1st Kittery Borderers

Insignia of the 1st Kittery Borderers
First Kittery Borderers
Formed Late 3010s
Disbanded 3068 (destroyed)[1]
Nickname The Pride of Kittery
Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command AFFS

The First Kittery Borderers were formed from a reinforced planetary garrison to deter Capellan raiding during the Succession Wars. Despite initially being a defensive unit, they gained a great deal of experience raiding the Capellans instead and were considered an elite force at their height.

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

Like the First Aragon Borderers, the unit was created by the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns as response to heavy raiding from Capellan Confederation along the border of the Capellan March. When the unit was first formed it was patterned after its sister unit on New Aragon, being comprised of an overstrength planetary militia equipped with BattleMechs and tasked with the defense of a protruding pocket of Federated Suns territory. After their formation, they were paired with the newly formed First Kittery Training Battalion, and often loaned 'Mechs to the battalion's training officers despite many of the Borderers having a dim view of nonacademy graduates receiving MechWarrior training.[2]

By 3024, the unit had blooded themselves against Capellan military raiders and had begun to grow in experience.[3] Soon they began raiding the Capellans back and had quickly formed a deep rivalry with the St. Ives Armored Cavalry and routinely skirmished with them off and on for many decades. Despite the Armored Cavalry having the clear advantage in numbers and skill, the Borderers had quickly learned to master the terrain of their home planet and used it to inflict respectable losses on the opposing unit during their incursions.[4]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

The First Kittery Borderers did not actively participate in the Fourth Succession War, and remained posted on Kittery for the duration of that conflict.[5] To make matters worse, the Borderers expected a large attack from the St. Ives Armored Cavalry that never came. As the two units had nursed a deep hatred for each other, this lack of real action caused many veterans in the unit to become angry and disillusioned. When it was announced that the Federated Suns would be backing Candace Liao's newly formed St. Ives Compact, it was the final straw. The already angry veterans resigned their posts, which were quickly filled by Hanse Davion with green replacements, albeit ones with better attitudes towards his plans for the alliance. Between losing the core of their combat veterans and their not being deployed from Kittery by the AFFS for long stretches of time, all the training in the world could not help the First Kittery Borderers' slow slide into inexperience.[4]

During the waning years and aftermath of the Fourth Succession War, the most exciting assignment the Borderers received was acting as the (unofficial) personal vanguard of Kuan-Yin Allard Liao during her mercy missions to the Compact.[4]

War of 3039[edit]

After the McCarron's Armored Cavalry attacked Alcyone in July of 3039, the local PDZ commander deployed the Capellan March Militia and the First Kittery Borderers to intercept more raids from the "Big Mac." Thanks to poor signals intelligence, however, neither unit was able to successfully track them.[6] The First Kittery Borderers staged at Lee to plan and regroup. Expecting that Kathil would likely be a tempting target, the Borderers and the Alcyone CMM snuck into that system via a pirate point, made planetfall in August, and set about creating defenses. When the Second Armored Cavalry landed on 2 September, the Eighth Syrtis Fusiliers greeted them while the Borderers and CMM forces stayed hidden. The Fusiliers skirmished with the Second Armored Cavalry and lured both the First and Second regiments down to the planet as reinforcements. Once the entire mercenary regiment had set down, the command of the Fusiliers signaled the Borderers and Alcyone CMM. Seeing the size of the AFFS opposition, the Big Mac quickly decided to beat a hasty retreat on 10 September, after both sides sustained moderate losses.[6] Their task complete, the Borderers returned to Kittery, where they remained until the end of the war.

