Wolf's Dragoon Strike Battalion

[Kojak]

Welp...

[BrianDavion]

Well we've got you here Kojak I've got a question about the composition here, the article explictly says the tanks in the battalion are all Ziblers, it's rare in battletech for a unit to be all made up of a single unit type, and rarer still for that unit to be explictly stated, I'm curious as to the thinking that went into it?

[Metallgewitter]

The most simple would be: Zibler's are Omni vehicles which would suit a unit that is meant for mobile and fluid warfare. Better to quickly switch the weaponry out for a new role then use hovers with fixed equipment. Or they just grouped the Zibler's together for the very specific mission they had on New Olympia: capturing cadets without killing them

[Kojak]

I didn't come up with the thirty Ziblers, it's spelled out in Redemption Rites.

[glitterboy2098]

The most simple would be: Zibler's are Omni vehicles which would suit a unit that is meant for mobile and fluid warfare. Better to quickly switch the weaponry out for a new role then use hovers with fixed equipment. Or they just grouped the Zibler's together for the very specific mission they had on New Olympia: capturing cadets without killing them

it is also worth noting that Tanks, even hovertanks, are a lot simpler than a battlemech, and thus can be produced in much larger numbers than an equivalent mech. making it easier to field massed units of vehicles. even during the succession wars, where having multiples of a type of mech was less common, you frequently saw entire lances or companies of the same model of tank.

[Hellraiser]

Agreed.

Unlike mech lances in 3025 where you would often see 4 different mechs, you don't seem to see that nearly as often in Tank Platoons.

At the very least you get 1 Pair in a platoon for the most part. 
Maybe its 4 of a kind, or maybe its 3+1 or 2+2 or 2+1+1, but the point is multiples are definitely more common.

Which makes sense since Tanks themselves are produced somewhere between 5-10x as much as Mechs IIRC from fluff.

The Zibler being a new tank was likely a large order that the Dragoons as a Multi-Regimental command placed directly with the Factory or House Logistics Command.

[MoneyLovinOgre4Hire]

And as an omnivehicle, the Zibler can transport their battle armor.

[glitterboy2098]

And as an omnivehicle, the Zibler can transport their battle armor.

without having to devote mass to an internal infantry/BA bay as well. between that, their relatively high speed as a hover, and their decent firepower (most of it centered in the turret even) it's a fairly good choice for the Dragoons.

[BrianDavion]

Ohh Agree the Zibler is a great choice, it's one of the best units in tro 30145: davion

[Kojak]

it is also worth noting that Tanks, even hovertanks, are a lot simpler than a battlemech, and thus can be produced in much larger numbers than an equivalent mech. making it easier to field massed units of vehicles. even during the succession wars, where having multiples of a type of mech was less common, you frequently saw entire lances or companies of the same model of tank.

During the two short stories about Halsten's Brigade, another unit I wrote a Unit Digest for, the Brigade commonly used full companies of a single model of tank, even at the nadir of the Succession Wars, and this was not portrayed as a status that was difficult to maintain.

[Arkansas Warrior]

The Zibler being a new tank was likely a large order that the Dragoons as a Multi-Regimental command placed directly with the Factory or House Logistics Command.

Given that this report is as of ~3152, they could also be salvage from the Dragoons’ time fighting Davion.  IIRC when Wolfsbane battalion is stood up during the events of Redemption Rift, their Musketeers are explicitly captured Davion tanks.