The rank of Marshall is retired with Anne O'Brien.
2814
By 2814 ARMD has not done well as a mercenary outfit. The unit participates in several small police and defensive actions, but only at the company level. No large contracts are coming their way as the big named units seem to be sucking them up. With the unit's finances in a desperate state, ARMD is contacted by a mercenary agent looking for a Regimental sized unit to take part in a war in the periphery.
All the big units have passed on this one as the agent will not disclose the employer until the contract is signed. Desperate and on the edge of dissolving the unit Commanding Colonel Andrew Sessions accepts the contract.
The news of the employer when it comes is a shock to both sides, ARMD will undertake its first big contract as a unit in the employ of the Taurian Concordat. The memories of the 2575-2598 war are still fresh in the Concordat, tales of the "Cameron Monsters", referring to ARMD are still told by mothers to their children. Unfortunately, both sides are stuck, ARMD needs the money and the Taurians have been unable to hire anyone else to participate in their war against the Canopians.
An understanding is struck. ARMD will put a black cover across the famous Unit badge and will travel within the Taurian Concordat as "Sessions Regulars", they will also spend the entire war based on warships, starbases and remote outposts, they will be kept as far away from the Taurian Civilians as possible.
The next two years are deeply uncomfortable for ARMD, they are being paid and paid well, but the Taurians go out of their way to keep the unit on as tight a leash as possible, restricting their access to ammunition and parts resupply and basing them in the most uncomfortable places they can find. The 3rd company 2nd battalion spent 3 months in an open cargo hold with one toilet and one shower available.
ARMD actually do a very good job for the Taurians and as a direct result of their efforts, the Taurian-Canopiean Compact of 2816 is signed in October of that year.
2816-2830
For the next 15 years, ARMD manages to keep its head above water. Shipping out to worlds across the inner sphere. ARMD service with nearly every house at this time with the exception of House Liao.
2830
The 2nd battalion is destroyed on Alula Australis defending the HPG Station from the Kuritan 2nd Sword Of Light. The 2nd Battalion defends to the best of their ability, but when it becomes clear they are outmatched by the Kuritan regiment they surrender and agree to terms. After the surrender the Kuritans ignore the terms of the surrender, they seize all ARMD assets on the planet including a rare Overlord class dropship and execute all surrendered ARMD personnel. The Kuritans afterward state that "House Kurita does not make agreement with Mercenary scum"
ARMD is unable to make good the losses and the Regiment is reduced to 2 Battalions.
2930
ComStar becomes embroiled in a serious political conflict with the Draconis Combine when Coordinator Hugai Kurita's older sister, Necess Kurita, asks to join the organization. Hugai responded in mid-November by dispatching a squad of ISF agents to take back his sister from the ComStar hospice on Luthien by force.
When the Comstar First Circuit received word of the event, the body debated whether to acquiesce to the Coordinator or escalate the conflict and ultimately chose to support the Primus's hard-line stance. Though a number of members of the First Circuit called for an Interdiction, the Primus refused the move with support from Precentor Dieron, pointing out that House Kurita's honor and pride would force them to resist it and that only military response could satisfy the Combine's honor. While reluctant, the First Circuit ultimately chose to support York's hard-line stance and use military force to back the will of ComStar.
Though the Order lacked a true military, with the Precentors approval the organization used its capacity as the Mercenary Review Board to sign contracts with almost six regiments worth of crack mercenary units, a force considered large enough prompt the Coordinator to reconsider. The ace in the hole was a unit called the Bandersnatches, a ROM employed mercenary unit in close proximity to Luthien. Primus York then contacted Precentor Hendriks and evoked the never-before-used Emergency Powers Act of the Communications Protocol of 2787, allowing her to operate without interference from Terra and directly telling her the kidnapping could not stand.
ARMD is hired on a strict 12-month contract with the understanding that it would involve combat with the Draconis Combine. Thirsting for revenge against the Kuritans, ARMD travels to Terra to begin preparations for combat drops across the Combine.
While he traveled from Terra with the remaining mercenary forces, York placed the Bandersnatches en-route to Luthien and all ROM elements on the world under Hendrik's direct command along with the order to use whatever force necessary to enforce the will of Blake and ComStar. Hendrik's outlined her plan to use the Bandersnatches as the Sword of Damocles and perform a combat drop directly onto the Unity Palace to cripple or destroy House Kurita leadership. This audacious plan received York's full support. The planned attack forced the Coordinator to step back and release his sister.
In 2933 York would further use the affair as the justification to propose to the First Circuit the formation of a standing military for ComStar.
Settling with five regiments worth of full-time troops as part of a compromise with liberal elements on the First Circuit, York placed the new military under the shared control of the Primus and First Circuit. Building his military around the core of the now disbanded Bandersnatches, outfitted from ComStar's SLDF stockpiles, York tapped the vast resources of ROM to fund its creation. He also managed to convince the First Circuit to approve millions of C-Bills to transform the Sandhurst Royal Military College, from a ROM training school, back into a full military academy. Upon publicly announcing the formation of the branch to the stunned House Lords, York took great pains to convince them the ComStar Guards would be a light infantry force trained only for defensive purposes and stationed strictly on Terra.
ARMD never gets the chance to fight and are discharged on Terra 6 months short of the contract end. Only partial payment is made, leaving ARMD to pay their own way back to New Home. This is a major financial loss to the Regiment and the beginning of a refusal to ever make deals with ComStar again.
2986
Third Succession war starts.
2991
The Draconis Combine launches an attack on New Home. Due to a lucky schedule change, both Battalions of ARMD are on the planet. The 2nd Sword of Light drops to the west of Arcadia, on the exact same ground Colonel Sevil had fought with across with the Republicans 200 years before. This time it is the Sword who are savaged. Under the command of Colonel Aaron Bagby (a direct descendant of the famous Wally Bagby of the battle of Ayr) ARMD gets its chance for revenge. The 2nd Sword, expecting a 3rd rate mercenary outfit, advance with next to no tactical discipline towards Arcadia. As they advance into the city they fire randomly into the suburbs, killing and destroying at random.
The 1st and 3rd Battalions ambush and crush the Draconis troops. The Sword manages an escape but loses nearly a complete battalion in the process.
2998
ARMD raid Fomalhaut in the Draconis Combine for supplies. The raid is far more successful than the Regiment could have imagined.
3012
New Home is raided by the Capellan Confederation.
The Capellan Confederation launched an assault on the Planet of New Home in 3012, with the intent of bringing it under their ever-widening sphere of influence. The units sent to assault the planet were the 4th Capellan Irregulars, a battle Mech Battalion, the 7th, 81st and 90th Armoured Regiments, and the 101st Infantry Division. Unfortunately, one ARMD Battalion was away on contract, only the 3rd Battalion was present to face the invasion with a dozen stiletto aircraft for air support.
The Leader of this Battalion, Major Harold 'Guts' Rickley devised a plan to resist the assault. He ordered all available drop ships to land in and around the Arcadia Starport, the sole start port still operational on the planet. The intent was to provide a defensive umbrella around the start port using the dropships heavy weaponry, making a drop directly on the port impossible. The heavy anti-ship weaponry based around the start port kept the Capellan jump ships from supporting the drop directly.
As Rickley predicted, the Capellans readied for a ground assault on the space-port, landing some 50 clicks west of his positions. During the course of the first night, 3/1/3 "Omega lance" consisting of 2 Jenner II's, a Cicada and a spider made a blacked out, passive sensor raid on the enemy landing site. Catching the Capellans still trying to sort out the landing "Omega" lance was able to destroy a considerable amount of the landed supplies, including a massive fuel bladder which exploded, engulfing a "Leopard" class drop ship caught with its doors open.
After doing a quick supply count, the Capellans figured they had three days to take the spaceport before their supplies ran out. Their comms were being jammed by spaceport control and more of their dropships had been damaged by a Stiletto strike.
Resolving to take the Spaceport in a single action, the Liao Commander ordered an all-out assault. Within an hour of ordering the advance, the Capellan lead elements were reporting minefields on all approaches to the spaceport except a single valley. The Valley, named Rushing Waters Canyon was a dry valley, despite the name. A recent project by the Space-port committee had dried it to make it available for emergency cargo traffic, making its name rather deceptive.
Wary of a trap, the Capellan's advanced, their Crawlers at the front to take the brunt of any defense, with the Capellan Mechs scattered throughout the column to provide support. The single Assault Company comprised a rearguard.
When the first Tank exited the valley on the Starport side, all hell broke loose, the ARMD 3/1 Company, comprised of manly light mechs, powered up and shook off their camouflage. The 3/1 had been refitted with close-range weaponry and were placed right at the end of the valley, using the element of surprise to their advantage, they began to destroy the 90th Armored wholesale. The 3/1 used speed to outmaneuver the enemy tanks slow turret rotation, picking them off at will.
As the Capellan Mech's advanced to meet the threat, ARMD's 3/2 Heavy company powered up on the top of the valley walls. The ARMD Heavies took a heavy toll among the enemy mech lances. Explosives that had been laid along the sides of the Valley walls, were set off, destroying more tanks, mechs and killing thousands of the Liao infantry who were now moving into the valley.
The commander of the Capellan forces signaled a general retreat, cursing his officers for "failing to advise him of the trap" Rickley wasn't finished with him yet. The Stilettos came in overhead running an attack mission the entire length of the valley, firing armor-piercing missiles into the positions of the rear guard Liao assault mechs, damaging them heavily. This was followed by the commitment of the 3/3 Medium Company to the battle. The 3/3 powered up and advanced into the rear of the burning Liao column. Leaving the cave they had been hiding in position near the entrance to the canyon, they utterly decimated the remaining Capellan forces.
The ARMD 3rd Battalion, having lost a lance worth of Mechs at this point (two Jenners a Catapult and a Hunchback) chased the retreating enemy back to the over of their dropships. The Capellans were forced to abandon one dropship and flee with whatever they were able to load up.
All told the ARMD destroyed the 4th Capellan irregulars, the 90th armor savaged the 7th and 81st armoured during the retreat and captured the entire 101st before they were able to escape the planet.
After the battle, the citizens of Arcadia renamed the Rushing Waters Canyon "Gallipoli Gap" in honour of the defense of the city. A statue of Harold Rickley was erected at the mouth of the valley to remember his successful action.
3014
Capellans again raid New Home, again they are repelled but they inflict great losses on ARMD forces.
Studying the failure of 3012, the Capellans identified many mistakes made during the assault.
Firstly, they had neglected to properly scout the attack corridor.
Second, they lacked air support, although it didn't make a great difference during the battle, the attack run of the Stilletto's had damaged enough Assault mechs to make the attack of the ARMD medium company a success.
Third, the Capellan Warriors were inferior in terms of professional ability, panicking at the first sign of the enemy.
Learning from these lessons, the Capellans incorporated new tactics and training into the battle plan for their second raid.
The Capellans launched the second raid on New Home in 3014. Having hired out the 1st Battalion via proxy they would again face the 3rd Battalion who had defeated them in 3012. The Capellan Forces jumped to the closest LaGrange point and dropped their forces. They landed in the same place as the battle of 3012, 50 kilometres from the spaceport.
The Capellans had brought the 3rd, 5th and 12th Mech Companies (detached) that had been specially created for this raid. The 40th, 67th and 87th Armoured Brigades were in support along with several squadrons of Helicopters and ground assault aircraft. Against this force, ARMD were able to deploy the 3rd Battalion, several old tanks and the same small force of Stilletto multi role attack aircraft.
Harold 'Guts' Rickely was still in command of 3rd Battalion. Unlike the previous battle where he showed fore sight and a strong grasp of the terrain and tactics, Rickely prepared his forced much as before. He expected that the Capellans would make exactly the same assault and mistakes as 3012. Intending to use his tanks as bait, he intended to draw the enemy into "Gallipoli Gap" before assaulting from all sides.
However, the Capellans had come prepared and had learned from the previous battle.
Instead of waiting for daybreak before assaulting, they sent the 3rd independent company into the gap and ran the 5th and 12th along each side of the valley, before the ARMD forces were completely deployed. Within 15 minutes ARMD had lost two lances of Mechs and were fighting a desperate rearguard action. Soon the Capellan Armoured units joined the Mech Companies driving through Gallipoli gap. Even with Lances reinforced by trainees, ARMD was on it's last legs. When the Capellans finally called in Air support to finish the job, all but two of the ARMD Mechs were standing. Rickley and cadet Jacob Roskill, who was to earn the callsign "Three Mechs" after going through three mechs in this engagement.
Rickley ordered Jacob to fall back, and revealed his only trick of the engagement. Two Long Tom Artillery pieces ARMD had taken in the Formahault raid, ordering the operators to use his co-ordinates as a beacon, he charged into the midst of the Capellan forces. The heavy artillery shells wreaked havoc among the Capellan mechs, but also led to the death of Colonel Rickely.
Having achieved their goal, the destruction of the 3rd, the Capellans made an orderly retreat salvaging most of their lost Mechs and several ARMD mechs.
3016
In a final raid that caught the remaining battalion, the 1st, on the planet, the Capellans again raid New Home. The 1st fights a running battle across West Island, striking and disappearing for months. After 3 months, the 1st is out of ammunition, food and fuel. A negotiated settlement with the Capellans allows the last remaining ARMD battalion to disband and retire to their homes.
For over 1000 years ARMD has fought across human space taking part in many of the greatest events in Human history, with this final ignominy of defeat at the hands of the Capellans, the Australasian Royal Mechanised Division is no more.
3025
The Third succession war ends.
3030
New Home becomes part of the Tikonov Free Republic. The leader of the Republic, Pavel Ridzik, had allied with the FedSuns and promised not to attack the Capellan Conferation as part of the succession of the TFP. He did however go on the offensive against the much larger Free Worlds League. Ridzik's Republican Guards were able to surprise and defeat League troops on worlds like Hall. Many ex ARMD warriors made up units within the Republican Guard. Captain-General Janos Marik's fear of the nascent Federated Commonwealth kept him from retaliating. Chancellor Liao did retaliate, in the only form he could, he had Pavel Ridzik assassinated.
3041
The people of the Tikonov Free Republic chose to end their short-lived independence and join the Federated Commonwealth's Sarna March, bringing their conquered League worlds with them.
3045
New Home has a reputation of providing an excellent cadre of Warriors. Even tho ARMD no longer exists, the long history and family ties to the Division remain within the families of the planet.
3045
A group of mechwarriors return on leave to New Home. They are the first generation of New Home warriors to have not served within ARMD from childhood. Each warrior has trod a different path, some were educated in House schools and served with House Units, some trod the path of the mercenary, training and fighting for pay across the galaxy. Six men, friends from boyhood return at the same time to catch up with families and rest from the efforts of the 4th succession war. Current loyalties matter nothing, they are all men of New Home.
During a week long hike through the mountains of South Island, the leader of the group falls down a steep, densely forested ravine. When he comes to he finds himself lying in front of a massive, vine covered set of doors. The doors are meters high and wide, easily big enough for a mech. Approaching the massive slabs of metal he finds a smaller human sized door and sets his hand against the lock plate. He experiences a sharp pain on his ring ringer and when he looks down he can see a single drop of blood.
The door slides open and into a vast mech bay.
He enters, marvelling at the sheer size and scale of the place and the wonders of the mechs, powered down and sleeping in their bays. He explores further into the complex and in one large and luxuriously appointed room, sitting on a massive desk he finds a leather bound book made of actual sheets of plas. On the cover is embossed the sigil of ARMD, an emblem he had only seen on public buildings in Arcadia and on the old uniforms of marching veterans on remembrance day parades.
On the cover:
"The Complete and Unabridged History of the Australian Mechanised Division: 2014-3016.
Internal Intelligence
Commanders Eyes only
Fidelis Ultra Nex"
He opened the book and sat down to read. 12 hours later he looked up, tears in his eyes, pride in what had been gained in blood and fire, sorrow in what had been lost. Why had he never known this?, why did his parents not school him in this history and the traditions of his forebears?.
Leaving the hidden cache, walked outside to call his brothers. Bringing them inside the cache and showing them the mechs, he explained what he had found in the book. They made copies and each of the six got a single copy, signed by all of them. Each took the book home and over the next weeks, each read and learned of the history of their ancestors, history lost in a single generation.
Meeting together at the cache 3 weeks later each looked into the eyes of the others and each man nodded. None of them returned to their units, each was now a deserter. Calls went out to the old families of New Home, messages were sent to those who were off planet fighting in other peoples wars, messages which simply said "Come Home, the tradition is reborn"
Several hundred returned over the next year, many bringing family mechs, some escaping with their unit mechs. All of them leaving existing service. Young ones, sensing something special was happening kept their ears open to find out what was going on.
Each man, knowing they have deserted their units takes a new name to protect their families. It quickly becomes a tradition and each returnee also takes a new "Nom de Guerre"
The first Six
Battalion Commander
Major
Call sign: Nav
Company Commander
Captain
Call sign: Athelstane
Company Commander
Captain
Call sign: Bluemaxx
Company Commander
Captain
Call sign: Slide
Lieutenant
Call sign: Ceefood
Lieutenant
Call sign: heLLman
Lieutenant
Call sign: ZathrasZero
3048
A request is sent to the ComStar Mercenary registrar to transfer ownership of the ARMD Mercenary Corporation to a dummy company on New Home. The registration of ARMD had never been cancelled, it had simply been allowed to lapse so the transfer by low level ComStar functionaries was easy and quiet.
In June of 3048, a "new" Battalion paraded for the first time on its old grounds. Wealthy backers had purchased the old barracks of the 4th RCT outside of Arcadia and gifted it to the unit.
Agents appeared in the recruiting halls of the inner sphere looking for work for the new unit.
ARMD was reborn.
3049
Today
Friday, August 31, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
A History of the Australian Royal Mechanised Division (ARMD) 2777 -2800 Part 5
July 12th Week Five
The Marions and the 3rd advanced quickly along the coastal roads and overwhelmed Aotea Quay and the Wellington industrial ports. Most of the members of the government of New Zealand were found hanging from roof supports in the Wellington sports stadium. Infantry and Chindits were dropped along the ridges to the north, clearing out small teams of Republican forces mostly equipped with mortars and recoilless rifles to provide harassing fire on the advancing SLDF forces. The SLDF was now ready to advance into Wellington city proper.
The heavier Marions' would push through the central business district to take Mount Victoria, capturing the highest point in the city. The 3rd was tasked with sweeping North and West, running the hills around the CBD and eliminating any opposition they may find.
The push began on the 10th of July with the Marions advanced preceded by a massive bombardment of the suburb of Thorndon. The Marions got off to a good start, capturing the eastern edge of the suburbs up to Murphy street with little opposition. It was in Thorndon proper the true fighting began, the Republican commander had decided to make a strong defensive stand in Thorndon. Mechs were walked into the rears of buildings to enable surprise attacks from the front, they were buried under rubble, they powered down and were camouflaged to look destroyed. As the Marions advanced towards the Ministry of Justice they walked into a fire-storm. Fire was coming from everywhere, Marions mechs went down rapidly and retreated, the Republic forces would not advance, forcing the Marions to push again and again into the heavily defended city.
