4th Free Worlds Guards

Free Worlds Guards.jpg
4th Free Worlds Guards
Disbanded 3032 (disbanded)
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Free Worlds Guards


One of the six units of the Free Worlds Guards, the Fourth Free Worlds Guards were ultimately disbanded in disgrace after their virtual destruction against the Black Widow Battalion in 3032.

History[edit]

Among the six Guards regiments active immediately prior to the First Succession War, along with the 5th and the 6th, the Fourth was among those that fell during the ceaseless centuries of fighting during the Succession Wars[1]. Unlike some FWLM brigades, in an effort to maintain a strong sense of tradition the Free Worlds Guards rebuild their units rather than create new ones, with the Fourth being rebuilt on Oriente in the early 3030s around veterans of the League's battles against the Tikonov Free Republic during the Fourth Succession War[2] [3][4]

In 3032 during the midst of the Andurien Secession, hawkish members of the Parliament who had felt Captain-General Janos Marik had not done enough during the Fourth War pressured his regent Thomas Marik to take some proactive action against the Steiner-Davion alliance. Unwilling to commit the untested 4th in subduing the Anduriens, Thomas attempted to both appease the hawks in parliament and give the unbloodied unit a chance to prove itself, allowing the Fourth's commanding officer Colonel Veena Ligacescu to launch an attack against the Sarna March world of Tsinghai in February. With intelligence indicating only minimal resistance, success seemed a foregone conclusion. [2] [3] [5]

Much to the new Fourth's shock, the planet was defended by the also newly reformed Black Widow Battalion. Natasha Kerensky led the sub-unit of Wolf's Dragoons and effortlessly proved their elite status by shattering the Fourth so badly that the survivors chose to defect to Federated Commonwealth rather than return home to the League. As they feared, Captain-General Janos Marik was enraged by this betrayal, and the disgraced Fourth Free Worlds Guards were permanently disbanded and struck from the rolls of the FWLM.[2] [3] [5]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 4th Free Worlds Guards
Colonel Veena Ligacescu 3031 - 3032[3]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Fourth Free Worlds Guards (Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[6]

- At this point in time the Fourth Guards was stationed on Landfall.[6]

2786 - 2821[edit]

Fourth Free Worlds Guards (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical) [7]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Landfall. In 2821 the command was reduced to 79 percent of its strength and was deployed on Landfall. [7]

2830[edit]

Fourth Free Worlds Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical) [1]

Note: At this point in time the heavy-weight unit was stationed on Promised Land with an operational readiness of 145 percent. [1] The unit was destroyed during the war.

3031[edit]

Fourth Free Worlds Guards (Regiment) [3]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Second Succession War, p. 98
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 43, "Free Worlds Guards Profile"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 More Tales of the Black Widow, p. 7
  4. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 86 "Deployment Tables: Andurien Wars - Phase One: 3030-3034"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Historical: Brush Wars, pp. 62-63 "The Andurien Wars - Phase 1: The Invasion of the Capellan Confederation - 3032: Counterblows - Tsinghai (February)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 11, "Free Worlds Guards"
  7. 7.0 7.1 First Succession War, p. 138

Bibliography[edit]