Robinson Battle Academy

Robinson Battle Academy

Academy Information
Location Robinson
Founding Year c. 2780s [1][2]
Course Information
BattleMechs[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Infantry[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Battle Armor[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Conventional Armor[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Aerospace[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Technician[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]
Engineer[3] 3020[2] - 3079[3]


The Robinson Battle Academy is a Federated Suns military academy located on the world of Robinson. The academy is known for providing the Draconis March and the AFFS with loyal troops who carry a deep-seated hatred for the Draconis Combine as a whole and the Kurita ruling family in particular.[2]

General[edit]

First founded at the beginning of the First Succession War, the Battle Academy had just graduated its first class of officers when Draconis Combine forces invaded the planet in 2787. When the defenders were finally crushed and forced to surrender, the DCMS forced the few surviving Battle Academy graduates to tear the school buildings apart brick by brick, in effort to demoralize the population.[2] Though it was rebuilt and destroyed twice more, and continued to train officer candidates— Field Marshal Ran Felsner being a notable 2998 graduate[4]— the school remained in various states of disrepair for almost 200 years.[5] Efforts were finally made to restore it to full service in 3020, when Robinson's economy had recovered to the point of prosperity. The Sandoval family gladly bankrolled the official reconstruction of the institution with the aim of making it an equal to the prestigious martial academies of the Federated Suns.[2]

The Battle Academy trained a significant amount of officers for Draconis March based units throughout the Fourth Succession War, War of 3039, and the Clan Invasion, though it was best known as the prime source of recruits for the Robinson Rangers. The institution weathered a notable drop in applicants after the temporary cessation of hostilities between the Combine and the Federated Suns brought on by the Truce of Tukayyid and the Inner Sphere's collective focus on repelling the Clans. By 3062, however, tensions and applications were back on the rise. In the fall of that year, a surprise kamikaze attack by a unit of DCMS struck Robinson. The raiders showed no restraint and inflicted great damage on the citizens of Robinson before finally being annihilated to a man by a combined group of Robinson Rangers and Battle Academy training cadre, led by Baron Tancred Sandoval and Duke Arthur Steiner-Davion.[6]

The Battle Academy's Training Battalion was subsequently tapped to join the First Robinson Rangers in their assault on Proserpina during Duke James Sandoval's unsanctioned invasion of the Combine in the winter of 3062.[7] The combined unit performed outstandingly and the decision was made to pursue the invasion of Ashio in 3063. This proved to be a world too far, and after months of fierce fighting the Robinson units fell back to Mallory's World, having suffered heavy losses.[8] They remained there until the Civil War's conclusion.[9]

The Robinson Battle Academy suffered heavy damages during the Word of Blake's brief occupation of Robinson during 3071. Even though the world was quickly recaptured by a combined AFFS-ComStar force, the institution had once again been destroyed. The Battle Academy was forced to temporarily stand down its Training Battalion for several years as it focused on rebuilding and repairing.[10] It sited its new grounds in the area just outside the capital city of Tiberias, opting to build most structures as heavily-reinforced underground bunkers this time around.[3]

During the Dark Ages, the Battle Academy supplied House Davion and House Sandoval with a steady supply of new troops, particularly in areas where the Duke, Aaron Sandoval had significant holdings. Foundational members of his Swordsworn came from the Robinson Battle Academy after the Duke increased his recruitment requests.[11][12]

The Battle Academy was destroyed for the fifth time during the Draconis Combine invasion of 3144. Its Training Battalion was trapped on the Academy campus by the Ryuken-nana and killed to the last cadet by a barrage of cruise missiles and BattleMech fire.[13] While currently inactive, with the recapture of Robinson by Republic Armed Forces and the reformation of the First Robinson Rangers, it is doubtful the Robinson Battle Academy will remain that way for long.

Atmosphere[edit]

The Robinson Battle Academy enforces a rigorous curriculum that consists of both military and civilian spheres of education. However, instructors and professors emphasize a hands-on, practical application towards education that gives the Battle Academy's graduates a noticeable edge over those from other more theory-bound institutions. This, combined with comprehensive peer support and academic guidance programs, have brought the Battle Academy into the realm of highly-regarded academies, though an appointment to the NAIS College of Military Science or Albion Military Academy is still seen as more prestigious.[5] In addition to this prestige, the Robinson Battle Academy is perhaps infamous for the level of pro-Sandoval, anti-Combine sentiment that it instills in its cadets and graduates. Rumors abound that the current Duke of Robinson sometimes grants appointments based not on a candidate's merit, but on their level of loyalty to House Sandoval or their vitriol towards the Combine. While these rumors have not been confirmed, the Robinson Rangers are certainly known to select the most fanatical graduates for their new recruits. The Academy also maintains an annual weeklong celebration and reenactment of the Combine's final removal from Robinson. These traditions often encourage reckless behavior in cadets looking to gain the attention of the Duke and their family.[5][14]

Special Notes[edit]

While the Academy's cadet rumor mill is convinced that everything and everyone is monitored by a network of Sandoval spies, the truth is much more mundane: the Duke merely reviews performance evaluations passed onto him by Academy staff and makes his decisions on assignments based on their marks. Though the occasional appointee is placed there due to loyalty or hatred, these are merely exceptions rather than the rules.[14]

Notable Graduates[edit]

Training Units[edit]

Historical Insignias[edit]

  • Robinson Battle Academy

  • Robinson Battle Academy Dark Age

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Field Report 2765: AFFS, RBA is not mentioned under the "Academies and Command Centers" section
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 155, Battle Academy of Robinson
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 Objectives: Federated Suns, p. 24, "Robinson Battle Academy"
  4. ↑ War of 3039, p. 21, "Field Marshal Ran Felsner"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Field Manual: Federated Suns, pp. 38-39, "Robinson Battle Academy"
  6. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 21, "Robinson"
  7. ↑ FedCom Civil War, pp. 48 - 49
  8. ↑ FedCom Civil War, pp. 106 - 107, "Ashio"
  9. ↑ Field Manual Updates, p. 131, "1st Robinson Rangers"
  10. ↑ Objectives: Federated Suns, p. 4, "Strategic Integrity"
  11. ↑ MechWarrior: Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards, p. 275, "Robinson Battle Academy"
  12. ↑ MechWarrior Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards, p. 340, "Robinson Battle Academy"
  13. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 61, 86
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 133, "Robinson Battle Academy Training Battalion"

Bibliography[edit]

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