The 3rd hooked to the North through the town belt, clearing out small hard points and advancing rapidly, after destroying an entrenched unit of Assault tanks in the Botanic gardens, Nunez signaled to his embattled co-commander in the Marions of his success. The 3rd had taken all of its objectives in the first day. Discussing the situation Nunez and the Marions Colonel came up with a plan to cut off the entrenched Republicans in Thordon. The next morning the 3rd would swing east through the Aro Valley towards Mount Cook and establish a blocking line from Central Park in the west to Wellington Hospital in the east.
Overnight artillery was brought up and established in the Botanical Gardens ready to open fire the following morning.
On the morning of the 11th of July, the fact moving 3rd swept aside all opposition and had taken up their positions by 2pm. Artillery was now firing from 2 sides of the Republican positions and with the capturing of most of the coastline of Wellington harbor and the subsequent destruction of its aerospace defenses, fighter-bombers were now able to be brought into the fight.
The suburb of Thorndon was utterly destroyed. The Republic forces broke under the three-pronged bombardment and fled west as the Marions began their advance. They ran straight into the defensive positions established by the 3rd. Being a light unit, the 3rd wasn't able to bring a vast amount of fire to bear on the Republicans and many of the Assault and Heavy mechs bulled their way east towards the cities main aerospace facilities in Rongotai. However many of the republican lighter units fell to the combined fire of Marions advancing in their rear and the hidden mechs of the 3rd.
One thing was puzzling Nunez, so far all they had seen were units of the 10th. The Republican elite mech regiment had been savaged, leaving half their mechs in the Northern suburbs of Wellington. However, they had also managed to badly maul both the SLDF regiments with Marions at 50% casualties and the 3rd at 40%.
Somewhere in the area was the largely fresh 192nd and the SLDF had no idea where. Marions advanced to the 3rds positions and a halt was called to regroup and rearm.
July 19th Week Six
On the 13th Marions pushed North and West, Intent on taking the heights of Mount Victoria and Hataitai. The intent was to capture both sides of the peninsula with Oriental Bay in the North and Evans bay to the west. This would enable Marions to bring their artillery to bear across the city including the Aerospace port. The 3rd established a blocking position through Newtown and Sinclair parks with the remaining battalion of heavies, while the lights and mediums struck south through to Island bay, clearing out the final remnants of Republican infantry and armor. Finally with the bulk of the city in their hands and artillery in place on Mount Victoria the SLDF were clear to advance on the aerospace port at Rongotai.
On the morning of the 14th, the 3rd pushed out in advance of Marions. The plan was to advance in 2 waves with the lighter elements of the 3rd leading and Marions coming up in a second wave. 2 companies of Marions would Cross Evans bay underwater and emerge through Calder park, as a diversion. The 3rd was to push forward as fast as possible, taking the aerospace port and advancing into the eastern suburbs of Miramar.
Nunez was now seriously worried, the 10th and the 192nd still hadn't shown their faces since the fighting in Thordon. Somewhere out there were two regiments of Republicans. Nunez didn't have to wait long to find out where the 192nd was hiding. As the 3rd crossed the runways they came under heavy long-range fire from 192nd mechs.
The lighter mechs scattered to the north and south looking for ways through the fire. The heavies moved up through Rongotai to the edge of the runway to bring fire support. The Republican trap was sprung, With the third deployed in the tight space of the airport and the suburbs to the east, the Republican command activated 2 Fuel Air Bombs. These massive devices were sitting hidden on top of the tallest buildings of the suburb and the western edge of the port. The 2 bombs were conventional explosives but ignited with the power of half a mega tonne each. In the confined space of the isthmus, a million tons of explosives went off.
The 3rd simply vanished in a massively expanding fireball. The forming up Assault mechs of the Marions, 8 kilometers away, were knocked flat, one light mech was thrown over a kilometer. The two companies of Marions crossing the bay underwater were found later, their mechs crushed by the shock wave. Any SLDF troops outside of hardened armor or Mech cockpits were killed instantly. The Marions mechs were somewhat protected as they were still behind the hills and ridges of the park belt running north to south across the city. Much of the city of Wellington was completely flattened by the shock wave.
Most of the deployed holding line of the 192nd were also destroyed, but these were acceptable losses for the destruction of a regiment. Hidden and protected from the explosion down in Worser bay, the remains of the 10th and the 192nd powered up and charged the shattered SLDF lines. The Marions were in bad shape, most of their mechs were now damaged and their warriors in shock.
The Republicans were coming so fast the heavy weapons of the orbiting Battleships could not be brought to bear as they were too close to the Marions troops already. A retreating artillery barrage was called in, trying to stay on top of the Republicans as they moved forward through the shattered landscape of the city. Assault mechs moved to the top of the ridges of the park belt and added their fire to the artillery.
The Republicans took terrible losses, 2 battalions destroyed before they were able to engage the recovering Marions. SLDF aerospace, deploying out of Auckland, the New Zealand Combat Air Patrol was on station in minutes, but the battle was so fast moving and the 2 sides so intermingled they were unable to provide much assistance beyond picking off Republican mechs separated from the main force.
The Marion Commander made a desperate call, he ordered all artillery within range to fire on his position with the aiming point being his Cyclops. The whole city was an inferno of fire and explosions as mech battled mech hand to hand, heavy artillery dropped all along the battlefront and Aerospace fighters added to the inferno with strafing and missile runs where ever possible.
The Marions battled ferociously to hold off the Republicans and slowly the heavier weight of fire the SLDF was able to bring to bear began to make a difference. Rear elements of the 192nd started to turn and run, there was nowhere for them to go, but anywhere was better than the hell that was the battle of Wellington. The command lance of the 10th was destroyed by the concerted fire of a troop of Catapults and Archers and command cohesion of the Republican forces was lost.
The Republican lances broke. The Marions were ordered to halt in place and as they ran the orbiting fighters were given a free fire order on anything east of the Park Belt. It was a slaughter, the 10th was completely destroyed and only scattered individual mech warriors of the 192nd were able to surrender. It was a victory, but a Pyrrhic one.
The city of Wellington would never be rebuilt, it was left as a monument to the liberation of Terra and a mass grave for the tens of thousands of soldiers and trapped civilians who died in the city. The Marions were shattered, it would take years before they were able to rejoin the NorthWind Highlanders as a fighting force and the 3rd ARMD regiment had simply ceased to exist.
The body of Colonel Sergio Nunez was never found.
2779
Jerome Blake returns to Terra, Stefan Amaris is captured by Aleksander Kerensky and executed, Terra is officially liberated.
2780
The Terran Hegemony was devastated and largely in ruins, worst of all, there was no rightful successor for the position of First Lord. With increasing disappointment, Kerensky saw that the feuding House Lords were going to be unable to choose a new leader of the Star League. On the 10th of October 2780, the Council of Lords gathered and stripped Kerensky of his title of Protector. Ten months later, the Lords had not chosen a new First Lord, each claiming the title and position for him or herself, and the Council was dissolved by the Lords on the 12 of August 2781.
Kerensky refused a proposition by General Aaron DeChavilier to overthrow the House Lords. The reasons for his refusal are unknown.
ARMD forces still remaining intact are returned to New Home to rest and refit. ARMD have lost the 1st and 3rd Regiments, the 4th is a bare shadow of its former self and the home planet underwent a brutal occupation at the hands of the Republicans. Only the 2nd came out of the Liberation war relatively unscathed.
ARMD Marshal, Anne O'Brien, with the complete agreement of her Colonels issues a vow to only ever fight by the rules of Ares Convention. ARMD will never again be involved in the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction or war on Civilians. This declaration leads to a conflict with General Kerensky who believes that Total War is the only solution against the enemies of the Star League.
2784
After months of deliberation and starting to read the signs of an imminent war amongst the House Lords, Aleksandr Kerensky gathers all of the surviving SLDF Commanders on Terra.
Kerensky proposes a shocking idea. In order to remove the most powerful military force in Human space from the greedy hands of the House Lords, he would lead the remaining SLDF men and women out of the Inner Sphere to a self-imposed exile. Kerensky refused to order this, the choice to go or stay was left to individual commanders and units. Marshal O'Brien traveled back to New Home and called the remains of ARMD together on the Mech parade ground of the 2nds base at Zion. Every member of ARMD was there, electronic jamming blanketed the city and sweeps were made to remove all civilians from the area. This conversation was for ARMD and ARMD alone.
The warriors were drawn up along regimental lines and Marshall O'Brien and her two remaining Colonels mounted a dais built at the head of the parade ground as a reviewing stand. The officers came to attention and saluted the rows of ARMD men and women. The speech made by O'Brien was captured at the time and is shown below in its entirety.
"Warriors of ARMD, brothers, and sisters, I stand in front of you today to ask you your wishes for the future of the Division. You have fought with honor and courage for the last 10 years across a multitude of worlds. You have stood up for the traditions and beliefs the Division has held dear for hundreds of years. We, your commanders salute you and all the beloved brothers and sisters we have lost.
Protector* Kerensky has called on the SLDF to leave the Star League. He believes that if the Army stays in Human space we will be manipulated and used as weapons of the House Lords. The Wars we have fought to bring peace to the people of the Star League will never end.
This decision affects all of us, our families and the people we have come to love on this planet. We, your commanders will not make this decision for you. We ask for your decision and we will support your decision, whatever it is. If you wish to join Protector Kerensky and leave the Star League, move to the western side of this parade ground. If you wish to stay on New Home and remain within Human space, form up to the eastern side of the Parade ground. The officers will remain on the podium until you have made your decision and we will join the majority group."
* The SLDF refused to acknowledge the stripping of the title of Protector by the League Council in 2780.
O'Brien and her two Colonels then took up a parade rest position and waited.
The warriors of ARMD were initially stunned. Slowly a murmur arose which escalated into a roar as the troops started to talk amongst each other. After four hours no warrior had moved West or East. Finally, Sergeant Glenn Marrur, a highly decorated and respected Veteran moved to stand in front of the dais. He came to a parade salute position in front of O'Brien and moved to the east. O'Brien saluted him back and remained in that position. One by one, each member of ARMD performed the same ritual. O'Brien stood in parade salute for two hours, tears streaming down her face as ARMD, to the last Warrior voted to stay.
Finally, as the last warrior walked east, O'Brien left the podium and joined them.
The decision was signaled to Kerensky the next day. His final words to ARMD came in a signal dated June 16th, 2784 Kerensky signaled to O'Brien "The loss of ARMD to the SLDF is a great blow to us, the gaining of ARMD to the people of the Inner Sphere is a huge gift. Good Luck"
80% of the remaining SLDF choose to follow Kerensky into exile.In Operation Exodus six million men, women, and children followed General Aleksandr Kerensky into the deep periphery towards an unknown destination and future. This act completes the collapse of the Star League.
2784 - 2786
The Star League no longer exists, the vast infrastructure which ARMD had relied on to supply it of troops and war material was gone. Although ARMD had moved much of its manufacturing infrastructure from New Rhodes III, it had also lost a lot. ARMD now had several projects they needed to undertake immediately.
1. Reorganise the shattered remains of 4 Regiments into a single regiment, the 2nd.
2. Renegotiate the terms of the garrisoning of New Home now that the Star League was gone and the Hegemony collapsing.
3. Work out how to keep the infrastructure, material and reinforcements flowing to allow the unit to continue to operate from a single world.
2786
The reorganization process was well under way when Minoru Kurita struck New Home in one of the first attacks of the First Succession War. Kurita is after the manufacturing facilities present on the planet. The DCMS attacked in force landing 3 regiments on the planet, stealing anything that isn't nailed down and blowing up the rest.
The 2nd commanded by O'Brien fight a brilliant running battle across West Island driving off the DCMS forces but taking such damage that the regiment is rendered combat ineffective. ARMD start to build up their forces again by trading small "police" forces to neighboring planets in return for material.
2788
Comstar seizes Terra and declares the neutrality of the planet.
2790
ARMD now has established local roots, the unit has friends and families across the planet. The inheritable Duchy of New Home, ceded to the Marshal of ARMD by Cameron's so many years ago is declared the governing role of the planet after months of sometimes heated negotiations with the civilian authorities. ARMD is no longer a garrison of New Home, they are its defenders and its citizens. The Division officially ties its fate to that of the planet.
2800
After 10 years it is becoming clear that New Home cannot support a regimental size unit by itself. O'Brien does everything she can to keep the unit together, continuing the tradition of "loaning out" small mech units to surrounding planets, selling off all elements other than Battlemechs and many, many warriors are pensioned off.
Eventually, it becomes clear to the aging O'Brien that ARMD will not be able to survive purely as a garrison unit. It is going to have to earn its way in this new war-torn universe. She proposes to the Divisional Council that ARMD swallow their pride and start to hire themselves out to increase revenue. The proposal is divisive and it isn't until she puts the Divisional accounts before the Council that the idea is accepted. Without an alternative source of revenue, ARMD will have to disband within the next 12 months.
The 2nd Regiment is renamed the ARMD Mercenary Corporation and begins to shop itself around. Many Mechwarriors, unable to accept the change, step down. In many cases, they are awarded their mechs as family heirlooms. These "pensioners" retire from active service and join the planetary militia. Any member of the Planetary Militia is paid for and supported by the civilian authorities, not ARMD. ARMD gains a reserve of mechs and veteran warriors resident on the planet and moves a lot of costs off its books. The civilians gain a permanent mech force dedicated to the defense of New Home, for a moderate cost.
Marshall Anne O'Brien steps down from the leadership of ARMD. Her final act as Marshall is the signing of the registration of the Corporation. She retires to a small farm on South island and dies in 2805. Her funeral is the largest single event the planet has ever seen.
O'Brien led the Division through the horror of the Terran Liberation, the schism of Operation Exodus and the post-war years as it evolved into something very different from its Star League roots. O'Brien is venerated as one of the greatest ever leaders of ARMD.
The Marions and the 3rd advanced quickly along the coastal roads and overwhelmed Aotea Quay and the Wellington industrial ports. Most of the members of the government of New Zealand were found hanging from roof supports in the Wellington sports stadium. Infantry and Chindits were dropped along the ridges to the north, clearing out small teams of Republican forces mostly equipped with mortars and recoilless rifles to provide harassing fire on the advancing SLDF forces. The SLDF was now ready to advance into Wellington city proper.
The heavier Marions' would push through the central business district to take Mount Victoria, capturing the highest point in the city. The 3rd was tasked with sweeping North and West, running the hills around the CBD and eliminating any opposition they may find.
The push began on the 10th of July with the Marions advanced preceded by a massive bombardment of the suburb of Thorndon. The Marions got off to a good start, capturing the eastern edge of the suburbs up to Murphy street with little opposition. It was in Thorndon proper the true fighting began, the Republican commander had decided to make a strong defensive stand in Thorndon. Mechs were walked into the rears of buildings to enable surprise attacks from the front, they were buried under rubble, they powered down and were camouflaged to look destroyed. As the Marions advanced towards the Ministry of Justice they walked into a fire-storm. Fire was coming from everywhere, Marions mechs went down rapidly and retreated, the Republic forces would not advance, forcing the Marions to push again and again into the heavily defended city.
The 3rd hooked to the North through the town belt, clearing out small hard points and advancing rapidly, after destroying an entrenched unit of Assault tanks in the Botanic gardens, Nunez signaled to his embattled co-commander in the Marions of his success. The 3rd had taken all of its objectives in the first day. Discussing the situation Nunez and the Marions Colonel came up with a plan to cut off the entrenched Republicans in Thordon. The next morning the 3rd would swing east through the Aro Valley towards Mount Cook and establish a blocking line from Central Park in the west to Wellington Hospital in the east.
Overnight artillery was brought up and established in the Botanical Gardens ready to open fire the following morning.
On the morning of the 11th of July, the fact moving 3rd swept aside all opposition and had taken up their positions by 2pm. Artillery was now firing from 2 sides of the Republican positions and with the capturing of most of the coastline of Wellington harbor and the subsequent destruction of its aerospace defenses, fighter-bombers were now able to be brought into the fight.
The suburb of Thorndon was utterly destroyed. The Republic forces broke under the three-pronged bombardment and fled west as the Marions began their advance. They ran straight into the defensive positions established by the 3rd. Being a light unit, the 3rd wasn't able to bring a vast amount of fire to bear on the Republicans and many of the Assault and Heavy mechs bulled their way east towards the cities main aerospace facilities in Rongotai. However many of the republican lighter units fell to the combined fire of Marions advancing in their rear and the hidden mechs of the 3rd.
One thing was puzzling Nunez, so far all they had seen were units of the 10th. The Republican elite mech regiment had been savaged, leaving half their mechs in the Northern suburbs of Wellington. However, they had also managed to badly maul both the SLDF regiments with Marions at 50% casualties and the 3rd at 40%.
Somewhere in the area was the largely fresh 192nd and the SLDF had no idea where. Marions advanced to the 3rds positions and a halt was called to regroup and rearm.
July 19th Week Six
On the 13th Marions pushed North and West, Intent on taking the heights of Mount Victoria and Hataitai. The intent was to capture both sides of the peninsula with Oriental Bay in the North and Evans bay to the west. This would enable Marions to bring their artillery to bear across the city including the Aerospace port. The 3rd established a blocking position through Newtown and Sinclair parks with the remaining battalion of heavies, while the lights and mediums struck south through to Island bay, clearing out the final remnants of Republican infantry and armor. Finally with the bulk of the city in their hands and artillery in place on Mount Victoria the SLDF were clear to advance on the aerospace port at Rongotai.
On the morning of the 14th, the 3rd pushed out in advance of Marions. The plan was to advance in 2 waves with the lighter elements of the 3rd leading and Marions coming up in a second wave. 2 companies of Marions would Cross Evans bay underwater and emerge through Calder park, as a diversion. The 3rd was to push forward as fast as possible, taking the aerospace port and advancing into the eastern suburbs of Miramar.
Nunez was now seriously worried, the 10th and the 192nd still hadn't shown their faces since the fighting in Thordon. Somewhere out there were two regiments of Republicans. Nunez didn't have to wait long to find out where the 192nd was hiding. As the 3rd crossed the runways they came under heavy long-range fire from 192nd mechs.
The lighter mechs scattered to the north and south looking for ways through the fire. The heavies moved up through Rongotai to the edge of the runway to bring fire support. The Republican trap was sprung, With the third deployed in the tight space of the airport and the suburbs to the east, the Republican command activated 2 Fuel Air Bombs. These massive devices were sitting hidden on top of the tallest buildings of the suburb and the western edge of the port. The 2 bombs were conventional explosives but ignited with the power of half a mega tonne each. In the confined space of the isthmus, a million tons of explosives went off.
The 3rd simply vanished in a massively expanding fireball. The forming up Assault mechs of the Marions, 8 kilometers away, were knocked flat, one light mech was thrown over a kilometer. The two companies of Marions crossing the bay underwater were found later, their mechs crushed by the shock wave. Any SLDF troops outside of hardened armor or Mech cockpits were killed instantly. The Marions mechs were somewhat protected as they were still behind the hills and ridges of the park belt running north to south across the city. Much of the city of Wellington was completely flattened by the shock wave.
Most of the deployed holding line of the 192nd were also destroyed, but these were acceptable losses for the destruction of a regiment. Hidden and protected from the explosion down in Worser bay, the remains of the 10th and the 192nd powered up and charged the shattered SLDF lines. The Marions were in bad shape, most of their mechs were now damaged and their warriors in shock.
The Republicans were coming so fast the heavy weapons of the orbiting Battleships could not be brought to bear as they were too close to the Marions troops already. A retreating artillery barrage was called in, trying to stay on top of the Republicans as they moved forward through the shattered landscape of the city. Assault mechs moved to the top of the ridges of the park belt and added their fire to the artillery.
