Hannibal's Hermits

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History

Founded in the early 30th century by Helmut Aufkophen, the command (then known as Helmut's Hermits) was hired by the DCMS in 3023, when they had reached regimental strength. Stationed on Harvest before the Fourth Succession War. In 3028 the LCAF sent the 4th Donegal Guards, First and Third Lyran Regulars to attack Harvest. At the Battle of Pusou Hill, the Hermits were outmaneuvered by the Lightning Companies attached to the Lyran forces, and the Hermits withdrew. [1] [2][3]

Landing on Kirchbach with the 5th Amphigean Light Assault Group the Hermits took up guard positions and waited for the Lyran attack. Though reinforced by the 17th Rasalhague Regulars, the DCMS forces were overmatched by the Lyran task force and had to withdraw. With Helmut Aufkophen killed during the fighting, his son Hermann Aufkophen's first act as commander was to surrender to the Lyran troops.[4][1]

Finding return to the Combine less than welcoming following Coordinator Takashi Kurita's infamous "Death to Mercenaries" order, the Hermits elected to remain interned in the Commonwealth for the remainder of the conflict, the battered regiment accepted a Lyran garrison contract for Fatima after it concluded. Now renamed Hermann's Hermits, the unit sat out the War of 3039 and the first year of the Clan Invasion on Fatima. Ordered by the AFFC to Quarell when the seemingly unstoppable Clan offensive resumed in 3051, the frightened Hermits prevaricated and dragged out their redeployment until Quarell fell to Clan Jade Falcon, escaping the infuriated AFFC when their contract expired shortly after.[1]

Their reputation blackened by the affair, the Hermits languished for almost a year on Outreach before the Free Worlds League offered the unit a contract on Thurrock guarding against Periphery raiders near the Magistracy of Canopus. [5] The Hermits fulfilled their contract adequately if not spectacularly until SAFE operatives produced evidence alleging the unit (via its logistics officer Otto Unrhu) was accepting bribes from smugglers. Calling in independent Word of Blake investigators, after three months the Blakists published their findings exonerating the mercenaries and allowing the unit to serve out its contract despite FWLM misgivings. Recognizing they would not likely receive further employment in Marik space and recalling their aid against SAFE, Colonel Hermann Aufkophen was very receptive to Word of Blake recruiters who approached him in 3059, Hermann's Hermits becoming the first MRBC-registered mercenary unit to accept employment with the Word after Operation Odysseus. [1]

Though Hermann died en route to Terra after contracting Thurrock Flu, his son Hannibal assumed command, with the newly-renamed Hannibal's Hermits becoming the pre-Jihad poster child for Blakist recruiters to prove their fair treatment to other mercenary commands. Part of this was the Word of Blake's sale of older Star League era and House Marik BattleMechs at highly preferential rates as the Blakists factories on Terra introduced newer designs for the Word of Blake Militia. Immediately prior to the Word of Blake Jihad, the Hermits were transferred to newly captured Keid in 3067 to relieve the Blakist 3rd Division[1]

During the Blakist invasion of Dieron, Hannibal's Hermits supported the 8th Division during the initial conquest of the planet in early 3068. As the fighting tapered off in early 3069, the Hermits would prove invaluable during the occupation of Dieron with their combat engineers responsible for much of the planning and construction of a series of fortified defenses at key sites across the planet that would later aid the Blakist forces in resisting Clan Ghost Bear. [6] In response to resistance reports emerging from Dieron that tied the Hermits to the destruction of local life-support facilities as well as the execution of POWs, the unit was charged with multiple counts of Crimes Against Humanity and a variety of War Crimes with the MRBC adding the Hermits to their Most Wanted list. [7] Hannibal's Hermits would be ultimately destroyed during the Ghost Bear liberation of Dieron, with their destruction confirmed by 3081.[8]

Officer

Hannibal Aufkophen is noteworthy for having rebuilt the heavily damaged unit from the ground up.[1]

Tactic

The 2nd Battalion generally scouts a designated area to locate the enemy and calls in the 1st and 3rd Battalions to deliver the final punch. In defensive engagements, 3rd Battalion acts as the anvil, to 1st Battalion's hammer. The 2nd Battalion acts as a flanking reserve.[1]

Support

The unit gained support from the WoB, because the unit lacks sufficient technical staff to support its operations. The unit possesses sufficient DropShips for half of the command, but the only JumpShip (a Leviathan-Class) can't carry them all at once.[1]

Dragoon Ratings

3059 to 3067

Dragoon Rating: C[9] [1]

Composition History

3025

Helmut's Hermits (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Contract: DCMS [10]
  • CO: Colonel Helmut Aufkopfen [10]

3040 to 3050

Hermann's Hermits (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[11] [12]

Contract: AFFC

3054 to early 3059

Hermann's Hermits[13] [14]

Contract: FWLM

October 3059

Hannibal's Hermits (Regular/Questionable)[9]

Contract: WoBM

3067

Hannibal's Hermits(1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[1]

- The 3 battalions are each led by a command lance.

- The 1st Battalion covers the rear and the flanks of the rest of the unit.

  • 2nd Battalion: Major Ximena Chou

- The 2nd Battalion is the reconnaissance unit.

  • 3rd Battalion: Major Otto Unrhu

- The 3rd the are the Battalion with brute force for assaults.

Sand Crabs(2 Battalions/Regular/Reliable)[1]

  • CO/1st Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel Franklin Bourne
  • XO/2nd Battalion: Major Lukas Pfannenschmidt

- The two Mechanized battalions are supported by a combat engineers company.

Notes

The Hermit's BattleMech parade colors consist of a white torso and head with tan limbs.[1]

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 Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 44, "Force Briefs Supplemental - Hannigbal's Hermits: Shell Games"
  2. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 46
  3. The Fourth Succession War Scenarios Volume One, p. 38
  4. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1 , p. 60
  5. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 16 "The Eagle's Talons - Types of Units - Mercenary Troops"
  6. Jihad Turning Points: Dieron, p. 8
  7. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 18, "Mercenaries in the Jihad - The MRBC's Most Wanted: 3071"
  8. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 120, "The Condemned"
  9. 9.0 9.1 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 110 "Mercenary Employment Roster (Deployment as of 1 October 3059) - Word of Blake"
  10. 10.0 10.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine),p. 136
  11. Historical: War of 3039 , p. 141
  12. 20 Year Update, p. 26 "Federated Commonwealth - Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (Deployment as of 3050) - Klenfold Command"
  13. Objective Raids, p. 39, "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"
  14. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 115, "Free Worlds League Deployment Table"

Bibliography