2nd Donegal Guards

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History

Formation

Dating back to the Terran Alliance, the Second Donegal Guards were originally the Eleventh Terran Rangers. Following the collapse of the Alliance, the Eleventh Rangers became mercenaries, contracting with the various worlds in the area that would become the Protectorate of Donegal for protection. When Seth Marsden formed his Protectorate, he offered the Eleventh Rangers, who had been serving as some of the finest mercenaries in the region for almost a century, a place in their nascent military. They accepted, becoming the Second Donegal Guard.[1] Having served the Lyran Commonwealth for almost a millennium, the Guard have fought in every major conflict in Commonwealth history save the Clan invasion.

Like the other early regiments of the Guards the Second were named for a regiment from Terran history that shared the largely Irish heritage of the Protectorate; in the case of the Second, this regiment was the Leinster Regiment.[2]

Star League Era

Like the other regiments of the Donegal Guards the Second enjoyed access to the best equipment found outside of the Royal Guards brigade during the Star League era, and was staffed largely with officers looking to advance through their leadership abilities and grasp of strategic skills, rather than through the political favoritism that often held sway in other formations.[2]

In 2765 the Second was positioned two jumps away from the border between the Lyran Commonwealth and the Rim Worlds Republic, in anticipation of any action involving the Republic. Stationed on Roadside, a world that was both a forward base of operations and an important logistics hub, the Second's position allowed it to react to a range of possible crisis fronts along the Republic border without leaving a gap in the overall defenses of the region. For some time the Second had habitually maintained at least one company of forces in an off-world rotation, working with local forces that required assitance and patrolling the local region.[2]

Third Succession War

In 3011 they mobilized to relieve the survivors of Winfield's Brigade on Sevren.[3]

War of 3039/Clan Invasion

The Second Donegal conducted the first offensive operation of the War of 3039 when they were tasked to take the world of Kessel alongside the Fourth Skye Rangers and Eleventh Lyran Regulars, defeating the Second Sword of Light, as well as the Fifth Sun Zhang Cadre and Twelfth Sun Zhang Cadre. During Operation Bulldog, they made history as the first Lyran regiment ever to be welcomed on to Luthien, and the first to land at all in almost three centuries. Only seeing mop-up action in Bulldog, the Second was nonetheless active in the FedCom Civil War, taking part in the brutal fighting on Giausar[4] before General Caesar Steiner called upon them to end the Skye Revolt on Hesperus II.[1][5][6] Prior to that, they moved from Gienah to Arcadia, where they intercepted the Kristen's Krushers mercenary force. Pursuant to their orders to "eliminate neutral or hostile forces" they engaged the mercenaries and inflicted heavy damage on them, leaving only two companies of mercenaries alive. They stopped their assault when the 6th Marik Militia landed on world and forced the Donegal Guards to withdraw.[7]

The Jihad

Heavily involved in the Skye-Bolan Offensive against the Free Worlds League, having been lead to believe them responsible for the assassination of their commander in 3068, the Second Donegal pulled back in the face of the Marik counter-offensive and focused on keeping the border secure. Having absorbed the remnants of the Third Donegal Guards following the liberation of Donegal, the Second made it through the Jihad cohesive enough to stage attacks in to the Blakist Hegemony.[8] At the end of the Jihad they found themselves rotated to the Clan front, garrisoning A Place.[8] One of the central pieces of the defense against Clan Jade Falcon, they found themselves faced with troops looking to keep an edge against worthy opponents, and found themselves fighting trials of possession over alcohol and contraband while rebuilding.

In 3099 the Second Donegal Guards defended Grauss from a raid by the Third Jade Falcon Talon Cluster. The Falcons bid away all their air support, and the Second Donegal's aerospace fighters inflicted massive damage on the Falcons. The Falcons were driven off, suffering heavy losses.[9]

The Second Donegal Guards refused to support Duke Vedet Brewster and instead focused on raiding Clan Jade Falcon forces as they came across the Commonwealth's borders. They also refused to respond to the LCAF High Command when Brewster was in charge. Despite being branded a "rogue unit" they defended the Commonwealth with distinction. After Trillian Steiner became Archon, the Second was redeployed to Crevidia.[10]

Officers

Possibly it's most famous commander, Colonel Caesar Steiner lead the unit as of 3025. He commanded the unit through the Fourth Succession War. The 20 Year Update names Leutnant-General Delmar Voss commander of the Second, a post he held until he was killed in action on Giausar. Shortly thereafter, Caesar Steiner, now a General, took direct command of the unit once more late in the Civil War. By 3085, Leutnant-General Violet Gates had taken command of the Unwearied Second.[1][5]

In 3145 the commanding officer was Leutnant-General Herman Henriot.[11]

Tactics

The Second Donegal Guard possessed a reputation for unorthodox, yet effective, tactics. They preferred high-speed combat over the usual Lyran "mountain of metal" tactics, as well as the heavy use of aerospace assets.[1]

Composition History

2765

  • Second Donegal Guards (Veteran/Fanatical)[2]
- At this point the Second was stationed on Roadside.[2]

3025

Second Donegal Guards (Veteran/Reliable)[12]

  • CO.: Colonel Caesar Steiner
- At this point in time the Second was stationed on Pollux.