The Republicans took terrible losses, 2 battalions destroyed before they were able to engage the recovering Marions. SLDF aerospace, deploying out of Auckland, the New Zealand Combat Air Patrol was on station in minutes, but the battle was so fast moving and the 2 sides so intermingled they were unable to provide much assistance beyond picking off Republican mechs separated from the main force.
The Marion Commander made a desperate call, he ordered all artillery within range to fire on his position with the aiming point being his Cyclops. The whole city was an inferno of fire and explosions as mech battled mech hand to hand, heavy artillery dropped all along the battlefront and Aerospace fighters added to the inferno with strafing and missile runs where ever possible.
The Marions battled ferociously to hold off the Republicans and slowly the heavier weight of fire the SLDF was able to bring to bear began to make a difference. Rear elements of the 192nd started to turn and run, there was nowhere for them to go, but anywhere was better than the hell that was the battle of Wellington. The command lance of the 10th was destroyed by the concerted fire of a troop of Catapults and Archers and command cohesion of the Republican forces was lost.
The Republican lances broke. The Marions were ordered to halt in place and as they ran the orbiting fighters were given a free fire order on anything east of the Park Belt. It was a slaughter, the 10th was completely destroyed and only scattered individual mech warriors of the 192nd were able to surrender. It was a victory, but a Pyrrhic one.
The city of Wellington would never be rebuilt, it was left as a monument to the liberation of Terra and a mass grave for the tens of thousands of soldiers and trapped civilians who died in the city. The Marions were shattered, it would take years before they were able to rejoin the NorthWind Highlanders as a fighting force and the 3rd ARMD regiment had simply ceased to exist.
The body of Colonel Sergio Nunez was never found.
2779
Jerome Blake returns to Terra, Stefan Amaris is captured by Aleksander Kerensky and executed, Terra is officially liberated.
2780
The Terran Hegemony was devastated and largely in ruins, worst of all, there was no rightful successor for the position of First Lord. With increasing disappointment, Kerensky saw that the feuding House Lords were going to be unable to choose a new leader of the Star League. On the 10th of October 2780, the Council of Lords gathered and stripped Kerensky of his title of Protector. Ten months later, the Lords had not chosen a new First Lord, each claiming the title and position for him or herself, and the Council was dissolved by the Lords on the 12 of August 2781.
Kerensky refused a proposition by General Aaron DeChavilier to overthrow the House Lords. The reasons for his refusal are unknown.
ARMD forces still remaining intact are returned to New Home to rest and refit. ARMD have lost the 1st and 3rd Regiments, the 4th is a bare shadow of its former self and the home planet underwent a brutal occupation at the hands of the Republicans. Only the 2nd came out of the Liberation war relatively unscathed.
ARMD Marshal, Anne O'Brien, with the complete agreement of her Colonels issues a vow to only ever fight by the rules of Ares Convention. ARMD will never again be involved in the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction or war on Civilians. This declaration leads to a conflict with General Kerensky who believes that Total War is the only solution against the enemies of the Star League.
2784
After months of deliberation and starting to read the signs of an imminent war amongst the House Lords, Aleksandr Kerensky gathers all of the surviving SLDF Commanders on Terra.
Kerensky proposes a shocking idea. In order to remove the most powerful military force in Human space from the greedy hands of the House Lords, he would lead the remaining SLDF men and women out of the Inner Sphere to a self-imposed exile. Kerensky refused to order this, the choice to go or stay was left to individual commanders and units. Marshal O'Brien traveled back to New Home and called the remains of ARMD together on the Mech parade ground of the 2nds base at Zion. Every member of ARMD was there, electronic jamming blanketed the city and sweeps were made to remove all civilians from the area. This conversation was for ARMD and ARMD alone.
The warriors were drawn up along regimental lines and Marshall O'Brien and her two remaining Colonels mounted a dais built at the head of the parade ground as a reviewing stand. The officers came to attention and saluted the rows of ARMD men and women. The speech made by O'Brien was captured at the time and is shown below in its entirety.
"Warriors of ARMD, brothers, and sisters, I stand in front of you today to ask you your wishes for the future of the Division. You have fought with honor and courage for the last 10 years across a multitude of worlds. You have stood up for the traditions and beliefs the Division has held dear for hundreds of years. We, your commanders salute you and all the beloved brothers and sisters we have lost.
Protector* Kerensky has called on the SLDF to leave the Star League. He believes that if the Army stays in Human space we will be manipulated and used as weapons of the House Lords. The Wars we have fought to bring peace to the people of the Star League will never end.
This decision affects all of us, our families and the people we have come to love on this planet. We, your commanders will not make this decision for you. We ask for your decision and we will support your decision, whatever it is. If you wish to join Protector Kerensky and leave the Star League, move to the western side of this parade ground. If you wish to stay on New Home and remain within Human space, form up to the eastern side of the Parade ground. The officers will remain on the podium until you have made your decision and we will join the majority group."
* The SLDF refused to acknowledge the stripping of the title of Protector by the League Council in 2780.
O'Brien and her two Colonels then took up a parade rest position and waited.
The warriors of ARMD were initially stunned. Slowly a murmur arose which escalated into a roar as the troops started to talk amongst each other. After four hours no warrior had moved West or East. Finally, Sergeant Glenn Marrur, a highly decorated and respected Veteran moved to stand in front of the dais. He came to a parade salute position in front of O'Brien and moved to the east. O'Brien saluted him back and remained in that position. One by one, each member of ARMD performed the same ritual. O'Brien stood in parade salute for two hours, tears streaming down her face as ARMD, to the last Warrior voted to stay.
Finally, as the last warrior walked east, O'Brien left the podium and joined them.
The decision was signaled to Kerensky the next day. His final words to ARMD came in a signal dated June 16th, 2784 Kerensky signaled to O'Brien "The loss of ARMD to the SLDF is a great blow to us, the gaining of ARMD to the people of the Inner Sphere is a huge gift. Good Luck"
80% of the remaining SLDF choose to follow Kerensky into exile.In Operation Exodus six million men, women, and children followed General Aleksandr Kerensky into the deep periphery towards an unknown destination and future. This act completes the collapse of the Star League.
2784 - 2786
The Star League no longer exists, the vast infrastructure which ARMD had relied on to supply it of troops and war material was gone. Although ARMD had moved much of its manufacturing infrastructure from New Rhodes III, it had also lost a lot. ARMD now had several projects they needed to undertake immediately.
1. Reorganise the shattered remains of 4 Regiments into a single regiment, the 2nd.
2. Renegotiate the terms of the garrisoning of New Home now that the Star League was gone and the Hegemony collapsing.
3. Work out how to keep the infrastructure, material and reinforcements flowing to allow the unit to continue to operate from a single world.
2786
The reorganization process was well under way when Minoru Kurita struck New Home in one of the first attacks of the First Succession War. Kurita is after the manufacturing facilities present on the planet. The DCMS attacked in force landing 3 regiments on the planet, stealing anything that isn't nailed down and blowing up the rest.
The 2nd commanded by O'Brien fight a brilliant running battle across West Island driving off the DCMS forces but taking such damage that the regiment is rendered combat ineffective. ARMD start to build up their forces again by trading small "police" forces to neighboring planets in return for material.
2788
Comstar seizes Terra and declares the neutrality of the planet.
2790
ARMD now has established local roots, the unit has friends and families across the planet. The inheritable Duchy of New Home, ceded to the Marshal of ARMD by Cameron's so many years ago is declared the governing role of the planet after months of sometimes heated negotiations with the civilian authorities. ARMD is no longer a garrison of New Home, they are its defenders and its citizens. The Division officially ties its fate to that of the planet.
2800
After 10 years it is becoming clear that New Home cannot support a regimental size unit by itself. O'Brien does everything she can to keep the unit together, continuing the tradition of "loaning out" small mech units to surrounding planets, selling off all elements other than Battlemechs and many, many warriors are pensioned off.
Eventually, it becomes clear to the aging O'Brien that ARMD will not be able to survive purely as a garrison unit. It is going to have to earn its way in this new war-torn universe. She proposes to the Divisional Council that ARMD swallow their pride and start to hire themselves out to increase revenue. The proposal is divisive and it isn't until she puts the Divisional accounts before the Council that the idea is accepted. Without an alternative source of revenue, ARMD will have to disband within the next 12 months.
The 2nd Regiment is renamed the ARMD Mercenary Corporation and begins to shop itself around. Many Mechwarriors, unable to accept the change, step down. In many cases, they are awarded their mechs as family heirlooms. These "pensioners" retire from active service and join the planetary militia. Any member of the Planetary Militia is paid for and supported by the civilian authorities, not ARMD. ARMD gains a reserve of mechs and veteran warriors resident on the planet and moves a lot of costs off its books. The civilians gain a permanent mech force dedicated to the defense of New Home, for a moderate cost.
Marshall Anne O'Brien steps down from the leadership of ARMD. Her final act as Marshall is the signing of the registration of the Corporation. She retires to a small farm on South island and dies in 2805. Her funeral is the largest single event the planet has ever seen.
O'Brien led the Division through the horror of the Terran Liberation, the schism of Operation Exodus and the post-war years as it evolved into something very different from its Star League roots. O'Brien is venerated as one of the greatest ever leaders of ARMD.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
A History of the Australian Royal Mechanised Division (ARMD) 2666-2777 Part 4
2600-2760 (Cont)
The return from the reunification war brought many problems apart from the purely logistical. ARMD had been reinforced over the previous 20 years by the Star League Defence Force Logistical and Reinforcement Supply Depots, commonly known as "Reppledepples". The SLDF poor initial planning for replacements had a terrible effect on the general morale and unit cohesion of almost all of the units within the Army. Simply put, once a soldier was separated from his unit by wounds or illness, there was little chance of him returning to that unit. Instead, he was sent to a replacement depot, a repple-depple in Army slang. From the depot, he would then be reassigned as needed to whatever unit had a shortfall in his particular MOS (military occupation specialty). This meant that a soldier could spend months of training, forming close bonds with comrades, the basis for unit cohesion, and then in his first day of combat could be separated from them, never to fight with them again.
Within ARMD the impact of this was to immediately dilute the traditions and history of the unit. ARMD received reinforcements with differing levels of training from both the Terran hegemony and House units. Traditional rivalries, both ethnic and nationalist were brought into ARMD by these new replacements, resulting in events like the refusal of units in the 3/4th Artillery to fire in support of the 3/14th infantry under attack. The infantry was largely made up of Kuritans from the Davion borders, the artillery was largely made up of Davions.
Once the unit returned to New Rhodes III and began to rebuild, several programmes were put in place in an effort to rebuild the shattered morale of the men and women of ARMD.
Medical and Psychological testing was undertaken on all members of the Division. Anyone found medically and/or mentally unfit to serve was discharged from service with an Honourable discharge. Those deemed physiologically unfit had the opportunity to retire to ARMD hospitals where they would be looked after for the rest of their lives. For most of the next decade, ARMD would operate the largest Veterans hospitals in the sector.
Internal unit "Truth" commissions were held. All members of ARMD had the opportunity at this point to confess to their involvement in anything that could be considered a war crime. Anyone who confessed could not later be prosecuted and discharged for their actions. Many members of the unit resigned rather than discuss their actions, many mentally collapsed under gentle questioning and could not be made to recall any actions. Several men who confessed and appeared to be proud of the horrific actions they had undertaken were quietly retired.
The mental purge of the experiences of the last 20 years was a cathartic experience for all of the members of ARMD. The process took several years and when complete large numbers of men and women had quit, retired or been discharged. The Truth commissions were declared closed.
On May 20th, 2608 22 ARMD men and women were found dead in their beds. On top of each body was a folder. None of the 22 men and women had been part of the Truth commission process and none of them had confessed to anything. The contents of the folder provided detailed and exhaustive evidence of extensive, brutal and horrific war crimes. The selling of slaves, mass murder, systematic torture and rape, every crime on the military stature books and some they had to make up new laws for, had been perpetrated by these people.
On the front of each folder was the motto of the Internal Intelligence arm of the Chindits, Fidelis Ultra Nex. 8 of the names were added to the Black List, all of them were recorded as dishonorably discharged. It was never divulged whether the Divisional commanders were informed of the killings beforehand, but the message was clear, even after 20 years of constant war the Chindit Internal Intelligence service was still present and active within ARMD.
Over the next hundred years, ARMD rebuilt not only its TO&E but also its ethos, its morale and its deeply held beliefs of mateship and service. Although a lot of replacements would eventually return to their home states, many stayed within ARMD and settled on New Rhodes III, bringing new traditions and skills to the planet and the unit. Classes in the history of ARMD and its internal traditions and beliefs became mandatory for all new recruits, considered just as important as passing the physical training.
Many veterans of the war would be made part of the ARMD training schools, integrating their experience during the actions of the last 20 years into the training passed down to the new recruits. Several of these men and women who survived the reunification war, including the famous Captain Cristofer Galatidas, would serve from the age of 18 until they finally died of old age still in ARMD uniform.
Across the Star League, the problems of returning veterans were handled in many different ways, from efforts similar to that of ARMD through to the infamous Veterans Day massacres which occurred in Kuritan space. As crime rates spiked, membership of bandit mech groups increased as returning veterans attempted to find a home where they were accepted, an unknown bureaucrat in the little-known office of Star League Titles and Manors created a policy which was signed into Terran Hegemony policy on November 12th, 2670. The policy with the innocuous title of "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" was a political knee-jerk attempt to deal with the ongoing problems posed by veterans. The policy was intended to force returning veterans who had caused issues to move on to new planets, it would have a huge impact on ARMD.
Unfortunately, it was a very poorly phrased policy and the massive Star League Defence Force bureaucracy got it completely wrong, interpreting it as an order to move any settled unit around within the Inner Sphere. On January 1st, 2698, ARMD Marshall Kimberley Kampstra received new orders from the SLDF. The Dukedom of New Rhodes, held by the ARMD Marshall was to be immediately transferred to New Home closer to Terra. ARMD were required to transfer all military members,
equipment and dependents to the bases that were being prepared for them on New Home by December 31st, 2698 under the authority of the SLDF and the "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" policy.
Kampstra was stunned and not knowing what to do, put off calling her Colonels council for 4 days. ARMD had been stationed on New Rhodes III since 2338. They were a deeply integrated part of the economy and the government, ARMD owned and ran manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, social and governmental services, to a large degree it could be said that ARMD was the government and economy of New Rhodes. Generations of ARMD members had been born,
raised, served, fought, died and been buried with honor on New Rhodes. Due to a petty bureaucrat's poorly worded policy that would all end. When she finally called her Colonels back from holiday she had a plan. The plan hinged around the phrase "and dependents."
ARMD would take as many of the people of New Rhodes who wished to come with them as they could jam into their fleet. Any civilian and their families who could be persuaded to join the ARMD exodus would be gladly welcomed.
Exodus
Kampstra ordered the engineers of the Division to get to New Home and scout out the ground. The initial reports were not encouraging. The SLDF bases that were "being prepared for them on New Home" didn’t exist. The SLDF had flattened some ground in preparation, put up a few disposable homes and left. There weren't enough beds to even house the members of the unit, let alone their families and the wave of dependents. There were no facilities for training, housing and maintenance of Mechs, vehicles or command. The SLDF in its usual grandiose monolithic way had ticked the "base built" bureaucratic box, refused to accept that the facilities provided were inadequate and would not help ARMD in any way.
The Great New Rhodes Fire Sale.
ARMD began the process of selling every asset it had managed to acquire nearly 400 years of history of New Rhodes. Everything that could not be picked up and moved to New Home would be sold. Land and buildings, businesses would all go on the chopping block. Merchant houses from across the Inner Sphere descended on New Rhodes in a feeding frenzy, buying everything as cheaply as they could.
Every credit that ARMD made was transferred to New Home and went into the building of new facilities to house the transferring regiments. Every ARMD soldier that landed on the new holding would immediately be put to work building the new homes and bases.
The civilian governments of New Rhodes and New Home were both similarly devastated. New Rhodes did not want to lose ARMD and the enormous amounts of credits it bought into the economy, political protests were mounted as far as the Terran Hegemony council and were all rejected by the bureaucracy. The New Home government had never had a major military unit housed on the planet, expecting a far more massive problem that the minor ones they had had with their own returning
veterans, they too fought the move and were rejected.
The last ARMD warrior left New Rhodes III at 11:58pm, 31 December 2698 and 360 years of ARMD history on New Rhodes III came to a close. Over 1 million men women and children elected to leave New Rhodes to follow the Division to New Home.
2700
Alexander Kerensky born.
ARMD continues to build and expand its facilities on New Home. ARMD rebuilds the same kind of facilities and services they operated on New Rhodes. The civilian government begins to realize what a golden opportunity they have been handed and co-operates enthusiastically, the average income of New Home quintuples over the next 20 years. New Home makes it on to the "best places to live" list of the Sector for the first time.
2720
Kerensky attends Tharkad University. His exploits there eventually land him a spot in the elite Nagelring.
2736
ARMD enters what was to become the last Martial Olympiad for 300 years. They finish 47th.
2738
Jerome Blake is born on Terra. ARMD units return to New Home after extended garrison duty on the periphery.
2751
The First Lord Simon Cameron dies, his eight-year-old son, Richard Cameron II, becomes First Lord of the Star League. The five House Lords gather on Terra and appoint General Aleksandr Kerensky as Commander-in-Chief of SLDF, and as Regent and Protector of the Star League for the remainder of Richard's minority.
Kerensky orders the SLDF to immediately undergo an extended refit period. ARMD factories on New Home are extensively upgraded and modified. ARMD begins training with its shiny new mechs.
2760
The Marian Hegemony border War begins. ARMD is sent as part of SLDF peacekeeping force. The Marians take it as a second invasion and a short but bloody war breaks out.
2762
Richard Cameron Comes of age and assumes the role of First Lord, Stefan Amaris is already a close confidant. Richard begins by ordering all house armies disbanded and forced to join the SLDF, with the issuance of Executive Order 156. When the Great House Lords refuse, Richard is forced to accept the refusal. Richard orders the disbanding of the Star League High Council, ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally.
2763
Richard issues the Taxation Edict of 2763, a steep increase in taxes throughout the Human Sphere, but especially onerous within the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the Reunification Treaties, the Periphery governments quickly became militarized and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.
The resulting New Vandenberg Uprising, started by the secession of 18 worlds within the Taurian Concordat in 2765, forced the SLDF and Aleksandr Kerensky to redeploy a significant number of units to fight in the Periphery.
2764
Richard Cameron signs a secret treaty with the Rim Worlds Republic.
2765
Over sixty percent of the units normally stationed within the Terran Hegemony had been relocated to other districts, leaving the heart of the Star League dangerously exposed. It is at this point that the First Lord reveals his secret treaty with Amaris, allowing for the deployment of Rim Worlds Republic Military units to take the place of the SLDF. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RCT of ARMD are deployed to the Periphery. The 4th remains on New Home as the garrison.
Anger at this use of foreign troops on Hegemony soil is only placated by the Rim Republic's continued fervent and public loyalty to the Star League, Republican forces are allowed onto Hegemony worlds. However, the number of Republican units is secretly growing daily, with twice as many regiments arriving as officially listed, and under Richard's orders they were given complete access to the SLDF bureaucracy. Republican forces gain control of more than half of the Star Leagues Castles Brian
and are allowed to learn the workings of the Space Defence System.
