3050 Invasion of Rasalhague

[Colt Ward]

Ulric's plan for the invasion of Rasalhague pit a single cluster backed by the Golden Keshik against the Free Rasalhague's best mech regiment, the surviving battlaion of a second top regiment, a newly formed regiment of light mechs (likely militia quality material & refurbished trainers), two regiments of armor, and five regiments of mechanized infantry.  This would be old school mechanized infantry, troops traveling about in Goblins, APCs, Maxims, and other IFVs & ISVs.

To avoid the oversized elite Flying Drakons of the 1st Drakons, Ulric landed the mechs and dropships supporting those two commands 200 klicks north of the capital of Reykjavik.  The Rassies though the Wolves had made a mistake because the other two clusters involved in the invasion landed near their objectives and proceeded to smash the defenders despite prepared ambush positions.  The Golden Keshik & 4th Wolf Guards marched south, somewhat protected by the mountains and forests of their chosen axis of advance, limiting the ways ASF could attack ground targets.  I would imagine the two formations having 45 Gargoyles out of 55 mechs let the LB-5xs of the Primes keep the ASF away too- per WCSB 9 of the Gargoyles were Primes on Tukayyid (though that should not have mattered for a long battle) which is a clue to their ratios for longer battles.

The defense's general ordered the capital's defenders north 75 kilometers to establish a new defensive line on the south side of a river with more forested mountains at their back.  The Keshik & 4th were working their way south as the other two cluster pushed the defenders back into the objectives.  By the time those defenders had fallen back to prepare for a last stand, the Keshik & 4th had started to hammer at the capitals defenders.  Knowing that when those last stands were finished the Invasion Wolves would shift forces to finish the capital, the defending general ordered his forces to break contact and fall back to their previous prepared positions.

This is where Ulric's skill shows through . . . his 'mistake' let the capital's defenders absorb the news their fellow soldiers on planet were getting taken out.  Both Drakon formations, the vet's light regiment, armor and infantry were all faced with what seemed like inevitable defeat- especially since with overwhelming numbers they had not managed to stop the 4th Wolf Guards & Golden Keshik.  Also knowing from Phelan that Magnusson was a guerilla who managed to escape being trapped by Kuritans several times, the Wolves left a way out for the Republic's leader.  With the other two defense points about to fall, the Wolf forces to the north not being stopped despite the numbers, Magnusson fled under the protection of the elite Flying Drakons.

The most dangerous group of defenders was removed from the board, the other two victorious clusters would be able to shift to assist mopping up the remaining defenders without having to worry about ASF attacks on their dropships, and rather than facing civilians & troops enraged by the loss of their leader the Wolves faced demoralized but fanatical defenders.

The Golden Keshik & 4th Wolf Guards had during their push south taken out over a battalion of mechs and undisclosed numbers of conventional forces.  Which is impressive considering they were very outnumbered though Ulric and Jera Carns had a massive equalizer in her cluster- the Command Trinary.  The command trinary had two artillery stars . . . which means 10 Naga, or 20 Arrow IVs that could be dropped on targets.  It is hard to imagine the elite (what WCSB says) artillery stars not being used to blast a 20 A4 hole in the Rassie's defensive lines set up just south of that river- especially as the Wolf forces being nearly all Gargoyles are not equipped with jump jets.  Blow a hole in the lines to the left or to the right of whatever crossing Ulric & Star Colonel Jera Carns selected, Gargoyles ford the river crossing carrying Elementals.  The twenty-four points of Elementals are dropped in the Rassie lines to tie up defenders while the 4th Wolf Guards mechs finish punching through the lines and then hook left or right as the case maybe to clear the bridge of defenders.  Some Elementals clear the bridge of spoiling charges after the mechs took out the strong point of (IMO) armor & infantry guarding that approach and thus they can get their logistical trail across the river.

