Battle of Clovis (3147)

Battle of Clovis (3147)
Part of Operation PERCEVAL
Start Date June 3147 End Date February 3150 Planet Clovis Result Federated Suns victory
Factions
Federated Suns	Draconis Combine	Republic of the Sphere
Commanders and leaders
Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell	Tai-sa Emi Roberson	Paladin Max Ergen
Forces involved
First Avalon Hussars, First Davion Guards, First Kestrel Grenadiers, Fifth Davion Irregulars	Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars, Second Legion of Vega	First Army Group

Overview

In June 3147 the Federated Suns' Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell launched Operation PERCEVAL, a counter offensive against the Draconis Combine designed not to conquer worlds but to confuse Combine high command and destroy logistical capabilities. One world that stood in PERCEVAL's path was Clovis, garrisoned by two battalions of the Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars. An invasion force consisting of at least the First Avalon Hussars, First Davion Guards, and First Kestrel Grenadiers jumped into a pirate point close to the planet, believing they'd have a three to one superiority over DCMS forces. Things went awry almost immediately. The Forty-fifth Aerospace Wing intercepted the DropShips en route, destroying a primary Hussar vessel outright and critically damaging two of the Guards'. The Regulars slammed into the disoriented Hussars intending to inflict as much damage as possible before superior numbers required them to break contact. The Guards were eventually able to put pressure on the Regulars' lines, but the Combine forces refused to give the AFFS a clear path to their objectives. Chu-i Christian Tessmann and his Thug performed so admirably in this conflict that he was promoted to Tai-i.

Sandoval wanted to avenge his troops lost aboard their transports but knew that with at least two DCMS units within jump distance of Clovis his time was limited. After all, this was a campaign of heavy raiding not conquest. The Regulars still held several logistic objectives and Sandoval was determined to complete at least one before departing Clovis. He ordered the Grenadiers to press the Regulars' pickets while the Guards flanked them and hit at a supply cache, one of the largest in the Proserpina Prefecture. Leftenant Chris Tyranis of the Grenadiers and his Victor were at the heart of this action yet again. As the Guards neared on their objective however, the Second Legion of Vega arrived at a pirate point. Sandoval was out of time, any further delays would bog PERCEVAL down in a battle of attrition. With several DropShips still too damaged to liftoff, the taskforce now lacked the transport capacity needed to retreat off world. Second Battalion of Hussars volunteered to remain on planet and conduct a guerrilla campaign alongside the now emboldened resistance movement. Pledging "we will come back for you" the rest of the task force jumped to their next objective.

The ensuing guerrilla campaign was greatly aided by the many WVR-10R Wolverines and their minimal ammunition needs. The guerrilla campaign also birthed one of the best known rivalries of the era between Leftenant Anselm Remaldi's Locust and Chu-i Reginald Benton's Stinger, the "Tangerine Ghost". First meeting in following a running battle between the Regulars and local resistance, Remaldi legged Benton's Stinger. The pair faced off again in 3148, this time forcing Remaldi to eject. He was briefly captured but escaped with the help of the underground and took over the Locust of a Hussar who died in an accident. The pair met at least four more times, never a decisive victory though Remaldi lost two more Locusts. Soldiers on both sides routinely bet on the next outcome, and surrounding fighting would often halt while the pair dueled. The two have developed a deep hatred for each other, with Remaldi viewing the contest as exemplifying the excesses of the nobility, while Benson's inability to kill the lowborn MechWarrior has harmed his social standing among the Combine peerage.

Initial relief for the beleaguered Hussars came not from Sandoval, but from the Republic of the Sphere's Operation ERUPTIO. In early August 3149 Paladin Max Ergen led First Army Group jumped into the Clovis system and conducted a raid in force against the Regulars. While they did not extract the Hussars after leaving for their next target of Le Blanc, their raid undoubtedly took some pressure off the Hussars, and the uncertainty of the Republic's next move prevented what meager reinforcements were available outside the Dragon's Tongue

Finally, in early February 3150 Sandoval came back for the Hussars. The Fifth Davion Irregulars landed and linked up with the surviving members of the Second Battalion, who had been slowly grinding the Regulars down. The Regulars surrendered and retreated back to the Combine. As the Combine, Tessmann, and Benton left, Remaldi broadcast a series of taunts knowing it would infuriate Benton, their feud unresolved. Benton has been petitioning for a transfer to a unit likely to face the First Hussars again, and to upgrade his Stinger with Clan tech.

Bibliography

• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18
• Shattered Fortress