3rd Dragonlords

Brigade Insignia of the Dragonlords
Third Dragonlords
Formed ca. 2572
Nickname Golden Flame Riders
Affiliation Federated Suns
Parent Command Dragonlords


History[edit]

Formation[edit]

The origins of the Third Dragonlords - nicknamed the "Golden Flame Riders" - lay in the formation of the Star League and the establishment of the Star League Defense Force. With the significant drawdown of military forces in the wake of the formation of the SLDF, large quantities of military personnel - including some of the best and brightest - found themselves unemployed. Many carried on with the only skills they had, engaging in piracy and brigandage; as a result, the Star League initiated the United Triumph Military Exercises (UTEs) in 2572 as an attempt to deal with some of the problems.[1]

The Davion Brigade of Guards were due to be dispatched to take part in the UTEs; as the Guards were responsible for protecting the five core Golden Worlds of the Federated Suns - New Avalon, Argyle, Belladonna, El Dorado and Torrence - the Davion clans on those five worlds funded the creation of five temporary garrison units, supplying them with the best and heaviest equipment and recruiting the finest of the recently-discharged veterans from the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns as manpower. These five temporary units - of which the Third was one - were never disbanded, as the outbreak of the Reunification War saw the AFFS in need of trained combat formations.[1]

Reunification War[edit]

The Third and the other regiments of the Dragonlords were all deployed against various of the Periphery States during the Reunification War, with all of the brigade seeing heavy action. The performance of the various regiments earned them a fixed place in the AFFS as front-line commands.[1]

Star League Era[edit]

When the Star League Council issued the Council Edict of 2650 limiting the size of the military each Great House was allowed to maintain, the AFFS was required to draw down in strength sharply, as were the other militaries of the Inner Sphere. The Third was one of three regiments within the Dragonlords to draw down to just a single battalion as a result of the manpower and unit reductions mandated by the Council Edict.[1]

When the Star League Council repealed the Edict of 2650 in 2752[2] the Dragonlords quickly returned to full strength as a brigade. The Dragonlords' quick return to full strength was made possible by the rearmament program put in place by Richard Davion, which had seen each active MechWarrior within the Dragonlords issued two BattleMechs, and the strong and active training program for reserves on each of the Golden Worlds, which generated a pool of trained manpower to draw upon.[1]

As tensions in the Periphery rose almost the entire of the Dragonlords - including the Third - were deployed to worlds along the border between the Federated Suns and the Taurian Concordat. Morale within the Third and the other regiments climbed steadily following their deployment as a result of the prospect of fighting old enemies once more.[1]

The Third's deployment to Warren in or around 2760 wasn't without incident, however; during a routine landing the Leopard-class DropShip transporting the Third's command lance was lost with all hands - including Colonel Zibler, the commanding officer. Before the Third could descend into chaos Major Susan Watters quickly stepped up to take command of the regiment, ensuring that the deployment continued smoothly and providing the required leadership.[1]

Major Watters was promoted to Colonel shortly after and her position as commanding officer of the Third was confirmed; she promptly arranged and launched an urban warfare simulation to distract the regiment from dwelling on its losses and to hone the regiment's skills.[1]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 3rd Dragonlords
Colonel Zibler 2760[1]
Colonel Susan Watters 2760 - 2765[1]

Tactics[edit]

The Third were noted for their proficiency in urban warfare.[1]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

Third Dragonlords (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[3]

- The Third were stationed on Warren at this point in time.[3]

2786–2821[edit]

Third Dragonlords (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)[4]

- At this point in time the Third was a medium-weight unit operating at full regimental strength, and was based on Warren.[4] In 2821 the unit was operating at just over one-third of full strength.[4]

2830[edit]

3rd Dragonlords (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[5]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Warren with an operational readiness of 68 percent.[5]

2864[edit]

3rd Dragonlords (Regiment/Veteran/Fanatical)[5]

Note: At this point in time the medium-weight unit was stationed on Warren with an operational readiness of 45 percent.[5]

Notes[edit]

  • Field Report 2765: AFFS attributes the Preparedness Act of 2735 to both Richard Davion[2] and Roger Davion.[1] Because other sources indicate that Richard Davion was First Prince in 2735, and that Roger Davion died in 2703, the latter attribution is probably an error.
  • The Third Dragonlords and the other regiments of the brigade were presumably destroyed or disbanded during the later Succession Wars.

References[edit]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 15: "Dragonlords"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 3: "Strategic Update"
  3. 3.0 3.1 Field Report 2765: AFFS, p. 15: "Regimental Status"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 First Succession War, p. 134: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Second Succession War, p. 95

Bibliography[edit]