1st Federated Suns Lancers

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The first unit raised under the banner of the Federated Commonwealth, the First FedCom saw action from the Fourth Succession War through to the conclusion of the FedCom Civil War and disbandment of the Federated Commonwealth Corps, with the intact unit renamed the First Federated Suns Lancers.


History

Formation

Formed in 3028 as the First Federated Commonwealth Corps[1] or the First Federated-Commonwealth BattleMech Regiment[2] by Prince Hanse Davion from Melissa Steiner's wedding gift of a regiment of BattleMechs,[1] the First FedCom was the first recognizable sign of the future Federated Commonwealth. Prince Davion took the opportunity to assign recent graduates from the NAIS College of Military Science, Albion Military Academy, and the Nagelring and posted the unit in the Draconis March under the command of Marshal James Sandoval.[1][3] A quarter of the graduates mustered into the First FedCom were from the Lyran Commonwealth, and the regiment was initially equipped with a mix of Enforcers, Griffins and Valkyries. As the first Federated Commonwealth unit to form, the unit logo for the First FedCom when it first took to the battlefield was a circle divided into two halves, composed from the left half of the Steiner mailed fist and the right half of the Davion sword and sun.[2]

As the First FedCom was composed from a mix of green graduates and their military instructors from the various military academies, James was careful to ease his new regiment into combat slowly. The First FedCom was deployed to Klathandu IV in or around August 3029; Klathandu IV had been under siege by the Ninth Benjamin Regulars since November 3028, and hadn't been captured because of a combination of the well-equipped planetary militia, who had resisted the invaders fiercely, arrogance on the part of the Regulars who had anticipated an easy conquest, and the sacrifices of the Raman Draconis March Militia, who had been deployed to Klathandu IV in the first week of August in a desperate bid to stop the Regulars from conquering the planetary capital city, Klanthis. The AFFS High command was concerned that the conquest of Klathandu IV would allow the Regulars to move on to worlds deeper in the Federated Suns, and the Raman DMM had taken horrendous casualties trying to disrupt the siege of Klanthis long enough for further reinforcements to arrive.[2]

James had the First FedCom initially assume rear-area responsibilities in areas that had been secured by the Raman DMM. This meant that the first few encounters with the Regulars went well for the First FedCom, and morale skyrocketed - until the First FedCom's First Battalion encountered the Regulars' Third Battalion in the light woods at Pheasant Run, where most of the FedCom's young MechWarriors were killed or injured. Despite the casualties inflicted on them during that battle, the First FedCom survived as a unit, and forced the DCMS to reign back on plans to invade Xhosa VII in favor of securing control of Klathandu IV.[2]

War of 3039

On the 1st of May 3039 the First FedCom attacked Nashira, acting in support of Delta Regiment of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers. Although the Rangers - led by Colonel Mitch Nelson - were notionally the inferior command to the First FedCom RCT, they were expected to act under direction from Colonel Nelson, the more seasoned commander.[3] Nashira was anticipated to be a hard-fought campaign, given the association between Nashira and the regiments of the Genyosha, and the militia forces on the planet had a ferocious reputation.[4]

Nelson's plan for Nashira called for a risky orbital drop against Logan City, a tactic supported by the Executive Officer of the First FedCom, Leftenant General Vonda de Greer; the First's Commanding Officer, Marshal Mira Tran, opposed the plan, but she was willing to see the Rangers take risks ahead of her own troops. Delta landed roughly twenty kilometers west of Logan City, with the First Battalion landing first via an orbit-to-surface drop on the 1st of May. The First Battalion was attacked immediately by militia forces - a regiment of infantry and a battalion of armor - but the militia didn't represent a significant threat to the grounded 'Mechs, although they would have inflicted significantly heavier damage if they'd been able to catch the troops deploying from their DropShips on the ground.[4]

