Difference between revisions of "Hansen's Roughriders"

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In [[3014]] the 12th Atrean Dragoons under [[Colonel]] Francis Ferdinand, then a veteran regiment with several heavy companies, sided with Duke [[Anton Marik]] in his [[Marik Civil War|uprising]] against his brother, [[Captain-General]] [[Janos Marik]]; only a small cadre inluding several senior officers chose not to support the Duke, leaving the unit slightly understrength.<ref>''Brush Wars'', pp. 18, 23</ref> [[Gerhard Hansen]], an influential Marik officer,<ref name=JS79>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 79</ref> is named as the man who led them during their rebellion,<ref name=MW117>''MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game'', p. 117</ref> suggesting Colonel Francis Ferdinand may have remained loyal to Janos Marik from the onset or was replaced as the 12th Atrean Dragoons' commander early on.
 
In [[3014]] the 12th Atrean Dragoons under [[Colonel]] Francis Ferdinand, then a veteran regiment with several heavy companies, sided with Duke [[Anton Marik]] in his [[Marik Civil War|uprising]] against his brother, [[Captain-General]] [[Janos Marik]]; only a small cadre inluding several senior officers chose not to support the Duke, leaving the unit slightly understrength.<ref>''Brush Wars'', pp. 18, 23</ref> [[Gerhard Hansen]], an influential Marik officer,<ref name=JS79>''Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents'', p. 79</ref> is named as the man who led them during their rebellion,<ref name=MW117>''MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game'', p. 117</ref> suggesting Colonel Francis Ferdinand may have remained loyal to Janos Marik from the onset or was replaced as the 12th Atrean Dragoons' commander early on.
  
−
After seeing combat on [[McKenna]], [[Semenyih]] and [[Matheran]], the 12th Atrean Dragoons were included in the attack against [[Calloway VI]] in the ill-fated Operation Condor where they were enveloped and worn down by the [[Fusiliers of Oriente]] to barely two operational 'Mech companies, and surrendered to loyalist forces in November [[3014]].<ref>''Brush Wars'', pp. 29, 37</ref>
+
After seeing combat on [[McKenna (planet)|McKenna]], [[Semenyih]] and [[Matheran]], the 12th Atrean Dragoons were included in the attack against [[Calloway VI]] in the ill-fated Operation Condor where they were enveloped and worn down by the [[Fusiliers of Oriente]] to barely two operational 'Mech companies, and surrendered to loyalist forces in November [[3014]].<ref>''Brush Wars'', pp. 29, 37</ref>
  
 
Together with elements from the [[1st Atrean Dragoons]] heavy regiment, a similarly frustrated loyalist unit that had been decimated on [[Sophie's World]], and possibly other disenchanted Marik forces the remnant of the 12th Atrean Dragoons turned their backs on the Free Worlds League.<ref name=JS79/> Following a final battle on [[Ilion]] V, an abandoned Free Worlds League planet in what was now [[Lyran Commonwealth]] space, they went into exile under the command of Gerhard Hansen and re-formed as the [[mercenary]] regiment ''Hansen's Roughriders''.<ref name=BT>''BattleTech'' 2nd Ed. rulebook, Hansen's Roughrider infobox</ref> (It remains unclear if they fought Marik or Steiner forces on Ilion V, or possibly among themselves.)
 
Together with elements from the [[1st Atrean Dragoons]] heavy regiment, a similarly frustrated loyalist unit that had been decimated on [[Sophie's World]], and possibly other disenchanted Marik forces the remnant of the 12th Atrean Dragoons turned their backs on the Free Worlds League.<ref name=JS79/> Following a final battle on [[Ilion]] V, an abandoned Free Worlds League planet in what was now [[Lyran Commonwealth]] space, they went into exile under the command of Gerhard Hansen and re-formed as the [[mercenary]] regiment ''Hansen's Roughriders''.<ref name=BT>''BattleTech'' 2nd Ed. rulebook, Hansen's Roughrider infobox</ref> (It remains unclear if they fought Marik or Steiner forces on Ilion V, or possibly among themselves.)

