22nd Dieron Regulars

Dieronregulars22.jpg
Twenty-second Dieron Regulars
Formed 2782[1]
Disbanded Ca. 3081[2]
Nickname Vengeance of Dieron
Affiliation Draconis Combine
Parent Command Dieron Regulars

History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The Twenty-second Dieron Regulars were one of thirty-one regiments of Dieron Regulars to be created by the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery after 2765.[3] The Dieron Regulars expanded by ten regiments during the Amaris Civil War,[4] and a further twenty-one regiments were raised between the end of the Civil War and the end of the First Succession War. Of the latter twenty-one regiments, eight were formed by recruiting Star League Defense Force personnel and units whilst the remainder - including the Twenty-second - were recruited more conventionally.[3] With the Twenty-first, Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Dieron Regulars all being founded in 2782, the Twenty-second was most likely founded in the same year.

Third Succession War[edit]

In late 3021 The Twenty-second suffered severe casualties assisting in the defense of the Kurita world of Dromini VI against large scale operations by the Wolf's Dragoons mercenary unit's Alpha Regiment in the employ of House Steiner.[5]

In 3025 the unit was stationed on Ko.[6]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

The Twenty-second were garrisoned on Dyev when the second major Lyran Commonwealth offensive of the Fourth Succession War began.[7] Dubbed Operation HOLDUR, the offensive was Margrave Jack Sphire's plan to make headway into the Dieron Military District and saw almost a hundred Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces regiments attack eight assorted Combine worlds. For Archon Katrina Steiner destroying DCMS 'Mech regiments was as important a goal as seizing territory,[8] and as a result, the Seventeenth Donegal Guards RCT was deployed to destroy the Twenty-second. The Regulars were a well-led, seasoned unit, and when the Guards landed they discovered that the Regulars held the two mountain passes that controlled the water supply to the Epsi River Basin, a prosperous region of Dyev. Colonel Tommy Gaherty made numerous attempts to dislodge the Regulars from their position, but the Guards were unable to pry them out of the mountain passes, and the battle for Dyev became a siege that only ended when the Gray Death Legion arrived to reinforce the guards in November. Although the Regulars' position remained highly defensible, defending both approaches would have spread the Kuritan forces too thinly, something the Twenty-second's commander knew. The Twenty-second staged a breakout, racing past the Guards to meet with their DropShips in the Basin before abandoning Dyev.[7]

War of 3039[edit]

The Twenty-second was the garrison regiment on Konstance when an Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth invasion force struck the planet in July 3039. Konstance was anticipated to be a problem for the AFFC, as the world had four major continents and an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide. In an attempt to secure the world quickly and prevent the Twenty-second from escaping the AFFC deployed the Fourth Crucis Lancers and Fourth Lyran Regulars line regiments and the mercenary unit Mobile Fire to the attack, which hinged around landings on the continents of Perragea and Epigaus to swiftly seize the major cities and spaceports there. The assault began with problems and proceeded to get steadily worse for the invaders; forced to delay the planned invasion by two weeks because of a JumpShip problem and issues with coordinating the mix of AFFS, LCAF and mercenary forces, the invaders found the Konstance system on alert and the defending forces ready for them.[9]

The main invasion force arrived at the nadir jump point and swiftly dispatched the local security cordon, while a second, smaller task force arrived at the zenith jump point and captured the DCMS ships there, leaving the Twenty-second isolated on Konstance... and with Sho-sho Tatyana Sobiroff determined to avoid a disastrous direct confrontation with the more numerous invading forces in favor of a campaign intended to make life as difficult as possible for the attackers until the Twenty-second could be reinforced. The first battle of the campaign was fought at Ishtalia, the planetary capital city, when a task force led by the Fourth Crucis Lancers spent sixteen minutes defeating the pro forma defense of the city offered by the defending forces, which consisted of just a company of 'Mechs, a battalion of armor and a battalion of infantry. The limited resistance was a cause for concern on the part of the Fourth, who had anticipated greater resistance, but interning and interrogating the three thousand DCMS personnel captured at Ishtalia failed to reveal any information on the location of the bulk of the Twenty-second or any details of Sho-sho Sobiroff's plans.[9]

The Fourth Lyran Regulars and Mobile Fire landed forty kilometers west of Lazarus Bay, the main port city on Epigaus, and moved to secure the city; heavier resistance was encountered at Lazarus Bay than had been met at Ishtalia, with numerous, heavily dug-in conventional DCMS forces holding the city itself while a battalion of 'Mechs from the Twenty-second launched swift flanking attacks against the Fourth. The Lyran Regulars were a light unit themselves and responded with equally swift counterattacks, turning the flank of the battle into a swirling high-speed battlefield that saw relatively few casualties on either side but an increasing number of mechanical breakdowns due to the tempo of operations. By late May the invaders had secured Lazarus City, but had only captured a few hundred DCMS personnel - the bulk of the defenders having either escaped to the continents of Juranias and Tiburia in transport submarines commandeered from the locals, or simply gone to ground.[9]

