Mitch Nelson

Mitch Nelson
Character Profile
Affiliation House Nelson
Rank Colonel
Profession MechWarrior


Mitch Nelson was a member of House Nelson and the commanding officer of Delta Regiment of the 12th Vegan Rangers between 3028 and 3039.[1][2]

History[edit]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

Fulfilling his family's honorable tradition of supplying officers to the unit they had founded, Colonel Nelson led the Twelfth Vegan Rangers' Delta Regiment during the Fourth Succession War. Under his command, the unit saw combat on Wei during Operation RAT in 3029 and faced down the Capellans on that world in the teeth of dangerous Star League era nerve agents. Thanks to Nelson's deft hand and aggressive strategies, the unit was able to drive Sung's Cuirassiers off-world while suffering relatively minimal casualties considering the deadly nature of the chemical weapons they fought against.[1]

Nelson then redeployed his unit, along with Gamma Regiment to assist Federated Suns forces in their assault on Palos. Although initially he complied with AFFS High Command's request that he compromise with the locals and limit his 'Mechs to surface roads to minimize damage to agriculture, when several of his troops were killed by Capellans exploiting this policy, Nelson immediately revoked it. With the newfound mobility granted his forces, he lured the enemy force out of hiding and, after unsuccessfully offering its commanding officer the chance to surrender peacefully, destroyed it entirely. Colonel Nelson had his unit's engineers broadcast the whole battle on the local telecast, and the ferocity of the regiment's destruction caused the remaining Capellans to flee Palos.[3]

War of 3039[edit]

During the War of 3039, Delta Regiment was assigned to capture Nashira. Nashira was anticipated to be a hard-fought campaign, given the association between Nashira and the regiments of the Genyosha, and the militia forces on the planet had a ferocious reputation. As a consequence of the challenge Nashira presented, the First FedCom RCT was assigned to support Delta Regiment. Though the First FedCom, commanded by Marshal Mira Tran, was notionally the superior unit, it was expected that Colonel Nelson would be in overall command of the campaign strategy due to his experience. Unfortunately for her command, Tran didn't share that view.[4]

Nelson, knowing that the militia would not be an easy mark, suggested conducting an orbital hot-drop on the units' marked LZs. He argued that the hot-dropped 'Mechs would serve as a pathfinder unit and clear the landing zones of hostiles, neatly preventing any enemy ambushes during the main body's vulnerable offloading from their DropShips. Tran declined to participate in this strategy, but allowed Nelson to do what he liked, provided he didn't interfere with her unit. As predicted, the Rangers had no trouble when they were unsurprisingly ambushed by locals. Nelson's forces easily cleared his unit's LZ and it was able to disembark free and clear. Tran's unit, operating under her assumption that no militia could stand against them, was ambushed while offloading and suffered significant losses. Tran was quickly relieved and Vonda de Greer, her executive officer, was promoted to fill her billet. De Greer and Nelson established a good working relationship and continued to coordinate throughout the Nashira campaign.[2]

Nelson faced chemical weapons once again at the climactic battle of Raven Ridge, and though FedCom forces were eventually forced to withdraw from Nashira, acquitted himself and his unit well in battle. He and his unit returned to Errai after falling back. It is currently unknown when he retired from command.[2]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, pp. 42–43: "Wei"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Historical: War of 3039, p. 83: "Nashira (July–November)"
  3. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, pp. 53–54: "Palos"
  4. Historical: War of 3039, p. 37: "Nashira (May-June)"

Bibliography[edit]