Alpha Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar)

Alpha Galaxy (Clan Smoke Jaguar) Unit Insignia
Alpha Galaxy
Disbanded 3060 (Destroyed)
Nickname The Black Jaguars[1]
Affiliation Clan Smoke Jaguar
Parent Command Clan Smoke Jaguar touman


Overview[edit]

Alpha Galaxy was the premier front line military formation of Clan Smoke Jaguar.

History[edit]

Operation REVIVAL[edit]

Units of Alpha Galaxy bid for and fought on the following worlds during the invasion of the Inner Sphere:

Wave One[edit]

Wave Two[edit]

Wave Three[edit]

Wave Four[edit]

Wave Five[edit]

Tukayyid[edit]

Due to the death of Galaxy Commander Dorian Wirth at Luthien, the leaderless Galaxy was led by Khan Lincoln Osis himself on Tukayyid. Alpha was assigned the primary target city of Dinju Heights,[2] defended by the veteran-ranked Com Guard Fifth Army.

A minor but interesting note for Alpha Galaxy's arrival on Tukayyid involves an Elemental named Bolin from the elite 6th Jaguar Dragoons. While the rest of Alpha Galaxy rode their DropShips to the surface, the Dragoons had been combat dropped from orbit. Bolin, eager to be the first Smoke Jaguar to land, held off on firing his jump jets until after he had entered the red zone on his suit's velocity indicator. His last-minute burn of the jets proved too little, too late, and the crash severely injured him, causing Warrior Bolin to miss the rest of the battle.[3]

The assault on Dinju Heights started well for the Jaguars, with the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons wiping out the green 50th Division to secure Alpha Galaxy's drop site. As the Dragoons and Jaguar Grenadiers started their march for Dinju Heights, they didn't realize the modest resistance offered by the remains of the Fiftieth was but a cover for heavier elements of the 299th and 323rd Divisions hidden in the Dinju Pass.

The 122nd Striker Cluster had been bid out of the initial batchall for the attack on the Dinju Heights. Instead Loremaster Edmund Hoyt had sent into the Tamo Mountains as scouts and by the third day of fighting had passed within 30 km of Precentor Martial Focht's hidden command bunker at Mount Kline, but were prevented from discovering it through a swift assault by Adept Rita Brand under the cover of an ECM net.[4]

When the Grenadiers reached the Dinju Pass, Star Colonel Brandon Howell suspected a trap and ordered two Stars forward to flush out any hidden Com Guard units, while the rest of the Grenadiers were ordered to rush the pass at flank speed while hugging its walls. While almost completely obliterating the probe force, the 299th and 323rd Divisions could only briefly engage the bulk of the Grenadiers before they raced past, inflicting heavy losses but unable to prevent a sizable portion of the Jaguar unit making it through to reach the outskirts of Dinju Heights. However when the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons attempted to make their own run, the 299th and 323rd had emerged from hiding and were crowding the floor of the pass, creating a gauntlet of overwhelming firepower with Khan Osis seemingly killed as the Dragoons took heavy casualties.

With Khan Osis' apparent demise followed shortly after by the death of saKhan Sarah Weaver during Beta Galaxy's push to the secondary target city of Port Racice, when Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht reinforced the Fifth Army with divisions from the Second Army, ilKhan Ulric Kerensky was forced to terminate the Jaguar campaign. While the demoralized Beta Galaxy dutifully obeyed, those in Alpha Galaxy were enraged by what they felt was a Wolf Clan snub to their sacrifices and vowed to fight to the death. Unable to fight their way back through the pass to save the outnumbered Sixth Dragoons from destruction at the hands of the 299th and 323rd, the Grenadiers launched a desperate assault against the 82nd and 322nd Divisions outside Dinju Heights which pushed the Com Guard units back and allowed the surviving Grenadiers an opening to withdraw to their DropShips.[5][6][7][8]

Post-Tukayyid[edit]

