Difference between revisions of "3rd FedCom RCT"

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Growing very tired of the Rangers running to reinforce Borderer units in trouble, Finnigan devised a cunning trap for the Allies.  He sent out a large contingent to find and fix an element of the Borderers.  When the beleaguered Borderers called for help and the Rangers dropped in a battalion to assist, Finnigan took the bulk of his forces and attacked their base.  Though he and his forces were driven off, he had managed to destroy or cripple most of the mercenaries' DropShips and steal several tons of supplies.  Both sides again fell to probing, skirmishing, and raiding as they desperately attempted to repair and refit their bloodied units.  In April, one of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers probes led by [[General]] Stancel believed they had found a weak point in the Third's defensive line and moved to attack.  This weak point proved to be another ruse, and the Rangers were quickly surrounded by Third FedCom troops.  The First Aragon Borderers dropped in to rescue the Rangers and though they succeeded in extracting the Allied force, were whittled down to just three lances of operational BattleMechs.<ref name=FCCWp58>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 58-59</ref>
 
Growing very tired of the Rangers running to reinforce Borderer units in trouble, Finnigan devised a cunning trap for the Allies.  He sent out a large contingent to find and fix an element of the Borderers.  When the beleaguered Borderers called for help and the Rangers dropped in a battalion to assist, Finnigan took the bulk of his forces and attacked their base.  Though he and his forces were driven off, he had managed to destroy or cripple most of the mercenaries' DropShips and steal several tons of supplies.  Both sides again fell to probing, skirmishing, and raiding as they desperately attempted to repair and refit their bloodied units.  In April, one of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers probes led by [[General]] Stancel believed they had found a weak point in the Third's defensive line and moved to attack.  This weak point proved to be another ruse, and the Rangers were quickly surrounded by Third FedCom troops.  The First Aragon Borderers dropped in to rescue the Rangers and though they succeeded in extracting the Allied force, were whittled down to just three lances of operational BattleMechs.<ref name=FCCWp58>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 58-59</ref>
  
Seeing his opportunity to hit both weakened units, Finnigan ordered a counterassault.  A ten day bloodbath ensued, and in desperation, the Rangers and Borderers dropped right on top of the Third FedCom's headquarters.  Hauptmann-General Finnigan, riding out to meet the assault in his [[Devastator]] was engaged and killed by Allied 'Mechs.  Lacking a commander and with their headquarters unit fleeing or dead, the Third FedCom fell to pieces.  The Allies pressed the attack and though the Third FedCom put up a savage resistance for a month and a half, they were eventually cornered.
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Seeing his opportunity to hit both weakened units, Finnigan ordered a counterassault.  A ten day bloodbath ensued, and in desperation, the Rangers and Borderers dropped right on top of the Third FedCom's headquarters.  Hauptmann-General Finnigan, riding out to meet the assault in his [[Devastator]] was engaged and killed by Allied 'Mechs.  Lacking a commander and with their headquarters unit fleeing or dead, the Third FedCom fell to pieces.  The Allies pressed the attack and though the Third FedCom put up a savage resistance for a month and a half, they were eventually cornered. On 11 May, after a six hour battle, the Third FedCom was routed.  Two thirds of its remaining forces were killed or captured by the Allies and the remainder fled, disappearing into the native population.<ref name=FCCWp58/>
  
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As the Federated Commonwealth Civil War marked the end of the Federated Commonwealth, the Third FedCom was never reconstituted. They were removed from the active rosters and forgotten.
 
uickly finding themselves surrounded by the elements of the Third FedCom, the Twelfth Vegan Rangers continued to fight until the 1st Aragon Borderers came to their aid with their own combat drop. At the end of the day the 1st Aragon Borderers were able to save the Twelfth Vegan Rangers but had been reduced to only fifteen operational BattleMechs, though a dozen more could be repaired quickly.  The Third FedCom attacked the two weakened units in an attempt to wipe them out. After ten days of fighting and after another combat drop, this time on the Third FedCom's Command Post, Hauptmann General Charles Finnigan was killed in his ''[[Devastator]]''. For the next month and a half fighting continued but on May 11th, the fighting was brought to an end after just one more combat drop and fighting that lasted six hours the Third FedCom was essentially destroyed with over a third of its forces killed and the rest captured or deserting their posts and escaping into the planet's population.
 
