5th Lyran Guards

(Redirected from Fifth Lyran Guards)
Lyranguards05th.png
Fifth Lyran Guards RCT
Nickname Kleist (2765)[1]
The Steadfast
Affiliation Lyran Commonwealth
Parent Command Lyran Guards


History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

In 2743 the Fifth Lyran Guards received a distinguished new recruit as a part of their deployment to New Caledonia, a world close to the borders of the Rim Worlds Republic and Draconis Combine: Paul Steiner, son of Archon Michael Steiner. A newly-commissioned Hauptmann who had graduated top of his class at the Nagelring, Paul's deployment was a sign of how seriously the Archon took the Combine-instigated "bandit raids" which had struck Lyran border worlds in 2742. During the raids that followed the redeployment of the Fifth , Hauptmann Steiner demonstrated an uncanny ability to use his forces to outmaneuver attacking forces, something opponents of the usually heavy and ponderous LCAF didn't expect. He would remain with the Fifth Guards until 2750, when he was awarded command of the First Royal Guards.[2]

During the Star League era the Fifth Lyran Guards was one of ten regiments within the First Lyran Guards Division, one of five Divisions of active regiments within the Lyran Guards brigade in the closing decades of the Star League's existence. By the mid-twenty-eighth century the First Division was the only Division of the Lyran Guards to be at full strength, and while the Lyran Guards were supposed to be loyal to the Lyran Commonwealth first and the Archon second, the various regiments of the First had been used at various points to keep powerful nobles in line.[1]

Like the other regiments of the Guards during this era, theFifth lacked any particular political ties - either regional or familial - unlike regiments in other brigades; commonly assigned to garrison postings, the Fifth Lyran Guards and their sister regiments were postings of choice for those who wanted to work for the Commonwealth without either regional loyalties or particular ambitions. This led to the Fifth and her sister regiments being manned by soldiers who were professional, but without the close-knit ties found in more parochial regiments. The Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces was intent on generating more camaraderie and esprit de corps among the Fifth and the other Guards regiments, but with little success by 2765.[1]

In 2765 the Fifth was stationed on the Morrigan, a posting that required personnel to learn how to use exoskeletons to function in the face of Morrigan's 3G pull.[1]

First Succession War[edit]

Wyatt was annexed by the Free Worlds League early in the First Succession War, but the Marik Militia forces assigned to Wyatt withdrew in late 2790, leaving the planet open to conquest. The League had honored the titles of the Roark family on Wyatt when the world was annexed from the Terran Hegemony, in exchange for the Roark's fealty. That fealty was tested when two Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces regiments - the Fourth Donegal Guards and Fifth Lyran Guards - arrived to annex the planet in January 2791. A Lyran negotiator attempted to persuade Baroness Althea Roark to switch her allegiance to the Lyran Commonwealth, the previous Baron - Althea's husband - having left with the Star League Defense Force on the Exodus, but Althea's son and daughter - former Captain Stephan Roark of the SLDF and his sister, Dana - are opposed to breaking their oaths to House Marik, as is Stephan's uncle, retired SLDF General Bartolomeo Roark. The defending forces on Wyatt consisted of the Wyatt Militia - a force that can muster barely four lances of 'Mechs - and the personal 'Mechs of House Roark, which were dispersed around the various Roark landholdings across the world. Stephan and his allies fought against the annexation, but were undercut by the Baroness, who aligned House Roark with the Commonwealth to preserve the family's position on Wyatt.[3]

Succession Wars[edit]

The Fifth went to Skondia in 3044 as part of Operation Baldur. The plan was for the Fifth and the Seventeenth Donegal Guards to liberate the world and thus secure Skye's border. The unit was nearly destroyed in heavy fighting. It took three years before the Fifth was rebuilt. During the Clan Invasion the Fifth remained in the Draconis March to appease the Sandoval family.[4]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

