3rd Davion Guards


Davion Guards 3rd logo.png
Third Davion Guards RCT
Disbanded 3144 (destroyed)[1]
Nickname Don't Tread on Me
Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command Davion Brigade of Guards


The Third Davion Guards are a BattleMech military formation that served in Armed Forces of the Federated Suns and later in Federated Commonwealth.

History[edit]

The homeworld of the Third Davion Guards was Kesai IV.

Third Succession War[edit]

Coursadin (Remis III) was the site of a battle between forces from Wolf's Dragoons, namely the Black Widow Company, versus Federated Suns forces including the Third Davion Guards and Lindon's Company. A Black Widow Company attack against an ammo dump had been repulsed, and headhunter forces gunning for Natasha Kerensky specifically engaged her in the Battle for Coursadin, a hard-fought engagement that went for at least a week.[2] Up to this time Lindon's Company was under the command of Owen Lindon,[3] but shortly afterwards as of 3025 it was under the command of "acting captain" Sarah Lindon,[4] suggesting Owen Lindon may have been killed or incapacitated in this battle.

Klathandu IV was the scene of battle between the Black Widow Company and McKendrick's Company from the Third Davion Guards.[5]

Notes[edit]

The battle seems to have taken place in early November 3024, where a detachment of Epsilon Regiment of Wolf's Dragoons was wrapping up operations on "Courasin",[6] implicitly meant to be the same battle elsewhere noted to have taken place on or at "Coursadin (Remis III)",[2][7] and returning to their base on Thestria.

Fourth Succession War[edit]

The Third Davion Guards attacked Algol with the Seventy-first Light Horse Regiment. There they destroyed the first battalion of the First Ariana Fusiliers, who were commanded by Tormano Liao. Though they tried to capture him, Tormano eluded the Davion Guards. The third battalion of the Ariana Fusiliers escaped offworld.[8]

In the second wave of attacks, the Third Davion Guards hit Ningpo, splitting a battalion of McCrimmon's Light Cavalry away from Marion's Highlanders. The Light Cavalry unit was pushed into a series of foothills and destroyed. After two months of harassing attacks from the Highlanders, the Third Guards had isolated the Highlanders on a peninsula. Rather than destroy the Highlanders, the Third's commander offered them a truce. The Highlanders accepted. The next day, the commander received a message from the AFFS High Command ordering the Guards to spare the Highlanders; The Highlanders would be leaving the service of the Capellan Confederation.[9] The Guards departed from Ningpo. (At the time the Strategios and Maskirovka assumed that the Third Guards simply destroyed the Highlanders completely.[10]

Dropping onto Slocum a battalion of Third Guards heavy 'Mechs supported by a regiment of tanks destroyed the second battalion of McCrimmon's Light Cavalry. The Guards took no significant losses.[11]

The fourth wave of the invasion found the Third Guards on Azha, where they defeated the Capellan militia units assigned to defend the world.[12]

War of 3039[edit]

During the War of 3039 the Third Davion Guards and the Third Lyran Guards invaded the Combine planet of Vega alongside several mercenary units. The Guards regiments successfully drove the Fourteenth Legion of Vega off-world in the first wave.[13] In the second wave, however, the Fourteenth returned to Vega and was supported by the Second Legion of Vega and the Second Dieron Regulars. The Third Lyran Guards were unable to stop the DCMS units, and the Third Davion Guards performed a series of smaller spoiling attacks on the Combine forces to slow them down.[14] The Third Davion Guards were then targeted by all the DCMS units, and after three days of constant attacks, the Guards were ordered to leave Vega.[15]

Clan Invasion[edit]

At the start of 3050, the Guards were stationed on Hesperus II.[16][17] In 3057, suborned by Field Marshal Brandal Gareth and other senior officers involved with the Free Skye movement and looking to form their own state during the formation of the Lyran Alliance, the Third Guards were used to try and take control of Hesperus II and took heavy damage from the defending Gray Death Legion in what became known as the Fourteenth Battle of Hesperus II.[18][19]

