8th Ghost

Eighth Ghost Regiment
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Ghost Regiments


Unit Description[edit]

The Eighth Ghosts were one of several Ghost Regiments, BattleMech units recruited from the yakuza by Theodore Kurita to help bolster the Draconis Combine's armed forces in the 3030s. The Eighth served in the War of 3039 and went on to fight Clan Smoke Jaguar, losing most of its strength to the Clan warriors. As a result the Eighth was disbanded after the Clan Invasion and the survivors merged with the Tenth Ghost Regiment.

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

Together with its sister regiments, the Eighth Ghost was formed in the years after the Fourth Succession War. That conflict left many DCMS regiments destroyed or mauled, and Theodore Kurita knew he would need fresh troops to repel the inevitable Federated Commonwealth assault upon his nation. Accordingly he turned to the yakuza oyabun for funds and recruits, and the criminal overlords obliged.[1]

War of 3039[edit]

Together with its sister units the Eighth Ghost was kept off the DCMS' official rosters, and so was able to surprise the AFFC during the counterattack against their invasion. For the Eighth, that involved hitting Sadalbari in July together with the Seventh Ghost and local Combine partisans. During the fighting the Eighth Ghost mauled the Third FedCom RCT and eventually drove it and the Fifth Davion Guards offworld. In this victory the Eighth displayed an excellence in combined arms which indicated that they had taken Theodore Kurita's reforms to heart and had the ability to implement them.[2][3]

Clan Invasion and Disbandment[edit]

While not able to penetrate the security surrounding the Ghost Regiments, Wolfnet believed that immediately prior to the Clan Invasion the Eighth Ghost was stationed alongside the Seventh Ghost on Byesville in the Pesht Military District.[4]

The Eighth would suffer horrendous losses against Clan Smoke Jaguar on McAlister, losing six companies during the fight. The regimental commander could only save a single battalion which would be stationed on McAlister by 3054.[5] Rather than rebuild the Eighth, the DCMS High Command eventually decided to merge the survivors into the Tenth Ghost, which had suffered only minor losses during a raid into the occupation zone. The resulting merger proved problematic as the ex-members of the Eighth refused to take sides in the feuding between the Tenth's long-serving members.[6]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 8th Ghost Regiment

Tactics[edit]

The Eighth was notable for utilizing mixed forces (BattleMech, vehicle and infantry) at company level to make balanced attacks.[3]

Composition History[edit]

3040[edit]

8th Ghost (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[7]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Umijiri.[7]

3050[edit]

8th Ghost (Regiment/Questionable)[8]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Byesville.[8]

3054[edit]

8th Ghost (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[9]

References[edit]

  1. Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 112
  2. Historical: War of 3039, p. 96
  3. 3.0 3.1 Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 62, "Eighth Ghost"
  4. 20 Year Update, p. 42
  5. Objective Raids, p. 70, "Unit Note"
  6. Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 118
  7. 7.0 7.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 139
  8. 8.0 8.1 20 Year Update, p. 42
  9. Objective Raids, p.28

Bibliography[edit]