11th Arcturan Guards

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History

Formation

The Eleventh Arcturan Guards was a part of the first expansion of the Arcturan Guards brigade following the founding of the original nine regiments. The expansion consisted of three regiments – the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Arcturan Guards; having named each of the original nine regiments of the Guards for the Muses of Greek mythology, the Lyran Commonwealth attempted to continue the trend by naming the new regiments after the three Muses of Plutarch. In the case of the Tenth, that Muse was Melete.

Star League Era

Like the other regiments of the Arcturan Guard, the Eleventh struggled with boredom and ennui during the closing years of the Star League era; the Star League Defense Force acted as an effective deterrent in the main, making large-scale military deployments for the Eleventh a rarity, and leaving the regiment to occupy itself with training exercises and garrison duty. In 2765 the Eleventh was stationed on the border between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Free Worlds League; its posting made the Eleventh one of the first units that would have been able to strike at the League forces if it came to combat in the Bolan region.

First Succession War

The Eleventh and a sister regiment, the Fourteenth Arcturan Guards, were involved in Operation ELBOW JOINT, the preemptive LCAF strike on Bolan in March 2785. Following the capture of the jump point station and a battle in space between Lyran and Free Worlds League WarShips the Eleventh and the Fourteenth dropped on Bolan on the 14th of March 2785. When the Lyrans arrived, two regiments of the Bolan Defenders - Colonel Salam Tutt's Sixth Bolan Defenders and the Tenth Bolan Defenders under the command of Colonel Henri Balkichek - were already dispersed across the major continents on Bolan, with half the garrison actively engaged in wargames. Tutt responded to the invasion sending an emergency HPG broadcast and deployed the bulk of the Tenth to defend Mumbai, the planetary capital city, whilst moving a battalion of the Sixth to support the forces at Mumbai from Quetta, a port city also located on the Sakete continent. Another battalion of the Tenth was assigned a third of the Sixth's supporting elements and tasked with defending Calcutta, the largest city on the Kashmir continent. The remaining two 'Mech battalions from the Defenders were assigned to defending the Overwatch, while the remaining support elements were dotted around townships on Kashmir and Sakete in company strength units, defending such major townships as Multan, Peshawar, Sibi, Sukkur and Vadora. While there were also security forces and a local militia, Tutt ordered them to avoid engaging the Lyran forces, and instead report all contacts with the enemy and provide information on the location and disposition of Lyran units.

The Arcturan Guards regiments landed and swiftly took the city of Peshawar, wiping out the defenders and holding in place, leading Tutt to believe that they were readying an assault on Calcutta. Johonson ordered his ground forces to stay mobile to avoid the risk of being trapped by either artillery or orbital bombardment, but also ordered them to strike hard and fast at the League troop concentrations in Quetta and Calcutta, while fighters and assault DropShips conducted sweeps and bombing missions over the towns near both targets. This was followed on the 16th of March by the arrival of the Tenth Skye Rangers, their arrival heralded by the orbital bombardment of the Quetta spaceport by the Commonwealth-class cruiser LCS Furillo, intended to destroy the Bolan Defenders DropShips located at the spaceport whilst also crippling the Defenders' primary refuelling point for their aerospace forces. With the forces around Quetta left in chaos, the Eleventh Arcturan Guards made a sub-orbital deployment from their position to a new point between Quetta and Mumbai, with air support from the Rangers giving the Lyran forces control of the skies; the Eleventh then struck at Mumbai, and by the end of the 17th of March both Calcutta and Mumbai were under siege and heavily damaged, with the Defenders frantically trying to find safe locations while losing artillery duels with the Lyran forces. The next morning the Fourteenth Arcturan Guards assaulted Calcutta, leaving the city surrounded.

Lieutenant Colonel Omar Malak, the commanding officer of the 101st Assault Battalion, had turned Calcutta into a city filled with traps and attempted to lure the Lyran forces into those traps, but the Lyran commanding officer, Leutnant-General Baron Richard Johnson von Eilenburg had other ideas; he gathered together his aerospace forces and conducted a massive firebombing operation against Calcutta on the morning of the 18th of March, killing twenty thousand civilians and destroying the 101st.