Revision as of 11:03, 15 July 2014

Property "Update Needed From" (as page type) with input value "Total Chaos]], Field Manual: 3085, Hector (short story), [[Technical Readout: 3145 Free Worlds League" contains invalid characters or is incomplete and therefore can cause unexpected results during a query or annotation process. Template:InfoBoxMercUnit The unit's history is somewhat confusing because of apparently conflicting information in several sources; see Notes. This article depicts the definitive version that reconciles all available information.

Overview

Hansen's Roughriders (occasionally misspelled as Hanson's Roughriders) became a famous mercenary regiment of heavy troops. They have a good reputation for reliability despite their somewhat rowdy image, and are renowned for being always in the thick of the battle with their heavy fighting machines.

The original crest of Hansen's Roughriders

The unit changed their crest at some point between 3025 and around ca. 3059, although even in 3059 the old crest was still used on at least some 'Mechs.[1] It remained a fanged and horned white skull on a shield, but the shape of both the skull and the shield were altered, and the background color of the shield was changed from blue to a dun color.

History

Inception

House Davion line regiment

The Roughriders' regimental identity was born as early as 2961, when they were a House Davion line unit under Colonel Ludwig Hansen who fled the Federated Suns for Steiner space with his BattleMech regiment, fearing they might (unjustly) be caught up in purges of units with questionable loyalty.[2]

House Marik line regiment

They did not enter Steiner service, however, but moved into the Free Worlds League instead and joined House Marik's 12th Atrean Dragoons, a unit led by Ludwig Hansen's distant relative Major-General Gerhardt Hansen.[3]

In 3014 the 12th Atrean Dragoons under Colonel Francis Ferdinand, then a veteran regiment with several heavy companies, sided with Duke Anton Marik in his uprising against his brother, Captain-General Janos Marik; only a small cadre inluding several senior officers chose not to support the Duke, leaving the unit slightly understrength.[4] Gerhard Hansen, an influential Marik officer,[5] is named as the man who led them during their rebellion,[6] suggesting Colonel Francis Ferdinand may have remained loyal to Janos Marik from the onset or was replaced as the 12th Atrean Dragoons' commander early on.

After seeing combat on McKenna, Semenyih and Matheran, the 12th Atrean Dragoons were included in the attack against Calloway VI in the ill-fated Operation Condor where they were enveloped and worn down by the Fusiliers of Oriente to barely two operational 'Mech companies, and surrendered to loyalist forces in November 3014.[7]

Together with elements from the 1st Atrean Dragoons heavy regiment, a similarly frustrated loyalist unit that had been decimated on Sophie's World, and possibly other disenchanted Marik forces the remnant of the 12th Atrean Dragoons turned their backs on the Free Worlds League.[5] Following a final battle on Ilion V, an abandoned Free Worlds League planet in what was now Lyran Commonwealth space, they went into exile under the command of Gerhard Hansen and re-formed as the mercenary regiment Hansen's Roughriders.[8] (It remains unclear if they fought Marik or Steiner forces on Ilion V, or possibly among themselves.)

The unit's exact actions and whereabouts until they appeared as mercenaries in Lyran Commonwealth employ in ca. 3018 are uncertain.

Mercenaries

Although it is generally assumed that they went to serve the Lyran Commonwealth as their first mercenary contract, House Steiner officially hired the unit only in ca. 3018 (two years after hiring Miller's Marauders in 3016[9] and seven years prior to 3025[6]). Together with fellow mercenary unit Miller's Marauders, they quickly became media darlings in the Commonwealth as they embodied the archetype of the rowdy but successful mercenary.[9]

The Roughriders became famous for their attack on the heavily fortified League world of New Olympia at some point prior to 3025, where they annihilated two enemy regiments over the course of three weeks of intense fighting before they were forced to retreat.[8] The attack was especially humiliating for the Free Worlds League because New Olympia was the site of one of their major military academies. (It is possible that this operation took place before they went to work for House Steiner, i.e. prior to 3018.)

