34th Marik Militia

Free Worlds League Crest
Thirty-fourth Marik Militia
Formed 2766[1]-2786[2]
3057
Affiliation Free Worlds League
Parent Command Marik Militia

The Thirty-fourth Marik Militia was a BattleMech regiment in service with the Free Worlds League Military.

History[edit]

First Succession War[edit]

The Thirty-fourth Marik Militia was one of a dozen regiments of the Marik Militia to be raised in the period between the eruption of the Amaris Civil War in 2765[1] and the onset of the First Succession War in 2786,[2] and when the Free Worlds League annexed a number of Terran Hegemony worlds in 2785 the Thirty-fourth was assigned as the garrison for Denebola, along with a pair of Vincent-class corvettes to serve as a naval picket for the system. The relatively light garrison was a result of how heavily deployed the Free Worlds League Military was - a result of the combined stresses of heavy fighting on the border with the Lyran Commonwealth, the ongoing annexation of former Hegemony worlds, and the invasion of the Capellan Confederation.[3]

The Thirty-fourth took up residence in the battered facilities that had once been the home base of the Star League Defense Force 282nd Mechanized Infantry Division, and were soon sparring with pro-Hegemony guerrillas active on Denebola, losing a company of BattleMechs to the guerrillas by 2786. The Lyran Commonwealth invaded Denebola in 2786, deploying the Fourteenth Lyran Guards as the invasion force, accompanied by a naval escort consisting of a pair of Commonwealth-class light cruisers, the LCS Odessa and LCS Porrima. Despite being outgunned, the FWLS Francisco and her sister ship gamely attempted to attack the Lyran invasion force, only for the opening volley of laser and missile fire from the Odessa to destroy the Francisco outright - at which point her sister ship fled the Denebola system, leaving the Thirty-fourth to attempt to resist the invasion without naval support.[3]

At the request of Colonel Hoshi DeWitt, the commanding officer of the Fourteenth, the Odessa and Porrima moved into orbit above Denebola and subjected the Thirty-fourth's base to a two-hour orbital bombardment that destroyed more than half the Marik forces outright. Two companies of mixed armor and infantry forces from the Thirty-fourth went to ground and would spend months engaged in raids and resistance against the Fourteenth Lyran Guards, but the bulk of the survivors from the Thirty-fourth surrendered within two days of the Fourteenth's landing.[3]

Reactivation[edit]

The Thirty-fourth Marik Militia was reactivated in 3057.

Operation GUERRERO[edit]

During Operation GUERRERO, the Thirty-fourth Marik Militia captured Pollux.[4] There they faced off against a militia regiment of infantry and armor.[5]

Operation BULLDOG[edit]

The Thirty-fourth did not participate in Operation BULLDOG.

Jihad[edit]

As of 3067, they were headquartered on Amity.[6] The 34th Marik Militia was part of Operation Broken Fist, the defense of the Free Worlds League against invading forces from the Lyran Commonwealth's Skye and Bolan Provinces.[7] By 3079 they had overcome their inexperience and become a stalwart defensive unit. Splitting into two smaller commands, they garrisoned the Tamarind District worlds Epsilon and Nockatunga.[8]

The relentless pace of Lyran assaults on worlds protected by the Thirty-fourth eventually led to disaster. In mid- to late 3079 the Thirty-fourth was soundly defeated at Epsilon by the 4th Lyran Regulars and 8th Lyran Regulars,[9] suffering severe losses before they could escape to the friendly system of Promised Land.[10] The 34th would be defeated again on Nockatunga in early September 3079 by the 4th Alliance Guards and was forced to retreat to limit collateral damage.[11] Shortly thereafter, the Free Worlds League was disbanded following the final vote of the Free Worlds League Parliament in January 3079.[12] This shocking event, coupled with the unit's losses, drove morale to an all-time low. For the next five years, any rumor of a deployment to a front line sparked numerous desertions.[10]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 34th Marik Militia
Colonel William Adams 3059 - 3067[5][6]
Colonel Rumi Vyse 3085[13]

Tactics[edit]

The reactivated Thirty-fourth was too new to have any tactical specialties prior to the Jihad.[5]

Composition History[edit]

2786[edit]

Thirty-fourth Marik Militia (Regiment/Green/Questionable)[2]

- At this point in time the Thirty-fourth was a medium-weight command and was operating at full strength.[2] The unit was destroyed during the war.

3059–3067[edit]

Thirty-fourth Marik Militia (1 Regiment/Green/Reliable)[5][6]

Sixty-seventh Independent Air Wing (1 Wing/Regular/Reliable)[5][6]

3079[edit]

Thirty-Fourth Marik Militia (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[14]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Epsilon and Nockatunga.[14] The assault by the Lyran Commonwealth and ongoing raids reduced the Thirty-fourth to about seventy percent of its pre-Jihad strength.[8]

3085[edit]

Thirty-fourth Marik Militia (Regular/Questionable)[13]

  • CO: Colonel Rumi Vyse

Thirty-fourth Militia Aerospace (Wing/Regular/Reliable)[13]

Twelfth Promised Land Armor Regiment (Green/Questionable)[13]

Third Promised Land Infantry Brigade (Green/Reliable)[13]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Field Report 2765: FWLM, p. 10: "Marik Militia"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 First Succession War, p. 138: "Free Worlds League Military (FWLM)"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 First Succession War, p. 29: "Lyran Commonwealth Gains"
  4. ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 68
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Field Manual: Free Worlds League, p. 69: "34th Marik Militia Unit Profile"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Field Manual: Updates, p. 160: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3067"
  7. ↑ Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 80
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 11
  9. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 102
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Field Manual: 3085, p. 89
  11. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, pp. 24–25: "Lyran Aggressors Press Into League Territory"
  12. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 24: "Item 2"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Field Manual: 3085, p. 93: "FWLM Deployment Table - 3085"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Field Report: FWLM, p. 11
  15. ↑ First Succession War, p. 147: "RAT Die Roll Modifiers by Combat Command Table"

Bibliography[edit]

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