Robinson Rangers

(Redirected from Robinson Brigade)
Insignia of the Robinson March Brigade
Robinson March Brigade
Formed 2831[1]
Previous Designation(s) Robinson Rangers

(2831 - 3079)

Robinson Brigade
(3079 - 3085)

Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command AFFC/AFFS

The Robinson Rangers, later known as the Robinson Brigade and the Robinson March Brigade, are an Armed Forces of the Federated Suns unit based in the Draconis March, notable for their loyalty to House Sandoval and hatred of the Draconis Combine.

History[edit]

Initially formed as an irregular brigade of volunteers who sought to protect their homeworld of Robinson during its invasion by DCMS forces during the First Succession War, the first "Robinson Rangers" were wiped out to a man by the invading Kuritans. To honor the tenacity and spirit of these volunteers after the conflict's conclusion, Prince Peter Davion authorized the construction of two BattleMech regiments bearing their name and financed by the Duke of Robinson. The First and Second Robinson Rangers were raised in 2831 and 2836 respectively.[1] Putting great stock in their namesake and heritage, the Robinson Rangers have always had deep ties to both Robinson and House Sandoval, as well as an abiding hatred of the Draconis Combine. Their loyalties are further reinforced by the brigade's tradition of drawing its members exclusively from the population of Robinson and graduates of its native Battle Academy. The Rangers have acted as the honor guard for House Sandoval since their inception and the brigade is officially led by the reigning Duke or Duchess of Robinson. It is also said that every individual transfer to the Rangers is personally approved by the Duke or Duchess themselves. In practice, however, the brigade is usually led by a field grade AFFS officer and transfers, while still technically individually approved by the ranking Sandoval, are made based on the recommendations of the Battle Academy staff.[2]

The Robinson Rangers have fought the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery in almost every major conflict the Inner Sphere has seen since their inception, intent on never forgiving their generational foe for the loss of their homeworld and the numerous atrocities— both real and imagined— for which they consider them responsible.[2] Their staunch hatred, ingrained in every new member of the brigade since their schooling at the Battle Academy, has made them fanatically effective against DCMS forces, but has also greatly hampered efforts by either Great House to improve their relationship. During the Clan Invasion, the First Robinson Rangers were rotated to the Lyran Commonwealth front and saw action against Clan Jade Falcon and Clan Steel Viper before taking part in Operation BULLDOG. Despite causing some incidents with DCMS units also assigned to the operation, they distinguished themselves well and returned home as heroes.[3]

In 3061, breaking from tradition, Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion created the Third Robinson Rangers from non-Robinson natives. While publicly a move to reinforce the Draconis March, the unit had few ties to the region and held more loyalty to the Archon and her followers than to House Sandoval or Robinson. Many speculated that their founding was purely a political move, and the fact that the unit spent most of its time on New Avalon guarding her palace did nothing to assuage this notion.[2]

In the FedCom Civil War, the First and Second Robinson Rangers were the primary striking arm of the Duke's invasion of the Draconis Combine. The First quickly took several worlds from the Combine[4], but was eventually forced back to Mallory's World to rebuild.[5] The Second transferred from its posting in the Lyran Alliance to the Draconis March[6] and attacked Quentin unsuccessfully, suffering enough damage that they were forced to withdraw to Mallory's World as well.[7] The Second Rangers were then tapped to join the task force that attacked New Avalon and freed it from Katherine Steiner-Davion, during which they took heavy losses. The Third Rangers were destroyed during that final battle on New Avalon and immediately stricken from AFFS rolls. High Command made no sign that they were interested in reviving the unit.[8]

In 3068, seeing the beginning of the Jihad as an opportunity to strike out against the disorganized Draconis Combine, the Second Robinson Rangers led a brutal raid on Benjamin. Blinded by their irrational rage, they targeted military and civilian targets indiscriminately and secured the world until 3069, when they were shattered by a Word of Blake raid.[9] Only a third of the regiment was able to limp back to Federated Suns space, where they reinforced the battered remnants of the First. Joined by several Com Guard units, the Rangers spearheaded the liberation of Robinson from its Word of Blake occupation in 3070.[10]