Incensed by the attack on Calcutta, Tutt ordered the League-class destroyer FWLS Talwar to bombard the LCAF DropShips, still mostly grounded at Peshawar, even as Johonson was demanding his surrender; Tutt then reiterated that the Defenders would fight the Commonwealth to the last breath before cutting off communications. Tutt ordered his field commanders to leave their positions and attack Lyran forces directly, whilst ordering his surviving combat elements and noncombatant personnel at the Overwatch to evacuate by DropShip, before ordering the deployment of the Overwatch's nuclear arsenal in a scorched-earth attack. Johonson ordered his troops besieging the various FWLM positions to disengage and disperse, while redeploying his WarShips to bombard the Overwatch and its various weapons positions. Tutt's last-ditch strikes left Mumbai a burning nuclear ruin, along with the cities of Calcutta, Quetta and Peshawar, and the nuclear bombardment and exchanges on Sebari left the island an uninhabitable radioactive ruin that was still a scorched wasteland in the thirty-first century. A battalion from the Sixth Bolan Defenders managed to retreat to Zdice, but the Tenth was destroyed on Bolan. The defense of Bolan had cost the Lyran forces two-thirds of the Tenth Skye Rangers and a third of each of the Eleventh and Fourteenth Arcturan Guards, as well as two Mako-class corvettes, with two more Makos and a Commonwealth left heavily damaged; lost along with the Tenth and the bulk of the Sixth Bolan Defenders were three League-class destroyers and an Aegis-class heavy cruiser. Between three and eight million civilians died in the nuclear engagements.

The Eleventh Acturan Guards would face the Bolan Defenders again on several occasions during the First Succession War. In 2787 the Eleventh destroyed the Eleventh Bolan Defenders on Rochers, another campaign marked by the extensive use of weapons of mass destruction as the Bolan Defenders fought until the last man, a distinct contrast to the other battles in the region until 2790. The Eleventh were on the defensive in 2792, successfully resisting the Ninth Bolan Defenders' invasion of Gypsum. In 2803 the Eleventh were a part of the conquest of Finsterwalde, serving alongside the Second Lyran Guards and a mercenary command, the Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment, battling against the Ninth Bolan Defenders again and the Thirty-third Marik Militia. Both the Second Lyran Guards and the Ninth Bolan Defenders were destroyed during the invasion. The Eleventh Arcturan Guards and the Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment served alongside each other again in 2808 during the invasion of Radostov, battling the First Marik Militia and the Fourteenth Atrean Dragoons.

Clan Invasion

In 3048, the periphery nation called the Rim Collection had formed outside of the FedCom's Lyran state border. In response to possible threat, the 11th Arcturans were upgraded from single regiment to a Regimental Combat Team. Still based on Timbuktu, since late Succession Wars, the newly formed RCT were deployed to neighboring worlds from Langhorne to Hinckley. However, the Collection threat was non-existent, save odd pirate raids, the 11th's RCT maintained is normal routes.

When the Clans arrived in 3050, the Eleventh Arcturan was flooded with rumor and sighting of the invaders. The 11th moved to investigate these rumors, all proving to be false. However, during their investigations, the 11th discovered the base of the Blackstar Pirates. The pirate had been continuously raiding Halifax for decades, however the Guards destroyed their base. After the Battle of Tukayyid in 3052, the periphery border reports of sightings of the Clans simmered down.

The Federated Commonwealth High Command assigned the Eleventh to support mercenaries who were engaged in pirate hunting operations. The mercenary contract specified that they would find Morrison's Extractors and the Eleventh would show up and destroy the pirates.

