Editing 11th Arcturan Guards

{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[Image:Arcturan Guards -Brigade logo.png|150px|Insignia of the Arcturan Guards Brigade]]
| Designation    = Eleventh Arcturan Guards
| formed         = 
| Disbanded      = [[3067]]
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = The Melete Regiment;<ref name="FM2765:LCp8"/><br>The Golden Lions
| Affiliation    = [[Lyran Commonwealth]]
| Parent Command = [[Arcturan Guards]]
| Sub-Command    = 
}}
==History==
===Formation===
The '''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' was a part of the first expansion of the Arcturan Guards [[brigade]] following the founding of the original nine [[regiments]]. The expansion consisted of three regiments: the [[10th Arcturan Guards|Tenth]], Eleventh, and [[Twelfth Arcturan Guards]]; having named each of the original nine regiments of the Guards for the Muses of Greek mythology, the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] attempted to continue the trend by naming the new regiments after the three Muses of Plutarch. In the case of the Tenth, that Muse was Melete.<ref name="FM2765:LCp8">''Field Report 2765: LCAF'', pp. 8–9: "Arcturan Guards"</ref>

===Star League Era===
Like the other regiments of the Arcturan Guard, the Eleventh struggled with boredom and ennui during the closing years of the [[Star League]] era; the [[Star League Defense Force]] acted as an effective deterrent in the domain, making large-scale military deployments for the Eleventh a rarity, and leaving the regiment to occupy itself with training exercises and garrison duty. In [[2765]], the Eleventh was stationed on the border between the Lyran Commonwealth and the [[Free Worlds League]]; its posting made the Eleventh one of the first units that would have been able to strike at the League forces if it came to combat in the Bolan region.<ref name="FM2765:LCp8"/>

===First Succession War===
The Eleventh and a sister regiment, the [[Fourteenth Arcturan Guards]], were involved in [[Operation ELBOW JOINT]], the preemptive LCAF strike on [[Bolan]] in March 2785. Following the capture of the [[jump point]] station and a battle in space between Lyran and Free Worlds League WarShips, the Eleventh and the Fourteenth dropped on Bolan on March 14, [[2785]]. When the Lyrans arrived, two regiments of the Bolan Defenders - [[Colonel]] [[Salam Tutt|Salam Tutt's]] [[Sixth Bolan Defenders]] and the [[Tenth Bolan Defenders]] under the command of Colonel [[Henri Balkichek]] - were already dispersed across the major continents on Bolan, with half the garrison actively engaged in wargames. Tutt responded to the invasion sending an emergency [[HPG]] broadcast and deployed the bulk of the Tenth to defend Mumbai, the planetary capital city, while moving a battalion of the Sixth to support the forces at Mumbai from Quetta, a port city also located on the Sakété continent. Another battalion of the Tenth was assigned a third of the Sixth's supporting elements and tasked with defending Calcutta, the largest city on the Kashmir continent. The remaining two 'Mech battalions from the Defenders were assigned to defending the Overwatch, while the remaining support elements were dotted around townships on Kashmir and Sakété in company strength units, defending such major townships as Multan, Peshawar, Sibi, Sukkur, and Vadora. While there were also security forces and a local militia, Tutt ordered them to avoid engaging the Lyran forces, and instead report all contacts with the enemy and provide information on the location and disposition of Lyran units.<ref name="FSWp17">''First Succession War'', pp. 17–21: "The Bolan Offensive"</ref>