2766
By December more than half of the Republican military have been redeployed to the Hegemony, equivalent to 16 divisions and twice as large as the remaining SLDF forces. With the pieces in place, Stefan Amaris is ready to act.
December 27, 2766
On December 27, Stefan Amaris has a nine o'clock appointment with the First Lord in his private Audience Chamber within the palace. Amaris moves unchallenged through the palace's security systems, accompanied by four bodyguards. He finds the First Lord eagerly awaiting his arrival, and after
exchanging pleasantries presents Richard with a wrapped box. After tearing through several layers of wrapped boxes, Richard finally uncovered a jewel-encrusted laser pistol bearing the crest of the Amaris family. Stefan held the pistol up to the light to reflect off the jewels, then leveled it at Richard's forehead.
The "Ayr" Chindit company were on rotation as personal security to the First Lord. Captain Jan Heyergaff's Delta team were the first to die. Armaris bodyguards had dropped flashbangs at their own feet as Armaris drew the pistol. The flash bangs went off and they opened fire with short controlled bursts, cutting the entire Delta team down in the first seconds. Heyergraff is the only soldier to actually get a shot off, creasing Armaris and killing a member of his bodyguard standing directly behind him.
Immediately Armaris seized control of the palace automated security systems. He used the control panel within the Audience Chamber which Richard himself had proudly shown the Usurper how to operate.
Armaris was unaware of the full extent of the security system. Sensors had picked up the gunfire and immediately sent alarms to the palace guard and Richard's personal regiment the Royal Black Watch. The palace guards attempting to enter the Audience Chamber found themselves cut down by hidden laser systems, while the Black Watch suffered heavy losses in traps which had been set for them by the 4th Amaris Dragoons.
Still, the coup was on the brink of failure: a platoon of jump pack-equipped guards, flying low across the palace's roofs to avoid anti-air laser turrets, were able to reach the roof of the Audience Chamber and two lances of Black Watch 'Mechs were able to escape the traps and confront the 4th Dragoons at Gorst Flats. The Black Watch was protected on one side by high forested hills on one side and Puget Sound on the other. This allowed the black Watch to draw out the Dragoons and forced them to engage the Watch individually. The efforts of Richards personal guards were ultimately doomed in the face of the well-organized coup.
After losing ten 'Mechs to the entrenched Black Watch soldiers, all of whom had been graduates of the infamous Gunslinger Program, the Dragoon's commander withdrew his forces and dealt with the Watch by using a tactical nuclear warhead. The Dragoons also sent reinforcements to the palace and the Republican infantry arrived just in time to confront the palace guards and destroy them moments before they were able to cut through the Audience Chamber roof. All across the Hegemony, similar dramas played out as the Republicans used surprise to wipe out Regular Army units, many before they could get out of their barracks or troop ships. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons was widespread with enormous corresponding civilian casualties on the densely populated core worlds.
A number of units were able to escape the initial onslaught on Terra, including elements of the 191st Royal BattleMech Division who proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against Amaris that lasted until the liberation of Terra in 2779.
At least five regiments were able to hold out within their Castles Brian against several Republican assaults until the Castles destruction by repeated nuclear bombardment. Most units, however, if not entirely destroyed, were so badly mauled in that opening day that they effectively ceased to exist or took heed of the ultimatum that Amaris broadcast, falsely declaring he would kill the First Lord if they did not surrender. Those who laid down their arms were forced to dig their own graves and summarily executed. By the end of the day, 95 of the Hegemony's 103 worlds were under Republican control, as well as many intact Castles Brian and the entire Space Defence System.
Gathering all 79 surviving members of House Cameron within the Palace Throne Room, Armaris gives them an ultimatum: swear allegiance to him or die. One by one the family members were brought before him as he sat on the Star League Throne. One by one they were asked to submit. The first twenty refused and were returned to the rest of the group, but the twenty-first, Jason Cameron Bashina, agreed to bow to Amaris.
Armaris shoots Jason with the laser pistol he had earlier used to murder Richard and ordered the remaining Cameron’s killed. He leaves the Throne Room, ordering it sealed forever.
2766
Stefan Amaris declares himself First Lord and orders Aleksander Kerensky to continue the attack on the Taurian Concordat. Kerensky refuses, to Kerensky’s Fury, the Star Lords refuse to get involved in an "Internal Matter" of the Terran Hegemony and hunker down with their Militaries at high alert. Kerensky
understands that with the removal of the Star Leagues economic support he needs a powerful economic base. He orders the withdrawal of all SLDF forces from the periphery and garrisons across the inner sphere and unleashes them on the now lightly defended Rim Worlds Republic.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Port Vail
The 1st and the 22nd Cardoman Lancers drop on Port Vail to very light opposition. Only infantry and small amounts of armor have been left to garrison the world. By order of Kerensky all members of the Armaris political police, Intelligence services, and military high command are rounded up and shot in front of the Government Palace. The people of Port Vail, deeply oppressed by the Armaris political machine welcome the SLDF forces as liberators.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Nyasa
The 1st RCT, again with the 22nd are ordered to drop on Nyasa in an attempt to cut the supply lines of the Rim Worlds Republic in half. The 51st Armaris Regulars defending Nyasa, have a plan to trick the SLDF forces into a trap, they allow the 1st to believe that it is facing the bulk of the 51st heavy mechs while the 22nd believes it is facing the lightly defended capital. The forces around Otomba will engage heavily to slow the 1st while making it appear they are pulling back in panic towards the Starport. The heavy units around the capital, Nassuma will remain hidden, engaging with only light resistance.
The initial campaign goes well with the 1st driving hard against light mechs of the 51st Armaris Regulars. Scout mechs of the 1/39th encounter fast-moving elements of the 51st, the skirmishes are designed to keep the 1RCT in place in order to allow the 51st to retreat. As the 1st continues its advance across the plains towards Omotoba, they capture several small towns and cities finding evidence of atrocities committed by Armaris forces. A police station known as a center for the Political police is captured with all the inmates hanging from the walls.
The 22nd, on the other side of the planet, appears to be facing much lighter opposition as they advance on the capital city, Nassuma.
At a signal, the regulars around Omotoba turn and flee from the 1st, racing back into the city and rapidly loading into drop ships. In an attempt to catch the 51st still on the ground the 1st charges into the city and moves to surround the Starport. As the last dropship lifts off the 51st launch a number of tactical nuclear warheads catching the 1st fully deployed.
The 1st RCT utterly ceases to exist.
The remaining troops of the 51st do a half orbit of the planet and drop directly on top of the 22nd. The hidden heavy units within Nyasa emerge as the drops ships are burning down catching the 22nd between two forces. The fighting is vicious, brutal and short-lived as the 22nd fight for their lives against the already depleted forces of the 51st. By the end of 2767 Nyasa is in the hands of the SLDF, the 22nd is so badly mauled it is not able to contribute further during the civil war and Omotoba is a nuclear wasteland.
2769
Terra Prime in the Rim World Republic is finally captured and the Rim is declared a protectorate of the SLDF. Kerensky turns the entire economy of the highly industrialized Republic to a war footing and begins preparing for what he knows has to come.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
The return from the reunification war brought many problems apart from the purely logistical. ARMD had been reinforced over the previous 20 years by the Star League Defence Force Logistical and Reinforcement Supply Depots, commonly known as "Reppledepples". The SLDF poor initial planning for replacements had a terrible effect on the general morale and unit cohesion of almost all of the units within the Army. Simply put, once a soldier was separated from his unit by wounds or illness, there was little chance of him returning to that unit. Instead, he was sent to a replacement depot, a repple-depple in Army slang. From the depot, he would then be reassigned as needed to whatever unit had a shortfall in his particular MOS (military occupation specialty). This meant that a soldier could spend months of training, forming close bonds with comrades, the basis for unit cohesion, and then in his first day of combat could be separated from them, never to fight with them again.
Within ARMD the impact of this was to immediately dilute the traditions and history of the unit. ARMD received reinforcements with differing levels of training from both the Terran hegemony and House units. Traditional rivalries, both ethnic and nationalist were brought into ARMD by these new replacements, resulting in events like the refusal of units in the 3/4th Artillery to fire in support of the 3/14th infantry under attack. The infantry was largely made up of Kuritans from the Davion borders, the artillery was largely made up of Davions.
Once the unit returned to New Rhodes III and began to rebuild, several programmes were put in place in an effort to rebuild the shattered morale of the men and women of ARMD.
Medical and Psychological testing was undertaken on all members of the Division. Anyone found medically and/or mentally unfit to serve was discharged from service with an Honourable discharge. Those deemed physiologically unfit had the opportunity to retire to ARMD hospitals where they would be looked after for the rest of their lives. For most of the next decade, ARMD would operate the largest Veterans hospitals in the sector.
Internal unit "Truth" commissions were held. All members of ARMD had the opportunity at this point to confess to their involvement in anything that could be considered a war crime. Anyone who confessed could not later be prosecuted and discharged for their actions. Many members of the unit resigned rather than discuss their actions, many mentally collapsed under gentle questioning and could not be made to recall any actions. Several men who confessed and appeared to be proud of the horrific actions they had undertaken were quietly retired.
The mental purge of the experiences of the last 20 years was a cathartic experience for all of the members of ARMD. The process took several years and when complete large numbers of men and women had quit, retired or been discharged. The Truth commissions were declared closed.
On May 20th, 2608 22 ARMD men and women were found dead in their beds. On top of each body was a folder. None of the 22 men and women had been part of the Truth commission process and none of them had confessed to anything. The contents of the folder provided detailed and exhaustive evidence of extensive, brutal and horrific war crimes. The selling of slaves, mass murder, systematic torture and rape, every crime on the military stature books and some they had to make up new laws for, had been perpetrated by these people.
On the front of each folder was the motto of the Internal Intelligence arm of the Chindits, Fidelis Ultra Nex. 8 of the names were added to the Black List, all of them were recorded as dishonorably discharged. It was never divulged whether the Divisional commanders were informed of the killings beforehand, but the message was clear, even after 20 years of constant war the Chindit Internal Intelligence service was still present and active within ARMD.
Over the next hundred years, ARMD rebuilt not only its TO&E but also its ethos, its morale and its deeply held beliefs of mateship and service. Although a lot of replacements would eventually return to their home states, many stayed within ARMD and settled on New Rhodes III, bringing new traditions and skills to the planet and the unit. Classes in the history of ARMD and its internal traditions and beliefs became mandatory for all new recruits, considered just as important as passing the physical training.
Many veterans of the war would be made part of the ARMD training schools, integrating their experience during the actions of the last 20 years into the training passed down to the new recruits. Several of these men and women who survived the reunification war, including the famous Captain Cristofer Galatidas, would serve from the age of 18 until they finally died of old age still in ARMD uniform.
Across the Star League, the problems of returning veterans were handled in many different ways, from efforts similar to that of ARMD through to the infamous Veterans Day massacres which occurred in Kuritan space. As crime rates spiked, membership of bandit mech groups increased as returning veterans attempted to find a home where they were accepted, an unknown bureaucrat in the little-known office of Star League Titles and Manors created a policy which was signed into Terran Hegemony policy on November 12th, 2670. The policy with the innocuous title of "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" was a political knee-jerk attempt to deal with the ongoing problems posed by veterans. The policy was intended to force returning veterans who had caused issues to move on to new planets, it would have a huge impact on ARMD.
Unfortunately, it was a very poorly phrased policy and the massive Star League Defence Force bureaucracy got it completely wrong, interpreting it as an order to move any settled unit around within the Inner Sphere. On January 1st, 2698, ARMD Marshall Kimberley Kampstra received new orders from the SLDF. The Dukedom of New Rhodes, held by the ARMD Marshall was to be immediately transferred to New Home closer to Terra. ARMD were required to transfer all military members,
equipment and dependents to the bases that were being prepared for them on New Home by December 31st, 2698 under the authority of the SLDF and the "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" policy.
Kampstra was stunned and not knowing what to do, put off calling her Colonels council for 4 days. ARMD had been stationed on New Rhodes III since 2338. They were a deeply integrated part of the economy and the government, ARMD owned and ran manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, social and governmental services, to a large degree it could be said that ARMD was the government and economy of New Rhodes. Generations of ARMD members had been born,
raised, served, fought, died and been buried with honor on New Rhodes. Due to a petty bureaucrat's poorly worded policy that would all end. When she finally called her Colonels back from holiday she had a plan. The plan hinged around the phrase "and dependents."
ARMD would take as many of the people of New Rhodes who wished to come with them as they could jam into their fleet. Any civilian and their families who could be persuaded to join the ARMD exodus would be gladly welcomed.
Exodus
Kampstra ordered the engineers of the Division to get to New Home and scout out the ground. The initial reports were not encouraging. The SLDF bases that were "being prepared for them on New Home" didn’t exist. The SLDF had flattened some ground in preparation, put up a few disposable homes and left. There weren't enough beds to even house the members of the unit, let alone their families and the wave of dependents. There were no facilities for training, housing and maintenance of Mechs, vehicles or command. The SLDF in its usual grandiose monolithic way had ticked the "base built" bureaucratic box, refused to accept that the facilities provided were inadequate and would not help ARMD in any way.
The Great New Rhodes Fire Sale.
ARMD began the process of selling every asset it had managed to acquire nearly 400 years of history of New Rhodes. Everything that could not be picked up and moved to New Home would be sold. Land and buildings, businesses would all go on the chopping block. Merchant houses from across the Inner Sphere descended on New Rhodes in a feeding frenzy, buying everything as cheaply as they could.
Every credit that ARMD made was transferred to New Home and went into the building of new facilities to house the transferring regiments. Every ARMD soldier that landed on the new holding would immediately be put to work building the new homes and bases.
The civilian governments of New Rhodes and New Home were both similarly devastated. New Rhodes did not want to lose ARMD and the enormous amounts of credits it bought into the economy, political protests were mounted as far as the Terran Hegemony council and were all rejected by the bureaucracy. The New Home government had never had a major military unit housed on the planet, expecting a far more massive problem that the minor ones they had had with their own returning
veterans, they too fought the move and were rejected.
The last ARMD warrior left New Rhodes III at 11:58pm, 31 December 2698 and 360 years of ARMD history on New Rhodes III came to a close. Over 1 million men women and children elected to leave New Rhodes to follow the Division to New Home.
2700
Alexander Kerensky born.
ARMD continues to build and expand its facilities on New Home. ARMD rebuilds the same kind of facilities and services they operated on New Rhodes. The civilian government begins to realize what a golden opportunity they have been handed and co-operates enthusiastically, the average income of New Home quintuples over the next 20 years. New Home makes it on to the "best places to live" list of the Sector for the first time.
2720
Kerensky attends Tharkad University. His exploits there eventually land him a spot in the elite Nagelring.
2736
ARMD enters what was to become the last Martial Olympiad for 300 years. They finish 47th.
2738
Jerome Blake is born on Terra. ARMD units return to New Home after extended garrison duty on the periphery.
2751
The First Lord Simon Cameron dies, his eight-year-old son, Richard Cameron II, becomes First Lord of the Star League. The five House Lords gather on Terra and appoint General Aleksandr Kerensky as Commander-in-Chief of SLDF, and as Regent and Protector of the Star League for the remainder of Richard's minority.
Kerensky orders the SLDF to immediately undergo an extended refit period. ARMD factories on New Home are extensively upgraded and modified. ARMD begins training with its shiny new mechs.
2760
The Marian Hegemony border War begins. ARMD is sent as part of SLDF peacekeeping force. The Marians take it as a second invasion and a short but bloody war breaks out.
2762
Richard Cameron Comes of age and assumes the role of First Lord, Stefan Amaris is already a close confidant. Richard begins by ordering all house armies disbanded and forced to join the SLDF, with the issuance of Executive Order 156. When the Great House Lords refuse, Richard is forced to accept the refusal. Richard orders the disbanding of the Star League High Council, ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally.
2763
Richard issues the Taxation Edict of 2763, a steep increase in taxes throughout the Human Sphere, but especially onerous within the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the Reunification Treaties, the Periphery governments quickly became militarized and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.
The resulting New Vandenberg Uprising, started by the secession of 18 worlds within the Taurian Concordat in 2765, forced the SLDF and Aleksandr Kerensky to redeploy a significant number of units to fight in the Periphery.
2764
Richard Cameron signs a secret treaty with the Rim Worlds Republic.
2765
Over sixty percent of the units normally stationed within the Terran Hegemony had been relocated to other districts, leaving the heart of the Star League dangerously exposed. It is at this point that the First Lord reveals his secret treaty with Amaris, allowing for the deployment of Rim Worlds Republic Military units to take the place of the SLDF. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RCT of ARMD are deployed to the Periphery. The 4th remains on New Home as the garrison.
Anger at this use of foreign troops on Hegemony soil is only placated by the Rim Republic's continued fervent and public loyalty to the Star League, Republican forces are allowed onto Hegemony worlds. However, the number of Republican units is secretly growing daily, with twice as many regiments arriving as officially listed, and under Richard's orders they were given complete access to the SLDF bureaucracy. Republican forces gain control of more than half of the Star Leagues Castles Brian
and are allowed to learn the workings of the Space Defence System.
2766
By December more than half of the Republican military have been redeployed to the Hegemony, equivalent to 16 divisions and twice as large as the remaining SLDF forces. With the pieces in place, Stefan Amaris is ready to act.
December 27, 2766
On December 27, Stefan Amaris has a nine o'clock appointment with the First Lord in his private Audience Chamber within the palace. Amaris moves unchallenged through the palace's security systems, accompanied by four bodyguards. He finds the First Lord eagerly awaiting his arrival, and after
exchanging pleasantries presents Richard with a wrapped box. After tearing through several layers of wrapped boxes, Richard finally uncovered a jewel-encrusted laser pistol bearing the crest of the Amaris family. Stefan held the pistol up to the light to reflect off the jewels, then leveled it at Richard's forehead.
The "Ayr" Chindit company were on rotation as personal security to the First Lord. Captain Jan Heyergaff's Delta team were the first to die. Armaris bodyguards had dropped flashbangs at their own feet as Armaris drew the pistol. The flash bangs went off and they opened fire with short controlled bursts, cutting the entire Delta team down in the first seconds. Heyergraff is the only soldier to actually get a shot off, creasing Armaris and killing a member of his bodyguard standing directly behind him.
Immediately Armaris seized control of the palace automated security systems. He used the control panel within the Audience Chamber which Richard himself had proudly shown the Usurper how to operate.
Armaris was unaware of the full extent of the security system. Sensors had picked up the gunfire and immediately sent alarms to the palace guard and Richard's personal regiment the Royal Black Watch. The palace guards attempting to enter the Audience Chamber found themselves cut down by hidden laser systems, while the Black Watch suffered heavy losses in traps which had been set for them by the 4th Amaris Dragoons.
Still, the coup was on the brink of failure: a platoon of jump pack-equipped guards, flying low across the palace's roofs to avoid anti-air laser turrets, were able to reach the roof of the Audience Chamber and two lances of Black Watch 'Mechs were able to escape the traps and confront the 4th Dragoons at Gorst Flats. The Black Watch was protected on one side by high forested hills on one side and Puget Sound on the other. This allowed the black Watch to draw out the Dragoons and forced them to engage the Watch individually. The efforts of Richards personal guards were ultimately doomed in the face of the well-organized coup.