The Guard's commanding officer, then Leftenant-General Maria Esteban sought out to improve relations with their new periphery neighbors. As the elements of the unit conducted escort missions for Lyran emissaries to the Rim Collection and independent world of Hunter's Paradise. General Esrteban had reported to suggest to Collection's government to conduct joined military exercises with their own Rim Collection Militia. In 3060, the Guard's AeroSpace Brigade received pair of Eisensturm Heavy Aerospace fighters for evaluation. These fighters proved to be invaluable in the Guard's anti-pirate actions. However, the unit hadn't received more of the fighters when they had requested them.

During late 50s and early 3060s, Esrteban was grooming one of her own officers, Colonel Linda McDonald, to succeed her so she could retire to Timbuktu.

FedCom Civil War

Battle for Virtue & the formation of the Battle Group

When the FedCom Civil War broke out, the Arcturans had still been stationed on Timbuktu. Lt. General Esrteban through her unit support to the loyalist cause however remained in Theater's command world for entire First Wave of the war. In September 17th of 3063, the General ordered her troops to move into the interior of the Alliance with confidence in security of periphery border with the Rim Collection in hands of scratch assemble force she assembled. General moved to have her RCT intercept Victor Steiner-Davion's forces deciding to detour through Ferihegy and Virtue systems to get him.

The Arcturans RCT had arrived in Virtue system at same time as a one of Victor's Allied forces, Sixth Crucis Lancers, was transiting through the system. General made decision to confront the unit to prevent the Tsamma Lancers (nickname of the Sixth Crucis Lancers) from linking up with Victor. The Arcturans landed their forces uncontested, with Eleventh Arcturan Aerospace Brigade providing air cover. The Lancers used their medium and light BattleMechs and armor to strike the Guard's flank, shattering the Fourth Ormstown Light Tank. This action threaten isolate the Arcturans' tank brigade, however its commander manages to blunt the attack long enough remove her forces from harm. Lt. General Esrteban attempts have her forces to sweep thrust attack of the Lancers, but fails due to Lancer's faster force.

By October 2nd, some of the Arcturans fall back to city of Chastity where they fortify position against the Lancers. However, the Sixth Crucis Lancers were experts in urban fighting and utilities their skill against the embedded force of the Arcturans. After losing of her outposts in the city, General Esrteban had her force fall back from Chastity After two week of fighting, the Lancers push Esrteban's force to abandon their efforts on Virtue.

Failing to delay the Tsamma Lancers on Virtue, General Esrteban decides to conduct decoy raids in neighboring worlds to distract the Lancers from her own goals to slow Victor's advance. Her RCT breaks up into raiding forces; commence raids on Triesting and Loxley. She moves her force on to Alarion where she decides that even combined with 1st Alarion Jaegers and Alarion APM that they would be destroyed by the incoming 6th Crucis Lancers. So general orders both units to abandon their garrison duties join her force. She dispatches minimum infantry garrison to cause trouble on Alarion while take all the supplies she can from the planet. She then moves on to Carlisle rendezvous with rest of her RCT. General begins formulate a plan to begin to form a task force of loyalist forces to confront rebellion. When on Carlisle, the Arcturians convinced Carlisle the General the Carlisle Province Militia to join them as part of their growing task force. During their travels, Estaban manages secure the services of two Warships, the Fox Class Corvettes LAS Robert Kelswa and LAS Robert Marsden.

York and the Ambushing of Victor

Placed well ahead of the Victor Steiner-Davion's advancing force, General Esteban places both the Carlisle & Alarion APMs as defenders of York. When Victor's forces arrive and land on the planet. Victor dispatches the Sixth Crucis Lancers to take out the two militia regiments, while he dispatched his Outland Legion and now former ComGuard unit, Prince's Men of the 244th ComGuard Division to secure local supplies and planetary headquarters.

