3rd Donegal Guards

History

A prestigious and efficient unit, albeit with a notable history of uneven leadership, command of the elite Third Donegal Guards is a much coveted post. Ever since their participation in the celebrations marking the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth's 100th anniversary, the Third has used the Scales of Justice as their unit emblem and been known as "The Justice Brigade". The emblem and regimental patch were adopted to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Commonwealth Supreme Court on Donegal, the Third having played a major role in the celebrations in 2643.

As an example of the Third's abilities with competent leadership, thanks to the unorthodox tactics of its then commander James Hipper, the unit won a significant victory on Shirotori during the Fourth Succession War.

In 2765 the Third is stationed on Ridderkerk. At the time there was little to fight over on the planet, so the Third hadn't seen any action against the Draconis Combine.

Succession Wars and the War of 3039

In 2863, during the Second Succession War the Third, with two other Mech regiments, including the Stealths, retook Sakhalin from Combine forces who had held the world since 2860.

As part of Operation Götterdämmerung the Third Guards deployed from their homeworld of Menkent at the beginning of the Fourth Succession War launching attacks on Orestes then Grumium and finally, Shirotori. On Shirotori the Third faced the First Proserpina Hussars after Colonel Walter Lestrade was recalled in February 3029 and replaced by the less experienced Colonel James Lancelot Hipper who arrived to take command in March. The Third Guards had taken control of most of the country side while the Hussars held Shirotori's three major cities. The First Proserpina Hussars outnumbered the Third but refused to gather their forces to avoid leaving the cities undefended and instead used their supperior reconnaissance to perform flanking and hit-and-run attacks on the massed Guards forces. Using intelligence gathered from captured messengers and a captured Combine supply convoy Colonel Hipper was able to infiltrate two lances of 'Mechs into the city of Meijer where the Hussars' commander, Tai-sa Hirohito had established his headquarters. While two companies made a diversionary attack on the city of Brusk the infiltrated lances attacked the Hussars' command bunker and the rest of the Guards struck the city perimiter. While the two infiltrated lances were destroyed by the Combine defenders they killed the Hussars' CO and half of his command staff leaving only inexperienced officers in command. Meijer was in LCAF control two days later. The remaining Hussars retreated a week later.

The Third garrisoned Styk during the War of 3039, and remained posted there until the Clan Invasion.

Clan Invasion and Lyran Succession

The Third Dongeal Guards were stationed on Styk until Operation Guerrero when the CCAF's Warrior House Imarra managed to retake the world for the Capellan Confederation in 3057.

Serving as a cautionary tale on liabilities of Lyran's trademark Social Generals, arrogant CO Thanom Hammerskjold's questionable plan relied on overpowering the Liao unit with superior numbers, only for the Warrior House troops to consistently outmanoeuvre and lure the heavier RCT in endless ambushes, forcing to Third to overextend their forces and allowing the Imarra troops to inflict significant losses. While more capable members of the units command staff began to take over and adapted their tactics to counter the Capellans, Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion's succession of the Lyran Alliance and recall of Lyran units prompted the Third to return home.

Sacking the now reviled Hammerskjold after the Styk debacle, the LAAF transferred the Third to Pandora along the Clan Jade Falcon border.

Operation Bulldog

The Third was part of the Lyran contribution to Operation Bulldog, the unit eager to vent their frustrations at their withdrawal from Styk. Launching from Bicester, the Third Donegal joined the elite Second Genyosha and First St. Ives Lancers in attacking the Clan Smoke Jaguar world of Tarazed during Bulldog's first wave, defended by Epsilon Galaxy's Seventh Jaguar Dragoons.

While the 7th Dragoons receiving some degree of warning to prepare for the incoming SLDF forces, they made the fatal mistake of granting them safcon in response to task force commander Kai Allard-Liao's batchall and called back their AeroSpace Fighters. The 7th compounded their mistake by selecting the network of canyons in the Krychek Mountains to face the SLDF, not realising the location favoured the much large SLDF forces. While the Star League task force ultimately defeated outmatched 7th Dragoons, the Third Donegal Guards suffered above-average casualties in the process and were sidelined for the rest of the Bulldog.

Following their return from Operation Bulldog the Third was posted to Pandora.