After losing ten 'Mechs to the entrenched Black Watch soldiers, all of whom had been graduates of the infamous Gunslinger Program, the Dragoon's commander withdrew his forces and dealt with the Watch by using a tactical nuclear warhead. The Dragoons also sent reinforcements to the palace and the Republican infantry arrived just in time to confront the palace guards and destroy them moments before they were able to cut through the Audience Chamber roof. All across the Hegemony, similar dramas played out as the Republicans used surprise to wipe out Regular Army units, many before they could get out of their barracks or troop ships. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons was widespread with enormous corresponding civilian casualties on the densely populated core worlds.
A number of units were able to escape the initial onslaught on Terra, including elements of the 191st Royal BattleMech Division who proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against Amaris that lasted until the liberation of Terra in 2779.
At least five regiments were able to hold out within their Castles Brian against several Republican assaults until the Castles destruction by repeated nuclear bombardment. Most units, however, if not entirely destroyed, were so badly mauled in that opening day that they effectively ceased to exist or took heed of the ultimatum that Amaris broadcast, falsely declaring he would kill the First Lord if they did not surrender. Those who laid down their arms were forced to dig their own graves and summarily executed. By the end of the day, 95 of the Hegemony's 103 worlds were under Republican control, as well as many intact Castles Brian and the entire Space Defence System.
Gathering all 79 surviving members of House Cameron within the Palace Throne Room, Armaris gives them an ultimatum: swear allegiance to him or die. One by one the family members were brought before him as he sat on the Star League Throne. One by one they were asked to submit. The first twenty refused and were returned to the rest of the group, but the twenty-first, Jason Cameron Bashina, agreed to bow to Amaris.
Armaris shoots Jason with the laser pistol he had earlier used to murder Richard and ordered the remaining Cameron’s killed. He leaves the Throne Room, ordering it sealed forever.
2766
Stefan Amaris declares himself First Lord and orders Aleksander Kerensky to continue the attack on the Taurian Concordat. Kerensky refuses, to Kerensky’s Fury, the Star Lords refuse to get involved in an "Internal Matter" of the Terran Hegemony and hunker down with their Militaries at high alert. Kerensky
understands that with the removal of the Star Leagues economic support he needs a powerful economic base. He orders the withdrawal of all SLDF forces from the periphery and garrisons across the inner sphere and unleashes them on the now lightly defended Rim Worlds Republic.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Port Vail
The 1st and the 22nd Cardoman Lancers drop on Port Vail to very light opposition. Only infantry and small amounts of armor have been left to garrison the world. By order of Kerensky all members of the Armaris political police, Intelligence services, and military high command are rounded up and shot in front of the Government Palace. The people of Port Vail, deeply oppressed by the Armaris political machine welcome the SLDF forces as liberators.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Nyasa
The 1st RCT, again with the 22nd are ordered to drop on Nyasa in an attempt to cut the supply lines of the Rim Worlds Republic in half. The 51st Armaris Regulars defending Nyasa, have a plan to trick the SLDF forces into a trap, they allow the 1st to believe that it is facing the bulk of the 51st heavy mechs while the 22nd believes it is facing the lightly defended capital. The forces around Otomba will engage heavily to slow the 1st while making it appear they are pulling back in panic towards the Starport. The heavy units around the capital, Nassuma will remain hidden, engaging with only light resistance.
The initial campaign goes well with the 1st driving hard against light mechs of the 51st Armaris Regulars. Scout mechs of the 1/39th encounter fast-moving elements of the 51st, the skirmishes are designed to keep the 1RCT in place in order to allow the 51st to retreat. As the 1st continues its advance across the plains towards Omotoba, they capture several small towns and cities finding evidence of atrocities committed by Armaris forces. A police station known as a center for the Political police is captured with all the inmates hanging from the walls.
The 22nd, on the other side of the planet, appears to be facing much lighter opposition as they advance on the capital city, Nassuma.
At a signal, the regulars around Omotoba turn and flee from the 1st, racing back into the city and rapidly loading into drop ships. In an attempt to catch the 51st still on the ground the 1st charges into the city and moves to surround the Starport. As the last dropship lifts off the 51st launch a number of tactical nuclear warheads catching the 1st fully deployed.
The 1st RCT utterly ceases to exist.
The remaining troops of the 51st do a half orbit of the planet and drop directly on top of the 22nd. The hidden heavy units within Nyasa emerge as the drops ships are burning down catching the 22nd between two forces. The fighting is vicious, brutal and short-lived as the 22nd fight for their lives against the already depleted forces of the 51st. By the end of 2767 Nyasa is in the hands of the SLDF, the 22nd is so badly mauled it is not able to contribute further during the civil war and Omotoba is a nuclear wasteland.
2769
Terra Prime in the Rim World Republic is finally captured and the Rim is declared a protectorate of the SLDF. Kerensky turns the entire economy of the highly industrialized Republic to a war footing and begins preparing for what he knows has to come.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
Friday, August 17, 2012
A History of the Australian Royal Mechanised Division (ARMD) 2600-2769 Part 3
2600-2760 (Cont)
The return from the reunification war brought many problems apart from the purely logistical. ARMD had been reinforced over the previous 20 years by the Star League Defence Force Logistical and Reinforcement Supply Depots, commonly known as "Reppledepples". The SLDF poor initial planning for replacements had a terrible effect on the general morale and unit cohesion of almost all of the units within the Army. Simply put, once a soldier was separated from his unit by wounds or illness, there was little chance of him returning to that unit. Instead, he was sent to a replacement depot, a repple-depple in Army slang. From the depot, he would then be reassigned as needed to whatever unit had a shortfall in his particular MOS (military occupation specialty). This meant that a soldier could spend months of training, forming close bonds with comrades, the basis for unit cohesion, and then in his first day of combat could be separated from them, never to fight with them again.
Within ARMD the impact of this was to immediately dilute the traditions and history of the unit. ARMD received reinforcements with differing levels of training from both the Terran hegemony and House units. Traditional rivalries, both ethnic and nationalist were brought into ARMD by these new replacements, resulting in events like the refusal of units in the 3/4th Artillery to fire in support of the 3/14th infantry under attack. The infantry was largely made up of Kuritans from the Davion borders, the artillery was largely made up of Davions.
Once the unit returned to New Rhodes III and began to rebuild, several programmes were put in place in an effort to rebuild the shattered morale of the men and women of ARMD.
Medical and Psychological testing was undertaken on all members of the Division. Anyone found medically and/or mentally unfit to serve was discharged from service with an Honourable discharge. Those deemed physiologically unfit had the opportunity to retire to ARMD hospitals where they would be looked after for the rest of their lives. For most of the next decade, ARMD would operate the largest Veterans hospitals in the sector.
Internal unit "Truth" commissions were held. All members of ARMD had the opportunity at this point to confess to their involvement in anything that could be considered a war crime. Anyone who confessed could not later be prosecuted and discharged for their actions. Many members of the unit resigned rather than discuss their actions, many mentally collapsed under gentle questioning and could not be made to recall any actions. Several men who confessed and appeared to be proud of the horrific actions they had undertaken were quietly retired.
The mental purge of the experiences of the last 20 years was a cathartic experience for all of the members of ARMD. The process took several years and when complete large numbers of men and women had quit, retired or been discharged. The Truth commissions were declared closed.
On May 20th, 2608 22 ARMD men and women were found dead in their beds. On top of each body was a folder. None of the 22 men and women had been part of the Truth commission process and none of them had confessed to anything. The contents of the folder provided detailed and exhaustive evidence of extensive, brutal and horrific war crimes. The selling of slaves, mass murder, systematic torture and rape, every crime on the military stature books and some they had to make up new laws for, had been perpetrated by these people.
On the front of each folder was the motto of the Internal Intelligence arm of the Chindits, Fidelis Ultra Nex. 8 of the names were added to the Black List, all of them were recorded as dishonorably discharged. It was never divulged whether the Divisional commanders were informed of the killings beforehand, but the message was clear, even after 20 years of constant war the Chindit Internal Intelligence service was still present and active within ARMD.
Over the next hundred years, ARMD rebuilt not only its TO&E but also its ethos, its morale and its deeply held beliefs of mateship and service. Although a lot of replacements would eventually return to their home states, many stayed within ARMD and settled on New Rhodes III, bringing new traditions and skills to the planet and the unit. Classes in the history of ARMD and its internal traditions and beliefs became mandatory for all new recruits, considered just as important as passing the physical training.
Many veterans of the war would be made part of the ARMD training schools, integrating their experience during the actions of the last 20 years into the training passed down to the new recruits. Several of these men and women who survived the reunification war, including the famous Captain Cristofer Galatidas, would serve from the age of 18 until they finally died of old age still in ARMD uniform.
Across the Star League the problems of returning veterans were handled in many different ways, from efforts similar to that of ARMD through to the infamous Veterans Day massacres which occurred in Kuritan space. As crime rates spiked, membership of bandit mech groups increased as returning veterans attempted to find a home where they were accepted, an unknown bureaucrat in the little-known office of Star League Titles and Manors created a policy which was signed into Terran Hegemony policy on November 12th, 2670. The policy with the innocuous title of "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" was a political knee-jerk attempt to deal with the ongoing problems posed by veterans. The policy was intended to force returning veterans who had caused issues to move on to new planets, it would have a huge impact on ARMD.
Unfortunately, it was a very poorly phrased policy and the massive Star League Defence Force bureaucracy got it completely wrong, interpreting it as an order to move any settled unit around within the Inner Sphere. On January 1st, 2698, ARMD Marshall Kimberley Kampstra received new orders from the SLDF. The Dukedom of New Rhodes, held by the ARMD Marshall was to be immediately transferred to New Home closer to Terra. ARMD were required to transfer all military members,
equipment and dependents to the bases that were being prepared for them on New Home by December 31st, 2698 under the authority of the SLDF and the "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" policy.
Kampstra was stunned and not knowing what to do, put off calling her Colonels council for 4 days. ARMD had been stationed on New Rhodes III since 2338. They were a deeply integrated part of the economy and the government, ARMD owned and ran manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, social and governmental services, to a large degree it could be said that ARMD was the government and economy of New Rhodes. Generations of ARMD members had been born,
raised, served, fought, died and been buried with honor on New Rhodes. Due to a petty bureaucrat's poorly worded policy that would all end. When she finally called her Colonels back from holiday she had a plan. The plan hinged around the phrase "and dependents."
ARMD would take as many of the people of New Rhodes who wished to come with them as they could jam into their fleet. Any civilian and their families who could be persuaded to join the ARMD exodus would be gladly welcomed.
Exodus
Kampstra ordered the engineers of the Division to get to New Home and scout out the ground. The initial reports were not encouraging. The SLDF bases that were "being prepared for them on New Home" didn’t exist. The SLDF had flattened some ground in preparation, put up a few disposable homes and left. There weren't enough beds to even house the members of the unit, let alone their families and the wave of dependents. There were no facilities for training, housing and maintenance of Mechs, vehicles or command. The SLDF in its usual grandiose monolithic way had ticked the "base built" bureaucratic box, refused to accept that the facilities provided were inadequate and would not help ARMD in any way.
The Great New Rhodes Fire Sale.
ARMD began the process of selling every asset it had managed to acquire nearly 400 years of history of New Rhodes. Everything that could not be picked up and moved to New Home would be sold. Land and buildings, businesses would all go on the chopping block. Merchant houses from across the Inner Sphere descended on New Rhodes in a feeding frenzy, buying everything as cheaply as they could.
Every credit that ARMD made was transferred to New Home and went into the building of new facilities to house the transferring regiments. Every ARMD soldier that landed on the new holding would immediately be put to work building the new homes and bases.
The civilian governments of New Rhodes and New Home were both similarly devastated. New Rhodes did not want to lose ARMD and the enormous amounts of credits it bought into the economy, political protests were mounted as far as the Terran Hegemony council and were all rejected by the bureaucracy. The New Home government had never had a major military unit housed on the planet, expecting a far more massive problem that the minor ones they had had with their own returning
veterans, they too fought the move and were rejected.
The last ARMD warrior left New Rhodes III at 11:58pm, 31 December 2698 and 360 years of ARMD history on New Rhodes III came to a close. Over 1 million men women and children elected to leave New Rhodes to follow the Division to New Home.
2700
Alexander Kerensky born.
ARMD continues to build and expand its facilities on New Home. ARMD rebuilds the same kind of facilities and services they operated on New Rhodes. The civilian government begins to realize what a golden opportunity they have been handed and co-operates enthusiastically, the average income of New Home quintuples over the next 20 years. New Home makes it on to the "best places to live" list of the Sector for the first time.
2720
Kerensky attends Tharkad University. His exploits there eventually land him a spot in the elite Nagelring.
2736
ARMD enters what was to become the last Martial Olympiad for 300 years. They finish 47th.
2738
Jerome Blake is born on Terra. ARMD units return to New Home after extended garrison duty on the periphery.
2751
The First Lord Simon Cameron dies, his eight-year-old son, Richard Cameron II, becomes First Lord of the Star League. The five House Lords gather on Terra and appoint General Aleksandr Kerensky as Commander-in-Chief of SLDF, and as Regent and Protector of the Star League for the remainder of Richard's minority.
Kerensky orders the SLDF to immediately undergo an extended refit period. ARMD factories on New Home are extensively upgraded and modified. ARMD begins training with its shiny new mechs.
2760
The Marian Hegemony border War begins. ARMD is sent as part of SLDF peacekeeping force. The Marians take it as a second invasion and a short but bloody war breaks out.
2762
Richard Cameron Comes of age and assumes the role of First Lord, Stefan Amaris is already a close confidant. Richard begins by ordering all house armies disbanded, and forced to join the SLDF, with the issuance of Executive Order 156. When the Great House Lords refuse, Richard is forced to accept the refusal. Richard orders the disbanding of the Star League High Council, ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally.
2763
Richard issues the Taxation Edict of 2763, a steep increase in taxes throughout the Human Sphere, but especially onerous within the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the Reunification Treaties, the Periphery governments quickly became militarized and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.
The resulting New Vandenberg Uprising, started by the secession of 18 worlds within the Taurian Concordat in 2765, forced the SLDF and Aleksandr Kerensky to redeploy a significant number of units to fight in the Periphery.
2764
Richard Cameron signs a secret treaty with Rim World Republic.
2765
Over sixty percent of the units normally stationed within the Terran Hegemony had been relocated to other districts, leaving the heart of the Star League dangerously exposed. It is at this point that the First Lord reveals his secret treaty with Amaris, allowing for the deployment of Rim Worlds Republic Military units to take the place of the SLDF. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RCT of ARMD are deployed to the Periphery. The 4th remains on New Home as the garrison.
Anger at this use of foreign troops on Hegemony soil is only placated by the Rim Republic's continued fervent and public loyalty to the Star League, Republican forces are allowed onto Hegemony worlds. However, the number of Republican units is secretly growing daily, with twice as many regiments arriving as officially listed, and under Richard's orders they were given complete access to the SLDF bureaucracy. Republican forces gain control of more than half of the Star Leagues Castles Brian
and are allowed to learn the workings of the Space Defence System.
2766
By December more than half of the Republican military have been redeployed to the Hegemony, equivalent to 16 divisions and twice as large as the remaining SLDF forces. With the pieces in place, Stefan Amaris is ready to act.
December 27, 2766
On December 27, Stefan Amaris has a nine o'clock appointment with the First Lord in his private Audience Chamber within the palace. Amaris moves unchallenged through the palace's security systems, accompanied by four bodyguards. He finds the First Lord eagerly awaiting his arrival, and after
exchanging pleasantries presents Richard with a wrapped box. After tearing through several layers of wrapped boxes, Richard finally uncovered a jewel-encrusted laser pistol bearing the crest of the Amaris family. Stefan held the pistol up to the light to reflect off the jewels, then leveled it at Richard's forehead.
The "Ayr" Chindit company were on rotation as personal security to the First Lord. Captain Jan Heyergaff's Delta team were the first to die. Armaris bodyguards had dropped flashbangs at their own feet as Armaris drew the pistol. The flash bangs went off and they opened fire with short controlled bursts, cutting the entire Delta team down in the first seconds. Heyergraff is the only soldier to actually get a shot off, creasing Armaris and killing a member of his bodyguard standing directly behind him.
Immediately Armaris seized control of the palace automated security systems. He used the control panel within the Audience Chamber which Richard himself had proudly shown the Usurper how to operate.
Armaris was unaware of the full extent of the security system. Sensors had picked up the gunfire and immediately sent alarms to the palace guard and Richard's personal regiment the Royal Black Watch. The palace guards attempting to enter the Audience Chamber found themselves cut down by hidden laser systems, while the Black Watch suffered heavy losses in traps which had been set for them by the 4th Amaris Dragoons.
Still, the coup was on the brink of failure: a platoon of jump pack-equipped guards, flying low across the palace's roofs to avoid anti-air laser turrets, were able to reach the roof of the Audience Chamber and two lances of Black Watch 'Mechs were able to escape the traps and confront the 4th Dragoons at Gorst Flats. The Black Watch was protected on one side by high forested hills on one side and Puget Sound on the other. This allowed the black Watch to draw out the Dragoons and forced them to engage the Watch individually. The efforts of Richards personal guards were ultimately doomed in the face of the well organized coup.
After losing ten 'Mechs to the entrenched Black Watch soldiers, all of whom had been graduates of the infamous Gunslinger Program, the Dragoon's commander withdrew his forces and dealt with the Watch by using a tactical nuclear warhead. The Dragoons also sent reinforcements to the palace and the Republican infantry arrived just in time to confront the palace guards and destroy them moments before they were able to cut through the Audience Chamber roof. All across the Hegemony, similar dramas played out as the Republicans used surprise to wipe out Regular Army units, many before they could get out of their barracks or troop ships. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons was widespread with enormous corresponding civilian casualties on the densely populated core worlds.
A number of units were able to escape the initial onslaught on Terra, including elements of the 191st Royal BattleMech Division who proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against Amaris that lasted until the liberation of Terra in 2779.
At least five regiments were able to hold out within their Castles Brian against several Republican assaults until the Castles destruction by repeated nuclear bombardment. Most units, however, if not entirely destroyed, were so badly mauled in that opening day that they effectively ceased to exist or took heed of the ultimatum that Amaris broadcast, falsely declaring he would kill the First Lord if they did not surrender. Those who laid down their arms were forced to dig their own graves and summarily executed. By the end of the day, 95 of the Hegemony's 103 worlds were under Republican control, as well as many intact Castles Brian and the entire Space Defence System.
Gathering all 79 surviving members of House Cameron within the Palace Throne Room, Armaris gives them an ultimatum: swear allegiance to him or die. One by one the family members were brought before him as he sat on the Star League Throne. One by one they were asked to submit. The first twenty refused and were returned to the rest of the group, but the twenty-first, Jason Cameron Bashina, agreed to bow to Amaris.
Armaris shoots Jason with the laser pistol he had earlier used to murder Richard and ordered the remaining Cameron’s killed. He leaves the Throne Room, ordering it sealed forever.