The Invasion Wolves fielded 55 Omni-Mechs, mostly Gargoyles, 10 Naga for artillery, 24 Elemental points, and 26 ASF for the advance south from the Asgard LZ.  The Free Rasalhague Republic forces defending Reykjavik fielded around 144 frontline mechs, 108 light mechs in the recently raised old vets regiment, over 200 armored fighting vehicles, and the 5 regiments of mechanized infantry which would have a large number of IFV/ISV.  Most likely not all the armor & infantry would have been sent north to form the defensive line between Asgard and Reykjavik, it would depend on how built up the road net was to support those forces 75 kilometers from their prepared positions with established supplies.

Despite the tech and weight advantage the Wolves would have, it is nearly a 5-1 ratio in mechs for the defenders, no armor, and a much higher ratio for the Elementals (like 1 Elemental point would need to kill a infantry battalion for parity).  The Invasion Wolves would have a edge in the mobility and firepower of their artillery since WCSB says the Rassies have some but does not specify- figure some in the armor and infantry regiments.  The Wolf aero was held in reserve to follow Magnusson out.

The BV for the match up is probably pretty balanced . . . the elite Wolf omnimechs are around 5-5.5k BV each and Elemental points around 800-900 BV, giving a ballpark BV for combat forces around 322k w/o the Nagas or ASF.  Compare the FRR forces where a mech might average 1.1k due to at least two-fifths of the Rassies being lights like Panthers, Jenners, Commandos and bug mechs for a total of 302k.  Two regiments of armor- even if they are just Vedettes & Scorpions- which is unlikely since this is the capital- should generate another 120k of BV easily . . . thus, strategically a BV balanced fight.

[Alan Grant]

Great writeup.

You should take a step back and explain why you are posting this and what you would like us to do here.

It's well-written, kudos for examining everything available. But I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, or precisely what kind of reaction/response you are looking for. are you looking for confirmation that its accurate? Are you looking for discussion of the invasion? It almost feels like a fan article, one designed to outline a specific canon battle based on all available canon information.

[Colt Ward]

Sorry, got interrupted by the kid needing to go to bed so I hit done to finish later . . .


Really, my thoughts were the impact of having two stars of elite Naga mechwarriors to counter what the Rassies could do.  This was July 3050, Wave 3, and with it being the capital of the FRR they SHOULD have a clue about what works against the Clans- to mass your forces and fight them in close terrain.  Pin them against a terrain feature would be best.

But the fourth as I said, was outnumbered around 5-1 in combat mechs and with the regiment of light mechs they would have the speed (if not the staying power) to be in contact with the Wolves and perhaps slow their movement.  After all, only the Panther out of the lights I mentioned would be slower than the mass of Gargoyles.  They would also have the speed to shift in the defense's backfield to support any attempts to break through the lines. 

The 10 Naga with 20 A4 launchers and the speed to keep up with the Gargoyles and Timber Wolves would be the perfect weapon to work against the Rassies massing their forces.  Theoretically you are looking at them having the ability to blast a target zone that is 12 hexes by 15 hexes with a single A4 left over.  While the sources mention the Reykjavik defenders had lost nearly a battalion of mechs, though few from the Drakons, it does not talk about them inflicting losses on the Wolves.  This is not to say they would not take damage . . . the 4th Wolf Guards had Gargoyle Cs in every binary or trinary in WCSB if not every star.  The Gargoyle C is going to have to enter LRM & PPC range to bring their guns into effect no matter they were piloted by elite mechwarriors.  My play testing for large Invasion scenarios- 3 or 4 stars vs IS mech battalions- shows that the Gargoyle Cs are going to be the ones taking damage.  Which happened the little bit I playtested this- against the Bot, set as aggressive as possible, still gave up the river which allowed the Wolves to ford it if they did not have open torsos.  The Gargoyle Cs took enough damage wiping out the defenders on my side of the river that they could not cross the depth 2 hexes.  Unlike a player, the Bot stuck heavies, one assault, and armor on the N side of the river which the Garg Cs removed as a problem but took damage.