The First FedCom landed outside Ogawa, a spaceport city some fifty kilometers south of Delta's landing zone, and landed on the 5th of May without securing their landing zone first. Assured of the superiority of her own troops, Tran was caught completely off-guard along with the rest of the First FedCom when the militia immediately attacked using both conventional and unconventional attacks. Even as the First was attempting to unload it was being targeted by kamikaze attacks using vehicles laden with explosives, while buildings were booby-trapped and FedCom troopers were being gunned down. It took five days for the First to secure Ogawa Port, and the First lost eight 'Mechs and more than two companies of armor and two hundred infantry. Tran was promptly recalled back to Errai, and the First continued to operate under the command of de Greer, who received a field promotion to command the entire RCT.[4]

Delta and the First were plagued with guerrilla attacks during May and June, culminating when the task force occupied Logan City on the 21st of May. While none of the attacks was individually significant, the constant low-level attrition had a toxic effect on morale, and by July morale was a significant problem among both commands.[4] engaged in the worst kind of police action on a world where the government was refusing to cooperate fully and with the designated occupation troops already late, Colonel Nelson and General de Greer were stuck trying to control a hostile population in an urban environment. Life soon got worse; on the 19th of July the First Genyosha arrived in-system, followed by the Second Genyosha on the 21st. Technically outnumbered, the Genyosha - operating under the command of Tai-sa Narimasa Asano - had both skill and determination in their favor, and were determined to free Nashira.[5]

With the benefit of upgraded technology and a combination of skill and experience in their favor, the First Genyosha landed at Copenwald on the 22nd of JUly and quickly secured the area. The Second Genyosha monitored the battle reports from their sister regiment and opted not to land on Katiasha, but instead to go straight for the invaders' throat. The First FedCom were scattered in small redoubts across Nashira; individually, the redoubts were well-prepared positions ideal for attempting to police the world, but the high level of dispersion worked against the First FedCom. Individual redoubts were swept away by the skilled Genyosha warriors, while the Second Genyosha dropped directly into the Logan City spaceport in a daring avalanche drop that placed them directly in the First FedCom's rear area. After a chaotic twelve-hour battle the Second Genyosha firmly held the upper hand, and the surviving FedCom forces in the area retreated to Logan City, and Tai-sa Jürgen Miyabe confirmed via probing attacks that the FedCom positions in the city were well-prepared and fortified.[5]

Asano's assessment that Miyabe's cautious approach to the city assessment was correct led him to deploy the Third Battalion of the First Genyosha to support the Second, while the remaining battalions of the First Genyosha secured New Anaheim, and industrial city. By the 8th of August Asano was happy that New Anaheim was secure, and he dispatched a second battalion to join the forces at Logan City. An attack launched by the combined forces on the 9th of August began reasonably well, but the First FedCom and Delta regiment put up a strong defense, slowing the Geyosha's progress. As Asano continued to push forward, he received news that the Seventh Donegal Guards had arrived in orbit, dispatched by Field Marshal Vanessa Bisla to reinforce the forces on Nashira.[5]

Asano withdrew his troops from Logan City on the 10th of August, and a six-week campaign of raids and counter-raids ensued as Asano and Daniel Voss-Steiner matched wits and strategies against each other. Both commanders were skilled, and while Voss-Steiner retained the advantage in terms of numbers, Asano kept the initiative; the FedCom forces consistently found themselves recapturing one important facility only to find that the Genyosha had captured another at the same time. The militia forces on Nashira continued their campaign of guerrilla attacks, with the tempo of attacks steadily increasing; the damage from an individual attack was relatively minimal, but the attacks continued to inflict damage and sap resources from the occupying forces. The tempo of attacks and acts of civil disobedience increased sharply in September, reaching a fever pitch in the second week of October. The climax came with a chemical weapons attack at Raven Ridge that caused a massive loss of life amongst the FedCom forces, and which prompted Asano to launch the Genyosha in attacks against the militia.[5]

