Lexington Combat Group

Lexington Combat Group
Formed	2764 3151 (reformed)
Disbanded	3076
Previous Designation(s)	Fourth Ceti Hussars (3076 - 3151)
Affiliation	Mercenary
Parent Command	Independent
Sub-Command(s)	Thirty-second Recon Combat Group 180th Dragoon Combat Group 241st Battle Combat Group

Formed from Star League Defense Force troops who declined to join the Exodus, the three brigades of the Lexington Combat Group opted to keep their traditions alive as a mercenaries. Increasingly tied to the Federated Suns, the merged LCG officially became part of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns as the Fourth Ceti Hussars in the midst of the Jihad. The LCG was later reformed as a mercenary unit loyal to the Federated Suns at the beginning of the IlClan Era.

History

Founded by nine close friends (all graduates of the Lexington Military Academy on Terra) who chose to remain in the Inner Sphere rather than accompany Kerensky's Exodus. They gathered other Regular Army troops who also stayed behind on Bryant before striking out as mercenaries.

Since their formation the LCG has worked for each of the Successor States but the bulk of its service has been with the Federated Suns. While rough patches were encountered, the LCG had always returned to Davion service and was employed continuously by House Davion since the 2950's.

These ties became almost permanent when the mercenaries encountered heavy financial difficulties in 3040s when they fully upgraded their forces with recovered Star League technologies, eventually signing a seventy-year contract with AFFS High Command to repay the debt. While triggering rumors of a Company Store attempt, the LCG's personnel willingly agreed to the deal and even liked being virtually equal to AFFS line units as they became a vital part of the Capellan March defense network.

However, like so many other mercenary units in the Federated Suns, the LCG suffered grievous losses during both the FedCom Civil War and the Jihad, with its regiments seeing action during Duke George Hasek's Operation SOVEREIGN JUSTICE and the Capellan's Operation THUNDERSTRIKE counterstrike.

Relying almost completely upon the AFFS Department of the Quartermaster for resupply, buried in debt incurred from buying upgraded equipment from the Federated Suns, the LCG was drowning in insolvency, the LCG discovered that being virtually a line unit was meaningless in the desperate days of the Jihad, with supplies earmarked for them consistently reassigned by the Capellan March command to regular AFFS units. Not receiving enough matériel to even achieve basic maintenance levels, Marshal of the Armies Jonathan Davion recognized the critical situation represented by the loss of the LCG as a viable combat unit to the Federated Suns and personally met to negotiate for the mercenaries to join the AFFS as part of the Ceti Hussars, a brigade noted for its absorption of ex-SLDF units and combined armed focus shared by the LCG. The LCG agreed in January 3076, merging to become the fully-formed and combat ready Fourth Ceti Hussars.

Fourth Ceti Hussars

The newly-christened Fourth Ceti Hussars honored their mercenary heritage by patterning each of their combat commands on one of their former LCG units. During Operation MATADOR they dropped onto Horsham, where they fought the Taurian Guard and forced that unit to withdraw with heavy losses. Their rebuilding process was going slowly as they were drawing recruits only from their own training facility.

After the Jihad ended, the AFFS reduced the Ceti Hussars from Regimental Combat Teams to Light Combat Teams. This infuriated the Fourth Ceti Hussars, who were trying to maintain the history and traditions of their old mercenary commands. The High Command soothed the Fourth's anger by using the troops who were removed from the Fourth Ceti Hussars to form the Fifth Ceti Hussars.

During the Capellan Confederation's Dark Age assault, the Fourth Ceti Hussars and Valexa CMM faced off against the First Liao Dragoons. During this conflict the Dragoons overextended themselves and were surrounded by the two AFFS units. The Fourth closed with the Dragoons, but the Valexa CMM didn't. This led to heavy losses among the Fourth as it took the brunt of the fighting. These actions soured the Fourth on working with any Capellan March forces, and they requested an immediate transfer to their homeworld, Victoria.

After Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell announced the mercenary-peerage program in 3150, the Fourth Ceti Hussars began talks to reform the Lexington Combat Group. By reverting to mercenary status they would regain the freedom to expand and organize their unit in accordance to the LCG's preferences instead of being shackled to the Ceti Hussars' doctrines and the Fourth Ceti's commander were all patriots who knew that by serving the nation as a mercenary command with favorable salvage rights—rather than as a line unit—it would cost the AFFS less overall while allowing for the bolstering of other units or the hiring of more mercenaries. After consulting with his advisors, Prince Julian Davion granted Rear Admiral Zachariah Cassidy, the Fourth's commander, a viscounty on the world of Tecumseh and greenlit the rebirth of the Lexington Combat Group.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of Lexington Combat Group
General	Isabella Rahn	3025
Major General	Malcolm Feinman	3043 - 3067
Commanding Officers of Fourth Ceti Hussars
Major General	Jules Borozescu	3085
Rear Admiral	Zachariah Cassidy	3145
Commanding Officers of Lexington Combat Group
Rear Admiral	Zachariah Cassidy	3151

Tactics

Different per Unit.

Composition History

2786

• 32nd Recon Combat Group
• 241st Battle Combat Group
• 180th Dragoon Combat Group

3025–3028

Lexington Combat Group (3 regiments/Regular/Reliable)

• CO: General Isabella Rahn (3025)

• Thirty-second Recon (Veteran)
• Golda's Golden Hammers (Regular)
• Timothy's Gazelles (Green)
• 32nd Recon Combat Group - Malcom's Sprinters
• 241st Battle Combat Group - Frederic's Gazelles
• 180th Dragoon Combat Group - Marie's Golden Hammers

3079

Fourth Ceti Hussars RCT (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Wrentham and Mendham.

3085

Fourth Ceti Hussars LCT (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Major General Jules Borozescu

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

Aerospace Brigade (Green/Reliable)

• CO: Commodore Thierry Brent

Combat Commant Alpha (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Major General Silverster Baanders

Combat Command Beta (Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Major General Edgard Bhrighde

Combat Command Charlie

• CO: Major General Dobromil Anselmi

3145

Fourth Ceti Hussars RCT (Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Rear Admiral Zachariah Cassidy

Aerospace Brigade (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Commodore Marilyn Kelly

Combat Command Alpha (Veteran/Questionable)

• CO: Major General John Evans

Combat Command Beta (Regular/Reliable)

• CO: Major General Victor Bell

Combat Command Charlie (Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Major General Brian Taylor

Notes

• Each of the LCG's three combat brigades includes a BattleMech regiment teamed up with an aerospace wing, a combined armor/mechanized infantry force composed of two heavy armor battalions and two mechanized infantry battalions, and abundant integrated DropShip and support assets.

• To ensure fair promotion and leadership of the LCG, as well as to prevent nepotism, the unit has three separate councils—one of senior officers, one of midlevel officers, and one of NCOs and recruits—who meet to approve every significant promotion within the Group.

Colors and Unit Insignia

• The LCG's insignia is a diagonal black stripe over white on a red shield, overlaid with a horizontal saber. The LCG employ a red paint scheme, with a black stripe down the left torso and leg on 'Mechs, and across the left side of vehicles and fighter craft.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: 3085
• Field Manual: 3145
• Field Report: AFFS
• House Davion (The Federated Suns)
• IlClan
• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• Mercenaries Supplemental