2766
Stefan Amaris declares himself First Lord and orders Aleksander Kerensky to continue the attack on the Taurian Concordat. Kerensky refuses, to Kerensky’s Fury, the Star Lords refuse to get involved in an "Internal Matter" of the Terran Hegemony and hunker down with their Militaries at high alert. Kerensky
understands that with the removal of the Star Leagues economic support he needs a powerful economic base. He orders the withdrawal of all SLDF forces from the periphery and garrisons across the inner sphere and unleashes them on the now lightly defended Rim Worlds Republic.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Port Vail
The 1st and the 22nd Cardoman Lancers drop on Port Vail to the very light opposition. Only infantry and small amounts of armor have been left to Garrison the world. By order of Kerensky all members of the Armaris political police, Intelligence services, and military high command are rounded up and shot in front of the Government Palace. The people of Port Vail, deeply oppressed by the Armaris political machine welcome the SLDF forces as liberators.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Nyasa
The 1st RCT, again with the 22nd are ordered to drop on Nyasa in an attempt to cut the supply lines of the Rim Worlds Republic in half. The 51st Armaris Regulars defending Nyasa, have a plan to trick the SLDF forces into a trap, they allow the 1st to believe that it is facing the bulk of the 51st heavy mechs while the 22nd believes it is facing the lightly defended capital. The forces around Otomba will engage heavily to slow the 1st while making it appear they are pulling back in panic towards the Starport. The heavy units around the capital, Nassuma will remain hidden, engaging with only light resistance.
The initial campaign goes well with the 1st driving hard against light mechs of the 51st Armaris Regulars. Scout mechs of the 1/39th encounter fast-moving elements of the 51st, the skirmishes are designed to keep the 1RCT in place in order to allow the 51st to retreat. As the 1st continues its advance across the plains towards Omotoba, they capture several small towns and cities finding evidence of atrocities committed by Armaris forces. A police station known as a center for the Political police is captured with all the inmates hanging from the walls.
The 22nd, on the other side of the planet, appears to be facing much lighter opposition as they advance on the capital city, Nassuma.
At a signal, the regulars around Omotoba turn and flee from the 1st, racing back into the city and rapidly loading into drop ships. In an attempt to catch the 51st still on the ground the 1st charges into the city and moves to surround the Starport. As the last dropship lifts off the 51st launch a number of tactical nuclear warheads catching the 1st fully deployed.
The 1st RCT utterly ceases to exist.
The remaining troops of the 51st do a half orbit of the planet and drop directly on top of the 22nd. The hidden heavy units within Nyasa emerge as the drops ships are burning down catching the 22nd between two forces. The fighting is vicious, brutal and short-lived as the 22nd fight for their lives against the already depleted forces of the 51st. By the end of 2767 Nyasa is in the hands of the SLDF, the 22nd is so badly mauled it is not able to contribute further during the civil war and Omotoba is a nuclear wasteland.
2769
Terra Prime in the Rim World Republic is finally captured and the Rim is declared a protectorate of the SLDF. Kerensky turns the entire economy of the highly industrialized Republic to a war footing and begins preparing for what he knows has to come.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
The return from the reunification war brought many problems apart from the purely logistical. ARMD had been reinforced over the previous 20 years by the Star League Defence Force Logistical and Reinforcement Supply Depots, commonly known as "Reppledepples". The SLDF poor initial planning for replacements had a terrible effect on the general morale and unit cohesion of almost all of the units within the Army. Simply put, once a soldier was separated from his unit by wounds or illness, there was little chance of him returning to that unit. Instead, he was sent to a replacement depot, a repple-depple in Army slang. From the depot, he would then be reassigned as needed to whatever unit had a shortfall in his particular MOS (military occupation specialty). This meant that a soldier could spend months of training, forming close bonds with comrades, the basis for unit cohesion, and then in his first day of combat could be separated from them, never to fight with them again.
Within ARMD the impact of this was to immediately dilute the traditions and history of the unit. ARMD received reinforcements with differing levels of training from both the Terran hegemony and House units. Traditional rivalries, both ethnic and nationalist were brought into ARMD by these new replacements, resulting in events like the refusal of units in the 3/4th Artillery to fire in support of the 3/14th infantry under attack. The infantry was largely made up of Kuritans from the Davion borders, the artillery was largely made up of Davions.
Once the unit returned to New Rhodes III and began to rebuild, several programmes were put in place in an effort to rebuild the shattered morale of the men and women of ARMD.
Medical and Psychological testing was undertaken on all members of the Division. Anyone found medically and/or mentally unfit to serve was discharged from service with an Honourable discharge. Those deemed physiologically unfit had the opportunity to retire to ARMD hospitals where they would be looked after for the rest of their lives. For most of the next decade, ARMD would operate the largest Veterans hospitals in the sector.
Internal unit "Truth" commissions were held. All members of ARMD had the opportunity at this point to confess to their involvement in anything that could be considered a war crime. Anyone who confessed could not later be prosecuted and discharged for their actions. Many members of the unit resigned rather than discuss their actions, many mentally collapsed under gentle questioning and could not be made to recall any actions. Several men who confessed and appeared to be proud of the horrific actions they had undertaken were quietly retired.
The mental purge of the experiences of the last 20 years was a cathartic experience for all of the members of ARMD. The process took several years and when complete large numbers of men and women had quit, retired or been discharged. The Truth commissions were declared closed.
On May 20th, 2608 22 ARMD men and women were found dead in their beds. On top of each body was a folder. None of the 22 men and women had been part of the Truth commission process and none of them had confessed to anything. The contents of the folder provided detailed and exhaustive evidence of extensive, brutal and horrific war crimes. The selling of slaves, mass murder, systematic torture and rape, every crime on the military stature books and some they had to make up new laws for, had been perpetrated by these people.
On the front of each folder was the motto of the Internal Intelligence arm of the Chindits, Fidelis Ultra Nex. 8 of the names were added to the Black List, all of them were recorded as dishonorably discharged. It was never divulged whether the Divisional commanders were informed of the killings beforehand, but the message was clear, even after 20 years of constant war the Chindit Internal Intelligence service was still present and active within ARMD.
Over the next hundred years, ARMD rebuilt not only its TO&E but also its ethos, its morale and its deeply held beliefs of mateship and service. Although a lot of replacements would eventually return to their home states, many stayed within ARMD and settled on New Rhodes III, bringing new traditions and skills to the planet and the unit. Classes in the history of ARMD and its internal traditions and beliefs became mandatory for all new recruits, considered just as important as passing the physical training.
Many veterans of the war would be made part of the ARMD training schools, integrating their experience during the actions of the last 20 years into the training passed down to the new recruits. Several of these men and women who survived the reunification war, including the famous Captain Cristofer Galatidas, would serve from the age of 18 until they finally died of old age still in ARMD uniform.
Across the Star League the problems of returning veterans were handled in many different ways, from efforts similar to that of ARMD through to the infamous Veterans Day massacres which occurred in Kuritan space. As crime rates spiked, membership of bandit mech groups increased as returning veterans attempted to find a home where they were accepted, an unknown bureaucrat in the little-known office of Star League Titles and Manors created a policy which was signed into Terran Hegemony policy on November 12th, 2670. The policy with the innocuous title of "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" was a political knee-jerk attempt to deal with the ongoing problems posed by veterans. The policy was intended to force returning veterans who had caused issues to move on to new planets, it would have a huge impact on ARMD.
Unfortunately, it was a very poorly phrased policy and the massive Star League Defence Force bureaucracy got it completely wrong, interpreting it as an order to move any settled unit around within the Inner Sphere. On January 1st, 2698, ARMD Marshall Kimberley Kampstra received new orders from the SLDF. The Dukedom of New Rhodes, held by the ARMD Marshall was to be immediately transferred to New Home closer to Terra. ARMD were required to transfer all military members,
equipment and dependents to the bases that were being prepared for them on New Home by December 31st, 2698 under the authority of the SLDF and the "Titles and Manor holdings, reformation" policy.
Kampstra was stunned and not knowing what to do, put off calling her Colonels council for 4 days. ARMD had been stationed on New Rhodes III since 2338. They were a deeply integrated part of the economy and the government, ARMD owned and ran manufacturing facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, social and governmental services, to a large degree it could be said that ARMD was the government and economy of New Rhodes. Generations of ARMD members had been born,
raised, served, fought, died and been buried with honor on New Rhodes. Due to a petty bureaucrat's poorly worded policy that would all end. When she finally called her Colonels back from holiday she had a plan. The plan hinged around the phrase "and dependents."
ARMD would take as many of the people of New Rhodes who wished to come with them as they could jam into their fleet. Any civilian and their families who could be persuaded to join the ARMD exodus would be gladly welcomed.
Exodus
Kampstra ordered the engineers of the Division to get to New Home and scout out the ground. The initial reports were not encouraging. The SLDF bases that were "being prepared for them on New Home" didn’t exist. The SLDF had flattened some ground in preparation, put up a few disposable homes and left. There weren't enough beds to even house the members of the unit, let alone their families and the wave of dependents. There were no facilities for training, housing and maintenance of Mechs, vehicles or command. The SLDF in its usual grandiose monolithic way had ticked the "base built" bureaucratic box, refused to accept that the facilities provided were inadequate and would not help ARMD in any way.
The Great New Rhodes Fire Sale.
ARMD began the process of selling every asset it had managed to acquire nearly 400 years of history of New Rhodes. Everything that could not be picked up and moved to New Home would be sold. Land and buildings, businesses would all go on the chopping block. Merchant houses from across the Inner Sphere descended on New Rhodes in a feeding frenzy, buying everything as cheaply as they could.
Every credit that ARMD made was transferred to New Home and went into the building of new facilities to house the transferring regiments. Every ARMD soldier that landed on the new holding would immediately be put to work building the new homes and bases.
The civilian governments of New Rhodes and New Home were both similarly devastated. New Rhodes did not want to lose ARMD and the enormous amounts of credits it bought into the economy, political protests were mounted as far as the Terran Hegemony council and were all rejected by the bureaucracy. The New Home government had never had a major military unit housed on the planet, expecting a far more massive problem that the minor ones they had had with their own returning
veterans, they too fought the move and were rejected.
The last ARMD warrior left New Rhodes III at 11:58pm, 31 December 2698 and 360 years of ARMD history on New Rhodes III came to a close. Over 1 million men women and children elected to leave New Rhodes to follow the Division to New Home.
2700
Alexander Kerensky born.
ARMD continues to build and expand its facilities on New Home. ARMD rebuilds the same kind of facilities and services they operated on New Rhodes. The civilian government begins to realize what a golden opportunity they have been handed and co-operates enthusiastically, the average income of New Home quintuples over the next 20 years. New Home makes it on to the "best places to live" list of the Sector for the first time.
2720
Kerensky attends Tharkad University. His exploits there eventually land him a spot in the elite Nagelring.
2736
ARMD enters what was to become the last Martial Olympiad for 300 years. They finish 47th.
2738
Jerome Blake is born on Terra. ARMD units return to New Home after extended garrison duty on the periphery.
2751
The First Lord Simon Cameron dies, his eight-year-old son, Richard Cameron II, becomes First Lord of the Star League. The five House Lords gather on Terra and appoint General Aleksandr Kerensky as Commander-in-Chief of SLDF, and as Regent and Protector of the Star League for the remainder of Richard's minority.
Kerensky orders the SLDF to immediately undergo an extended refit period. ARMD factories on New Home are extensively upgraded and modified. ARMD begins training with its shiny new mechs.
2760
The Marian Hegemony border War begins. ARMD is sent as part of SLDF peacekeeping force. The Marians take it as a second invasion and a short but bloody war breaks out.
2762
Richard Cameron Comes of age and assumes the role of First Lord, Stefan Amaris is already a close confidant. Richard begins by ordering all house armies disbanded, and forced to join the SLDF, with the issuance of Executive Order 156. When the Great House Lords refuse, Richard is forced to accept the refusal. Richard orders the disbanding of the Star League High Council, ruling the Human Sphere unilaterally.
2763
Richard issues the Taxation Edict of 2763, a steep increase in taxes throughout the Human Sphere, but especially onerous within the Periphery. As the tax increase was a clear infraction on the Reunification Treaties, the Periphery governments quickly became militarized and prepared for another Inner Sphere invasion.
The resulting New Vandenberg Uprising, started by the secession of 18 worlds within the Taurian Concordat in 2765, forced the SLDF and Aleksandr Kerensky to redeploy a significant number of units to fight in the Periphery.
2764
Richard Cameron signs a secret treaty with Rim World Republic.
2765
Over sixty percent of the units normally stationed within the Terran Hegemony had been relocated to other districts, leaving the heart of the Star League dangerously exposed. It is at this point that the First Lord reveals his secret treaty with Amaris, allowing for the deployment of Rim Worlds Republic Military units to take the place of the SLDF. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd RCT of ARMD are deployed to the Periphery. The 4th remains on New Home as the garrison.
Anger at this use of foreign troops on Hegemony soil is only placated by the Rim Republic's continued fervent and public loyalty to the Star League, Republican forces are allowed onto Hegemony worlds. However, the number of Republican units is secretly growing daily, with twice as many regiments arriving as officially listed, and under Richard's orders they were given complete access to the SLDF bureaucracy. Republican forces gain control of more than half of the Star Leagues Castles Brian
and are allowed to learn the workings of the Space Defence System.
2766
By December more than half of the Republican military have been redeployed to the Hegemony, equivalent to 16 divisions and twice as large as the remaining SLDF forces. With the pieces in place, Stefan Amaris is ready to act.
December 27, 2766
On December 27, Stefan Amaris has a nine o'clock appointment with the First Lord in his private Audience Chamber within the palace. Amaris moves unchallenged through the palace's security systems, accompanied by four bodyguards. He finds the First Lord eagerly awaiting his arrival, and after
exchanging pleasantries presents Richard with a wrapped box. After tearing through several layers of wrapped boxes, Richard finally uncovered a jewel-encrusted laser pistol bearing the crest of the Amaris family. Stefan held the pistol up to the light to reflect off the jewels, then leveled it at Richard's forehead.
The "Ayr" Chindit company were on rotation as personal security to the First Lord. Captain Jan Heyergaff's Delta team were the first to die. Armaris bodyguards had dropped flashbangs at their own feet as Armaris drew the pistol. The flash bangs went off and they opened fire with short controlled bursts, cutting the entire Delta team down in the first seconds. Heyergraff is the only soldier to actually get a shot off, creasing Armaris and killing a member of his bodyguard standing directly behind him.
Immediately Armaris seized control of the palace automated security systems. He used the control panel within the Audience Chamber which Richard himself had proudly shown the Usurper how to operate.
Armaris was unaware of the full extent of the security system. Sensors had picked up the gunfire and immediately sent alarms to the palace guard and Richard's personal regiment the Royal Black Watch. The palace guards attempting to enter the Audience Chamber found themselves cut down by hidden laser systems, while the Black Watch suffered heavy losses in traps which had been set for them by the 4th Amaris Dragoons.
Still, the coup was on the brink of failure: a platoon of jump pack-equipped guards, flying low across the palace's roofs to avoid anti-air laser turrets, were able to reach the roof of the Audience Chamber and two lances of Black Watch 'Mechs were able to escape the traps and confront the 4th Dragoons at Gorst Flats. The Black Watch was protected on one side by high forested hills on one side and Puget Sound on the other. This allowed the black Watch to draw out the Dragoons and forced them to engage the Watch individually. The efforts of Richards personal guards were ultimately doomed in the face of the well organized coup.
After losing ten 'Mechs to the entrenched Black Watch soldiers, all of whom had been graduates of the infamous Gunslinger Program, the Dragoon's commander withdrew his forces and dealt with the Watch by using a tactical nuclear warhead. The Dragoons also sent reinforcements to the palace and the Republican infantry arrived just in time to confront the palace guards and destroy them moments before they were able to cut through the Audience Chamber roof. All across the Hegemony, similar dramas played out as the Republicans used surprise to wipe out Regular Army units, many before they could get out of their barracks or troop ships. The use of chemical and nuclear weapons was widespread with enormous corresponding civilian casualties on the densely populated core worlds.
A number of units were able to escape the initial onslaught on Terra, including elements of the 191st Royal BattleMech Division who proceeded to wage a guerrilla war against Amaris that lasted until the liberation of Terra in 2779.
At least five regiments were able to hold out within their Castles Brian against several Republican assaults until the Castles destruction by repeated nuclear bombardment. Most units, however, if not entirely destroyed, were so badly mauled in that opening day that they effectively ceased to exist or took heed of the ultimatum that Amaris broadcast, falsely declaring he would kill the First Lord if they did not surrender. Those who laid down their arms were forced to dig their own graves and summarily executed. By the end of the day, 95 of the Hegemony's 103 worlds were under Republican control, as well as many intact Castles Brian and the entire Space Defence System.
Gathering all 79 surviving members of House Cameron within the Palace Throne Room, Armaris gives them an ultimatum: swear allegiance to him or die. One by one the family members were brought before him as he sat on the Star League Throne. One by one they were asked to submit. The first twenty refused and were returned to the rest of the group, but the twenty-first, Jason Cameron Bashina, agreed to bow to Amaris.
Armaris shoots Jason with the laser pistol he had earlier used to murder Richard and ordered the remaining Cameron’s killed. He leaves the Throne Room, ordering it sealed forever.
2766
Stefan Amaris declares himself First Lord and orders Aleksander Kerensky to continue the attack on the Taurian Concordat. Kerensky refuses, to Kerensky’s Fury, the Star Lords refuse to get involved in an "Internal Matter" of the Terran Hegemony and hunker down with their Militaries at high alert. Kerensky
understands that with the removal of the Star Leagues economic support he needs a powerful economic base. He orders the withdrawal of all SLDF forces from the periphery and garrisons across the inner sphere and unleashes them on the now lightly defended Rim Worlds Republic.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Port Vail
The 1st and the 22nd Cardoman Lancers drop on Port Vail to the very light opposition. Only infantry and small amounts of armor have been left to Garrison the world. By order of Kerensky all members of the Armaris political police, Intelligence services, and military high command are rounded up and shot in front of the Government Palace. The people of Port Vail, deeply oppressed by the Armaris political machine welcome the SLDF forces as liberators.
2767 The Rim Worlds campaign
ARMD 1st Regimental Combat Team
Nyasa
The 1st RCT, again with the 22nd are ordered to drop on Nyasa in an attempt to cut the supply lines of the Rim Worlds Republic in half. The 51st Armaris Regulars defending Nyasa, have a plan to trick the SLDF forces into a trap, they allow the 1st to believe that it is facing the bulk of the 51st heavy mechs while the 22nd believes it is facing the lightly defended capital. The forces around Otomba will engage heavily to slow the 1st while making it appear they are pulling back in panic towards the Starport. The heavy units around the capital, Nassuma will remain hidden, engaging with only light resistance.
The initial campaign goes well with the 1st driving hard against light mechs of the 51st Armaris Regulars. Scout mechs of the 1/39th encounter fast-moving elements of the 51st, the skirmishes are designed to keep the 1RCT in place in order to allow the 51st to retreat. As the 1st continues its advance across the plains towards Omotoba, they capture several small towns and cities finding evidence of atrocities committed by Armaris forces. A police station known as a center for the Political police is captured with all the inmates hanging from the walls.
The 22nd, on the other side of the planet, appears to be facing much lighter opposition as they advance on the capital city, Nassuma.
At a signal, the regulars around Omotoba turn and flee from the 1st, racing back into the city and rapidly loading into drop ships. In an attempt to catch the 51st still on the ground the 1st charges into the city and moves to surround the Starport. As the last dropship lifts off the 51st launch a number of tactical nuclear warheads catching the 1st fully deployed.