The Fifth Lyran Guards arrived on Addicks with an assignment to destroy the First NAIS Cadet Cadre. The Guards' arrival triggered a major conflict that resulted in major losses for the Loyalist forces. The Fifth was more successful on Marlette, where they opened a gap that allowed the Loyalist Marlette Militia to escape from an Allied trap.[5] By 3067 they were still on Marlette.[6]

Jihad[edit]

The Fifth Lyran Guards saw action early in Operation SCOUR, serving on the Federated Suns front as a part of Group III. Group III attacked Tybalt in early 3077, when it was targeted in the first wave of assaults made by the allied coalition forces that made up the Federated Suns front of Operation SCOUR. Following the liberation of Tybalt, the local citizenry found itself in the unusual position of throwing a victory parade that, for the first time in the history of Tybalt, honored a unit from the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery;[7] serving in Group III alongside the Fifth Lyran Guards were Delta Galaxy of Clan Nova Cat and the 17th Benjamin Regulars.[8]

As part of Group III the Fifth Lyran Guards took part in the assault on Nanking in late 3077. Arriving in-system at almost the same time as a Capellan attack group, the Fifth and the rest of Group III arrived above Nanking a day after the Capellans had landed, only to find that the Capellan forces led by Warrior House Fujita were trapped in their deployment zone, exhausted from the punishing trip in and under fire from the Nanking Protectorate Militia. Group III dropped behind the Militia forces and proceeded to launch an attack that saw Delta Galaxy and the 17th Benjamin Regulars punish the Militia with ranged fire before the Fifth Lyran Guards launched a devastating assault that broke the Blakist forces.[8]

Having broken the main Blakist force, Group III found itself being ordered to leave Nanking by House Fujita; when Group III cited the continuing Blakist presence on the planet as a reason to stay, House Fujita nuked the base camp of the Fifth Lyran Guards. This prompted Group III to leave Nanking en masse.[8]

In late February 3078 Group III assaulted Epsilon Eridani in a campaign that took only a week, thanks in part to the near immediate destruction of Blakist command and control assets.

The Fifth Lyran Guards formed part of the Coalition force that landed at Geneva on Terra.[9] They fought alongside ComStar's 6th Army against the Word of Blake's 4th and 16th Division.[10]

After Terra was secured by the Coalition forces the Fifth Lyran Guards had been heavily depleted by months of combat; the Lyran high command pulled a complete battalion from the Accrington FTM and assigned them to the Fifth as battlefield casualty replacements, and the Fifth were redeployed to defend the factories of Hesperus II.[11]

Dark Age[edit]

In 3139 the Fifth fought the 4th Tamarind Regulars on Tamarind in 3139. The Fifth Lyran Guards sent several new Manticore II heavy tanks down a river and struck the Fourth's rear areas.[12] The Fifth faced off against elements of the Wolf Empire in 3140 on Niihau. The Fifth broke down into smaller forces and engaged in a guerrilla war.[13] After fighting the Wolves for more than a year, the Commonwealth was finally able to rescue the Fifth. The LCAF High Command reassigned the Fifth to garrison Alma Alta.[14]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Fifth Lyran Regulars
Hauptmann General Louise Kopper 3045 - 3067[15][4][6]
Leutnant-General Heather Jobs 3085[16]
Leutnant-General Eugen Hasseldorf 3142-3145[17][18][19]

Other Unit Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

The TO&E give the unit a weight advantage over the enemy. The command uses sheer force to gain victory.[4]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[1]

- At this point in time the Fifth was based on Morrigan.[1]

2786[edit]

5th Lyran Guards (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[22]

Note: At this point in time the heavy-weight unit was stationed on Duantia. The unit was destroyed during the war.[22]

3025[edit]

5th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Green)[23]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Gypsum.[23]

3040[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards RCT (Regiment/Green/Reliable)[24]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Cylene.[24]

3050[edit]

