Field Manual: Royal Federation (Concertverse AU Sourcebook)

[Steve]

The Crown's Fist: The Royal Assault Brigade

History

Like many of the other Royal formations of the AFRF, the Royal Assault Regiments are products of the Second Age of War's early years.  The growing conflicts shaking the Inner Sphere made clear that the newly-formed Royal Federation needed a stronger punch, especially in opposed landings on enemy worlds.  Taking their cue from the Lexington Combat Group, the AFRF ramped up purchases and production of assault 'Mechs to create concentrated fists of might, capable of air or orbital drop deployment into an enemy target zone to disrupt enemy defensive formations.  While they performed well in the War of Donegalian Succession, it was the Terran War where the Royal Assault Brigade would forge its legacy, joining assault operations from the relief of Arcadia in 3051 to the mass drop on New Earth in February 3059 in Operation NEMESIS.

Over the years the RARs, as they are sometimes identified (among other monikers), have grown to an impressive size, though keeping these formations in assault machines has always provided a keen challenge to the Supply and Procurement Department.  Despite the name, a number of the Assault Regiments may only have as little as forty percent of their number in actual assault-weight BattleMechs, the remainder being heavy-weight 'Mechs or the occasional "trooper" medium-weight line combat machines.  Even then the need to outfit multiple regiments requires using assaults and heavies of all generations, so these royal units tend to have the "lower" unit ratings despite their importance.  Of course, none would deny that while an older assault 'Mech may not have the better weapons, it will still mount enough arms and armor to be worthy of concern, and concentrating them into units of this size will cause quite a lot of intimidation in its own right.  The Royal Assault Brigade have proven this time and again in the century since their founding, and have on repeated occasions brought their crushing force down upon the foes of House Proctor with devastating results.

Never growing beyond ten regiments in size, the force was reduced to five by the losses of the Fourth Succession War.  This has had the ironic effect, over time, of making them even more purely assault-weight formations than their pre-Fourth Succession War predecessors, with only two of the regiments having less than fifty percent of their 'Mechs be of assault weight as of this time.  These concentrated regiments of heavy machines have long earned their nickname as the Crown's Fist.


Commanding Officer
Lieutenant General Sir Alexander Proctor-Grimke comes from one of the original cadet branches of House Proctor.  Named for his prestigious predecessor and the founder of the Proctor-Grimke line, Sir Alexander was raised primarily by governesses and military tutors as part of a family that placed military service above all other considerations.  For him, and the rest of his family, the AFRF is not merely a profession, but the highest calling and duty that a soul can perform.  Needless to say, General Proctor-Grimke has been a lifelong AFRF officer, beginning service as an emergency commission lieutenant in the Arcadian Guards during the Dominate War before finishing his military education at AMSA.  He served with noted distinction in the Fourth Succession War, being wounded four times during that bloody decade and having two BattleMechs shot out from under him.  He ended the war as the brigadier and 'Mech regimental CO of the Proctor Assault Guards.  He assumed command during the debacle on Sirius in 3123 and extricated his division from the Oriento-Capellan envelopment that threatened its destruction, then saw to its return to the LZs and safe extraction as Operation MORNING STAR came to its abysmal conclusion, being severely wounded in the final phase of the withdrawal by an attack on his command post.  He spent several years recuperating from his grievous injuries while serving in the reserves, returning to active service in 3132 with a permanent promotion to Major General and command of the Proctor Heavy Guards for a tour of duty in Skye Theater.  He was promoted again four years later and served as Planetary Defense Command for New Dallas, then Skye, before being offered the Royal Assault Brigade.  He has held his post there since and was a presumed favorite to assume command of the Household Guards.  High King Nathaniel selected a different candidate for the post, however, and while Sir Alexander is more than due for a promotion to four-star general, he remains at his current rank and posting.  That this has reputedly strained his relationship with the new ruler is of little surprise, and Lord Arnold Proctor-Steiner is reputedly pressing for Sir Alexander's appointment to head of Arcadia Theater Command.

Forces
The Assault Brigade's regiments are some of the smallest stand-alone units in the AFRF.  They do not bring along support brigades, simply a mixed wing of aerospace fighters to cover their approaches.  If needed they are assigned armored infantry for specific operations, but the point of the formation is their own independent ability to be dropped or deployed into a combat zone to smash local opposition, allowing for the balanced combined arms formations to exploit the resulting carnage.  With the exception of one command DropShip they deploy primarily using the like of Sunhawk-class assault transports, by company level, and have gunships supporting their landings along with their aerospace contingent.


Colors and Insignia
The Assault Brigade's insignia is a downward mailed fist of gray with a gold-crowned white hawk upon it, set on a blue circle with a red edge, with lightning bolts emanating from the fist, as if generated by its impact with an unseen object.  The parade colors of the Assault Brigade are gray, white, and gold.


1st Royal Assault Regiment: Metal Rain

First raised in 3039, the First paved the way for the succeeding regiments through repeated combat actions in the War of Donegalian Succession on both fronts.  In victory or in defeat they gained a reputation for hitting hard once they were firmly on the ground and tenaciously holding their ground.  Their reputation saw them included in the first wave of Operation SERPENT, the only Royal Assault Regiment still sufficiently intact for operations after New Earth, joining the Lexington Combat Group's combat drop into the Rhone Valley to pave the way for the landing forces.

Through the remainder of the Second Age of War and on through the Fourth Succession War, the First were rarely the heaviest of the assault regiments but repeatedly proved themselves in hitting the hardest, leaving them called upon often to smash enemy formations in support of wider landing operations.  This nearly proved their undoing with their final two major combat operations of the latter war, as they first supported the Proctor Assault Guards' liberation of New Dallas with a direct combat drop on the IOCF-controlled Fort Houston. The assault failed to break the defense but tied down the defending units enough that their allies prevailed. While recovering from this operation, the First was appended to the relief of Atreus.  They were brought down on top of the Knights of the Shining Star to preserve the Third Royal Guards from collapse, successfully breaking up the IOCF attackers but again at high cost.  The First was all but broken by the Peace of Dieron and was only preserved for rebuilding due to their prestige.

Through the peaceful decades that followed, the First has primarily spent its time in the Atreus Theater to safeguard against any renewal of warfare with the Empire.  They are currently partially through a four year deployment to Stewart to defend that march capital and the vital Corean industrial plants working to rebuild the AFRF.

The First employs the Assault Brigade's insignia with a red "1" on the fist and gray-colored droplets flanking the image.


Officers
Brigadier Yupanqui is a descendant of the former rulers of the Cajamarcan state of the 30th and 31st Centuries and a commoner of the branch of House Yupanqui that opted to stay in the Royal Federation after their former throne world was transferred to the Principate.  A veteran MechWarrior and lifelong member of the Assault Brigade, the Brigadier is a rare member of her notoriously-'Mech-hating house to choose this field of service.

Tactics
Nothing is more important for a drop unit than post-drop cohesion and organization, and nothing is harder.  The unit tradition is to encourage every MechWarrior to quickly identify each other and coalesce into fighting formation, even if it means mixing lance and company elements.  "The first five minutes are the most important" is the unofficial unit motto.


1st Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Brigadier Luz Yupanqui
 1st Batt./XO: Lt. Colonel John Scholl
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Timothy Gephardt
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Alan Richards
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Gunther Beauchamp
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Tricia Brewster
The First has a fair distribution of assault and heavy weight machines, with nothing lighter than sixty tons weight.  The Marauder II remains a favorite of their assault lances while their best 'Mechs are concentrated in the First Battalion's assault companies.  The Aerospace Wing includes the assault carriers and a flight of Wild Weasel-class gunships.


2nd Royal Assault Regiment: Crushing Fury

The Second began their history during the War of Donegalian Succession alongside the Third, coming into service in 3040 and being thrown immediately into the desperate fighting in Donegal.  Their counterattack on the heavy NCAF invasion of Thuban prevented an early move to cut off the Loyalists from their Arcadian supporters. They participated in Operation MJOLNIR during the Terran War and secured the Nagelring campus from the defending ComStar and Terran troops with a direct orbital drop.  Towards the end of the war they were involved in the Assault Brigade's mass drop on New Earth, taking severe casualties but succeeding in their mission objectives.

The Fourth Succession War put the unit to the test repeatedly.  They came within a kilometer of capturing the League Communal Assembly during the siege of Sudeten and would, despite being forced to retreat, inflict heavy losses on the Communal militia forces that overwhelmed their positions.  The devastation wrought by the Second during the fighting on Sudeten was such that they gained an immensely negative reputation among the CLAF, compelling their transfer to the Imperial front.  They ended the war with the successful capture of Van Diemen alongside their sister regiment, the Third, whom they would absorb to restore combat losses in the time after the Peace of Dieron.

In the years since Dieron the Second have been moved from march capital to march capital as part of the AFRF's reserves.  It raised some eyebrows in 3140 when the unit arrived at its newest posting, Fort Pilecki on Porrima, which puts them within a few jumps of the Communal League.  Nothing official has been said of this, but there is no doubt the CLAF took notice.

The regimental insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with a red "2" emblazoned in the fist.  The likeness of a smashed tank is visible below the iron fist.


Officers
Brigadier Lupansky began his career as a tanker but qualified for BattleMech training after three years of service.  He has worked his way up the ranks as a mustang, aided by his stellar combat record from the latter years of the Fourth Succession War.


Tactics
The Second is not so much about organization as it is about shock. The unit's commanders believe that once every 'Mech is grounded the MechWarriors' first priority is opening fire on an enemy target or doing something to cause damage to the enemy's positions, undermining enemy cohesion and softening them for allied forces to seize advantage.


2nd Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Fanatical/D)
CO: Brigadier Gerald Lupansky
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Giselle Martinez
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Giuseppe Marconi
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donald Thomason
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Pauline Winthrope
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Xu Jieshi
The Second is one of the lighter of the Assault Regiments by weight, with machines as light as forty-five tons found in some of its fire support lances, though it is still a majority assault-weight formation by average.  Supply and Procurement is working to provide heavier machines as they become available.


4th Royal Assault Regiment: The Rose Tramplers

Formed on an emergency basis during the dark days of late 3041, the Fourth Royal Assault Regiment was pitched straight into the fray at McAffe during the initial counterattack against the IOCF invasion.  By the time the fight was over, the unit had endured enough losses they were rolled into the Third.  They would be resurrected during the Terran War, participating in multiple operations from Tongatapu in 3053 to New Earth in 3059.  It was the fighting of the mid-60s with the Empire that gave them their fullest reputation when they landed on Atreus in 3065 as part of a counterattack against Imperial invasion.  The Fourth came down on the Order of the Rose outside of Corin, taking advantage of the Rose Knights' distraction against the Second Atrean Dragoons to break their organizational poise.  The Rose Knights would lose many of their best in that battle, and the Fourth would gain the moniker it has gone by since: the Rose Tramplers.

In the Fourth Succession War the two units would have rematches.  The Rose Knights nearly broke the Fourth on Dickinson during the strategic Imperial counterattack of 3114.  Five years later, the Fourth would be part of the relief of Atreus and would once more come down on the Rose Knights' position, this time in the company of the Atrean Rangers.  Despite their battlefield losses and fatigue from the long siege, the Rose Knights fought doggedly, and by the time they withdrew from the field, most of both attacking units were casualties, though they did win the day.

In the decades since the Fourth has remained primarily along the Imperial border.  The key world of Rochelle is their current garrison point, placing them within three jumps of several strategic worlds that could be threatened by Imperial aggression.

The unit insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with a red "4" on the fist and a smashed rose beneath.


Officers
Brigadier Nagarlar is a career MechWarrior who survived the final years of the war as a cadet-officer.  She has served with numerous regiments of the AFRF before beginning service in the Fourth Royal Assault in 3135 as a battalion CO.  Her knowledge of the tactical styles of various formations has provided for the training of her unit in the best means to disrupt them upon a drop.


Tactics
The Fourth places its emphasis on maximizing disruption of an enemy foe, even at the cost of their own organizational cohesion.  MechWarriors of the Fourth are trained to act independently if need be and to always place their emphasis on engaging enemy targets rapidly and decisively once their drop is complete.


4th Royal Assault Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Brigadier Aishwarya Nagarlar
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Erez Barak
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Roshanara Rostami
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Periklis Katsaros
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Abhijit Begum
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Tushar Bandyopadhyay
Given their presence in the Principality of Hesperus and proximity to Defiance Industries' main factories, it should not be surprising that a great many of the Fourth's 'Mechs are of Defiance manufacture, with numerous examples of various Defiance machines in their ranks.


8th Royal Assault Regiment: Warhammers

The Eighth was formed in 3057 as the AFRF geared up for the grinding offensive into Terran territory.  The unit earned its moniker early on for the immense number of Warhammer 'Mechs of various types that were added to the regiment, everything from WHM-2-9Ds to the oldest WHM-6Rs pulled from refurbishment and scrapyards.  It was further earned by the regiment's successes on Lyons, Zollikofen, and Muphrid, and New Earth, where the Eighth was usually by design or by accident the unit that dealt with the strongest portion of the Terran defenses.  They succeeded in each operation at a commiserate cost in blood.

The Eighth's battle history since the fall of Terra has been one of the bloodiest and most successful of the Assault Brigade.  In 3065, they would smash flat the Second Liao Guards on Amity, and only diplomatic intervention from New Avalon prevented their success in reclaiming Stewart.  The Concord-Compact War saw them landing on New Avalon as part of OpForce Excalibur and liberating New Scotland from occupation, liberating the world of Coloma a year later.  Fighting through the 3080s and into the Dominate War, where they utterly smashed a cohort of the KING of Pilpala's legion in the capture of Ellijay, capped their 31st Century battle history.  The Fourth Succession War would see the Eighth deployed to a multitude of operations, culminating with the capture of Carver V in 3119 that left the unit nearly broken from combat losses.

Since the war ended the Eighth has primarily been kept in the Skye Theater, rebuilding and training up to a heightened readiness under the authority of a succession of veteran commanders.  They have one of the highest readiness and combat skill ratings in the Assault Brigade as a result.  Currently they are assigned to the garrison of Hesperus to keep that vital industrial center well-protected from any sudden strike.

The unit's insignia is the Assault Brigade's insignia with the red number "8" on the fist with the insignia contained within the silhouette of a Warhammer.



Officers
Brigadier Gwanja is one of the older officers of his rank.  An ace MechWarrior of the Assault Brigade during the Fourth Succession War, his lack of ambition is a constant note among his peers and superiors, leading to his slow rise.  It is not a lack of passion so much as Gwanja's deliberative personality and nature, which served him well on the battlefield but does tend to not go as well with Personnel's Promotion Boards.  There is no complaint about his effectiveness, however, and throughout his career his abilities as a leader, commander, and trainer have been evident, as is his skill in the unit's preferred machine, the WHM-II-9D Warhammer II.

Colonel Proctor-Steiner-Adelhiede is from one of the original branches of the Proctor-Steiner line, the youngest daughter of Princess Raquel Proctor-Steiner.  Like most of her elder siblings and their children, she joined the AFRF to serve as part of the family tradition and has built a career out of being solidly competent and a capable 'Mech pilot, including decorations won as a young officer fighting on the Galedon front of the Fourth Succession War with the Eighth Donegal Guards.  She pilots Otrera, the Atlas III her mother once piloted.

Tactics
The Eighth train extensively in the best means to hit enemy fortifications from the air or ground, preferring combat drops right onto enemy bunkers where feasible to carry the fight behind their land-facing defenses.


8th Royal Assault Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Abiola Gwanja
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Lady Matilda Proctor-Steiner-Adelhiede
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Nejla Hodžić
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Genrikh Pasternak
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Mariyam Ismailova
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Garret Fitzroy
Being assigned to Hesperus has given the Eighth a greater number of newer war machines than usual for the Assault Regiments.  The Ragnarok is found in greater number than other assault machines, as are newer marks of the unit's favored Warhammer and other 'Mechs.


10th Royal Assault Regiment: The Crown's Maul

The Tenth Royal Assault Regiment was a creation of the Concord-Compact War and the 3078 Army reforms pushed by High King Ethan.  Ethan's organizational reforms brought the Assault Brigade up to an authorized strength of ten.  The Tenth Royal Assault would be a personal creation of Ethan's, overseen by his cousin Lord Joachim Steiner, and would join the formations that Ethan typically brought with him on campaign.  The best assault and heavy 'Mech pilots were the only candidates for the positions in the unit, and all underwent rigorous training for the various air, orbital, or ground deployments they might make.  Their first engagements would come with the successful assault on Vega in 3084 and the defense of Donegal in 3087 from Sudeten's Operation REGICIDE.  The unit was nearly destroyed on Nova Roma in 3111 when the Empire broke Ethan's offensive into the Grand Duchy of Oriente.

