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Hanson's Roughriders
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CO: Wolfgang Hansen. Regiments: 1. Homeworld: Bromhead.
Experience: Veteran.
Employed by FC as of 3054. Loyalty: questionable.
"You've seen the holo-vids of that summer on Hesperus
II. When the Wolf's Dragon's five fully equipped regiments tore
through the Elite 15th and 24th Lyran Guards and the 3rd Royal
Guards, and Leftent - Colonel Thomas kept us out of the fight,
only our tanks got a shot at them for the first two weeks, but
then the day came, as we knew it would. The Dragoons finely
brushed the Lyran units aside and rolled over the Hotheads and
the DSPF forces; Oh!, I know what the reports said about the
state of the Dragoons at this point. But, remember they had five
Mech regiments to begin with, and we hit them with only nine
battalions of Mechs and armour. Even with combat losses, the
ratio was around 6 or 7 to one, and we kick them all the way back
to their dropships".
-Except from the testimony of Kommandant Hermann Immig, Hansons
RoughRiders, during the Competency hearings, 3040.
Colonel
Gerhardt Hanson assembled the unit from the remnants of the 12th
Atrean Dragoons and Elements of the 1st Atrean Dragoons, a unit
that he lead in unsuccessful rebellion against Janos Marik during
the Marik civil war. The RoughRiders prefer close combat, and
considering the rather rough-house nature, it is easy to see why,
most of the Mech Regiment Companies are composed entirely of
heavy Mechs. The unit was also chosen to receive the first new
Rommel/Patton tanks, due to the fact that it was the most active
and aggressive of all the Tank corps in the Lyran Commonwealth.
The RoughRiders are famed for their deep raids, into both Kurita
and Marik space and heavy urban combat. The regiment long served
House Steiner, but was moved to Davion space (still under
contract to the Lyran Commonwealth) once the Davion-Steiner
alliance began its reorganize of the military.
Major-General
Gerhardt Hanson, commander of the 12th Atrean Dragoons, was one
of the first Free World Commanders to openly support the rebel
Duke Anton Marik. The 12th Atrean Dragoons, with Elements of the
1st Atrean Dragoons. Under the command of Major-General Hanson,
The Atrean Dragoons made good progress against the loyal forces
of Janos Marik, taking world after world. While Major-General
Hanson was away at rebel HQ, the Loyalist forces counter-attacked
the rebel world of Llion V. The Atrean Dragoons were mauled, this
fact and Anton fits and the lack of support, prompted
Major-General Hanson and the remains of the The Atrean Dragoons
to flee the Free World League, before the rebels lost, and they
had to face Janos's Justice.
One
of the most famous deep raids in the history of the RoughRiders,
it set the standard for their raids to come. Early 3018 the
RoughRiders dropped onto New Olympia, deep in Marik Space. The
world was garrisoned by four Marik Regular Mech. Regiments. In
Three weeks of almost continuous combat, in the Garden of the
Gods mountain range, they annihilated two enemy Regiments and
destroyed the Allison MechWarrior Institute, before being forced
to retreat off-plant.
The
13th Battle for Hesperus II, started 3019, when the Wolf's
Dragoons five Regiments, under contract with the House Marik, hit
the plant. Defending Hesperus II, was three of the LCAF's best
units: the 15th and 24th Lyran Guards, 3rd Royal Guards, the
Defiance Self-Protection Force and two mercenary units, Hsien's
Hotheads and the Hanson's RoughRiders. With their normal fare for
tactics, the LCAF Commanders nearly cost them the planet. In the
first two weeks of combat, the Dragoons mauled the three Lyran
units, and then rolled over the Hsien's Hotheads, and the DSPF.
Within five clicks of Defiance MechWorks, with nothing between
them and the factory, except the Hanson's RoughRiders single
Regiment. The Dragoons were caught of guard, by the ferocious
assault by the RoughRiders. RoughRiders' Mechs and tanks charged
the leading Dragoon Mechs like a unstoppable Tamar Rhino,
knocking them back, almost to the breaking point. Only the sheer
stubbornness of the blooded and exhausted Black Widow Battalion,
kept the RoughRiders' from over running the Dragoons completely.
