2nd Lyran Guards

2nd Lyran Guards.jpg
Second Lyran Guards
Nickname Walking Hellfire[1]
Rüchel[1]
Affiliation Lyran Commonwealth
Parent Command Lyran Guards

History[edit]

Star League Era[edit]

During the Star League era, the Second Lyran Guards were one of ten regiments within the First Lyran Guards Division, one of four divisions of active regiments within the Lyran Guards brigade in the closing decades of the Star League's existence. Like the other regiments of the Lyran Guards, the Second's loyalty was technically to the Commonwealth first and the Archon second, but all of the regiments of the First Division had been used at one time or another to keep powerful nobles in line.[2]

The Second Lyran Guards were not intended to participate in planetary assaults; instead, they arrived on a world after most of the fighting was complete in order to lead occupation forces. This contributed to their unique makeup: in 2750, they consisted of three battalions and each battalion consisted of two companies of Firestarter BattleMechs supported by one company of Hunchbacks. These 'Mechs were seen as most useful in garrisoning an occupied territory.[1]

In 2746, the Second deployed to Gustrell, an independent world that was located inside the Rim Worlds Republic's borders. The LIC found evidence that a mercenary unit under contract to Gustrell's planetary government was responsible for a brutal assault on a Lyran research station in the Dark Nebula. The Second quickly destroyed the armor and infantry units that garrisoned Gustrell, and in two days had captured the planet's senate building. The Guards' actions became known as the "Gustrell Massacre" after images of burned infantrymen were broadcast throughout the Inner Sphere. The Second remained on world until a Rim Worlds Republic garrison force could arrive. During that time, the LIC completed their investigation and discovered that the mercenaries that had prompted the invasion operated on their own, without aid or comfort from the Gustrell planetary government.[1]

Like the other regiments of the Guards during this era, the Second lacked any particular political ties—either regional or familial—unlike regiments in other brigades. Commonly assigned to garrison postings, the First Lyran Guards and their sister regiments were postings of choice for those who wanted to work for the Commonwealth without either regional loyalties or particular ambitions. This led to the Second and her sister regiments being manned by soldiers who were professional, but without the close-knit ties found in more parochial regiments. The LCAF was intent on generating more camaraderie and esprit de corps amongst the Second and the other Guards regiments, but with little success by 2765. Stationed on Radostov in 2765, the Second had been in combat against raiders on The Edge shortly before.[2]

First Succession War[edit]

The Second defended Port Moseby against DCMS-forces in 2789. The Second defeated the attacking Kurita forces using Firestarter BattleMechs, but were destroyed later that year a second DCMS attack against the planet.[3] Surviving elements of the Second Lyran Guards were folded into the Thirtieth Lyran Guards, which was nicknamed "Walking Hellfire" in homage to the defunct Second Guards.[4]

The Second was evidently reconstituted as a regiment after the battles on Port Moseby; in 2790, the Second defended Radostov, which was conquered by the Fourteenth Bolan Defenders, and in 2791 the Second returned to Radostov alongside the Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment, recapturing the planet and destroying the Fourteenth.[5] The Second Lyran Guards would fight alongside the Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment twice more; in 2801, the two commands captured Herzberg, which was defended only by the local planetary militia, but in 2803 both regiments and the Eleventh Arcturan Guards were deployed to the attack on Finsterwalde, one of the last systems in the Bolan Thumb to remain under the control of the Free Worlds League.[6]

Command of the conflict in the Bolan theater had passed to Kommandant-General Aric Hasseldorf in 2790, who was keenly aware that the main focus of the Commonwealth High Command lay elsewhere. Hasseldorf's campaign relied on maintaining a regular tempo of objective raids against the embittered defenders, intended to force the FWLM commands to remain at high readiness constantly, sapping their strength, while scouts worked to identify weak points in the defenders lines and highlighted worlds ready to be conquered.[7] Despite the disruption caused by the death of Archon Jennifer Steiner and a reduction in the number of available JumpShips and WarShips to support his campaign, Hasseldorf continued to grind away at the FWLM forces within the Bolan Thumb.[8]

The Bolan Thumb campaign slowed significantly in 2800, but resumed apace in late 2801, and in 2803 Hasseldorf struck at Finsterwalde,[9] which was defended by the Ninth Bolan Defenders and the Thirty-third Marik Militia.[6] The defending FWLM forces were heavily dug-in and had reserves of both tactical nuclear and chemical weapons they were more than ready to use, as Hassledorf's forces found when the FWLM hit the Lyran landing zones with both flavors of weapon, as well as launching a surprise aerospace fighter attack against the LCAF escorts. The fighter attack stripped Hasseldorf of what little naval power left to him after fourteen years of combat, and the bitter defense put up on Finsterwalde saw both the Ninth Bolan Defenders and the Second Lyran Guards destroyed. The defense mounted on Finsterwalde was fierce enough that it forced Hasseldorf to postpone his campaign for Acrux and Marsalle, the last of the Bolan Thumb systems still under League control.[9]

Second Succession War[edit]

The Second Lyran Guards were eventually rebuilt after their destruction on Finsterwalde; the re-formed command was an elite-ranked regiment and supported their then-Commanding Officer, Leutnant-General Claudius Steiner, in staging a coup to remove Melissa Nin from the Archonship in 2845. The Second performed a combat drop on Tharkad City, defeating elements of the defending Third Lyran Guards.[10] The Second Lyran Guards were once again off the LCAF rolls by the end of the Second Succession War.[11] Elements of the unit were absorbed into the Thirtieth Lyran Guards, who took on the "Walking Hellfire" moniker.[4]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 2nd Lyran Guards
Colonel Alexandra Waters 2789[12]
Leutnant-General Claudius Steiner 2844 - 2845[10]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

  • Second Lyran Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[2]
- At this point in time the Second was stationed on Radostov.[2]

2786[edit]

  • Second Lyran Guards (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[13]
- At this point in time the Second was a heavy regiment at full strength and was stationed on Radostov.[13] The unit was destroyed during the war.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Era Report: 2750, p. 51
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Field Report 2765: LCAF, p. 12: "Lyran Guards"
  3. Technical Readout: 3025, p. 22: "Firestarter BattleMech (battle history)"
  4. 4.0 4.1 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 57
  5. First Succession War, p. 70: "The Bolan Thumb Campaign (Continued)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 First Succession War, p. 71: "The Bolan Thumb Campaign (Continued)"
  7. First Succession War, p. 68–69: "League Retaliations"
  8. First Succession War, pp. 69–70: "Stall and Recovery"
  9. 9.0 9.1 First Succession War, p. 72: "Losing Steam: Phase Three"
  10. 10.0 10.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 42: "History of the Lyran Alliance - Second Succession War (2830-2864) - Dark Succession"
  11. Second Succession War, p. 99
  12. Technical Readout: 3025, p. 24
  13. 13.0 13.1 First Succession War, p. 39: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces"

Bibliography[edit]