In the aftermath of the Jihad, the battered remnants of the two regiments were folded together into the First Robinson Rangers, which was restructured into the new Light Combat Team format now preferred by the AFFS. Despite protests from his brother Mordecai to resurrect the Second Rangers and strengthen both regiments to RCT size, Duke Tancred Sandoval chose instead to create brand new units with new livery and names to round out the remainder of the brigade, which was renamed the Robinson Brigade. Citing their unauthorized actions against the Combine during the Civil War and Jihad as proof of their checkered history, Tancred announced that the First Robinson Rangers would remain the only Ranger unit, with other units in the brigade to be named the Robinson Strikers. The Strikers raised were still loyal to the Duke of Robinson, but were deemed less likely to cause problems or launch unauthorized strikes as they lacked the ingrained, institutional hatred of the old Rangers.[11][12] Tancred hoped that this restructuring would move the Draconis March units beyond their old prejudices and into an era of relative peace along the Combine border.[13]

Tensions between the progressive Tancred and his traditionalist cousins Mordecai and Jerome simmered for years, until eventually sparking into outright civil war on Robinson in 3095.[14] The Rangers and Second Strikers regiments backed Mordecai and Jerome, while the First Strikers supported Tancred. Distracted by this internecine conflict, the Brigade was unable to repel encroachments by the Raven Alliance and Draconis Combine that took control of several Draconis March systems.[15] The Brigade was then stationed in the Draconis Reach, where it found itself unable to catch its breath or fully recover as it spent nearly fifty years moving from one small conflict to the next. By 3139, the Brigade had retreated from the Reach and was focused on bringing itself up to full strength on Robinson. Many of their regiments were still there when the Combine launched their invasion of the Federated Suns in 3144, and were subsequently mauled or outright destroyed by the combined forces of the Ryuken and Wolf's Dragoons in the fierce fighting that followed.[15] Due to the Brigade's status as a symbol of both the Draconis March and of the fierce fighting spirit of the Robinson people, these destroyed units were never gone for long. After the liberation of Robinson by Task Force Eruptio, Baroness Colleen Sandoval announced the reformation of the First Robinson Rangers in 3150.[16]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Robinson Rangers
Field Marshal Aaron Sandoval 3025[17] - 3048
Field Marshal James Sandoval 3048[18]
Major General Mai Fortuna 3067[8]
Prince's Champion Tancred Sandoval 3079[11] - 3085
Field Marshal Jerome Sandoval 3085[12]
Duke Corwin Sandoval 3139[19]

Tactics[edit]

Different per unit.

Units of the Robinson Rangers[edit]

Color Scheme and Unit Insignia[edit]

The Rangers use a deep red color with black trim as their unit colors.[2][24] The Strikers use the same deep red color, but accent their machines with yellow highlights.[25] While the unit was known as the Robinson Rangers, it used the insignia of the First Rangers as its brigade insignia: a single red arrow set against a gold shield.[2] After being redubbed the Robinson March Brigade, the unit adopted a new insignia, an upraised sword set against a gold shield with a red diagonal band, the official coat of arms of their homeworld.[11]

Unit Insignia[edit]

The insignia of the Robinson Rangers was a single red arrow on a golden shield.

  • 1st Robinson Rangers

  • 2nd Robinson Rangers

  • 3rd Robinson Rangers

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Second Succession War, p. 95: "Deployment Tables"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 100: "Robinson Rangers"
  3. ↑ Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 101: "1st Robinson Rangers: The Vols"
  4. ↑ FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), pp. 47-48, 90-91
  5. ↑ FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), pp. 106-107
  6. ↑ FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), p. 69
  7. ↑ FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), p. 109
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Field Manual Updates, p. 131: "Robinson Rangers"
  9. ↑ Total Chaos, pp. 115-116: "Benjamin"
  10. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 95
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Field Report: AFFS, p. 14: "Robinson Brigade"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 62: "Robinson March Brigade"
  13. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 66: "Draconis March Militia"
  14. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 231: "Major Highlights of the Post-Jihad Period"
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Field Manual: 3145, p. 80: "Robinson March Brigade"
  16. ↑ Dominions Divided, p. 58: "Never Again"
  17. ↑ House Davion (The Federated Suns), p. 182: "Aaron Sandoval"
  18. ↑ War of 3039, p. 24: "Field Marshal Duke James Sandoval"
  19. ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 51: "Second Robinson Rangers"
  20. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 182: "Civil War Deployment Table"
  21. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 62: "Robinson March Brigade"
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Field Manual: 3145, p. 80: "Robinson Brigade"
  23. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 71: "Debacle at Palymra"
  24. ↑ An Emissary of Heaven, p. 13
  25. ↑ CamoSpecs Online entry
  26. ↑ BattleTech: Legends, p. 113: "Tancred Sandoval"

Bibliography[edit]

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