Restored by High Queen Jacqueline, the Tenth would participate in a number of engagements on both major fronts of the Fourth Succession War.  In 3119 they proved instrumental in salvaging the liberation of Paracale from Galedonian troops, conducting a dangerous combat drop onto the Ryu-no-tekken-yon as the Galedonian assault force broke through the lines of the FolksArme's exhausted defenders.  The maneuver cost the Tenth terribly but disrupted the Galedonians sufficiently for the FolksArme to rally and the Wolfram Division to arrive and turn the Galedonians back from the liberation forces' LZ.

Following the peace of Dieron the Tenth was rebuilt slowly.  Its commanders over the last twenty years have placed an emphasis on quality in new additions, turning down the reactivation of battalions until they had sufficient pilots of desired skill to fill the billets.  While this meant they only reached their approved strength in 3138, the unit's cohesion and skill level is a match for the brigade's best, in keeping with their traditional place in the Assault Brigade.  They are assigned to Denebola in New Earth March, placing them in a position to deal with either the Empire or the Azami should hostilities recommence.

The unit's insignia is the Assault Brigade insignia with the number "10" in red on the fist within the outline of a medieval war maul.


Officers
Brigadier Hundessa is a veteran of Paracale and has worked his way up the unit's ranks since the end of the war.  He is committed to the design of maintaining both the Tenth's high concentration of skill and readiness and their unwavering devotion to fighting the enemies of House Proctor.  His posting on Denebola has gone overlong in his view and he has repeatedly asked for assignment to Arcturus Theater, to the frequent refusal of the Command Staff.  Word is that he has personally appealed to High King Nathaniel for the Tenth to be sent to face "the Butcher of Freedom" but given the situation with the Looking Glass, there is no telling how Nathaniel will respond, if he does at all.


Tactics
The Tenth's pilots are encouraged to maintain personal initiative but to never pass up a chance to consolidate after a drop.  "Skill and organization are each vital to the battle, but together they are unbeatable".


10th Royal Assault Regiment (Veteran/Fanatical/C)
CO: Brigadier Hachalu Hundessa
 1st Batt./XO: Colonel Yoshiro Okamura
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Ervīns Ozoliņš
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Alan Xun
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Hidayat Wibowo
 Aerospace Wing: Gpt. Captain Yevdokiya Kozhedub
The Tenth's skill level and focus on effectiveness leads its quartermasters to be more discerning in which machines are kept in the 'Mech bays.  While the nature of the Assault Brigade means that older machines are still evident in the ranks, the Tenth employs a higher level of Terran-grade kit than its sibling formations, with over a lance worth of newer machines per company, including several examples of both the SBT-3 model Sabaton and Defiance's Ragnarok.

[Steve]

Fearless Chargers: The Royal Lancer Corps

Formed initially from refurbished militia 'Mechs and the most adventurous, ambitious pilots to be drawn from the Arcadian Free March's militia brigades, the Royal Lancers have served with daring for the past century, taking the field during the War of Donegalian Succession with an audacity that has become their custom.  Fielding primarily medium and light BattleMechs, the Lancers are fast shock troops by training and purpose, capable of maneuvering through or around enemy strongpoints and exploiting enemy weakness.  The MechWarriors who man the Lancer regiments are not the faint of heart by any means, but selected and trained to be quick, decisive, and fearless above all else.

The Fourth Succession War was particularly grueling for the Lancers, especially the final years when they were called upon to strike hard and deep into the Sirian Commonality as part of the effort to reclaim the worlds lost to the Empire over the decades.  While their offensive was a success, it reaped significantly of their ranks, such that by war's end only eight battered regimental combat teams remained of a corps of a dozen proud Lancer formations.  Consolidated to their current strength of five RCTs, the Lancers are posted on a number of key worlds as reserve units for counterattacks upon enemy incursions.  They train and prepare for the day when they will next charge into the enemy's ranks, living up to the Lancer Corps motto "Semper Audacia": "Audacity, Always".



Commanding Officer

Lieutenant General Sir Krystoff Adamczyk is a Lancer veteran from Abramkovo, a border system in the Principality of Bolan.  After an initial term of service in the Bolan Hussars after his graduation from Ayrshire, General Adamczyk fought for much of the Fourth Succession War in the ranks of the proud Third Royal (Polish) Lancers, the famed Winged Hussars.  One of the few survivors of that formation after the Sirian Commonality campaign of 3118-20, General Adamczyk joined the rest of his fellows in being transferred into the First Royal Lancers, where he completed his career rise, making CO of the 'Mech regiment and then of the whole RCT through the 3120s and 30s.  After a stint of time as an instructor at the Raquel Steiner Memorial Academy on Donegal, he served as commander of Donegal Planetary Defense Command and executive commander of the Royal Lancers before his final promotion and rise to command of the Corps in 3141.  A devout family man outside of the service, General Adamczyk has professed his support for the peace overtures to House Halas-Liao, believing the legions of the Flavian Principate and the forces of House Kurita are by far graver threats than the isolated Oriento-Capellan Empire. He has also become notorious in government circles for a tendency to harangue - if extremely politely - members of the AFRF budget committees to call for the reformation of his old regiment, to the point where the Lancers joke that Adamczyk’s appearance in a select committee is more terrifying to senators than a scandalvid reporter with printouts of their expenses.  He continues to wear the shako insignia plate and shoulder badges of the Winged Hussars to this day, in cheerful defiance of AFRF uniform regulations and with the tacit but unofficial approval of his superiors and peers.


Forces
The Lancers favor medium and light 'Mechs, typically only taking some heavy machines if they have the maneuverability and speed to keep up with the lighter elements.  The armored regiments of the RCTs tend to be drawn from the ranks of the Royal Light Horse with a focus on hovercraft and aviation support.  By quality they tend to be fairly well-equipped, with plentiful use of OmniMechs and OmniVehicles.  Speed and firepower are the principal concerns of the Lancers; they are an offensive formation by reputation, and given their lighter weight compared to heavier line units, require the speed in order to disrupt enemy reactions.

Given the emphasis on maneuver warfare the Lancers employ fewer infantry regiments than other RCTs, typically only three or four, and up to four vehicle regiments instead of the two normal to RCT formations.  The infantry are typically a mix of air cavalry or mechanized, but this varies between RCTs given the AFRF's slow rebuilding after the Peace of Dieron and the cultures of the specific formations.


Colors and Insignia
The Royal Lancers tend towards an array of colors, though blue and silver are common to all the RCTs.  Each unit's insignia includes a pair of silver lances crossed upward on a blue field and topped with a golden crown, with a specific RCT's chosen insignia placed prominently between the lance handles, and a motto wrapped around the insignia.

All serving personnel in the Lancers are permitted to wear the unique Lancer shako with a plate bearing their RCT's insignia.



1st Royal Lancers: Death or Glory

The First entered service at the start of the War of Donegalian Succession, where they joined the First Royal Guards in relieving the besieged forces of Thomas Proctor and Johanna Steiner on Donegal.  They would fight in the failed defense of Westerstede in 3040 before succeeding in seizing Pobeda in a surprise operation the following year, then defending the captured world from repeated counterattacks. They would end the war on Summer as part of the last-ditch offensive to reclaim that vital world for the Consolidant, where a final charge into a compromised point of the Third Tikonov Lancers' defense line broke a Compact position and ensured the reclamation of Summer.

This wartime performance became the standard for the First Royal Lancers, who would perform similarly through the coming decades of conflict.  From their charge against the Terrans approaching Worcester in 3050 to breaking the lines of the Tenth Galedon Regulars on Chandler in 3119, the First would live up to their motto and fearlessly strike at the foes of House Proctor in defiance of enemy skill or position.  They remain one of the most skilled Lancer RCTs.  In 3142 they were assigned to the defense of Donegal, placing them in position to reinforce either the Sudeten or Kuritan borders should the need arise.

The First's insignia places a death's head insignia between the lance handles on the Royal Lancer insignia and the unit motto, "Death or Glory", on the seal border.  They tend to add black to the silver and blue of the Lancer color scheme.


Officers
Like many of her rank and age cohort, Major General Cargill is a hardened survivor of the fierce fighting of the Fourth Succession War.  She piloted a Pathfinder in the recon lances of the Second, Third, and Ninth Royal Lancers during that conflict, always managing to bring her machine back from the field under its own power.  Her fearlessness and audacity saw her singled out for promotion and rise into the command ranks, culminating in her posting to command of the First Royal Lancers in 3141 as the handpicked choice of General Adamczyk.

Tactics
The First Lancers have long practiced employing their fire support elements, especially among their vehicle regiments, as cover fire for 'Mechs equipped with shorter-range heavy weapons to get close and start hammering enemy units and positions where local conditions make them weakest.  This is a high risk, high reward tactic befitting the unit's motto and combat style.


1st Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Major General Fiona Cargill
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Oliver Farbaer
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Daniel Short
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Sonya Botha
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lynette Harmaajärvi
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Ashgar bin Husayn


1st Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Mahesh Gandhi
 7th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Anna Navarro
 3rd Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Mariyka Belova
 4th Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Lauren Stauss
 1st Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Colonel Viktor Koszorús
 1st Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Elliana Wiśniewski


1st Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore John Rahl
 1st Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Prem Sharma
 1st Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Olaf Ackermann


1st Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Sergo Kapanadze
 7th Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Kwadwo Adebayo
 26th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Fareed al-Amin
 8th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Chinweuba Morales
 34th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Jean-Francois Picault


2nd Royal (Irish) Lancers: Clear the Way!

Officially formed on Arcadia in 3040, the Second Royal Lancers drew heavily from MechWarriors recruited from the Arcadia and McAffe militia formations, and the common Irish heritage of many of the pilots prompted the unit's initially-unofficial designation.  The Second was due for deployment to the Donegal front but held back to meet the prospect of an IOCF invasion, which saw them nearly destroyed in battles for Bondurant and McAffe.  A bold countercharge into the lines of the Third Liao Young Guards prevented the fall of New Edinburgh and kept the AFRF fighting on McAffe until relief forces arrived in late 3041.  The recorded order of Major John Meagher - "Irish Lancers, clear the way!" - became the unit's motto and traditional battle cry.

Since their celebrated start the Second Lancers has consistently been held as the premiere formation of the Royal Lancer Corps.  The best pilots and machines are made available to their formations, and in engagements from the liberation of Uhuru in 3052 to the recapturing of Tongatapu in 3119, they have lived up to the lofty expectations placed upon them.  Their skill remains among the highest in the modern AFRF and ensured their participation in the WALLACE wargames on Northwind with the Compact states, where they managed an even record with the First Tikonov Lancers and the First St. Ives Lancers.  The allure of the unit has led to it rarely being Irish by plurality, much less majority, but the designation earned in their early history remains. The attitude can be summed up by John Meagher's retirement address in 3079 to the Irish Lancers Association: "All members of the Second are Irish, whether it be by birth, by adoption, or by conviction."

Currently the Second is posted to Kalidasa as strategic reaction forces for the Atrean Theater's long border with the Empire.

The unit's insignia presents the likeness of a charging Shadow Hawk BattleMech between the lance handles of the Lancer insignia, the machine painted in emerald green.   The motto on the seal is the unit's famed battle cry, "Faugh a Ballagh!", the Gaelic for "Clear the way!"  Green is the unit's preferred color beside blue and silver.


Officers
Major General Gilroy is a proud "fourth generation" Lancer, with parents and grandparents having served tours with the Second and his great-grandfather, Erskine Childers Gilroy, being a founding officer of the regiment.  A veteran of the Fourth Succession War with three prosthetic limbs from the brutal fighting to reclaim Tongatapu, General Gilroy is a long-practiced veteran of the Lancer Corps' favored tactics and strategies, and often guides his pilots and troops through field exercises from the cockpit of his Shadow Hawk II.


Tactics
The Second Lancers often leverage the quality of their pilots and their fierce reputation with practicing multiple tactical approaches and loadouts.  Their goal is to intimidate their foe with the uncertainty and anticipated ferocity of their charges, with 'Mechs often joined to formations of hover and cruiser tanks and supporting battle armor for needed flexibility in the immediate tactical engagement.  If it works, a foe will not be sure where to expect the focus of a charge nor the exact nature of a charge, whether it is to get within range of heavy autocannon and missile weapons or to provoke an enemy response to pull attention from another location.


2nd Royal (Irish) Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Elite/Fanatical/A)
CO: Major General James Gilroy
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Keenan O'Malley
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Peder Jenson
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Marcin Sadowski
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Saifullah Sherazi
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Wullem Frenske
The Second has enjoyed a recent surfeit of largesse from Procurement, with a number of new and high quality designs assigned to its lances.  The Ranger has become particularly evident among the command lances and companies of the regiment and makes up the entirety of the Fourth Battalion's heavy response company.


2nd Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Gavin Murdoch
 19th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Bridget McGowan
 2nd Royal Light Horse Regiment (CR): Col. Thomas Weiss
 7th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Mark Greevey
 2nd Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Samuel MacCallister
 2nd Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Prudence Reynolds
The Nineteenth Armored is one of the heaviest armored regiments in the Lancer Corps, with its First Battalion consisting primarily of Rhino and Razor OmniTanks.

2nd Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Patricia McBride
 2nd Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Rowan MacGregor
 2nd Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Fiona Stone

2nd Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Frances McConnell
 13th Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Keto Bolkvadze
 25th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Zawar Khan
 7th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Kathleen Guinness
 27th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Col. Luitpold Marden


4th Royal Lancers: The Queen's Own

The Fourth was stood up during the darkest days of the War of Donegalian Succession, coming into service in 3041 just as the Compact states launched their NEMESIS offensive into the Federation and Consolidant.  Drawn from a number of systems along the Donegal frontier, the Fourth were one of the few units that could be spared to help Queen Johanna in her fight with the Steiner Legitimists and NCAF.  They spent the war accompanying her and her Second Donegal Guards on campaign; by the time the New Commonwealth collapsed and she was secure on the Donegalian throne, the pilots of the Fourth were the most loyal Arcadian forces Johanna had in her operations area.  While the Second Donegal remained her formation of choice, the Fourth Lancers were often stationed alongside or as defense on Donegal.  By the time the Terran War came in 3050, they were known as "the Queen's Own".

The Terran War saw the Fourth in many of the thickest fights alongside their monarchs. They joined the relief of Arcadia in 3051 and charged the 19th ComGuards Division in the defenses around Tharkad City during the capture of the former Lyran capital.  Losses in the liberation of Skye in 3056 and the taking of Muphrid in 3059 kept the unit from joining Johanna for SERPENT, though a number of the unit's most decorated and battle-ready pilots would form the core of the Seventh Lancers that did join Johanna's part of Wave Two.  The Fourth would once more ride with Johanna during the fighting of the Concord-Compact War over ten years later, and it would be their command staff who died with her and High King Thomas when a crashing Galedonian aerospace fighter struck the Fourth Lancers' HQ during the fighting for Tikonov.

While much has changed since that day, the Fourth are still known for their solid devotion to the throne and to the High Queen or Consort who is seated there.  The unit's tradition draws the most devoted loyalists to House Proctor-Steiner to their ranks, though as of late this has led to a disproportionately young and inexperienced force compared to other RCTs.  Currently the Fourth serves as part of the AFRF's general strategic reserve and the main AFRF line unit assigned to the Silver Eagle Free State and the world of Rexburg: an assignment that has not been the smoothest given the strong republican inclinations of the residents.  A number of altercations are noted to have happened between the most ardent royalists and the most provocative republican citizens.  It is possible the unit will need to be redeployed at some point if tensions grow too much hotter.

The Fourth's specific insignia places the likeness of a charging horse between the lance handles.  The unit's favored motto, "Semper Paratus", is written into the seal.  Their parade colors are Lancer blue and silver with gold.


Officers
Major General Burke is a veteran of the Royal Light Horse regiments who graduated from the Patton School of Mechanized Warfare in the opening years of the Fourth Succession War.  He has boasted to have never lost a hover vehicle under his personal command and none have found a contradiction in his service record, though some note that this accomplishment relies upon certain interpretations of "losing" vehicles.  Burke's record does bear out his skill as a commander of hover and VTOL formations, with multiple commendations as a field command officer during the war.  His promotion to command of a Lancers RCT is seen as a long-deserved culmination to his career, especially as a non-MechWarrior assigned to oversee a major BattleMech formation.

Brigadier McRory has spent his career moving between the various corps of the AFRF.  A MechWarrior veteran of the late Fourth Succession War, McRory has piloted everything from ultralight anti-infantry 'Mechs to hundred ton assault 'Mechs, and has served in a variety of formations with unique tactics.  His assignment as XO to the Fourth was primarily a means to give him a long-deserved promotion and keep his career moving forward.