However, they fell for Lt. General Esteban's trap, when she had aide, Colonel Linda McDonald's lead the 11th Arcturans from orbital insertion. By dropping behind Lancer's lines, General Esteban trapped the Lancers between Arcturans and their two Loyalist Militia RCTs. The Victor order a retreat, not believing his under strength division was a match for the 11th Arcturan Guard RCT. The Sixth managed to escape set for them, which forced General Esteban to concentrate on her forces on 244th and the Outland Legion. Victor forces after hours leaving the capital city, fought a fighting withdraw with Estaban's forces. The Arcturans and its allies begun catch up with slower allied force withering some of enemy's strength. This ultimately led into a nineteen hour fire-fight which by all accounts have been described as hell on the battlefield. The Arcturan AeroSpace Brigade destroyed a third of the 244th's forces. One of the highlights of the battles was when Victor engaged Arcturans' commanding officer Linda McDonald's King Crab in impromptu duel to try buying time for his forces. His custom configured Daishi outclassed McDonald's machine, but the combination raging battle broke up the duel apart.

In orbit, the task force's two Fox-class corvettes, confront Victor's task force lone WarShip and aerospace forces. FCS Melissa Davion tries intercept the two Fox ships, they threaten to provide orbit-to-ground fire support for Arcturans. The Crucis Lancer's escaping DropShips manage to evade the Avalon Class Cruiser.

The battle's retreat ultimately cost the allies two thousand troopers lives, while battalion worth of troops were captured and were imprisoned until the war's end.

Actions during Operation Scatter

In July of 3064, Victor Steiner's allies commence their Operation Scatter which was to overload the LAAF ability to respond to action done by the allies. The Eleventh Arcturan Guards were order by General of Armies and acting Regent Nondi Steiner to put down the Arcturan rampaging sister unit, Twenty-third Arcturan Guards. The Frost Giants as its sister unit's nickname, had been raiding various worlds including striking the Nondi Steiner's estate on Gallery. The Eleventh Arcturan arrived Thuban, where they miss bulk of the Frost Giant force. They Arcturans do manage to destroy a Combined Arms battalion which was in mists of repairs. The two regiments clashed in bloody affair on slopes of Scorpiuus Mons which inflict considerable amount damage to the both units.

First Battle for Tikonov

In early January of 3065, the 11th Arcturan Guards and its task force had arrived in the Tikonov. They had tracked down Victor Steiner-Davion and his own task force, joined the withered Loyalist forces holding key cities on planet. After weeks of fighting, allies begun to loose due to Victor Steiner-Davion withered performance due to loss of his Omi Kurita. During this time, it General Esterban pass command of situation on the planet to Colonel MacDonald, brevet Lt. General. Esterban took one of the two Warships of the Battle Group ,the LAS Robert Marsden, and departed to gather more reinforcements. The Battle Group's other WarShip, LAS Katrina Steiner, attempt move into orbit to provide fire support for loyalist ground forces, but was driven off by Victor's WarShip, FCS Melissa Steiner. The elements of the 11th Arcturan Battle Group were left behind on Tikonov and as the rest pursued the Prince. Unknown to General MacDonald, her mentor and 11th Arcturan Guards commanding officer had defected to the Free Skye movement and taken over military operations in October 9th on Freedom.

Coventry Assault

The elements of the Eleventh Arcturan Guard accompanied by the Royal New Capetown Training Battalion in September, 3064, while main portion of the Guards were dispatched to Skye. The Coventry bounded force was to take the lightly defended allied control world and its factories. The world was expected only be defended by elements of the 39th Avalon Hussars. However, the Guard's intelligence was wrong. For over-confident Royals' Landing Zones were quickly overrun by 7th Crucis Lancers. Unknown to the Loyalist, a third of the Lancers were deployed to the planet to give the appearance of Coventry having weak defense. The Royal New Capetown Training Battalion captured wholly, however the Arcturans were not so overconfident and had established a bridgehead to move to capture Coventry Metal Works in Port St. Lawrence. For over next ten days, Lancers provided a vigorous defense of the complex and broke the confidence of the Guards. By end of the campaign, the Guard had tried to withdraw to their DropShips, but failed and were ultimately destroyed. However, Guards reduced the Lancers to two companies of BattleMechs and battalion each of infantry and armor survived.

