Avalon Hussars

The Avalon Hussars are the descendants of the Terran Alliance Marines that served on the world of New Avalon in the early age of human extraterrestrial colonization. The unit decided to defend New Avalon after being stranded by the Democratic Proclamation, and pledged their loyalty to Lucien Davion when the Crucis Reach joined the Federated Suns. The First Avalon Hussars - "The Sword Of The Prince" - are the oldest fighting force in the Federated Suns, having formed on that day in 2317 from a Terran armor regiment. Since the Hussars are a large force and usually loyal to House Davion and the Federated Suns, they are well equipped. At its zenith, the Avalon Hussars defended the entire Combine border with 26 BattleMech regiments and 32 conventional regiments.

History

Founding

The oldest standing military unit in the military of the Federated Suns, the Avalon Hussars brigade was formed around the Terran Alliance marine brigade that found itself stranded on New Avalon during the withdrawal of the Alliance government following the Demarcation Declaration. The Avalon Hussars were initially founded as a brigade of approximately eight regiments around the time of the founding of the Federated Suns in 2317; the Fourth and Eighth Avalon Hussars were designated as the assault backups to the original brigade, and the first regiment to be founded following the destruction of an existing regiment was the Ninth Avalon Hussars, founded to replace the Third Avalon Hussars, who were destroyed in the 2360s.

Age of War

The Fourth Avalon Hussars were the lead AFFS unit during the fighting between the Federated Suns and Terran Hegemony in 2449 over control of Kentares IV. The conflict marked the first deployment of the Manatee-class 'Mech transport by the Hegemony, which allowed the Hegemony Armed Forces to make early gains; however, the 4th took advantage of the light armor and weapons of the Manatees to down several of the DropShips as they attempted to land. The discovery of this flaw by the Hussars led to the Hegemony discontinuing production of the Manatee and the development of new 'Mech transports.

When the Star League formed shortly before the Reunification War the Avalon Hussars brigade was fourteen regiments strong, but the ties back to Terra were strong enough that six regiments - the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Tenth, Fifteenth and Eighteenth Hussars - joined the Star League Defence Force when it formed. The Hussars were proud enough of this that the brigade headquarters refused to build new regiments with the numbers of those who had joined the SLDF, instead marking them as simply being on detached duty, and it would be more than half a millenium before new units would be created with the designation of any of these regiments.

Star League Era

During the Star League Era the Avalon Hussars participated in the Second Hidden War by invading several Draconis Combine systems to draw the DCMS away from the Draconis March. The Avalon Hussars served primarily in the Draconis March, and during the Second Hidden War the 1st Hussars would serve with distinction, with First Prince Joseph Davion taking personal command of the 1st in at least one battle. Unfortunately the presence of the 1st Prince would hamper combat actions by the 1st, and despite performing above expectations the Hussars were unable to prevent Prince Joseph dying in combat. The 1st Avalon Hussars were then directly involved in Operation SMOTHER, with the Hussars assisting the 160th BattleMech Division on Royal.

When the Star League Council repealed the Council Edict of 2650 the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns began expanding rapidly, and the Avalon Hussars were the first brigade to undergo a large-scale expansion. Eleven regiments were reactivated by First Prince John Davion; the Prince also authorised the formation of the Fifty-sixth, bringing the brigade up to a strength of twenty-six units by 2765.

During this period of the Avalon Hussars' history the make-up of each unit emphasised two things: flexibility and mobility. The expectation was that any unit of Avalon Hussars could operate on eight hours notice to move, although few units could actually achieve that stringent target. The Hussars largely lacked permanently-assigned conventional units, making it harder to meet this target as they were often forced to rely on conventional units assigned to them for operations or on local planetary forces. Each Hussars unit had an aerospace wing assigned to it, but those units acted primarily as ground support units, making the Hussars highly dependent on the Federated Suns Navy when it came to security during transits.

Succession Wars

The Avalon Hussars played a crucial role during the 1st Succession War when they stalled the Kurita advance into Davion space. The 17th Hussars are notable for destroying huge stocks of Kurita supplies on New Rhodes III. The 4th Hussars defeated two Kurita Mech regiments on Colia in 2872, which were suffering from severe supply problems. The 2nd Hussars under the leadership of Joseph Davion II engaged the 3rd Sword of Light on Robinson during the 3rd Succession War and forced them off-world. The defeat of the elite 3rd Sword prompted the assassination of Coordinator Miyogi Kurita. Hussar regiments also participated in Operation Rat and the War of 3039. After the siege of New Avalon the Avalon Hussars were in a bad place mentally. At least one regiment fell apart due to internal tensions. The Jihad and the need to focus on a common enemy gave the Hussars new purpose, and by the time the Jihad ended, the Avalon Hussars were back to the skilled force they had been prior to the FedCom Civil War.