In 3019, Lyran intelligence learned that the Free Worlds League had sent the elite mercenary unit Wolf's Dragoons against the invaluable BattleMech factories of Hesperus II. The Lyrans rushed reinforcements to Hesperus, including the Roughriders who were held on reserve at the factory perimeter as a last-ditch defense. In the ensuing 13th battle of Hesperus II, the relentless Dragoon onslaught tore through the Steiner defenders despite being outnumbered two to one. It was the Roughriders, together with Hsien's Hotheads, who finally pushed the Dragoons back within sight of the factories. This marks the Roughriders as one of very few units to ever beat the famous Wolf's Dragoons—more precisely, their feared Black Widow Company—on the battlefield. They had also killed the commanding officer of the Seventh Kommando in an ambush during the fighting.[10]

In 3024 the Roughriders participated in the capture of the industry world Sevren from the Draconis Combine.[11][6]

While under contract to House Steiner the Roughriders raided the planet Shiloh at some point prior to 3025.[12]

At an unspecified time between ca. 3020 and 3027,[13] elements from the Free Worlds League including the 33rd Marik Militia and the mercenary unit Seguin's Strikers staged a raid against Solaris VII but were repulsed by stiff Lyran resistance which counted Hansen's Roughriders among the defenders.[14] This battle marked the first combat action of the then-prototype Patton tank.[15]

Suk II

As of 3025 (at the latest), the Roughriders were based on Suk II[16] to defend the valuable mining world against frequent raids from the Draconis Combine. They garrisoned Suk II long enough to become virtually associated with that world.

A small Roughrider detachment was sent to the periphery world of Rosetta to retrieve a Star League era weapons cache, particularly a stash of valuable lostech Starfire Head-hunter missiles, in late 3028 concurrently with the beginning of the Fourth Succession War (of which they only learned on the return trip). They gained access to the cache and even found the missiles, but unfortunately could not secure its contents before a local environmental phenomenon flooded the entire site with liquid sulphur, denying them the cache's invaluable contents. The Roughriders lost an Atlas on this mission.[17]

Fourth Succession War

In the first attack wave of the Fourth Succession War, the Roughriders (presumably minus the small detachment to Rosetta) were assigned to invade Wheel together with Narhal's Raiders. The defending Tooth of Ymir mercenary command requested a ritualized battle to avoid collateral damage to the civilian infrastructure and the attackers agreed. They defeated the Tooth of Ymir in a battle that was noted to have been fought with skill, compassion and honor.[18]

In the second wave, the Roughriders conquered Hainfeld[19] and in May 3029 they attacked Satalice together with the Waco Rangers in what was noted as one of the most effective invasions of the renewed offensive.[20]

The 3030s

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

According the German FanPro house magazine Wunderwelten, another, smaller mercenary unit (implied to have been Cameron's Legion) garrisoned the Alshaya continent on Suk II while the Roughriders garrisoned the rest of the planet. They had a cordial relationship and even joint training maneuvers such as the "Schwarzer Tag" exercise (Wunderwelten issue #20).

The "Drachentrick" role-playing campaign scenario (Wunderwelten issue #14) describes how, between the conclusion of the Fourth Succession War in 3030 and the formation of the Free Rasalhague Republic in 3034, Draconis Combine Warlord Ivan Sorenson ordered the Tooth of Ymir mercenaries to stage a raid against Suk II that secretly left the attackers hidden on Alshaya while their DropShips staged a mock retreat. Sorenson then spirited further troops onto the planet until a full scale suprise invasion could be launched with parts of the invasion force already on the planet and poised to strike at the unsuspecting defenders. (The players, taking the role of the Cameron's Legion mercenary company, are supposed to uncover and thwart the plan.)

