Deneb Light Cavalry

Brigade Insignia of the Deneb Light Cavalry
Deneb Light Cavalry
Formed 2782[1]
Disbanded 3081 - 3085[2][3]
Nickname Strength through tradition
Affiliation
Parent Command AFFC/AFFS


The Deneb Light Cavalry brigade was an Armed Forces of the Federated Suns brigade founded during the declining years of the Star League, initially from a mix of former Star League Defense Force personnel drawn from one of the SLDF Rapid Deployment Mixed Armed Forces regiments.


History[edit]

Formation[edit]

In 2782 the AFFS recruited enough SLDF personnel from the Thirteenth Royal French Demi-Brigade,[1] a part of LVI Corps[4][5] within the Nineteenth Army,[1][4][5] The Thirteenth Royal French Demi-Brigade was one of a number of commands that could trace its heritage back to the French Foreign Legion on Terra; the Foreign Legion's First Foreign Regiment had been split into smaller and smaller administrative units as waves of colonists left Terra, with those small units assigned to posts further and further afield. The Thirteenth had been stationed in the Le Blanc system when the Star League was founded, and it and all of the other sub-units for the First Foreign Regiment were recalled to Terra at this point and reorganized into the new French Royal Regiments within the SLDF.[4]

The Star League had recognized the need in its early years for quick-response units that could deploy rapidly to any world, tasks that the SLDF Independent regiments and Marine regiments were ill-equipped and trained to perform, and as a result the SLDF quickly developed a new formation to tackle these tasks. These new units became known as Rapid Deployment Mixed Armed Forces regiments, or RDMAF units, and were considered to be a part of the Special Operations command of the SLDF, placing them outside of the standard Regular Army organization. These RDMAF units were assigned to every combat region, and quickly became an open secret within the Inner Sphere; recruited from the world of Deneb Kaitos, the RDMAFs became known as the Deneb Light Cavalry. When General Aleksandr Kerensky launched Operation EXODUS and led the bulk of the surviving SLDF out of the Inner Sphere in the wake of the Amaris Civil War, only one surviving RDMAF chose to remain in the Inner Sphere - the Fourth Deneb Light Cavalry.[6] Commanded by General Eveline McDennis, the Fourth was determined to protect its homeworld from the ravages of war that were certain to come as the Star League collapsed, but with trade subject to massive disruption and the population beginning to starve, General McDennis looked outside her homeworld for help. Pledging that they would support whichever House could guarantee that the people of Deneb Kaitos would have enough food to survive until they could become self-sufficient, McDennis found only one House willing to meet her terms - and the Fourth Deneb Light Cavalry joined the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns accordingly.[7] In total, the AFFS recruited enough personnel from the Thirteenth Royal French Demi-Brigade in 2782 - including the Fourth Deneb Light Cavalry - to form three regiments, the Fourth, Fifth and Eighth Deneb Light Cavalry.[1] By 2786 the brigade had expanded to five regiments, with the addition of the Third and Ninth Deneb Light Cavalry.[8]

The Jihad[edit]

During the Jihad the Deneb Light Cavalry's homeworld, Deneb Kaitos, was invaded by the Word of Blake. This invasion destroyed the Fourth DLC. Later the Eighth DLC attacked Deneb Kaitos to retake it, but they sustained heavy losses when their JumpShips were ambushed. The Twelfth attacked the Draconis Combine, losing nearly all their troops. The survivors were reassigned to the Eighth DLC to make up losses in that regiment.[9]

Dark Age Era[edit]

Two of the regiments of the Deneb Light Cavalry, the Fourth and Eighth, were gifted to the newly-founded Republic of the Sphere in the aftermath of the Jihad.[2] The other Deneb Light Cavalry units to survive the Jihad were converted into planetary militia forces for Deneb Kaitos and other nearby systems.[3]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Time Period in Command
Commanding Officers of the Deneb Light Cavalry
Major Andrew Terlecki
Marshal Andrew Terlecki Jr. 3053[10]

Tactics[edit]

Different per Unit.

Forces[edit]

The brigade is also organized in a completely different manner: 1 BattleMech regiment, 2 Hovercraft regiments, 2 Jump Infantry or Battle Armor regiments, 1 engineer unit, 1 ranger battalion, and between 3 and 6 aerospace fighter wings. The commands prefer light to medium machines for fast deployment.

Units of the Deneb Light Cavalry[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • The Fifth Cavalry was destroyed after a rescue raid on Sudeten for POWs [11]

Color Scheme and Insignia[edit]

The unit generally fields light tan units for all ceremonial and combat duties, in any theater.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 First Succession War, p. 33, "Those Left Behind"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 167, "Forces Gifted to the Republic"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 183, "Independent Units"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 224, "LVI Corps"
  5. 5.0 5.1 The Star League, p. 157, "Nineteenth"
  6. Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 84, "Deneb Light Cavalry"
  7. House Davion (The Federated Suns), unnumbered page, "Deneb Light Cavalry"
  8. First Succession War, p. 134, "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  9. Field Report: AFFS, p. 13
  10. Field Manual: Federated Suns, "Deneb Light Cavalry
  11. Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 85

Bibliography[edit]