3040

Second Donegal Guards RCT (Veteran/Reliable)[13]

  • CO.: Leutnant-General Caesar Steiner

3054

Second Donegal Guards RCT (Veteran/Reliable)[14]

  • CO: Hauptmann General Delmar Voss

3062

Second Donegal Guards (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[1]

  • CO: Leutnant-General Delmar Voss
  • Aide: Colonel Ellwood Goulding

Second Donegal Guards Aerospace Brigade (2 Wing)[1]

  • CO: Kaptain: Grayson Pakes
    • Fourth Donegal Wing
    • 112th Donegal Wing

Second Donegal Guards Armor Brigade (3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)[1]

  • Nineteenth Donegal Light Tank - Colonel: Narayan Iyer
  • Thirteenth Donegal Armored Cavalry Regiment: Colonel Denise McGreggor
  • Fourth Arcadia Panzer Regiment: Colonel Leonard Ward

Second Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)[1]

  • CO: Colonel Nick Lucas
  • Aide: Leutnant-Colonel Pitr Sarpong
  • Ninth Donegal Heavy Infantry Regiment: Colonel Patrick Tregana
  • Twenty-first Donegal Infantry Regiment: Colonel Grimnan Sloane
  • Twenty-sixth Light Infantry Regiment: Colonel Leslie Conway
  • Ninety-second Mounted Rifles: Colonel Ashim Roy
  • 109th Jump Infantry Regiment: Colonel May Zoega

3067

Second Donegal Guards RCT (Elite/Reliable)[15]

  • CO: General Caesar Steiner

Second Donegal Aerospace (Veteran/Reliable)[15]

  • CO: Kaptain Grayson Pakes

Second Donegal Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[15]

  • CO: Colonel Lionel McGruder

Second Donegal Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[15]

  • CO: Colonel Nick Lucas

3079

Second Donegal Guards RCT (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

  • CO: Leutnant-General Viktor Bedolodia

3085

Second Donegal Guards RCT (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)

  • CO: Leutnant-General Violet Gates

Second Donegal Aerospace (Green/Reliable)

  • CO: Kaptain Pramoda Tiraboschi


Second Donegal Armor Brigade (Regular/Reliable)

  • CO: Colonel Elio Schuttman

Second Donegal Infantry Brigade(Green/Fanatical)

  • CO: Colonel Dariusz Nicolescu

3145

Second Donegal Guards RCT (Regular/Reliable)[11]

  • CO: Leutnant-General Herman Henriot

Second Donegal Aerospace (Regular/Reliable)[11]

  • CO: Kommandant Sergio Owen

Second Donegal Armor Brigade (Veteran/Reliable)[11]

  • CO: Colonel Jimmie Collier

Second Donegal Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable)[11]

  • CO: Colonel Maria Wood

Notes

  • The Second carried the unofficial nickname "Caesar’s Legion" while under the command of Caesar Steiner.
  • Often, members of the Steiner family not closely in line for the Archonship serve in this unit. The unit's logo, a Steiner fist holding a golden crown, represents this.
  • The The Leinster Regiment was a British Army unit formally raised in 1881 with the merger of the 100th (Prince of Wales' Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot and the 109th Regiment of Foot (Bombay Infantry). Strongly associated with Canada, the Leinster Regiment was headquartered in Leinster in Ireland, and was one of six regiments raised in Ireland to be disbanded in 1922 following the creation of the Irish Free State.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 63, "2nd Donegal Guards Unit Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Field Report: Lyran Commonwealth 2765, p. 10-11, "Donegal Guards"
  3. Technical Readout: 3025 Revised, p. 10
  4. FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), pp. 89, 101, 102, 130
  5. 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 169, "Donegal Guards bio"
  6. FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), p. 178
  7. FedCom Civil War (sourcebook), pp. 38-39
  8. 8.0 8.1 Field Report: LAAF, p. 11
  9. Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth, p. 48
  10. Field Manual: 3145, p. 127
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Field Manual: 3145, p. 133, "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces - Donegal Province"
  12. House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 119, "Deployment Table"
  13. Historical: War of 3039 , p. 137
  14. Objective Raids, p. 19, "Lyran State Command Deployment"
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 177, "Lyran Alliance Armed Forces"

Bibliography