The Raven Ridge attack disenchanted both the Genyosha and the FedCom forces, causing the campaign to drop markedly in intensity, with just a handful of clashes being fought in October. The FedCom forces were officially recalled by the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces later in October, a decision that many saw as a betrayal of those who'd lost their lives at Raven Ridge. Voss-Steiner actively argued against that perception of events, making it clear in public that he regarded the Genyosha as being in no way responsible for the attack; Voss-Steiner even went so far as to praise Asano's troops for the way in which they had quickly moved to crush the terrorist cells and provide aid to the victims of the attack. Despite Voss-Steiner's efforts, the Raven Ridge attack remained a cause of great resentment amongst the LCAF personnel, particularly after rumors of ISF involvement in the attack circulated.[5]

Operation GUERRERO

After a few years the Regiment went from a unit of green cadets to a united, skilled unit. The Marik-Liao offensive of 3057 caught the unit on Gan Singh in the Sarna March by surprise and the First was forced to fall back to Nanking. The unit couldn't coordinate with elements of the Third Donegal Guards on Gan Singh.[6] (Members of the First FedCom RCT and Third Donegal Guards who were left behind on Gan Singh would later join with a small unit of Capellan irregulars to form the Pandora's Box mercenary unit.[7]) The First FedCom would send several raids into the Chaos March against Capellan worlds until supplies were cut short by High Command. In 3061 until 3062 two of the Regiment's 'Mech companies were listed as down for repairs, when the units reappeared on the rolls, they were re-equipped with new BattleMechs primarily General Motors designs, most likely taken when the unit “unofficially” took part in the liberation of Acamar and Genoa sponsored by GM and Johnston Industries. [1]

FedCom Civil war

Up until the FedCom Civil War began, the First FedCom made it policy not to take sides with either Katherine Steiner-Davion or Victor Steiner-Davion. But when the Civil War began the First FedCom was forced to stop the Nanking Sarna March Militia, under Leftenant General Fritz Tull, from seizing several important objectives across the planet, including Kallon Industries, the AFFC Command Center, and the capitol of Yang-Ku. The unit was able to push the SMM out of Yang-Ku and several other objectives the SMM tried to take. The First FedCom maintained pressure on the SMM but were forced to deal with several terrorist attacks against the RCT which helped relieve some of the stress the SMM was feeling. Finally the SMM made a successful breakout between the borders of the First FedCom and the Kestrel Grenadiers, and were pursued by the two RCTs. Finally the SMM was forced to fight in the Huai River Valley just twelve hours from the city of Qingjiang, the SMM’s objective. After a five-day battle the Nanking Sarna March Militia surrendered, though fighting still took place for six hours before some accepted the cease-fire. The First FedCom took no further part in the FedCom Civil War other than putting down several smaller revolts and dealing with Capellan sponsored terrorism. [8]

The Jihad

After the FedCom Civil War ended the unit was renamed the First Federated Suns Lancers after the Federated Commonwealth Corps was disbanded and began the process of rebuilding as an independent command. By 3067 the RCT was moved to Hadnall and in June 3068 would take part in Operation Sovereign Justice when the Lancers and the First Kittery Borderers attacked Gei-Fu and scattered the Third Capellan Defense Force during the First Wave. Only the 'Mech and Aerospace units participated in Sovereign Justice, with several free infantry and armor regiments supporting them; the Lancers' conventional regiments had remained behind on Nanking when the 'Mech and aerospace elements deployed on SOVEREIGN JUSTICE, and were still on Nanking when the Word of Blake hit the planet. The Lancers' conventional forces fought alongside the First Crucis Lancers as they attempted to defend the planet from the Blakists.[9] Other sources identified that a four-regiment strong mercenary force hit Gei-Fu, with the Fourth and Twenty-first Illician Rangers as two of the four regiments, and indicate that Gei-Fu was hit during the second wave of Operation Sovereign Justice.[10]

During the Second Wave in July 3068, the Lancers would move and secure Overton. During Wave Three and Wave Four the Lancers remained in place and were resupplied for a possible move against Capella. In October 3068, the Capellan Confederation counterattacked Overton and was able to push the First Lancers off the world, though it cost the Confederation both the Fifteenth Dracon and Warrior House Ijori. By July 3070 the First FedSuns Lancers were reported destroyed on St. Ives alongside the remnants of two other commands.[11]

