Alliance Grenadiers

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Crest of the Outworlds Alliance
Alliance Grenadiers
Formed 2583
Affiliation Outworlds Alliance
Parent Command Alliance Ground Defense Arm


The Alliance Grenadiers was formed during the Reunification War. They were the sister regiment of the Alliance Borderers and also one of the first five BattleMech regiments to exist within the military command of the Outworlds Alliance.[1] The unit logo is described as two grenades on a white field edged with gold.[2]

History

Formation

The Alliance Grenadiers and their sister regiment, the Alliance Borderers, were formed during the Reunification War, primarily from salvage obtained from Star League forces or equipment purchased covertly from Federated Suns sources. The Grenadiers formed in late 2582 on Alpheratz and first saw combat during the battles for Cerberus, where two battalions of the Grenadiers fought alongside the Cerberus Militia against the 4th Division and 5th Division of II Corps. Despite the rapid destruction of much of the planetary militia, the Grenadiers fought a guerrilla war that lasted well over a year against the SLDF forces, preventing them from capturing Cerberus.[3][1][4]

The Grenadiers remained on Cerberus until the end of the war in 2585; by the end of the war, the Grenadiers had fought alongside the Santiago Carabiniers, Pitcairn Legion and elements of the 2nd Armored Division against the equivalent of three SLDF divisions.[3]

As a part of the restrictions associated with the status of the Alliance after the declaration of peace in 2585 the Grenadiers were disbanded, but were then re-formed later during the Periphery uprising in the 28th century and equipped with 'Mechs seized from SLDF stores within the Alliance. The Grenadiers saw extensive service against pirates among the outer planets of the Outworlds Alliance during the 30th century, although the Grenadiers' two battalions were based on Cerberus and Sevon.[2]

When Chairman Janet Rice took command of the Grenadiers during the Clan Invasion era, the Grenadiers were considered to be a low-morale rabble with little skill. Rice was given responsibility for transforming the Grenadiers back into an effective combat command, something she worked on through a combination of intensive training and new equipment. By the beginnings of the Jihad, the combination of Rice's actions and some battlefield successes during the increasingly frequent pirate raids plaguing the Outworlds Alliance had worked wonders for the Grenadiers' morale, although the regiment was still considered to be a very green formation.[5]

In common with the other units of the Alliance Ground Defense Arm (AGDA), the Alliance Grenadiers were consistently deployed in a fashion unique to the Outworlds Alliance; with the Alliance Aerospace Arm (AAA) bneing the preeminent branch of the Alliance Military Corps, the units of the AGDA were attached to units from the AAA, rather than vice versa.[6] In 3064, the Grenadiers were attached to the Fifth Alliance Air Wing, and were operating as a combined arms regiment, consisting of a battalion of 'Mechs, and two battalions of infantry - one of them the only infantry battalion in the Alliance miltiary equipped entirely as jump infantry, and which often surprised the Grenadiers' enemies with its mobility. Each battalion had individual insignia and nicknames; the First Battalion were known as the Longshots, the Second Battalion as Charged Fury, and the Third Battalion as Grim Defiance. In common with the command regiment of the Fifth Alliance Air Wing, the Grenadiers' First Battalion was still operating several Star League design 'Mechs captured or salvaged during the Reunification War, five centuries before.[7] Over the next few years the Grenadiers benefitted from a number of initiatives aimed at improving morale in the AGDA, including access to the new Cerberus Cluster military award, new equipment and intensive training. This worked wonders for the Grenadiers' infantry units.[8]

