23rd Amaris Chasseurs

Twenty-third Amaris Chasseurs
Disbanded October 2767
Affiliation Rim Worlds Republic
Parent Command Amaris Chasseurs

History[edit]

The Twenty-third Amaris Chasseurs were a BattleMech regiment within the Rim Worlds Army during the Star League era. When Stefan Amaris launched his coup and seized control of the Terran Hegemony, the Twenty-third was one of approximately fifteen 'Mech regiments left in the Rim Worlds Republic as garrison troops, under the overall command of Regent Mohammed Selim.[1]

In 2767, Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky, the Commanding Officer of the Star League Defense Force, announced that he intended to occupy the Rim Worlds Republic. General Kerensky established the Fourteenth Army Group as the lead Army Group for the invasion, and elements of the Ninth Army fought in the campaign to occupy the Rim Worlds Republic. General Kerensky divided the invasion forces into two task forces, one headed by himself, and the other by General Aaron DeChavilier, and the Ninth formed a part of DeChavilier's task force.[2]

In September 2677 the Ninth was deployed as part of the third wave of invasions into the Erdvynn Province of the Republic, tasked with capturing Circinus. Based on Circinus at the time were the Twenty-third Amaris Chasseurs. During the years in which the SLDF had maintained a presence in the Rim Worlds Republic until the withdrawal of the Tenth Army Group the SLDF had built and maintained twenty fortress complexes within the Republic. One of these bases, Camp Amber, was located on Circinus; the base anchored the Republic's rimward defenses and it was considered a threat to SLDF operations. The Ninth initially concentrated on securing industrial sites and civilian population centers, but found themselves being stung by hit-and-fade attacks from an enemy BattleMech force - the Twenty-third, striking from Camp Amber. The SLDF was able to track the Chasseurs back to their base of operations and the discovery that it was Camp Amber was a little embarrassing for the SLDF, as Camp Amber - buried under the northern Ezo Desert - had been believed to be abandoned, and therefore hadn't been a priority.[3]

The Commanding Officer of the Ninth, General Thierry Dhaif, assigned two complete divisions to capture and secure Camp Amber. These two divisions - the 108th Jump Infantry Division and the 275th BattleMech Division - moved to breach the heavily fortified and concealed entrances to Camp Amber. As the two divisions attempted to open the massive blast doors that secured the various entry points, the Twenty-third used snipers and hidden weapon emplacements to harass the SLDF troops, although the S:DF quickly wiped these initial defenses out. Once the SLDF gained access to Camp Amber, the battle to secure the fortress would take six weeks, despite the vast disparity in numbers between the SLDF and Rim Worlds Army forces. Camp Amber was a labyrinth, and the Chasseurs were able to withdraw in good order to secondary and tertiary defensive positions within the complex. Despite the efforts made by the Chasseurs, the SLDF numbers made the difference - particularly after one company of Chasseurs made an ill-judged attempt to break out of Camp Amber and ran straight into a regiment of SLDF troops. When the SLDF finally secured Camp Amber on the 25th of October, the occupation of Circinus was complete.[3]

References[edit]

  1. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 103: "Troops Involved in the Rim Worlds Campaign"
  2. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 105: "The Gathering Storm"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 106: "Camp Amber"

Bibliography[edit]