Apocryphal Content Ends

In 3035 the Roughriders crossed the Free Rasalhague Republic to attack the Combine world of Sternwerde where they attacked enemy reinforcements as they arrived, causing massive damage.[21]

Because of their regimental history, they still had a bad relation with House Davion, though Hanse Davion made peace with the unit following the Fourth Succession War.[2] Under a deal sponsored by Katrina Steiner the Roughriders were eventually posted to garrison duty on Bromhead in the Capellan March of the Federated Commonwealth, a plum contract with an easy posting and good pay.[2] (Since they "crossed" the Free Rasalhague Republic for their attack on Sternwerde in 3035, suggesting they operated out of Steiner space, their posting to Bromhead apparently occurred after 3035.)

In 3038, while on loan to the Federated Suns, the Roughriders were sent to raid Delacruz. The raid was successful, but notable Roughrider member Melinda Carlyle was killed when she pursued a duel with an enemy Panther of Sorenson's Sabres.[22] Her own Panther ("Toothpuller") fell into enemy hands.[23]

War of 3039

At the onset of the War of 3039 the Roughriders were stationed on Algol, and during the war they became part of the invasion force for Pike IV, jumping off from Lambrecht.[24] The Draconis Combine's counterattack prolonged the campaign on Pike IV and the Roughriders suffered considerable losses at the hands of the 5th Sword of Light regiment. On November 6, 3039, their contract lapsed and they withdrew from the battlefield (with recall orders having been issued to the LCAF forces in October already).[25]

Colonel Gerhard Hansen, who had successfully led the unit since the battle on Ilion V, was supposed to retire after the war and hand over command of the unit to his son, then-Major Wolfgang Hansen, but because of Wolfgang Hansen's poor performance defending the city of Mercator on Pike IV this was pushed back for some years while Wolfgang underwent a rigorous training.[26]

Post-war in 3040 the Roughriders were stationed on Algol again, apparently re-hired by the Federated Commonwealth.[24] They faced nearly two decades of virtual inaction after the war, but Wolfgang Hansen's abilities and attention to detail kept the unit in top form nevertheless.[27]

Apocryphal Content Starts

The information after this notice comes from apocryphal sources; the canonicity of such information is uncertain.
Please view the reference page for information regarding their canonicity.

Venaria

According to an apocryphal source[28] the Roughriders were contracted for an unspecified mission on Venaria from June 1 to July 15, 3044. Although Venaria is deep within Lyran space, the contract was with the Draconis Combine (possibly an objective raid). The Roughriders hired external MechWarriors for training for this mission.

Apocryphal Content Ends

Bromhead

By 3050 the Roughriders were stationed on Bromhead again,[29] far away from the Clan invasion front. It was not until Katherine Steiner-Davion offered them an assignment on the Clan Jade Falcon border during Operation Bulldog in 3059 that they got a chance to fight the Clans, where they performed superbly during several fierce raids.[3][27]

Civil War era

At the onset of the FedCom Civil War, Wolfgang Hansen met with the commanders of the two AFFC units on Bromhead and declared for Katherine Steiner-Davion, resulting in the withdrawal of the 2nd Davion Guards from the world on 6 November 3062.[30] The assignment on the Jade Falcon border had endeared Katherine Steiner-Davion to the Roughriders, and they fought for her in the war.[3] In early 3064, the were redeployed to Taygeta[31] and in mid-3064 they took and held most of Panpour.[32] They were eventually driven off by the Lexington Combat Group and withdrew to Nunivak on 23 February 3065, but not before inflicting heavy losses on enemy troops, particularly the Fighting Urukhai.[3][33]

The Bromhead Massacre

The losses incurred against the Roughriders on Panpour caused the Fighting Urukhai to move from the Federated Suns to the Taurian Concordat over a contract dispute. Their unexpected arrival was interpreted as the vanguard of an invasion and triggered a Taurian attack against the Federated Suns in January 3067 just as the Civil War wound down. In response to this new threat, Duke George Hasek contacted the Roughriders (who faced unemployment with the defeat of Katherine Steiner-Davion) to negotiate a contract.