The next few months were marked by relatively few clashes between the Twenty-second and the occupying forces, leading to the AFFC classing the action on Konstance as a police action rather than a campaign, but the Task Force was forced to remain vigilant because of the continuing presence of the Twenty-second on the planet. The Twenty-second launched a series of raids on Epigaus and Perragea soon after a problem with the supply of filter masks left the Fourth Lyran Regulars struggling to conduct operations, whilst ISF operatives spread rumors to foment discord between the Fourth Lyran Regulars, the mercenaries and the Fourth Crucis Lancers by implying that the Lancers were refusing to share filters with the Lyran forces - despite the truth being that minor differences with the filter equipment made the AFFS and LCAF systems incompatible. With morale dropping among the occupying forces, personality conflicts between the commanding officers of the Lyran Regulars and the Crucis Lancers over who should be commanding the police action continued to cause problems for the invaders.[9]

With the invasion stalled in the area around Vega due to an ISF strike that decapitated the Lyran command network in the area, the arrival of the Third Dieron Regulars on Konstance on the 19th of August caused a step change in the tempo of conflict on the planet. The Third made a daring drop within ten kilometers of Lazarus Bay and swiftly established a defensive line south of the city, seizing on the battle for Konstance as an opportunity to avenge themselves against the LCAF following defeats in the Fourth Succession War. An attempted counterattack by the Fourth Lyran Regulars saw the Lyran forces driven back, confusion on the battlefield allowing the command company from the Third to rout two battalions of lighter Lyran 'Mechs. The Third then attacked the Lyrans after they retreated to Lazarus Bay, with the Twenty-second emerging from hiding to support the assault. With the exception of the Third Division of Mobile Fire the defending forces were less experienced at fighting in urban terrain than the Dieron Regulars, and the assault into the city was a brutal slugfest fought at short range that inflicted widespread damage on Lazarus Bay. Mobile Fire managed to slow the Third and inflict heavy damage on the attackers, but the mercenary commanding officer, Quinten Moore, was killed in action, leaving Mobile Fire under the command of his executive officer. Realizing that the Lyran position was untenable, the commanding officer of the Lyran Regulars had his forces fall back to their DropShips, but rather than making a suborbital transfer and relocating the Lyran Regulars and Mobile Fire near the Fourth Crucis Lancers, he instead had his DropShips rejoin their JumpShips, leaving the Lancers behind.[10]

Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Crucis Lancers were well fortified and supported - other than lacking infantry - and could have continued to fight, but both sides knew that the battle for Ishtalia would be costly, and neither General Duncan of the Crucis Lancers, Sho-sho Sobiroff or Tai-sho James Kurenai of the Third Dieron Regulars wished to see the same kind of damage inflicted on the planetary capital that had devastated Lazarus Bay. The Dieron Regulars besieged Ishtalia for six weeks rather than trying to force their way into the city, but the siege soon identified that the Dieron Regulars lacked the forces to assault the city directly, whilst the Lancers lacked the forces to break out. When General Duncan received recall orders from the AFFC High Command he made contact with the Regulars, requesting a ceasefire; a meeting arranged two days later between Duncan and Kurenai allowed the two commanders to exchange pleasantries and compliments on the respective performance of both their commands, as well as mutual agreement that the campaign could easily tip either way but would involve considerable further bloodshed, which would be wasteful for all involved. With the DCMS counterinvasion sweeping through Combine space, the long-term outcome was most likely a DCMS victory on Konstance; to prevent further bloodshed, Kurenai offered to allow the Lancers to retreat peacefully with their honor intact. Duncan accepted and the last of the Lancers withdrew from Konstance on the 12th of November, leaving the Third and Twenty-second to rebuild.[9]

Clan Invasion[edit]

In 3050 the Twenty-second was stationed on Dyev.[11]

Operation BULLDOG[edit]