Given Colonel Wolf the time he need to regain control of their
retreat off world, but not with out massive damage to the
Dragoons.
The
RoughRiders were given the assignment of the Raid on Dromini VI,
The assignment was to destroy as much Kurita equipment as
possible. The RoughRiders found only a Militia battalion on
Dromini VI, sweeping over the unit and destroying most of
Kanashimi, the largest city, on the plant. They carried off most
of the valuables. The RoughRiders escaped off plant before the
nearby Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars could make landfall.
During
the fall of 3023, the LCAF High Command learns of a planned Marik
raid on a small Lyran world of Solaris, in the Solaris VII
system. The Steiner High Command sent the Hanson's RoughRiders to
Solaris to boost the garrisoning force of two Lyran Regular Mech
Battalions. The Marik Solaris Strike Force hit Solaris weeks
before the RoughRiders made planetfall. With light aerial
resistance the Marik forces made good ground against the Lyran
forces. Reforced by the Mercenary unit, the Lyrans
counter-attacked, with overwhelming fighter support. The Marik
units are driven back, the 33rd Marik Militia breaks, only
elements of the Keshii's 131st stood before the RoughRiders
assault. Lyran AeroSpace Fighters pounded anything that moved.
Without any support most of the Keshii's 131st surrendered to the
Lyran Regulars. The RoughRiders did not stop to accept the
surrender of any unit, instead they charged straight for the
SpacePort, catching several Marik DropShips still on the ground.
Destroying the DropShips the Hanson's RoughRiders trapped the
remaining company of the Doomed Keshii 131st battalion, on
Solaris. Colonel Hanson was impressed with the way the company
held together in the face of his unit. So impressed that he
offered Captain St.George and his men, the Knights of St.Geroge a
place in the Hanson's RoughRiders, newly formed fourth Battalion,
which they accepted.
Mid
3024, Three LCAF Regiments dropped into the heavily
industrialized world of Sevren. Three DCMS Mech. Regiments and
several Armoured Regiments, were defending the plant, include the
elite Dieron Regulars. The RoughRiders, Winfield's Brigade, the
30th Lyran Guards were sent into relive the bogged down LCAF
units. The three landed in different points, to divide the
defending units. The RoughRiders were chosen to spearhead the
worst section of the plant, the capital city and the sprawling
several hundred Km wide factory section. Some of the fiercest
point blank fighting, since Kerensky retook terra, took place
here. In five short months, the RoughRiders were able to rut out
the last of the Kurita defenders, only to find out the Winfield's
Brigade had stole their thunder, with the capture of the last of
the Dieron Regulars.
Hermann
Steiner chose the tank battalions of the Hanson's RoughRiders as
the first unit to receive the new tanks, for it is the most
active and aggressive of all the tank corps in the Lyran
Commonwealth.
Relations
between the Mercenaries and the Citizens have been fairly
cordial, considering the rather rough-house nature of the 'Mech
Regiment. The Evidence of the Murder of two women in Kevilston a
city near the HQ, leads back to the RoughRiders. Colonel Hanson
and his senior Staff refused to turn over the suspected
Mechwarrior to the Civilian authorities, which started several
small riots in Kevilston. A few weeks later the Senior Staff
completed its own investigation of the suspected Mechwarrior, and
found him guilty as charged, he was executed the following
morning, away of the Lyran news service. It was reported that
Prime Minister Sharon Huyck was present at the execution.