The Arcturan Guards regiments landed and swiftly took the city of Peshawar, wiping out the defenders and holding in place, leading Tutt to believe that they were readying an assault on Calcutta. [[Leutnant-General]] [[Baron von Eilenburg|Baron]] [[Richart Johonson]] ordered his ground forces to stay mobile to avoid the risk of being trapped by either artillery or orbital bombardment, but also ordered them to strike hard and fast at the League troop concentrations in Quetta and Calcutta, while fighters and assault DropShips conducted sweeps and bombing missions over the towns near both targets. This was followed on March 16, by the arrival of the [[Tenth Skye Rangers]], their arrival heralded by the orbital bombardment of the Quetta spaceport by the ''[[Commonwealth (WarShip class)|Commonwealth]]''-class cruiser [[LCS Furillo|LCS ''Furillo'']], intended to destroy the Bolan Defenders [[DropShip]]s located at the spaceport whilst also crippling the Defenders' primary refueling point for their aerospace forces. With the forces around Quetta left in chaos, the Eleventh Arcturan Guards made a suborbital deployment from their position to a new point between Quetta and Mumbai, with air support from the Rangers giving the Lyran forces control of the skies; the Eleventh then struck at Mumbai, and by the end of March 17, both Calcutta and Mumbai were under siege and heavily damaged, with the Defenders frantically trying to find safe locations while losing artillery duels with the Lyran forces. The next morning, the Fourteenth Arcturan Guards assaulted Calcutta, leaving the city surrounded.<ref name="FSWp17"/>

[[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Omar Malak]], the commanding officer of the 101st Assault Battalion,<ref name="IOp226">''Interstellar Operations'', pp. 226–229: "Falling Into Fire"</ref> had turned Calcutta into a city filled with traps and attempted to lure the Lyran forces into those traps, but Johonson had other ideas; he gathered together his aerospace forces and conducted a massive firebombing operation against Calcutta on the morning of March 18, killing twenty thousand civilians and destroying the 101st.<ref name="FSWp17"/><ref name="IOp226"/>

Incensed by the attack on Calcutta, Tutt ordered the ''[[League (WarShip class)|League]]''-class destroyer [[Talwar|FWLS ''Talwar'']] to bombard the LCAF DropShips, still mostly grounded at Peshawar, even as Johonson was demanding his surrender; Tutt then reiterated that the Defenders would fight the Commonwealth to the last breath before cutting off communications. Tutt ordered his field commanders to leave their positions and attack Lyran forces directly, while ordering his surviving combat elements and noncombatant personnel at the Overwatch to evacuate by DropShip, before ordering the deployment of the Overwatch's nuclear arsenal in a scorched-earth attack. Johonson ordered his troops besieging the various FWLM positions to disengage and disperse, while redeploying his WarShips to bombard the Overwatch and its various weapons positions.<ref name="FSWp17"/><ref name="IOp226"/> Tutt's last-ditch strikes left Mumbai a burning nuclear ruin, along with the cities of Calcutta, Quetta, and Peshawar, and the nuclear bombardment and exchanges on Sabari left the island an uninhabitable radioactive ruin that was still a scorched wasteland in the [[thirty-first century]]. A battalion from the Sixth Bolan Defenders managed to retreat to [[Zdice]], but the Tenth was destroyed on Bolan. The defense of Bolan had cost the Lyran forces two-thirds of the Tenth Skye Rangers, a third each of the Eleventh and Fourteenth Arcturan Guards, two ''[[Mako]]''-class corvettes, and two ''Makos'' and a ''Commonwealth'' left heavily damaged. Lost along with the Tenth and the bulk of the Sixth Bolan Defenders were three ''League''-class destroyers and an ''[[Aegis]]''-class heavy cruiser. Between three to eight million civilians died in the nuclear engagements.<ref name="FSWp17"/>

The Eleventh Arcturan Guards would face the [[Bolan Defenders]] again on several occasions during the First Succession War. In [[2787]], the Eleventh destroyed the [[Eleventh Bolan Defenders]] on [[Rochers]], another campaign marked by the extensive use of weapons of mass destruction<ref name="FSWp70"/> as the Bolan Defenders fought until the last man, a distinct contrast to the other battles in the region until [[2790]].<ref name="FSWp68">''First Succession War'', p. 68: "League Retaliations"</ref> The Eleventh were on the defensive in [[2792]], successfully resisting the [[Ninth Bolan Defenders]]' invasion of [[Gypsum]]. In [[2803]], the Eleventh were a part of the conquest of [[Finsterwalde]], serving alongside the [[Second Lyran Guards]] and a mercenary command, the [[Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment]], battling against the Ninth Bolan Defenders again and the [[Thirty-third Marik Militia]]. Both the Second Lyran Guards and the Ninth Bolan Defenders were destroyed during the invasion. The Eleventh Arcturan Guards and the Twelfth Heavy Assault Regiment served alongside each other again in [[2808]], during the invasion of [[Radostov]], battling the [[First Marik Militia]] and the [[Fourteenth Atrean Dragoons]].<ref name="FSWp70">''First Succession War'', pp. 70–71: "The Bolan Thumb Campaign"</ref>