Tactics
The Fourth's history serving alongside other major formations in monarch-led groups gives it a history of working to complement the tactical operations of other forces.  In recent years the relative lack of experience has led to a further undermining of any concept of specialized or favored tactics in field operations.  Wargames with the Silver Eagle Republic Federal Militia reflects this in both positive and negative ways: the inexperienced forces of the Fourth Lancers make many mistakes, but the enemy can never be sure what precisely they will do.


4th Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Green/Fanatical/B)
CO: Major General John Burke
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Ian McRory
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Mirsada Kovac
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Rikuto Akabane
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Theresa Breen
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Fianna Lewis


4th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Fanatical/B)
CO: Brigadier Yolanda Sutton
 14th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Kevin Taggart
 6th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Harry Michaels
 17th Royal Light Horse (HR): Col. Lord Fumnanya Idowu
 4th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvR): Colonel Përparim Bulku
 4th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Andrew Reynolds
The RCT's aviation regiment boasts a second battalion of VTOLs.  The entire brigade's vehicles tend towards the lighter side, making them superb flankers for the main 'Mech force.

4th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Fanatical/B)
CO: Air Commodore Susannah Towers
 4th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Raina Meriweather
 4th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Kevin Burroughs

4th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Victor Lamarck
 6th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Samira Bhutto
 53rd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Allan Richards
 21st Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Donovan Laughlin


5th Royal (Irish) Lancers: Pride of Erin

The Fifth Royal stood up in 3049 as part of a fresh recruitment drive from the Federal Militia formations.  As a measure to promote increased unity soldiers from the Donegal half of the Federation were set to form half of the unit, and to pass on needed experience, a core of veterans from the Second Royal Lancers were promoted to leadership.  Between the origins of a number of the recruited militia and the officers, the Fifth soon identified itself as an Irish formation culturally and as a sibling of the Second Lancers.  Like the Second they would face their trial by fire defending McAffe from invaders, this time meeting the Terran invasion of December 3050.  They survived the battle, though victory was primarily in that survival as the Terran withdrawal was a strategic calculation, not from any battlefield reverses, and the Fifth survived as a coherent formation only due to that timely withdrawal.

Survival gave the Fifth a chance for further glories, which would be won on the battlefields of the counterattack against Terra and on into the remainder of the Second Age of War.  In a Corps already noted for its suicidal bravery, the Fifth became particularly noted for aggressive maneuvers through enemy defenses.  During the Concord-Compact War, they played a key role in the Federated Suns' recovery of Coloma from the Concord by isolating and breaking through the defensive positions of the Macomb Minutemen outside of Mento, forcing the Concord to withdraw from the city.

Nearly stood down from battle losses on Styk at the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Fifth absorbed survivors of the Eighth and Tenth Lancers and ultimately remained on the active rolls of the AFRF.  Like the Second, they have maintained their traditions of being an Irish formation though as few as one tenth of the officers and soldiers have hailed from communities of Irish heritage.  They are currently posted to the Fifth's original home and standing up post, Fort Dunmore on McAffe's Erin continent, as part of the AFRF's strategic reserve and defense formations for the Arcadia Royal March.

The unit's insignia places the traditional Irish symbol of the Harp of Erin between the lance handles. The motto on the insignia seal border is the Irish Diaspora's longstanding motto "Erin go Braugh", an Anglicized Gaelic phrase that means "Ireland Forever".  Like the Second, the unit's colors are Lancer blue and silver mixed with emerald Irish green, though the Fifth borders its green with the orange found on McAffe's planetary flag.


Officers
Major General Correia is considered a rising star of the Lancer Corps and the AFRF as a whole.  She was only nineteen in 3118 when given an emergency commission to command a recon lance in the Ninth Skye Rangers and won commendations for bravery in the capture of Procyon.  She would return in 3123 as a scout with the Proctor Light Horse as part of MORNING STAR and again be commended for taking command of her isolated company and leading them back to friendly lines.  A recon specialist, Correia transferred into the Lancers after making lieutenant colonel and has won promotion at a regular pace.  In 3140 she assumed command of the Fifth Royal as the youngest officer of major general rank serving in the AFRF.


Tactics
The Fifth has been experimenting in recent years with using more coordinated fire support teams to support tactical charges through enemy defense positions.  C3 systems have been outfitted to many vehicles and 'Mechs to allow improved long range fire accuracy.  This will undoubtedly help with the unit's traditional tendency to push charges into even the most formidable enemy positions.


5th Royal (Irish) Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Fanatical)
CO: Major General Thalita Correia
XO: Brigadier Miłosław Śląski
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Maureen O'Sheen
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Karl Lucas
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lady Natalia von Schulenberg
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Patrick O'Keefe

5th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO/RCT XO: Brigadier Olabode Irele
 12th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Gintarė Astrauskas
 6th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Mary Duchamps
 11th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Alejandro Diaz
 5th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvR): Colonel Akeem al-Barrani
 5th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel James Winters
The Aviation Regiment includes a second battalion of fire support VTOLs to support the RCT's ongoing tactics testing.  Whether the assignment remains permanent remains to be seen, though both Major General Correia and Brigadier Irele are pressing for Procurement and Corps HQ to confirm it.

5th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Vissarion Gerasimov
 5th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Andrew McCarter
 5th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Johann Stigler

5th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Donald McGovern
 3rd Royal Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Omiko Sugihara
 17th Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Paul Fitzroy
 32nd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. John Fisher
 4th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Mattias Erzburger



7th Royal Lancers: The Blades of Donegal

The Seventh were formed from former militia of the Kingdom of Donegal in 3048 as part of the AFRF's absorption of the old KDAF.  Primarily drawn from Donegal's planetary military 'Mech pilots, the unit was still being trained when REVIVAL came and the Terrans invaded Donegal as part of their initial push. The Seventh fought valiantly but where overwhelmed and mostly destroyed outside of Marsdenville after a week of fighting.  They were reformed eight years later by Thomas Proctor and Johanna Steiner through subscription efforts by Donegal's citizens and refurbished war salvage and materials.  Staffed with veterans from the battered Fourth Royal Lancers and a number of other skilled pilots from the AFRF"s ranks, the Seventh would land on Terra alongside High Queen Johanna in Wave Two of Operation SERPENT.  In August of 3060 the Seventh Royal Lancers broke the surviving members of the Terrans' Twenty-Fifth Armored Cavalry on the Promontory of Quebec in what became known in some circles as the "Plains of Abraham Massacre", as the Seventh killed the unit to the last man due to the Terran units' notorious massacres of civilians and militia from Antares to Palmyre Deans.  An official inquiry found that no surrenders had been offered by the Terrans and the unit was exonerated of wrongdoing, a finding that has been disputed by some civilian reporters and scholars, and giving the Seventh a reputation for ruthlessness that has persisted to the modern day.

The Seventh served with pride through the remaining conflicts of the Second Age of War; noteworthy among their accomplishments was breaking the lines of the Twenty-Second Communal Regulars during the Communal League's invasion of Donegal in 3088 and expelling XV Legio's II Cohors from Rosice in 3100. During the Fourth Succession War they were part of the GAUNTLET offensive into the Communal League, ultimately reaching Sudeten and fighting to seize the League capital until the COMINTERSTEL counter-offensive compelled their withdrawal.  Due to concerns about the unit's ability to work with their former enemies, the Seventh was repositioned to the Skye Theater, where they fought Azami and Galedonian troops through the rest of the war until 3118.  They descended upon Wasat during the Lancer Corps' invasion of the Sirian Commonality and fought the Second Sirian Lancers and Second Oriente Fusiliers' detachments on-planet.  By the time they were withdrawn in December 3119, the Seventh was at less than one third strength in effective personnel and machines.  Only the utter devastation wrought upon their sister formations kept the Seventh from being chosen for stand-down.

After a post-Dieron career of being moved about the border marches, in 3136 the Seventh was brought home to Donegal. They've remained on their founding world since, training opposite other formations and completing their post-war rebuilding.

The insignia of the Seventh is a raised blade between the lance handles, fringed in blue light.  The unit motto on the seal border is "Face Donegal's Fury".  Aside from silver and blue, the Seventh favors black and green as parade colors.



Officers
Major General Kane is the younger brother of the Count of Waterford-Donegal and a member of the aristocracy. A Nagelring graduate and Fourth Succession War veteran, Kane has a mixed reputation; a capable commander and tactician, he is also unapologetically classist in the worst Lyran style.  He and his family continue to harass the AFRF and the Foreign Office over the death of Graham's father, Count Thomas, in a CLAF POW camp on Sudeten. While the official finding is that Thomas died of his extensive battle injuries before falling captive, Graham believes he was intentionally killed by the Communals out of revolutionary hatred for nobility, and has been a vocal critic of the Federation's reconciliatory stance towards the League.  That Graham has risen to assume command of a Royal formation RCT despite his controversial behavior is seen by some as a result of his ardent Lyrantreu beliefs, given the number of higher officers of similar allegiance.

Brigadier Torres hails from Sheridan in the Arcadia March.  A graduate of the Atrean Military Academy who came of age too late to serve in the Fourth Succession War, Torres' capability as an administrator and commander have him marked for higher command.  Unfortunately, his combination of lower class background and being from a former League world has led to friction with his commanding officer, the first to have ever given negative or critical remarks in personnel reports concerning Torres.


Tactics
The Seventh's tactical approach emphasizes shock and ruthless seizure of opportunity. The enemy's mental state is as much a target as his physical form, and in war games the Seventh's commanders repeatedly use psychological warfare tactics on adversaries.


7th Royal Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Major General Lord Graham O'Kane
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Harris Torres
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Fiona McBride
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Darren Brosnan
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donald Kupansky
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Marigold Lewis
The unit's morale rating is a matter of some debate given the ongoing friction in the RCT's command echelon.  Some believe it's only a matter of time before Kane's apparent disdain of Torres affects their subordinates; others believe this may already be affecting the MechWarriors in the Seventh.


7th Royal Lancers Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Roger Ewald
 4th Royal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Arturo Matteo
 5th Royal Cavalry Regiment (CR): Col. Anandi Kulkarni
 10th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Vitold Gavrilyuk
 14th Royal Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Trayan Stanev
 7th Royal Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Mark O'Malley
 7th Royal Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Ophelia Rogers
The Seventh's overstrength armored brigade reflects both their posting as protectors of Donegal and the unit's growing preference for heavy backup.


7th Royal Lancers Air Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Lady Regina Smith-Clinton
 7th Royal Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Lord Ewan McHugh
 7th Royal Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Adria Liotta
By all accounts the Air Regiment is the best-run element of the entire RCT.  A social equal to General Kane in the nobility, Lady Regina is a demanding commander but fair to her subordinates and with far less of a classist demeanor.  Her pilots are among the best in the entire Lancer Corps.

7th Royal Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Brigadier Quentin Fenworth
 23rd Royal Foot (M(A)IR): Col. Donna Masters
 5th Royal Jaegers (AiC(A)R): Col. Walter Okafor
 25th Royal Air Cavalry (AiC(A)R): Col. Hafsatu Danforth
 12th Royal Rangers (JI(A)R): Col. Charles Forward

[Steve]

Ever Ready: Brigade of Dragoons

Founded in 3038, the Brigade of Dragoons started as a third-line force intended to support wider operations through striking minor targets, garrison reaction support, or adding mass to major assaults.  The 3078 Army Reforms saw their absorption of what remained of the Donegal Grenadiers, a formation with a similar purpose built by Klaus Steiner in the leadup to the War of Donegalian Succession.  No longer a regiment of 'Mechs backed by support battalions, the modern Dragoon regiments are combined-arms formations meant to fight alone or alongside the frontline forces, where they typically supplement the frontline as harassers or flanking units.

Unlike House Marik's Atrean Dragoons, these units are not for the glamorous or the ambitious.  The Dragoons exist to get the job done with whatever hardware that Supply and Procurement can muster, in situations where a full-sized RCT or division would be too strong a show of force.  Personnel assigned to the Dragoons either seek transfer out as quickly as they can or acclimate and gain the stubborn pride many in the units have in their unglamorous status.  Indeed, a number of the Dragoon units have storied battle histories and hard-won trophies from the wars stretching back to the War of Donegalian Succession.  Once twenty in number, they were reduced to ten by the losses and unit re-assignments of the Fourth Succession War.


Commanding Officer

Major General Dame Mozhdeh Darzi hails from Rasalas in the Principality of Atreus.  A veteran of the Atrean Dragoons and the desperate battle for Atreus, war wounds left her invalided out of field service for nearly a decade and denied her continued status as a MechWarrior.  Rising in the ranks in the staff, she was assigned to the Dragoons in 3140 to "get the Brigade back in shape", a task she has taken to with relish.  Some whisper the true purpose of her promotion was to prepare the Dragoons for a major conflict in the near future.


Forces

By organization the Dragoons employ mixed regiments with a battalion each of BattleMechs, armor, and infantry, with a support battalion of mixed artillery and VTOL assets.  A squadron of aerospace fighters accompanies each formation.  Infantry formations typically consist of soldiers in standard powered infantry suits supported by a company of light and medium-weight battle armor infantry.

The Dragoons prefer kit that's rough, handles well in multiple environments, and easy to maintain, which means little Royal-level technology is found amongst their number, nor are many 'Mechs with endo-steel internals or other elements that require greater effort to repair.  They favor assault DropShips for transport between worlds since it permits wider flexibility in deployment, especially if deploying into enemy defenses becomes necessary.


Colors and Insignia

The Brigade of Dragoons employ an insignia depicting a rifle-toting rider atop a trotting horse.  These are placed on a checkered blue and red field inside a golden circle with hawk wings coming from the sides.  The regiment's number is usually displayed in white in the lower section of the insignia.



1st Dragoons: First to Fight

Founded in 3038 in the aftermath of the Second Andurien War, the First Dragoons would be part of the Campbelton garrison three years later when the Oriento-Capellans' NEMESIS offensive landed on-planet and became the first of the Brigade to face combat.  The Kearnish Knights nearly annihilated the regiment on the banks of the Atholl River at Talvering, with the sacrifice of a battalion's survivors and attached militia allowing their escape to the defenses of Fort Campbell.  They would survive the campaign and, to the surprise of many, volunteer to join the counterattack that reclaimed Tongatapu and Norwich for the Federation and Commonality.  They would reinforce this reputation in the Terran War; while part of the garrison of Dixie, the unit volunteered to join the initial reinforcement landing at Arcadia, where they distinguished themselves in the hard fighting around occupied Roslyn even with their inferior hardware. A number of the survivors were inducted into the Arcadian Guards while the tradition of the First Dragoons had been solidified.

Following their significant losses in the Fourth Succession War's final battles, the First were among the initial units rebuilt to full strength. They landed on Procyon in 3123 as part of MORNING STAR and were pressed by IOCF strikes on the LZs, ultimately suffering forty percent casualties before the suspension of combat operations.  Rebuilt once more through the 3120s, they remained in Skye Theater to meet potential Azami and Combine raids into the region and repulsed several small strikes by the former through the 3130s.  In 3140 they were rotated to Hesperus to serve a tour as part of the world's defensive garrison.  Access to the factories of Hesperus has seen a few new models and upgraded machines circulate into the unit, but the First continues to rely on older gear as per the unit's standard TO&E practices.

The insignia is the standard Dragoon insignia with the white numeral "1" presented.  A golden wreath bordering the insignia is present as a battle honor to commemorate their history, particularly their role in the 3051 liberation of Roslyn from Terran occupation.




Officers


Colonel Strahlsund was one of the aces of the war's final years, serving an emergency commission in the First Atrean Dragoons during the fierce battle for Atreus in 3118-19.  Her career since has been marked by regular promotions and continued officer education.  Many of her peers consider her assignment to the regular Dragoons, even the First Dragoons, as a punishment assignment of some sort, with dark whispering among some that she has been slighted by Lyrantreu looking to keep Atrean Principality officers from higher postings.  The more likely explanation is that there are only so many billets for other units and Strahlsund's assignment is meant to keep her in service, and gaining experience at command, while awaiting an open billet in a more prestigious unit.  Colonel Strahlsund herself has taken to the assignment with diligence, keeping her unit honed to face any contingency and training them as rigorously as the lethal environs of Hesperus permit.


Tactics
The First Dragoons have a long tradition of initial offensive contact, typically in support of heavier formations or on their own against enemy militia or third-line mercenaries.  LZ establishment and defense training continues to be a priority.


1st Dragoons Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Yvonne Strahlsund
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Alexander Sutton
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Rhee Yeong
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ruslan Omarov
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Joanna Ridley
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Omar Lewis
While most of the unit still uses gear standard to the Brigade, the command company's 'Mechs now include two modern Mad Cat II OmniMechs, a Ragnarok, and an Eradicator, all from Hesperus' famed factories.



2nd Dragoons: The Misfits

Formed from a collection of militia and line personnel transferred from their units as "undesirables", the Second quickly earned their moniker with a series of disciplinary infractions that culminated in a brawl with the Third Donegal Cavalry during a joint defensive assignment to Clinton. The same unit would fight at their side through the final days of the New Commonwealth, capturing Carlisle from a diminished and demoralized NCAF garrison. The Second became a garrison force for the planet through the Terran War before joining the advance on Skye, where they were rendered hors d'combat in the brutal fighting at New Glasgow.