Lincoln Osis' was indebted to Brendon Corbett, the warrior that had pulled him alive from Tukayyid. He backed Corbett in his Trial of Position for Star Colonel in the re-forming 6th Jaguar Dragoons. The ambitious Corbett then petitioned for the re-formation of Alpha Galaxy and won the title of Galaxy Commander for himself.[9]

Operation BULLDOG[edit]

The Sixth Jaguar Dragoons were the first cluster of Alpha Galaxy to engage enemy forces. Stationed on Labrea a token number of warriors fought and lost a Trial of Possession to Clan Wolf-in-Exile and were absorbed into the Wolf-in-Exile touman.[10] The Third wave caught the Command Trinary and the Ninth Jaguar Cavaliers on Marshdale where they fought with determination and refused to relinquish the planet. The Command Trinary acted as an elite tactical strike unit while the Cavaliers took the brunt of the assault, by August 12th they had begun to collapse under the relentless pressure from the Ryuken-ni and the Ninth Com Guard Division and retreated off planet.[11] They did not join with the rest of the retreating Smoke Jaguar forces heading to Huntress, but instead plotted their own course.

Wave Two

Wave Three

Tranquil[edit]

Ignoring Lincoln Osis' call to defend Huntress, Galaxy Commander Brendon Corbett took the survivors of Alpha Galaxy to Tranquil. Here he hoped to rebuild the Clan and assume the Khanship for himself. Although not stated it appears that the 9th Cavaliers followed him. Pulling out of the Occupation Zone with captured Inner Sphere 'Mechs, many new OmniMech models, allowed the Jaguars to rebuild somewhat. Before they were discovered, attacked and destroyed piecemeal during Operation Damocles.[12]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of Alpha Galaxy
Galaxy Commander Frederick Wimmer 3049 - 3050[13]
Galaxy Commander Dorian Wirth 3051 - 3052[14]
Galaxy Commander Brendon Corbett - 3060[15]

Tactics[edit]

Galaxy Commander Brendon Corbett adopted a defensive strategy during Operation Bulldog that undoubtedly saved many Jaguar commands and allowed the Clan to pull back in an organized fashion.[16]

Composition History[edit]

3049-3052[edit]

3059-3060[edit]

Notes[edit]

Alpha Galaxy deployed to Luthien in 3052,[17] however the listing for this battle in the Luthien (scenario pack) lists them as the 31st Jaguar Assault Galaxy commanded by Dorian Wirth and comprising of the:[18]

The association as the 31st Galaxy is due to it placement first in the list of three Smoke Jaguar Galaxies listed, the commander is the highest ranked Jaguar officer mentioned[19] and the inclusion of the 5th Regulars previously identified as belonging to Alpha Galaxy.[20] The 31st Assault is also portrayed in the Luthien Missions of the MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries computer game.

References[edit]

  1. BattleTech: Battle of Tukayyid, p. 46
  2. Invading Clans, p. 62
  3. Tukayyid (scenario pack) p. 30
  4. Tukayyid, p. 37-38
  5. Tukayyid, pp. 29-38 "Campaign: Clan Smoke Jaguar"
  6. ComStar, pp. 69-70 "Battle of Tukayyid - Ace in the Hole"
  7. Wolf Clan, p. 47 "Days of Armageddon - Smoke Jaguar"
  8. Invading Clans, pp. 61-62 "Tukayyid: The Crucible"
  9. The Dragon Roars, p. 64
  10. The Dragon Roars, p. 30-31
  11. The Dragon Roars, p. 44
  12. Trial Under Fire
  13. Invading Clans, p. 64
  14. Era Report: 3052, p. 54
  15. The Dragon Roars p. 64
  16. The Dragon Roars, p. 65
  17. Invading Clans, p. 68
  18. Luthien, p. 27
  19. Luthien, p. 20-27
  20. Invading Clans, p. 53

Bibliography[edit]