2nd Dragonlords

Brigade Insignia of the Dragonlords
Second Dragonlords
Formed ca. 2572
Disbanded Second Succession War[1]
Nickname Highland Riders
Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command Dragonlords


History

Formation

The origins of the Second Dragonlords - nicknamed the "Highland Riders" - lay in the formation of the Star League and the establishment of the Star League Defense Force. With the significant drawdown of military forces in the wake of the formation of the SLDF, large quantities of military personnel - including some of the best and brightest - found themselves unemployed. Many carried on with the only skills they had, engaging in piracy and brigandage; as a result, the Star League initiated the United Triumph Military Exercises (UTEs) in 2572 as an attempt to deal with some of the problems.[2]

The Davion Brigade of Guards were due to be dispatched to take part in the UTEs; as the Guards were responsible for protecting the five core Golden Worlds of the Federated Suns - New Avalon, Argyle, Belladonna, El Dorado and Torrence - the Davion clans on those five worlds funded the creation of five temporary garrison units, supplying them with the best and heaviest equipment and recruiting the finest of the recently-discharged veterans from the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns as manpower. These five temporary units - of which the Second was one - were never disbanded, as the outbreak of the Reunification War saw the AFFS in need of trained combat formations.[2]

Reunification War

The Second and the other regiments of the Dragonlords were all deployed against various of the Periphery States during the Reunification War, with all of the brigade seeing heavy action. The performance of the various regiments earned them a fixed place in the AFFS as front-line commands.[2]

Star League Era

When the Star League Council issued the Council Edict of 2650 limiting the size of the military each Great House was allowed to maintain, the AFFS was required to drawdown in strength sharply, as were the other militaries of the Inner Sphere. The Second was one of two regiments within the Dragonlords to remain at full regimental strength following the drawdown, although none of the Second's sister regiments were deactivated, with the required reduction in size and manpower being met through reducing the other regiments to battalion-strength units.[2]

When the Star League Council repealed the Edict of 2650 in 2752[3] the Dragonlords quickly returned to full strength as a brigade, and as tensions in the Periphery rose almost the entire of the Dragonlords - including the Second - were deployed to worlds along the border between the Federated Suns and the Taurian Concordat. Morale within the Second and the other regiments climbed steadily following their deployment as a result of the prospect of fighting old enemies once more.[2]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 2nd Dragonlords

Tactics

Although the Second Dragonlords used lighter 'Mechs than their sister regiments they more than made up for the lack of throw weight with their expertise in performing strategic maneuvers and orbital deployments.[2]

Composition History

2765

Second Dragonlords (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[4]

- The Second were stationed on Montour at this point in time.[4] Only one battalion within the Second was equipped with assault BattleMechs, and two of the Second's companies fielded 'Mechs weighing forty tons or less, giving the Second the lightest average weight of any of the Dragonlords regiments.[2]

2786–2821

Second Dragonlords (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[5]

- At this point in time the Second was a medium-weight unit operating at full regimental strength, and was based on Montour.[5] In 2821 the unit was operating at just under half-strength.[5]

2830

2nd Dragonlords (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[6]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Noh-wan Hohm with an operational readiness of 78 percent.[6]

2864

2nd Dragonlords (Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[6]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Beid with an operational readiness of 51 percent.[6]

Notes

The Second Dragonlords and the other regiments of the brigade were presumably destroyed or disbanded during the later Succession Wars.

References

  1. Second Succession War, p. 94: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 15: "Dragonlords"
  3. Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 3: "Strategic Update"
  4. 4.0 4.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 15: "Regimental Status"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 First Succession War, p. 134: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Second Succession War, p. 95

Bibliography