The Lyran Commonwealth Forces in 3028, a Quiet Revolution
When the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces are mentioned, the first image that comes to mind is a heavy or assault mech emblazoned with the Steiner Fist, moving ponderously across a landscape to engage the enemy. The second is a military mired in bureaucratic red tape, graft, and self centered officers whose concept of tactics doesn't seem to go beyond “There is a brick wall, let me run my mech through it.” While the LCAF had its bright spots throughout the Succession Wars, much more was made of its failures. The LCAF Archon Katrina Steiner inherited after deposing her uncle Alessandro Steiner was on the verge of falling apart. The former Archon's doctrine of “Concentrated Weakness”, coupled not only with with the peculation and incompetence of some of the LCAF Command, had done more damage to the morale and well being of the LCAF than the previous hundred years of warfare. Having seen, and suffered from, the effect of Alessandro's policies in person, the new Archon had a huge task in front of her: rebuild and reform the LCAF from the inside out before its enemies could take even further advantage. Starting in 3010, a quiet revolution began.
First, the curricula at the service academies were changed. Regarded as excellent schools, and they were, Sanglamore, the Nagerling and other academies spent a great deal of time on personal weapons skills, and not enough on tactical and organizational skills. While they graduated as excellent marksmen, new leutnants in battle had little concept of what was happening around them and how to influence it, and as any soldier will tell you, combat is a brutal teacher.
Secondly, regulations were changed, the bureaucracy became more efficient, or less cumbersome noted some observers. Promising officers found their careers being shepherded by more powerful patrons, soldiers of all ranks found themselves being rewarded more for their skill and innovation on the battlefield than their political status. Many officers who were incompetent were cashiered outright, or moved to out of the way positions and posts.
They key to the successes of these changes was in their implementation. The Archon, and those officers in the High Command who agreed with her, knew that wholesale changes outright would be fought and challenged by the old guard. By making changes a few at a time, and behind the scenes, the LCAF was slowly starting to reform from within. In 3022, the reforms went into high gear.
The signing of the Federated Commonwealth Accords gave the Archon and her supporters a useful tool. Subtle manipulation and propaganda comparing the AFFS and LCAF soon had most of her troops ready for change, if only not to embarrass themselves in front of their new allies. Wholesale changes were made to the service academy curricula. The Archon herself wrote “A Battlefield Guide to the Uninitiated”, a tactics primer that was soon being used in the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth. What resistance reforms faced collapsed in mid 3023, when the 10th Lyran Guards were soundly beaten in a series of games against the AFFS Kettering Proving Ground training unit. Than at same year, the first Lyran cadets began attending NAMA and other Federated Suns Academies. In 3025 the first steps in forming Regimental Combat Teams were started, by 3026 almost every mech regiment was training with Infantry, Armor, Artillery and Fighter units. Recent successes against House Kurita and House Marik showed many that the changes were working. The overall success of Operation THOR in 3027 proved to all but the indignant of detractors that the Archon's changes were for the better.
The most notable effect of the LCAF's changes was to its arsenal. The Archon ordered several mech production lines retooled to produce lighter, quicker designs. With the signing of the Accords, proven Davion designs like the Valkyrie and Enforcer were soon licensed to Defiance Industries, and in 3025 the first Lyran produced models were marching off the lines. The advanced and controversial Hatchetman design was also entering mainstream production. Rumors of a Lyran light mech to counter the Kuritan Panther also surfaced at this time. New tanks, the Rommel and PAtton, were also being produced, and dropship and aerospace fighter production was also increased.
Instead of disbursing the newly produced mech designs to fill in vacancies existing regiments, many of units were gathered into companies, and some of the best pilots and officers in the LCAF were assigned to them. Many of these were newly graduated from the Davion academies, and soon found themselves and their units back in Davion space. Gathering at the Science Institute of New Avalon, a intense six month training course in Light Mech tactics was undertaken. Instructors from the Davion Light Guards, the Federated Suns Armored Cavalry, the Eridani Light Horse and other units that specialized in light mech tactics drilled the units, which then rotated back to the Commonwealth. Assigned to RCT's as an independent attached unit, the Blitz companies, who received their name from an officer who remarked his troops had been “Blitzed by the unit” in a training exercise, were tasked with scouting and acting as a mobile reserve.
Rumors of a secret mech regiment also reached their height in 3027. Made up of women, of disgraced Combine mechwarriors, of disgraced Lyran mechwarriors, the rumors flew fast and furious about who was in the unit. What was known for certain was that entire regiment was comprised of Assault mechs.
In retrospect, many of the changes instituted by the Archon might seem obvious, the result of a common sensed individual assessing the situation and making the required changes. However, once the scope of the changes became apparent, they were considered radical and dangerous by “Traditionalists” who opposed them. However, since 3022, the performance of the LCAF noticeably improved to observers within and without the Commonwealth, even those who felt that their prestige as a mechwarrior was being lessened by them.
