V Corps (Star League)

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Unit Description

The V Corps (also originally referred to as the 5th Corps) was a very large Star League Defense Force military force, consisting of three Divisions of 27 Regiments worth of Frontline and additional Auxiliary support formations.

History

Formation

The V Corps was originally conceived with the formation of the Star League in 2571. The Corps and its other sister formations were the brainchild of Shandra Noruff-Cameron, First Commanding General of the SLDF.

The Corps elements were built up from Terran Hegemony regiments participating in a massive military exercise on the Periphery border named Unified Triumph Military Exercise.[1]

Prior to the Reunification War, V Corps was responsible for the Capellan Military Region, and was initially poised for action against either the Magistracy of Canopus or Taurian Concordat, but continued training problems within the Corps and ongoing anti-Star League activity within the Capellan Military Region kept V Corps out of both fronts.[2]

Reunification War

By 2575, the Star League began to deploy against unwitting Periphery nations that caused problems for First Lord Ian Cameron. However, the Corps had to wait until 2581 when Lord Cameron, would place the 5th Corps into the war. The elements of the 5th would be assigned to take the Outworlds Alliance, with the 6th Corps and Brigade of Draconis Combine troops. The Outworlds Alliance Expedition was under the command of General Amos Forlough, who would have his forces placed on the border with the Alliance in June.

By late summer, General Forlough had the Expedition move into the Alliance taking worlds. The 5th Corps would be teamed with their House Kurita brigade and would take Schirmeck, Tabayama, and Weisau.

The 5th Corps expedition's progress would be hampered by due to needs of SLDF forces on the Taurian Concordat front of the war. The General's drive to take the Alliance's capital world of Alpheratz was cancelled by SLDF High Command and the demands of House Davion's First Prince, Alexander Davion. In 2582, General Forlough took worlds near the Alliance's capital. After the attack of the Alliance's Pitcairn Legion against the Rasalhague brigade, prove to be too much. Kurita forces went on a rampage after the destruction of their sister brigade, killing citizens and causing the destruction of Alliance's property. The 5th and other SLDF forces would be ordered by General Forlough to execute 10 percent of each world's population as deterrent to further attacks against him and the League.

Citizenry of the alliance rallied to fight off what they saw as a cruel invader and through themselves fury of training in anti-'Mech warfare and attack them in human waves. The 5th Corps was left occupying worlds, while their Kurita forces took worlds for their motherland. They were order so due to House Davion refusal to provide provisions for them.

Resistance to the League's occupation continued to grow stronger, as attacks by now trained citizenry continued. In 2583, the 5th Corps was ambushed on Tellman IV, by Outworlds Alliance Army forces backed up by the Pitcairn's Legion. The ambush cost the 5th Corps over two hundred BattleMechs, while only accounting for a hundred of the Alliance's machines. This ambush would later be known as the Day of Vengeance and would greatly deplete both sides of resources to fight. After the ambush, the campaign's commanding officer, General Forlough, was transferred to the Taurian warfront after the assassination of SLDF General Kincaid. His replacement, Major-General Franklin Barnex, would not be able get replacement troops for the damaged 5th Corps. This prevented the campaign from moving on to take the Alliance's capital. The Alliance would sign formal end of hostilities, with signing of the Peace of Cerberus.[3][4][5]

After the war, the bulk of V Corps formed the major part of the Outworlds Alliance Army of Occupation, establishing bases alongside the new Star League administration offices on each of the Outworlds Alliance worlds.[6]

Later Years

By 2764, the Corps would be assigned to the Star League's Eleventh Army in the Lyran Commonwealth Military District.[7] V Corps continued to play a prominant role in the SLDF throughout the Star League era, but the posting into Lyran Commonwealth space brought V Corps face to face with an enemy that had plagued the SLDF since the creation of the Star League - politicians. V Corps location not only exposed it to politicians from the Lyran Commonwealth but also the Terran Hegemony and the Draconis Combine; the last commanding officer of V Corps before the Amaris Civil War, Major General Jayne Badler did her best to ensure that her troops remained out of the political arena, and was determined to ensure that those under her command remained focused on their battlefield role, not on the political or social scene.[8]

V Corps was a well-supplied corps, in part because of its location but also because of the prestige the Corps had earned through the centuries and the significant number of Royal units within the Corps. Further improving the Corps supply situation was the presence of General Badler, an officer who came up from the ranks largely through the logistics trade and who knew how to work the system and take advantage of her extensive contacts within the Quartermaster Command. Badler's knowledge and influence was significant enough that when she was in command of V Corps it was rumored that she could obtain anything the Corps needed short of a WarShip. Despite her experience and influence within the supply chain, Badler still had to prove herself at every command posting she assumed after reaching the rank of Captain; if she was successful during her command of V Corps, Badler anticipated that success preventing her having to prove herself again.[8]