Through that war and later conflicts, the Second has maintained its air of barely-kept discipline and ill-fitting demeanor.  The unit frequently leads the Dragoon Brigade in disciplinary infractions, demerits, and poor evaluations for personal upkeep and parade readiness.  Many a disciplinarian has been placed in command to shape the Second up and driven to despair by the Misfits' culture, to the extent the AFRF stopped trying by the time of the Fourth Succession War.  For all their poor behavior, the Second has proven again and again it can and will fight, and whatever the poor appearance of their kit, it will still work as intended once the shooting starts.  A sign of the AFRF's trust in the unit's readiness can be found in their current posting on Muphrid, placing them in a reserve position to support either the Imperial or Azami borders from any incursion.

The unit uses the numeral "2" on the brigade insignia.  Many vehicles and 'Mechs will customize the logo, typically by painting the rider in garish uniforms or costumes; brave souls will replace the rider altogether with different, even cruder figures, much to the fury of the Brigade's commanders.


Officers
Colonel Wallace hails from Pingree in the Silver Eagle Free State.  He is a competent, if not highly-marked, officer and commander, and tends towards the practical, making him a better fit for the notorious Misfits.  Many in the unit believe his republican, anti-monarchist, and particularly anti-Lyran viewpoints prompted his assignment to the Dragoons and the Second as a punishment by Lyrantreu in the Personnel Department


Tactics
The Misfits have no particular affinity for a given tactic. Their entire character is arguably one; an enemy looking at their sloppy camo jobs and badly-applied markers will undoubtedly believe they're facing a unit with half-ready machines and discover, the hard way, that the Second Dragoons' Techs are on average as studious in actual combat readiness as any other Dragoon regiment.


2nd Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Tamir Wallace
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Uwe von Schulenberg
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Hannah Schmitz
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Karl Fischer
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Tommaso Costanzo
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Paul Rockwell



3rd Dragoons: Gloryhounds

The Third were brought into service as relations with the New Commonwealth deteriorated in late 3038.  They were posted as a defensive garrison to Gallery in 3039 to protect the supply lines linking Arcadia to the Donegalian Loyalists.  Full of young and upcoming officers and personnel, they spent the war aching for the call to action, and would ultimately be summoned to the front to shore up the faltering effort in 3041, joining the retaking of Tetersen alongside Loyalist forces. The Third would distinguish itself by the ferocity with which they fought, often exceeding their immediate tactical orders to pursue greater battlefield success to mixed but ultimately positive results.  Their furious OpForce commander would write to the AFRF that the Third were "a bunch of attention-seeking gloryhounds", news of which spread to the unit and prompted their adoption of the moniker.

The Third's record of service in the following century of conflicts is a steady one.  It has not always pushed with the tenacity of its initial members, but unit traditions nevertheless took root that demanded aggressiveness on the field and readiness to volunteer for any duty that involved shooting.  This finally brought the unit to near-destruction during COMINTERSTEL's RIKOTILO offensive of 3112; assigned to Ballynure, they volunteered to be the rearguard when the order came down to evacuate, ultimately costing the unit two-thirds of their material strength before the survivors got away under supporting aerospace cover.  The Third would defend Labouchere from rogue Principate forces in 3115 before spending the rest of the war in rear area garrisons.  They would be merged with survivors of the Twelfth, Fifteenth, and Nineteenth Dragoons to be restored to full strength after the Peace of Dieron.

In recent decades the Third was primarily kept in the Dar-es-Salaam March on strategic reserve duties, but recently this changed, and in 3141 the unit was assigned to the frontline garrison of Marik to face the Empire.  This assignment has also seen an uptick in new equipment, including Royal-grade gear not often found among the Dragoons.

The Third has the numeral "3" on the brigade insignia.  It is a common practice, tolerated if not loved by the Brigade command, to give the rider a companion hound as part of the design.


Officers
Colonel Balázs accepted assignment to the Dragoons recently, his first at the regimental level after serving as executive officer of an armored regiment attached to the First Marik Regulars.  An ambitious officer of the post-Dieron generation, Balázs lives up to his unit's moniker in his expressed hopes for some form of defining combat assignment in the near future.  Privately his sentiments towards High King Nathaniel's peace initiative are said to be the sort of thing that has gotten higher-ranked officers relieved of their commands if expressed publicly, but so far Balázs has kept such views to himself.

Tactics
In wargaming the Third is often on the attack, whether aggressor or defender.  This can and has been used against them, but it has often caught unsuspecting opponents by surprise.


3rd Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Károly Balázs
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Gennady Tarasov
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Fred Gregson
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Darren Waltrip
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Kilikina Noa
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Donna Yang
Given their border posting, the Third has recently seen an uptick in new kit, though not nearly to the same level as other units on the Imperial border.



4th Dragoons: Dirty Work

From the time of their founding the Fourth Dragoons had little illusions as to their purpose.  They were not there to win glorious battles but to fill holes as needed in the AFRF's defense plans.  "We're the ones doing the dirty work" was used early and often by the members of the Fourth as they were bounced from assignment to assignment among the Federation's worlds, supplementing militia defenders as they went.

Given their name, the Fourth has ironically become the only Dragoon regiment to enjoy a major royal honor, and a position in the popular consciousness of the peoples of the Royal Federation.  After sustaining losses reclaiming Nusakan in 3056, the Fourth was reassigned to the planet Chaffee to recuperate and protect the world's defense industries.  Shortly after arrival they were confronted by one of the Terrans' dreaded Armored Cavalry Regiments, the Nineteenth, who had just perpetrated the Whittington Massacre.  General Furlough, as was his custom, broadcast his intentions to implement Director-General Kerensky's "Reprisal Doctrine" before landing, and sent his forces after both Defiance's factories on-world and the surrounding communities housing the workers.  Unable to defend everything, the Fourth focused on protecting the civilians, and at great cost successfully held back the Nineteenth from the civilian centers.

While the loss of the factories frustrated Defiance, the successful protection of the civilian population made the Fourth Dragoons heroes to the peoples of the Royal Federation and Defiance-Hesperus Consolidant.  The unit was officially awarded, as a whole, the Order of the Sword and Hawk by a royal decree, and many individual members won a variety of commendations from the AFRF and DISC as well as transfer to more prestigious units.  The remainder of the Fourth returned to the "dirty work" of a third-line regimental force.  Nothing since Chaffee has compared in the unit's battle history, though it would participate with some distinction on the Azami front of the Fourth Succession War.  Currently the Fourth Dragoons are posted to the garrison of Alarion, serving as a reserve force for the Federation's most-quiet border while training up their young and inexperienced personnel.

The unit's insignia uses the numeral 4.  The Order of the Sword and Hawk is typically integrated into the Fourth's insignia as a background to the regular Dragoon Brigade emblem.  Some artists add the Hesperan Star to the backdrop of the Brigade logo to reference the history as well.


Officers
Colonel Vernadskia is a Fourth Succession War veteran of the Dragoons who rose through the ranks as a mustang.  One of the oldest colonels still in field service, her assignment as CO of the Fourth is considered to be a terminal posting before her planned 3144 retirement date.  She intends to have the Fourth ready for field operations before her retirement comes and has pressed the unit in repeated training exercises and wargames with the other units in the Alarion garrison.

Tactics
The relative inexperience of many in the Fourth, either as a whole or in their current command positions, leaves the unit with little in the way of a specialized or favored tactic.  Vernadskia has pushed them on repeated training to better prepare defenses, emphasizing the Dragoons' role as supporting flank guards for larger AFRF or allied formations.


4th Dragoons Regiment (Green/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Marta Vernadskia
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Eliisabet Kask
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Estaban Aguado
 Infantry Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Jorge Rodriguez
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Cheng Go Lu
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Natalya Shub



5th Dragoons: The Furious Fifth

The Fifth Dragoons mobilized as the War of Donegalian Succession hit its peak in 3040. Assigned to defense of the Arcadian border, they were among the units caught in the Oriento-Capellan Empire's Operation NEMESIS, with the Fifth Young Liao Guards landing on Uhuru to seize the world.  The Fifth Dragoon's orders were to withdraw if facing superior force, but the on-site commanders chose a risky direct assault on the IOCF troops with the support of the Uhuru militia.  The IOCF unit, being a rebuilt formation with something to prove after humiliation fighting the Capellan Hegemony, reacted by trying to hold long after it was clear the Fifth Dragoons had gained a superior tactical position, which led to over half the regiment being destroyed or forced to surrender.  This victory was the sole early victory of its kind in 3041, preventing the fall of Uhuru as the IOCF swept towards McAffe and Arcadia.  Called upon to emulate this success in the defense of McAffe, the unit would have far less luck against the Second Fusiliers of Oriente, suffering extensive losses and only being preserved by the arrival of IX Legio and the rest of the PAF relief force in late 3041.  The unit would sit out the next year's fighting before joining the expulsion of Tikonov and Azami forces from Mizar towards the end of the conflict.  Their battlefield aggression led to an embedded journalist dubbing them "the Furious Fifth" in a dispatch to the Donegal Broadcasting Service, ensuring the unit's reputation and name.

The Fifth emerged from the Fourth Succession War as one of the most intact Dragoon regiments, but it would suffer severe losses in the attempted capture of Sirius during MORNING STAR in 3123.  Being ordered to abandon the attack resulted in the mass resignation of the unit's command officers in disgust at what they saw as Parliament's "cowardice and abandonment of our slain comrades".  The remaining personnel would harbor the grudge as well, transferring it to new recruits over the following decades as the Fifth was rebuilt.  Personnel in the Fifth have repeatedly been reprimanded for being outspoken in politics, particularly their view that Parliament should be punished for resisting rearmament and for compelling the Crown to abandon Sirius and Procyon in 3123, and every attempt to shape the unit up has failed.  In 3136 the Fifth were dispatched to join the light garrisons of the Alarion March, an assignment that has only increased the dissatisfaction in the ranks.  There are rumors they were due to transfer to the New Dallas March but so far they remain on York, observing the quiet frontier of the Federation's Ghastillian allies and maintaining a basic level of combat readiness through drills.

The unit insignia is the Brigade emblem with a white numeral "5".  Some personnel have taken to drawing the outline of a burning flame around it to symbolize the unit's noted anger and fury in combat, but this is not an official insignia with approval from the Brigade or the AFRF.



Officers
Colonel Harper is by all accounts not a happy man.  At Ayrshire he was near the top of his class in the post-war classes, having just missed the Fourth Succession War, and was assigned to the Second Royal Guards.  But that unit didn't see action on Procyon and Sirius as hoped, and as the years passed Harper was passed on for promotion until the prospect of a company command forced him to accept reassignment to a Federal unit.  His most recent promotion to command required he give up a battalion command in the Hyde Lancers to take command of the Fifth, which he accepted on the anticipation that the Fifth was due to transfer back to a "frontline" assignment.  Instead it remains in the quiet Alarion March and Harper's own fury and resentment grows by the day; evaluations show a distressing tendency to assume persecution.  This has not gone well with the Fifth's poor morale rating and it is entirely possible Harper will find the Fifth to be the end of his career. 


Tactics
The Fifth's reputation is to rely on aggression to undermine enemy reaction and decision-making.  Whether or not the unit can employ such a tactic in its current state is another question.


5th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Questionable/E)
CO: Colonel Paul Harper
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel John McGruder
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Donald Cruthers
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Irene Wallace
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Britt Nordberg
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Janice Walker



6th Dragoons: Hexagon

The Sixth Dragoons were initially stood up in 3047 and would serve as a secondary unit in a number of Terran War campaigns before suffering shattering losses during the Concord-Compact War in the fighting on Tikonov.  But the modern Sixth is more the inheritor of the Sixth Donegal Grenadiers, who won battle honors for defending Cameron from the Terran raids after the start of REVIVAL and playing the primary role in the surprise destruction of the 137th Royal BattleMech Division on Buckminster in 3055.  The unit's insignia and nickname are drawn from the Sixth Grenadiers, who were merged with the survivors of the Sixth Dragoons in 3078.

During the Dominate War the Sixth were called in to protect Stewart from repeated IOCF attacks on local industry. This culminated in an outright invasion to recapture the world for the Empire in 3099, with the Fifth Free Worlds Guards and Warrior House Inti landing to face the Sixth and other local defenders.  Outnumbered and outgunned, the Sixth turned to a strategy of maintaining control of defensive strongpoints around Glencoe.  While not all of these positions were held successfully, they delayed the IOCF's approach long enough that reinforcements arrived from the Consolidant, preventing the planet's fall and ensuring the eventual defeat of the invasion.

Following the savage fighting on Yamarovka at the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Sixth would be rebuilt to full strength and assigned to various systems in the border marches facing the Empire.  As of 3142 they were posted to Irian.  Rumors are they were due to receive some upgrading of kit, but so far their outfitting is running average for the Brigade.

The unit insignia employs a white "6" on the Dragoon Brigade insignia.  While not official, many machines see a hexagon drawn around the insignia where it is used on the machines.


Officers
Colonel Joshi is considered an up-and-coming officer, and is one of the youngest graduates of DIMA to reach their current rank.  Personnel reviews reflect Joshi does not evince the typical ambition and competitiveness that DIMA is known to instill, doing much to explain their rise in the ranks compared to the average for DIMA graduates.  The years spent as a cadet on Hesperus makes Joshi very nearly an expert in hazardous terrain operations and this is being passed on to the rest of the Sixth.

Tactics
The Sixth favors establishing advantageous defensive positions around natural terrain features where available, then forcing a foe to dig them out.  Colonel Joshi is adding counter-attack training to supplement this tactic and give the Sixth offensive bite.

6th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Sushil Joshi
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ladi Shehu
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ignatius Gomez
 Infantry Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Ophelia Reynolds
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Samuel Richards
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. John Gossett

[Steve]

7th Dragoons: The Magnificent Seventh

The Seventh's nickname is an earned one.  They have fought campaigns from the defense of Arcadia in 3050 to the capture of Marik in 3118, and while rarely a major factor in specific engagements, the Seventh's tendency to play their supporting role has given them a prestige few of the Dragoon regiments enjoy, with one of the highest retention rates in the Brigade.  Typically, if an enlisted soldier or officer chooses to remain a Dragoon for an extended period, they will end up serving in the Seventh, and they enjoy the highest average performance reviews and skill ratings in the Brigade.  Their assignment to Labouchere places them within a jump of Tamarind and the Principate border while making them a first wave reserve force to defend the Principality of Atreus.

The unit's insignia is the Dragoon Brigade emblem with a white "7" as numeral.



Officers
Colonel Afolabi is one of the longest serving officers in the Brigade.  Command of the Seventh reflects his recognized seniority among the Dragoons.  A veteran of the desperate fighting in 3119, Afolabi is a believer in preparation and trains his soldiers as often as the regs allow.  A promotion to brigadier and a likely post as XO or chief of staff of the Dragoon Brigade is considered inevitable.

Tactics
The Seventh have no preferred tactics beyond those common to the Brigade.  Training has made them quite effective however they may choose to fight.


7th Dragoons Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Olufunmilayo Afolabi
 BattleMech Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Hakeem Kayode
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Yolanda Torres
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Richard Lakeland
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel John Ewald
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Deirdre McBride
Given their skill level and place in defensive assignments, the Seventh has been provided with some examples of Terran-grade weaponry and machines, including an entire company of Razor tanks for their armored battalion.  This makes them one of the few Dragoon formations to require the means to repair and maintain XL Fusion engines.



8th Dragoons: The Cutthroats

The Eighth Dragoons were formed in the desperate early days of the Terran War from the survivors of the Arcadian Federal Militia brigade and a defecting unit of mercenaries initially forced into Terran service, Carranzo's Cutthroats.  The fusion of angry bitter militia and formerly-indentured mercenaries provided for a unit that became notoriously brutal on the battlefield towards Terran foes, with one of the lowest prisoner-taking rates of the AFRF.

As the war became less desperate this led to the Eighth's reassignment from the front to the Ghastillian-held Periphery to help that state fight the growing pirate problem caused by the Terran conflict.  To no one's surprise, conflict with pirates did nothing to soften the Eighth, and the AFRF gave up on trying to rehabilitate the unit, turning it into a sink for soldiers deemed "prone to violence" but who had not yet crossed lines under military law.  The Eighth would find itself repeatedly loaned to the Ghastillians for anti-piracy duty but was still rotated into other conflicts, particularly the Dominate War and the Fourth Succession War.  Some officers wished to remove the Eighth from the front or even dissolve the unit, fearing it would one day "blow up in our faces" through some atrocity or massacre, but the Eighth would fight with discipline and courage while at the front; while their rate of prisoners taken remained among the lowest in the AFRF, they never violated the laws of war, and surrenders were always honored.  One commander briefly rotated into the unit would be heard to observe, in dark humor, "the way the Cutthroats see it, if you manage to surrender to them before they kill you, you've earned their mercy".