  
 
==Officers==
 
==Officers==

Revision as of 18:40, 20 January 2022

File:Fccorp3.jpg
3rd FedCom RCT
Formed 3034
Disbanded 3063 (destroyed)
Affiliation Federated Commonwealth
Parent Command Federated Commonwealth Corps


Three Battalions of refitted BattleMechs, two Heavy BattleMech Battalions and one Medium BattleMech battalion made up the 3rd FedCom RCT, and had a history of service on the world of Sarna until the Marik-Liao offensive of 3057. The unit's being deployed off world during its fall caused its personnel to think they had failed in their duty to protect it.

History

Founding and Early History

Formed in 3034, The Third Federated Commonwealth RCT recruited from both the Lyran Commonwealth and Federated Suns member states in an attempt to build loyalty to the Federated Commonwealth as a whole. The unit was posted to the world of Sarna, where the RCT built a strong relationship with that world's people over the two decades they were there. The Third FedCom did not see any action until 3049, when the Free Worlds League's 2nd Marik Militia raided Sarna in response to flawed intelligence that underestimated the strength of its defenses. The Third FedCom inflicted heavy losses on the shocked the Second Marik Militia, forcing the LCCC to order the Twelfth Atrean Dragoons to extricate the Second from the world. Though they took severe damage in the process, the Third FedCom was successful in driving off both of the heavily battered FWLM units with the aid of the planetary militia and the Sarna Martial Academy Cadre. [1] [2][3]

Operation GUERRERO

In 3056, the Third FedCom was redeployed to New Earth so that they would be strategically positioned to respond to a predicted Skye Rebellion, but the conflict fizzled out before they saw any action. They remained on New Earth until the summer of 3057, when they were ordered to return to Sarna. The Third only made it as far as New Aragon before the Marik-Liao offensive of 3057 launched. The RCT could only look on helplessly as the Sarna March fragmented under rival claimants and became the Chaos March. When Sarna eventually fell to the Capellan Confederation, the Third FedCom believed that they had failed in their promise to protect the world. Many Third FedCom members blamed Victor Steiner-Davion, both for taking actions that instigated Operation Guerrero and for redeploying them from the world. These anti-Victor personnel argued for joining the LAAF at Katherine Steiner-Davion's request. Others in the RCT, though not supporters of Victor, believed that by leaving their post they would be abandoning the former Sarna March and also abandoning any hope of reclaiming the world that they saw as home. They eventually chose to remain in the Davion-controlled half of the Federated Commonwealth.[1]

FedCom Civil War

Along with the Twelfth Vegan Rangers, the Third FedCom RCT remained on New Aragon to act as that world's garrison while the First Aragon Borderers participated in Operation Bulldog. They remained there even after the Borderers returned. New Aragon though was a contested world prior to the FedCom Civil War, as the planet's population and units were split between the pro-Katherine (Loyalist) and pro-Victor (Allied) camps. The Third FedCom was given several orders to relocate offworld by higher commanders, but delayed, made excuses, and stalled. When fighting between Loyalist and Allied forces broke out on Kathil both Leftenant General Jimmie Kirston and Valexa PDZ commander Marshall Piper Burullo saw the Third FedCom's wavering morale and refusal to follow orders as a threat. They gave one last order to withdraw from New Aragon, offering the use of the First Aragon Borderers' JumpShips and DropShips to facilitate the move if necessary. The Third FedCom's commander, Hauptmann General Charles Finnigan confirmed the receipt of the order and began to mobilize his forces.[4]

This mobilization, however, was not to leave the planet but to instead march on the First Aragon Borderers' headquarters in Alexandria. As intelligence reports detected the advancing column of Third FedCom forces, Kirston contacted General Tom Stancel of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers and organized a surprise attack on the now openly-rebellious unit. On 9 December, the Rangers combat dropped in the center of the Third FedCom's column, and in the resulting chaos over a third of the RCT's forces were killed or captured.[4]