The various units of V Corps included at least two divisions that were enthusiastic participants in the exercises conducted by the Eleventh Army under the name Operation KOBALD.[8]

The liberation of Terra against Stefan Amaris' Military forces occupying the Terran Hegemony, would bring destruction of two of its Mechanized Infantry Divisions, as well as both of its Battle Regiments. Five years after the disbandment of the Star League, General Aleksandr Kerensky called upon the SLDF to form what would be later called the Exodus Fleet. They left the Inner Sphere in Exodus in 2784. The most of the surviving regiments and divisions of the V Corps would join his fleet, with exception of the 184th Mechanized Infantry Division, whose does not muster for the journey into the periphery.[7]

Composition History

2581

Administrative HQ: Sirius[9]
Commanding Officer: Major General Laszlo Hooker[9]
Commanding Officer: Major General Victoria Zibler (from 2583)[10]

Total Forces:[9]

Component units:[9]

2764 to 2784

Unit 2764 2765 2766 2767 - 79 2784 Note
Divisions
331st Royal BattleMech Division[14] active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] Exodus
151st Mechanized Infantry Division active [14] active [14] active [14] destroyed[14]
153rd Mechanized Infantry Division active [14] active [14] active [14] destroyed[14]
184th Mechanized Infantry Division active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] unknown
Eightieth Royal Jump Infantry Division active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] Exodus
Independent Regiments
135th Royal Striker Regiment active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] Exodus
208th Striker Regiment active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] active [14] Exodus
257th Battle Regiment active [14] active [14] active [14] destroyed[14]
541st Battle Regiment active [14] active [14] active [14] destroyed[14]
  • Unit Note
  • 2765 - The V Corp would be stationed in the 1st District of the Lyran's Military Region in 2764, and by 2765 they would be redeployed to the 2nd District.[15]
  • 2779 - The no specific information is notes where the V Corp's elements were located after the Liberation of Terra.[16]
  • 2784 - Forces noted are forces still taking orders from the General Kerensky and joined them in Exodus Fleet. The 184th Mechanized Infantry Division was noted not being among the V Corp's surviving forces departing with Kerensky's Fleet.[17]

Notes

The unit was originally known as the 5th Corp in the original text the Star League sourcebook. It not clear if the Corp was still operational command when the Kerensky's Exodus.

The 184th Mechanized Infantry Division is not listed among the units in 2784, due to the fact their status was listed as unknown. Likely that they were not active in the Corp when the Exodus happened.

Rules

Reunification War

  • In battles that occur prior to 2853, when randomly generating force experience all V Corps forces apply a -1 penalty to the Random Experience Level roll.[18]
    • This penalty doesn't apply from 2853 onwards.
  • In battles that occur prior to 2853 all V Corps forces receive a -1 penalty to Initiative unless they are the defender in the scenario.[18]
    • This penalty doesn't apply from 2853 onwards.
  • In battles from 2853 onwards V Corps units may Bank Initiative.[18]
  • In battles from 2853 onwards V Corps may select its own home edge in any battle in which it is the attacker.[18]

References

  1. Star League sourcebook, p. 47 - Reunification War/Battle Plans - then known as 5th Corps' formation from General Noruff-Cameron and Lord Ian Cameron's efforts building up unified force.
  2. Historical: Reunification War, p. 30, "V Corps"
  3. Star League sourcebook, p. 50 - Reunification actions.
  4. Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 19 Sowing and Reaping - The 5th Corps named as force being SLDF force targeted in the Day of Vengeance.
  5. Handbook: House Davion, pp. 42-43 - Alexander Davion's involvement with V Corp's missions in Outworlds Alliance campaign.
  6. Historical: Reunification War, p. 157-160, "The Terms of Outworlds Freedom"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Star League sourcebook, p. 144 - 11th Army, V Corps TO&E listing includes which years and known fates of its component regiments and Divisions.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 139, "V Corps"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Historical: Reunification War, p. 107, "SLDF Task Force Outworlds"
  10. Historical: Reunification War, p. 123, "Ki Zoban"
  11. 11.0 11.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 120, "Haynesville"
  12. 12.0 12.1 Historical: Reunification War, p. 113, "Weisau" Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "H:RWp113" defined multiple times with different content
  13. Historical: Reunification War, p. 113, "Outworlds Alliance Front"
  14. 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 14.32 14.33 14.34 14.35 14.36 14.37 14.38 14.39 14.40 The Star League, p. 141,"Eleventh Army"
  15. Star League sourcebook, p. 141, 144 - Unit listing and where they were deployed in the years leading up to the Amaris Coup and the liberation of Terra.
  16. Star League sourcebook, p. 144 - Lyran Commonwealth Military Region (LCMR) listing for the 11th Army and the 5th/V Corps as of 2779.
  17. Star League sourcebook, p. 144 - Units noted being part of the Exodus Fleet and the one that wasn't.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Historical: Reunification War, p. 181, "The Star League"

Bibliography