The Third Guards were nearly disbanded as a result of their actions on Hesperus II, but instead the AFFC High Command decided to give them an opportunity to redeem themselves, which the Guards embraced with a fanatical - and almost suicidal - zeal.[19]

Operation BIRD DOG[edit]

Prior to Operation BULLDOG, a company of the Third Guards was smuggled onto Luzerne. They were assigned to cause trouble, destroy supplies, and otherwise disrupt Smoke Jaguar operations on the world. They quickly ran afoul of Kappa Galaxy's Galaxy Command Trinary, and spent several months on the run until reinforcements could arrive.[20] This company, Allen's Animals, was equipped with captured Clan OmniMechs and weapons. The rest of the Third saw their participation in BULLDOG as a way to make amends for their behavior with Free Skye.[21]

Operation BULLDOG[edit]

Assigned to take the relatively unimportant world of Luzerne during Operation BULLDOG's second wave, the Third Guards and ComStar's elite 208th Division[22] were sent to overcome the Jaguars' Fourth Provisional Garrison Cluster.[23] The SLDF task force used a variant of the insertion used for the highly successful DCMS/Explorer Corps raid against the world in 3055, traveling on the Sovetskii Soyuz-class heavy cruiser CSV Harmonious Thought and the Lola III-class destroyer CSV Leander and utilizing a Pirate Jump Point formed by a little known planetoid on the fringes of the Luzerne system on June 29th, proceeding to the planet under Emission Control conditions using an inertial transfer maneuver to bypass the Jaguar picket ships virtually undetected.[24][25]

The plan quickly unraveled when it was discovered the newly formed and consequently unknown front-line Sixth Striker Cluster was on-world with heavy naval support in preparation for a raid against Clan Ghost Bear when Bulldog was launched. With the Smoke Jaguar forces placed on high alert after the first wave and pulling their patrol ships back to near orbit to prevent a repeat of the humiliating 3055 raid, after the Jaguars refused the SLDF's desperate request for safcon, both Com Guard WarShips were lost as they attempted to protect the DropShips of the Third and 208th Division. Ultimately only half of the heavily mauled DropShips made it through the Jaguar blockade, making scattered drops rather than the planned concentrated landing.[24][25]

Now heavily outnumbered and completely disorganized, the remains of the Third Guards and 208th began to form up and congregate in three bastions, the largest formation an ad hoc combined arms force of two Battalions worth of the troops[24] from the 208th and Third located at the town of Thün. While the elite front-line Sixth Striker Cluster easily defeated any SLDF stragglers, their unfamiliarity with the world and fact they were still only partially complete greatly hampered their planned assault against the SLDF strongholds. Finally moving against now dug-in SLDF troops at Thün under cover of darkness on July 9th, the bloody battle ultimately devolved into stalemate and the Jaguars finally withdrew. With both sides now settling into a siege mentality, broken only by the occasional raid, the SLDF forces waited for reinforcements.[26]

Landing on August 1st, while the Combine's elite Ryuken-roku encountered stiff resistance, their presence ensured the battle quickly shifted in favor of the SLDF forces.[26] The defending Sixth Striker and Fourth Garrison refused to withdraw and fought to the last man, with the remains of the Third Guards and other SLDF units finally capturing Luzerne on August 8th, only a few short days before the Jaguar high command ordered a general withdrawal from the Inner Sphere.[27] One of the casualties of Operation BULLDOG was Marshal Jim Seymour, the Third's commanding officer, and command of the Guards passed to Leftenant General Marguerite McCaffee, an officer who had joined the Guards after Hesperus and who had made a rapid rise in rank from Major to Leftenant General and who proved the only officer capable of pulling the command together during the action on Lucerne.[19]

Post-BULLDOG to FedCom Civil War[edit]

After the conclusion of Bulldog, serious consideration was given to merging the shattered Third and 208th Division into a brand new Star League Defense Force unit, but disagreements over command structure and responsibilities led to the abandonment of the idea.[28]