Action on Thorin

The Eleventh Arcturan Task Forces now consisting of 11th Arcturans, Alarion Jaegers, Fourth Lyran Guards, Fourth Alliance Guards, and two APM militia units of Carlisle and Alarion. In August 3065, the Task Force arrived on Thorin where the force had finally narrow down where Victor Steiner-Davion and his allied task force may have been hiding. However, the task force was unable to dislodge Victor's forces from planetary capital of Ecol city.

The Arcturans and its fellow task force members launched a brutal campaign for next two weeks against Victor's forces, namely 244th Division and Outland Legion. In desperate battle at Kalako Pass, the 244th Division bloodied nose of 11th Arcturans at the cost of their commander. Fortunately, the Guards' opponents withdrew from battle back to Ecol city. Task Force's commander, Linda McDonald begun to fear that Victor was not on Thorin, and their action here was to tie up among the most potient Loyalist forces here.

However, in January 3066, Victor returned to the battlefield as his personal unit dropped on top of battle of Sandstain Plateau. Turning the tied of battle for the 244th fighting the elements of the task force. Days later, unbeknownst to the Arcturans, Victor had left again.

Actions against Free Skye

In April, the McDonald's task force has arrived in the Skye system. The unit had learned from raid by the Eleventh Lyran Guards, that strength & dispositions of the First Skye Jaegers. Thus McDonald felt the her Task force consisting of both her Eleventh Arcturans and First Alarion Jaegers would be suffient against them. On May 13th, Arcturans and Jaegars landed Skye, brought the battle to the Skye Jaegars and their supporting planetary militia force. The Task Force easily takes capital city of New Glasgow, as the First Skye Jaagar leery of Arcturan's reputation abandoned the city for a mobile defense. The Acrturans faced well-armed citizens defending the city. By June after weeks of off and on fighting, Fourth Skye Rangers arrive in system from Hesperus II, where they were defeated by Loyalist forces.

This had given General McDonald pause, of facing another regiment of worth of troops. However, General von Frisch, CO of the Rangers, declared he and his forces were neutral in this fight for the planet, siting they had shed too much blood for the Free Skye movement. With relief, McDonald prepared to continue the pursuit of the elusive Skye Jaegers when she received message from Regent Nondi Steiner. She signaled that task force was to head to Tharkad, stating she believe coalition forces were meaning to take the capital.

The Battle for Tharkad

By late 3066, the Task Force, now only consisting of Eleventh Arcturans and its allied force the 1st Alarion Jaegers arrived to reinforce Nondi Steiner's First, Second Royal Guards and local ComStar ComGuard Unit, the Sixty-sixth Division.

In early January of 3067, the Eleventh Arcturans battled Blue Star Irregulars' Twenty-first Rim Worlds Regiment. The Arcturans gained the upper hand, as the unit overran the mercenary's command battalion during the battle. The loss of the command battalion sent the Rim Worlds into chaos and allowed the 11th Arcturans maul regiment, rendering the mercenaries combat ineffective for the rest of the conflict.

After the arrival of the Tenty-fourth Lyran Guards RCT, the General McDonald pulled back the 11th Arcturans back to Tharkad City and reinforced the city's defenses.

In March 23rd, General Nondi Steiner lead offensive with Eleventh Arcturan Guards held back with the ComStar's Sixty-sixth ComGuard Division held in reserve. The offensive was in streams of water separating Nagelring and Tharkad city known as the Wash. The 4th Skye Rangers, enticed the Arcturan Guards out of position into a what became a fruitless pursuit.

the campaign turned bad for the Loyalist since surrender of the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards, Nondi determination had ever increased. The Peter's coalition attack directly at Tharkad City on the 27th. Where Arcturans' sister unit on opposition's side, 20th Arcturan Guards suffered terrible loss, only survive if was not for Blue Star Irregulars stepping in reinforce them. General McDonald feeling the battle was hopeless and stupid since they were fighting their own people, she disobeyed Nondi Steiner's orders and surrender the Eleventh Arcturans to the their sister unit.