Using the Command Star minus ASF, a pair of Naga, and Supernova First which is a binary; in my play testing I only lost 1 Garg C- Needs 3, Rolls 2- to consciousness then everything dogpiled it.  Heck, so far I lost 1 point of Elementals when the defender's Thunder round drifted directly on to them, and another point is at half armor from another drifted Thunder round.  Both artillery vehicles were caught on the N side of the river.

[The Wobbly Guy]

IOW, an explanation of one example of how badly outnumbered clan forces still managed to wipe the IS forces off the field.

Too many people discount the tactical and strategic mobility of the clans, plus the willpower and training to keep going.

[Minemech]

IOW, an explanation of one example of how badly outnumbered clan forces still managed to wipe the IS forces off the field.

Too many people discount the tactical and strategic mobility of the clans, plus the willpower and training to keep going.

Not really, in the early invasion a Trinary could annihilate a Regimental Combat Team, but by 3060 a Company and a Binary could go either way. It was just the nature of the writing. If I recall, Phelan Kell played a critical role in the Wolf conquest of Rasalhague, selling it out good.

[Alan Grant]

Wait I'm not sure this is correct.

The Clan Wolf Sourcebook says that the Wolves put the 4th Wolf Guards and 279th Battle Clusters (Alpha Galaxy) and the 352nd Assault Cluster (Beta Galaxy) into the invasion of Rasalhague. Initially they dropped at separate locations but then two of the clusters got back aboard their dropships and joined the Reykjavik assault.

Your writeup suggests only the 4th Wolf Guards and the Golden Keshik were present?

EDIT: What I'm seeing says initially it was just the 4th Wolf Guards (Golden Keshik too makes sense) at Reykjavik, the Clan Wolf Sourcebook suggests this assault pinned the defenders but also prompted Magnusson to make his escape. But by July 15 at least both of the other Clusters had been relocated and had joined in for the final phases of the battle for Reykjavik.

[Hellraiser]

I was just about to note the same thing.

The assault on Rasalhague used 3 clusters, not 1

4th Wolf Guards Cluster
279th Battle Cluster
352nd Assault Cluster

[Colt Ward]

I was just about to note the same thing.

The assault on Rasalhague used 3 clusters, not 1

4th Wolf Guards Cluster
279th Battle Cluster
352nd Assault Cluster

Rasalhague is the planet, Reykjavic was the capital.  The 279th attacked in the tropics where 1/3 of the 1st Freemen & support were down with the Fenris Fever (Phelan's information) defending Tyr & Firebase Tyr while saKhan Radick's contribution was Beta's 352nd to the polar continent to take on the other defending forces of the 3rd Freemen & support.  By the time the capital city's defenders made it back to their earlier defensive positions they were down at least a battalion of mechs (from 7 to under 6) with no armor or infantry losses disclosed.  But I would expect heavy conventional losses, they are not going to be able to retreat as easily or as fast as Wolf forces could advance or cut them off.

Both the Freemen regiments & supports were destroyed with survivors eventually forced to surrender, then both Wolf clusters loaded in DS to fly to Reykjavik which was safe at this point b/c Magnusson had fled with the Flying Drakons.  The 4th drew the capital's defenders out of their defensive preparations, and then followed when they were ordered to retreat, eventually joining with the other two clusters do clear the whole city.  It does make ER3052 in error b/c none of the Freemen regiments would have been able to make it back to Reykjavik with them surrendering before the other 2 clusters shifted.

Yes, it was 3 clusters for the bid but IIRC we are never told Keshiks are bid in for any target in the Invasion- FREX Tukayyid, the Keshiks are present but not part of the 'bid' clusters.  I will admit in fiction we see what, less than 6 bids for the period?  The way the WCSB material is written is with Ulric having oversight and on hand to make decisions.  But they are not expressly listed and if not covered in the BoK novel, they would not be present I guess . . . which means remove 10 mechs (6 Garg, 1 Mad Dog, 3 Timber Wolves) and 4 points of Elementals . . . just makes it more lopsided.

