4th Lyran Regulars

Fourth Lyran Regulars
Disbanded	ca. 3140
Nickname	Tropic Lightning
Affiliation	Lyran Commonwealth
Parent Command	Lyran Regulars

The Fourth Lyran Regulars was originally a frontline BattleMech Regiment in the service of Lyran Commonwealth. The unit was noted historically for holding grudges and for hating the Draconis Combine and then later the Clans.

History

Star League Era

The regiments of the Lyran Regulars were prone to being disbanded and reactivated as needed; each time a regiment was reactivated, it would be populated with a mix of reenlisted veterans and fresh recruits, before being assigned to a garrison posting to free up a line regiment for active service. After these line regiments returned home, the Regulars drew down to a brigade, awaiting the next time they would be called on. The Fourth were an active regiment in 2765, stationed on Elume, and were responsible for causing a stir within the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. The focus of this attention was Colonel Michelle Eanes, the commanding officer; Colonel Eanes had married one of her subordinate officers, Hauptmann Liza Stansfield. The LCAF responded by attempting to post Stansfield to another command, but Stansfield was suing to have the posting overturned, citing that military regulations allowed for fraternization between officers, only forbidding relationships where one officer was reporting directly to another. The LCAF High Command responded by making life as difficult as possible for the 4th to put as much pressure on the two officers as possible, while their case worked its way through the Commonwealth's military courts.

First Succession War

The unit was still on Elume at the dawn of the First Succession War. By the end of the fighting, they still held their post on the world, but the heavy-weight regiment had been reduced to under a quarter of its original strength.

Second Succession War

During the scramble to rebuild after the First Succession War, the 4th received replacement 'Mechs and pilots, though it was not enough to bring the regiment fully up to strength. At the start of the Second Succession War, the unit was a little over two battalions in strength and still posted to Elume. The replacements were even heavier than the unit's original composition, tipping the 4th Regulars into the assault regiment category. Over the course of the war, they lost roughly half of this number, ending the war on Moore at 39 percent strength.

Fourth Succession War

The 4th Lyran Regulars took an active part in the Fourth Succession War. During Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, the major Lyran Commonwealth offensive of the Fourth Succession War, the unit deployed alongside the 3rd Donegal Guards for the invasion of Orestes. Then, in the exploitation phase that began on the 21st of October 3028 to capitalize on the successes of the initial wave of attacks, the 4th Lyran Regulars and the 3rd Donegal Guards joined the 22nd Skye Rangers in the invasion of Grumium. The conquest of Grumium was considered a significant emotional victory, as Grumium had been a Lyran world prior to being conquered by the Combine. The 4th then joined in the final wave of attacks launched under Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG, capturing Camlann.

Post–Fourth Succession War and Ronin War

After the Fourth Succession War, the unit saw the worlds they had helped conquer for their home province of the Tamar Pact given away to the newly formed Free Rasalhague Republic in 3033. A year later these hard-won worlds came under attack by rogue Draconis Combine regiments attempting to retake the Republic for House Kurita. By this time, the unit has been transferred to Blue Diamond as its new garrison world. Without a break in fighting, the unit took advantage of the situation and conducted a series of raids against the Draconis Combine as a means to vent their frustration forcing the House Steiner to give up worlds for formation of the Republic.

The War of 3039

The Regulars were assigned as part of the attack forces used in the FedCom's invasion of the Draconis Combine in the War of 3039.

In the first wave of the conflict, the Regulars were part of the assault force assigned to attack Konstance. They arrived on 28 April, 3039 with the Fourth Crucis Lancers and the mercenary regiment Mobile Fire to take the system. The attack commenced roughly two weeks after other opening attacks, such as those on Kessel and Vega, but JumpShip problems and a lack of coordination delayed the operation. Opposing the FedCom forces on the CO₂-blanketed world was the 22nd Dieron Regulars. The FedCom expedition planned to conduct a two-pronged invasion of the planet, taking the capital of Ishtalla and important sites on the continent of Epigaus. The Regulars were assigned to Task Force Hope, with the Regulars' CO Leutnant-General Michael Bradbury as its commander. He chose to land forty kilometers outside the city of Lazarus Bay on Epigaus.

