Chesterton Capellan March Militia

Capellan March Militia -Brigade logo.png
Chesterton Capellan March Militia
Formed 2754[1]
Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command Capellan March Militia

History

Formation

In common with the other March Militias found across the Federated Suns, the Chesterton Capellan March Militia or Chesterton CMM was formed in 2754 as a result of the Preparedness Act enacted by First Prince Richard Davion in 2735.[2] Richard established a formal training program aimed at increasing the general readiness level of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns reserve forces and formalized the structure of the March Militias, bringing the planetary militias into a common structure.[1]

Richard established a system whereby each of the Marches within the Federated Suns conducted internal wargames every two years, with those wargames being inspired by the Martial Olympiad conducted by the Star League Defense Force every four years. Each March Militia was formed as an ad hoc brigade drawing on the winners from each planetary militia across each Combat Region. These ad hoc brigades then competed against each other at a March level to earn the title of "Best Prepared" March Militia within each of the three Marches.[1]

The wargames proved to be very popular and by 2750 the prestige that was associated with the "Best Prepared" title inspired troops in every combat region to give their best effort, with some commands making plans years in advance to try and ensure that they were ready. After the close of the 2754 games First Prince John Davion activated all of the combat region commands as federal troops and formed them into the March Militias; while this move was controversial and provoked a flurry of judicial cases opposing the creation of the commands, it also added twenty BattleMech-equipped combat commands to the AFFS in a single stroke. Many of the planets that provided troops for the games were resentful of having their best militia troops pressed into federal service, and it would be 2763 before the last of the cases worked its way through the courts. With the final ruling going in favor of Prince John, he then moved to allay many of the fears expressed by the planets involved by laying down specific instructions that the March Militias wouldn't be deployed outside their home combat regions except under a small number of very rare and clearly-defined exceptions.[1]

Firmly established, the Chesterton CMM and the other militias acted as a mobile reserve for the Chesterton Combat Region and a staging ground through which planetary militia soldiers could move on into the AFFS, while retiring AFFS personnel moved into the March Militia to pass on their knowledge and experience. The Chesterton CMM was one of four March Militia brigades founded within the Capellan March in 2754, with the other three being the Kathil, New Syrtis and Royalston CMMs.[1]

Border War

The Chesterton CMM was actively involved in the 2760-2762 Border War that raged between the Capellan Confederation and the Federated Suns; all four Capellan March Militias fought during the war, which spanned across three of the Capellan March Combat Regions. The Chesterton and Royalston CMMs saw the heaviest fighting of the four CMMs, and although the Chesterton CMM took less damage than the Royalston CMM, both militias were still being resupplied and rebuilt in 2765.[1]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Chesterton Capellan March Militia

Tactics

Unknown.

Composition History

2765

Chesterton Capellan March Militia (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[3]

- One BattleMech regiment[1]
- Two armor regiments[1]
- Three infantry regiments[1]
- One mobile artillery battalion[1]
- Two aerospace wings, each of eighteen aerospace fighters[1]
- The Chesterton CMM was based on Chesterton at this point in time.[3][4]

2786–2821

Chesterton Capellan March Militia (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[5]

- At this point in time the Militia was a medium-weight unit operating at full regimental strength, and was based on Chesterton.[5] In 2821 the unit was operating at just one-third of full strength.[5]

2830

Chesterton CMM (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[6]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Chesterton with an operational readiness of 51 percent.[6]

2864

Chesterton CMM (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[6]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Chesterton with an operational readiness of 26 percent.[6]

Notes

  • Field Report 2765: AFFS attributes the Preparedness Act of 2735 to both Richard Davion[2] and Roger Davion.[1] Because other sources indicate that Richard Davion was First Prince in 2735, and that Roger Davion died in 2703, the latter attribution is probably an error.
  • By 3025, the system of Combat Regions in place during the Star League era had been replaced with a system of Polymorphous Defense Zones (PDZs) within the Capellan and Draconis Marches. The Capellan March of 3025 consisted of seven PDZs, compared to the four CRs of the Star League era. The five worlds which had formed the Chesterton CR - Chesterton, Demeter, Goshen, Tedibryhr and Ulan Batar had all been incorporated into the Valexa PDZ by 3025, with the exception of Tedibyhr, which had been abandoned or depopulated. It is therefore likely—but not certain—that the Chesterton CMM was either reformed/reorganized into the Valexa Capellan March Militia or destroyed during the Succession Wars.[4][7]

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 21: "Federated Suns March Militias"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 3: "Strategic Update"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 22: "Regimental Status"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 29: "Armed Forces Federated Suns Deployment Map 2765"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 First Succession War, p. 134: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Second Succession War, p. 95
  7. House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 207: "Federated Suns Map (PDF edition)"

Bibliography