Difference between revisions of "Battle of Clovis (3147)"
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| image =  
 
| image =  
 
| caption =  
 
| caption =  
−
| date = June [[3147]] - February [[3150]]
+
| date = June [[3147]]
 +
| enddate = February [[3150]]
 
| place =  
 
| place =  
 
| planet = [[Clovis]]
 
| planet = [[Clovis]]
−
| faction1 = [[Federated Suns]]  
+
| faction1 = [[Federated Suns]]
 
| faction2 = [[Draconis Combine]]
 
| faction2 = [[Draconis Combine]]
 
| faction3 = [[Republic of the Sphere]]
 
| faction3 = [[Republic of the Sphere]]
 
| commander1 = [[Prince's Champion]] [[Erik Sandoval-Groell]]
 
| commander1 = [[Prince's Champion]] [[Erik Sandoval-Groell]]
 
| commander2 = ''[[Tai-sa]]'' [[Emi Roberson]]
 
| commander2 = ''[[Tai-sa]]'' [[Emi Roberson]]
−
| commander3 = [[Paladin]] [[Max Ergen]]
+
| commander3 = [[Paladin of the Republic|Paladin]] [[Max Ergen]]
−
| forces1= [[First Avalon Hussars]]<br>[[First Davion Guards]]<br>[[First Kestrel Grenadiers]]
+
| forces1= [[First Avalon Hussars]],<br>[[First Davion Guards]],<br>[[First Kestrel Grenadiers]],<br>[[Fifth Davion Irregulars]]
−
| forces2= [[Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars]]<br>[[Second Legion of Vega]]
+
| forces2= [[Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars]],<br>[[Second Legion of Vega]]
 
| forces3 = [[Republic Armed Forces|First Army Group]]
 
| forces3 = [[Republic Armed Forces|First Army Group]]
 
| result = Federated Suns victory
 
| result = Federated Suns victory
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}}
 
}}
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
−
In June [[3147]] the [[Federated Suns|Federated Suns']] [[Prince's Champion]] [[Erik Sandoval-Groell]] launched [[Operation PERCEVAL]], a counter offensive against the [[Draconis Combine]] designed not to conquer worlds but to confuse Combine high command and destroy logistical capabilities.  One world that stood in PERCEVAL's path was [[Clovis]], garrisoned by two battalions of the [[Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars]].  An invasion force consisting of at least the [[First Avalon Hussars]], [[First Davion Guards]], and [[First Kestrel Grenadiers]] jumped into a pirate point close to the planet, believing they'd have a three to one superiority over DCMS forces.  Things went awry almost immediately.  The [[45th Benjamin Regulars#Composition History|Forty-fifth Aerospace Wing]] intercepted the [[DropShip|DropShips]] enroute, destroying a primary Hussar vessel outright and critically damaging two of the Guards'.  The Regulars slammed into the disoriented Hussars intending to inflict as much damage as possible before superior numbers required them to break contact.  The Guards were eventually able to put pressure on the Regulars' lines, but the Combine forces refused to give the AFFS a clear path to their objectives.<ref name=SF33>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 33: "Operation PERCEVAL Round Two"</ref>
+
In June [[3147]] the [[Federated Suns|Federated Suns']] [[Prince's Champion]] [[Erik Sandoval-Groell]] launched [[Operation PERCEVAL]], a counter offensive against the [[Draconis Combine]] designed not to conquer worlds but to confuse Combine high command and destroy logistical capabilities.  One world that stood in PERCEVAL's path was [[Clovis]], garrisoned by two battalions of the [[Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars]].  An invasion force consisting of at least the [[First Avalon Hussars]], [[First Davion Guards]], and [[First Kestrel Grenadiers]] jumped into a pirate point close to the planet, believing they'd have a three to one superiority over DCMS forces.  Things went awry almost immediately.  The [[45th Benjamin Regulars#Composition History|Forty-fifth Aerospace Wing]] intercepted the [[DropShip|DropShips]] en route, destroying a primary Hussar vessel outright and critically damaging two of the Guards'.  The Regulars slammed into the disoriented Hussars intending to inflict as much damage as possible before superior numbers required them to break contact.  The Guards were eventually able to put pressure on the Regulars' lines, but the Combine forces refused to give the AFFS a clear path to their objectives. ''[[Chu-i]]'' [[Christian Tessmann]] and his ''[[Thug]]'' performed so admirably in this conflict that he was promoted to ''[[Tai-i]]''.<ref name=SF33>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 33: "Operation PERCEVAL Round Two"</ref><ref name=RG14-13>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14'', p. 13</ref>
  