As the First Aragon Borderers used rapid DropShip redeployment to attack the other fragments of the column, the Third FedCom fell into various sub units. The Rangers and Borderers used this confusion to attempt an attack on two towns held by the Third FedCom. The Allied forces managed to secure one of the towns but were driven back by reorganizing Third FedCom forces. Finnigan used this opportunity to marshal his forces and pushed an assault on Alexandria, heavily damaging the Borderers defenders there. Only the prompt arrival of the Rangers caused the RCT to fall back, and both forces fell to skirmishing. Eventually both the Third FedCom and the Allies fell back to their respective bases of operation. On 4 January, Kirston and his Borderers launched another assault on Third FedCom forces, but suffered heavy losses as his troops were slowed by the rough terrain and picked off by the combined arms defense of the Third. Again, the Rangers rode to the rescue, hotdropping onto the battlefield and clearing the Borderers an escape corridor. The Allies used this shift in initiative to maintain a two week long siege but were eventually forced to withdraw, with the Borderers limping from the field with less than a battalion of active BattleMechs.[4]

Growing very tired of the Rangers running to reinforce Borderer units in trouble, Finnigan devised a cunning trap for the Allies. He sent out a large contingent to find and fix an element of the Borderers. When the beleaguered Borderers called for help and the Rangers dropped in a battalion to assist, Finnigan took the bulk of his forces and attacked their base. Though he and his forces were driven off, he had managed to destroy or cripple most of the mercenaries' DropShips and steal several tons of supplies. Both sides again fell to probing, skirmishing, and raiding as they desperately attempted to repair and refit their bloodied units. In April, one of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers probes led by General Stancel believed they had found a weak point in the Third's defensive line and moved to attack. This weak point proved to be another ruse, and the Rangers were quickly surrounded by Third FedCom troops. The First Aragon Borderers dropped in to rescue the Rangers and though they succeeded in extracting the Allied force, were whittled down to just three lances of operational BattleMechs.[5]

Seeing his opportunity to hit both weakened units, Finnigan ordered a counterassault. A ten day bloodbath ensued, and in desperation, the Rangers and Borderers dropped right on top of the Third FedCom's headquarters. Hauptmann-General Finnigan, riding out to meet the assault in his Devastator was engaged and killed by Allied 'Mechs. Lacking a commander and with their headquarters unit fleeing or dead, the Third FedCom fell to pieces. The Allies pressed the attack and though the Third FedCom put up a savage resistance for a month and a half, they were eventually cornered. On 11 May, after a six hour battle, the Third FedCom was routed. Two thirds of its remaining forces were killed or captured by the Allies and the remainder fled, disappearing into the native population.[5]

As the Federated Commonwealth Civil War marked the end of the Federated Commonwealth, the Third FedCom was never reconstituted. They were removed from the active rosters and forgotten.

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 3rd FedCom RCT
Hauptmann General Gregory Sykes 3058
Hauptmann General Charles Finnigan 3058 - 3063

Tactics

The Third FedCom trains in defensive tactics and uses its engineering battalion to build fortifications and field emplacements backed up by its vehicles and BattleMechs.

Composition History

3040

3rd FedCom RCT (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[6]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Sarna. [6]

3050

3rd F-C RCT (Regiment/Regular/Reliable) [7]

  • CO: Hauptmann General Gregory Sykes [7]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Sarna. [7]

3054

3rd F-C RCT (Regiment/Regular/Reliable) [8]

  • CO: Hauptmann General Gregory Sykes [8]
Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Sarna. [8]

3067

In 3067 the unit consisted of:

  • 3rd FedCom Regiment
  • 3rd FedCom Armor Brigade
  • 3rd FedCom Infantry Brigade

Notes

  • Unlike other FedCom RCTs, the Third did not use the FedCom Corps crest aside from a few exceptions, instead replacing it with a stylized map of Sarna in white on a red rectangle as its insignia.
  • The Third did not use the normal FedCom Corps Parade color scheme instead painting their BattleMechs and Vehicles jet black.

Reference

  1. 1.0 1.1 Field Manual: Federated Suns, p. 92
  2. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 52 "Atrean Dragoons - 12th Atrean Dragoons"
  3. Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 55 "Marik Militia - 2nd Marik Militia: The Fates"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 FedCom Civil War, pp. 28-29
  5. 5.0 5.1 FedCom Civil War, p. 58-59
  6. 6.0 6.1 Historical: War of 3039, p.136
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 20 Year Update, p. 23
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Objective Raids, p. 17

Bibliography