However, unbekonwnst to the Roughriders, Taurian forces (the 2nd Taurian Lancers) had attacked Bromhead even before the new contract was signed.[3] The remaining Roughrider infantry on Bromhead inflicted several embarrassing defeats on the attackers before the incensed Taurians eventually overran the Roughrider base.[3] The Roughriders' dependents, including Colonel Wolfgang Hansen's wife and three youngest children, were killed in what became known as the Bromhead Massacre. (It has been suggested that they may have been mistaken for combatants though.[3][27])

At the time of the Bromhead Massacre, the Roughriders were on Panpour again,[27] apparently a stopover on their move towards their intended posting on Lindsay at the time, as they were already negotiating their upcoming contract with Duke Hasek (even though they had not signed it yet).[34] They learned of the massacre after the contract was signed but while they were still enroute to Lindsay, and ignoring their contract they charged out against the Pleiades Lancers single-handedly, shattering the unit.[3] (The exact time and place of this engangement is unknown.)

It has been noted that the Bromhead Massacre turned Hansen's Roughriders into a quiet, brooding and bitter entity bent primarily on revenge.[35] Hansen vowed to turn every battlefield into a Taurian mass grave and take no prisoners, and the entire unit followed him.[3] Only the fact that they possessed no JumpShips of their own kept the Roughriders from going on a rampage in the Concordat immediately.[3] As of 1 October 3067, they were stationed to garrison Midale.[36] In February 3070,[35] Dedrickson's Devils attacked Midale under false colors, pretending to be Taurian Guards; they were soundly defeated when the Roughriders flew into a rage at the sight of the Taurian insignia.[37] Another report[38] claims the Roughriders annihilated the (genuine) Second Taurian Lancers on Midale in February 3070.

War with the Concordat

Finally, following their near-constant harrassment of the AFFS's Capellan March command,[35] the newly-appointed commander allowed them to launch their own offensive. The Roughriders landed on Electra in March 3071. However, the campaign was bogged down to low-intensity warfare against Taurian insurgents in the Tamoon Canyon, frustrating the Roughriders while at the same time Taurian pirate media portrayed them as a merciless Death Squad.[35] At one point during the fighting, the Roughriders saturated the site of an ambush with fuel air explosive bombardment from their artillery for several days, then overran the heavily mined Taurian position by sending armored infantry ahead to disable hidden explosives and base caves. The Roughriders captured a large stockpile of ammunition in this way including several Alamo-class nuclear weapons that the Taurians had allegedly prepared to use against them. When the Taurian guerillas attempted a fighting withdrawal, the Roughriders used several of the nuclear warheads against them. This resulted in a public outcry, but the origin of the nuclear weapons appears to be mitigating.[35]

Fearing that the Roughriders would summarily execute them, the DMI took some guerillas prisoner, including a Word of Blake liaison from whom information was obtained that some prisoners may have been taken at Bromhead and taken to a re-education camp far away, giving the Roughriders hope that some of their dependents might still live (and casting aside warnings that this may be engineered intelligence to have them follow false leads).[35]

Elements of Hansen's Roughriders were on Brusett when the 4th Taurian Lancers attempted to conquer the world in January 3075. Despite deploying nuclear weapons against the Brusett spaceport and capital city, the 4th Taurian Lancers were unable to destroy the Roughriders; the Roughriders went on to ambush and destroy the Lancers,[38] leaving Brusett in Federated Suns control. The Roughriders saw action against the Concordat again a month later, when they were part of a counter-offensive to recapture Hyalite; the Roughriders used fuel-air bombs against the defending Gordon's Armored Cavalry, shattering the Taurian mercenary command, and recaptured the world.[39][40] On the 15th of April 3075 they attacked Amber Grove using both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons seized during the battle for Hyalite, obliterating the local militia as well as Amber Grove's central military headquarters and spaceport facilities. The Roughriders then spent several weeks on Amber Grove destroying any target of significant military or industrial value.[41][42]