The 1st RCT utterly ceases to exist.
The remaining troops of the 51st do a half orbit of the planet and drop directly on top of the 22nd. The hidden heavy units within Nyasa emerge as the drops ships are burning down catching the 22nd between two forces. The fighting is vicious, brutal and short-lived as the 22nd fight for their lives against the already depleted forces of the 51st. By the end of 2767 Nyasa is in the hands of the SLDF, the 22nd is so badly mauled it is not able to contribute further during the civil war and Omotoba is a nuclear wasteland.
2769
Terra Prime in the Rim World Republic is finally captured and the Rim is declared a protectorate of the SLDF. Kerensky turns the entire economy of the highly industrialized Republic to a war footing and begins preparing for what he knows has to come.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A History of the Australian Royal Mechanised Division (ARMD) 2575-2700 Part 2
ARMD would eventually participate in all but one wave of the invasion of the Taurian Concordat.
Wave One 2575
This involved the simultaneous invasions of multiple Taurian systems.
The naval forces of ARMD participated in the fleet battles around many of the TC worlds in support of the main SLDF fleets.
Wave One Ridgebrook
I Corps was tasked with the initial invasion of Ridgebrook. Defended by the over strength 2nd and 15th Taurian Fortress Battalions the primary strategic target was the city of Massif. The city contained the starport, major planetary sea ports and the seat of government; it was the economic and political centre of the planet. Massif was overlooked by two enormous granite mountains ranges which sloped down to the sea surrounding the ports. The 2nd and 15th under Taurian Major Dan Roelink, had spent months fortifying the mountains, turning them into a warren of self-supporting defended caves and strong points.
The TC Battalions contained a full complement of mech companies each, as well as attached artillery units and anti-mech infantry/ armor. The City sat between the mountains like the center of an hour glass with the sea to the north.
The plan was for the SLDF forces to attack through the gap and spread out to take the city and starport, unfortunately for the SLDF the mountain fortresses had been specifically designed to be mutually supporting. The initial attack found the TH units funnelled into a killing ground swept by the fire of hidden assault mechs, artillery and AT guns. The initial 1 Corps attack was cut to pieces for next to no loss on the Taurian side. Aerospace attacks were ineffective as the defensive units were well covered and designed to allow the guns to move from place to place within the defensive line.
After pulling back from the initial attack, the commander of 1 corps decided that the two mountain ranges would have to be taken along a broad front. ARMD was assigned to the left flank of the attack, known as "Blue Beach" while the right flank was called "Red Beach". This would be the first time ARMD was fully deployed since the rebuild in 2500.
1 Corps command believed that although the initial resistance was fierce, the Taurians would not have the tenacity or the supplies to continue providing any sort of resistance against a concerted push of the entire 1 Corps. They were wrong.
ARMD descended into hell. Every defile, every cave, every hill, every ravine, every rocky outcrop was defended with absolute fanaticism. The SLDF forces would push forward to take an objective during the day and leaving forward troops to hold the gained ground, they would retreat to holding camps at night. The next day the advancing forces would be forced into another bloody slugging match. This went on week after week for the next several months.
At night the attacks would not cease, artillery would continuously rain down along the front lines, everything, from a 400mm field piece nicknamed by the ARMD troops "The Whispering Death, as the sound of the shell travelling, continued after the shell had arrived, to mortars, LRMs, machine guns, tank weapons, everything that the Taurian troops could fire, was aimed at the ARMD entrenchments.
Captured ARMED troops would be nailed to poles and lifted onto ridges where they were in full view of their comrades. Electric shocks would be administered to them to cause them to scream. Eventually, the practice stopped when ARMD troops took to shooting their comrades as soon as they were lifted to the view of the front lines in order to put them out of their misery. Once they started silencing their own brothers, ARMD started finding their comrades already dead, strung up, attached to walls with barbed wire, with their bodies badly mutilated.
Civilians would infiltrate from the city carrying explosive charges and grenades. Human wave attacks came in all along the line, civilians would charge into the defensive lines with only the front wave carrying weapons. As the first waves were cut down the next waves would pick up the weapons and continue the attack. On one occasion the 2/13th Infantry fought off an attack at night which was noted for its particular tenacity. As the sun rose the next morning, the 2/13 realized with horror, that in front of their lines lay the mutilated bodies of Star Scouts, teenagers from the age of 10- 15 lay in their hundreds in front of the lines.
Day by day, week by week ARMD pushed into the Taurian defensive lines with casualties mounting. After 2 months the 1/39th finally crested the last ridge of Blue Beach and looked down on the city of Massif. They were soon to learn that the battle was far from over. For 6 more weeks, 1 Corps would slug it out with the defenders trying to take the city. In one horrific incident during an attack on the financial sector, babies were thrown from high rises with grenades tucked into their blankets to land on top of the advancing infantry, their mothers followed from the tops of the high rises clutching bundles of high explosives.
Civilians would rush out from basements and jump onto the legs of advancing mechs, using high explosive to blow out their ankles. Snipers were everywhere, mechs embedded themselves into high rise buildings, firing at point blank range, tanks would emerge hidden from basements, grandmothers would open fire with automatic weapons as infantry passed them by.
It became common to fire on anything that moved, "kill them all" became the by-line of the 1st Corps. The battle of Ridgebrook demonstrated the high price that the Star League forces would pay for the conquest of the Taurian Concordat.
Historical estimates of the casualty rate of the 2 million civilian population of Massif run to as high as 80%. The City was decimated and was still not functional by the time ARMD returned to New Rhodes III in 2598.
Wave One Wrentham
1 Corps was hurriedly moved on from Ridgebrook to Wrentham after the initial invasion went quickly wrong. Wrentham was a hostile world where the population lived in vast underground caverns. The 7th and 12th SLDF Regulars had suffered enormous casualties in the cavern to cavern fighting and attempt to take the dome cities. With its previous experience on Ridgebrook still fresh in the brutalized minds of the Division, they hit Wrentham with savage force. Domes were blown, poison gas was used to flush out strong points in the caverns and tunnels.
By the time 1 Corps declared Wrentham secure, the planet was almost completely depopulated. 1 Corps spent the next couple of years on Wrentham building itself back up from the horrendous casualties suffered in the first wave. News filtered in of defeats and victories across the periphery. One thing was very clear, the Taurian Concordat was putting up the fiercest fight of all of the Periphery states and this was a new kind of war. TC news media called it a "war to the knife" no quarter given or taken.
This was going to be a long and bloody campaign.
Wave Two 2580
ARMD was loaned to IV Corps for their attack on the Pleiades cluster.
Several units of IV Corps had yet to participate in the fighting, the veteran ARMD unit commanders attempted to instruct them in the nature of the enemy that they faced, but in most cases, the well-earned experience was ignored.
ARMD dropped with the 18th Light Horse on Lothair, the open rolling plains of the planet suiting the highly mobile style of both of the Divisions perfectly. Assigned to provide heavy support to the 18th, ARMD participated in the battles of Areaither and Playtime where the highly mobile but light forces of the SLDF ran headlong into the 19th and 50th Taurian Concordat Republic Marines. The Marines refused to be drawn out of their well-defended positions and after taking control of 80% of the planet with no real resistance, ARMD and the 18th were required to assault the Marine positions. The battles were short but brutal. The 3/1 Assault Mech Regiment "The Maori"was utterly destroyed when they were drawn into a cleverly concealed killing field, the 3/3 Otago Infantry ceased to exist when fuel tanks concealed beneath the defensive position they had just taken were ignited, exploding with a force equivalent to a tactical nuclear weapon.
Once again civilians were in the forefront of the fight, with civilian killed and wounded running into the millions. By this point, the 18th and ARMD had simply stopped taking prisoners. Anything mobile in front of their guns was shot until it stopped moving and then shot again as it was approached.
It was outside the city of Playtime that the incident known within ARMD as "The Clearance" occurred. 1st and 2nd Companies "Port Hedland" Chindit Brigade were ordered to clear the civilians out of a small town called Pynt. Initially, the clearance went well with the civilians obeying orders peacefully. Towards the end of the day, there were about 6000 civilian men women and children ready to be picked up by transport to take them to an SLDF designated safe zone. It is believed that a small team of Taurian Militants had worked their way through the crowd and opened fire on the Chindit guards. The Chindits fired back directly into the crowd which panicked and surged towards the ARMD infantry. Several ARMD weapons were captured and turned on their former owners. The increasing sound of firing drew more and more Chindits into the fighting when the firing stopped nearly 2000 civilians were dead.
The Cameron stars on the ARMD banners and flashes made them easily identifiable by their enemies as they were the only unit on the Taurian front authorized to display the star. The terrible reputation that was beginning to be built by the ARMD units begins to spread quickly. The Taurian Concordat media refer to the division disparagingly as the "Cameron Monsters"
Wave Three 2581
Wave three witnessed the two largest naval engagements of the Reunification War. In total, the Star League navy lost around 50 vessels ships (~33%), but the remainder of the Taurian navy (~100 ships) was either destroyed or forced to return home for repairs. The remnants of the Taurian navy required three years to recover from the third wave.
1 Corps and ARMD landed on the planet Flintoft. Resistance was light with the only significant combat coming when the landing force was attacked by conventional aircraft. The industrial centers of Flintoft were rendered useless to the Star League, the entire planet had been demolished when it became clear that they were next on the SLDF invasion list.
Wave Four 2582
During the fourth wave, the SLDF conquered Horsham with very little collateral damage, while the recently created XI Corps took Bromhead and Rollis. Wave Four was initiated while ARMD was still in the process of pacifying Flintoft and they took no part in the attack.
Case Black
Displeased with the lack of progress in the Hyades Cluster, and appalled by the number of casualties, the SLDF High Command recalled IV and VI Corps and replaced General Wexworth with General Amalthia Kincaid. Gravely injured early in her career, Kincaid was an "armchair MechWarrior" with strong strategic skills and had demonstrated her competence with a successful completion of wave four in 2582.
In response, Taurian Defense Command commenced "Case Black", a two-pronged strategy to stop the SLDF. The remnants of the Taurian navy engaged the Third Star League Fleet under Admiral Kristopher Minn. Drawing the fleet as far as Cohagen, Taurian commandos then infiltrated League-occupied space, and assassinated General Kincaid on the planet Firgrove on 3 June 2583. With General Kincaid dead, the SLDF floundered for more than a year before recommencing the Taurian invasion.
Total War
Kincaid was eventually replaced by General Amos Forlough, a veteran of the ongoing war with the Outworlds Alliance. Forlough was unscrupulous, resolving to extend the scorched-earth campaign against the Concordat. However, he failed to inform his superiors of his tactics (or, for that matter, any losses and atrocities committed by his forces). Discipline and defection became significant problems under the leadership of General Forlough; the SLDF instituted severe corporal punishment for any infractions committed, these infractions included important things like being drunk on duty, but not mass murder.
Wave Five 2584
Forlough commenced wave five in 2584, extending and expanding the scorched earth tactics used so successfully by 1 Corps in the war so far. Caldwell and Warren quickly fell to the SLDF; all attempts by the remains of the Taurian Concordat Navy to relieve the beleaguered worlds were thwarted by the Star League.
In order to prevent the complete destruction of the Concordat, Mitchell Calderon ordered his House regiments, thus far held in reserve, to bring war to the Star League. The Taurian Guard, the Concordat Velites, and the Calderon Red Hand were deployed to Deifenbaker to destroy III Corps. Though most of the Taurian units were lost, III Corps was decimated, and unable to continue the invasion. The ARMD 4th division had been deployed to Deifenbaker to provide support and stiffening for the III Corps who were beginning to waver in their determination to defeat the TC.
The 4th Division was deployed in battle formation behind the III Corps lines and ordered to fire on "anything to the front", the implied threat to any who intended to retreat was clear. The Light Medium Mech Regiment "1st Otago Mounted Rifles" suffered the ignominy of being destroyed not by their enemies, but by their allies when the 10th Galedon Rangers overran them in their frantic efforts to get away from the attacking forces of the Taurian Guard. By the time the Guard reached the 4/1's position, there was little left but smoking mechs.
The Light Mech Regiment "6th Australian Cavalry" were trapped and destroyed by the 6th Velites in a series of valleys near the major starport and the Medium Tank Regiment "2nd Light Horse" were completely eliminated by the Red Hand when their scout tanks ran straight into the advancing heavy mechs.
Wave Six 2585-2586
The battered remains of the 4th division were reunited with the rest of ARMD and I Corps in the drop on Lindsay. The snow-covered world proved a frozen hell for 1 Corps, with the well-trained 30th and 31st Calderon Mountain regiment using hit and run attacks against the entrenched SLDF troops. Light mechs slashed in an out of the lines, heavy and assault mechs would appear out of blinding snowstorms and destroy rear supply posts, sentries would disappear only to be found frozen to death sitting inside a mech cockpit days later, poison was used to kill the entire command staff of the ARMD 2/13 Heavy Tank Regiment.
The AFFS conducted scorched earth campaigns against Montour, Sartu, and Mavegh. Attempting to relieve the planet Montour, the remaining Taurian fleet was trapped and destroyed by the Star League Fourth Fleet.
Wave Seven 2587
This attack was even more successful for the Star League, conquering Warren and the surrounding systems without resistance.
Early in 2588, Mitchell Calderon died of a heart attack. His daughter, Marantha Calderon, decided to withdraw all remaining Concordat forces into the Hyades Cluster and Flannagan's Nebula, and prepare for one last stand. The withdrawal of the TDF left New Vandenburg alone with a garrison of 5 regiments.
Seizing the opportunity, General Forlough assaulted New Vandenburg (2588-2589). 1 Corps landed on the planet uncontested and proceeded to defoliate the northern continent. Unwilling to be drawn out, the Taurian garrison maintained its position in the city of Harmony near the defense industries.
Frustrated, Forlough ordered I Corps to dig out the defenders of Harmony with extreme force. The few surviving veterans of the battle of Massif on Ridgebrook look out at the mountainous heavily forested terrain and felt a shiver run up their spines. The SLDF began the systematic rounding up and imprisoning of the entire planet. You were either in an SLDF "protection Camp" or you were an enemy and sometimes even those lines blurred. The TC forces ran a brutal guerrilla campaign for months,
hiding behind every hill and tree trunk. Where they could be brought to battle, the SLDF was generally successful in defeating their enemies. However, in most cases, the TC refused to come out and fight which caused the frustration levels of the ARMD troopers to go through the roof.
The command elements of the ARMD Division, the bulk of the Assault/Heavy Tank Regiment "12th Armoured" and the Infantry Regiment "10th The Wellington Infantry" were hunkered down in two suburbs on the outskirts of Harmony. Taurian Concordat commandos fired shells containing nerve toxin into the firebases of the ARMD troops. This not only decimated the ARMD units, it killed nearly 50,000 civilians in the surrounding housing.
The Final Waves
General Lord Damien Onaga replaced Field Marshall Forlough, and commenced Wave Eight in 2590. With virtually no resistance, Desolate Plains, Brockway and Midale, fell to the Star League juggernaut. All that remained was penetrating Flannagan's Nebula, the asteroid field, and bringing the war to the Hyades Cluster.
In order to accomplish this task, Lord Onaga deployed the elite Star Guard Corps in Wave Nine in 2591. The Star Guard was tasked with clearing Flannagan's Nebula. Fighting within the nebula was drawn out and brutal, with the SLDF requiring four full years to clear the Taurian defenses. Asteroid laser
emplacements were removed by zero-gravity infantry operations, as the debris was too dense for BattleMechs, Aerospace fighters, or capital ships.
With the SLDF poised for a final invasion of the Hyades Cluster, Protector Marantha Calderon surrendered rather than see the Hyades Cluster razed. The Taurian Defense Force and all irregular resistance lowered their arms on 22 September 2596, after a simultaneous radio broadcast was transmitted throughout all worlds currently or previously held by the Taurian Concordat. The next morning, Protector Marantha committed suicide. Her remains were cremated, and her ashes scattered in space.
2598
After 20 years of almost constant combat, the shattered ARMD return home. With total losses in the tens of thousands including hundreds of mechs, the division was in no shape to continue fighting. ARMD command was never particularly supportive of the war of conquest, as descendants of colonials themselves, their natural tendency was to fight against central royal control. However, they threw themselves and the Division into the war wholeheartedly, learning a ferocity they had not known existed within themselves. Less than 5% of the troops who rostered on for the drop on Ridgebrook answered the roll call in 2598.
The traditional recruiting grounds of ARMD were simply not capable of sustaining the kinds of losses that ARMD had been sustaining and ARMD had been supplied with reinforcements by the SLDF throughout the previous 20 years of war. This had diluted the traditions and standards of the Division as there had been no time to focus on the usual history classes when eyeball deep in mud with civilians shooting at you.
2600-2700 the good years
A period of relative peace now existed in the Inner Sphere. Exhausted economically, physically and morally the units of the SLDF returned to their homeworlds to recoup and rebuild. The reunification war had cost the Star League millions dead and created on its borders a zone of hatred and resentment unknown in human history. Entire worlds dedicated their children to the defeat and destruction of the Star League and all it stood for.
All of the economically viable worlds of the periphery had been destroyed, leaving the Star League with a huge problem of feeding and sheltering tens of millions of its defeated foes. The ambition of the Lords of the Star League to conquer heavy industrial and food-producing worlds and absorb them into their economies had come to nothing.
During this period ARMD units are rotated through various garrisons across the homeworlds and the Taurian Concordat and see very little combat.
The second Rebuilding
ARMD had started the reunification war as a combined arms unit mustering in the tens of thousands of armor, infantry and mech warriors. Multiple regiments were part of the TO&E, making up 4 entire combined arms Divisions. Throughout the Taurian War, it became clear that the modern battle zone, although it required a certain amount of non-mech combat troops, was far too lethal for the traditional armor and infantry units and that the Mech was now the king of the battlefield.
With so many units badly damaged across the entire SLDF, recruitment and training became much harder for ARMD and it was made clear that they would not be receiving anywhere near the kinds of numbers it would take them to rebuild to their former size. So the Commanders of ARMD once again began the process of a complete re-organization of the unit.
Many units of ARMD, with proud histories stretching back to the nationalist wars of the late twentieth century, would be disbanded or merged. Infantry would largely play a security role for the deployment of mechs, with small teams of specialist anti-mech infantry. Traditional armor would be done away with entirely and losses in the fleets meant that ARMD could only deploy a single assault transport fleet rather than the 4 previously fielded.
To&E
1st Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Assault Mech Regiment "39th Regiment - The Choccos"
1 Artillery Regiment "4th Artillery Regiment"
1 Infantry Brigade "1st The Wellington Infantry"
1 Chindit Company "Port Hedland"
2nd Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Assault/Heavy Mech Regiment "1st Auckland Mounted Rifles"
1 Infantry Brigade "13th Infantry"
1 Artillery Regiment "3rd Artillery Regiment"
1 Chindit Company "Ayr"
3rd Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Light Mech Regiment "1st Australian Cavalry"
1 Infantry Brigade "14th Infantry"
1 Chindit Company "Karratha"
The 4th Regimental Combat Team "New Zealand"
1 Light Medium Mech Regiment "1st Otago Mounted Rifles"
1 Light Mech Regiment "6th Australian Cavalry"
1 Infantry Brigade "1st The Otago Infantry
1 Chindit Company "Karumba"
1 Assault Transport fleet "McKenna"
By 2700 ARMD could muster 4 RCT and the associated support units. On the homeworlds of the Star League retired ARMD Soldiers and Mechwarriors are warmly welcomed. On the Taurian Worlds, where populations still existed, ARMD were hated with a fiery passion. To this day Taurian mothers tell their children to behave or the "Cameron Monsters" will come to get them.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
Wave One 2575
This involved the simultaneous invasions of multiple Taurian systems.