A Gathering Storm
Some say the ink was barely dry on the Accords before Hanse Davion began discussing a joint military action against House Kurita. At first, they were merely musings about possibilities, which the Archon was reluctant to act upon in the short term. With the rapid ongoing changes to the LCAF, committing it to action before it was ready could be disastrous.
In 3025, an change came over the First Prince. He no longer considered a joint offensive idle dreaming, and was very serious about embarking on a new military offensive. The scope and tones of his communications with the Archon became less idle and very serious. Katrina's reluctance to act was still present, after all the Combine still had plenty of troops on the Lyran Border, and the last effects of the Marik Civil War were wearing off, the FWLM was becoming more active. She proposed that the Commonwealth could lend limited support, but it would be a minimum of five years before any sort of joint action could be considered. Despite numerous entreaties from the First Prince, the Archon refused to change her mind.
In 3026, the situation began to radically change. A surge of discontent gripped the Rasalhauge District of the Combine. A new underground movement, named Tyr after the Norse God of War and Justice, had coalesced several smaller movements into one. A sudden upsurge in demonstrations and strikes began to paralyze the District, and several important mid level officials, such as Prefect Lowell of Kirchbach, were assassinated. The District Governor, Mies Kurita, was just as surprised by the changes occurring around him, and more frightened. He requested more troops from Luthien, a request that was denied. For years the Governor had been overstating the unrest in his area of responsibility, to the point where Luthien no longer believed him. More shocking to LIC agents investigating the insurgency was the inaction of local DCMS commanders in district, who ignored the pleas for help.
Taking advantage of the situation, the LIC and Military Intelligence section of the LCAF infiltrated the Rasalhauge District and soon established contact with Tyr. Soon, smuggled Lyran weapons were being distributed, and by 3027 Tyr members were crossing the border to train with Loki, the LIC's unconventional warfare specialists.
In 3026, a low level analyst began to notice a pattern in the DCMS deployment schedule. Passing the information along, it was confirmed in 3027, the DCMS had fallen into a deadly pattern: predictability. With few exceptions, units up and down the border began receiving supplies, organizing leaves, and receiving supplies in a rigorous schedule. How it happened, and whether or not it was intentional is unknown.
The most egregious failure on the DCMS side was the adoption of the Replacement Schedule. In July, all regiments discharged their retiring soldiers, received transfers and replacements. Yearly bulk supplies were also ordered from the Procurement Division. Due to distance and available transport space restrictions, Supplies ordered in July did not start arriving until September at the earliest. This meant that in August, DCMS units was full of green troops and their supplies were at their lowest level.
Armed with these new reports, Archon Katrina began to reassess the LCAF situation, and began to believe that an offensive could be launched. The performance of the LCAF in Operation THOR in 3027 reinforced this change of heart. Despite the difficulties encountered, the units involved overcame issues that in the past would have paralyzed them. Communicating her change of heart to Prince Davion, the Archon began to prepare the LCAF for a new war.
Operation VALKRYIE
While designed to operate in conjunction with Operation YELLOW BIRD, the Lyran offensive was a different operation altogether. VALKYRIE was designed as a “Broad Front” offensive, as opposed to the deep strike design of YELLOW BIRD. There were several issues that arose as the plans began to coalesce between the two High Commands. VALKRYIE was to attack along most of the border, meaning supplies would have a huge net to travel through. Once specific targets were chosen, several “thin” areas of the front line were exposed. An enemy counterattack through one of those areas could be devastating. For the most part, the planners of VALKRYIE, including the Archon, weren't overly concerned with these weak areas. They knew the overall goal of their operation was modest in scope, they were to tie down as many DCMS units as possible. While taking worlds in the first waves was a goal, it was secondary to tying down as many DCMS units as possible. Planners in both High Commands knew that whoever the DCMS reacted to the most, the other would have to be prepared to exploit it.
Several units were moved from the Marik border, which bothered those generals tasked with guarding the border. Although worried about an invasion from the Free Worlds League, the Archon and her advisers felt that the latest set of internal troubles would prevent the Free Worlds League from acting.
On August 20th, as Prince Davion was toasting his new new Bride, jumpships of the Federated Commonwealth were appearing in Kuritan and Capellan Systems. The Archon's sister, General Nondi Steiner, was chosen to be the overall commander of VALKRYIE. General Jerry Troka. Margrave of the Trellshire Theater, Kommandant-General Mitch Felspar, Assistant Margrave of the Tamar Theater, and General Jack Spire, Margrave of the Ryde Theater, were the regional commanders. Watching her battle computer, General Steiner saw that well over 250 jumpships and 1000 dropships carrying 600 plus conventional units and 20 mech Regiments were making planetfall on 13 planets. In setting their goals for Operation VALKRYIE, the Archon and her Generals felt that the offensive would be a success if they held or contested those 13 planets and dealt out more punishment then they received by the start of the new year.
Little did the know, or expect, how VALKRYIE was to exceed their expectations.