The war between Hansen's Roughriders and the Taurian Concordat escalated to a point where nuclear weapons were used not as a "resort", but right from the start.[43] Eventually, the Taurians even sent a WarShip after the Roughriders. On 4 May 3075 the Quixote-class TCS Vendetta bombarded Hyalite from orbit, targetting the planetary military facilities and the HPG compound captured by the Roughriders. This was the first of several orbital attacks the Vendetta would perform on several worlds as it attempted to destroy the Roughriders.[42][44] Despite the bombing of Hyalite, the Roughriders were back in action against the Concordat during the last week in July, when the Roughriders subverted the garrison unit of the Taurian world of Perdition, the Longwood's Bluecoats mercenary unit, before razing the Perdition factory complexes.[42][45] The Roughriders struck at the Concordat again on the 7th of September, hitting the world of Grossbach.[42][46]

After hitting Grossbach the Roughriders struck deeper into Concordat space, hitting the world of Sterope. In contrast with previous attacks, the Roughriders left the factories on Sterope intact, although they did plunder the Sterope Defense Industries facilities.[47][48] The Roughriders returned to Federated Suns space after the Sterope raid, landing on Warren on the 5th of April 3076 to resupply.[48][49] The Taurians pursued the Roughriders, with a task force led by the TCS Vendetta arriving in the Warren system on the 13th of June; the Roughriders retreated to Keuterville, but their retreat didn't stop the Vendetta from bombarding the planetary capital and spaceports on Warren. The Taurians then bombarded Keuterville on the 7th of July, with the Roughriders retreating again, this time to Firgrove. In the Firgrove system a Federated Suns task force led by the Fox-class New Syrtis managed to intercept the Vendetta before the planet could be attacked, forcing the Taurian vessel to retreat.[50][51]

Dark Age

Galatea

In the early 3140s the bulk of Hansen's Roughriders were stationed on Galatea; when Galatea was raided in late 3141, the Roughriders' infantry forces were forced into heavy combat to protect the mercenaries' command and control post located in Galatea city. As the raiders tried to reach their target, the Cardinal Transports that the Roughriders had bought in considerable numbers from Clan Sea Fox in previous years came into play; by ferrying the Roughriders limited infantry forces from conflict to conflict, they increased the effectiveness of the infantry dramatically. One particularly notable Roughriders pilot, Lieutenant Bianca Robertson, and her Cardinal - aptly named the Vomit Comet - performed more than 140 troop deployments as well as engaging and destroying three enemy 'Mechs, including a Hollander II.[52]

Conflict on Alkalurops

April 3134 a small force of Roughriders were under contract to raid the world of Alkalurops to snatch any BattleMech or IndustrialMechs that they encountered. After the mission was completed, and the force was recuperating on Galatea; the person that owned the contract used some vague language to change what the contract entailed. Since the wording was there when the contract was originally accepted, they could do nothing but accept it for what it was. The new contract specified that they would now seize and hold the planet of Alkalurops until the end of the extension.[53]

A battalion was sent to claim the world under the command of Major Loren J. Hanson. They were able to quickly take over the planet since they had eliminated whatever defenses the planet had when they conducted their raid. They released control of the planet over to the contract holder, Alfred Santorini, who unleashed his Special Police force on the citizens. When the people of Alkalurops erupted in rebellion against the harsh rule of Mr. Santorini, the Roughriders along with the Special Police advanced towards the city where the resistance was based. Santorini's forces were utterly destroyed while the Roughriders advanced without casualties. As Hanson's men neared Falkirk, the leader of the resistance, Grace O'Malley, brought forward information about a plot concocted by Santorini which involved him killing the commanding officers of the Roughriders and take control of the rest of the battalion. With this information revealed, the Roughriders teamed up with the citizens to kill Santorini and eliminate the rest of his Special Police.[54]

