Rolling Thunder Company

This article is about the military unit. For the scenario pack, see Rolling Thunder (scenario pack).

Rolling Thunder Company
Formed	3015
Affiliation	Free Worlds League
Parent Command	First Regulan Hussars

The Rolling Thunder was originally a late Third Succession War BattleMech company which was configured for assault missions. The unit was assigned to the Free Worlds League's Eastern Star Strike Battalion of the First Regulan Hussars. The unit was noted for its unique characteristics of its battle-hardened personnel and its antics on and off the battlefield.

History

Formation

The company was formed from the remains of three previous companies belonging to the First Regulan Hussars in 3015. The First Regulan Hussars had been rebuilding after the brutal fighting in the Marik Civil War fought between Anton Marik and his brother, sitting Captain-General Janos Marik.

Assigned as the new company's commanding officer was Force Captain Vic "The Ripper" Davis. During part of 3015, Captain Davis relentlessly whipped his people in shape with a degree of liberally applied brutality in both a verbal and physical sense. After its training period ended the company was newly named Ripper's Reavers.

In 3016, the unit participated in a raid of the Lyran world of Dixie. Part of this raiding force were elements of Wolf's Dragoons. When the Dragoons were threatened by the sudden appearance of an assault company of Lyrans, the Reavers moved and intercepted the assault company in a no-holds-barred battle in which the unit prevented the raiding force from failing its mission and kept the Dragoons from being flanked. The Reavers lost half of number in the course of the brutal fight with the assault company, which earned them the respect of Colonel Jaime Wolf. Colonel Wolf noted the company's approach to battle was like "Rolling Thunder". The nickname caught on quickly and the unit was later officially named Rolling Thunder. The raid itself was deemed a success.

Raiding, Riots, and Garrison Duty

Following its Dixie raid, the unit participated in a raiding campaign with the Dragoons for the following two years. By 3019, the unit was exhausted and needing refit. The Regulan High Command reassigned the unit to garrison duty of a base in the hills near the planetary capital of Tiber. However, after nearly two years of quiet training and rest the population rose in revolt against the ruling family of the planet. Rolling Thunder was dispatched and fought in the streets of the capital to subdue the riotous population. However, Thunder's actions in subduing the population led to atrocities being committed against citizens. Noting the resentment towards the unit after the riots, the Regulan High Command reassigned them to Regulus.

In 3021, the unit was deployed for a tour as the security force for the League Parliament on Atreus. Many of the unit's warriors complained of it being boring "powder-puff duty"; Captain Davis replied to their concerns in his usual direct and physical manner. This resulted in a number of the company's personnel making a visit to the medical section for various injuries. For the remainder of the tour, no warrior brought up the issue of the nature of their duty again. The company's most noted event was when it was used as the Honor Guard for visiting director Subhash Indrahar of the Draconis Combine's Internal Security Forces.

In December 3022, the unit was once again assigned to garrison the capital world of Regulus. While there, Captain Davis received a promotion and was replaced as the unit's Commanding Officer by Thunder's Fire Lance Commander, Gerald Cameron-Jones.

For the next two years, Rolling Thunder alternated between garrison duty in the Principality's capital and the Lyran border. While on the Lyran border, the unit conducted probing raids as well as defending against similar probes from Commonwealth forces, such as raiding the Red Wolves' base on Tainjin in 3023. In December, 3024 the unit found itself once again on Tiber, where it was deployed in counterinsurgency duty. Resistance factions rose to full revolt in early 3025 where the unit faced a Hussars unit and the Tiber Militia which had defected to the rebel cause. Force Captain Cameron-Jones led Rolling Thunder to completely destroy the traitors. In May, the unit was deployed to Hongqiao where it was sent to destroy another rebellious faction who had been waging a guerrilla war since 3020. In these endeavors, the Thunder was unable to pin down the elusive enemy and was pulled from the planet after five months.

