Ryuken-yon

Insignia of the Ryuken-yon
Ryuken-yon
Formed 3026
Disbanded abt. 3069[1]
Nickname Midnight Sun[2]
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Ryuken

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

In 3026 Takashi Kurita ordered the creation of a BattleMech unit trained in the tactics of the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary unit. The Coordinator later ordered that the Ryuken were to be split into several companies, and each was then to expand to regimental size. The Ryuken-yon, or Ryuken Four in Japanese, was one of the units formed. They fought on Misery against Wolf's Dragoons.[3]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Ronin War[edit]

War of 3039[edit]

Harrow's Sun[edit]

The AFFS supported several resistance movements on the planet before the start of the War of 3039. Over time, the assaults and attacks were successful, but the intelligence agents failed to discover that the DCMS had sent a seasoned command as a regular defense force to the world. The underground movement received help from Miller's Marauders, which was on the world to win the planet for the AFFS. The arrival came as a shock to the resistance leader, but they acted immediately with coordinated attacks around the surface. The confusion doesn't last long. The DCMS unit routed several resistance cells out and cut off the AFFS mercenaries from their awaiting DropShips. The Marauders decided to hold the line and to save as many soldiers as they could. With the arrival of 3 DCMS infantry regiments, the situation turned worse for the AFFS side once again. The Marauders lost over 50 percent of their fighting strength during the retreat from that world. The anti-DCMS movement fought for several more weeks, but a huge number were taken prisoner. Several hundred of them were executed for conspiracy and treason against the Combine.[4]

An Ting[edit]

The fight for the world was fierce because the Federated Suns and the DCMS fought several battles in the past for that planet. The AFFS troops, which landed during wave one (1st Davion Guards + 17th Avalon Hussars)[5] meet fierce resistance from the Ryuken-roku. The leaders of the AFFS command expected the arrival of DCMS reinforcement soon, but couldn't find a way to break the enemy, even with superior numbers. The situation for DCMS changed when the Ryuken-yon landed with their conventional forces. The resistance of the local population made the fight for the AFFS tougher. The DCMS forces got the upper hand when they repulsed several breakout attempts of the Davion troops. After that series of defeats, the Commanding Officer of the task force gave the withdrawal order to his troops.[6]

Clan Invasion[edit]

In 3050 the Ryuken-yon was stationed on Harrow's Sun.[7]

After the Battle of Luthien, the Ryuken-yon, along with the rest of the Ryuken Brigade, were ordered to the world of Wolcott, which by that point was a Combine-held oasis deep behind enemy lines. There, they engaged in a policy of constant raids which aimed to resupply partisans fighting against the Clan occupiers of conquered worlds and destroy or disrupt the fragile supply networks of Clans Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat.[8]

Operation BULLDOG[edit]

Volunteers from the unit formed the Dark Sword Provisional Company as part of Operation BIRD DOG;[9] led by Chu-i John Kikuchi, the Dark Sword deployed to Hyner to harass Smoke Jaguar forces in the buildup to Operation BULLDOG.[10]

The Ryuken-yon moved from the world of Herndon to Matamoras to blunt the Smoke Jaguar counterattack. Alongside the Second Night Stalkers and the First Free Worlds Guards, the yon was able to blunt the attack of the Nineteenth Striker Cluster, leading to the retreat of Galaxy Commander Hang Mehta to Huntress.[11][12]

Dominion War[edit]

Federated Suns Incursion[edit]

Jihad[edit]

Assembling on Ko at the beginning of the Jihad, the Ryuken-yon prepared to travel to Imbros III in an effort to retake the system. They were ambushed by a fleet of Word of Blake ships at Ko's nadir jump point, with the Blakists destroying ten JumpShips and taking three others captive. The few survivors were captured and sent to Blakist prison camps, mostly on Dieron. With such staggering losses, the High Command decided not to rebuild the unit and reassigned the survivors to other Ryuken regiments, despite the other Ryuken regiments' petitions.[1]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Ryuken-yon
Chu-sa Chuichi Hokare 3026[3]
Tai-sa Wilson Vewers 3050[7]
Tai-sa Toshimichi Shodaru 3059 - 3067[13][14]

