7th Ghost

Draccombine.gif
Seventh Ghost Regiment
Formed aft. 3033[1]
Nickname Cleansed By Dragon's Dark Passing[2]
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Ghost Regiments

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The Seventh Ghost regiment was mostly composed of undesirables, reformed criminals, and yakuza. The commanders of the Seventh worked very hard to make their warriors look to their future instead of their past. One key to this success was the commander's judgment of the warriors based solely on their performance in the regiment.[3]

Ronin War[edit]

War of 3039[edit]

The Seventh Ghost was sent together with the Eighth Ghost as a relief force to aid the beleaguered Second Shin Legion on Sadalbari. The Legion was close to total destruction because they faced the combined might of two Davion RCTs, the Fifth Davion Guards and Third FedCom RCT. The fresh and previously unrecorded troops surprised the FedCom invaders with a combat drop on the Third FedCom's position. The continued pressure was too much for the Third, and the Fifth suffered also horrendous losses. With no reinforcement in jump range, the FedCom troops retreated.[4]

Clan Invasion[edit]

The Seventh Ghost had yet to participate in a prolonged campaign, but repelled several border raids against Clan Smoke Jaguar. From their garrison on Baruun Urt, the Seventh Ghost prepared to be on the front lines when the Clan Invasion resumed.[3]

Operation Bulldog[edit]

Dominion War[edit]

Located on Matsuida after Operation Bulldog, the Seventh Ghost sent two battalions to the Ghost Bear front while leaving the third behind to garrison the planet.[5] While those two battalions were away, the Federated Suns hit Matsuida, destroying the Seventh Ghost's third battalion. The AFFS forces were forced off-world by the returning two battalions of the Seventh Ghost and several other DCMS units.[5]

During the FedCom Civil War, the Seventeenth Avalon Hussars landed on Matsuida. There they were led on a merry chase by a battalion of the Seventh Ghost. After nearly two months of cat and mouse, the Seventeenth Hussars were able to destroy the battalion of the Seventh Ghost.[6]

Federated Suns Incursion[edit]

The Seventh Ghost took the world of Harrow's Sun for the Combine.[7]

Jihad[edit]

The Seventh Ghost was tasked to raid Benet in September 3068, but was intercepted by the First New Ivaarsen Chasseurs well outside the planetary gravity well, chewing up much of their air cover. Contested the entire way in, the Seventh Ghost managed to capture Martine and the Browning ammunition plant but was mired by the Chasseurs' continuous hit-and-fade defense. The Seventh Ghost forces finally left the planet considering the raid a success.[8]

They were then ordered to garrison Marduk in the early years of the Jihad. Federated Suns forces raided the planet several times, and the Seventh requested permission to retaliate. Unfortunately a Black Dragon Society sympathizer rerouted the Seventh's requests, and so the Seventh simply held their post for several years. After the First Ghost left Fellanin II a rebellion broke out. In 3075 Tai-shu Isoroku Kurita personally ordered the Seventh to destroy the rebellion. Unfortunately, the Black Dragon Society–controlled Sabre Cat was orbiting the world and destroyed two of the Seventh's DropShips. Despite this, the Seventh was successful in purging the Black Dragons from Fellanin II. They remained on the world in 3079.[9]

Republic Era[edit]

In 3085, the Seventh Ghost was reassigned to Capra. There, they faced multiple raids from the Federated Suns and Clan Snow Raven. To make up for the losses they've sustained in these raids, the Seventh lowered their acceptance standards. This let them put more soldiers in the field, but these poorly trained and equipped troops frequently failed to survive combat. This vicious cycle made rebuilding the unit extremely difficult.[10]

Dark Age[edit]

During the Draconis Combine invasion of the Draconis March, the Seventh Ghost Regiment landed on Sakhara V. They faced the Sakhara Academy Training Battalion and lost all their infantry and a third of their 'Mech forces. After the Ghost's commander died of a heart attack, Executive Officer Takeji Yoshizawa stepped into the command role using VTOLs to flank the cadet force. The green Academy battalion members were routed, with only a company able to withdraw to the Academy grounds. The next day, that company was destroyed.[11] Yoshizawa led the Seventh from then on, never forgetting the humiliation of a Pyrrhic victory against mere cadets.[12]