−
Sandoval wanted to avenge his troops lost aboard their transports but knew that with at least two DCMS units within jump distance of Clovis his time was limited.  Afterall this was a campaign of heavy raiding not conquest. The Regulars still held several logistic objectives and Sandoval was determined to complete at least one before departing Clovis.  He ordered the Grenadiers to press the Regulars' pickets while the Guards flanked them and hit at a supply cache, one of the largest in the [[Proserpina Prefecture]]. As the Guards neared on their objective however, the [[Second Legion of Vega]] arrived at a pirate point.  Sandoval was out of time, any further delays would bog PERCEVAL down in a battle of attrition. With several DropShips still too damaged to liftoff, the taskforce now lacked the transport capacity needed to retreat off world.  Second Battalion of Hussars volunteered to remain on planet and conduct a guerilla campaign alongside the now emboldened resistance movement.  Pledging "we will come back for you" the rest of the task force jumped to their next objective.<ref name=SF33>
+
Sandoval wanted to avenge his troops lost aboard their transports but knew that with at least two DCMS units within jump distance of Clovis his time was limited.  After all, this was a campaign of heavy raiding not conquest. The Regulars still held several logistic objectives and Sandoval was determined to complete at least one before departing Clovis.  He ordered the Grenadiers to press the Regulars' pickets while the Guards flanked them and hit at a supply cache, one of the largest in the [[Proserpina Prefecture]]. [[Leftenant]] [[Chris Tyranis]] of the Grenadiers and his ''[[Victor]]'' were at the heart of this action yet again.  As the Guards neared on their objective however, the [[Second Legion of Vega]] arrived at a pirate point.  Sandoval was out of time, any further delays would bog PERCEVAL down in a battle of attrition. With several DropShips still too damaged to liftoff, the taskforce now lacked the transport capacity needed to retreat off world.  Second Battalion of Hussars volunteered to remain on planet and conduct a guerrilla campaign alongside the now emboldened resistance movement.  Pledging "we will come back for you" the rest of the task force jumped to their next objective.<ref name=SF33/><ref name=RG18-13>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18'', p. 13</ref>
  
 +
The ensuing guerrilla campaign was greatly aided by the many WVR-10R ''[[Wolverine|Wolverines]]'' and their minimal ammunition needs.  The guerrilla campaign also birthed one of the best known rivalries of the era between [[Leftenant]] [[Anselm Remaldi|Anselm Remaldi's]] ''[[Locust]]'' and ''[[Chu-i]]'' [[Reginald Benton|Reginald Benton's]] ''[[Stinger]]'', the "Tangerine Ghost".  First meeting in following a running battle between the Regulars and local resistance, Remaldi legged Benton's ''Stinger''.  The pair faced off again in [[3148]], this time forcing Remaldi to eject.  He was briefly captured but escaped with the help of the underground and took over the ''Locust'' of a Hussar who died in an accident.  The pair met at least four more times, never a decisive victory though Remaldi lost two more ''Locusts''.  Soldiers on both sides routinely bet on the next outcome, and surrounding fighting would often halt while the pair dueled. The two have developed a deep hatred for each other, with Remaldi viewing the contest as exemplifying the excesses of the nobility, while Benson's inability to kill the lowborn MechWarrior has harmed his social standing among the Combine peerage.<ref name=RG18-8>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18'', p. 8</ref><ref name=RG13-4>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13'', p. 4</ref><ref name=RG13-7>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13'', p. 7</ref><ref name=RG16-4>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16'', p. 4</ref><ref name=RG16-7>''Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16'', p. 7</ref>
  