===Clan Invasion===
In [[3048]], the periphery nation called the [[Rim Collection]] had formed outside of the [[FedCom]]'s Lyran state border. In response to possible threat, the Eleventh Arcturans were upgraded from single regiment to a [[Regimental Combat Team]]. Still based on [[Timbuktu]], since late Succession Wars, the newly formed RCT were deployed to neighboring worlds from [[Langhorne]] to [[Hinckley]]. However, the threat to the Collection was nonexistent, save odd pirate raids; the Eleventh's RCT maintained its normal routine.

When the [[Clans]] arrived in [[3050]], the Eleventh Arcturan was flooded with rumors and sightings of the invaders. The Eleventh moved to investigate these rumors, all proving to be false. However, during their investigations, the Eleventh discovered the base of the [[Blackstar Pirates]]. The pirates had been continuously raiding [[Halifax]] for decades, so the Guards destroyed their base. After the [[Battle of Tukayyid (3052)|Battle of Tukayyid]] in [[3052]], the periphery border reports of sightings of the Clans simmered down.

The Federated Commonwealth High Command assigned the Eleventh to support mercenaries who were engaged in pirate hunting operations. The mercenary contract specified that they would find [[Morrison's Extractors]] and the Eleventh would show up and destroy the pirates.<ref>''Hot Spots'', p. 43</ref><ref>''Hot Spots (Contracts)'', p. 23</ref>

The Guards' commanding officer, then [[Leftenant-General]] [[Maria Esteban]] sought out to improve relations with their new periphery neighbors. As the elements of the unit conducted escort missions for Lyran emissaries to the Rim Collection and independent world of [[Hunter's Paradise]]. General Esteban had reported to suggest to the Collection's government to conduct joined military exercises with their own [[Rim_Collection#Rim_Collection_Militia|Rim Collection Militia]].<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 55: "11th Arcturan Guards" - Brief history of the unit from later 3040s to 3062</ref>  In [[3060]], the Guards' Aerospace Brigade received a pair of ''[[Eisensturm]]'' heavy aerospace fighters for evaluation. These fighters proved to be invaluable in the Guards' anti-pirate actions. However, the unit hadn't received more of the fighters when they had requested them.

During late 50s and early 3060s, Esteban was grooming one of her own officers, Colonel [[Linda McDonald]], to succeed her so she could retire to Timbuktu.

===FedCom Civil War===
====Battle for Virtue & Formation of the 11th Arcturan Battlegroup====
When the [[FedCom Civil War]] broke out, the Arcturans were stationed on Timbuktu. Lt. General Esteban threw her unit's behind supporting the loyalist cause. They remained in the Timbuktu Theater's command world for the entirety of the First Wave of the war. On 17 September [[3063]], the General ordered her troops to move into the interior of the Alliance, confident in the security of the periphery border with the Rim Collection in hands of scratch assemble force she assembled. The General her RCT to intercept [[Victor Steiner-Davion|Victor Steiner-Davion's]] forces, detouring through the [[Ferihegy]] and [[Virtue]] systems to get to him.

The Arcturan RCT arrived in the Virtue system at the same time as one of Victor's Allied forces, the [[Sixth Crucis Lancers]], were transiting through the system. General Esteban made the decision to confront the unit to prevent the Tsamma Lancers from linking up with Victor. The Arcturans landed their forces uncontested, with the Eleventh Arcturan Aerospace Brigade providing air cover. The Lancers used their [[BattleMech#Medium|medium]] and [[BattleMech#Light|light]] BattleMechs and armor to strike at the Guards' flank, shattering the Fourth Ormstown Light Tank. This action threatened to isolate the Arcturans' tank brigade, but its commander managed to blunt the flank attack long enough to remove her forces from harm. Lt. General Esteban attempted to have her forces sweep around to surround the isolated Lancer attack, but was thwarted by the speed of the Lancers' force.

