11th Mechanized Cavalry (Clan Hell's Horses)
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 | This article needs to be updated with additional information from the following sources: Turning Points: Foster |
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| Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry Cluster | |
| Nickname | Blackhorse Cluster |
| Affiliation | Clan Hell's Horses |
| Parent Command | Alpha Galaxy |
The Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry Cluster was a combined arms military formation of Clan Hell's Horses. The unit is one of the Horses' more successful combat forces.
History[edit]
Golden Century Era[edit]
Trials for Battle Armor Technology[edit]
The Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry was assigned to fight a set of Trials of Possession against Clan Wolf forces on Tiber in 2886. The Cavalry fought for rights for the newly developed Battle Armor technology, which was soon developed by Wolves. Their actions paved the way for modern Elemental battle armor to be introduced to the Clans.[1]
Assault on Kindraa Smythe-Jewel[edit]
In 2872, the Eleventh Mechanized became part of an inter-Clan task force with Clan Coyote to destroy Clan Fire Mandrill's dishonorable Kindraa Smythe-Jewel in 2872. The Cavalry was deployed with the 666th Assault Cluster to hit the Kindraa's enclaves on Foster. Initially, the unit's aerospace fighters and DropShips joined other allied Clan forces and engaged and dispatched the Kindraa's naval assets.
On the ground, the Cluster, along with other Clan Hell's Horses and Coyotes units, engaged Smythe-Jewel's forces in a twenty-six-hour battle. The Eleventh Cavalry and its sister forces used their vehicles and BattleMechs' speed advantage and were able to position themselves to strike into the Kindraa's exposed flank. They engaged and fought the renegade Mandrills in battle, giving no quarter.
The Eleventh Cavalry's actions in the destruction against the Kindraa helped yield the Clan's first examples of OmniMechs which allowed the Horses to develop versions these 'Mechs.[2]
The Eleventh represented the Hell's Horses in the REVIVAL Trials to determine the Clans that would participate in Operation REVIVAL. The elite and strongly-Warden[3] Elventh was defeated by both Clan Ghost Bear and Clan Diamond Shark.[4]
In 3067, the Eleventh was stationed on Niles.[5]
Jihad[edit]
The Eleventh Cavalry served with distinction in the Free Worlds League under Alys Rousset-Marik's command.[6] They invaded Hsien along with the Twelfth Atrean Dragoons, Seventh Donegal Guards, and the Devil's Brigade. On Hsien, they faced not only the Hsien Protectorate Militia and the Hsien Hotheads, but also the CCAF's Fourth McCarron's Armored Cavalry and Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers. Though they were able to coordinate their efforts against the Blakist troops, the Horses never got along with the CCAF troops.[7] Following the fighting on Hsien the Eleventh Cavalry fielded a surprising number of Jinggau BattleMechs salvaged from their encounters with the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers, the Eleventh's Trinary Alpha becoming so enamored with the Capellan design that they traded other salvaged CCAF 'Mechs with the Allied forces to acquire more examples, developing the JN-G8Ar and JN-G7Lr variants which featured Clan-tech equipment.[8]
During the liberation of Terra the Eleventh landed on Mars alongside the Seventh Donegal Guards, Stone's Liberators, and the Alpha Galaxies of Clan Nova Cat and Clan Wolf-in-Exile.[9] They were present for the surrender of Mars to General Andrew Redburn.[10] After the liberation of Terra the Eleventh was slightly under half-strength.[11]
Dark Age[edit]
After returning to the Hell's Horses Occupation Zone the Eleventh was stationed on Csesztreg in 3085. At this point the Cluster had been brought to over half-strength and 84% of the unit was equipped with OmniMechs.[12]
By 3145, the Eleventh had been transferred to Chateau and stood at four-fifths strength with just under half of its command equipped with Omnis.[13]
IlClan Era[edit]
In December 3150, the Hell's Horses pushed the forces of the Oberon Confederation off Gustrell. Watch interrogations of Oberonian prisoners indicated that the Confederation had staged off the nearby world of Butte Hold, leading saKhan Fulk Lassenerra to dispatch the Eleventh on a punitive strike there. The Eleventh failed to locate any Oberonian forces and instead discovered Snord's Irregulars performing an archaeological dig. The Eleventh attacked the mercenaries but was held off long enough for the Irregulars to load their equipment and escape.[14]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 11th Mechanized Cavalry | |||
| Star Colonel | James Cobb | 3048 – 3059[15][3] | |
| Star Colonel | John Lassenerra | 3067[5] | |
| Star Colonel | Yusuf Ben-Shimon | 3085[12] | |
| Star Colonel | Susannah Hawker | 3145 – 3150[13][16] | |
Tactics[edit]
The Eleventh was a strong believer in combined arms tactics. Often, they were deployed so that OmniMechs, Elementals, and combat vehicles made up a third of their deployment.[3]
Composition History[edit]
3059[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry (5 Trinaries/Elite/Fanatical)[15]
- CO: Star Colonel James Cobb
3067[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry (Elite/Reliable)[5]
- CO: Star Colonel John Lassenerra
3079[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry (Elite/Reliable)[11]
3085[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry (Elite/Reliable)[12]
- CO: Star Colonel Yusuf Ben-Shimon
3145[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry (Veteran/Reliable)[13]
- CO: Star Colonel Susannah Hawker
3150[edit]
Eleventh Mechanized Cavalry[16]
- CO: Star Colonel Susannah Hawker[16]
Colors and Unit Insignia[edit]
Clan Hell's Horse's Alpha Galaxy used a flat dark gray with red highlights.[15][17]
The Cavalry's insignia matches Alpha Galaxy's horse crest, but the bottom left in the color white for a cavalry cluster. Furthermore, the Cluster's insignia shares similarities to the crest that was once used by the Eleventh Armored Cavalry Regiment of pre-Star League times.[15]
Notes[edit]
- Special Rules for the Eleventh can be found on p. 20 of Operational Turning Points: REVIVAL Trials[3] and p. 175 of Field Manual: Crusader Clans[18]
References[edit]
- ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 54: Golden Century - the 11th Mechanized takes part in technology-exchange trials that led to the formulation of the modern Clan Elemental Battle Armor squads.
- ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, pp. 54–56: Hell's Fury - 11th Mechanized's takes part of the destruction of dishonorable Fire Mandrill Kindraa and helps horses gain access to OmniMech technology.
- ↑ a b c d Operational Turning Points: REVIVAL Trials, p. 20
- ↑ Operational Turning Points: REVIVAL Trials, p. 15
- ↑ a b c Field Manual: Updates, p. 71: "Crusader Clans Deployment Table"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 45
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 78
- ↑ Shrapnel Issue 12, "JN-GB9 Jinggau"
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 96
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 134
- ↑ a b Field Report: Clans, p. 13
- ↑ a b c Field Manual: 3085, p. 124
- ↑ a b c Field Manual: 3145, p. 167
- ↑ Tamar Rising, pp. 40–41: "Rescue for the Republic"
- ↑ a b c d Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 65: "11th Mechanized Cavalry Cluster (Blackhorse Cluster)"
- ↑ a b c d e Tamar Rising, p. 41
- ↑ "Clan Hell's Horses Alpha Galaxy". CamoSpecs Online. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
Per FM:Crusader Clans, page 65.
- ↑ Field Manual: Crusader Clans, p. 175: "Alpha Galaxy"