In 3079 the Alliance Grenadiers were stationed on Valasha; while Clan Snow Raven had notionally taken over responsibility for defending the Outworlds Alliance, the Grenadiers and the other Alliance Military Command units were still performing the majority of the garrison operations within the Alliance core worlds.[9] During the closing years of the Jihad the Grenadiers and the other AMC units presented Clan Snow Raven with problems; the Snow Ravens were ostensibly responsible for defending the Alliance up until 3082, leaving the AMC to garrison periphery worlds, but events forced the deployment of the Grenadiers and other units into supporting positions along the border of the Alliance. As with other AMC units, the Grenadiers were ill-suited to perform offensive operations, and were poorly equipped in comparison to the Snow Raven touman. While the Snow Ravens were in no position to equip the AMC with advanced technology given that by 3085 the Clan had barely reached self-sufficiency for its touman, but efforts were made by the Snow Ravens to assist the AMC. Where the Grenadiers were concerned, this assistance came as a distinct surprise to the Nineteenth Galedon Regulars when they raided Milligan's World, only to find the Grenadier infantry forces engaging them with Roc ProtoMechs providing fire support.[10]

During the Dark Age, the Grenadiers and the other Alliance Militia Corps units continued to be a problem that the Snow Ravens were unable to decide how to solve. After a century in the Inner Sphere, the Snow Ravens still hadn't achieved the population base they needed to be able to produce enough light forces to provide garrisons to defend all of the worlds of the Raven Alliance, so the Corps was still required to fill the role of defensive reserve, but with limited access to any forms of advanced technologies. As with the other AGDA units the Grenadiers' 'Mechs consisted of what they'd managed to retain since the end of the Jihad, but the conventional forces within the Grenadiers were better equipped than they had been in the past. The Grenadiers' conventional vehicles were all manufactured to modern standards, and the infantry units were equipped with Clan-technology small arms and body armor.[11]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Alliance Grenadiers
Chairman Gabriel Arenthir 3025[12]
Chairman Enrique Abenze 3050[13]
Chairman Janet Rice 3054[14] - 3085[15]
Chairman Lori Perez 3145[16]

Tactics

Unknown.

Composition History

2786 - 2821

Alliance Grenadiers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable) [17]

  • At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Lushann. In 2821 the command was reduced to 44 percent of its strength and was deployed on Lushann. [17]

2830

Alliance Grenadiers (Regiment/Elite/Reliable) [18]

  • At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Lushann with an operational readiness of 77 percent. [18]

2864

Alliance Grenadiers (Regiment/Elite/Reliable) [18]

  • At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Lushann with an operational readiness of 36 percent. [18]

3025

The Alliance Grenadiers[12]

  • CO: Chairman Gabriel Arenthir
  • 1st Battalion (Regular/Fanatical) - CO: Chairman Enrique Abenze
  • 2nd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Karl Hemhoft

- In 3025, the Borderers were a medium weight BattleMech unit and had infantry, DropShip and JumpShip support, but no organic fighter or armor support. The Grenadiers had supply problems though, and were described as typically being short of spares and equipment during this era.[2]

3050

The Alliance Grenadiers[13]

  • CO: Chairman Enrique Abenze
  • 1st Battalion (Regular/Fanatical) - CO: Chairman Janet Rice
  • 2nd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Wayne Girance
  • 3rd Battalion (Green/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Jonathan Nardi

3054

The Alliance Grenadiers[14]

  • CO: Chairman Janet Rice
  • 1st Battalion (Veteran/Fanatical) - CO: Chairman Cynthia Rice
  • 2nd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Wayne Girance
  • 3rd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Irene Simonson
- At this point in time the Grenadiers had been deployed as individual battalions to the Praxton, Baliggora and Ferris systems.[14]

3058

The Alliance Grenadiers[19]

  • CO: Chairman Janet Rice
  • 1st Battalion (Veteran/Fanatical) CO: Chairman Cynthia Rice
  • 2nd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Wayne Girance
  • 3rd Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Irene Simonson
- At this point in time the Grenadiers had been deployed as individual battalions to the Praxton, Baliggora and Ferris systems.[19]

3064

Alliance Grenadiers (Veteran/Reliable)[20]

  • 1st Battalion (Veteran/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Janet Rice[7]
  • 2nd Battalion (Regular/Questionable) - CO: Chairman Wayne Girance[7]
  • 3rd Battalion (Green/Questionable) - CO: Chairman Irene Simonson[7]
- At this point in time the Grenadiers were deployed on Ferris.[20] The Third Battalion consisted mainly of newer recruits, who were still learning their trade.[7]

