Chisholm's Raiders

Chisholm's Raiders
Formed	2897
Disbanded	ca. 3067 (destroyed)
Nickname	Unorthodox Tactics
Affiliation	Federated Suns
Parent Command	AFFC/AFFS

Known for their unorthodox tactics and flexibility, the Chisholm's Raiders were ultimately disbanded in the wake of the FedCom Civil War.

History

Formation and Succession Wars

Marshal John Chisholm, a well-regarded military commander who was constantly critical of the AFFS military establishment, was forced into retirement in 2892. Returning to his homeworld of Colorado, he quickly became bored with retirement and took control of the planetary militia, training them to the strict standards he believed in. By 2897 word of his activities made it to the High Command, the investigators were startled to discover the Colorado Militia were not the ragtag mob they were expecting. Chisholm seized his chance and openly challenged the AFFS hierarchy, stating that his motley militia force would fight and defeat any AFFS unit they cared to send. Accepting his challenge, while the elite Second Crucis Lancers would ultimately defeat them, the Colorado Militia had proved their mettle and their methods in the ensuing war games, outwitting their more experienced opponents on numerous occasions. Convinced that unorthodox tactics had a role to play in the Succession Wars era AFFS, they resupplied and transformed the Colorado Militia into a full AFFS line unit, the First Chisholm's Raiders.

During the Fourth Succession War, the First was assigned to defend Deshler, which was targeted by a DCMS taskforce consisting of the Sixth and Third Benjamin Regulars, backed up by twenty infantry and tank regiments. While the Raiders consistently outmaneuvered the invaders, when the Combine offensive swept past Deshler the AFFS attempted to pull their unit out, but the Raiders chose to stay and fight, tying up the Combine forces on planet for as long as possible at the cost of their lives.

To honor their immense sacrifice for the Federated Suns, First Prince Hanse Davion ordered the AFFS to reconstruct the unit. However, while the unit's matériel losses were made good by 3035, the reborn First Chisholm's Raiders were but a shadow of their former selves.

War of 3039 to Lyran Secession

Both Raiders units would take part in the War of 3039, the First offensive, the Second defensively. While having only just passed their initial combat trials in 3037, faith in the unit's history led the AFFS High command to assign the rebuilt First to assist the Davion Light Guards to take the lightly defended world of New Mendham in April 3039. The Davion taskforce's slow and cautious takeover unfortunately left the planet open to Combine reinforcements, with the First and Second Amphigean Light Assault Groups proving equal to the Davion troops. As the conflict became one of stalemates, the inexperienced First suffered horrendous losses before the AFFS chose to withdraw their forces on October 22nd.

Stationed on Dobson, the Second were targeted by a combined Fourth Ghost/mercenary task-force in September 3039 intended to tie up the unit and prevent them reinforcing other FedSun units. Despite being the Second's new commander for only a couple of months, Colonel Kilian Reason led from the front, his performance astounding both his enemies and officers alike. Directly commanding the Second's heaviest battalion, Reason struck the Ghosts through a mountain pass thought impossible to cross, inflicting heavy losses as he harried the Ghosts hard for three straight days, pushing them toward the planet's pole before they finally succeeded in retreating.

The continued poor showing of the First after the War of 39 led the combined AFFC to designate them a "sink" unit to send troublemakers and malcontents, the unit in such poor shape that the AFFC High Command ultimately chose to remove it from active service in 3053.

Having deemed the First as unsalvageable yet still wishing to retain the Chisholm's Raiders unorthodox methods and adaptability, the Second were expanded to full RCT status in 3055. While militarily sound, the decision caused increasing tensions between the former officers of the First and Lyran units savaged during the Clan Invasion. Tensions would abate somewhat in the wake of the Lyran Secession, with the rump Federated Commonwealth's desperate need for troops leading them to reactivate the First Raiders in 3058, albeit with no improvement of its personnel or equipment situation.

FedCom Civil War and Destruction

Reporting directly to the AFFS High Command and lacking a regional patron, both units of Raiders would grudgingly pledge their loyalty to Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion in the FedCom Civil War, mostly in response to ultimately unfulfilled promises of enhanced support and aid. Their choice however which resulted in their virtual destruction at the hands of Allied forces, and while the Chisholm's Raiders were not dishonorably stricken from the AFFS' rolls, there has never been any move to reconstitute the brigade.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the Chisholm's Raiders

Tactics

Different per Unit.

Units of the Chisholm's Raiders

The two Chisholm's Raiders RCTs were:

• First Chisholm's Raiders
• Second Chisholm's Raiders

Color Scheme and Unit Insignia

• 

  First Chisholm's Raiders

• 

  Second Chisholm's Raiders

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Federated Suns
• Field Manual: Updates
• Historical: War of 3039
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2