13th Bolan Defenders

Insignia of the Bolan Defenders
Thirteeenth Bolan Defenders
Formed between 2765 and 2793
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Bolan Defenders

History[edit]

The Thirteenth Bolan Defenders was one of at least two new regiments of Bolan Defenders to be founded between the beginning of the Periphery Uprising in late 2765[1] and the Lyran Commonwealth invasion of Binyang in 2793. Like the other regiments of the Bolan Defenders, the Thirteenth was responsible for defending the worlds in the region of the Free Worlds League known as the Bolan Thumb; these worlds were an early Lyran target from the outset of the First Succession War, beginning with the invasion of Bolan in 2785.[2][3]

When the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces invaded Binyang in 2793, the Thirteenth were in place as the local garrison. Dispersed across Binyang, the three battalions of the Thirteenth found themselves facing an invasion force consisting of two regiments of Lyran BattleMechs under the overall command of Kommandant-General Aric Hasseldorf. Hasseldorf was keen to avoid the Thirteenth feeling that it had no option other than to wage a scorched earth campaign, as similar campaigns waged by the Bolan Defenders on worlds such as Altoona, Bolan, Myrrdin and Rochers had led to the loss of billions of lives. As a result, the Lyran assault was rather more surgical than previous attacks had been; Hasseldorf initially landed a single regiment, supported by aerospace forces, as she attempted to determine the location of the Thirteenth's battalions.[3]

Presuming correctly that the Thirteenth would have a detachment defending the primary planetary spaceport at Hanning, Hasseldorf soon discovered that the Thirteenth's Second Battalion was defending Kinwall; when Lyran forces encountered vehicle elements from the Third Battalion at Hasong, they began moving in strength into the Litang Valley, encountering a lance of VTOLs—two Rippers and two Cyrano-class gunships—on a combat recon mission on the 11th of March. This swiftly led to the discovery of the additional forces from the Thirteenth's Third Battalion at the village of Silong, which was serving as both an artillery firebase and the Third's command center; while LCAF aerospace fighters attacked Silong, ground forces engaged the bulk of the Third Battalion, and Hasseldorf ordered her second regiment of ground troops to launch a direct assault on Hanning and the Thirteenth's defending First Battalion there.[3]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 13th Bolan Defenders

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

2793[edit]

Thirteenth Bolan Defenders[3]

- At this point in time the Thirteenth was stationed on Binyang.[3]

2786[edit]

13th Bolan Defenders (Regiment/Green/Questionable) [4]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Binyang. The unit was destroyed during the war. [4]

Notes[edit]

The Thirteenth was evidently a combined-arms regiment; the fiction describing the battle on Binyang deals mainly with the Third Battalion of the Thirteenth, and indicates that the Battalion included three 'Mech lances in the First Company; two of the lances were named Anvil Lance and Hammer Lance, with Anvil being a "standard" assault lance consisting of two Thunderbolts and two Emperors, whilst Hammer Lance was a lighter 'Mech lance which included at least one Wolverine. At least one company of the Third consisted entirely of vehicles, while other elements included a recon lance of VTOLs, a company of light armor and infantry assigned to defending the Battalion command center and an artillery battery.[3]

References[edit]

  1. Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 12: "Bolan Defenders"
  2. Interstellar Operations, pp. 226–229: "Falling Into Fire"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Interstellar Operations, pp. 300–303: "Pressure Play"
  4. 4.0 4.1 First Succession War, p. 138

Bibliography[edit]