Desertion[edit]

In early 3150, Tai-sho Kyoshi Sunada ordered Yoshizawa to move the Seventh to Robinson, where the undersized unit was to capture the planet alone and then serve as manual labor, rebuilding the planet's destroyed strategically significant facilities. With a guarantee that no reinforcements would be sent, the humiliating order was tantamount to a death sentence. Yoshizawa concealed the command from his subordinates and instead launched his own plan, its initial movements cloaked as orders from Sunada: seize a small set of Federated Suns planets to start his own bandit kingdom and break the Seventh away from DCMS and yakuza control.[13][14]

The Seventh arrived in the Emporia system, the first target in Yoshizawa's invasion plan, on 3 April 3150. What was intended to be a near-bloodless takeover of a weakly protected planet quickly descended into brutal warfare. The Seventh ran into unexpected resistance from cadets once more, those of Ritza Academy, driving Yoshizawa to take increasingly extreme measures. Public executions encouraged resistance; bombardments and biological warfare failed to break the will of Emporia's defenders while wreaking havoc on the Seventh's own troops. Morale declined rapidly, finally collapsing when Yoshizawa's subordinates learned that he had led them to betray the Combine. By the end of 18 April, Yoshizawa lay dead on Emporia, killed by Ritza cadet Jasper Roux, as the shattered Seventh began to withdraw.[15]

In October, the Draconis Combine declared that it had captured and executed all remaining members of the Seventh Ghost.[16]

Return[edit]

By May 3152, the Seventh Ghost had been reconstituted. It participated in the final defense of the Dragon's Tongue. Raiding Nagel in May, it at last won a victory against cadets, badly damaging the Point Barrow Academy Training Battalion.[17] The unit then struck Benedict and Mirage, destroying the local militias and plundering the planets, before joining the Eleventh Ghost on Greeley. However, the Seventh quietly disappeared before the late June last stand of the Combine occupiers.[18]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Seventh Ghost Regiment
Tai-sa Hishu Stonara 3039[19]
Tai-sa Tosakiri Kaifu 3059[3]
Tai-sa Monique Chesque 3067[7]
Tai-sa Rufus Basurto 3085[20]
Tai-sa Morigu Oksana 3144[11]
Tai-sa Takeji Yoshizawa 3145[21]-3150[16]

Other Officers[edit]

Tactics[edit]

In 3059, the unit prepared itself for any future engagement with the Smoke Jaguars. Defensive tactics are best suited for such a case. Most of the unit was equipped with heavy or assault class units and specialized in defending cities and industrial complexes. They assigned their artillery and aerospace to harass any foe, with the center of the BattleMech line giving ground until the enemy had spread themselves too thinly. The Seventh Ghost was also one of the few Ghost Regiments to have a company of Kanazuchi battle armor–equipped infantry.[3]

Composition History[edit]

3040[edit]

Seventh Ghost (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[24]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Umijiri.[24]

3050[edit]

Seventh Ghost (heavy 'Mech Regiment/Veteran/[2]Questionable)[25]

Note: At this point in time, the unit was stationed on Byesville[25] and support units included a medium aerospace fighter wing and a heavy combat vehicle regiment.[2]

3054[edit]

Seventh Ghost (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[26]

3059[edit]

Seventh Ghost (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[3]

Note: In the ranks of the regiment are many heavy machines.

Seventh Ghost Aerospace (1 Wing/Regular/Reliable)[3]

Fifteenth Benjamin Heavy Raiders (2 Battalions/ Regular/Reliable)[3]

Note: The unit contains many heavy units with thick armor. Their preferred combat style are massed assaults at the enemy lines without regard for the losses.

