15th Dracon Regiment

The remnants of the original SLDF Regular Army, the 15th Dracon was one of the oldest mercenary units serving with the Capellan Confederation, accepting sponsorship and becoming a line unit prior to their destruction in 3069.

History

Star League Era

In 2764, the 15th Dracon Regiment was assigned, as a part of the LX Corps, Fifth Army, to District 1 within the Capellan Confederation Military Region and transferred to District 2 during the Reunification War. The 15th survived the war and the Hegemony Campaign, chose to remain in the Inner Sphere, joining the Capellan Confederation as a mercenary unit in 2784.

Capellan Employ

The Dracon has been involved in many of the heaviest actions of the latter half of the Succession Wars. Among the unit’s most memorable actions have been fierce firefights with elements of the Marik Oriente Hussars on Talitha in 2901; the raid on Irian in 2920; the capture of an entire battalion of Free Worlds Guards on Park Place in 2940; and the deep-space strike against the Marik world of Lancaster in 2950. The Fifteenth's victories was not without cost, having started as a standard size regiment, attrition reduced it down to two understrength battalions by the end of the Third Succession War, but continued to give a good account of itself.

Aside from its combat prowess, the Dracons policy of regularly contributing a percentage of captured booty to local planetary officials for civil improvements, an effort to leave something behind so that they would be remembered by succeeding generations by the worlds he once helped defend, earned them considerable good will for mere mercenaries. It also resulted in them continually attracting employment, while causing the Maskirovka to flag them as potential subversives.

From the end of the 3rd in 3025 through the conclusion of the 4th Succession War in 3028, the Dracons two remaining battalions were stationed on Bellatrix and Decatur respectively, remaining in position for fear of further AFFS waves and avoiding seeing combat. In the face of the tension that led to the Andurien Secession, the recombined 15th Dracon was transferred to Gunthar, near the Capellan-Periphery border, in 3030.

One of the key targets of the Magistracy of Canopus' invasion of the Confederation, the green 3rd Canopian Fusiliers' initially landed unopposed in early November when Major Wilhelm Archal committed a terrible error in attempting to bribe the Dracons into leaving the world. Having mistakenly assumed that the Dracons were of the mold of the rundown mercenary units that he was used to in the Periphery, Archal was completely unprepared for the loyalty the Dracons held to the people of Gunthar, and the Capellan Confederation as a whole, when the outraged "Sir Samuel" launched a surprise assault on the MAF defensive positions while the bulk of Fusilier's troops slept.

Suffering only light losses, the 15th Dracon destroyed over a company of un-powered Fusiliers 'Mechs and massive quantities of ammunition and supplies until they were forced to withdraw in the face of the massed guns of the Canopians DropShips. Recognizing his position was very tenuous, Major Archal kept the bulk of his surviving troops near his DropShips, resulting in a stalemate as both units successfully attempted draw out and wear the other side down.

The stalemate continued for two years, as the dug-in Canopians refused to take the initiative, waiting in vain of reinforcements, with the Dracons even selectively weakening their own defenses to unsuccessfully try and convince the Fusiliers to strike.

After hearing word of the Capellan recapture of Drozan and Betelgeuse, both the Canopian Fusiliers and Dracon were shaken out of their slow defensive actions and launched increasingly furious attacks against each other. Though weakened and facing poor odds, the Fusiliers struck at the Liao positions in an attempt to break the stalemate; but, by late June, as the CCAF turned the tide of the war, the MAF recalled the unit. The Dracons refused to allow them to escape so easily however, launching a surprise assault and capturing two of the Fusilier's DropShips, forcing the desperate Canopians to pack and cram as many troops and hardware as possible into the transports they had left, withdrawing from the system on July 9th. Having suffered moderated losses, after the withdraw of the Fusiliers, the 15th Dracon pulled back to help reinforce Renown in 3033.

Around the era of the initial Clan Invasion, from at least 3049 to 3055, the Dracon had expanded to four battalions assigned to defend Ares, Necromo, Capricorn III and New Sagan respectively. Like many long term units, the Dracons accepted Capellan sponsorship in late 3060, joining the Citizens' Honored brigade. Despite becoming a Capellan line unit, the Dracons maintained its tradition of donating funds and resources for civil improvements, a fact now publicized by the Capellan media.

To guard against renewed Free Worlds League aggression in the mid-3060s and along with fellow Citizen's Honored brigade 4th Tau Ceti Rangers, the Fifteenth was transferred from Gei-Fu to the League/Confederation border, its battalions ranging along a swath of worlds from Ingersoll to Exedor. Around this time the 15th also acquired enhanced combat vehicle and Battle Armor infantry. As of 3067, the Dracons were stationed the Capellan Commonality world of Eom.

The 15th Dracon took part in the second prong of Operation Thunderstrike, the Capellan counter-strike against George Hasek II's Operation Sovereign Justice, striking at Overton alongside Warrior House Ijori. The Capellan forces eventually succeeded in forcing the AFFS's First Federated Suns Lancers to withdraw with heavy losses, but not before the FedSun had effectively destroyed both the 15th Dracon and House Ijori.

Officers

As of 3025, the unit CO was Colonel Samuel Shimosa, also known as "Sir Samuel".

As of 3049, the 15th Dracon was commanded by Colonel Jean Rosenburg.

As of 3063, the Commanding Officer was Sang-shao Rei Tsuba.

Tactics

A choice born of the Fifteenth Dracon's efforts to support and improve the worlds on which they served, the unit refused to fight in any urban environment, preferring to allow an enemy to capture rather than destroy a city in their care. Rather than a negative that can be used against them, the Dracon developed a fast-response deployment pattern of flanking maneuvers and pincer movements to challenge any attacker before they could threaten a city.

Composition

3063

BattleMech

• 15th Dracon (1 Regiment reinforced to 4 Battalions)
  • CO/1st Battalion: Sang-shao Rei Tsuba
  • XO/2nd Battalion: Zhong-shao Clint Swereda
  • 3rd Battalion: Zhong-shao Joan Wilson
  • 4th Battalion: Zhong-shao Lawrence Bloch

Aerospace

• Capellan Navy Echo Flight
  • Wing Commander: Kong-sao-shao Monty Boa-Xin

Infantry

• The Dragons (2 Battalion, includes 1 Company of Battle Armor)
  • Infantry Commander: Zhong-shao William Shaw

Notes

• The unit insignia is a red triangle radiating yellow and gray, surrounded by an orange band. The 15th proudly maintained its SLDF heritage by using the same gray and green paint scheme it used during the original Star League, as well as painting military "hash marks" as kill markers along the main body of fighters and vehicles or the limbs of 'Mechs.
• The unit's homeworlds were Gei-Fu and Relevow.
• Thanks to its efforts to maintain its links to the original Star League, the Fifth Dracon relied heavily on Star League era BattleMech designs such as the Flashman and Crockett; the only modern Xin Seng Capellan design it fielded was the Duan Gung, itself based on SLDF's Sling.
• Until their destruction, every commanding officer of the 15th Dracon had won the Liao Sunburst of Gallantry and the Order of the Legion of Liao since 3018.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Capellan Confederation
• Field Manual: Updates
• House Liao (The Capellan Confederation)
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• The Star League