6th Orloff Grenadiers

Orloffgrenadiers6th.png
Sixth Orloff Grenadiers
Formed 2840
Nickname The Lucky Sixth
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Orloff Grenadiers


History

Formation

Built from survivors of the destroyed Fourth Grenadiers and new troops. Has a reputation for being lucky.[1]

The Sixth was sent to Irian in March 2842 as part of a task force to relieve the planet's defenders, who were under Lyran assault. There, they managed to lure the heavier and more experienced Seventh Donegal Guards into a trap.[1]

Anton's Revolt

The Sixth Orloff Grenadiers attacked Tiber in 3015. There they faced off against the Ducal Guard, loyal to Anton Marik. The Sixth and 8th Orloff Grenadiers combined their forces and destroyed the rebel unit. This victory didn't come easily however; The Orloff Grenadiers lost nearly half their strength.[2] Shortly thereafter, the Sixth and Eighth Grenadiers recaptured Sophie's World from the rebels, and then landed on Emris IV where they destroyed the 18th Marik Militia and the Fifth Ducal Guard.[3]

Fourth Succession War

During Operation Dagger, the Sixth defeated the mercenary 1st Knights of St. Cameron on the Lyran world of Poulsbo.[1]

3030s through 3050s

The Sixth Orloff Grenadiers didn't participate in the Andurien Secession or Operation Guerrero. Instead during this time they defended Cerillos (their baseworld) against attacks from the 42nd Avalon Hussars and troops from the Circinus Federation. In 3058 the Sixth was ordered to discourage further adventurism by the Federation. They landed on Circinus like the wrath of a vengeful deity, inflicting massive losses on the McIntyre House Guard before returning to their baseworld.[1] In several cases they timed their strikes to occur after similar raids by the Lyran Alliance's Teyvareb TTM.[4]

Operation Bulldog

The Sixth didn't participate in Operation Bulldog. In the late 3060s the unit was targeted by many pirate raids and retaliatory strikes by the Circinus Federation. As of 3067, they hadn't taken any action to dissuade these attacks and were having difficulty responding to them.[5]

The Jihad

In 3070, the Sixth was scheduled to assist the 1st Free Worlds Guards during their assault on Syrma. Unfortunately they never arrived, and the First was forced to withdraw.[6] During the Jihad the Sixth Orloff Grenadiers were shattered by mercenaries employed by the Word of Blake.[7] The Sixth had fallen back from Alliance space to station Asuncion when they found themselves under attack by the mercenary unit Barrett's Fusiliers. The Fusiliers had been stationed on the nearby world of Zion when the other major unit on the planet, the 3rd Free Worlds Guards lifted off Zion without orders to launch an attack into Capellan space. As the League dissolved into chaos, the Fusiliers were told by the planetary government on Zion that as a temporary measure, the Zion government would be assuming control of their contract, and ordered the Fusiliers to secure Asuncion and put down a rebellion on that planet.[8]

The Fusiliers were surprised by the presence of the Sixth on Asuncion, announced when the Sixth's air wing intercepted the Fusiliers soon after their arrival at a local pirate point. The Fusiliers' air forces punched through the Sixth's fighter screen, and the mercenaries landed and deployed around the Plains of Schakondra, southwest of the planetary capital and north of the Forest of Kendra. This strength of this cautious approach was buoyed by the Fusiliers deploying a 'Mech battalion and significant artillery assets within the Forest. Colonel Loge soon met the Fusiliers in a fierce combat action, despite coming under a significant artillery barrage from the mercenaries' hidden artillery assets, followed by bombardment from heavy bombers when Loge ordered the Sixth to charge through the artillery barrage to engage the Fusiliers.[8]

The mercenaries charged in turn, with two mercenary 'Mech battalions attempting to push the Sixth back against the edge of the Forest and thereby limit their mobility and ability to maneuver; the Fusiliers' armored cavalry circled the Sixth to attack the Sixth's secondary forces, while the Fusiliers' third battalion emerged from the Forest and completed the encirclement of the Sixth. With mounting casualties and her support cut off, Colonel Loge called for a ceasefire; Colonel Barrett allowed the surviving personnel from the Sixth to leave Asuncion, but claimed all of their equipment, effectively destroying the Sixth as a combat formation. The Fusiliers then imposed martial law on Asuncion in the name of the Zion government and rebuilt using the seized equipment while waiting for new elections to be held on the world.[8]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 6th Orloff Grenadiers
Colonel Hosan Chilung 3025[9]
Colonel Patricia Loge 3050 - 3070[1][10][8]

Tactics

In any engagement the entire unit splits into three smaller combined arms units (each composed of a battalion of 'Mechs, mechanized infantry, and light armor) and uses this to maximize confusion.[1]

Composition History

2786 - 2821

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[11]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Pavia. In 2821 the command was reduced to 46 of its strength and was deployed at Calloway VI.[11]

2830

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[12]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Elnath with an operational readiness of 74 percent.[12]

2864

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[12]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Ramen II with an operational readiness of 26 percent.[12]

3025

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Veteran/Fanatical)[9]

  • CO: Colonel Hosan Chilung

3028

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[13]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Cerillos.[13]

3050

6th Orloff Grenadiers (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[10]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Cerillos.

3059

6th Orloff Grenadiers (1 Regiment/Regular/Fanatical)[1]

6th Orloff Aerospace (1 Wing/Regular/Fanatical)[1]

53rd Regulan Light Armor (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[1]

9th Guerreros a Caballo (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[1]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 103: "6th Orloff Grenadiers Unit Profile"
  2. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 30
  3. Historical: Brush Wars, p. 32
  4. Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 120
  5. Field Manual: Updates, p. 157
  6. Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 24: "Retreat"
  7. Field Report: FWLM, p. 13
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 29: "Barrett's Fusiliers"
  9. 9.0 9.1 House Marik (The Free Worlds League), p. 109: "FWL Deployment Table"
  10. 10.0 10.1 20 Year Update, p. 57: "FWLM Deployment Table"
  11. 11.0 11.1 First Succession War, p. 138
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Second Succession War, p. 98
  13. 13.0 13.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 86

Bibliography