152nd Assault Infantry (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[3]

Note: The unit contains, 36 battlesuits (9 squads) and 24 artillery pieces.
Note: The unit was stationed on Baruun Urt.[3]

3067[edit]

Seventh Ghost (Elite/Reliable)[7]

  • CO: Tai-sa Monique Chesque

Seventh Ghost Aerospace (Wing/Regular/Reliable)[7]

  • CO: Sho-sa Thadeus Shotoko

Fifteenth Benjamin Heavy Raiders (Battalion/Regular/Reliable)[7]

  • CO: Chu-sa Franklin Tenclay

152nd Assault Infantry (2 Battalions/Regular/Reliable)[7]

  • CO: Chu-sa Charles Stanwick

3079[edit]

Seventh Ghost (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[9]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Fellanin II.[9] Reduced to one battalion.

3085[edit]

Seventh Ghost (Veteran/Reliable)[20]

Seventh Ghost Aerospace (Wing/Regular/Reliable)[20]

Fifteenth Benjamin Heavy Raiders (1 Battalion/Veteran/Reliable)[20]

152nd Assault Infantry (Regular/Fanatical)[20]

3145[edit]

Seventh Ghost (2 Battalions/Regular/Questionable)[21]

  • CO: Tai-sa Takeji Yoshizawa

Seventh Ghost Armor (Regular/Reliable)[21]

Seventh Ghost Infantry (Veteran/Reliable)[21]

Color Scheme and Insignia[edit]

The Ghost Regiments painted their machines with a base of light gray, effectively white. The Ghost Regiments did not maintain a brigade-style insignia as they did not function or were administered as a brigade.[27]

The Seventh Ghost used a steel gray accent. As former yakuza, they painted full-body scenes on their 'Mechs, consisting of a chain beginning at a BattleMech's right wrist, coiling up the arm to cross the torso and then down the left leg. The chain is broken where it crosses the Kuritan Dragon painted on the upper right torso. This symbolizes their service to the Dragon breaking the warrior's ties to their past. A link in the chain is painted in gold for each kill marker.[3][28][29]

Notes[edit]

Special Command Rules for the Seventh Ghost can be found on page 62 of Combat Manual: Kurita.[2]

References[edit]

  1. Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 60, "Ghost Regiments"
  2. a b c d Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 62: "Other Ghost Regiment Sub-commands"
  3. a b c d e f g h i j Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 117: "Seventh Ghost Unit Profile"
  4. Historical: War of 3039, p. 96
  5. a b Field Manual: Updates, p. 114: "Seventh Ghost"
  6. FedCom Civil War, pp. 71–72
  7. a b c d e f Field Manual: Updates, p. 118: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3067"
  8. Combine Forces Assault March Worlds Without Provocation
  9. a b c Field Report: DCMS, p. 15
  10. Field Manual: 3085, p. 46
  11. a b c Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 20: "Kamakiri Attack VTOL"
  12. Iron Dawn, ch. 6
  13. Iron Dawn, ch. 7
  14. Crimson Night, chs. 5 and 11
  15. Iron Dawn, Ghost Hour, & Crimson Night
  16. a b Crimson Night, ch. 39
  17. Dominions Divided, p. 69
  18. Dominions Divided, p. 73
  19. Historical: War of 3039, p. 96: "Wave Two and Counterattack - Sadalbari"
  20. a b c d e Field Manual: 3085, p. 50: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3085"
  21. a b c d Field Manual: 3145, p. 65: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3145"
  22. Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 4, p. 13: "Awesome"
  23. Technical Readout: 3145, p. 62: "Kamakiri Attack VTOL"
  24. a b Historical: War of 3039, p. 139
  25. a b 20 Year Update, p. 42
  26. Objective Raids, p. 27
  27. Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 112: "Ghost Regiments"
  28. Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 104: "Samurai and Ronin"
  29. "7th Ghost Regiment". CamoSpecs Online. Retrieved 2025-04-21. Per FM:Draconis Combine, page 117.

Bibliography[edit]