Among
the initial waves of the Lyran Commonwealth's offensive against
the Dranconis Combine, the Campaign for Wheel was unique. The
LCAF committed two famous Mercenary Regiments, the Hanson's
RoughRiders and The First Narhal Raiders. Defending Wheel was a
Kurita Mercenary Regiment, The Tooth of Ymir. Lyran Intelligence
learned that the Regular Kurita Infantry and armoured Regiments
were pulled off Wheel, for some kind of political upheaval,
leaving a single Mech Regiment and around ten ragtag militia
regiments made up of teenagers and old men, and for once Lyran
Intelligence was right. During burnin the Lyran DropShips were
hailed the defenders of Wheel. The Tooth of Ymir, Commander
Colonel Davis Heller knew his forces were out classed by the two
crack Lyran Mercenary units, and would be slaughtered. In a bold
move he proposed that the opposition meet him on a vast dormant
volcano basin, and fight Mech-to-Mech, rather than risk the
slaughter of all-out combat. The Mercenary Commanders agreed to
his request. The RoughRider's heavy Mechs were ill-prepared for
the sheer heat on the volcanic flats, this probably why Colonel
Heller picked it as the battleground. The RoughRiders' heavy
Mechs were slow climbing to the basin, and many were on the verge
of overheating as they surrounded the Kurita Mechs on three
sides. The lighter Medium Mechs of the First Narhal Riders, fared
better in the heat, and were able to close the lid on the Tooth
of Ymir's Mechs. The Light Kurita Mechs were everywhere striking
here and then there, overheating the heavier Mechs and then
fading off to strike at the other end of the line. It took five
full days of these strikes before the Lyran Mechs were able to
close the noose so tight around the Kurita Mechs that they could
not maneuver. Following standard Mercenary Code, Colonel Heller
surrendered, and was able to keep the militia from being
slaughtered. Two months later the Tooth of Ymir, packed up and
left Kurita space, instead of facing the Coordinator's wraith.
After
the successful campaign on wheel, the RoughRiders were ordered to
assault the Kurtia held world of Hainfeld. The only importance of
Hainfeld, was that it was once a Commonwealth world lost during
the succession wars ages before. Defending Hainfeld was a
battalion of aging militia Mechs and around 20 Tank and Infantry
Regiments, and they proved no match for the RoughRiders. Unlike
Wheel the Kurita Militia made one heroic stance, and were
slauged, in a short week long battle.
The
Hanson's RoughRiders and the Waco Rangers, two good mercenary
regiments, dropped onto Satalice in late May. Their invasion
proved to be one of the most effective during the fourth
succession war. Defending Satalice was the 9th Rasalhague
Regulars. After several months of maneuvering, the Steiner
mercenary units caught the Regulars in a Mountain Valley. With
the Waco Rangers closing in on the mouth of the valley, and the
RoughRiders firmly between the Regulars and their DropShips. In
danger of being surrounded and annihilated, the Rasalhague
Regulars broke and raced for their DropShips and abandoned
Satalice. That race to their DropShips cost the 9th Rasalhague
Regulars, more than the last several months of hit and run
battles with the LCAF mercenaries, all due to mechanic
breakdowns.
When
the Lyran Commonwealth learned of the Kurita's sudden disinterest
in offensive actions, it adopted a similar stance. Only several
deep raids conducted by units skilled in such tactics were
allowed to continuous. The Gray Death Legion, and the RoughRiders
were the most famous of these units. The RoughRiders conducted
two such raids during this time.
More
than a year after the end of the Fourth Succession war, the LCAF
units skilled at deep raids, were still at it. Second only to the
Gray Death legion, The RoughRiders were chosen for one of the
deepest of these raids. Staying out of the Normal shipping lanes,
the RoughRiders sudden appearance inside the planets orbit, well
inside the pirate jump point, sent the defending units into
panic. The lighter, faster Mechs. of the 6th Alshain Regulars,
rushed to the predicated DZ, of the RoughRiders DropShips,
leaving most of the slower units way behind. The RoughRider's
heavy fighters, proved too much for the Kurita fighters, with
complete air superiority, the main body of the 6th Alshain Mechs
and tanks were ground into pieces, while the fast DCMS Mechs.
were no match for the shear mass of the RoughRiders' heavy Mechs.
The Commander of the Kurita unit had no choice but to retreat to
the forests of Kaesong, and wait for the Steiner Mechs. Colonel
Hanson had other Ideas, he sent a small force of tanks and Mechs,
to keep the Kurita forces, out of the way while they ransacked
the planet. The RoughRiders were able to destroy the last of the
6th Alshain Regulars, and escape off world, just as the 3rd and
9th Alshain Regulars reached the nadir Jump Point.