In 3077, the First Federated Suns Lancers had become part of the forces assigned to Devlin Stone's allied coalition, serving in Group III of the Lyran front, where it lost its Commanding Officer to a Word of Blake decapitation raid on Gacrux; the Blakists managed to kill the Commanding Officers of not just the Lancers, but also the Sixth Benjamin Regulars and the Thirty-first Marik Militia. As a result, the Lancers and the other commands within Group III found themselves under the overall command of Leutnant-General Thomas Hogarth.[12]

The unit took part in the fighting on Wing but seemed unwilling or unable to aid much to the Sixth Benjamin in the fighting there against the Third Free Worlds Guards.[13] In early 3078 the unit stood down on New Earth alongside the Skye Guards and the Seventeenth Arcturan Guards. On the 15th of August 3078 the First Federated Suns Lancers took part in the invasion of Terra under the overall command of General Belle Lee with the target Sydney. Upon landing the various units of Task Force Mallet came under intense fire with multiple units being spread over a 100km area. The various units involved were chewed up and didn't see an end to the fighting until January 5th, 3079 when the WoB surrendered at Towra Point. [14] The RCT was badly damaged in the brutal tunnel fighting at the Burragorang Castle Brian and later beneath Sydney.[9]

In August of 3079, the First Federated Suns Lancers RCT was re-designated as an LCT specializing as a rapid response force, and transferred to Ozawa.[9] By 3085 the Lancers were one of the most respected units within the AFFS, and also one of the most active; stationed within the region commonly known as the New Hessen thumb, the Lancers had been called on several times to deal with "pirates" operating along the border regions of the Republic of the Sphere, Federated Suns and Capellan Confederation. The quantity of equipment of Capellan origin used by these "pirates" the Lancers hunted was drawing attention from both New Avalon and Terra.[15]

Palmyra

During the fighting on Palmyra, the First Lancers faced elements of the Seventh New Samarkand Regulars.[16] The unit would be listed as destroyed following the Palmyra debacle.

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 1st Federated Suns Lancers
Marshal James Sandoval [3]
Marshal Mira Tran 3039[4]
Leftenant General Vonda de Greer May or June 3039[4]
Marshal Vonda DeGreer 3050 - 3057[1][17][18]
Marshal Ally Swanson 3057[1][17][18]
Leftenant General Dixon Zibler 3064[1][19]
General Dixon Zibler 3085[20]

Notes

  • Marshal Vonda DeGreer lost command of the unit after the unit's ejection from Gan Singh in 3057.[1][17][18]

Tactics

The First favored small unit tactics, and rarely operated in units larger than Battalion size. Through practice the units battalions could easily swap positions during combat making the unit seem tougher than it appears.[1]

Composition History

3028

First Federated-Commonwealth BattleMech Regiment (Green)[2]

3039

First FedCom RCT (Veteran/Reliable)[21]

3040

First FedCom RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[22]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Gan Singh. [22]

3050

1st F-C RCT (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[17]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Gan Singh. [17]

3054

First FedCom RCT (Veteran/Reliable)[18]

CO: Marshal Vonda DeGreer

3062

First FedCom Regiment (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[1]

CO: Leftenant General Dixon Zibler
Aide: Kommandant Beau Gentry

First FedCom Aerospace Brigade (2 Wings)[1]

Leftenant General: Demos McCarron

First FedCom Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Regular/Unreliable)[1]

CO: Hauptmann General Simeon Petrovich
Aide: Leftenant General LaSalle Shoshanna
  • First FedCom Recon Regiment: Leftenant General Karen D'Erico
  • First FedCom Heavy Armor: Kommandant Zurich Johann Metzler
  • First FedCom Armored Cavalry: Leftenant General Billy O'Connell

First FedCom Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)[1]

CO: Hauptmann General Carmen Azzuria
Aide: Kommandant Karl Yuan
  • First FedCom Infantry Regiment: Leftenant General Grayson Applegarth
  • Second FedCom Infantry Regiment: Leftenant General Skyler Pree
  • First FedCom Mechanized Infantry: Leftenant General Burian Thi
  • Second FedCom Mechanized Infantry: Kommandant Sandy Roland
  • First FedCom Jump Infantry: Leftenant General Patrice Young

