Ariana Grenadiers

Brigade Insignia of the Chesterton Reserves
Ariana Grenadiers
Formed ca. 27522760[1]
Nickname Men of Harlech[2]
Affiliation Capellan Confederation
Parent Command Chesterton Reserves


History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

The Ariana Grenadiers were founded by the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces in the wake of the repeal of the Council Edict of 2650 by the Star League council in 2572, a decision that allowed the various Great Houses to significantly expand their military forces. The Grenadiers were an experienced unit from the outset, having been created by merging a number of home guard troops from the Tikonov region with expatriate free companies from the Chesterton worlds. The Ariana Grenadiers proved their worth when they repulsed an Armed Forces of the Federated Suns attack on the capital of Halloran V in 2761.[2]

By 2765 the Ariana Grenadiers were the preeminent fighting force of the Chesterton Reserves brigade, a battle-hardened unit that had earned the enmity of the Federated Suns; the Federated Suns regarded the Grenadiers as rebels and had made demands for many of the Grenadiers' personnel to be turned over to the Federated Suns to face criminal charges.[2]

The Grenadiers participated in the capture of Demeter from House Davion in 2765. They successfully defended against FedSuns incursions against House Liao's food producing planets in the Prefecture's Coreward worlds.

In 2778 the 2nd Ariana's Armor unit participated in a rare "Armor vs Armor" battle against a Davion mercenary company known as Simpson's Samurai on Genoa.[1]

One of the Grenadier's most famous fights was against a heavily fortified outpost on New Florence. The unit's attack in 2782 was dramatized in a holodrama known as the Charge of No Return. The battle to take the outpost cost the unit a number of Griffin and Shadow Hawk BattleMechs during multiple charges against the outpost's defenders in the Cresidain Plateau. The peak of this battle occurred when they captured the Davion defenders' DropShip.[1]

Early Succession Wars[edit]

When news of the massacre on Kentares IV touched off a wave of AFFS attacks throughout the local region, Ronel became a flashpoint for conflict, a decade after its capture by Capellan forces. This time, it was the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery who invaded. The Thirty-fifth Dieron Regulars landed on Ronel in March, facing off against the Ariana Grenadiers and two supporting regiments of sealed armor. The Grenadiers were still acclimatizing to Ronel, which had a higher gravity than their previous posting, Demeter, as well as being a much more desolate planet. When the Dieron Regulars struck at the Grenadiers in the gnarled forests near the city of Lenor, the Grenadiers found themselves mired in confusion and badly disorientated by the mix of smokescreen and incendiary munitions used by the Regulars' artillery support. The Grenadiers became scattered, and the Regulars launched air strikes against the supporting armor forces; with half of the armor wiped out, the Grenadiers attempted to pull back and rally, only to find that their scattered ranks had been reduced to little more than a battalion of 'Mechs. The Regulars continued to press the Grenadiers, turning their retreat into a rout; when the Grenadiers evacuated by DropShip, the CCAF initially listed the regiment as having been destroyed, but enough forces survived the evacuation to allow the regiment to be reconstituted later. In addition to those survivors who made it away by DropShip, almost a battalion of armor and 'Mechs had been left behind during the frantic retreat; under pressure from the victorious Combine forces, and convinced that they had been shipped to Ronel as sacrificial lambs, the survivors on Ronel abandoned the CCAF and formed a new mercenary unit, the Bad Dream, accepting an immediate contract from the DCMS.[3][4]

In 2788 the Ariana Grenadiers were sent to raid the world of Tyrfing's SLDF storage depots. There they attacked and were attacked by units from every Successor State. The extensive use of chemical weapons resulted in the deaths of most of the Grenadiers vehicle crews.[5]

The Ariana Grenadiers and 4th Tau Ceti Rangers attacked Demeter, taking the world in December. This fighting inflicted minor damage on the Lycomb-Davion IntroTech aerospace plant.[6]

Later in the First Succession War, the Grenadiers were reorganized and given additional firepower, which included captured Marauders and specially trained Jump Troops. In this period, the Grenadiers were successful in raiding a fuel depot on Lee in 2812.[1]

During the Second Succession War in 2874 the Grenadiers' station on Ingersoll was devastated in a surprise attack by the Free Worlds Guards. The unit was rescued by the timely arrival of Warrior House Ijori which saved the world from occupation. However, the unit's heavy artillery was lost in the battle.[1]

Late Succession Wars Era and Destruction[edit]

The unit was stationed on New Hessen between 2998 and 3007 when House Davion's Deneb Light Cavalry conducted a series of raids during the Grenadiers' defense of the planet. Near the end of this time, the poor performance of the Grenadiers' aerospace fighter force caused the unit problems, but the coordinated action by the infantry and Panther BattleMechs was able to successfully fend off the Light Cav's attack.[1]

In the Fourth Succession War, the unit was destroyed in their failed defense of Tikonov.

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Ariana Grenadiers
Colonel Tomislav Yovchev 2788[5]
Colonel Rudolph Baxter 3025[1]

Tactics[edit]

The unit generally was used for offensive attacks in raids and also to defend the Tikonov Prefecture.[1] Their skill at raiding is the reason they were selected by the Strategios to visit Tyrfing.[5]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Ariana Grenadiers

- At this point the Ariana Grenadiers were a fanatically loyal veteran BattleMech regiment assigned to the world of Almach.[2]

2786–2821[edit]

Ariana Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[7]

- At this point in time the Grenadiers were a medium-weight regiment operating at full strength and was stationed on Almach.[7] In 2821 the unit was operating at half strength and was stationed on Oli.[7]

2830[edit]

Ariana Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[8]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Anaea with an operational readiness of 74 percent.[8]

2864[edit]

Ariana Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[8]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Bell with an operational readiness of 30 percent.[8]

2864[edit]

Ariana Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[8]

Note: At this point in time medium-weight unit was stationed on Bell with an operational readiness of 30 percent.[8]

3025[edit]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Tikonov.[9]

Rules[edit]

Tyrfing[edit]

During the Tyrfing campaign, the Ariana Grenadiers can use the Forcing the Initiative, Off-Map Movement, and Tactical Specialization (Attack) special command abilities.[5]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 83: "Ariana Grenadier Unit Profile.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Field Report 2765: CCAF, p. 10
  3. First Succession War, p. 82: "Caught In The Capellan Crossfire"
  4. First Succession War, p. 35
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Turning Points: Tyrfing, p. 9
  6. First Succession War, p. 81
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 First Succession War, p. 135: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces (CCAF) - Deployment Table"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Second Succession War, p. 95
  9. House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 105

Bibliography[edit]