With
the Élan that made the Hanson's RoughRiders the darlings of the
commonwealth media, they were able to carry out, a daring raid
deep into Kurita space. This raid took them through the newly
formed Free Rasalhague Republic, undetected to strike at the
heavy garrisoned world of Stemwerde. Unlike earlier raids the
elite 3rd Battalion of the Second Sword of Light, and the 5th
Benjamin Regulars, were able to hold them-selves together, during
the aerial bombardment, and inflicted heavy damages on the
RoughRiders' fighters. The DCMS Commanders plan was to tie down
the raiders until the other three Regiments in jump range could
come and help them destroy dreaded Steiner Mercenaries. The plan
would have worked on any other unit but the Hanson's RoughRiders.
Colonel Hanson and the RoughRiders, were able to annihilate the
5th Benjamin Regulars, and cripple the 3rd Battalion, and then to
the surprise of the Kurita Commanders, the RoughRiders, attacked
the DZ of the relief units. Catching most of them in the process
of unloading, the RoughRiders were able to inflict heavy damages
to all three Regiments, before leaving the planet in chaos.
Early
3036 Colonel Hanson receive news that the Duchy of Andurien was
tempting to Rebel against the Free World league. Colonel Hanson
requested permission to leave the service of the House Steiner,
and enter the service of the Duchy of Andurien, His lost Home
Space. Duchess Dame Catherine Humphreys offered to buy out the
RoughRiders remaining contract. But do to the instability of the
newly formed Free Rasalhague Republic and increasing pressure on
the Kurita boarder the Archon was forced to turn the offer down.
The
RoughRiders were supporting the Assault on the Kurita World of
Altais, the other LCAF units in the Assault was the 17th Skye
Rangers and the 25th Arcturan Guards RCT. The first stages of the
attack was proceeding very well, until the Lyran high command
lost its nerve after the attempt on Field Marshal Steiner and the
High Command, by DEST agents. Finding themselves several jumps
behind enemy lines with out support, and facing several unknown
Kurita Mech. Regiments, using unknown Mechs, took the fight out
of the Regular LCAF units. The Commanders of the Two Steiner
Regular units decided to return to Lyran space, and that the
RoughRiders would buy them the time to make it out of the system.
The RoughRiders held out for three more weeks of continuous
assaults, before disaster struck, Colonel Hansons' Command lance
was ambushed by several Kurita Companies, none survived. The
RoughRiders went berserk; they attacked with everything, they had
to brake through to the wreckage of the Command lance. Most of
the Regiment lost there lives in sight of Colonel Hanson's
burning BattleMaster. Only the cool thinking of some of the older
RoughRiders keep the unit intact, and were able to stop the
suicidal charge of the Regiment. When the RoughRider dropships
finely lifted off of Altais, very few RoughRiders were on them.
Colonel Hanson led 120 Mech. Warriors and several hundred Tank
and Infantry troopers into the boodbath on Altais, only 32 Mechs
and 60 tanks and support vehicles made it off.
After
the pounding on Altais, and the lost of salvage rights and combat
bonus, the RoughRiders were forced to sell several dropships, to
cover the ransom of the rest of the RoughRider personnel left
behind on Altais, and to try to replace their losses. The Kuritas
asked over 500,000,000 H-bills for the return of the RoughRider
prisoners, but they refused to return the remains of Colonel
Gerhardt Hanson, this was more then Colonel Kristen Hanson could
take, she swore a oath that the RoughRiders would return to
Altais, and turn it in to a funeral pry for her father, and oath
the RoughRiders, still remember. Even after the sell the
RoughRiders could only muster five battalions of 'Mechs and
armour, not enough to fill the requirements of garrison duty on
Suk II. The Fed-Com Commanders of the Tamar Theater called a
Competency Hearing on the RoughRiders, after two months of
hearings, the ruling was the Hanson's RoughRiders were
incompetent to full fill part of their contract, instead of
breaking their contract with the RoughRiders. The Fed-Com would
remove them from Suk II and would be moved to a more suitable
world for them to Garrison. The 33rd Avalon Hussars RCT, a
fanatically loyal Davion unit, replaced the Hanson's RoughRiders
early 3041, while the RoughRiders were shipped off to the other
side of the Federated Commonwealth, to a Periphery/ Capellan
boarder world called Bromhead.
A
Rogue Detachment of Capellan Mechs, raided the new home of the
Hanson's RoughRiders, shortly after they took up station there.