By October 2nd, some of the Arcturans had fallen back to the city of Chastity where they fortified their position against the Lancers. However, the Sixth Crucis Lancers, experts in urban fighting, striking at the embedded Arcturans from unexpected directions. Realizing the untenability of their position, General Esteban evacuated the RCT from Chastity. After a further two weeks of fighting, Esteban pulled the RCT from the planet altogether.<ref name=FCWp88>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 88: "Wave 2" - Virtue</ref>

Failing to delay the Tsamma Lancers on Virtue, General Esteban conducted decoy raids on neighboring worlds to distract the Lancers from opposing her own aim of slowing Victor's advance. The Eleventh Arcturan RCT broke up into smaller raiding forces; commencing raids on [[Triesting]] and [[Loxley]]. Moving on to [[Alarion]], Esteban decided that, even with the [[1st Alarion Jaegers]] and [[Alarion APM]], the Loyalists would not be able to defend the planet from the approaching 6th Crucis Lancers. She ordered the Alarion units to abandon their garrison duties to join the RCT at [[Carlisle]], taking as many supplies as they could from the planet. In their place, she left a minimal infantry garrison to delay Victor's attack on Alarion.  The General began to formulate a plan to form a task force of loyalist forces strong enough to stop the Allies. When on Carlisle, the Arcturans convinced the General of the Carlisle Province Militia to join them as part of their growing task force.<ref name=FCWp88 /><ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 102: "Wave 2" - York - Carlisle APM joins the Eleventh Arcturan Battle Group</ref> During their travels, Esteban managed to also secure the services of two WarShips, the [[Fox (WarShip class)|Fox Class Corvettes]] LAS ''Robert Kelswa'' and LAS ''Robert Marsden''.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 103: "Wave 3" - York - Two Fox WarShips acquired prior to arriving at York confront Victor's ''Avalon'' Class Cruiser, the ''Melissa Davion''</ref>

====York and the Ambushing of Victor====
Ahead of Victor Steiner-Davion's advancing force, General Esteban placed both the Carlisle & Alarion APMs as defenders of [[York (LC)|York]] while the Eleventh Arcturan waited in orbit. When Victor's forces arrived and landed on the planet, Victor dispatched the Sixth Crucis Lancers toward the two militia regiments encamped on the Salisbury Plain, while he dispatched his [[Outland Legion]] and now former [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] unit, the Prince's Men of the [[244th Division (ComStar)|244th Division]] to secure local supplies and the planetary headquarters.

This was according to Lt. General Esteban's trap. Her aide, Colonel Linda McDonald's, led the Eleventh Arcturans to attack through orbital insertion. By dropping behind the Lancers' lines, General Esteban trapped the Lancers between the Eleventh Arcturans and the two Loyalist Militia units. Victor ordered a retreat, calculating that his understrength [[Division|division]] was not a match for the Eleventh Arcturan Guard RCT. The Sixth managed to escape the trap set for them with the militia hot on their heels, leaving General Esteban to concentrate the Arcturan Guards on the 244th and the Outland Legion. These two units began a fighting withdrawal as the Arcturans chased them, hours after leaving the capital city. This ultimately led to a nineteen-hour firefight, described as ''hell on the battlefield''. The constant pressure of the Eleventh's 'Mech units and the formidable Eleventh Arcturan Aerospace Brigade cost the 244th a third of its strength. To slow the Arcturan advance, the Prince himself engaged the Arcturans' commanding officer Linda McDonald's ''[[King Crab]]'' in an impromptu duel. His custom-configured ''[[Daishi#Custom_Configurations|Daishi]]'' outclassed McDonald's machine, but the raging battle broke the duel up.

In orbit, the task force's two [[Fox (WarShip class)|''Fox'']]-class corvettes, confronted Victor's task force lone WarShip and aerospace forces. The FCS ''Melissa Davion'' tried to intercept the two Fox ships, threatening to provide orbit-to-ground fire support for the Arcturans. The Crucis Lancers' escaping DropShips managed to evade the [[Avalon|''Avalon'' Class Cruiser]].