Emerging intact, though bloodied, from the war, the Eighth was restored to strength over the years.  During the heightened raiding campaigns on Bolanese worlds the Eighth was sent in, catching a raiding force on Abramkovo and wiping it out to the last pilot.  Convinced the unit was one of the KING of Pilpala's personal troops the unit called for authorization to counter-raid, but was denied by the AFRF, frustrating many who felt that the KING was not being punished for his aggression.  They were pulled back to Alula Australis in 3139 after the raiding died down, where they remain in a position to either respond to fresh attacks along the Principate border or to rush towards the Imperial frontier.

The unit uses the Dragoon Brigade insignia with a white "8".  Occasionally the seal is bordered in crimson when placed upon machines.


Officers
Colonel Fisher is not a happy man.  A Nagelring graduate and heir to the Landgraf von Heidelberg on Eidsfoss, Lord Wendell has spent much of his career in the Royal units, including lance and company commands in the Third Royal Guards.  But his conduct has gained him the ire of many in the AFRF, with poor command performance reviews from superiors for mistreatment of commoner subordinates, exceeding regulations on the rights of the nobility in service, and irregularities in his unit's petty funds and support accounts.  MCIS investigations have not yet found direct evidence of criminal activity, but the cloud over Fisher undoubtedly contributed to his shunting to the command of the Eighth Dragoons in 3141.  This has not done the Eighth any favors, as the unit is a difficult command for many and Fisher's attitudes have only exacerbated problems.  Worse is the unit's assignment, as Alula Australis is a planet with communal government and no recognition nor social acceptance of nobility.  With no fellow nobles to socialize with on-world and a unit of "the most violent and savage bastards the service will tolerate" (in Fisher's own words from a memo recently taken by MCIS investigators), Fisher is becoming increasingly unreliable and Lt. Colonel Graham has had to take over more of the Eighth's daily operations.

Tactics
The nature of the Eighth's makes them a ruthless foe on the battlefield.  Whether on the attack or defense, they are prodigious with their weapons fire.

8th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Questionable/E)
CO: Colonel Lord Wendell Fisher
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel John Roland
 Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Frederick Wahlgren
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Francis Johnson
 Support Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Teresa Graham
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Adewale Goldsmith



9th Dragoons: The Lion Tamers

Founded in the Terran War from survivors of the Concord and McAffe militias, the Ninth would distinguish themselves during the relief of New Olympia, relieving the position of Tabot's Brigade outside Darienbad by smashing through the lines of the Terran 224th Royal BattleMech Regiment, one of the noted (and notorious) "Lions Brigade".  A sympathetic press release dubbed the Ninth "the Lion Tamers" due to their victory over a foe with such an edge in firepower, creating a nickname that has stuck.

While their first great action was done as allies of the IOCF, the Ninth's career has been primarily in conflict with the Oriento-Capellan forces they once aided.  They were involved in the failed invasion of New Olympia in 3064 and it may have even been a MechWarrior of the Ninth who fired the fatal shot that killed Prince-Imperial Alexander Halas-Liao in the fighting near Darienbad (analysis of battleROMs is inconclusive).  The Order of the Rose would avenge the fallen heir months later on Atreus, virtually destroying the Ninth Dragoons outside Corin.  The unit would be reconstituted and go on to serve through the Fourth Succession War, ending the conflict fighting on Sirius as flank support for the Proctor Heavy Guards.  They would return during Operation MORNING STAR in 3123, where one third of the unit was lost to aerospace interception in orbit.

Once more rebuilt, the Ninth remains one of the steady workhorse formations of the AFRF.  After spending years on the Imperial border, they were relocated to the Donegal Theater in 3140 as part of a reorganization, and have spent the time since posted on the march capital of Arc-Royal.  Access to the Kells' 'Mech production and joint training wiith the famed Kell Hounds has kept the Ninth's combat readiness to a keen edge.

The unit's standard insignia is the Dragoon Brigade insignia with a white "9".  A common, if unofficial, alteration is to replace the horse with a lion.



Officers
Colonel French is one of the AFRF's less-ambitious officers, maintaining a steady but not swift rise through the ranks that typically sees her kept at rank to the very edge of AFRF practice.  Her repeated promotions despite not standing out or pushing her candidacy for higher commands is undoubtedly due to her steady, if not exceptional, performance evaluations, and her assignment to command a Dragoon regiment was undoubtedly to keep her active in service at her proper rank more than any merit or lack thereof.  One of the harsher reviews of French during her Colonelcy Board consideration came from her former regimental CO in the Fourteenth Donegal Guards: "This officer, while not terrible, can be said to have simply not reached her level of incompetence."  French does seem aware of her reputation and is open about accepting criticism and advice from peers, subordinates, and superiors alike, an attitude that has won her some attention and support from Archduke Ethan Kell.


Tactics
The Ninth have shown a recent propensity to emulate the rapid engagement tactics of the Kell Hounds. They train frequently alongside the Second Regiment of the Kell Hounds as part of the AFRF's standing agreement with the Kells.


9th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Pauline French
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Quentin Daley
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Pərviz Qurbanov
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Richard Jones
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Harold Tillman
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Patrick Hill
While most of their gear is standard for the Dragoons, a number of newer designs have been percolating into the Ninth's ranks, including an entire lance of Warhound OmniMechs.



10th Dragoons: Legions' Bane

The Tenth Dragoons were founded during the Terran War and enjoyed a respectable combat record through the following forty years of existence.  It was during the Dominate War that they would finally stand out amongst the Brigade.  Rushed to assist in the defense of Zvolen and the valuable aerospace factories located on-world, the Tenth was not expected to do more than delay Scipio's invasion forces.  But for the duration of the fighting, from 3098 all the way to their relief in January 3100, the Tenth Dragoons managed to prevent the fall of Zvolen and bedevil Scipio's forces all the while, meeting and besting in various engagements elements of no less than four specific legions, including Scipio's prized XII Legio when he sent their III Cohors to "liquidate the insurgency of Zvolen".  Employing hit-and-run tactics, closed terrain defensive positions, and shifting HQ posts, the Tenth would become the epitome of the AFRF's defiant resilience against the onslaught and gained the name they have known since: "the Legions' Bane".

Nearly shattered twice in the hard fighting of the Fourth Succession War, the Tenth's recent fame and ability to remain a coherent formation saved them from amalgamation to a more intact unit following the Peace of Dieron.  They were deployed to Shionoha in defensive support of SOVEREIGN SON in 3134 and would repulse a terror attack by the Sixth Tok Do Regulars in 3136.  In 3139 they were assigned as support to the relief of Freedom and fought several pursuit battles against the retreating Second Sword of Light.  The following year they rotated back to the Arcadia Theater, where they were assigned to the resettled world of Duantia to protect the colonies slowly rebuilding the planet's biosphere from First Succession War-era damage.

The unit insignia is the numeral "10" on the Dragoon Brigade emblem.  Since Zvolen, the unit typically adds Roman-style victory laurels when they depict the emblem on their machines.


Officers
Colonel Wallace is an older Succession War veteran who has served in administration for most of his career.  He won command of the Tenth in 3140 by dint of seniority and finishing command courses at Ayrshire.  There is some concern about his suitability as a command commander and the assignment is seen as a chance to gauge his capability.

Lieutenant Colonel O'Brien, commander of the MechWarriors of the regiment, is the younger daughter of Count O'Brien of Eire, making her a fairly-high ranking member of the McAffe and thus old Free March nobility.  An Ayrshire graduate, she was sent to the Tenth after service with the Proctor Heavy Guards to prepare her for a higher command position due to her high performance evaluations.  Her father is said to have protested the assignment as an insult, but all indications are that Colonel O'Brien is taking to the Tenth's culture and style, even considering asking for consideration to be made XO when Colonel McMasters' scheduled promotion comes through in 3143.


Tactics
The Tenth have perfected the hit-and-run tactics that bedeviled the legions of Scipio, preferring lighter machines to maintain a speed advantage while their remaining heavy elements are typically employed for ambushes and fighting retreats.


10th Dragoons Regiment (Regular/Reliable/E)
CO: Colonel Donald Wallace
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Lady Meghan O'Brien
 Armored Battalion/XO: Lt. Colonel Paul McMasters
 Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Jubal Arnolds
 Support Battalion: Lt. Colonel Ronald Eckstein
 Aerospace Squadron: Squadron Cpt. Natalie Winthrop

[Steve]

Start of a Tradition: The Free March Corps

The foundation of the Free March brought with it the merging of the independent armed forces of Arcadia, Gienah, Hyde, and Launum.  While many units were kept in their regular status, the newly-formed Armed Forces of the Free March recognized the need to focus their best formations into one command.  While the nature of this force has changed over the centuries, to this day the Free March Corps has existed in some form or another, a collection of the best units associated with the founding worlds. They are a disparate force, united by a common cultural identity as the founding core of what is today the AFRF, and even citizens from other worlds appreciate the chance to serve with these storied units.

Once a larger force of ten RCTs or divisions, today the Corps contains a combat division and four RCTs.  They are often deployed about the Royal Federation to help with local defenses, rotating home in shifts to protect the heart of the realm.  They field an appreciable amount of weaponry and modernized equipment and are always ready to live up to the legacies of their ancestors who first took up the defense of the Arcadian-led realm.


Commanding Officer

Lieutenant General Sir Scott Robertson is a son of McAffe.  An armored infantry soldier who once served proudly in his homeworld's Wallace Highlanders before the unit's dissolution from battle losses in 3122, Robertson continued to serve the Free March Corps exclusively with stints in the Hyde Lancers, Gienah Heavy Fusiliers, and a 3130-3134 run as CO of the Arcadian Guards, the first non-Arcadian to command that division in forty years.  After a term as vice-commandant of the Royal Infantry Officer College on his homeworld, Robertson was promoted and knighted in 3139 for all his wartime and peacetime service.  A year later, High Queen Jacqueline invested him as commander of the Free March Corps.  The general's public loyalty openly transferred to her grandson upon Nathaniel's ascension, with Robertson openly criticizing fellow officers for grousing about their young monarch's avowed peace policies.

While he is often described as a stern professional soldier, General Robertson is noted as being an avid scholar and a warm man among his closest peers.  His book on the evolution of firearm-equipped infantry, From Musketeers to Armoured Infantry: A History of the Line Infanteer 1690-3120, is now part of official curriculum at the RIOC and numerous other AFRF academies, and has been noted among other military services.

Forces

Each unit of the Free March Corps operates according to its own traditions and styles, there is no commonly-held set of tactics or strategies they all prefer.  While the Arcadian Guards enjoy the largesse of their reputation and traditional assignment to Arcadia itself, the other regiments often employ a combination of majority Star League-grade machines, though with most OmniPod weaponry being Terran-derived.


Colors and Insignia

After High King Ethan's 3078 reformation of the AFRF, the Free March Corps was officially organized as an independent corps of units.  The chosen insignia is a circle of twenty stars, representing the twenty systems of the Free March by the end of the Renaissance, surrounding a golden hawk in profile with a burning torch insignia on its breast, set on a shield of blue and red.



Arcadian Guards: Pride of the Free

The Arcadian Guards began as one of the inaugural units of the Arcadian Defense Force in 2930, formed from veterans of Sara Proctor's Liberation Army to be the heavy force defending their world from piracy and invasion.  They have gone on to become a traditional spearpoint unit of the Arcadian military in all its forms.  In the Rayhannid War they served as the fist of March-Prince William, and forty years later, they were one of the first units to land on Bolan to confront the Marian legions in the Rettungsaktion.  For much of the early Second Age of War they were directly connected to the highest ranks of House Proctor, with Thomas Proctor serving with the unit as a junior field officer and later using it as his personal battlefield force while on campaign in the War of Donegalian Succession, the Terran War, and the Concord-Compact War. They would stand among the best in the Inner Sphere in 3060 in the campaign for Geneva and the fall of the Terran Union.  Thomas laid plans to expand the formation into a corps, to become the sister organization of his wife Johanna's beloved Donegal Guards, and to make the two formations the twin core of the AFRF's offensive power.

After Thomas' death on Tikonov in 3072, this changed.  Ethan chose to focus on the Royal Guards and Household Guards instead with the 3078 Reform, though he did not forget his father's beloved division.  The Arcadian Guards were made the lead formation of the new Free March Corps and kept as an elite force, one that would be pivotal to the capture or defense of worlds through the fighting of the 3080s and 90s.  They drove the Second Allison Heavy Guards from Corin in the clearing of Atreus in 3098 and would hold Jonesburgh from the might of Scipio O'Reilly's IV Legio in the 3099 Arcadia campaign, after which they liberated Tamarind before peace was signed with Flavius O'Reilly.  Fresh plans were laid to expand them to a corps again, but the onset of the Fourth Succession War ended that.

The Arcadian Guards would acquit themselves honorably in multiple campaigns that included both reliefs of Atreus in 3115 and 3119.  The unit would end the war as battered as most of the AFRF's other forces.  Losses were severe enough they were not able to take part in MORNING STAR and were spared the embarrassment of that failed strike.

Since the Peace of Dieron the Arcadian Guards have been restored to their full strength. The finest officers and soldiers of the AFRF accept assignments to this unit, especially those who are Arcadian-born.  Deployed to Freedom in 3140 to protect the battle-ravaged world from a fresh Combine atrocity, the Guards returned to their homeworld just in time to mourn the death of High Queen Jacqueline.  They now serve as part of the defenses of Arcadia.

The unit's insignia is a hawk with swept-wings bearing a sword in its talons, a sheared pair of manacles in its wake.  Their machines' parade colors are blue and red with white trim.


Officers
Major General Onassis has had a long and distinguished career, serving as a MechWarrior out of the academy and fighting in the Fourth Succession War as a member of the Arcadian Guards.  Her most recent return to the unit was as its CO in what many know to be a terminal posting, as she has open plans to retire in 3144.  Until then she keeps the Guards in trim shape, making sure only the finest are accepted into the ranks and then training them to keep them that way.

The division XO is likely to be the first member of House Proctor to serve as CO of the Arcadian Guards in nearly a quarter century.  Victor Proctor-Steiner-Davion is the eldest son of Lord Matthew Proctor-Steiner-Davion, the commander of the Household Guards. A post-war graduate who was mustered into emergency service just before the Dieron ceasefire, Victor's career path reflects his upbringing and the combination of family legacies he carries.  A man of height and broadness who very nearly went into the infantry instead of the 'Mech branch, Victor is also widely noted to be one of the few issue of Prince Nathaniel's descendants with Maria Davion to not possess the Davion red or Proctor brown as their hair color, but rather a particularly notable Steiner blond-yellow.  "You would think he was just another Steiner" was one comment said to have been made at a social event.  Whatever his appearance, Victor is known as a capable officer and leader, and is likely to gain command of the Arcadian Guards in due time.


Tactics
The Guards are a line combat unit and train for a number of different tactical scenarios.  Direct fire support and concentration of fire on tactically-sensitive formations of the enemy are common in the Guards' long battle history.


Arcadian Guards BattleMech Regiment (Elite/Fanatical/A)
CO: Major General Lady Eleftheria Onassis
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Victor Proctor-Steiner-Davion
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel John Maguire
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Maryam Jamal
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Seth Mayfield
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Haim Sobel
Having always enjoyed the Procurement Department's favor, the Arcadian Guards are noted for employing the machines produced widely in the Selassie factories on Arcadia and nearby worlds.  The Paladin is a particularly favored machine among the heavy and response lances in the regiment.

Arcadian Guards Armored Brigade (Elite/Fanatical/A)
CO: Brigadier Lewis Trevorrow
 5th Arcadian Armored (Assault) Regiment (AAR): Col. Paul Whitehorse
 2nd Arcadian Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Samantha O'Malley
 21st Munster Light Horse Regiment (HR): Col. Shane Logan
 3rd Plymouth Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Col. Carol Nyongesa
 Air Guards of Finfinne (AvR): Col. Genzebe Kidanu
As a Federal formation the Arcadian Guards do not employ royal regiments regularly, but the formation's prestige and importance ensure its armored support field the same high quality of gear.  They are as keenly-trained as the rest of the formation and just as devoted to their duties.
 