Border Campaigns and Other Actions

In November 3025, the unit was reunited with the main body of the First Regulan Hussars and was assigned to Calloway VI. This was part of Captain-General Janos Marik's plan to pay back House Liao for breaches in their two year peace treaty.

Soon after Rolling Thunder and the Hussars arrived on Calloway, a regiment of the mercenary force, 2nd McCarron's Armored Cavalry, made planetfall. The Cavalry was unprepared for the battle-hardened First Regulan Hussars, who along with Thunder successfully routed the Capellan mercenaries. Within a week of the raid, Rolling Thunder and its Hussars parent command commenced a series of raids along the Capellan border.

After the border campaign, Thunder was assigned an independent task to help with counterinsurgency on Wallis. However, the unit arrived too late, and was nearly trapped by rebel forces who had gained control of the planet by a coup. The unit was forced to go to ground and avoid rebel forces for three months until March 3027, when reinforcements arrived to help them put down the rebellion.

Within a month, the unit had been rotated back to Regulus where it conducted extensive training & refitting in preparation for new offensives with the rest of the First Regulans.

In October, the unit was deployed to the Lyran front, where it and the First Regulan launched a series of large and small raids against such worlds as Dixie, Ford, Loric, and Poulsbo. Thunder's actions helped to keep the Lyran Commonwealth's forces off balance.

During the Poulsbo raid in 3028, the First Regulan Hussars targeted a base that was being used to stage attacks into the League. Thunder was ordered to attack the city of Silverdale to clear it of enemy forces; this would have led the way for Marik forces to strike the Bangor military base outside the city. However, Lyran forces had been waiting, and Thunder was ambushed the in city by the Lyran Second Armored Brigade. The combat vehicle force, also known as Steel Lightning was supported by two infantry companies placed in the city for the counterattack. The Thunder was able to maul the Lyran forces, but the raid fell short of taking the base itself out.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the Ripper's Reavers
Captain	Vic "The Ripper" Davis	3015 - 3016
Commanding Officers of the Rolling Thunder Company
Captain	Vic "The Ripper" Davis	3016 - 3022
Captain	Gerald Cameron-Jones	3022 - 3028

Tactics

3028

The Company's principal tactics focused on firepower. The unit's three lances employs tactics which are not traditionally performed in its parent regiment, the First Regulans.

The Attack Lance is used in two roles: as a Heavy Recon and probing force, used to find weaknesses in enemy forces, and to cover the unit's retreat should the company need to withdraw. As part of their retrograde maneuver they also have their flamer-equipped 'Mechs create fires in order to make smoke screens to cover their withdrawal.

The Fire Lance provides cover fire for the company. It also employs its lighter machines with the Command Lance's light 'Mechs for scouting assignments.

Composition History

3028

• Command Lance
  • Force Captain Gerald Cameron-Jones, BLR-1G Battlemaster [sic]
  • Lt. Alexandra "Lexi" Cherenkov, VTR-9B Victor
  • Paul Devries, HBK-4G Hunchback
  • Peter Jansen, HER-2S Hermes II

• Fire Lance
  • Lt. Kathryn Garrick, AWS-8Q Awesome
  • Lucas McCain, ARC-2K Archer
  • Mikhail Cherenkov, WHM-6L Warhammer
  • Robert Blackwell, FS9-Firestarter

• Attack Lance
  • Lt. Francis Canny, OTL-4D Ostsol
  • Esteban Rodriguez, OSR-2C Ostroc
  • Jacob "Crazy Joe" Bianco, SHD-2H Shadow Hawk
  • Sgt. Anton Karlevski, WVR-6M Wolverine

• Transportation unit was the DropShip FWLS Adamant

Notes

By the Clan Invasion era, the unit had faded away. In the midst of the Jihad conflict, there were rumors of the unit being reactivated to work for the newly independent Principality of Regulus.

Bibliography

• Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers
• Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)