Organization and equipment

The Roughriders field heavy BattleMech forces augmented by (usually) heavy Aerospace Fighters and heavy tanks[55]. Their armor was described to have always been "extremely heavy" (relying on Heavy LRM Carriers, Schiltrons and Alacorns[3] as of 3067, with Patton and Rommel tanks as "lighter" support); when the new Rommel and Patton tank designs were unveiled in 3020 by Defiance Industries, the LCAF put them through serious testing with the Roughriders' tank brigade.[56] Many companies within the Roughriders are composed exclusively of heavy 'Mechs,[8][6] and the unit is generally known for their prowess in and penchant for close range combat.[6][3]

They are explicitly noted for being skilled at coordinating actions with conventional (non-'Mech) units.[20]

Officers

In 3025 the unit was commanded by Colonel Gerhardt Hansen.[57] He commanded the unit from its inception in 3014 until several years after the War of 3039.

As of 3054 to 3067 the unit's commanding officer was Wolfgang Hansen, the son of Gerhardt.[58] He was to receive command after the War of 3039, but his sub-par performance on Pike IV led his father Gerhard postpone his retirement for some years to improve his son't training.

As of 3134 to 3145, the commanding office of the unit is Colonel Ludwig Hanson V, the grandson of Gerhardt Hansen.[59] (The name might be a misspelling for Hansen).[60]

Dragoon Ratings

3067

Dragoon Rating: A

3071

Dragoon Rating: A

Composition History

3025

Hansen's Roughriders (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[57]

  • CO: Colonel Gerhardt Hansen

3040

Hansen's Roughriders (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[61]

3054

Hansen's Roughriders (Regiment/Veteran/Questionalbe)[58]

  • CO: Colonel Wolfgang Hansen

3067

Hansen's Roughriders (1 Regiment/Elite/Questionable)

  • CO: Colonel Wolfgang Hansen
  • 2nd Battalion: Major Andrea Schmidt
  • 3rd Battalion: Major Catalina Fiore

Roughrider Armor Support

  • Armor Commander: Major Eugene Thomas

Roughrider Infantry Support

  • Infantry Commander: Captain Bruce Millis

=3145

Hansen's Roughriders (Elite/Reliable)[60]

  • CO: Colonel Ludwig Hansen V

Notes

  • Hansen's Roughriders were among the five mercenary units presented in the original BattleTech boardgame (the others being the Eridani Light Horse, Wolf's Dragoons, 21st Centauri Lancers and Lindon's Company), and as such have been part of the BattleTech universe right from the very beginning. As a House Steiner-affiliated unit, their crest (included as a paper marker for playing pieces) matched the House Steiner crest's colors—a white device on a blue background. This was in line with how the other mercenary units were treated: The Eridani Light Horse has a crest matching the Federated Suns' colors, Wolf's Dragoons crest matches the Draconis Combine's colors, and the 21st Centauri Lancers' crest has a purple background like the Free World's League crest. No Capellan Confederation-affiliated unit was presented in the rulebook, and Lindon's Company (also affiliated with the Federated Suns) has their colors reversed, a yellow device on a black background.
  • From the onset, Hansen's Roughriders were said to have formed after a failed revolt against Janos Marik[8][6] (who reigned since 2991). By contrast, the 1997 Field Manual: Mercenaries entry for the Roughriders has them form from a disgruntled House Davion regiment in 2961.[2] The 2004 sourcebook Mercenaries Supplemental reconciles these conflicting backgrounds by establishing that the Roughriders were initially a Davion line regiment, then a Marik line regiment (the 12th Atrean Dragoons), and became mercenaries following the Marik Civil War in 3014.[3] (Curiously, in the writeup for this war in the 2006 sourcebook Brush Wars, the 12th Atrean Dragoons are described to have surrendered on Calloway VI and no mention is made of them turning into a mercenary regiment.) The undated short story The Race Is Not To The Swift from the 1988 anthology Shrapnel briefly features the Roughriders in a battle with Marik forces on Solaris VII in what circumstantial evidence strongly suggests was meant to be Willis Crawford's ill-fated attack in 3002. This was ruled out by the writeup in Mercenaries Supplemental, however, and to clarify the timeline Technical Readout: 3039 referred to the Roughriders fielding a prototype Patton tank in this battle, establishing this battle to have been another Marik attack that took place between the Patton's inception in 3020 and serial production in 3027.[13]
  • Similarly, the notion that the Roughriders were on Panpour when the Bromhead Massacre occurred caused confusion because they fought on Panpour in 3064/3065 and left in 3065, while the Bromhead Massacre happened in 3067. It has since been confirmed that, at the time of the Bromhead Massacre, the Roughriders happened to be on Panpour again, but presumably only in transit towards their new posting on Lindsay, already negotiating their new contract with Duke Hasek.[34]
  • In the computer game MechWarrior II - Mercenaries, the player starts his first missions attached to Hansen's Roughriders, under the tutelage of one Roughrider Sergeant Unther (who pilots a Catapult and gives the player radio callsigns such as "Rookie" and "Hey you!").