The Regulars moved into the city, where they found a battalion of the 22nd Dieron Regulars with additional Armor forces dug-in and waiting for them. The Dieron 'Mechs struck first, conducting a series of quick flanking attacks, but the 4th Lyran Regulars met speed with speed. Lightning raids from both units meant the battlefield was an ever-changing situation. The accelerated pace of battle chewed through the task force's spare parts, but the 4th and its mercenary allies gained control of the city and its port facilities. After securing the city, the Regulars' allies in Ishtalla met only token resistance in comparison to the Regulars' fight for Lazarus Bay, leaving the remaining Dieron Regulars on the loose. The Combine troops wasted little time, beginning a series of attacks after the AFFC occupied the world's cities that often included arming civilian submarine transports for hit-and-run attacks. Tensions between Leutnant-General Bradbury and his Crucis Lancers counterpart, Major General Charles Duncan, developed as the battle turned into a police action. Bradbury believed he should have authority as the most senior Lyran officer in a Lyran theater, while Duncan pointed to his longer service record and status as an RCT commander. The high command kept the two officers under control until July 12, when ISF agents attacked General Nondi Steiner on Vega, decapitating the theater leadership and eliminating their moderating influence on the officers' feud.

By August, both Bradbury and Duncan were petitioning their respective high commands for reinforcements and naval assets to help hunt down the 22nd Dieron. But as none was sent, the world fell into a stalemate, with the FedCom forces holding the cities and unable to pin down the DCMS survivors. On the 19th, Draconis Combine reinforcements in the form of the Third Dieron Regulars jumped into the system at a pirate point. The unit's leader, Tai-sho James Kurenal, directed the 3rd Dieron to a landing zone south of Lazarus Bay, where they began an artillery barrage of the fortified positions the FedCom troops held. The 4th Lyran Regulars now faced a heavier force, who were giving them the choice to come out and fight or allow themselves to be bombarded. The 4th Lyran moved swiftly, surprising the incoming 3rd Dieron, who were prepared to conduct a city assault. Two battalions of Lyran Regulars drove straight to the HQ of the 3rd Dieron; however earthworks erected to protect the Kurita infantry caused the fast-moving 'Mechs of the 4th Lyrans to slow down enough for the 3rd Dieron's command Company to take advantage of their maneuver. The Combine force led by Tai-sho Kurenal charged into the flank of the 4th Lyrans' attack force with such velocity and venom that advanced units told Bradbury they were engaged by at least a heavy battalion. Bradbury called for the unit to pull back, which then became a rout. The damage inflicted by the Kurita counterattack left long-lasting psychological damage to the Lyran Regulars for decades to come, with the unit refusing to acknowledge they had been turned back by a mere company.

Bradley ordered the Regulars to fall back to the Lazarus Bay. On September 3rd, the surviving elements of the 22nd Dieron Regulars combined forces with some of the 3rd Dieron to breach the Lyran defenses. The street-to-street fighting in the city was brutal, with engagements typically fought at under 100 meters and causing massive collateral damage. Mobile Fire's 3rd Division's expertise in urban warfare proved enough to win them a string of successes against the Kuritans' lack of city fighting experience. Shortly afterwards, Mobile Fire suffered its own reversal as its commanding officer, Quinten Moore, was killed. General Bradbury made the decision to withdraw from the planet, on September 5th, deeming the situation unsalvageable after the Crucis Lancers did not aid the LCAF units at Lazarus Bay.

Clan Invasion

The 4th Lyran Regulars were spared being deployed to the war front during the Clan Invasion. After the Battle of Tukayyid and its Truce in 3052, the FedCom High Command selected the Regulars among other units to conduct raids into the Clan Occupation Zones. The combat in these raids were high intensity, grinding the Regulars down until they were below 30 percent strength. The Lyran High Command ordered it be deactivated while it was being rebuilt.

By 3060, the unit had been rebuilt and was now under the command of Colonel Chas Mohring, a transfer from the 4th Deneb Light Cavalry. From his first day of command, he focused on new tactics learned during his years with the Deneb Light Cavalry. The unit was viewed with some suspicion due to the unit's ties with former Tamar Pact and, by extension, Robert Kelswa-Steiner. While some officers had criticized Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion, it was due to their burning hatred for the Clans rather than true opposition to her, and the regiment was still regarded as reliably loyal.

The FedCom Civil War and the 11th Arcturan Battle Group

Neutral at start of the War, the unit would ultimately be drawn into the fight. The Regulars joined the 11th Arcturan Guards' Battle Group of Loyalist forces hunting down Victor Steiner-Davion alongside the 4th Alliance Guards, Alarion and Carlisle APMs. The 11th Arcturan Battle Group, as it had been dubbed by the high command, arrived on Thorin in August 7th, 3065 with reports suggesting the Prince was on world. The Regulars and rest of the task force moved to take the planet's capital, Ecol City, but the 244th Division and Outlands Legion were there to meet them. General Linda MacDonald led the Regulars alongside the rest of the task force in a two-week action against the Allied troops. The fight over Thorin continued until January 24th, 3066, when Victor Steiner-Davion pulled his forces off planet. The moderately damaged Regulars stayed behind to garrison the planet for rest of the war. Colonel Mohring retained command after war's end, but it was the conduct of his armor commander, Colonel Devon Lestrade, that drew the most attention. Despite his family's close ties to the Free Skye movement, Lestrade proved himself a staunch Lyran patriot and rebuffed all attempts to get him to join the insurrection, though it estranged him from much of his family.