Tactics[edit]

The Ryuken-yon began their night fighting experience in the Battle of Misery.[3]

The unit prefers to fight at night. During such operations, the forces attacked from 3 sides. The last open direction is a covered trap. Every opposing unit will be slaughtered by precise strikes from TAG guided missiles from a missile carrier. Normally, 12 'Mechs will defend this support unit.[13]

Composition History[edit]

3040[edit]

Ryuken-yon (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[15]

Note: At this point in time, the command was stationed on Harrow’s Sun.[15]

3050[edit]

Ryuken-yon (heavy 'Mech Regiment/Veteran/[2]Questionable)[7]

  • CO: Tai-sa Wilson Vewers[7]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Harrow's Sun[7] and support units included a heavy aerospace fighter wing and a regiment each of combat vehicles and conventional infantry.[2]

3054[edit]

Ryuken-yon (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[16]

  • CO: Sho-sho Sung Kim II

3059[edit]

Ryuken-yon (1 Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[13]

Ryuken-yon Aerospace (1 Wing/Veteran/Questionable)[13]

  • Armor Commander: Chu-sa Geno Esteban
    The unit received some of the high-value OmniFighters.

Ryuken-yon Armor (1 Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[13]

  • Armor Commander: Tai-sa Kaleed Brahjah
    To increase the fighting capabilities of these units, the high command gave them 3 companies of advanced weapons carriers.
    The SRM Carriers are semi-OmniVehicles, which means they can accept Arrow IV launchers if necessary.

Ryuken-yon Infantry (1 Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[13]

  • Troop Commander: Tai-sa Hydomo Kamakura
    The infantry includes 6 squads of pathfinders, which are also skilled in demolition work behind enemy lines.

3067[edit]

Ryuken-yon (Veteran/Questionable)[14]

  • CO: Tai-sa Toshimichi Shodaru

Ryuken-yon Aerospace Wing (Veteran/Questionable)[14]

  • CO: Chu-sa Geno Esteban

Ryuken-yon Armor (Regular/Questionable)[14]

  • CO: Tai-sa Kaleed Brahjah

Ryuken-yon Infantry (Veteran/Questionable)[14]

Color Scheme and Insignia[edit]

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The standard Ryuken paint scheme was charcoal gray,[17] with the accent color of the Ryuken-yon a dark blue.[13][18]

The Ryuken insignia was a detailed dragon curling around a katana. All units applied the Kurita dragon crest to the left thigh of BattleMechs and near the exhaust ports of aerospace fighters.[17] The yon regimental insignia is a full moon behind backlit clouds.[13]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ a b Field Report: DCMS, p. 17
  2. ↑ a b c d Combat Manual: Kurita, p. 65: "Other Ryuken Sub-commands"
  3. ↑ a b c Historical Turning Points: Misery, p. 9
  4. ↑ War of 3039, p. 99–100
  5. ↑ War of 3039, pp. 135–136
  6. ↑ War of 3039, p. 103–104
  7. ↑ a b c d e 20 Year Update, p. 41
  8. ↑ Invading Clans, p. 61: "Luthien"
  9. ↑ The Dragon Roars, p. 8
  10. ↑ Technical Readout: 3058 Upgrade, p. 140: "BHKU-0 Black Hawk-KU"
  11. ↑ The Dragon Roars, p. 10
  12. ↑ The Dragon Roars, p. 32
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g h Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 129: "Ryuken-yon Unit Profile"
  14. ↑ a b c d e Field Manual: Updates, p. 118: "DCMS Deployment Table - 3067"
  15. ↑ a b Historical: War of 3039, p. 139
  16. ↑ Objective Raids, p. 28
  17. ↑ a b Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 126, "Colors and Insignia"
  18. ↑ "Ryuken-yon". CamoSpecs Online. Retrieved 2025-06-19. Per FM:Draconis Combine, page 129.

Bibliography[edit]

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