Despite the large distance between them, the Third remained in constant contact with the 208th Division and even requested officer exchanges. While the requests were formally denied by the Katherine Steiner-Davion-influenced AFFC High Command in the wake of the Second Whitting Conference,[28] a number of officers from each unit accepted lowly observer and liaison roles in the other unit to circumvent the restriction, with the 208th's Demi-Precentor III Chris Ludyan on paper a mere communications liaison but in fact fully assisting in the rebuilding and training of the Third's Armor Brigade and Demi-Precentor IV Tallulah Cloudwalker effectively in full command of the Third's hodgepodge Auxiliary infantry Battalion.[19]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

The Third was understrength prior to the start of the FedCom Civil War and remained that way through first three years of constant fighting. The unit was stationed in the Draconis March during this period. The Guards joined the first Ceti Hussars in assaults on Bryceland and later participated to defend Cassias against a Draconis Combine reprisal raid. The Third remained understrength but operational through absorbing the survivors of the Fourth and Fifth Davion Guards.[29]

Jihad[edit]

Arriving on New Avalon in 3068 the Third Guards harassed the Word of Blake, distracting the Blakists from their attack on Avalon City, per Jackson Davion's orders. Though these independent operations kept the Third from being under heavy fire, the soldiers of the Third often felt they weren't contributing anything to the planet's defense. This wasn't true: the Third Guards were instrumental in repulsing the Thirty-sixth Division in the Cris Mountains.[30] Their luck changed in the Third Battle of New Avalon, where they took heavy casualties. Once New Avalon was freed, the Third Davion Guards were disbanded and the survivors were used to reconstitute other Federated Suns units.[31]

Dark Age[edit]

The Third was rebuilt at some point in the years of relative quiet between the end of the Jihad and the Dark Age. However, the unit was one of the many AFFS units destroyed at Palmyra.[32]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of Third Davion Guards
Hanse Davion 3011[33]
Marshal Herbert Hobaugh - 3039[34]
Marshal James Seymour 3039 - 3057[34][35][16][19]
General Marguerite McCaffee 3057 - 3068[19][31]

Other Unit Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

Subtlety is not the Third's strong suit. They favor frontal charges, followed by standing and delivering. Alpha strikes are used far more often than is usually prudent.[36]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Third Davion Guards (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[37]

- The Third Guards were stationed on Tancredi IV at this point in time.[37]

2786–2821[edit]

Third Davion Guards (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[38]

- At this point in time the Guards were a medium-weight regiment stationed on Tancredi IV and were operating at full strength.[38] In 2821 the unit was reduced to just over half- strength.[38]

2830[edit]

Third Davion Guards (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[39]

- At this point in time the Guards were a medium-weight regiment and had rebuilt to almost ninety percent of full strength. The Guards were stationed on Tancredi IV.[39]

2864[edit]

Third Davion Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[39]

- At this point in time the Guards were a medium-weight regiment stationed on Niles, and had been reduced to less than a fifth of full strength.[39]

3025[edit]

Third Davion Guards RCT

Noted as being understrength by 2 infantry and 1 armor regiment. No posting given.[40] The 'Mech regiment contains mostly medium designs.[41]

3040[edit]

Third Davion Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[42]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Hesperus II.[42]

3050[edit]

Third Davion Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[16]

  • CO: Marshal Jim Seymour[16]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Hesperus II.[16]

3054[edit]

Third Davion Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[43]

  • CO: Marshal Jim Seymour[43]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Hesperus II.[43]

3059[edit]

By the time of its deployment on Luzerne, the Third Davion Guards RCT only had 2 armor regiments

3062[edit]

Third Davion Guards (Two Battalions/Elite/Fanatical)[19]

CO: Leftenant General Marguerite McCaffee
Aide: Major Jena Davion-Bath
Approximately two battalions. The Third Davion Guards is made up of 17 lances (many described as understrength)

Third Davion Guards Aerospace Brigade (Two Squadrons)[19]

CO: Commodore Kuch Jukita
  • 134th Tsamma Air Squadron
  • Fifty-first Crucis Interceptor Squadron

Third Davion Guards Armor Brigade (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[19]