The Jihad

In February of 3068, the Regulars joined Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN, Robert Kelswa-Steiner's attack on the Free Worlds League. The Regulars attacked McAffe on May 20th, which intelligence reports claimed was held by the Ninth Regulan Hussars. When they arrived, the Regulars found the Home Guard and two additional regiments of Marik Militia waiting for them. Much of the unit's leadership was accused of ineptitude and reassigned after losing a quarter of their forces. Colonel Lestrade was appointed to lead the unit, making him one of the few armor officers to command a BattleMech-based force.

The 4th and 8th Lyran Regulars assaulted Epsilon in the Tamarind Abbey District. The Regulars faced the 34th Marik Militia, which put up some resistance, but eventually the LCAF force overwhelmed the battalion sized formation and forced them off world. They later fought for several months on Bella I in 3082 and eventually took that world as well. In 3085 they were still garrisoning Bella I.

Dark Age

The 4th Lyran Regulars remained active until c. 3140, when the unit was one of many destroyed by Clan Wolf.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the 4th Lyran Regulars
Colonel	Michelle Eanes	2765
Leutnant-General	Michael Bradbury	3039
Leftenant General	Cynthia Wellers	3050
Colonel	Chas Mohring	3062 - 3067
Colonel	Devon Lestrade	3085

Tactics

During the War of 3039, the Regulars utilized their speed and to outmaneuver enemies, using flanking attacks and lightning-fast strikes.

By 3062, the unit's tactics changed after its reactivation and receiving a new commanding officer. The unit would utilize its attached Force's Hovercraft type Combat Vehicles forces to screen and scouts. It would augment its BattleMechs and heavier Combat Vehicles to have them form combined-arms subcommands to maneuver independently, exploiting local terrain to their own advantage.

Unit Insignia

The Unit's insignia is the outline of a palm tree with lightning striking above it.

Composition History

2765

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

2786 - 2821

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the heavy-weight unit was stationed on Elume. In 2821 the command was reduced to 24 percent of its strength and was deployed on Elume.

2830

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the assault-weight unit was stationed on Elume with an operational readiness of 69 percent.

2864

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular./Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the assault-weight unit was stationed on Moore with an operational readiness of 39 percent.

3025

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Menkent.

3040

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Menkent.

3050

4lh Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Leftenant General Cynthia Wellers

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Menkent.

3062-3067

4th Lyran Regulars (BattleMech Regiment)
CO: Colonel Chas Mohring
Regulars Note: In 3062, the Regulars were considered Regular skilled and listed with a Reliable loyalty rating while still stationed on Blue Diamond. As of 3067, the unit strength would be 80%, while it was noted as having regular skills and reliable loyalty rating.

23rd Menkent Cavalry (Armor Regiment)
CO: Leutnant Colonel Devon Lestrade Cavalry Notes: In 3062, the unit had been rated as Regulars, and Reliable along with rest of the regiment. In 3067 the Cavalry's strength would be up to 95%, with loyalty ratings of Regular and it was considered to be Reliable.

Unit Note: In 3062, the Regulars (as whole) would be noted for taking a neutral status in growing during the reign of Katrina Steiner-Davion leading to the Civil War. It had access to D rated Equipment this time period.

3079

Fourth Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Ford.

3085

4th Lyran Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)
CO: Colonel Devon Lestrade

Notable Members of the Unit

• Devon Lestrade - The Armor/Tank Commander of the 4th's attached combat vehicle regiment, he is a nephew of the traitorous late Duke of Summer, Aldo Lestrade. Unlike his late uncle, and from all appearances, he does not possess a desire for intrigue. He is, however, politically astute and is among the number of officers who has a burning wish to destroy Clan Jade Falcon. After the FedCom Civil War, he was viewed as a patriotic individual refusing to be involved with the Free Skye movement. This estranged him from his family due to their ties with that rebel organization.

Notes

• Special rules for the 4th Lyran Regulars can be found on Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 133.

Bibliography

• 20 Year Update
• FedCom Civil War
• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Manual: Lyran Alliance
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report 2765: LCAF
• First Succession War
• Historical: War of 3039
• House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)
• Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• Objective Raids
• Second Succession War