Arcadian Guards Air Regiment (Veteran/Fanatical/A)
CO: Air Commodore Martha Kelly
 44th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel John Rogers
 19th Tactical Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Ishmael Totten


Arcadian Guards Infantry Brigade (Veteran/Fanatical/A)
CO: Brigadier John Proctor
 Arcadian Guards Armored Infantry Regiment (HI(A)R): Col. George Corwin
 East Islay Armored Infantry (HI(A)R): Col. Tina Fraser
 Worcester Minutemen (MI(A)R): Col. John Lockwood
 3rd Arcadian Infantry Regiment (MI(A)R): Col. Richard Wallace
 2nd Arcadian Jump Regiment (JI(A)R): Col. Birhanu Negussie
 19th Iaukean Rangers (JI(A)R): Col. Paul Keahi
 10th Oromo Guards (MI(A)R): Yacob Abera


Gienah Heavy Fusiliers: Sentinels of Hope

The Heavy Fusiliers were formed in 2876 from assorted companies of ex-LCAF officers and local recruitment to protect Gienah during the chaos of the Collapse.  They began life as a regiment of infantry and armor with companies of 'Mechs, and would be expanded to a battalion of 'Mechs by the foundation of the Free March and their inclusion in the First Free March Cavalry Brigade.  The unit remained with the brigade until after the War of Donegalian Succession when, in 3048, they were detached to form an independent brigade.  Their combat history begins with the Terran assault on Gienah in 3050, and they would go on to win battle honors for the relief of Concord, the liberation of Atreus, and the capture of Sirius.

Through the rest of the century and into the Fourth Succession War, the Heavy Fusiliers remained one of the premiere units of the Free March Corps.  Their reputation explains why they were selected to provide the heavy support to Operation SOVEREIGN SON.  They suffered a number of casualties at the hands of the Fifth Sword of Light but successfully tied the elite Kuritan force down, along with other Kuritan defenders on Vega, until the mission to rescue Musashi Honda and his supporters was fulfilled.

The Heavy Fusiliers are currently posted to their homeworld of Gienah as part of the strategic reserve of AFRF formations in the Arcadia March.

The unit formation's insignia is the likeness of a heavy infantryman with a longarm rifle set on a shield in the blue, white, and black coloring of the planetary flag.  Those same colors are their preferred parade ground colors.

Officers
General Smalls started his career as a VTOL crewman before qualifying as a MechWarrior during the Fourth Succession War.  His experiences give him a unique perspective about the needs and operational possibilities of his aviation assets.  He spends his off-time going boating and playing as an amateur saxophonist, primarily jazz and blues, as befits a son of the city of Armstrong.

Brigadier al-Rubaya only barely missed action in the Fourth Succession War, and is part of that set of immediate post-war officers hungry to prove themselves after missing the battlefield of that terrible conflict.


Tactics
The Heavy Fusiliers are a line formation, preferring to hold superior ground or lever a foe out of such terrain through a one-two punch of maneuver and firepower, making them particularly reliant on combined arms approaches to problems.


Gienah Heavy Fusiliers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Jake Smalls
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Sareen al-Rubaya
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Tamir Young
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Simeon Sagi
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Zvika Goldstein
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Rivka Meir
The unit's equipment rating is likely to be updated in the near future due to increased priority from the Procurement Department in recent months.  As things stand the unit uses mostly Terran-grade weaponry in its OmniPods and is more capable than most units of C-rating in equipment.

Gienah Heavy Fusiliers Armored Brigade (Veteran/Fanatical/B)
CO: Brigadier Garland Shaw
 2nd Gienah Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Tayvon Lewis
 5th Gienah Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Tenesha Reynolds
 4th Tikvah Cavalry Regiment (HR): Col. Simon Reubens
 1st Gienah Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Col. Ishmael Fanous
 5th Gienah Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Col. Andrew White
The Heavy Fusiliers' vehicle contingent trends toward lighter designs, with just the Second Gienah Armored having assault-weight OmniVehicles in their ranks.  The brigade as a whole currently complements the BattleMech regiment as a maneuver and exploitation formation.  Brigadier Shaw's training has ensured the brigade remains a cut above others in skill and capability.


Gienah Heavy Fusiliers Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Lord Yonatan Shaltiel
 Heavy Fusiliers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Lord Khaleel Hufsa
 Heavy Fusiliers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Tamisha Locke
The Air Regiment has the benefit of close connections to Gienah-RAFAEL and GAI, who often provide discounts to their homeworlds' premiere force to outfit them with modern aerospace and aircraft designs.  This can be somewhat reflected by the tendency of the regiment's upper echelons to be from the planetary nobility serving in the AFRF.

Gienah Heavy Fusiliers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Rashid Wallace
 5th Armstrong Rifles (MIR): Col. Elana Dula
 2nd Gienah Infantry (MI(A)R): Col. Yasmin Abbas
 9th Gienah Air Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Ibraham Ghali
 4th Gienah Grenadiers (HIR): Col. Yitzakh Peres
 10th Garvey Rifles (HIR): Col. Sam Harland



Hyde Lancers: Always Steadfast


The Anglophone and Teutonophone regions on Hyde were quick to respond to the collapse of Lyran authority by pooling their resources for common defense.  The Hyde Lancers were their spearpoint formation, a rapid response regiment meant to deploy quickly to protect the planet from invasion.  After Hyde co-founded the Free March the Hyde Lancers joined the new AFFM as a regiment of the Free March Cavalry Brigade.  They fought as a component in that formation through the Renaissance era before being shattered in the Rettungsaktion.  As a gesture to the people of Hyde and in honor of the unit's record and accomplishments, the Lancers were restored as their own independent brigade in the AFFM, and their combat record has recorded its share of hard-fought victories and defeats.

Nearly shattered in the fighting on Kessel at the end of the Fourth Succession War, the Hyde Lancers were listed to be deactivated.  Duchess Katzenberg prevented this by running a subscription with her population, funding the Lancers' partial restoration and ensuring the unit remained independent.  Their current tour has them assigned to Irian as part of the border defenses with the Oriento-Capellan Empire.  They are scheduled to rotate home in 3144.

The regiment's insignia is a pair of crossed lances over the likeness of Hyde's main continent. Their parade colors are ocean blue and green.


Officers
General Litchfield is the younger grandchild of an Anglo squire, a family connection that served to secure her military education and MechWarrior status, despite her family's relative poverty. The product of Hyde public schools and military preparatory academy, her career started in the early Fourth Succession War and has seen her survive two wrecked BattleMechs, one crashed DropShip, and as of last count, the shattering or outright destruction of three out of four limbs.  "She's more machine than flesh" one junior officer recently observed, though only out of earshot.  While her connections undoubtedly helped her career, her competence is established and, at least by some reports, better demonstrated in a command HQ than a 'Mech cockpit.

Air Commodore von Katzenberg is heir to the planet as the eldest surviving son of the Duke of Hyde.  Given the old Duke's age and declining faculties from age and old war injuries, there is some concern that he has shown no indication of preparing to retire from service and assume his family's duties.  There are rumors he harbors a greater ambition to rise to the command of the Aerospace Force service and sees the need to perform civil governance as an impediment.

Tactics
The Hyde Lancers are seen by some as the prototype formation for the Royal Lancers, and they fight much like the Lancer Corps does, favoring speed and aggression over firepower and position.

Hyde Lancers BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Tanya Litchfield
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Johann Roth
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Terrence Schmitt
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Rudolf Gallagher
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Herman Willis
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Daria Totten
The Hyde Lancers follow a TO&E similar to the Royal Lancer Corps, with only their heavy reaction companies allowed to have larger and heavier machines that make them the hammers to exploit the lighter companies' maneuvering.

Hyde Lancers Armored Brigade (Veteran/Fanatical/C)
CO: Brigadier Thomas Whiting
 Lord Declan's Light Horse (HR): Col. Lady Ursula Halbach
 8th Hyde Panzer Regiment (AR): Col. Lord Martin Hall
 2nd Marienburg Jaegers (LAR): Col. Quentin Rolf
 Hyde Lancers Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Col. Alfried von Roon
 Hyde Lancers Aviation Regiment (AvR): Col. Hans-Joachim Fischer

Hyde Lancers Air Regiment (Regular/Fanatical/C)
CO: Air Commodore Lord Trevor von Katzenberg
 Hyde Lancers Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Daniel Healthcliffe
 Hyde Lancers Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Freda Wessel


Hyde Lancers Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Rex Upshur
 3rd Dorcestershire Yeomanry (MIR): Col. Thomas Hargrove
 7th Hyde Guards Infantry (MIR): Col. Uwe Lippmann
 2nd Hyde Grenadiers (HIR): Col. Claudia Sorrel
 10th Katzenberg Rangers (AiCR): Col. Wilhelm Stauffen
 12th Hyde Infantry Rangers (JIR): Col. Wilma Black

[Steve]

1st Launum Armored Cavalry: ¡Viva Launumeños!

Arising from the bloody history of their homeworld during the dark days of the Succession Wars, the Launum Armored Cavalry were the pinnacle of the ducal forces struggling to maintain order and repel raiders in that time frame.  When the Free March was founded, the First Armored Cavalry were selected to be added to the Free March Cavalry Brigade, and became known as the First Launum Armored Cavalry in AFFM service.

They would remain in that brigade the longest of the initial contingent, serving as a regiment within the brigade until 3078 when a gift from Prince Mark Proctor, a former officer of the formation and the Pater Familias of House O'Reilly, prompted High King Ethan to select the formation for expansion into an independent RCT in his Army Reform plan.  Thus expanded, the First LAC became a part of the remodeled Free March Corps and served in Ethan's various campaigns, the Dominate War, and the Fourth Succession War, exchanging victories and defeats with foes as varied as the O'Reillys' Black Warriors of Circinius, the Azami Confederation's famed Confederation Cavalry, and the Oriento-Capellan Empire's Sirian Lancers.

They recently became a household name for the entire Federation, as the First LAC were serving as frontline support for the garrison of Freedom when the Second Sword of Light descended upon the planet in 3139.  Outmatched by the elite DCMS formation, they fought tenaciously to defend cities from the rampaging Kuritan forces in their sack of the planet.  The arrival of reinforcements preserved the unit from destruction, but only just; they suffered over fifty percent casualties in those terrible weeks of combat and, though they saved thousands, the survivors of the unit had to watch thousands die to the Dracs' bloody rampage.

Following the Sack of Freedom, the First LAC was relocated to their homeworld for rebuilding.  While materially restored to full strength, the unit's effectiveness has not yet recovered, and the support units in particular are showing signs of strain between those who endured the savagery of the Combine and the "fresh meat" that have yet to do so.

The unit's insignia is Launum's planetary seal of a gold sun on a green mountain range on a flag of red-white-red, a mounted armored charger and knight emblazoned on the sun.  Their parade colors are red, gold, and green.




Officers
Major General Serrano is a noble lady of the Launum nobility, daughter and heiress to the Duke of Santiago de la Plata.  Officers of such social rank win the affection of their troops through various means, and for Lady Isabella, it was becoming La Madre de Su Soldatos, "The Mother of Her Soldiers".  Her career has consistently seen her affection for her subordinates and their dependents, and concern for their well-being, win the respect and love of most of the ranks, an attitude that has stuck with her since her days as a lieutenant and VTOL pilot in the Fourth Succession War.  The morale problems of the First LAC would undoubtedly be worse if not for her continued leadership after her promotion to command in 3140.

Brigadier Chiari returned to his homeworld's unit in 3140 upon his promotion while serving in the Second Royal Cuirassiers as CO of their 'Mech regiment.  Getting his MechWarriors back into fighting shape has been his primary goal, as well as adapting tactics he learned from his time with the Cuirassiers to the First LAC.  He is favored to assume command when Lady Isabella is inevitably promoted out of the unit, though given her reputation and leadership style, his brusque approach to command will certainly not aid the unit's morale.

Tactics
Maneuver warfare is the preferred method of the Armored Cavalry, with an emphasis on flanking attacks and use of detached maneuver elements to force foes to lengthen their lines, opening the way for the shock cavalry elements of heavy cavalry 'Mechs and vehicles to launch direct attacks on weak points.

1st Launum Armored Cavalry BattleMech Regiment (Green/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Lady Isabella Serrano y Santiago de la Plata
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Gustavo Chiari
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Trevor Reynolds
 2nd Batt.: Lt Colonel Alfredo Chiani
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Guido Baldo
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Pedro Vasquez


1st Launum Armored Cavalry Armored Brigade (Green/Questionable/D)
CO: Brigadier Giacomo Aghliesi
 3rd Launum Armored Cavalry (AR): Col. Yolanda Gutierrez
 2nd Launum Light Cavalry (LAR): Col. Humberto Rodriguez
 Laguna Light Horse (HR): Col. Jacopo Umberti
 1st LAC Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Col. Paulina Freeman
 1st LAC Aviation Regiment (AvR): Col. Daniel Soto
The armored brigade suffered extensive losses on Freedom.  The large numbers of replacement troops are relatively fresh from basic training or officer school, many of the replacement vehicles are drawn from militia and reserve stocks instead of new production, and the unit's morale evaluation remains as poor as its skill rating.

1st Launum Armored Cavalry Air Regiment (Regular/Questionable/D)
CO: Air Commodore Giulia Huerta
 1st Free March Cavalry Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Dolores Rinaldo
 1st Free March Cavalry Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Matthew Richards
The Air Regiment has been more comprehensively rebuilt, with the Aerospace Force transferring in veteran pilots to fill holes in the command structure. Extensive drilling by Air Commodore Huerta has done much to bring the unit up to the baseline standard of AFRF formations.  But training has not dispelled the bitterness that has seeped into the formation over the failure of the Royal Federation to properly avenge the Sack.

1st Launum Armored Cavalry Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Alejandro Vasquez
 1st Ducal Lifeguards (H(A)IR): Col. Sonia Ciano
 3rd Launum Armored Infantry (M(A)IR): Col. Giuseppe Zento
 12th Launum Infantry (MIR): Col. Frederico Luco
 4th Launum Jump Rangers (JIR): Col. Tristan Cristobal
 8th Launum Air Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Ana Duerte



1st Free March Cavalry Brigade: E Pluribus Unum

The First Free March Cavalry Brigade was formed in 2958 as a new major formation of the newborn AFFM, combining the Gienah Heavy Fusiliers, the First Launam Armored Cavalry, and the Hyde Lancers into one combined formation for use in major campaigns.  Starting with counter-piracy operations, the Brigade would fight unaltered through the rest of the Renaissance period, playing a major role in the liberation of Senftenberg in the Rayhannid War and Togwotee from pirate warlords.  In the Rettungsaktion it took its first major loss, with the near-destruction of the Hyde Lancers. Their reformation as an independent unit outside the brigade was the start of a gradual transformation that saw the brigade's component units change over the following century, while other FMC units were raised to work alongside them.

The Fourth Succession War saw the First Cavalry repeatedly in the thick of fighting, starting with second-wave operations in High King Ethan's initial invasion of the Grand Duchy of Oriente in 3110, the defenses of Campbelton and Atreus in 3113 and 3114-15, and the reclamation of New Dallas in 3118.  When the war was over only the First remained intact enough to survive the post-Dieron retraction, receiving the King's Own Hussars from the deactivated Third Cavalry in the process.  In the interwar period they have spent much of their time rotating between the Arcadia and Atreus Theaters, until they were sent to Carnwath in the Skye Theater in 3140.

The colors of the First Cavalry are ice blue and burgundy red. The brigade patch depicts two white horses rearing up back-to-back on a blue shield with a stylized scroll below the shield displaying the unit's moniker: E Pluribus Unum, the Latin for "From many, one". The individual patches of the component units continue to be used by the regiments in question, in conjunction with the brigade patch. It should be noted that many a civilian has accidentally earned the ire of the pilots of the unit by accidentally referring to it as a regiment, or not recognizing the unique histories of the component regiments.


Officers
Like many in his age cohort, Major General MacDonald served as a junior field officer in the Fourth Succession War, ending the war as a captain in the First Proctor Guards.  A cavalryman by inclination, his post-war career brought him to the Royal Lancers and then to the First Free March Cavalry, with his current rank being confirmed in 3141.  He runs a tight ship and expects much of his troops, especially his officers, and has worked especially hard to crack down on political infighting since the death of High Queen Jacqueline and High King Nathaniel's preference for diplomacy over rearmament.

Brigadier O'Leary spent the first years of her career surviving as a MechWarrior of the Wallace Highlanders, nearly being crippled in the brutal fighting on Elgin before the Dieron ceasefire and peace.  She spent much of her post-war career moving from unit to unit, serving stints with both the Donegal Guards and the Skye Rangers before returning to the Free March Corps as executive officer of the McAffe Irish Guards.  She was promoted at the start of the year and made the brigade XO on the strength of her command record, and she compliments MacDonald's stern professionalism with her loyalty to his command principles and her ability to keep the four regiments' disparate cultures from clashing.

Colonel Lee of the Dixie Grenadiers is the younger son of Duke Thomas Lee, the ruler of Dixie, and has gained some prominence (and infamy) for his tendency to assert his social status in the brigade's command structure and over requisition requests to the brigade's quartermaster.  Whatever irritation he causes, his record in the fighting on Atreus in the Fourth Succession War and in the years gives him leeway other prickly nobles may not get from their peers.