5th Lyran Guards RCT (1 Regiment/Green/Reliable)[15]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Markab.[15]

3062[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards (1 Regiment/Green/Reliable)[4]
CO: Hauptmann General Louise Kopper
Aide: Leftenant General Barry Palin

Fifth Lyran Guards Aerospace Brigade (2 Wings)[4]
CO: Leftenant General Choderlos De Laclos
- Fifth Lyran Guards Wing
- 173rd Lyran Guards Wing

Fifth Lyran Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiment/Green/Questionable)[4]
CO: Leftenant General Ivan Monfriez
Aide: Kommandant Raine Younis
- 71st Lyran Heavy Armor Regiment: Leftenant General Don Gartner
- 11th Markab Panzer Regiment: Leftenant General Wan Yuen
- 35th Markab Armor Regiment: Leftenant General Wendy Fewster
- In 3067 the commanding officer of the Armor Brigade is Colonel Raine Younis.

Fifth Lyran Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Green/Reliable)[4]
CO: Leftenant General Karen Walden
Aide: Leftenant General Jas Unger
- 147th Lyran Heavy Infantry Regiment: Leftenant General Serge Prynn
- 217th Lyran Infantry Regiment: Leftenant General Lisa Jenkins
- 619th Lyran Mechanized Infantry Regiment: Leftenant General Edwin Fisk
- 43rd Markab Mounted Rifles: Leftenant General Paul Carmody
- 91st Skat Jump Regiment: Leftenant General Len Finkle
- In 3067 the commanding officer of the Armor Brigade is Colonel Jas Unger.

3067[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[6]
CO: Hauptmann General Louise Kopper

Fifth Lyran Guards Aerospace Brigade (2 Wings)[6]
CO: Kaptain Choderlos De Lacos

Fifth Lyran Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[6]
CO: Colonel Raine Younis

Fifth Lyran Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Green/Reliable)[6]
CO: Colonel Jas Unger

3079[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable) [25]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Hesperus II.[25]

3085[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards RCT (Veteran/Reliable)[16]
CO: Leutnant-General Heather Jobs

Fifth Lyran Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[16]
CO: Colonel Jan Shaw

Fifth Lyran Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[16]
CO: Colonel Arthur Prochazka

3145[edit]

Fifth Lyran Guards RCT (Veteran/Questionable)[17]
CO: Leutnant General Eugen Hasseldorf

Fifth Lyran Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[17]
CO: Colonel Patrick Anderson

Fifth Lyran Infantry Brigade (Regular/Questionable)[17]
CO: Colonel Jonathan Cook

Notes[edit]

Reference[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 13-14, "Lyran Guards"
  2. Era Report: 2750, p. 79-80, "Paul Steiner"
  3. A Soldier's Privilege
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 76, "Fifth Lyran Guards Unit Profile"
  5. Field Manual: Updates, p. 170
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Field Manual: Updates, p. 179, "Lyran Alliance Deployment Table - 3067"
  7. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 36, "First Wave Complete"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 39, "War To The Knife"
  9. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 96
  10. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 109
  11. Field Report: LAAF, p. 12, "Lyran Guards"
  12. Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 18
  13. Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 12
  14. Field Manual: 3145, p. 126
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 20 Year Update, p. 19, "AFFC Deployment Table - 3050"
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Field Manual: 3085, p. 107, "Lyran Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3085"
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Field Manual: 3145, p. 133, "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Arc-Royal Theater"
  18. Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 42
  19. Technical Readout: Dark Age, p. 164
  20. Shrapnel Issue 5, "CRD-10S Crusader Technical Readout"
  21. Field Manual: 3085, p. 17: "The Paladins"
  22. 22.0 22.1 First Succession War, p. 139
  23. 23.0 23.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 119
  24. 24.0 24.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 137
  25. 25.0 25.1 Field Report: FWLM , p. 12
  26. Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 132

Bibliography[edit]