8th FedCom RCT

Firing among the first shots of the FedCom Civil War, the Loyalist 8th FedCom RCT was destroyed in the bitter fighting on Kathil, helping to shatter the Federated Commonwealth and the Federated Commonwealth Corps.

History

Formed in 3041, two years later than planned due to the AFFC's need to recover from the disastrous War of 3039, that conflict gave the recruits transferred into the Eighth a higher than average experience level for a newly created unit. Despite not seeing combat as a unit, the AFFC High Command highly rated the untested Eighth based on this.

As of 3049, the Eighth was assigned to Second Try in the Sarna March.. One of the worlds targeted in the Marik-Liao Invasion of 3057, the Eightth inflicted serious damage on the attackers before withdrawing to bolster the defense of Kathil against further Capellan Confederation agression.

After receiving orders outside the normal chain of command from the First Princess Katherine Steiner-Davion, in 3062 the Eighth enacted martial law and attempted to secure the Yare Industries' McKenna shipyards and General Motors facilities for the Loyalist faction, putting it into conflict with the Kathil CMM and the 2nd NAIS Training Cadre, the first open fighting of the FedCom Civil War.

Taking as heavy losses as it inflicted on the green units, with the arrival of the Capellan Dragoons the Eighth dug in to await Loyalist reinforcements, which arrived in form of the 8th Donegal Guards. Unfortunately the Allied forces received reinforcements of their own, led by the 6th Syrtis Fusiliers RCT, and slowly and progressively wore the Eighth down.

As the fighting dragged on from 3063 to early 3064, the Eighth bolstered the Loyalist morale by rescuing nearly five thousand Loyalist POWs from Allied hands before a breakout from the line of battle resulted in the Eighth being separated from the bulk of the Loyalist forces. Lacking command flexibility, in the face of combined assaults from the First Capellan Dragoons and the 5th Davion Guards the Eighth shattered and the Allied forces overran the unit's command post, with its CO falling in battle. The battered remains of both Eighth and the Capellan Dragoons effectively destroyed each other, with what few survivors left linking up with other units of their factions.

Due to their bitter role in the destruction of the Federated Commonwealth, the FedCom Corp was striken from the rolls of the AFFS and what little surviving material and troops survived the Eighths destruction was reassigned to other units

Officers

For the whole of the 8th FedCom's existence the unit was commanded by Hauptmann General Mitchell Weintraub. Formerly serving with the Eighth Donegal Guards in the Fourth Succession War and War of 3039, the Lyran born Weintraub favored Katherine in the lead-up to the Civil War, viewing Duke George Hasek's snubbing of the unit as an indication he intended to succeed the Capellan March from the Federated Commonwealth in the manner of his grandfather Michael Hasek-Davion, at the behest of Victor Steiner-Davion. Weintraub died at the controls of his Nightstar in the face of the Capellan Dragoon thrust which eventually destroyed his command.

Tactics

The Eighth favored combat in open terrain, were they could concentrate their firepower, but also proved highly adept at assault operations, dislodging even the most dug-in units

Composition

In 3062 the unit consisted of:

• 8th FedCom Regiment - Primarily Heavy/Assault BattleMechs
  • CO: Hauptmann General Mitchell Weintraub

• 8th FedCom AeroSpace Brigade - 3 Wings
  • Leftenant General Jocasta Carlton

• 8th FedCom Armor Brigade - Three Heavy Armor Regiments
  • CO: Lft. General Michelle Dettori

• 8th FedCom Heavy Armor
  • Lft. General Michelle Dettori

• 9th FedCom Heavy Armor
  • Lft. General Garry Duffield

• 8th FedCom Armored Cavalry
  • Lft. General Natalie Polard

• 8th FedCom Infantry Brigade - Five Infantry Regiments
  • CO: Lft. General Nicki Little

• 11th FedCom Infantry Regiment
  • Lft. General Casey Siddons

• 12th FedCom Infantry Regiment
  • Lft. General Norton Polli

• 11th FedCom Mechanized Infantry
  • Lft. General Charles Price

• 12th FedCom Mechanized Infantry
  • Lft. General Evantha Lowe

• 6th FedCom Jump Infantry
  • Lft. General Yoshitomi Tendo

Notes

• Like other FedCom RCTs, the Eighth primarily used the FedCom Corps crest as their insignia, before adopting circular crest with a Capellan Huron Warrior run though by a broadsword after their withdraw from Second Try.
• The parade colors of the Eighth, and all other 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.

Reference

• 20-Year Update
• Field Manual: Federated Suns
• FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: Updates
• Flashpoint