The battle's retreat ultimately cost the allies two thousand lives, while a battalion's worth of troops was captured and imprisoned until the war's end.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 102–103: "Wave 3" - York - 11th Arcturan Guard springs a trap on Victor and nearly succeeds in taking him down</ref>

====Actions during Operation Scatter====
In July of [[3064]], Victor Steiner's allies commenced [[Operation SCATTER]], aimed at overloading the ability of the [[LAAF]] to respond to allied actions. The Eleventh Arcturan Guards were ordered by [[General of the Armies]] and acting Regent [[Nondi Steiner]] to put down their rampaging sister unit, the [[Twenty-third Arcturan Guards]]. The ''Frost Giants'' had been raiding various worlds including striking at Nondi Steiner's estate on [[Gallery]]. The Eleventh Arcturan arrived on [[Thuban]], where they missed the bulk of the ''Frost Giant'' force. They Arcturans did manage to destroy a [[Combined Arms]] [[battalion]] which was in the midst of repairs. The two regiments clashed in a bloody affair on the slopes of Scorpius Mons which inflicted considerable amount damage to the both units.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 104: "Operation Scatter" - 11th Arcturan under the command of Linda McDonald is sent hunt down the 23rd Arcturans Guards</ref>

====First Battle for Tikonov====
In early January of [[3065]], the Eleventh Arcturan Guards and its task force had arrived in [[Tikonov]]. They had tracked down Victor Steiner-Davion and his task force to the planet, and joined the remaining Loyalist forces holding key cities on the planet. After weeks of brutal fighting, the allies began to suffer defeats due to Victor Steiner-Davion's declining performance due to a personal loss. During this time, General Esteban passed command of the situation on-planet to Colonel MacDonald, now a brevet Lt. General. Esteban took one of the two WarShips of the Battle Group, the LAS ''Robert Marsden'', and departed to gather more reinforcements. The Battle Group's other WarShip, LAS ''Katrina Steiner'', attempted to move into orbit to provide fire support for loyalist ground forces, but was driven off by Victor's WarShip, the FCS ''Melissa Steiner''. The elements of the Eleventh Arcturan RCT were left behind on Tikonov as the rest of the battlegroup pursued the Prince when he finally quit the planet.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 126: "Wave 4 - Tikonov" - Details for first battle on Tikonov for the 11th</ref> Unknown to General MacDonald, her mentor and the Eleventh Arcturan Guards' commanding officer had defected to the [[Free Skye]] movement and taken over military operations on October 9th on [[Freedom]].<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 146: General Maria Esteban defection to Free Skye</ref>

====Coventry Assault====
Elements of the Eleventh Arcturan Guard were accompanied by the [[Royal New Capetown Training Battalion]] in September, 3064, while the main portion of the Guards were dispatched to [[Skye]].

The [[Coventry]]-bound force was to take the lightly defended allied-control world and its factories. The world was expected to only be defended by elements of the [[39th Avalon Hussars]]. However, the Guards' intelligence was wrong. The New Capetown Landing Zones were quickly overrun by the [[7th Crucis Lancers]]. Unknown to the Loyalists, a third of the Lancers had been secretly deployed to the planet as part of a ruse to give the appearance of a weak garrison. The Royal New Capetown Training Battalion was captured but the Arcturans, not as overconfident, had established a bridgehead to move to capture the [[Coventry Metal Works]] in Port St. Lawrence. Over the next ten days, the Lancers provided a vigorous defense of the complex and broke the confidence of the Guards. By the end of the campaign, the Guard tried to withdraw to their DropShips, but failed and were ultimately overrun.  However, the Guards also inflicted heavy losses on the Lancers, reducing it to two companies of BattleMechs and a battalion each of infantry and armor.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 129: "Wave 4 - Coventry" - Elements of the 11th Arcturans and New Capetown training battalion are wiped out by the 7th Crucis Lancers</ref>

====Action on Thorin====
The Eleventh Arcturan Task Forces now consisted of the remains of the Eleventh Arcturans, Alarion Jaegers, [[Fourth Lyran Guards]], [[Fourth Alliance Guards]], and two APM militia units of Carlisle and Alarion. In August 3065, the Task Force arrived on [[Thorin]] where the force had finally narrowed down where Victor Steiner-Davion and his allied task force was most likely to be located after their retreat from Tikonov. However, the task force was unable to dislodge Victor's forces from the planetary capital of Ecol city.