The Jihad & Destruction

The Eleventh Arcturan Guards were devastated by the Word of Blake-controlled Tharkad-class battlecruiser LAS Invincible when it fired a "Warning Shot" at Tharkad City in December, 3067. The WarShip's capital grade weapons utterly destroyed core of the Arcturan Guards, covering rest under the rumble. Leaving the fellow garrison force, the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards to fend off the coming attack by the Thirty-seventh Division of the Word of Blake.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the 11th Arcturan Guards
Template:LyranRankInline	Herbert Timmons	3025
Template:LyranRankInline	Maria Esteban	3037 - 3057
Template:LyranRankInline	Linda McDonald	3067

Tactics

The Eleventh Arcturan Guards spent years hunting Periphery bandits, and has lots of specialized small units for almost all imaginable circumstances. However, the Eleventh has little to no experience in large-scale operations above Regiment-level. They are skilled in handing hositile environments; zero-g, underwater, freezing cold; desert. The unit is trained in combined arms, however its also seen as weakness.

Paint Scheme

The all units of the force are ('Mech, Vehicles, aerospace fighters) are pained flat white as do the rest of th Arcurian Guards. However, units also have section (wing, arm, or back of vehicle) is painted black to mark friendship it has with Periphery neighbors.

Unit Emblem

The unit emblem is a oval-shape insigna with a lion rampant before a field of stars.

Composition History

2765

11^th Arcturan Guards (Regular/Reliable)

- At this point in time the Eleventh were stationed on Gypsum.

2786

11^th Arcturan Guards (Regular/Reliable)

- At this point in time the Fourteenth was a heavyweight regiment and was at full strength, stationed on Bolan.

2821

11^th Arcturan Guards (Regular/Reliable)

- At this point in time the Fourteenth was a heavyweight regiment operating at barely above one-quarter of full strength, and was stationed on Radostov.

3025

11^th Arcturan Guards (Green/Reliable) (CO.: Colonel Herbert Timmons)

3040

11^th Arcturan Guards (Green/Reliable)

3050

11^th Arcturan Guards (Regiment)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Maria Esteban

3054

11^th Arcturan Guards RCT (Regular/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Maria Estaban

3062

11^th Arcturan Guards (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Maria Esteban
Aide: Template:LyranRankInline Linda McDonald

11^th Arcturian Aerospace Brigade (3 Wings)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Sukit Manijr
- 14^th Arcturan Wing
- 75^th Arcturan Wing
- 311^th Arcturan Wing

Eleventh Arcturan Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Smillaaraq Jaspersen
Aide: Template:LyranRankInline Karl Ruiz
- 4^th Ormstown Light Tank Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Alyn Hershey
- 9^th Timbuktu Armored Cavalry Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Andi Murray
- 2^nd Arcturan Scout Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Barry Lievesly

11^th Arcturan Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Wesley Corn
Aide: Template:LyranRankInline Joseph Freilich
- 3^rd Wiltshire Mounted Rifles Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Lawrence Morris
- 42^nd Arcturan Heavy Infantry Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Leslie Smith
- 19^th Firenze Infantry Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Varkesh Wawra
- 7^th Langhorne Light Infantry Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Celia Fremlin
- 92^nd Arcturan Force Recon Regiment: Template:LyranRankInline Peter Fojl

3067

11^th Arcturan Guards (1 Regiment/Elite/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Linda McDonald

Note: Advanced IS technology: 25 percent

Eleventh Arcturian Aerospace Brigade (3 Wings/Elite/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Sukit Manijr

Note: Advanced IS technology: 35 percent | Omnis: 5 percent

11^th Arcturan Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)
CO: Template:LyranRankInline Smillaaraq Jaspersen

Note: Advanced IS technology: 20 percent

Eleventh Arcturan Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)

CO: Template:LyranRankInline Wesley Corn

Notes

• According to Greek mythology the Muse Melete was the Muse of thought and meditation.

Bibliography

• Djinn of Despair (BattleCorps Story)
• Endgame
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: Lyran Commonwealth 2765
• First Succession War
• Historical: War of 3039
• Hot Spots
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
• Interstellar Operations
• Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad
• Storms of Fate
• Objective Raids