The Twenty-second was stationed on McAlister when Clan Smoke Jaguar launched a counterattack in response to the first two waves of Operation BULLDOG.[12] When the Second Jaguar Regulars attacked McAlister[13] they found not only the Fifteenth Dieron Regulars on the planet, but also the Fourteenth Alshain Avengers, First Ghost[12] and the elite Davion Assault Guards RCT on the planet.[14] The Second Jaguar Regulars were initially successful, either destroying or damaging a number of supply bases that the SLDF had established on McAlister to support BULLDOG, and did so in a remarkably short time. The effectiveness with which the second was operating prompted Victor Steiner-Davion to caution the garrison forces on all five worlds targeted by the Smoke Jaguars that they mustn't be complacent, despite initial assessments that the counterattack was unlikely to disrupt the third wave of BULLDOG. Despite the Second's successes, they were eventually overwhelmed by the superior numbers of the defending forces.[15] The Second evidently knew that their assault was a suicide mission, but had been determined to inflict as much damage as possible; deploying two Trinaries of troops in the assault, and was using information obtained from the Watch to target particular supply bases such as Supply Fort Silk; the bases they attacked were as impregnable as the DCMS could make them, combining fixed defenses at sites chosen for their ability to be easily defended, with garrisons of at least two companies of 'Mechs and supporting auxiliary troops at each fort. If the Smoke Jaguar troops hadn't been determined to win and sacrifice themselves in the process, the damage inflicted might've been less, but as it was enough damage was inflicted to prevent the regiments on McAlister deploying in the third wave of BULLDOG.[16]

The Twenty-second was deployed to Kabah in 3059 as a part of Operation BULLDOG, securing the planet with minimal losses.[17] Kabah was a fourth-wave target; by the time the Twenty-second and the supporting Nova Cat Lancers landed, the Smoke Jaguar forces in the Inner Sphere were in full retreat; Kabah was one of the worlds where Smoke Jaguar garrison forces lacked transport to escape in, and were left with no way to retreat. The Kabah garrison - the Seventh Garrison Cluster, a part of the Smoke Jaguar Psi Galaxy - held out for some time in the hopes that Smoke Jaguar forces returning from the counterattack on Matamoras would be able to evacuate them. The tempo of operations changed when the commanding officer of the Twenty-second was able to convince the Seventh's commanding officer that no help or relief forces were going to arrive; the Smoke Jaguars switched to fighting Trials of Possession, split almost evenly between the Nova Cat Lancers and the Twenty-second, as a means of satisfying their honor.[18]

Dominion War[edit]

The Twenty-second was still in place on Kabah when the Ghost Bear Dominion responded to the attacks launched by the Alshain Avengers; the Twenty-second found themselves fighting a pitched campaign against the Third Bear Guards that lasted just two weeks before the Twenty-second was forced to retreat to Garstedt. The Twenty-second was still on Garstedt in 3067, undergoing refits and repairs from the battle for Kabah.[17]

Jihad[edit]

The Twenty-second Dieron Regulars were attacked on Nykvarn in 3070 by Clan Diamond Shark forces. Battering the Regulars down to a quarter of their nominal strength, the Sharks also inflicted heavy casualties on the Twelfth Dieron Regulars at the same time. To give them time to rebuild, the High Command reassigned them to Schuyler.[19] When the Bloody Tricentennial attacks swept through the Inner Sphere the Twenty-second was still on Schuyler; terrorists launched an attack on the Twenty-second inside the Twenty-second's garrison within the Wakazashi Enterprises plant, but the Twenty-second responded quickly and were able to kill the terrorists before the Blakists could sabotage the factory itself.[20]

Dark Age[edit]

With the establishment of the Republic of the Sphere and the absorption of much of the Dieron Military District into the Republic, the Dieron Regulars brigade was disbanded, and re-formed as the New Samarkand Regulars. The Twenty-second became the Twenty-Second New Samarkand Regulars.[21]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Twenty-second Dieron Regulars
Brigadier General Tatyana Sobiroff 3025[6]
Sho-Sho Tatyana Sobiroff 3039[9]
Tai-sa Jason Ohiro 3050 - 3059[11]
Tai-sa Bella Solanice 3059[22]

Notes[edit]

  • Tai-sa Bella Solanice was Jason Ohiro's executive officer.[22]

Tactics[edit]

Third Succession War[edit]

The command was specialized in scout missions.[23]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

Following Theodore Kurita's reforms the Twenty-second changed tactics; reconnaissance missions were shifted to the conventional and aerospace elements of the Twenty-second, while the 'Mech forces within the Twenty-second specialized in learning to use information on potential battlefields to gain tactical advantages, and training to fight in terrain that limited maneuver, such as dense forests, heavily urban environments and mountain ranges.[22]

Composition History[edit]

2786 - 2821[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[3]

- At this point in time the Twenty-second was a medium-weight regiment operating at full strength and was stationed on Kuzuu.[3]In 2821 the unit was operating at just over forty percent of full strength, and was stationed on Eltanin.[3]

2830[edit]

22nd Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable) [24]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Eltanin with an operational readiness of 64 percent. [24]

2864[edit]

22nd Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Elite/Questionable) [24]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Kuzuu with an operational readiness of 24 percent. [24]