The Arcturans and its fellow task force members launched a brutal campaign for the next two weeks against Victor's forces, namely the 244th Division and Outland Legion. In a desperate battle at Kalako Pass, the 244th Division bloodied the nose of the Eleventh Arcturans at the cost of their commander. Nonetheless, the Guards' opponents withdrew from battle back to Ecol city. The Task Force's commander, Linda McDonald had begun to fear that Victor was not on Thorin at all, and that their actions here, while pinning some of the Allies' best units, also tied up some of the most potent Loyalist forces to the planet.

However, in January [[3066]], Victor returned to the battlefield at the head of his personal unit, dropping into battle on the Sandstain Plateau. This turned the tide of battle for the 244th which was fighting the elements of the Arcturan task force. Days later, unbeknownst to the Arcturans, Victor left again.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 149: "Thorin" - 11th Arcturan task force arrives on Thorin and are held down by Victor Steiner-Davion's forces until Victor himself returns</ref>

====Actions against Free Skye====
In April, the McDonald task force has arrived in the [[Skye]] system. The unit had learned from raids by the [[Eleventh Lyran Guards]] the strength & disposition of the [[First Skye Jaegers]] opposing them. Thus, McDonald felt that her Task force, consisting of her Eleventh Arcturans and [[First Alarion Jaegers]], would be sufficient against them. On May 13th, the Arcturans and Jaegers landed Skye, brought the battle to the Skye Jaegers and their supporting planetary militia force. The Task Force easily takes capital city of New Glasgow, as the First Skye Jaegers were leery of the Arcturans' reputation and had abandoned the city for a mobile defense. The Arcturans faced well-armed citizens defending the city. By June after weeks of off and on fighting, [[Fourth Skye Rangers]] arrive in-system from Hesperus II, where they were defeated by Loyalist forces.

This had given General McDonald pause for fear of facing another regiment's of worth of troops. However, General von Frisch, CO of the Rangers, declared that he and his forces were neutral in this fight for the planet, stating that they had shed too much blood for the [[Free Skye]] movement. With relief, McDonald prepared to continue the pursuit of the elusive Skye Jaegers when she received a message from Regent Nondi Steiner. She signaled that the task force was to head to [[Tharkad]], believing that the coalition was massing forces to take the capital.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', p. 164: Wave Six - Skye - 11th Arcturans</ref>

====The Battle for Tharkad====
By late 3066, the Task Force, now only consisting of the Eleventh Arcturans and its allied force the 1st Alarion Jaegers, arrived to reinforce Nondi Steiner's [[1st Royal Guards|First]], [[Second Royal Guards]] and local [[ComStar]] [[Com Guards|Com Guard]] Unit, the [[66th Division (ComStar)|Sixty-sixth Division]].

In early January of [[3067]], the Eleventh Arcturans battled the [[Blue Star Irregulars|Blue Star Irregulars']] [[21st Rim Worlds|Twenty-first Rim Worlds Regiment]]. The Arcturans gained the upper hand, as the unit overran the mercenaries' command battalion during the battle. The loss of the command battalion sent the Twenty-first Rim Worlds into chaos and allowed the Eleventh Arcturans to maul the regiment, rendering the mercenaries combat ineffective for the rest of the conflict.

After the arrival of the [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]] RCT, General McDonald pulled back the Eleventh Arcturans to Tharkad City and reinforced the city's defenses.

In March 23rd, General Nondi Steiner led an offensive, with the Eleventh Arcturan Guards holding back with ComStar's Sixty-sixth Com Guard Division in reserve. The offensive occurred over streams of water that separated the Nagelring from Tharkad city known as the Wash. The Fourth Skye Rangers enticed the Arcturan Guards out of position into what became a fruitless pursuit.