3067

Alliance Grenadiers (Regular/Reliable)[21]

  • Command Battalion (Veteran/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Janet Rice
  • 2nd Battalion (Infantry) (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Wayne Girance
  • 3rd Battalion (Infantry) (Green/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Irene Simonson
- At this point in time the Grenadiers were deployed on Ferris, and just over a tenth of the Command Battalion were operating 'Mechs equipped with advanced technology.[21]

3079

Alliance Grenadiers (Regular/Reliable)[9]

- At this point in time the Grenadiers were operating at roughly five-sixths of full strength, but had no access to advanced technology.[9]

3085

Alliance Grenadiers (Regular/Reliable)[15]

  • Command Battalion (Veteran/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Janet Rice
  • 2nd Battalion (Infantry) (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Efrein Prado
  • 3rd Battalion (Infantry) (Green/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Nadir Ceja
- At this point in time the Grenadiers were deployed on Milligan's World, and while only the Third Battalion was at full strength, the other battalions were at four-fifths of full strength or better, but the Grenadiers lacked any advanced technology.[15]

3145

Alliance Grenadiers (Regular/Reliable)[16]

  • CO: Chairman Lori Perez
  • Command Battalion (Regular/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Lori Perez
  • Second Battalion (Green/Reliable) - CO: Chairman Andrew Smith
  • Third Battalion (Regular/Questionable) - CO: Chairman Louis Ramirez

Color Scheme and Insignia

In 3064, each battalion of the Grenadiers had their own insignia. The First Battalion insignia was two grenades on a white field, edged in golds. The Second Battalion insignia was a three-pronged lightning bolt, while the Third Battalion insignia was a man holding two crossed swords above his head.[7]

Notes

  • Historical: Reunification War indicates on page 42 that the Alliance Borderers received their baptism of fire on Cerberus, against the Star League 4th Division and 5th Division. However, this is contradicted by other entries within the same book for the battles on Cerberus and the unit deployment tables, which indicate that the Borderers fought on Lushann, and that the Alliance Grenadiers fought on Cerberus. This has been raised as errata on the official Catalyst Game Labs forum.[1][4][3]

Rules

Reunification War

  • When randomly generating forces each Alliance Grenadier lance or platoon may roll for equipment twice on the SLDF table and once on the Federated Suns table.[22]

3085

  • The Alliance Grenadiers receive the Overrun Combat special command ability and a positive Initiative modifier when fighting bandit and pirate forces.[23]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 42, "Alliance Borderers"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Periphery (sourcebook), p. 114, "Alliance Grenadiers Unit Profile"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 141, "Outworlds Alliance Front"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 123, "Cerberus and the Baby Killers"
  5. ↑ Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 142, "MLN-1A Merlin"
  6. ↑ FIeld Manual: Periphery, p, 87, "Alliance Aerospace Arm"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 97, "5th Alliance Air Wing: The Joyless Rogers"
  8. ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 196, "Alliance Military"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Field Report: Clans, 23-24, "Irregular Forces"
  10. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 122, "Alliance Military Corps"
  11. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 166, "Alliance Militia Corps"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Periphery 1st Edition, p.115, "Deployment Table"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 20 Year Update, p. 79, "Alliance Military Corps Deployment Table"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Objective Raids, p. 47, "Alliance Military Corps Deployment as of 3054"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Field Manual: 3085, p 129, "Alliance Military Corps"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 174, "Clan Force Deployments - Alliance Militia Corps"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 First Succession War, p. 140
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Second Succession War, p. 100
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Periphery, Second Edition, p. 52, "Alliance Military Corps Deployment as of 3058"
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 144, "Alliance Military Corps"
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Field Manula: Update, p. 203, "Alliance Military Corps Deployment Table"
  22. ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 183, "Outworlds Alliance"
  23. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p 191, "Fifth Wing/Alliance Grenadiers (Raven Alliance)"

Bibliography

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