Tactics
Given the unit's makeup, a campaign with the First Cavalry can be complicating to enemies as the unit's command culture and style sees the component regiments given much leeway in how they achieve their specific objectives.  A variety of tactical concepts executed in tandem has caught many a foe uncertain of the brigade's true focus in an operation.

1st Free March Cavalry Brigade Command (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Andrew MacDonald
XO: Brigadier Teresa O'Leary
 1st Free March Cavalry Command Battalion: Lt. Colonel Paul Wahlenburg
 1st Free March Cavalry Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Teodoros Kazeme
 1st Free March Cavalry Artillery Regiment (ArtB): Lt. Colonel Gensuke Loring
The command formation includes a mixed battalion of BattleMechs, armor, and armored infantry.  The RCT's aviation and artillery support elements are considered part of the command given the particular organization of the brigade.


Hollabrunn Guards (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Colonel Lord Joachim von Krager
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Yvette Sonderburg
 Armored Battalion: Lt Colonel Gustav Bohlen
 1st Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Viola Dahl
 2nd Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Lord Heinrich von Sachsenburg
The Hollabrunn Guards use heavy and assault weight 'Mech and tank companies and heavy infantry to create maneuver room for the air cavalry and hover vehicle formations of the 2nd Infantry to exploit.

Duke Lee's Dixie Grenadiers (Green/Reliable/D)
CO: Colonel Lord Richard Lee
 Heavy Battalion: Lt. Colonel Joseph Cleburne
 Assault Battalion: Lt Colonel Thomas Gephardt
 1st Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Natural Rights Gist
 2nd Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Kwame Michaels
The Grenadiers are the brigade's assault specialists. The heavy and assault battalions mix BattleMech and vehicle formations at those weight classes.  Each battalion has a battery of organic artillery support attached.  Personnel changes has recently undermined some of this unit's skill and Colonel Lee is working them twice as hard in drill and training to match the brigade standard.


The King's Own Hussars of Ford (Regular/Fanatical/C)
CO: Colonel Sir Henry Blake
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Reginald Sharpe
 1st Armored Battalion: Lt Colonel Lady Regina Suffolk
 2nd Armored Battalion: Lt. Colonel Lord John Stoneman
 1st Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Gertrude Halbrook
The Hussars are a maneuver formation, favoring light and medium weight vehicles and 'Mechs supported by their mechanized armored infantry.  In brigade-scale operations they are typically to be found on the flanks, exploiting the havoc the other regiments raise on the enemy front.


McAffe Irish Guards Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/C)
CO: Colonel Gavin Dunne
 BattleMech Battalion: Lt. Colonel Joseph McCleary
 Armored Battalion: Lt Colonel Ewan Logan
 1st Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Dikembe Olegun
 2nd Infantry Battalion: Lt. Colonel Maura Waters
The Guards act as the brigade's heavy cavalry reserve, combining faster line machines and vehicles like the Comet to help exploit holes in enemy positions or cover those in friendly defenses.  The infantry have a particularly fierce reputation for their defensive tenacity, epitomized by their stand outside Waterford in 3050 against the Terran invaders.  Between training and the attraction of the unit to soldiers of McAffe, the regiment remains the brigade's best-skilled.


1st Free March Cavalry Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Air Commodore Ishmael Falk
 1st Free March Cavalry Aerospace Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Karla Ushanbe
 1st Free March Cavalry Support Group (2 wings): Grp. Colonel Donald MacGregor
The brigade's air complement is an independent command that is particularly complicated by the different structure compared to other AFRF formations.  They have recently taken delivery of a squadron's worth of Helldivers for their support group's bomber squadrons.

[DOC_Agren]

Thanks for posting more of these units

[Steve]

Túatha Dé Danann: Donegal Guards

The Donegal Guards originated with the Protectorate of Donegal before the formation of the Lyran Commonwealth.  After centuries of service before, during, and after the Star League, the Guards would fall victim to the civil wars that beset the Kingdom of Donegal in the 30th Century.  They were mostly destroyed by the time that Raquel Steiner stood the formation down in 3020.

The rebirth of the formation came with Raquel's death and her appointed successor, Johanna Steiner.  Johanna's parents had served with the Guards and the Halfway Steiners had been the patrons of the Second Donegal Guards before Raquel's dissolution order.  In January 3039 Johanna signed the reactivation decree, and through the following conflicts of Johanna's life the Donegal Guards would be a mainstay of the Donegalian forces.  By the time of her death on Tikonov in 3071, the Guards were once more the premiere formation of what was now the Royal Donegal March, and Johanna's son High King Ethan would maintain the formation in his 3078 army reforms, with the Guards reaching a peak of ten divisions and four RCTs by the onset of the Fourth Succession War.  The vicious battles of that long conflict were as hard on the Guards as many other formations.  After the Peace of Dieron and the losses of MORNING STAR, the post-war consolidation would see only six formations retained in active service.

The Guards were long headquartered on their homeworld, but in 3136 the AFRF chose to relocate the Donegal Guards' command staff to the Triad on Tharkad, citing the need to make better use of existing facilities.  It has proven a controversial choice to say the least, with many seeing it as a sign of the growing Lyrantreu influence in both the Guards and the AFRF.  It remains to be seen if High King Nathaniel will heed the requests to return the formation's command to Donegal.



Commanding Officer
The Donegal Guards are a preferred posting for many of the branches of House Steiner, especially those connected to the Halfway Steiners and the adjacent Proctor-Steiner royal line.  Today command of the formation goes to a daughter of that royal line and direct descendant of High Queen Johanna: General Lady Margrethe Proctor-Steiner-Adelheide.  The second daughter of Princess Raquel Steiner-Proctor, Lady Margrethe is a career AFRF pilot and officer who has served in conflicts ranging back to the Dominate War.  Studiously apolitiical despite her relative seniority in the family, Lady Margrethe is widely regarded as a competent compromise candidate for command of the Donegal Guards given the other candidates's known pro-Lyrantreu and anti-Lyrantreu sentiments.  She has done much to keep the formation to its desired standard as one of the lead Federal corps, and to date shows no greater or lesser support for the Crown's policies under Nathaniel as she did under her cousin Jacqueline.


Forces
Retaining their reputation for dogged persistence in a fight, the Donegal Guards favor heavier machines and firepower-centered tactics, with each formation authorized to employ at least two battalions of dedicated artillery in their support formations.  "Metal is cheaper than blood" is their credo as much as the unit's historical slogan.  While enjoying favored access to the Procurement Department's wider network, distance and preference see many machines built in the Donegal March and adjacent spaces predominate.


Colors and Insignia
The traditional blue and gray scheme remains the predominant one, though some units have taken to mixing in green or red or another third color to match their unit insignia.  The Guards' common insignia is the traditional shamrock on a red square, which is typically displayed on the right side or shoulder of a Donegal Guards machine while the formation insignia is on the left.



2nd Donegal Guards: The Unwearied Second

The Second Donegal Guards enjoy one of the oldest battle histories of any formation in the Inner Sphere, having started as the Terran Alliance's Eleventh Terran Rangers in the early 22nd Century.  After being stood down in 3020, it was reformed at the start of 3039 by Queen Johanna from contingents of RDAF personnel loyal to the Halfway Steiners.  Within months it was in the middle of the War of Donegalian Succession as the spearpoint formation of the Loyalist cause, defending and fighting alongside their monarch and her husband Thomas Proctor's Arcadian Guards through much of that conflict and on through the Terran War and into the Concord-Compact War.

After Johanna's death in 3071 the Second Donegal would join the rest of her sister formations, mostly operating in and around Donegal when not summoned to join important operations elsewhere.  They would relieve Odessa in the opening campaigns of the Vanguard War, defended Donegal during the Sudetener invasion in 3087, and recaptured Buckminster from the Azami in 3099.  The Fourth Succession War saw the unit primarily fighting in the COMINTERSTEL theaters, including playing a key role in the invasion of Sudeten in 3112, before joining forces with their former foes to fight Galedon.  After suffering extraordinary losses in the liberation of Paracale in 3018 they were recalled to Donegal for reformation and rebuilding; they were due to return to the front in 3120 before the Congress of Dieron ended the fighting.

In the years since the war the Second has primarily operated around the Donegal and Arcturus Theaters.  They were slated to be a Wave Two unit in SOVEREIGN SON had reinforcements been demanded and would deter a Kuritan raid on Arcturus in 3140.  In late 3140 they were chosen to be rotated to the Imperial border due to the rising tensions with the Oriento-Capellan Empire, taking up the defense of New Earth.  The following year a regiment's worth of troops from the division was detached to join the Federation's contingent to the Terran Oversight Force while the rest of the formation continues to protect New Earth.  Between their history and the importance of the assignments they take, the Second Donegal Guards remain the best-kitted RCT in the corps.

The unit's insignia is a red-brown mailed fist gripping a golden crown, an ancient insignia that gained fresher prominence from their long history of being High Queen Johanna's favored unit.  Red is a third color sometimes used in their parade color schemes on equipment.

Officers
Of the Furillo Steiners, Lord Frederick was named for the famed Frederick Steiner of the 31st Century who was lost in the Hesperan disaster on Marik.  A distant cousin of High Queen Jacqueline, Frederick's career has benefited from this blood connection, though there is no doubt that he is a fitting inheritor of his namesake, as his Fourth Succession War service with the Second Donegal Guards and the Proctor Assault Guards proves.  His appointment to the leadership of the Second Donegal Guards is seen as a stepping stone to succeeding Lady Margrethe in due time, or some other high position in the AFRF.  Frederick's neutrality on the Lyrantreu question is reassuring to many but vexing to some, even if it fits the traditional attitudes of the Hesperan branches of House Steiner in recent decades.

Tactics
The Second is the epitome of the Donegal Guards' favored approach, with only one battalion of the 'Mech regiment averaging medium in weight and the armored brigade likewise weighted towards heavy machines.  The infantry is the primary maneuver element, used to test and root the enemy flanks to keep them pinned down for the withering heavy firepower of the Second's big guns.

2nd Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Elite/Reliable/A)
CO: Major General Lord Frederick Steiner
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Lord Colin Bryan
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Henrietta Collins
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Gregory Packer
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donald McCarter
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Sir Theodore Mobutu
Given their current posting and their prestige, it is no surprise the Second Donegal Guards equal the best of the AFRF in their kit.  The MechWarriors of the formation are trained to the peak of readiness.


2nd Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Elite/Fanatical/A)
CO: Brigadier Janie McMichaels
 3rd Donegal Assault (AAR): Col. Lord Dennis Pickering
 7th Donegal Armored (HAR): Col. Jack Murray
 18th Cameron Hussars (HR): Col. Minnie Logan
 2nd Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Terrence Fyhne
 2nd Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Davin Ortega


2nd Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Lord Kwan Soong
 99th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Besim Shehu
 332nd Tactical Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Guan Yueng


2nd Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Regular/Fanatical/B)
CO: Brigadier Lord Peter Marsden
 4th Donegal Borderers (M(A)IR): Col. Duane Masters
 11th Pherkad Infantry (MIR): Col. Alana Dula
 3rd Callisto Infantry (MIR): Col. Julian Garland
 8th Gibbs Grenadiers (HIR): Col. Terrence David
 22nd Donegal Air Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Yvonne Strahl



4th Donegal Guards: The Resolute Fourth

The Fourth were one of the few formations to successfully escape the collapsing Commonwealth frontier to Donegal's borders in the mid-29th Century, a time during which the unit refused all offers to change allegiance to local lords and put down an internal mutiny aimed at turning them into a pirate band. During the remainder of the Collapse era the Fourth would be associated with loyalty to House Steiner's current head until they were overwhelmed and destroyed by Colin Steiner's forces during the Usurpation of 2974.  Survivors of the formation were settled on Cameron by Carl Steiner, but neither he nor his daughter Morgan would reactivate the unit due to lack of material.  It fell to Johanna to restore the unit to the rolls, reforming the Fourth from Cameron's militia and a number of Loyalist formations driven from their worlds by the NCAF's advance. The Fourth would reward Johanna by fighting fiercely in the siege of Cameron, to the extent that the planet held out in large part due to their resolution and tenacity against the NCAF and Legitimist Steiner forces.  Johanna publicly branded them "the Resolute Fourth" in her public statements, providing a nickname that has stuck with them through multiple engagements across the proceeding century.

Following their role in the capture of Alphard in 3119, the Fourth was rotated back to Cameron to recover, and has primarily remained stationed to their homeworld since the Peace of Dieron.  They absorbed elements of the Ninth Donegal Cavalry, Nineteenth Royal BattleMech Regiment, and the Cameron Highlanders Brigade to return to working strength at the cost of unit cohesion and identity.  In the 3030s they were reassigned to Arcturus after SOVEREIGN SON and continue to serve as that march capital's defensive force. Unfortunately, this posting has only exacerbated a growing rift in the unit's ranks, as the avowedly-Lyrantreu command staff clashes with the rank and file that identify as Donegalian.

The unit's insignia bears the likeness of generic BattleMech with a pike set on a green square.  A golden crown is set on the square.


Officers
Lord Richard is a cousin of the Duke of Carlisle and descended from the Pherkad Steiners, a family background that does much to explain his fairly extreme Lyrantreu attitudes.  Richard is unapologetic in his disdain for the Arcadians and their federation and drives off officers unwilling to support his beliefs.  That he has not been shuffled off to an administrative post is testament both to his inability in such assignments and to the growth of Lyrantreu attitudes in the AFRF, with his career path gaining increasing velocity after he spent most of his thirties unable to rise above the rank of major.  Being assigned to the Fourth seems to primarily be due to lack of billets elsewhere, as a majority of the Fourth's rank and file come from Donegal and adjacent worlds and have little love for the Lyrantreu attitudes, causing strife in the unit.  It remains to be seen if Richard will remain at his post much longer, as he has been very vocal in his disdain of High King Nathaniel, and of his posting and troops.

Brigadier Stewart is left with the unenviable task of being the peacemaker between his commanding officer and those among the commanders who cannot claim Lyrantreu credentials.  A Lyrantreu advocate himself, he is far more diplomatic about it than his superior and many of his peers, and is the main reason the Fourth has not become a disgrace to the Donegal Guards.

Tactics
The Fourth have a history of excellent defensive operations, and given their current assignment and their current woes, this is where they still excel.


4th Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Questionable/C)
CO: Major General Lord Richard Steiner-Gilenni
Regimental CO: Colonel Travis Johnson
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Dragutin Lončar
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Donna Rossi
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Paul Ewald
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Klaudiusz Szwedko
Though kitted to the regular standard of the other Federal corps, the Fourth has recently taken a delivery of brand new machines from TharDef Industries, likely due to its current position on the front.  Given the dissension within the unit it remains to be seen if this can be properly employed.


4th Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO/RCT XO: Brigadier Xavier Stewart
 3rd Arcturan Armored Regiment (HAR): Col. Lord Gerald Fyhne
 44th Donegal Hussars (LAR): Col. Claudia Fischer
 14th Cameron Light Horse (HR): Col. Terrell Lewis
 4th Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Jamshid Hosseini
 4th Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Frantziska Solo


4th Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Trevor Summers
 76th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Franziska Sobel
 155th Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Walther Loeb
Air Commodore Summers has managed to isolate his pilots from the political difficulties in the unit and focus them on the vital task of defending Arcturus, particularly given the possibility of Kuritan attack.  The Aerospace Force's attention to the issue is clear from the recent deliveries of the latest runs of Typhoon fighters for the 76th's lead squadron.


4th Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Regular/Questionable/C)
CO: Brigadier Lord Joachim von Sebottendorf
 9th Cameron Grenadiers (H(A)IR): Col. Joanna Sharp
 22nd Svinngarn Infantry (MIR): Col. Quentin Toth
 25th Tetersen Infantry (MIR): Col. Louis Gephardt
 4th Mesa Verde Jaegers (JIR): Col. Teresa Reynolds
 5th Arcturan Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Hans Svensson
The brigade's personnel have had to deal both with locals dissatisfied with the AFRF"s protection of Arcturus from potential Kuritan aggression and Brigadier Sebottendorf's notorious beliefs, a combination of Lyrantreu convictions and bizarre occult mysticism that would get anyone of lesser social standing removed from command.



6th Donegal Guards: White Hawks

The Sixth were the last of the original contingent that Johanna restored to service early in her reign, coming together in 3043 on Gibbs from a collection of liberated Loyalist POWs and the remnants of several Loyalist formations.  They would serve primarily in garrison, facing their first combat together in 3050 when raiders from Tharkad descended on Gibbs during the opening months of REVIVAL.  While they objectively failed in preventing the Terran forces from damaging or destroying most of their targets, the Sixth would benefit in defeat through the experience it granted.  In the 3052 MJOLNIR operation to capture Tharkad they secured the factories of Franz from being demolished by ComStar or Terran forces.

