Royal Black Watch Regiment
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Royal Black Watch Regiment Ghosts of the Black Watch | |
Nickname | The Black Watch |
Affiliation | Second Star League Star League Hegemony Armed Forces British Army |
Parent Command | Second Star League Defense Force 191st Royal BattleMech Division |
The Royal Black Watch Regiment was a combat unit of the Star League Defense Force and can proudly trace its roots back to the Black Watch Regiment, a famous military unit from the former United Kingdom on Terra. As a "Royal" unit, it was also part of the armed forces of the Terran Hegemony.
Contents
History
The Black Watch During the Star League
Sometime after the founding of the Northwind Highlanders, the Black Watch was a society dedicated to maintaining its own traditions.[citation needed]
The unit was eventually built up back to regiment strength and renamed the Royal Black Watch Regiment either before or during the First Star League era (2571-2781).[citation needed]
Until the death of First Lord Richard Cameron II in 2766, the Royal Black Watch Regiment was part of the 191st Royal BattleMech Division (The Zavijava Division) and served as the personal bodyguards of the First Lord and his family. As such, they were headquartered at the Court of the Star League in Unity City, but accompanied the First Lord wherever he traveled. The Black Watch was a Combined-Arms Regiment that consisted of two battalions of 'Mechs, one battalion of mixed Regular Army infantry and Marines, and a full aerospace fighter wing.[1]
Destruction and the Ghosts of the Black Watch
The Black Watch was destroyed during the Amaris Coup while making a desperate last stand. Stefan Amaris is said to have personally authorized the use of a tactical nuclear device, having exhausted all other means trying to dislodge the unit. Several members of the Regiment escaped however and formed the Ghosts of the Black Watch Guerrilla movement.[2] [3]
Reactivation
Some members of the Northwind Highlanders, the most fanatical devotees of the Star League and its ideals, created a secret order, resurrecting the Black Watch Regiment and keeping it alive in secret.[4] Until 3058, no one outside a select few in the Highlanders knew of its existence, but everything changed with the resurrection of the Star League that year. The Watch members, then a company in size, found themselves divided. One faction wanted to go immediately to the new First Lord, Sun-Tzu Liao to act as his personal guard, but the other faction, led by Captain Neil Campbell, believed they first should prove themselves. Campbell convinced his team to accept his plan: join MacLeod's Regiment in Task Force Serpent to prove themselves worthy.[5] The group revealed its existence to the expedition leader, Morgan Hasek-Davion, and they later joined the expedition. The Watch fought honorably on Huntress, but at a very high price: the Smoke Jaguar warriors, enraged by their use of the Watch insignia, focused their hatred against them. Only two or three 'Mechs survived the battles.
However, once returned to the Inner Sphere, the Watch was once again rebuilt in the Second Star League era (3058-3067) and served as the personal bodyguards of the First Lord.[6]
Jihad
The Word of Blake Jihad was not kind to the venerable unit, and it was reported destroyed during the conflict. After being informed that the Eridani Light Horse 19th Striker Regiment was trapped in Dieron, the Black Watch left Orestes and, with DCMS aid, traveled to Dieron via a pirate point, but were surprised by a Blakist WarShip. The Black Watch lost two of their own DropShips to the WarShip, and a third DropShip made an uncontrolled reentry.[7]
However, despite the losses, which included Campbell, there were survivors. On the 4th of January 3069 members from the Royal Black Watch apparently assisted in rescuing Hohiro Kurita, son and heir of the comatose Coordinator Theodore Kurita from a Blakist prison camp on Dieron.[8]
Among the survivors was Loren Jaffray, who took command of the group and renamed it the Ghosts of the Black Watch, reinforcing it with the survivors of the Northwind Hussars. Hunted by the Blakist elite Opacus Venatori of Precentor Berith, they suffered losses in every encounter. Finally, on 27 March 3074, he led them on a recon mision to Odessa, but it was a trap set by the Venatori. The Ghosts managed to escape from the battle – except Jaffray, who (officially) was killed there.[9]
Officers
Rank | Name | Command | |
---|---|---|---|
Commanding Officers of the Royal Black Watch Regiment | |||
Colonel | Hanni Schmitt | 2766[10][11] | |
Captain | Neil Campbell | 3058[12] |
Tactics
Unknown.
Composition History
2764
Royal Black Watch Regiment[1]
- BattleMech Battalion
- BattleMech Battalion
- Infantry Battalion
- Includes Regular and Marine infantry
- Ground Aero Wing
3059
Royal Black Watch Company[12]
- Command Lance
- Captain Neil Campbell, HGN-732 Highlander
- Sergeant Geoff Dundee, BL-6-KNT Black Knight
- Sergeant James Caldwell, CRB-27 Crab
- Private Annette McHenry, CRB-27 Crab
- Assault Lance
- Master Sergeant Julien Fawkes,WVE-5N Wyvern
- Private Kensie Gray, THG-11E Thug
- Sergeant William Jameson, BL-6-KNT Black Knight
- Sergeant Darwin Adtikron, ARC-4M Archer
- Pursuit Lance
- Master Sergeant Tim McCanireigh,CN9-D Centurion
- Sergeant Juels Martin, CRB-27 Crab
- Private Daniel Cobbs, HER-1S Hermes
- Private Brian Hayes, MON-66 Mongoose
Gallery
Elizabeth Hazen's HGN-732b Highlander in Black Watch colors
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 39
- ↑ Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 8
- ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 73: "Battle for Unity City", Schmitt leads a company to meet the advancing Fourth Amaris Dragoons
- ↑ Northwind Highlanders, p. 10
- ↑ Northwind Highlanders, p. 11
- ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, pp. 97–98
- ↑ Jihad Hot Spots 3070, p. 27
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 46: "The Jihad in Review"
- ↑ Lost Ghosts, pp. 109–118
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3067, p. 38
- ↑ Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 73: "Battle for Unity City"
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Twilight of the Clans, p. 52