Lance and Company Organization - Fed Sun

[drsid]

I am trying to understand Lance and Company organizational structure for the Fed Suns as I go about finishing my force.  I have gone ahead and created a 1st Armored Cavalry Unit.

It is my understanding that formations are now "augmented lances" and "augmented companies."  Does this mean that a given lance would be composed of 2-3 mechs and a fourth BA or vehicle?  Or that a lance continues to remain 4 mechs with any additional vehicles and/or BA units forming a separate lance?

 I remember from my earlier years playing that a lance generally consisted of 1 light, 1 medium, and 2 heavy mechs.  Would a lance have all 4 mechs from the same weight class? Or even 4 identical mechs? For example, lets say, a support lance with four Longbows? or is this now an obsolete formation with the new augment lance and augmented company structure?

Thanks!

[Arkansas Warrior]

Augmented lances are really more of a Capellan thing.  I don't think the FS generally designs formations to use combined arms at that low of a level, though on an ad hoc basis there will probably be formations like that pop up here and there.

[Natasha Kerensky]

Augmented lances are accurately described here.  Note that there are several types:

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Inner_Sphere_Military_Structure#Augmented_Lance

An augmented company is two of these lances.  So an augmented company still has 12 units, just like a regular company, but divided into two lances of six units each, instead of three lances of four units each.

Here's a four-company Cappie battalion made exclusively of augmented lances and companies:

http://bg.battletech.com/forums/non-canon-units/paget's-dragoons-1st-batt-toe-46418/

Augmented lances and companies are a Cappie invention.  I don't recall their adoption by the FedRats, but I may have skipped over a reference and augmented lances/companies could easily have been adopted by the FedRats by the "modern" (circa 3145) era.

Hope this helps.

[drsid]

Ah Thank you. I must have misunderstood. I thought that the new Regimental combat teams was a reflection of them moving toward augmented lances and companies. So, if I now understand, the Fed Suns combined arms is at a much higher scale of organization?

That actually makes creating the lances easier then!

Thank you.

[Col.Hengist]

RCT's are an old idea. LCT's are much newer and that might be what you're thinking of.

[drsid]

haha! I haven't played Battletech in years.  So much reading and catching up to do! 

Thanks!

[Maelwys]

The FedSuns seem to keep their units pretty homogeneous, and then putting those various homogeneous units together.

So a `Mech regiment is going to be all `Mech, and a Vehicle regiment is going to be all vehicles, but they might detach a battalion from each to form a temporary unit on a world.

That's part of the reason they created the LCTs...instead of having a RCT split up and covering several worlds, thus breaking it up into small pieces, you could have a single LCT on a world, thus keeping it together.

[Archangel]

LCTs are essentially permanent independent versions of combat commands that RCTs temporarily form from their component sub-units as the need arises (or the permanent organization used by the Ceti Hussars RCTs).

[snewsom2997]

Don't some Fedsuns Units use Square Companies of 16, or Square Battalions of 48 or 64? Might be in the Older stuff.

[Arkansas Warrior]

I believe Battlearmor is organized that way.

[Maelwys]

In Field Manual FedSuns, they showed Reinforced Battalions (3-4 companies + command lance) and Reinforced Regiments (3-4 Battalions + Command Company) under the `Mech and Vehicle sections. Their specOp Companies and Battalions are also larger than a normal infantry unit, and their infantry regiments can be 3-4 Battalions. And their BA are on a 4x4x4 scheme instead of 3x3x3.

[foxbat]

Don't some Fedsuns Units use Square Companies of 16, or Square Battalions of 48 or 64? Might be in the Older stuff.

This is the case of the Crushers (the Assault guards) who have 4 companies to the Battalion IIRC. :)

[Arkansas Warrior]

4 companies to the battalion but still only three lances per company, so not truly a "square" organization.

[Rainbow 6]

This is the case of the Crushers (the Assault guards) who have 4 companies to the Battalion IIRC. :)

Am i correct in thinking the Strength of the Davions (Heavy Guards) use a 4 Battalion/3 Companies split?

[Kathil Uhlans]

Am i correct in thinking the Strength of the Davions (Heavy Guards) use a 4 Battalion/3 Companies split?

Before the Civil War, yes, that was the ideal strength for RCTs in the major AFFS brigades.  FM: Federated Suns (3062) mentions them reducing to 3 Battalions with an extra lance each because of casualties.  After the Jihad (FM: 3085) the entire Davion Guards Brigade was fielding standard rather than reinforced regiments, and likely remained that way because of the pressure to form new LCTs instead.  FM: 3145 says that the Crucis Lancers were the only brigade to build back up to "full" RCTs, so everyone else is fielding 3x3 at best now.

And, I hate to break it to you if you haven't heard, but the Davion Heavy Guards were shattered on Palmyra by the DCMS in 3144, and quite a few other commands besides.  There's supposed to be some remnants fighting a guerrilla campaign, but FM: 3145 only has in-universe info, so noone knows for sure.

[Rainbow 6]

Before the Civil War, yes, that was the ideal strength for RCTs in the major AFFS brigades.  FM: Federated Suns (3062) mentions them reducing to 3 Battalions with an extra lance each because of casualties.  After the Jihad (FM: 3085) the entire Davion Guards Brigade was fielding standard rather than reinforced regiments, and likely remained that way because of the pressure to form new LCTs instead.  FM: 3145 says that the Crucis Lancers were the only brigade to build back up to "full" RCTs, so everyone else is fielding 3x3 at best now.

And, I hate to break it to you if you haven't heard, but the Davion Heavy Guards were shattered on Palmyra by the DCMS in 3144, and quite a few other commands besides.  There's supposed to be some remnants fighting a guerrilla campaign, but FM: 3145 only has in-universe info, so noone knows for sure.

Yeah, I know about the Palmyra disaster, it's a sad time for the Suns, hopefully from the hints Ben dropped regarding #TRO3150 recently Julian will turn things around to some extent.