Jihad Era

The Avalon Hussars were the first AFFS unit to undergo the reorganization from RCT to the Light Combat Team. By 3079 they were familiar with the changes needed in tactics and had become the showpiece unit for the new formation. In 3085 the entire Avalon Hussars brigade was organized along the Light Combat Team model and were judged as effective as they had been in the pre-Jihad era.

Dark Age Era

The Avalon Hussars rebuilt by adding new Light Combat Teams to their rolls. These new units were able to quickly deploy around the Federated Suns, and as such became workhorse formations that saw action in many areas. They had nine units in action by the time the Capellan Confederation and Draconis Combine invaded the Federated Suns. Three units were completely destroyed, but the remaining Hussars units were involved in some of the heaviest fighting along both fronts.

Units of the Avalon Hussars

• 1st Avalon Hussars - Participated in Operation Roland’s Horn in 2930 Revived as an LCT during the Jihad.
• 2nd Avalon Hussars - Destroyed during the 3rd Succession War, revived as an LCT during the Jihad.
• 3rd Avalon Hussars - Destroyed in the 2360s
• 4th Avalon Hussars - Attempted to recapture Kentares IV from the Terran Hegemony in 2449.
• 5th Avalon Hussars - Joined the Star League Defense Force; active during the Dark Age era
• 6th Avalon Hussars - Joined the Star League Defense Force
• 7th Avalon Hussars - Joined the Star League Defense Force
• 8th Avalon Hussars - Active during the Dark Age era
• 9th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 10th Avalon Hussars - Joined the Star League Defense Force; active during the Dark Age era
• 11th Avalon Hussars
• 12th Avalon Hussars
• 13th Avalon Hussars
• 14th Avalon Hussars
• 15th Avalon Hussars Joined the Star League Defense Force
• 16th Avalon Hussars
• 17th Avalon Hussars - Active during the Dark Age era
• 18th Avalon Hussars - Joined the Star League Defense Force
• 20th Avalon Hussars - Active during the Dark Age era
• 22nd Avalon Hussars
• 23rd Avalon Hussars
• 26th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 27th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 28th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 33rd Avalon Hussars - Destroyed during the Clan Invasion
• 34th Avalon Hussars - Destroyed and reorganized into the 42nd Hussars
• 35th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 36th Avalon Hussars - Destroyed and reorganized into the 42nd Hussars
• 38th Avalon Hussars
• 39th Avalon Hussars - Destroyed at Talon by Capellan forces
• 41st Avalon Hussars
• 42nd Avalon Hussars
• 45th Avalon Hussars - Active in 2765
• 56th Avalon Hussars

Uniforms

• 

  Avalon Hussars MechWarrior

Color Scheme

The Hussar use light gray and unit-specific highlights for ceremonial duties.

• AvalonHussars.jpg

  Parade colors of the 17th Avalon Hussars

• 

  BattleMaster of the 33rd Avalon Hussars

Unit Insignia

• Avalonhussars11.png

  11th Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars17.png

  17th Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars20.png

  20th Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars22.png

  22nd Avalon Hussars

• 33rd Avalon Hussars 2596.png

  33rd Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars39.png

  39th Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars41.png

  41st Avalon Hussars

• Avalonhussars42.png

  42nd Avalon Hussars

Notes

It was noted by one of the BattleTech Developers that the Avalon Hussars have served the Federated Suns since 2399:

“	Honestly, not that big. The original House Books does list some figures for a couple of Houses during their peak at the 1st Succession War. Remember that the Avalon Hussars has served from the Age of War (2399) to now, which leaves room for alot of units to be destroyed and created.	”
	— Øystein Tvedten, BattleTech Developer, 13 Jul 2012

References

• Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 51 - "Unit bio"

Bibliography

• Era Report: 2750
• House Davion (The Federated Suns)
• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Manual: Federated Suns
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: AFFS
• Field Report: Federated Suns 2765
• Technical Readout: 3075
• Technical Readout: 3026, Revised Edition