3025[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[25]

  • CO: Brigadier General Tatyana Sobiroff
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Ko. [26] The command contains 3 light battalions.[23]

3040[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[27]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Dyev.[27]

3050[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[11]

  • CO: Tai-sa Jason Ohiro[11]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Dyev.[11]

3054[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars(Regiment/Veteran/Questionable)[28]

  • CO: Tai-sa Jason Ohiro

3059[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars(Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[22]

  • Second Battalion: Chu-sa Lawrence Sepu
  • Third Battalion: Chu-sa Lyle Brock

- Unusually for a regular unit, they gained 36 OmniMechs and a great deal of new equipment including enough C3 systems to build three company-sized networks.

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars Aerospace(Expanded Wing/Veteran/Reliable)[22]

  • Wing Commander: Tai-sa Zander Kafké

- The unit can count on 6 OmniFighters when needed.

Devil Dogs (2 Battalions/Veteran/Fanatical)[22]

  • Armor Commander: Chu-sa Pedro Sifuentes

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars Infantry(Battalion/Elite/Reliable)[22]

  • Troop Commander: Chu-sa Samual Tohira

- The troopers are the pathfinders for the entire battle group. They are supported by the attached 36 battle armors.

3067[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Elite/Reliable)[29]

  • CO: Tai-sa Bella Solanice[29]
- A 'C'-Rated unit, the Twenty-second was operating at just above half-strength at this point in time. A quarter of the regiment was equipped with OmniMechs, and of the Twenty-second's 'Mech forces, a quarter had been upgraded to Star League-level technology, while three machines out of every ten were using Clan technology.[29]

Twenty-second Dieron Aerospace Wing (Veteran/Reliable)[29]

  • Wing Commander: Tai-sa Ophelia Dante[29]
- Operating at three-quarters of full strength, a tenth of the Twenty-second's aerospace forces were using Clan technology, but almost a third had been upgraded to use Star League-level equipment.[29]

Devil Dogs (2 Battalions) (Veteran/Fanatical)[29]

  • CO: Chu-sa Pablo Sifuentes[29]
- The Devil Dogs had only rebuilt to three-quarters of full strength by this point in time, but almost half of their equipment was using Star League-level technology.

Twenty-second Dieron Infantry (2 Companies) (Elite/Fanatical)[29]

  • CO: Chu-sa Samual Tohira[29]
- Chu-sa Tohira's command was at full strength at this point in time.[29]

3079[edit]

Twenty-second Dieron Regulars (Reinforced Regiment/Regular/Reliable) [30]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Schuyler.[30] At this point in time the Twenty-second was fully upgraded, but operating at just a quarter of full strength.[19]

References[edit]

  1. First Succession War, p. 32, "Those Left Behind"
  2. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 61, "The Jihad In Review"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 First Succession War, p. 137, "Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS)"
  4. First Succession War, p. 119, "House Kurita"
  5. Wolf's Dragoons (sourcebook), p. 27
  6. 6.0 6.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 133 "MECH UNIT DEPLOYMENT TABLE (as of 3025)"
  7. 7.0 7.1 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 75, "Dyev"
  8. NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, p. 73, "Ryde Theater"
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Historical: War of 3039, p. 31, "Konstance (April-July)"
  10. Historical: War of 3039, p. 75, "Konstance (April-July)"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 20 Year Update p. 40
  12. 12.0 12.1 The Dragon Roars, p. 10, "Unit Summaries"
  13. The Dragon Roars, p. 13, "Unit Summaries"
  14. The Dragon Roars, p. 11, "Unit Summaries"
  15. The Dragon Roars, p. 36, "Smoke Jaguar Counterattack"
  16. The Dragon Roars, p. 38-40, "Kamikaze"
  17. 17.0 17.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 107, "Dieron Regulars"
  18. The Dragon Roars, p. 52, "Wave Four: Clean-Up"
  19. 19.0 19.1 Field Report: DCMS, p. 9, "Dieron Regulars"
  20. Field Manual: 3085, p. 37, "Blake's Last Gasp"
  21. Field Manual: 3085, p. 41, "New Samarkand Regulars"
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Field Manual: Draconis Combine, p. 54, "Unit Profile"
  23. 23.0 23.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 144
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 Second Succession War, p. 97
  25. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 135
  26. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p.133
  27. 27.0 27.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 138
  28. Objective Raids, p.28
  29. 29.00 29.01 29.02 29.03 29.04 29.05 29.06 29.07 29.08 29.09 29.10 Field Manual: Updates, p. 118, "Albiero Prefecture"
  30. 30.0 30.1 Field Report: DCMS , p. 9

Bibliography[edit]