[24] The loss of a battalion on Terra reduced the Thirtieth to about 70 percent of their pre-Jihad strength.[12]

3085[edit]

Thirtieth Marik Militia (Elite/Fanatical)[14]

  • CO: Force Commander Ruben Lopez

Thirtieth Militia Aerospace (Wing/Elite/Reliable)[14]

Thirtieth Militia Armor Regiment (Veteran/Fanatical)[14]

Thirtieth Militia Mechanized Infantry (Elite/Fanatical)[14]

Notes[edit]

It should be noted that different years have been given for the 3011/3012 raid on Castor conducted by Snord's Irregulars and the Kell Hounds. The history section of the Kell Hounds sourcebook is ambiguous, noting on p. 5 that the raid was planned in 3011 and then narrating how Snord's Irregulars and the Kell Hounds approached Castor from two directions around 7 June, without stating a year. On page 7, however, it is narrated that the Kell Hounds only returned from the mission in the fall of 3012. In the sourcebook's scenario section, the two scenarios referring to the Clinton battle on pp. 30–31 ("Lowering the Boom") and 56 ("Delta Romeo") are both dated 15 June 3012. Similarly, Capt. Taylor states he fought the Kell Hounds and Snord's Irregulars on Clinton in 3012.[6] When Lowering the Boom was republished via BattleCorps in 2008 the timestamp was changed to 7 June 3011; whilst this seems to be an oversight based on p. 5 of the Kell Hounds sourcebook, the reprinted BattleCorps scenario is the more recent publication, and the dates in that source have been given primacy in this article.

References[edit]

  1. Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 10: "Marik Militia".
  2. First Succession War, p. 138: "Free Worlds League Military".
  3. First Succession War, p. 71: "Bolan Thumb Campaign".
  4. House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 90: "Marik Militia"
  5. The Kell Hounds, p. 5
  6. 6.0 6.1 Rhonda's Irregulars, p. 38: "Raid on Bordon" sidebar
  7. The Kell Hounds, pp. 5–6, 31
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 67: "30th Marik Militia Unit Profile"
  9. Field Manual: Updates, p. 149
  10. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 80
  11. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 96
  12. 12.0 12.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 11
  13. Field Manual: 3085, p. 89
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Field Manual: 3085, p. 93: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3085"
  15. The Kell Hounds, p. 30: "Smoked Out"
  16. 16.0 16.1 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 108: "FWL Deployment Table - 3025"
  17. 20 Year Update, p. 56: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3050"
  18. 18.0 18.1 Objective Raids, p. 38: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3054"
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Field Manual: Updates, p. 160: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3067"
  20. 20.0 20.1 First Succession War, p. 138
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Second Succession War, p. 98
  22. 22.0 22.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 86
  23. 23.0 23.1 23.2 20 Year Update, p. 56: "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"
  24. 24.0 24.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 11

Bibliography[edit]