Not really, in the early invasion a Trinary could annihilate a Regimental Combat Team, but by 3060 a Company and a Binary could go either way. It was just the nature of the writing. If I recall, Phelan Kell played a critical role in the Wolf conquest of Rasalhague, selling it out good.

The binary vs company equivalency came from the Great Refusal.  Looking on that, it should be a little off- after all what is the BV of a elite binary of Omnis vs a elite or veteran heavy company?  The Wobbly Guy is right, in that the strategic speed of the Clans really worked during the Invasion . . . a Clan force of 5/8 or faster heavies & mediums are going to be able to catch or get past a IS company or two of 4/6 heavies.  A binary of Gargoyles, Timber Wolves, and one or two of the other 5/8 heavies is going to run rings around a IS heavy battalion that would be 4/6 at best and might even have a few sluggards at 3/5.  Carrying Elementals as a roving minefield keeps any of the faster IS mechs from holding a Clan formation in place- not that what can catch up to that binary is going to appreciate it or survive long.

But the other part is the strategic disposition of forces in the era . . . the Inner Sphere forces were spread out defending multiple targets because that is how IS invaders & raiders operated.  But the Clan Invasion forces objective was enemy forces, they were not concerned with capturing infrastructure but rather targeting it's defenders.  And in several battles they engaged, bypassed defenders and seized objectives that made a much larger force surrender- like the planet's government or a unit's dropship fleet.  After the Invasion, the IS defenders learned they had to concentrate their forces to face the Clans rather than having a company or two spread around garrison posts.

It might be a interesting campaign to 'What if' Ulric never instigating the Refusal War and instead his influence is removed leaving Natasha & Phelan to have to repeat his plan & out-Crusade the Crusaders for a 3058 Invasion II.  Could the FedCom regular and veteran units stand up any better to the elite & veteran Wolf clusters?

[Minemech]

The binary vs company equivalency came from the Great Refusal.  Looking on that, it should be a little off- after all what is the BV of a elite binary of Omnis vs a elite or veteran heavy company?  The Wobbly Guy is right, in that the strategic speed of the Clans really worked during the Invasion . . . a Clan force of 5/8 or faster heavies & mediums are going to be able to catch or get past a IS company or two of 4/6 heavies.  A binary of Gargoyles, Timber Wolves, and one or two of the other 5/8 heavies is going to run rings around a IS heavy battalion that would be 4/6 at best and might even have a few sluggards at 3/5.  Carrying Elementals as a roving minefield keeps any of the faster IS mechs from holding a Clan formation in place- not that what can catch up to that binary is going to appreciate it or survive long.

But the other part is the strategic disposition of forces in the era . . . the Inner Sphere forces were spread out defending multiple targets because that is how IS invaders & raiders operated.  But the Clan Invasion forces objective was enemy forces, they were not concerned with capturing infrastructure but rather targeting it's defenders.  And in several battles they engaged, bypassed defenders and seized objectives that made a much larger force surrender- like the planet's government or a unit's dropship fleet.  After the Invasion, the IS defenders learned they had to concentrate their forces to face the Clans rather than having a company or two spread around garrison posts.

Actually, the biggest change started with TRO: 3058. Among other things, it made Gauss boats mainstream.

[Alan Grant]

I have no trouble believing the Golden Keshik might have been there. It reads like it was Ulric himself who ultimately, reluctantly, ordered the final assault on Reykjavic. So it certainly sounds like at least part of the Golden Keshik was present and it sounds like Ulric was in command of the invasion. It was the 1 versus 3 clusters thing that was the real big deal in my mind. That's a tremendous difference and that wasn't reflected in your original post.