Gallery

  • Camomercshansenroughriders.png

References

  1. ↑ Field Manual: Mercenaries, dated 3059, displays the new crest in the writeup on p. 59 and describes the shield as dun colored, while a Hansen's Roughrider Pillager in the color plates between pp. 80-81 clearly displays the older, blue crest.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 59
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 37
  4. ↑ Brush Wars, pp. 18, 23
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 79
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 MechWarrior: The BattleTech Role Playing Game, p. 117
  7. ↑ Brush Wars, pp. 29, 37
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 BattleTech 2nd Ed. rulebook, Hansen's Roughrider infobox
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 80
  10. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook), pp. 24-25
  11. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), pp. 80-81
  12. ↑ Technical Readout: 3025, p. 66; Technical Readout: 3039, p. 289
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 According to the Patton entry in Technical Readout: 3039, p. 80, this particular battle was the first combat action for the Patton prototype during its trials with the Roughriders. The Patton was unveiled in 3020 and entered full production in 3027, suggesting this timeframe for the battle. See also Notes section.
  14. ↑ The Race Is Not To The Swift
  15. ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 80
  16. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), pp. 116, 172
  17. ↑ BattleTech: 25 Years of Art and Fiction, Starfire short story
  18. ↑ The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 48
  19. ↑ The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, pp. 45, 59
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 71
  21. ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 68
  22. ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 274
  23. ↑ Starterbook: Sword and Dragon, p. 45
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 141
  25. ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 86
  26. ↑ Technical Readout: 3039, p. 164
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 81
  28. ↑ The MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries computer game (training mission)
  29. ↑ 20 Year Update, p. 21
  30. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 30
  31. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 184
  32. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 99
  33. ↑ FedCom Civil War, pp. 128, 184
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Judging from this official answer on the BattleTech forum regarding the timeline
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 65
  36. ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 183
  37. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental 2, p. 28
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Field Manual: Periphery, p. 12
  39. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 14, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  40. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"
  41. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 15, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 54, "The Jihad In Review"
  43. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 13
  44. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 16, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  45. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 17, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  46. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 18, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  47. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 19, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 55, "The Jihad In Review"
  49. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 21, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  50. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 22, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  51. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56, "The Jihad In Review"
  52. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Mercenaries, p. 18, "Cardinal Transport"
  53. ↑ Patriot's Stand p. 116
  54. ↑ Patriot's Stand p. 294
  55. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 80
  56. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 135
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p.118, "Unit Deployment Table"
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Objective Raids, p. 15, "Federated Commonwealth Deployment Table"
  59. ↑ Patriot's Stand, p. 115
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 182, "Notable Mercenary Forces - Unaligned/Uncontracted"
  61. ↑ Historical: War of 3039 , p. 141

Bibliography

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