FedCom Civil War

During the FedCom Civil War the Third Donegal defeated Argyle's Lancers on Crimond, later moving to Cumbres in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to defend Tharkad against moves from units from the Arc-Royal Defense Cordon. The Third, like most of the Donegal Guards Brigade, sided with Katherine Steiner-Davion during the Civil War.

Ordered to disarm and detain the Argyle Lancers the Third deployed from their post on Pandora in late April 3063, landing on Crimond on 7 May. The Lancers' CO had pulled his forces into Fort Beaufort (a LAAF test base) and mined the surrounding area in expectation of the Third's arrival. Leutnant-General Power dropped the RCT and closed on the Lancers' positions but their advance was stalled by the minefields. The Lancers' managed to inflict heavy losses on the immobilized Guards brigades using hit-and-run attacks for several days. Eventually the Third was able to break through the minefields and assault the base directly. The Lancers withdrew into the base testing area where they used live-fire targets and stripped hulks of discarded 'Mechs and tanks to confuse and slow the Third's advance. After two weeks of pursuit the Third destroyed the remaining Lancers on the Dreyan Flats.

Following their victory on Crimond Nondi Steiner ordered the Third to Cumbres to allow them to be rapidly deployed to defend Tharkad or the Terran Corridor.

In early 3067 Morgan Kell hired several small mercenary companies to hold the Third on Cumbres and prevent them from moving to support Tharkad. The mercenary forces seized vital resources on 3 February and soon had the Third Guards chasing them across the planet. One of the mercenary companies began acting as bandit raiders, while disguising themselves as members of other companies, causing the Third to begin treating all mercenaries on Cumbres as pirates and leading to incidents of fighting between mercenary companies. The infighting weakened the mercenaries enough to allow the Third Donegal to prevail but kept them tied up long enough to prevent the Third from aiding the defense of Tharkad.

As of 1st August 3067, the Third remained on Cumbres at 85% of its full strength.

Jihad

The Third met its end in the Word of Blake Jihad unsuccessfully attempting to defend its brigade's namesake world of Donegal from Blakist forces. After the world was recaptured, the survivors of the Third were merged into the Second Donegal Guards RCT.

Officers

In 3025 the unit is commanded by Colonel Walter Lestrade. Lestrade was another example of the social generals that hampered the Third's abilities.

During the Fourth Succession War, the commanding officer was James Hipper.

Leutnant-General Wendell Power replaced Thanom Hammerskjold as commanding officer in 3058 and commanded the Brigade to the year 3067.

Tactics

The sheer size of the RCT give the CO a wide range of opportunities. Open-field engagements are preferred as it allows the Third's size and firepower to be used to best effect. The commander trusts his subordinates and gives them freedom to decide the best course of action for their unit.

Composition History

2765

• Third Donegal Guards (Veteran/Fanatical)

3025

Third Donegal Guards (Elite/Questionable)

3040

Third Donegal Guards RCT (Elite/Reliable)

3054

Third Donegal Guards (Elite/Reliable)

• CO: Hauptmann General Thanom Hammerskjold

3062

Third Donegal Guards (1 Regiment/Elite/Reliable)

• CO: Leutnant-General Wendell Power
  • Aide: Colonel Silas Murrel

Third Donegal Guards Aerospace Brigade (2 Wing)

• CO: Captain: Eleanor Burkhard
  • 879th Independent Wing
  • 77th Independent Wing

Third Donegal Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Megumi Arimoto
  • Aide: Leutnant-Colonel Therese Lascelles
• 14th Donegal Armored Cavalry Regiment: Colonel Franklin Burleigh
• 11th Donegal Panzer Regiment: Colonel Kathi Frey
• 9th Styk Armor Regiment: Colonel Connor Campell-Glencairn

Third Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Elite/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Abdul Kalamaty
  • Aide: Leutnant-Colonel Surrey Jackson
• 72nd Donegal Mechanized Rifles: Colonel Dane Sunderland
• 93rd Donegal Mechanized Rifles: Colonel Claire Walby
• 401st Lyran Heavy Infantry Regiment: Colonel Olinda Wakambu
• 17th Pandora Mounted Rifles: Colonel Yusuf Saltoun
• 77th Donegal Jump Regiment: Colonel Keith Monroe

Bibliography

• Era Report: 3062
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Report 2765: LCAF
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: LAAF
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
• Historical: War of 3039
• Objective Raids
• The Dragon Roars
• Shattered Sphere
• Total Chaos
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2