CO: Colonel Vladimir Rostov
Aide: Demi-Precentor III Chris Ludyan

Third Davion Guards Infantry Brigade (Two Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)[19]

CO: Colonel Chien-Fen Ktorides
Aide: Captain Tellus Nemitz
- Described as a "hodgepodge battalion" of artillery and engineers

3067[edit]

Third Davion Guards (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[44]

CO: General Marguerite McCaffee[44]
Note: Clan technology: 15 percent | Advanced IS technology: 85 percent | Omnis: 20 percent[44]

Third Davion Guards Aerospace Brigade (Elite/Fanatical)[44]

CO: Colonel Anders Todorovski
Note: Advanced IS technology: 70 percent | Omnis: 5 percent

Third Davion Guards Armor Brigade (Elite/Reliable))[44]

CO: Colonel Vladimir Rostov
Note: Advanced IS technology: 70 percent | Omnis: 20 percent

Third Davion Guards Infantry Brigade (Veteran/Reliable))[44]

CO: Major General Rolf von Gath

3074[edit]

The Third was disbanded and the survivors used to rebuild other units damaged on New Avalon.[45]

Notes[edit]

Like all Davion Royal Brigade units, the Third's parade color scheme is the Davion family blue, white and red striping, adopting more standard camo paint in the field. The RCT patch for the Third Guards is a coiled rattlesnake.[46]

Gallery[edit]

Reference[edit]

  1. Field Manual: 3145, p. 71: "Debacle at Palmyra"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tales of the Black Widow, pp. 20–21: "Spider Trap"
  3. According to the unit write-up for Lindon's Company in the rulebook for the BattleTech, 2nd Edition box set
  4. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 135: 'Mech Unit Deployment Table, Bryceland PDZ
  5. 5.0 5.1 Tales of the Black Widow Company, pp. 28–29
  6. Wolves on the Border, ch. 18
  7. Wolf's Dragoons, p. 32
  8. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 18
  9. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 32
  10. Warrior: Riposte, p. 269
  11. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 33
  12. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 86
  13. Historical: War of 3039, pp. 32–33
  14. Historical: War of 3039, p. 77
  15. Historical: War of 3039, p. 78
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 20 Year Update, p. 27
  17. Objective Raids, p. 19
  18. Operation Excalibur
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 19.8 19.9 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 81: "Third Davion Guards Unit Profile"
  20. Historical Turning Points: Luzerne, p. 6
  21. Historical Turning Points: Luzerne, p. 9
  22. The Dragon Roars, pp. 10–11: "Unit Summaries - Operation Bulldog"
  23. The Dragon Roars, pp. 12–13: "Unit Summaries - Clan Smoke Jaguar Defense"
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 The Dragon Roars, p. 24: "Wave Two: Driving Forward"
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Dragon Roars, pp. 26–28: "Scenario 4: Fool Me Twice"
  26. 26.0 26.1 The Dragon Roars, pp. 32–34: "Scenario 6: The Darkest Hour"
  27. The Dragon Roars, p. 44: "Wave Three: Bringing Down the Jaguar"
  28. 28.0 28.1 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 39: "10th Army V-nu: The Red Legion"
  29. Field Manual: Updates, p. 129
  30. Jihad Turning Points: New Avalon, p. 8
  31. 31.0 31.1 Jihad Turning Points: New Avalon, pp. 6–7: "Combatants"
  32. Field Manual: 3145, p. 71
  33. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 179
  34. 34.0 34.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 8
  35. Historical: War of 3039, p. 33
  36. Field Manual: Federated Suns, pp. 81, 144
  37. 37.0 37.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 14: "Regimental Status"
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 First Succession War, p. 134: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Second Succession War, p. 94: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  40. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 139: Is not listed in Deployment Table
  41. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 137
  42. 42.0 42.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 136
  43. 43.0 43.1 43.2 Objective Raids, p. 19
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 44.5 Field Manual: Updates, p. 137
  45. Jihad Turning Points: New Avalon, p. 7
  46. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 139

Bibliography[edit]