As for unit equivalency. It's also just important to remember that the Inner Sphere forces barely understood what they were fighting in 3050. What is the range and power of a Clan ER PPC? Do Clan LRMs have minimum ranges? How good are their sensors? What are the weak points on an Elemental's armor? How good is an Elemental at breaching a 'mech or vehicle? (it never even occured to you that they could do that BTW) What are the full combat capabilities of this machine we've designated a Man O' War? What tactics and strategies are the Clans most likely to employ in XYZ circumstance? Are the Clans actually human or do they just look human? Because some of them look really weird...

They didn't know anything. This was pre-Outreach conference. They had just scored a victory on Twycross, largely thanks to one person. That had yielded some salvage and some prisoners (the Falcon Guards) that they would able to take back and analyze, but that was among the first opportunities they had to really get their hands on Clanners and Clan tech to begin to understand.

If I recall correctly from the Blood of Kerensky trilogy, Twycross was the first time they actually got their hands on a Clan double heat sink, with someone telling Victor or Kai how efficient it was and everyone being shocked by it. That was in September 3050. Rasalhague fell back in July 3050.

You almost have to treat this period as kind of a standalone and unique situation in terms of equivalency. There's no BV for "We don't know what the heck we are fighting."

If you wanted to play this era in a truly authentic way on tabletop to represent 3050, your opponent would have to throw a bunch of minis on the board that you had never seen before. You had no idea what their BV was, you have no knowledge of their TRO's. You don't know their movement profiles, they carry a bunch of weapons you have no knowledge of. Nothing. You don't know at 9 hexes if they can hit you with 1 damage or 50. Now play. That's the 3050 experience. 

[Metallgewitter]

You also have to take into consideration that per IS knowledge a heavy Mech bristling with weapons can't discharge heat quickly or have much armor. When Phlean tried to take on Vlad's Timber Wolf with his Wolfhound he was shocked to find nothing BUT armor at the place his lasers hit and even be more suprised that Vlad was able to fire back quickly.

But what is always cut out from the novels is that actually the IS had begun unlocking and even producing Star League weaponry 10 years prior to Operation Revival. Just an example: the Federated Commonwealth build low tech Devastator's by the beginning of the 3040's and by the end of the 3040's they began building SL Devastator's and also initiated a refit program for their low tech units. So in theory most IS militaries should have known what those weapons coulds do. The Clan's main advantage were more compact versions (especially missile racks which also caused more damage (PPC's and Lasers) meaning their Mechs could carry way more armor and heat sinks

Of course Rasalhague is probably the one nation whose tech base was the lowest among the Succesor states

[Church14]

Part of the reason for such a gap existing, which allowed for the kind of punching up Ulric did, was the tech gap and the mass gap.

The tech gap was not closed anywhere near enough by the end of the invasion, much less early invasion. Per ER3052, you’re still only looking at little over half of units getting upgrades and not every mech in a unit was upgraded.

Then remember that for the era, it was still basically the 30/40/20/10 mass spread in the inner sphere. So clans were facing regiments of mostly light and mediums where an assault lance was three heavies and a Wolverine. Per the Wolf sourcebook Colt brought up, the bulk of wolf forces (>70%) were gargoyles and ice ferrets.

With wolves specifically, they had the biggest actual traitor to the sphere helping undercut defenders he knew very well thanks to his experiences.

All those together, plus Ulric’s mind meant you can achieve the Rasalhague victory they did.

[The Wobbly Guy]

If you wanted to play this era in a truly authentic way on tabletop to represent 3050, your opponent would have to throw a bunch of minis on the board that you had never seen before. You had no idea what their BV was, you have no knowledge of their TRO's. You don't know their movement profiles, they carry a bunch of weapons you have no knowledge of. Nothing. You don't know at 9 hexes if they can hit you with 1 damage or 50. Now play. That's the 3050 experience. 

