55th Brigade
Sarna News
| |
| Fifty-fifth Brigade | |
| Formed | 2571–2577 |
| Affiliation | Star League |
| Parent Command | Nineteenth Division |
The Fifty-fifth Brigade was a part of the Star League Defense Force Regular Army.
History[edit]
The Brigade was originally formed during the creation of the SLDF in 2571, and was a part of the Nineteenth Division during the Reunification War, where it served in the Magistracy of Canopus campaign from 2577 to 2588.[1][2]
As a part of the Magistracy of Canopus task force, the Fifty-fifth was stationed on Meadowvale when military action against the Magistracy began. The Commanding Officer of VII Corps, Captain-General Marion Marik, would often assign a division or more of troops to the conquest of various worlds by drawing together brigades from across VII Corps. The Fifty-fifth often operated in conjunction with other brigades from VII Corps as well as fighting alongside units from the Free Worlds League Military assigned to the task force as auxiliary forces.[1][2]
The Fifty-fifth was the first brigade to be deployed on a combat action against a Magistracy world when the war began, securing the border world of Gouderak in June 2577 despite limited resistance from the single company of 'Mechs from the First Canopian Light Horse assigned as a garrison. Even before other units from the SLDF Task Force Canopus arrived on Gouderak, the Fifty-fifth was highlighting a problem that would plague the Star League campaign; Gouderak lacked the resources to support an SLDF garrison of any size, making it impossible for the occupying force to simply live off the land as had originally been planned.[1][3]
In 2579, the Fifty-fifth deployed alongside the Fifty-sixth Brigade and supporting regiments from the Marik Militia to occupy the world of Obrenovac as part of an encirclement of the Magistracy capital world,[1] followed by the occupation of Afarsin in 2583, campaigns that would see relatively little resistance from the Magistracy Armed Forces. The Fifty-fifth wasn't involved in the battle for Canopus IV in 2584; instead, the brigade was tasked with conquering Bass, with the assistance of the Second Orloff Grenadiers.[2]
The only major battle for the Fifty-fifth was also their last battle of the war against the Magistracy, and was fought in 2586 on the world of Palladix.[2] The conquest of the Magistracy was inevitable at this point, but the surviving MAF units continued to resist, and on Palladix the Fifty-fifth went up against two regiments from the Chasseurs á Cheval, the First and Third Canopian Light Horse regiments. Both units fought tenaciously; the Third Light Horse was destroyed and the First Light Horse was defeated and forced to surrender, reducing the effective strength of the MAF by a third.[4]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 55th Brigade | |||
| General | Camilla Sjölander | Reunification War[3] | |
Tactics[edit]
Unknown.
Composition History[edit]
Unknown.
Composition[edit]
Despite the doctrine and organization originally defined during the creation of the SLDF, the Fifty-fifth would most likely have been a mélange of combined arms units.[5] The breakdown for the SLDF element of the Canopian task force indicates that just under a half of the SLDF regiments were BattleMech regiments, one-third were infantry regiments and the remaining forces were a mix of armor and aerospace regiments.[6]
Notes[edit]
- Special Rules for the Fifty-fifth Brigade can be found on Historical: Reunification War, p. 181.
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d Historical: Reunification War, p. 148: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off-2582)"
- ↑ a b c d Historical: Reunification War, p. 149: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (2583–2588)"
- ↑ a b Historical: Reunification War, p. 97: "Gouderak (June 2577)"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 105: "Mopping Up (2584–2588)"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 27: "Divisions and Brigades"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 95: "SLDF Task Force Canopus"