Disguised as Periphery Traders, the Capellan DropShips were
allowed to land near the Space port, during landing the Raiders
did a low altitude combat drop. the Capital City soon found
itself, surrounded by enemy Mechs. The Capellan raiders were
ill-prepared for the RoughRiders counterattack, that drove
straight through the heart of there forces, the attack shattered
the raiders, sending them fleeing in all directions. It look the
RoughRiders, more than a month to hunt the last of these raiders
down.
Kommandant
Wolfgang Hanson, the youngest son of Gerhardt Hanson. Traveled to
Concordat, to meet with Thomas Calderon, the current Protector of
the Concordat, to get equipment and supplies from the Taurian
factories. The Hanson's RoughRiders were being bled dry by the
Fed-Com company store, with there current mercenary rating and
assignment they were not making enough to pay the Davion fee's.
The details of this meeting are unknown, but when the
RoughRiders' dropships left planet side, they were loaded with
equipment and spare parts. Every two months Taurian Concordat
JumpShips were seen at the Bromhead jump points. Most observers
feel this is why the RoughRiders have a unusually high number of
Archers, Marauders, Thunderbolts, and WarHammers. The RoughRiders
did receive a trickle of modern equipment and 'Mechs from sources
inside the Lyran State Command, outside the Fed-Comm company
store, most of this equipment came form the Desert Knights
Project.
Mid
3047, the RoughRiders were ordered into the Periphey after a
rouge Fed-Com mercenary. unit, the Derrickson's Devils. Unknown
to the RoughRiders, the rouge unit already raided the Pinard
capital city, and fled deeper into the Periphery. Colonel Kristen
Hanson took only one Battalion of Mechs, with her when she jumped
into the Pinard system, after them. Find the capital city still
in flames, she ordered the RoughRiders to jump into the Pirate
haven star cluster, this was the most likely spot for Derrickson
to go. Not far into the Cluster, they found several dropships on
a small moon, Upon landing the RoughRider Mechs walked into a
ambush, they took only minor damage, as they fought there way
out, and then destroyed the Pirate forces that stood before them.
Most of the pirate fled before the Heavy Mechs of the
RoughRiders. When the Battle was over the RoughRiders, only lost
four Mechs, including Kristen's RoughRider Mech. The remaining
RoughRiders loaded the combat savage onto the two aging union
class pirate dropships and headed back to Bromhead. The
RoughRiders went into the Cluster, two more time looking for the
Derrickson's Devils, all they found were more pirate ambushes.
Taurian
Raids started early in 3048 along the whole Fed-Com boarder.
Strangely Bromhead was only hit once by these Taurian recon
forces. During this raid, the two Taurian Hamilcar class
dropships, were driven off before they were able to deliver their
packages.
During
late 3050, Several DropShips were detected inbound from a pirate
jump point. The RoughRiders rushed to the predicated DZ, catching
the Raiders as they were unloading. During the fighting, one
DropShip was able to land a large force of Capellan Mechs into
the rear area of the RoughRiders. This was very unlucky for the
RoughRiders' First Armoured Battalion, making a supply run. The
Rogue Mechs. caught the tanks low on ammo. With little or no
missiles and very little AC rounds, The RoughRiders had drawn the
short straw. Displaying their normal flare for tactics, the tanks
attacked, tanks without ammo, acted like battering rams, and
started ramming the raiding Mechs at full speed. This tactic
brought down more than one Mech. but all the tanks were heavily
damaged or destroyed, in the end. Their sacrifice, turned the
tide of battle, as the surviving raiders, limped back to their
DropShips and headed home, empty handed. The official press
release from the Capellans called them a Rogue unit, but Fed-Com
intelligence believes the Capellans were probing the void left
after the abrupt departure of the Victor '49 units.
Wolfgang Hanson and his senior staff traveled to New Avalon, to meet with the Archon-Prince and the Marshal of Armies, to plead with them to transfer the RoughRiders to the Clan front. Only, to be told that the RoughRiders were in no shape to face the Clans, due to the low number of upgraded Mechs. Also, do to political problems in the Periphery and the state of the Capellan Armed forces, the RoughRiders were needed on Bromhead, more than ever.