The naval forces of ARMD participated in the fleet battles around many of the TC worlds in support of the main SLDF fleets.
Wave One Ridgebrook
I Corps was tasked with the initial invasion of Ridgebrook. Defended by the over strength 2nd and 15th Taurian Fortress Battalions the primary strategic target was the city of Massif. The city contained the starport, major planetary sea ports and the seat of government; it was the economic and political centre of the planet. Massif was overlooked by two enormous granite mountains ranges which sloped down to the sea surrounding the ports. The 2nd and 15th under Taurian Major Dan Roelink, had spent months fortifying the mountains, turning them into a warren of self-supporting defended caves and strong points.
The TC Battalions contained a full complement of mech companies each, as well as attached artillery units and anti-mech infantry/ armor. The City sat between the mountains like the center of an hour glass with the sea to the north.
The plan was for the SLDF forces to attack through the gap and spread out to take the city and starport, unfortunately for the SLDF the mountain fortresses had been specifically designed to be mutually supporting. The initial attack found the TH units funnelled into a killing ground swept by the fire of hidden assault mechs, artillery and AT guns. The initial 1 Corps attack was cut to pieces for next to no loss on the Taurian side. Aerospace attacks were ineffective as the defensive units were well covered and designed to allow the guns to move from place to place within the defensive line.
After pulling back from the initial attack, the commander of 1 corps decided that the two mountain ranges would have to be taken along a broad front. ARMD was assigned to the left flank of the attack, known as "Blue Beach" while the right flank was called "Red Beach". This would be the first time ARMD was fully deployed since the rebuild in 2500.
1 Corps command believed that although the initial resistance was fierce, the Taurians would not have the tenacity or the supplies to continue providing any sort of resistance against a concerted push of the entire 1 Corps. They were wrong.
ARMD descended into hell. Every defile, every cave, every hill, every ravine, every rocky outcrop was defended with absolute fanaticism. The SLDF forces would push forward to take an objective during the day and leaving forward troops to hold the gained ground, they would retreat to holding camps at night. The next day the advancing forces would be forced into another bloody slugging match. This went on week after week for the next several months.
At night the attacks would not cease, artillery would continuously rain down along the front lines, everything, from a 400mm field piece nicknamed by the ARMD troops "The Whispering Death, as the sound of the shell travelling, continued after the shell had arrived, to mortars, LRMs, machine guns, tank weapons, everything that the Taurian troops could fire, was aimed at the ARMD entrenchments.
Captured ARMED troops would be nailed to poles and lifted onto ridges where they were in full view of their comrades. Electric shocks would be administered to them to cause them to scream. Eventually, the practice stopped when ARMD troops took to shooting their comrades as soon as they were lifted to the view of the front lines in order to put them out of their misery. Once they started silencing their own brothers, ARMD started finding their comrades already dead, strung up, attached to walls with barbed wire, with their bodies badly mutilated.
Civilians would infiltrate from the city carrying explosive charges and grenades. Human wave attacks came in all along the line, civilians would charge into the defensive lines with only the front wave carrying weapons. As the first waves were cut down the next waves would pick up the weapons and continue the attack. On one occasion the 2/13th Infantry fought off an attack at night which was noted for its particular tenacity. As the sun rose the next morning, the 2/13 realized with horror, that in front of their lines lay the mutilated bodies of Star Scouts, teenagers from the age of 10- 15 lay in their hundreds in front of the lines.
Day by day, week by week ARMD pushed into the Taurian defensive lines with casualties mounting. After 2 months the 1/39th finally crested the last ridge of Blue Beach and looked down on the city of Massif. They were soon to learn that the battle was far from over. For 6 more weeks, 1 Corps would slug it out with the defenders trying to take the city. In one horrific incident during an attack on the financial sector, babies were thrown from high rises with grenades tucked into their blankets to land on top of the advancing infantry, their mothers followed from the tops of the high rises clutching bundles of high explosives.
Civilians would rush out from basements and jump onto the legs of advancing mechs, using high explosive to blow out their ankles. Snipers were everywhere, mechs embedded themselves into high rise buildings, firing at point blank range, tanks would emerge hidden from basements, grandmothers would open fire with automatic weapons as infantry passed them by.
It became common to fire on anything that moved, "kill them all" became the by-line of the 1st Corps. The battle of Ridgebrook demonstrated the high price that the Star League forces would pay for the conquest of the Taurian Concordat.
Historical estimates of the casualty rate of the 2 million civilian population of Massif run to as high as 80%. The City was decimated and was still not functional by the time ARMD returned to New Rhodes III in 2598.
Wave One Wrentham
1 Corps was hurriedly moved on from Ridgebrook to Wrentham after the initial invasion went quickly wrong. Wrentham was a hostile world where the population lived in vast underground caverns. The 7th and 12th SLDF Regulars had suffered enormous casualties in the cavern to cavern fighting and attempt to take the dome cities. With its previous experience on Ridgebrook still fresh in the brutalized minds of the Division, they hit Wrentham with savage force. Domes were blown, poison gas was used to flush out strong points in the caverns and tunnels.
By the time 1 Corps declared Wrentham secure, the planet was almost completely depopulated. 1 Corps spent the next couple of years on Wrentham building itself back up from the horrendous casualties suffered in the first wave. News filtered in of defeats and victories across the periphery. One thing was very clear, the Taurian Concordat was putting up the fiercest fight of all of the Periphery states and this was a new kind of war. TC news media called it a "war to the knife" no quarter given or taken.
This was going to be a long and bloody campaign.
Wave Two 2580
ARMD was loaned to IV Corps for their attack on the Pleiades cluster.
Several units of IV Corps had yet to participate in the fighting, the veteran ARMD unit commanders attempted to instruct them in the nature of the enemy that they faced, but in most cases, the well-earned experience was ignored.
ARMD dropped with the 18th Light Horse on Lothair, the open rolling plains of the planet suiting the highly mobile style of both of the Divisions perfectly. Assigned to provide heavy support to the 18th, ARMD participated in the battles of Areaither and Playtime where the highly mobile but light forces of the SLDF ran headlong into the 19th and 50th Taurian Concordat Republic Marines. The Marines refused to be drawn out of their well-defended positions and after taking control of 80% of the planet with no real resistance, ARMD and the 18th were required to assault the Marine positions. The battles were short but brutal. The 3/1 Assault Mech Regiment "The Maori"was utterly destroyed when they were drawn into a cleverly concealed killing field, the 3/3 Otago Infantry ceased to exist when fuel tanks concealed beneath the defensive position they had just taken were ignited, exploding with a force equivalent to a tactical nuclear weapon.
Once again civilians were in the forefront of the fight, with civilian killed and wounded running into the millions. By this point, the 18th and ARMD had simply stopped taking prisoners. Anything mobile in front of their guns was shot until it stopped moving and then shot again as it was approached.
It was outside the city of Playtime that the incident known within ARMD as "The Clearance" occurred. 1st and 2nd Companies "Port Hedland" Chindit Brigade were ordered to clear the civilians out of a small town called Pynt. Initially, the clearance went well with the civilians obeying orders peacefully. Towards the end of the day, there were about 6000 civilian men women and children ready to be picked up by transport to take them to an SLDF designated safe zone. It is believed that a small team of Taurian Militants had worked their way through the crowd and opened fire on the Chindit guards. The Chindits fired back directly into the crowd which panicked and surged towards the ARMD infantry. Several ARMD weapons were captured and turned on their former owners. The increasing sound of firing drew more and more Chindits into the fighting when the firing stopped nearly 2000 civilians were dead.
The Cameron stars on the ARMD banners and flashes made them easily identifiable by their enemies as they were the only unit on the Taurian front authorized to display the star. The terrible reputation that was beginning to be built by the ARMD units begins to spread quickly. The Taurian Concordat media refer to the division disparagingly as the "Cameron Monsters"
Wave Three 2581
Wave three witnessed the two largest naval engagements of the Reunification War. In total, the Star League navy lost around 50 vessels ships (~33%), but the remainder of the Taurian navy (~100 ships) was either destroyed or forced to return home for repairs. The remnants of the Taurian navy required three years to recover from the third wave.
1 Corps and ARMD landed on the planet Flintoft. Resistance was light with the only significant combat coming when the landing force was attacked by conventional aircraft. The industrial centers of Flintoft were rendered useless to the Star League, the entire planet had been demolished when it became clear that they were next on the SLDF invasion list.
Wave Four 2582
During the fourth wave, the SLDF conquered Horsham with very little collateral damage, while the recently created XI Corps took Bromhead and Rollis. Wave Four was initiated while ARMD was still in the process of pacifying Flintoft and they took no part in the attack.
Case Black
Displeased with the lack of progress in the Hyades Cluster, and appalled by the number of casualties, the SLDF High Command recalled IV and VI Corps and replaced General Wexworth with General Amalthia Kincaid. Gravely injured early in her career, Kincaid was an "armchair MechWarrior" with strong strategic skills and had demonstrated her competence with a successful completion of wave four in 2582.
In response, Taurian Defense Command commenced "Case Black", a two-pronged strategy to stop the SLDF. The remnants of the Taurian navy engaged the Third Star League Fleet under Admiral Kristopher Minn. Drawing the fleet as far as Cohagen, Taurian commandos then infiltrated League-occupied space, and assassinated General Kincaid on the planet Firgrove on 3 June 2583. With General Kincaid dead, the SLDF floundered for more than a year before recommencing the Taurian invasion.
Total War
Kincaid was eventually replaced by General Amos Forlough, a veteran of the ongoing war with the Outworlds Alliance. Forlough was unscrupulous, resolving to extend the scorched-earth campaign against the Concordat. However, he failed to inform his superiors of his tactics (or, for that matter, any losses and atrocities committed by his forces). Discipline and defection became significant problems under the leadership of General Forlough; the SLDF instituted severe corporal punishment for any infractions committed, these infractions included important things like being drunk on duty, but not mass murder.
Wave Five 2584
Forlough commenced wave five in 2584, extending and expanding the scorched earth tactics used so successfully by 1 Corps in the war so far. Caldwell and Warren quickly fell to the SLDF; all attempts by the remains of the Taurian Concordat Navy to relieve the beleaguered worlds were thwarted by the Star League.
In order to prevent the complete destruction of the Concordat, Mitchell Calderon ordered his House regiments, thus far held in reserve, to bring war to the Star League. The Taurian Guard, the Concordat Velites, and the Calderon Red Hand were deployed to Deifenbaker to destroy III Corps. Though most of the Taurian units were lost, III Corps was decimated, and unable to continue the invasion. The ARMD 4th division had been deployed to Deifenbaker to provide support and stiffening for the III Corps who were beginning to waver in their determination to defeat the TC.
The 4th Division was deployed in battle formation behind the III Corps lines and ordered to fire on "anything to the front", the implied threat to any who intended to retreat was clear. The Light Medium Mech Regiment "1st Otago Mounted Rifles" suffered the ignominy of being destroyed not by their enemies, but by their allies when the 10th Galedon Rangers overran them in their frantic efforts to get away from the attacking forces of the Taurian Guard. By the time the Guard reached the 4/1's position, there was little left but smoking mechs.
The Light Mech Regiment "6th Australian Cavalry" were trapped and destroyed by the 6th Velites in a series of valleys near the major starport and the Medium Tank Regiment "2nd Light Horse" were completely eliminated by the Red Hand when their scout tanks ran straight into the advancing heavy mechs.
Wave Six 2585-2586
The battered remains of the 4th division were reunited with the rest of ARMD and I Corps in the drop on Lindsay. The snow-covered world proved a frozen hell for 1 Corps, with the well-trained 30th and 31st Calderon Mountain regiment using hit and run attacks against the entrenched SLDF troops. Light mechs slashed in an out of the lines, heavy and assault mechs would appear out of blinding snowstorms and destroy rear supply posts, sentries would disappear only to be found frozen to death sitting inside a mech cockpit days later, poison was used to kill the entire command staff of the ARMD 2/13 Heavy Tank Regiment.
The AFFS conducted scorched earth campaigns against Montour, Sartu, and Mavegh. Attempting to relieve the planet Montour, the remaining Taurian fleet was trapped and destroyed by the Star League Fourth Fleet.
Wave Seven 2587
This attack was even more successful for the Star League, conquering Warren and the surrounding systems without resistance.
Early in 2588, Mitchell Calderon died of a heart attack. His daughter, Marantha Calderon, decided to withdraw all remaining Concordat forces into the Hyades Cluster and Flannagan's Nebula, and prepare for one last stand. The withdrawal of the TDF left New Vandenburg alone with a garrison of 5 regiments.
Seizing the opportunity, General Forlough assaulted New Vandenburg (2588-2589). 1 Corps landed on the planet uncontested and proceeded to defoliate the northern continent. Unwilling to be drawn out, the Taurian garrison maintained its position in the city of Harmony near the defense industries.
Frustrated, Forlough ordered I Corps to dig out the defenders of Harmony with extreme force. The few surviving veterans of the battle of Massif on Ridgebrook look out at the mountainous heavily forested terrain and felt a shiver run up their spines. The SLDF began the systematic rounding up and imprisoning of the entire planet. You were either in an SLDF "protection Camp" or you were an enemy and sometimes even those lines blurred. The TC forces ran a brutal guerrilla campaign for months,
hiding behind every hill and tree trunk. Where they could be brought to battle, the SLDF was generally successful in defeating their enemies. However, in most cases, the TC refused to come out and fight which caused the frustration levels of the ARMD troopers to go through the roof.
The command elements of the ARMD Division, the bulk of the Assault/Heavy Tank Regiment "12th Armoured" and the Infantry Regiment "10th The Wellington Infantry" were hunkered down in two suburbs on the outskirts of Harmony. Taurian Concordat commandos fired shells containing nerve toxin into the firebases of the ARMD troops. This not only decimated the ARMD units, it killed nearly 50,000 civilians in the surrounding housing.
The Final Waves
General Lord Damien Onaga replaced Field Marshall Forlough, and commenced Wave Eight in 2590. With virtually no resistance, Desolate Plains, Brockway and Midale, fell to the Star League juggernaut. All that remained was penetrating Flannagan's Nebula, the asteroid field, and bringing the war to the Hyades Cluster.
In order to accomplish this task, Lord Onaga deployed the elite Star Guard Corps in Wave Nine in 2591. The Star Guard was tasked with clearing Flannagan's Nebula. Fighting within the nebula was drawn out and brutal, with the SLDF requiring four full years to clear the Taurian defenses. Asteroid laser
emplacements were removed by zero-gravity infantry operations, as the debris was too dense for BattleMechs, Aerospace fighters, or capital ships.
With the SLDF poised for a final invasion of the Hyades Cluster, Protector Marantha Calderon surrendered rather than see the Hyades Cluster razed. The Taurian Defense Force and all irregular resistance lowered their arms on 22 September 2596, after a simultaneous radio broadcast was transmitted throughout all worlds currently or previously held by the Taurian Concordat. The next morning, Protector Marantha committed suicide. Her remains were cremated, and her ashes scattered in space.
2598
After 20 years of almost constant combat, the shattered ARMD return home. With total losses in the tens of thousands including hundreds of mechs, the division was in no shape to continue fighting. ARMD command was never particularly supportive of the war of conquest, as descendants of colonials themselves, their natural tendency was to fight against central royal control. However, they threw themselves and the Division into the war wholeheartedly, learning a ferocity they had not known existed within themselves. Less than 5% of the troops who rostered on for the drop on Ridgebrook answered the roll call in 2598.
The traditional recruiting grounds of ARMD were simply not capable of sustaining the kinds of losses that ARMD had been sustaining and ARMD had been supplied with reinforcements by the SLDF throughout the previous 20 years of war. This had diluted the traditions and standards of the Division as there had been no time to focus on the usual history classes when eyeball deep in mud with civilians shooting at you.
2600-2700 the good years
A period of relative peace now existed in the Inner Sphere. Exhausted economically, physically and morally the units of the SLDF returned to their homeworlds to recoup and rebuild. The reunification war had cost the Star League millions dead and created on its borders a zone of hatred and resentment unknown in human history. Entire worlds dedicated their children to the defeat and destruction of the Star League and all it stood for.
All of the economically viable worlds of the periphery had been destroyed, leaving the Star League with a huge problem of feeding and sheltering tens of millions of its defeated foes. The ambition of the Lords of the Star League to conquer heavy industrial and food-producing worlds and absorb them into their economies had come to nothing.
During this period ARMD units are rotated through various garrisons across the homeworlds and the Taurian Concordat and see very little combat.
The second Rebuilding
ARMD had started the reunification war as a combined arms unit mustering in the tens of thousands of armor, infantry and mech warriors. Multiple regiments were part of the TO&E, making up 4 entire combined arms Divisions. Throughout the Taurian War, it became clear that the modern battle zone, although it required a certain amount of non-mech combat troops, was far too lethal for the traditional armor and infantry units and that the Mech was now the king of the battlefield.
With so many units badly damaged across the entire SLDF, recruitment and training became much harder for ARMD and it was made clear that they would not be receiving anywhere near the kinds of numbers it would take them to rebuild to their former size. So the Commanders of ARMD once again began the process of a complete re-organization of the unit.
Many units of ARMD, with proud histories stretching back to the nationalist wars of the late twentieth century, would be disbanded or merged. Infantry would largely play a security role for the deployment of mechs, with small teams of specialist anti-mech infantry. Traditional armor would be done away with entirely and losses in the fleets meant that ARMD could only deploy a single assault transport fleet rather than the 4 previously fielded.
To&E
1st Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Assault Mech Regiment "39th Regiment - The Choccos"
1 Artillery Regiment "4th Artillery Regiment"
1 Infantry Brigade "1st The Wellington Infantry"
1 Chindit Company "Port Hedland"
2nd Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Assault/Heavy Mech Regiment "1st Auckland Mounted Rifles"
1 Infantry Brigade "13th Infantry"
1 Artillery Regiment "3rd Artillery Regiment"
1 Chindit Company "Ayr"
3rd Armored Regimental Combat Team
1 Light Mech Regiment "1st Australian Cavalry"
1 Infantry Brigade "14th Infantry"
1 Chindit Company "Karratha"
The 4th Regimental Combat Team "New Zealand"
1 Light Medium Mech Regiment "1st Otago Mounted Rifles"
1 Light Mech Regiment "6th Australian Cavalry"
1 Infantry Brigade "1st The Otago Infantry
1 Chindit Company "Karumba"
1 Assault Transport fleet "McKenna"
By 2700 ARMD could muster 4 RCT and the associated support units. On the homeworlds of the Star League retired ARMD Soldiers and Mechwarriors are warmly welcomed. On the Taurian Worlds, where populations still existed, ARMD were hated with a fiery passion. To this day Taurian mothers tell their children to behave or the "Cameron Monsters" will come to get them.
** Certain portions of this section of the history taken and rewritten from http://www.sarna.net**
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