The campaign bogged down for the Loyalists after the surrender of the Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards. Peter's coalition attacked directly into Tharkad City on the 27th. The Arcturans' sister unit on the other side, the [[20th Arcturan Guards]], suffered terrible losses, surviving only by the timely reinforcements o the Blue Star Irregulars. By this time, General McDonald believed that the battle was hopeless. Not wishing the Eleventh to continue fighting their own people, she disobeyed Nondi Steiner's orders and surrendered the Eleventh Arcturans to their sister unit.<ref>''FedCom Civil War'', pp. 176–177: Seventh Wave - Tharkad - Battle of Tharkad turns into insanity, McDonald surrenders near end to save unit</ref>

===The Jihad & Destruction===
The Eleventh Arcturan Guards were devastated by the [[Word of Blake]]-controlled ''[[Tharkad (WarShip class)|Tharkad]]''-class battlecruiser [[Tharkad (WarShip class)#Named Vessels|LAS ''Invincible'']] when it fired a "Warning Shot" at Tharkad City in December, [[3067]]. The [[WarShip|WarShip's]] capital weapons utterly destroyed the core of the Arcturan Guards, covering the rest under the rubble. This left the other garrison force, the [[Twenty-fourth Lyran Guards]] to fend off the coming attack by the [[37th Division (Word of Blake)|Thirty-seventh Division]] of the [[Word of Blake]] alone.<ref>''Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad'', p. 8: "Sifting Through the Rubble" - Scenario note the destruction of the 11th Arcturan Guards</ref>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the 11th Arcturan Guards'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||[[Herbert Timmons]]||[[3025]]<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 120 (PDF version): "Unit Deployment Table"</ref>
|-
| [[Leutnant-General]]||[[Maria Esteban]]||[[3037]] - [[3062]]<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 55: "11th Arcturan Guards" - Maria starting year with unit listed</ref><ref>''Djinn of Despair Part 8'', p. 7</ref>
|-
| Leutnant-General||[[Linda McDonald]]||3062 - [[3067]]<ref name=SoFc2>''Storms of Fate'', ch. 2</ref>
|}

==Tactics==
The Eleventh Arcturan Guards spent years hunting [[Periphery]] bandits, and has lots of specialized small units for almost all imaginable circumstances. However, the Eleventh has little to no experience in large-scale operations above Regiment-level. They are skilled in handing hostile environments; zero-g, underwater, freezing cold; desert. The unit is trained in [[Combined Arms|combined arms]], however it's also seen as weakness.<ref>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 55: "Tactics" - Strength and weaknesses of the units' tactics</ref>

==Paint Scheme==
The all units of the force are ('Mech, Vehicles, aerospace fighters) are painted flat white as do the rest of the Arcturan Guards.  However, units also have a section (wing, arm, or back of vehicle) is painted black to mark the friendship it has with Periphery neighbors.

==Unit Emblem==
The unit emblem is an oval-shape insignia with a lion rampant before a field of stars.

==Composition History==
=== 2765 ===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="FM2765:LCp9">''Field Report 2765: LCAF'', p. 9: "Regimental Status"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Eleventh were stationed on [[Gypsum]].<ref name="FM2765:LCp9"/>

=== 2786–2821 ===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="FSWp139">''First Succession War'', p. 139: "Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Fourteenth was a heavyweight regiment and was at full strength, stationed on Bolan.<ref name="FSWp139"/> In 2821 the unit was operating at barely above one-quarter of full strength, and was stationed on Radostov.<ref name="FSWp139"/>

=== 2830 ===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=2SWp99>''Second Succession War'', p. 99</ref>
: Note: At this point in time the assault-weight unit was stationed on [[Poulsbo]] with an operational readiness of 53 percent.<ref name=2SWp99/>

=== 2864 ===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name=2SWp99/>
: Note: At this point in time the heavy-weight unit was stationed on [[Poulsbo]] with an operational readiness of 27 percent.<ref name=2SWp99/>

===3025===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Green/Reliable)<ref name=hslcp120>''House Steiner'', p. 120</ref>
:*CO.: Colonel Herbert Timmons<ref name=hslcp120/>
:Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[Timbuktu]].<ref name=hslcp120/>