Clan Invasion[edit]

Unlike the First Aragon Borderers, the First Kittery Borderers were not afforded the chance to prove themselves against the Clans. They remained posted on Kittery, ensuring that a surprise Capellan invasion did not destabilize the region while what High Command considered to be the more reliable AFFS units dealt with the Clan Threat.[4]

Civil War[edit]

While the First Kittery Borderers did not officially support either Katherine or Victor Steiner-Davion during the Federated Commonwealth Civil War, they were still in the Capellan March, and thus ostensibly under the command of Duke George Hasek. When the world of Alcyone was cleared of Loyalist forces by the Seventh FedCom RCT in 3064, the Kittery Borderers were moved to replace them as a garrison force on that planet as part of the duke's attempts to keep his march under control. They remained there, battling remaining Loyalist resistance and sustaining minor casualties, until the end of the Civil War, at which point they returned to Kittery for rest, resupply, and rebuilding.[7]

Jihad[edit]

On 9 November 3068,[1] the Word of Blake's Thirteenth Division assaulted Kittery, claiming to be acting on behalf of the Capellan Confederation. The First Kittery Borderers, along with the Kittery Training Battalion, were shattered in the resulting assault, with most survivors of the two units rounded up and either executed or forced into reeducation camps.[8] With the planet now transferred to the control of a joint Capellan-Blakist force, the Kittery Borderers were considered to have been entirely destroyed.[1] By 3079, the Federated Suns had still not heard any word of survivors from the unit, despite the world having been liberated by Devlin Stone's resistance movement for some time.[9]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the First Kittery Borderers
Colonel Vivian Dulers 3025[3]
Colonel Leslie Casey 3050 - 3054[10][11]
Leftenant General Deedee Faulkner 3061[12] - 3067[13]
Leftenant General Dalen Trent 3067[13] - 3068[1]

Notable Personnel[edit]

Active during the Fourth Succession War, Lt. Olin piloted a Clint that he had captured from the St. Ives Armored Cavalry. After defeating it in battle, he traded its pilot back to the Capellans for a spare gyro for it. Though he held many unorthodox personal views on the military and the Federated Suns, he nevertheless was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He commanded one of the best scout lances in the Borderers, specializing in large area recons and hit and run tactics.[14]

Tactics[edit]

The unit has a strong advantage on their homeworld because they have detailed knowledge of the Kittery's geography and topography, earned from constant defense against Capellan raids. When the command meets the enemy on other planets, their combat skills and tactics are generally successful, but they do not possess nearly the same advantage.[4]

Composition History[edit]

3025[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[15]

3040[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[6]

3050[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[16]

3054[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (/Regular/Reliable)[11]

  • CO: Colonel Leslie Casey[11]
Note: At this time the command was stationed on Kittery.[11]

3062[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[4]

Note: The Borderers field mostly older-model refitted medium BattleMechs.

Nineteenth Kittery Armored Regiment (Regiment/Green/Reliable)[4]
Note: Though now considered a Regular Army unit, the regiment does not receive supplies like one.
Twelfth Kittery Air Guard (2 Wings/Regular/Reliable)[4]
Note: Composed mostly of light and medium aerospace fighters.

3067[edit]

First Kittery Borderers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[13]

Nineteenth Kittery Armored Regiment (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[13]
Twelfth Kittery Air Guard (Wing/Veteran/Fanatic)[13]

Color Scheme and Unit Insignia[edit]

The First Kittery Borderers retained the green-on-green Capellan camo scheme as a nod to their roots as the original planetary militia. However they prominently display the Federated Sunburst on their 'Mechs. Their insignia is a golden disc set in front of a stylized sunrise or sunset.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46: "The Jihad In Review"
  2. ↑ Warrior: En Garde, p. 8: Lt. Andrew Redburn remarks to Major Justin Allard that the Borderers had lent Justin a Valkyrie while rest of the cadets cadre only received Stingers for their training exercise
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 House Davion (The Federated Suns), pp. 137, 146
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 50: "1st Kittery Borders Unit Profile"
  5. ↑ NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 11: Operation RAT unit list
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Historical: War of 3039, pp. 124, 135
  7. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 181
  8. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 26: "Kittery Liberated!"
  9. ↑ Field Report: AFFS
  10. ↑ 20 Year Update, p. 21
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Objective Raids, p. 14
  12. ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 31
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Field Manual: Updates, pp. 125, 138
  14. ↑ Technical Readout: Succession Wars, p. 56: "Leftenant Steve D. Olin"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 135: "Federated Suns Deployment Table"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 20 Year Update, p. 21

Bibliography[edit]

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