Their Fourth Succession War service was particularly brutal, as the unit suffered extensive losses at the hands of COMINTERSTEL in the 3112 RIKOTILO counter-offensive.  They spent the middle years of the war as garrison troops, being slowly returned to full strength, and would be summoned to the front for the 3116 offensive into the Grand Duchy of Oriente. Once more they endured significant losses, this time to in-space interception after the Imperials' naval victory over New Olympia, followed by years of grinding defensive warfare trying to defend Campbelton from repeated Imperial assaults through 3119.  By the end of the war the Sixth was down to barely a quarter material and personnel strength, and barely survived the post-Dieron reformation.

Since the end of the war the Sixth has slowly been returned to full strength, reaching their officially-authorized strength level in 3138 during their last rotation to the Donegal March.  In 3140 they were transferred to Alexandria to protect that March capital in anticipation of future Combine or Azami attacks.

The unit's insignia is a white hawk on a blue square with interwoven vines.


Officers
A younger son of the Duke of Eschenberg, Lord Johann was one of the candidates for command of the Donegal Guards as a whole, but his disdain for the Lyrantreu made him unpalatable to that faction.  He has spent most of his career in the Donegal Guards and narrowly survived the Fourth Succession War when his Twelfth Donegal Guards were nearly wiped out by the Fourth Sword of Light during the 3119 Galedonian conquest of New Wessex.  He is currently one of the loudest voices for the Federation turning focus towards resisting House Kurita's reborn Combine, doing much to explain why the Sixth were transferred to Alexandria.


Tactics
The Sixth has no particular tactic it prefers, tailoring its artillery-dominant tactics towards each engagement and environment as needed.


6th Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Lord Johann von Eschenberg
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Lord Pieter van der Berg
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Daniel Hauser
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Wolfgang Mendel
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Wanda Zadek
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Gregorios Cheng


6th Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Sir Jacques Devereaux
 18th Donegal Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Malcom Rogers
 3rd Gibbs Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Paul Harmon
 8th Alma-Ata Hussars (HR): Col. Karim Mamin
 6th Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Rhonda North
 6th Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Lady Luz Montelbano


6th Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Air Commodore Yancy Chase
 106th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Esau Saxon
 244th Tactical Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Wendell Wallace


6th Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Tamara Winthrop
 11th Donegal Assault Regiment (HIR): Col. Joseph Kirk
 17th Hillerod Infantry (MIR): Col. Pedro Vasquez
 1st Whittington Dragoons (MIR): Col. Harold Lawrence
 5th Veckholm Infantry (JIR): Col. Ignatio Papadoulos
 7th Donegal Air Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Natalya Kamanov

[Steve]

8th Donegal Guards: The Gentlemen

The original Eighth was destroyed in the 29th Century during the fall of the Lyran Commonwealth.  The current formation was formed in 3051 by a collection of Donegalian nobles and their retinues, led by Archduke Alfred Steiner of Cameron, answering High Queen Johanna's call to arms against the Terrans.  Casualties in the 3052 invasion of Tharkad and counter-attacks into Hesperan territory saw the original contingent worn down and replaced by regulars, but the unit's founding left a permanent stamp on the Eighth's culture, and they have been known by their moniker of "The Gentlemen" since.

During the Dominate War the Eighth was one of the few AFRF units spared to help defend Hesperus against a renewed wave of invasions by the Azami and Oriento-Capellans. They held Muphrid from a determined joint assault in 3098 by the Azami al-Murabutin and the First Sirian Lancers and were pivotal in the 3099-3100 defense of New Earth.  This theater would be their primary posting for the next three decades, with the Eighth serving throughout the Fourth Succession War on the Hesperan front fighting alongside the DISC and its formations against the Compact and Galedonians.  They would take an honored place in the capture of Sabik in 3116, dislodging the Third Arkab Legion from its defenses at Lahabrea, and defend the planet from a determined effort by the Azami to reclaim it before the Dieron ceasefire was called.

After a brief participation in the MORNING STAR operation in 3123, where the Eighth barely had time to exchange a few shots with the Second Sirian Lancers on Procyon, the RCT has spent the rest of the time rebuilding from the Fourth Succession War.  In 3128 they were recalled to the Donegal Theater and served garrison duties on Alma-Ata, Porrima, and Pherkad before rotating to Donegal in 3140.  They are due to remain on Donegal for some time to protect the second capital of the Federation.

While using the traditional blue and gray of the Donegal Guards, the Eighth frequently employs white in their parade colors.  The officers of the Eighth traditionally wear the full accouterments of social gentlemen regardless of their social rank.  The unit's insignia is a pair of white formal gloves crossed under an upraised red rose.


Officers
The commander of the Eighth is an odd character by far.  The only son of the Landgrave of Alamigo on Callisto, Hildibrand's career is characterized by successes despite what many hold is incompetence worthy of the stereotype of the Lyran social general.  From his academy days at the Nagelring to his career during and after the Fourth Succession War, Lord Hildibrand has frequently snatched victory from the jaws of self-imposed defeat, with feats ranging from causing enemy ambushes to begin prematurely to thwarting enemy maneuvers through being out of position.  His battlefield record and successes have helped him move up the ranks through many a skeptical Promotion Board consideration.  After a stint in administration with the AFRF Investigation and Enforcement Department (checkered with complaints about meddling in ongoing MCIS investigations), Hildibrand was given the command of the Eighth in a move many see as trying to keep him from continuing a growing career in being a "gentleman inspector".  When an irate officer demanded Lady Margrethe explain why he was given such a command, Margrethe reportedly replied, "Because if luck was good enough for Napoleon, it's good enough for me."

Lord de Manseauguel is not a happy man.  Widely seen as being prepared to assume command of the Eighth by his predecessor, this noble scion of Bondurant has been left as the RCT's XO and regimental CO of the BattleMech regiment with Lord Hildibrand in charge.  Odds are that as soon as his commander is either promoted out of the rank or leaves the AFRF, he will finally move into that slot, but until then it falls to him to keep the RCT running despite its notoriously eccentric CO.

Colonel Mhakaracca is a rarity in the AFRF, being born and raised on Canopus in a family given to the gene and prosthetic mods popular in the Canopian cosmetic surgery scene.  By the time her family relocated to the Royal Federation in 3121, she was already partly modified with feline attributes.  After a career primarily spent in the Roshigumi Brigade before a stint with Investigation and Enforcement's administration, she assumed the battalion command in the Eighth on the personal intervention of Lord Hildibrand due to her service with his office.  Aside from being a capable MechWarrior, she is noted for her skill and enthusiasm with explosives.


Tactics
The Eighth has institutionally preferred formalized approaches to tactics, maximizing firepower and launching direct assaults.


8th Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Veteran/Reliable/B)
CO: Major General Lord Hildibrand Manderville
XO/Regimental CO: Brigadier Lord Brian de Manseauguel
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Ellie Ryse
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Thomas Lewis
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lord Nicolai Olegun
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Nashu Mhakaracca
The unit commander's noted eccentricity aside, the Eighth has maintained a keen edge through wargaming and in recent years has had its estimated level of skill increased.  Recent deliveries of newer TharDef equipment have improved the unit's equipment level.


8th Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier DeLeon LaRouche
 10th Clinton Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Valerie Foster
 3rd Tharkad Hussars (HR): Col. Gunther von Strauss
 14th York Armored Regiment (LAR): Col. Gerald Kossing
 8th Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Hilda Fynn
 8th Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Jon Waller


8th Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Regular/Reliable/B)
CO: Air Commodore Cyr Blyme
 110th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Sir Roderick Hampton
 67th Tactical Group: Grp. Colonel Deborah Geir


8th Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Shigure Lupo
 2nd Tetersen Infantry (M(A)IR): Col. Arabella la Costa
 11th Porrima Infantry (MIR): Col. Don Meadows
 8th Thuban Regulars (MIR): Col. Phillice Silberschild
 10th Donegal Jaegers (JIR): Col. Cecilia Ryse
 44th Cameron Cavalry (AiCR): Col. Avila Ventos
Many of the regiments attached to the Eighth's brigade are below the curve in experience and training.  Brigadier Lupo is fresh to his rank and is busy getting the formation up to snuff, despite General Manderville's repeated interferences.



[size=]13th Donegal Guards: Black Cats[/size]

The Thirteenth came from the final culmination of Ethan's reform of the AFRF, drawing their name from the inspiration of their doomed predecessors, one of the last new formations of the LCAF before the Commonwealth's collapse.  Officially online as of 3090, the Thirteenth took part in the Vanguard War and the Fourth Succession War against COMINTERSTEL, fighting on most of the worlds between Porrima and Sudeten through those conflicts.  Despite their name, they have not known much in the way of bad luck, nor have their foes, with most of their victories and defeats coming the hard way.

After the Peace of Buckminster the Thirteenth would serve in the counter-attacks against Galedon, serving in the battles for Tukayyid, Dehgolan, and Chandler.  Their losses saw them assigned to the defensive garrison on Vega, where the unit was nearly broken in the 3119 invasion by the Galedonians.  The Thirteenth would barely make the cut in the post-war retraction and consolidations, accepting those few survivors of the Twelfth Donegal Guards who escaped New Wessex to remain viable.

Their post-Dieron career has been spent in garrison as one of the lower priorities for rebuilding, leaving them typically on the Ghastillian border.  With the unit finally back to strength as of 3139, they were shifted to Tharkad, and await a more prestigious assignment as the Peace of Dieron continues its third decade.

The insignia of the unit is an angry black cat's face on a blue square, with black the preferred third color for parade coloration.




Officers
Major General Proctor-Keahi is one of the rare non-Donegalian officers to reach higher rank in the Donegal Guards.  A scion of the earliest cadet branch of House Proctor, James is a career officer who accepted command of the Thirteenth as the best available billet to go with his promotion.  His elevation was promoted by Lady Margrethe, who served with James during the Fourth Succession War and pushed the promotion through on merit grounds.  A capable and disciplined commander, it is expected the Thirteenth will do well under his command.


Tactics
The Thirteenth tend to favor maneuver in equal measure, using the armor and infantry brigades and their expanded aviation element to get around enemy flanks after the 'Mechs and artillery have engaged.



13th Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General James Proctor-Keahi
Regimental CO: Colonel Queralt Veralo
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Olivia Patterson
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Lord Ronald McGonagal
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Thomas Strathmore
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Vashad Bhattacharya
The Thirteenth is comparatively light, with the third and fourth battalions being primarily made of light and medium machines to be maneuver elements, though the first and second battalion are quite heavy to be the dedicated fire and assault formations for the regiment.


13th Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO/RCT XO: Brigadier Dame Claudia Donal
 4th Tetersen Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Fritz Gelb
 6th Westerstede Hussars (LAR) : Col. Nathan Dorchester
 Enkoping Light Horse (HR): Col. Zahir Muhammad
 13th Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvR): Colonel Lord Christian Hendrickson
 13th Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Juliana Fischer


13th Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Green/Reliable/C)
CO: Air Commodore Yvette Grogan
 58th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Sahir al-Khalid
 298th Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Ishmael Williams


13th Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable/C)
CO: Brigadier Verence Cloudwalker
 18th Donegal Fusiliers (H(A)IR): Col. George McMasters
 50th Donegal Infantry (MIR): Col. Patrick Childers
 57th Pobeda Infantry (MIR): Col. Vasily Klimenko
 Lancaster Yeomanry (JIR): Col. Beatrice Smith
 7th Alarion Air Guards (AiCR): Col. Lady Antonia Serfass



14th Donegal Guards: The Dawnchargers

Coming online in 3092, the Fourteenth has gained unexpected prominence in the AFRF for its youth, starting with their defense of Carlisle in the Dominate War.  The Fourth Succession War saw the Fourteenth fighting on nearly every front, from participating in the GAUNTLET offensive and later the invasion of Sudeten, the defense of the Principality of Atreus in 3114-15, and the grand offensive into the Sirian Commonality and Irian Province in 3118.  When the ceasefire came the Fourteenth was on Hall, having secured the world from Imperial control with severe losses against the Fourteenth Old Kentucky Hussars' determined defense of the world.

Three years after the war, the Fourteenth Donegal would land on Procyon and come the closest to success, counterattacking the Third Capellan Chargers when they attempted to overwhelm the LZs and shattering the unit.  Efforts to secure strategic facilities were halted when High Queen Jacqueline ordered withdrawal.  Unlike other formations the Fourteenth saw few resignations in protest, with Lord Arnold Proctor-Steiner setting the example to his troops as the RCT's CO.

In the years since the Fourteenth has primarily served as garrison troops for March capitals, serving garrison periods on Stewart, New Earth, and Alexandria during the 3130s.  In 3141 they were rotated to Alarion to be the primary formation in the Alarion March.  They frequently wargame with the Third Royal BattleMech Brigade and the Fourth Dragoons in order to keep their readiness up, though this has resulted in attrition to the equipment stocks that has seen the Fourteenth's material average decline across the board, with the procurement officers required to draw from Alarion March's stocks of older gear to fill in for machines awaiting spare parts from the rest of the Federation.

The unit's insignia displays a Chieftain Assault 'Mech charging across the rays from a sun in the upper corner of a blue square.  Gold is a preferred third color for their parade color scheme.


Officers
Major General Bahadur started his career in the Donegal Cavalry as a hover vehicle commander serving in the Fourth Succession War.  He is the only current commander in the Donegal Guards to not come from the MechWarrior corps, and this is evinced in the way he commands the RCT, emphasizing combined arms and maneuver in his wargaming and tactical planning.  He is mildly sympathetic to the Lyrantreu, if only due to the prospect of the movement eventually putting an end to the Communal League, a polity he holds nothing but contempt for despite his own modest origins.

The regimental CO of the 'Mech regiment, William Proctor-Steiner, is the second child of the unit's final commander in the Fourth Succession War, Lord Arnold.  With his Lyrantreu father so high in the AFRF's command structure, William's career has benefited, perhaps more than he or his father would like, given he has no combat experience and many of his personnel reviews indicate a view by many that he is not due to achieve his father's lofty position.  William has thus been driven to do everything he can to make sure his unit meets or exceeds every standard.

Tactics
The Fourteenth has worked towards better interoperation between units, with kampfgruppe of companies and battalions of varying type working together more frequently than regular AFRF doctrine.


14th Donegal Guards BattleMech Regiment (Regular/Reliable/C)
CO: Major General Ruslan Bahadur
Regimental CO: Col. William Proctor-Steiner
 1st Batt.: Lt. Colonel Latifa Alden
 2nd Batt.: Lt. Colonel César Carvalho
 3rd Batt.: Lt. Colonel Olaf Majewska
 4th Batt.: Lt. Colonel Franklin Weathers
Excellent MechTech work and Colonel Proctor-Steiner's connections are both credited for how the Fourteenth has managed to avoid the material decline of the other formations since arrival at Alarion.  This may not persist if General Bahadur insists on the current pace of exercises.


14th Donegal Guards Armored Brigade (Regular/Reliable/D)
CO: Brigadier Lady Ophelia Neuberg
 4th Alarion Armored Regiment (AR): Col. Karoly Novi
 11th Cameron Armored Regiment (AR): Col. James Fitzsimmons
 18th Donegal Hussars (LAR): Col. James Michaels
 14th Donegal Guards Aviation Regiment (AvB): Lt. Colonel Pavlina Davidová
 14th Donegal Guards Artillery Regiment (ArtR): Colonel Osman Peynirci
Assignment to Alarion and wear and tear during war games have required replacement vehicles be drawn from Alarion March stocks, which are primarily older vehicles from the 30th and 31st Centuries.  This degradation of the unit's equipment level is unlikely to be undone until they are re-assigned to a more dangerous position.

14th Donegal Guards Air Regiment (Regular/Questionable/D)
CO: Air Commodore Roger Zhikov
 45th Aerospace Group: Grp. Colonel Jason Williams
 89th Strike Group: Grp. Colonel Hakeem Lewis
The need to draw on Alarion March's reserve stocks has seen the squadrons rely on older machines, which has proven detrimental to morale.

14th Donegal Guards Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable/D)
CO/RCT XO: Brigadier Lord Bartholomew Ewing
 9th Donegal Fusiliers (HIR): Col. John Greevey
 29th Albion Fusiliers (HIR): Col. Scott MacElroy
 39th Lancaster Regulars (MIR): Col. Alan Kuhn
 12th Eschenberg Jaegers (JIR): Col. Alfried von Halbach
 4th Inculkans Airborne Regiment (AiCR): Col. Hans Jensen
Despite Brigadier Ewing's fervent efforts, the Fourteenth's infantry regiments have seen reduced scores in readiness tests and wargames, which he blames fervently on Alarion's available entertainments and distractions for bored soldiers far from any potential foe.


(Edit: It was not intended when I originally named the Eighth by their nickname, but yes, it is a big reference, no, I am not sorry.  I'm too busy laughing to be sorry!)