===3040===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (Regiment/Green/Reliable)<ref name=HWo3039p137/>
:Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on [[Timbuktu]].<ref name=HWo3039p137>''Historical: War of 3039'', p. 137</ref>

===3050===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards RCT ''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=20yup28/>
:* CO: Hauptmann General Maria Esteban<ref name=20yup28/>
:Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on [[Timbuktu]].<ref name=20yup28>''20 Year Update'', p. 28</ref>

===3054===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards RCT''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=ORp20/>
:* CO: Hauptmann General Maria Esteban<ref name=ORp20/>
:Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on [[Timbuktu]].<ref name=ORp20>''Objective Raids'', p. 20</ref>

===3062===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FMLA55>''Field Manual: Lyran Alliance'', p. 55: "11th Arcturan Guards Regiment Composition"</ref><br>
:CO: Leutnant General Maria Esteban<br>
:Aide: Colonel Linda McDonald<br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Aerospace [[Brigade]]''' (3 [[Wing (Military Unit)|Wing]]s)<ref name=FMLA55/>
:CO: Kaptain [[Sukit Manjir]]<br>
: 14th Arcturan Wing<br>
: 75th Arcturan Wing<br>
: 311th Arcturan Wing<br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards Armor Brigade''' (3 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FMLA55/><br>
:CO: Colonel [[Smillaaraq Jaspersen]]<br>
:Aide: Leutnant Colonel [[Karl Ruiz]]<br>
: 4th Ormstown Light Tank Regiment: Colonel [[Alyn Hershey]]<br>
: 9th Timbuktu Armored Cavalry Regiment: Colonel [[Andi Murray]]<br>
: 2nd Arcturan Scout Regiment: Colonel [[Barry Lievesley]]<br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards Infantry Brigade''' (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FMLA55/><br>
:CO: Colonel [[Wesley Corn]]<br>
:Aide: Leutnant Colonel [[Joseph Freilich]]<br>
: 3rd Wiltshire Mounted Rifles Regiment: Colonel [[Lawrence Morris]]<br>
: 42nd Arcturan Heavy Infantry Regiment: Colonel [[Leslie Smith]]<br>
: 19th Firenze Infantry Regiment: Colonel [[Varkesh Wawra]]<br>
: 7th Langhorne Light Infantry Regiment: Colonel [[Celia Fremlin]]<br>
: 92nd Arcturan Force Recon Regiment: Colonel [[Peter Fojl]]<br>

===3067===
'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards''' (1 Regiment/Elite/Reliable)<ref name=FMUp178/><br>
:CO: Leutnant General Linda McDonald<br>
:Note: Advanced IS technology: 25 percent<ref name=FMUp178>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 178</ref><br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Aerospace [[Brigade]]''' (3 [[Wing (Military Unit)|Wing]]s/Elite/Reliable)<ref name=FMUp178/><br>
:CO: Kaptain Sukit Manijr<br>
:Note: Advanced IS technology: 35 percent '''|''' Omnis: 5 percent<br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards Armor Brigade''' (3 Regiments/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name=FMUp178/><br>
:CO: Colonel Smillaaraq Jaspersen<br>
:Note: Advanced IS technology: 20 percent<br>

:'''Eleventh Arcturan Guards Infantry Brigade''' (5 Regiments/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FMUp178/><br>
:CO: Colonel Wesley Corn<br>

==Notes==
* According to Greek mythology, [[w:Melete|Melete]] was the Muse of thought and meditation.

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Djinn of Despair]]'' (novella)
* ''[[Endgame]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Lyran Alliance]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Report 2765: LCAF]]''
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
* ''[[Historical: War of 3039]]''
* ''[[Hot Spots]]''
* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''
* ''[[Interstellar Operations]]''
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Tharkad]]''
* ''[[Objective Raids]]''
* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''
* ''[[Storms of Fate]]''


[[Category: Federated Commonwealth Commands|Arcturan Guards, 11h]]
[[Category: Lyran Commands|Arcturan Guards, 11th]]