Plus double blind rules, so units on the IS side had no detailed info on how much armor their opponents had even wgen they got a hit in. Did we also mention the superior EW platforms the clans had?

[Minemech]

 Inner Sphere lights stood no chance against Clan weaponry at the time.

[Church14]

Inner Sphere lights stood no chance against Clan weaponry at the time.

Yeah. A cluster facing and beating an average regiment was a pretty reasonable fight back then.

[Minemech]

 We have to also keep in mind that the region invaded was not terribly fortified overall. While there were a few important worlds, pirates were the larger threat and planetary defenses were planned around repelling them. The Clans invaded the least fortified border region of the Inner Sphere.

[Metallgewitter]

And maybe also the region with low density of inhabitated planets. Imagine they had to cut through the Confederation which has a high density of inhabited planets. That would cost a lot of manpower to garrison all those planets

[Colt Ward]

They didn't know anything. This was pre-Outreach conference. They had just scored a victory on Twycross, largely thanks to one person. That had yielded some salvage and some prisoners (the Falcon Guards) that they would able to take back and analyze, but that was among the first opportunities they had to really get their hands on Clanners and Clan tech to begin to understand.

I agree about not being able to replicate the unknown factor . . . but Rasalhague is towards the end of Wave 3.  The survivors of the 2nd Drakons have fallen back to the capital to join the other defenders.  This is not the Periphery or Wave 1 where the garrison commander is saying they never heard of any pirates called the Jade Falcons- you with Oberon?

A cluster facing a mech regiment with supporting armor & infantry was a even fight.  But even some of those units the Clans faced early on were pretty beefy.  The 3rd Regiment of the 12th Star Guard had no light mechs in the regiment.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

We have to also keep in mind that the region invaded was not terribly fortified overall. While there were a few important worlds, pirates were the larger threat and planetary defenses were planned around repelling them. The Clans invaded the least fortified border region of the Inner Sphere.

And that meant that the forces they were going up against were last in line when it came to basically everything, from getting new mechs and Star League tech upgrades to the mechwarriors themselves- the troops they were going through were the less-experienced ones who weren't deemed to be needed at the "hot" borders.

[Metallgewitter]

And that meant that the forces they were going up against were last in line when it came to basically everything, from getting new mechs and Star League tech upgrades to the mechwarriors themselves- the troops they were going through were the less-experienced ones who weren't deemed to be needed at the "hot" borders.

And it was a good position to put your future heir in because pirates can't do that much damage right? Right?

[Alan Grant]

Era Report: 3052, page 13, does a great job of conveying the shock and horror of the early part of the Clan Invasion. Both for the general civilian populations and for militaries and military planners. It talks about how the best and brightest minds rushed into meetings to devise rushed strategies to try to defeat the Clans. Only to see their plans totally wrecked on the battlefield and have to go back to the drawing board again and again because at their core they were still guessing at what/who they were fighting and what their actual battlefield capabilities were.

That lasted well through Wave 3. It really wasn't until the Outreach conference in 3051 that the leadership of the various Great Houses started to get a much more accurate picture of who and what they were fighting and why. Even that, that's just a few small groups of people learning this stuff. Disseminating that information widely into useful strategies and tactics that you can give combat units (who can then translate that into their officers and troops being briefed and trained in useful ways) is another story entirely.

[Metallgewitter]

Add to that that you have hardliners in your military that refuse to adapt like those old samurai Combine officers who tried to fight one on one even after the Outreach conference.

Heck now that I think about it in the first book of the Blood of Kerensky trilogy when Victor and Kai began formulating a plan they anticipated that the Clans would not use their best troops to garrison planets so the best option would be to emulate Scipio and strike at recent conquests while the elite tries to hold the clan's elite in place therefore disrupting the Clan's supply lines. And when I think it was Daniel Allard, countered "What if their garrisons are as strong as their elites?" Kai simply said "then we will loose regardless of what we do"