3067

First Federated Suns Lancers RCT (Regiment/Elite/Reliable)[19]

CO: General Dixon Zibler

First Federated Suns Lancers Aerospace Brigade (Elite/Fanatical)[19]

CO: Major General Demos McCarron

First Federated Suns Lancers Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[19]

CO: Major General Johann Meitzler

First Federated Suns Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[19]

CO: Major General Grayson Applegarth

3079

First Federated Suns Lancers LCT (Elite/Fanatical)

- At this point in time the First Federated Suns Lancers was a full-strength battalion, equipped almost completely with upgraded technology and based on Ozawa.

Though they lost too many troops to retain their RCT status, the First Lancers retained enough troops to compose a new Light Combat Team. Some replacements also arrived, leaving the First Federated Suns Lancers at full strength.[9]

3085

First Federated Suns Lancers LCT (Elite/Fanatical)[20]

CO: General Dixon Zibler

First Federated Suns Lancers Aerospace Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[20]

CO: Major General Egbert Beresford

First Federated Suns Lancers Armor Brigade (Elite/Fanatical)[20]

CO: Leftenant General Jezebel Kennedy

First Federated Suns Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Questionable)[20]

CO: Leftenant General Quasim Mohamed

Notes

  • Prior to the formation of the Federated Commonwealth Corps the unit insignia of the First FedCom was a circle divided into two halves, with the left half bearing one half of the Steiner mailed fist and the right half bearing the right half of the Davion sword and sun.[2]
  • Like other FedCom RCTs, the First primarily used the FedCom Corps crest as their insignia, as well an insignia of a dragon clutching at the sword, flanked by two lightning bolts. After being renamed to the 1st Federated Suns Lancers the unit severed all ties and demonstrate their loyalty to the Federated Suns, the First now only displays the Fed Suns Logo.
  • The parade colors of the First, is the same as when it was the 1st FedCom Corps units, was navy blue with gold banding on the arms and legs of 'Mechs. Gold is also used to highlight panels on the upper torsos of 'Mechs and turrets of armor units, resulting in a checkerboard pattern. Some MechWarriors add gray highlights to symbolize their questionable place in the post-Civil War AFFS.
  • BattleTech line developer Herbert A. Beas II stated on the CBT forums that at the end of the fighting against the Capellans, the First FedSuns Lancers had retreated--at 50% casualties--to Scituate. That was February of 3069. In April of 3069, the Word of Blake seized Scituate with forces from Kittery.
  • The First Federated Suns Lancers make a reappearance in Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, either the unit was reformed between 3069 and 3077 or more likely members of the First FedSuns Lancers were freed from WoB prisoner of war camps and reformed the unit and joined Stone's Coalition under the Federated Suns Flag.

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 91, "1st Federated Suns Lancers Unit Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 29, "Klathandu IV"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Historical: War of 3039, p. 24, "Field Marshal Duke James Sandoval"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Historical: War of 3039, p. 37, "Nashira (May-June)"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Historical: War of 3039, p. 83, "Nashira (July-November)"
  6. A Race to the End, p. 6
  7. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 94
  8. FedCom Civil War, pp. 25-27,64-65
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Field Report: AFFS, p. 8
  10. Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 73, "Illician Lancers"
  11. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 106
  12. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 27, "We Have Met The Enemy"
  13. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 64-65, "3077: War In Review"
  14. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra
  15. Field Manual: 3085", p. 56, "First Federated Suns Lancers LCT"
  16. Technical Readout: 3145 Draconis Combine, p. 42
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 20 Year Update, p. 24, "AFFC Deployment Table"
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Objective Raids, p. 17, "AFFC Deployment Table - 3054"
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Field Manual: Updates, pp. 137-138, "AFFC Deployment Table - 3067"
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Field Manual: 3085, p. 70, "AFFS Deployment Table - 3085"
  21. Historical: War of 3039, p. 136, "Deployment Table"
  22. 22.0 22.1 Historical: War of 3039, p.136

Bibliography