−
<!--Source material to be added commented out
+
Initial relief for the beleaguered Hussars came not from Sandoval, but from the [[Republic of the Sphere|Republic of the Sphere's]] [[Operation ERUPTIO]]. In early August [[3149]] [[Paladin of the Republic|Paladin]] [[Max Ergen]] led [[Republic Armed Forces|First Army Group]] jumped into the Clovis system and conducted a raid in force against the Regulars. While they did not extract the Hussars after leaving for their next target of [[Le Blanc]], their raid undoubtedly took some pressure off the Hussars, and the uncertainty of the Republic's next move prevented what meager reinforcements were available outside the [[Dragon's Tongue]]<ref name=SF75>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 75: "The Republic Rampage"</ref>
−
RG13-4
+
 
−
In 3147, the world of Clovis became the birthplace of a MechWarrior feud to rival the most infamous of the Succession Wars. Erik Sandoval-Groell’s Operation Perceval left a battalion of the First Avalon Hussars stranded on planet, and in the ensuing three-year guerrilla campaign, Chu-i Reginald Benton of the Forty-Fifth Benjamin Regulars clashed with Leftenant Anselm Remaldi numerous times. Benton’s Stinger, the Tangerine Ghost, took more damage from Remaldi than from any other foe, but Benton always lovingly repaired the Ghost. Conversely, Benton shot Remaldi out of at least three Locusts, but the wily Davion MechWarrior seemed immortal, always with another Locust to torment him. Soldiers on both sides of the conflict began betting on who would win their next duel, and on the occasion where the two rivals met, fighting would often come to a halt until this latest round was settled. The Regulars surrendered Clovis in 3150, leaving the feud unresolved. In addition to pushing for reassignment to a unit with a greater chance of engaging the First Avalon, Benton is petitioning to have his Stinger upgraded to Clan standards, to give him the edge when he again faces Remaldi’s Locust.
+
Finally, in early February 3150 Sandoval came back for the Hussars. The [[Fifth Davion Irregulars]] landed and linked up with the surviving members of the Second Battalion, who had been slowly grinding the Regulars down. The Regulars surrendered and retreated back to the Combine. As the Combine, Tessmann, and Benton left, Remaldi broadcast a series of taunts knowing it would infuriate Benton, their feud unresolved. Benton has been petitioning for a transfer to a unit likely to face the First Hussars again, and to upgrade his ''Stinger'' with Clan tech.<ref name=SF81>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 81: "Federated Suns Counterattack"</ref><ref name=RG13-4/><ref name=RG16-4/><ref name=RG14-13/>
−
---------------------
 
−
RG16-4
 
−
An oddity amongst the vast clash of armies that has marked the current Combine invasion of the Federated Suns was the decidedly personal duel between Leftenant Anselm Remaldi of the First Avalon Hussars and Chu-i Reginald Benton of the Forty-Fifth Benjamin Regulars. Second Battalion of the Hussars chose to remain behind on Clovis as a guerrilla force when their fellow raiders pulled out in 3147, and a running battle ensued between local insurgents and the Combine garrison. Remaldi met Benton for the first time that year, with him legging Benton’s Stinger. Benton returned the favor in a 3148 skirmish. Remaldi ejected and was captured, only to escape with help from the Clovis resistance. He took over another Locust after its pilot died in an accident and ran into Benton four more times over the next two years. Each encounter ended indecisively. By this time the two despised one another, and their desire to prove who was the better pilot led each to take increasingly foolhardy risks. In 3150, when Davion reinforcements arrived, the Regulars were forced to evacuate. Remaldi broadcast a series of taunts as the Combine forces withdrew, knowing it would infuriate his rival.
 
−
=====================================================
 
−
RG16-7
 
−
Leftenant Anselm Remaldi: An older MechWarrior of a
 
−
common background, Remaldi would not have become
 
−
a MechWarrior save for First Prince Caleb Davion’s
 
−
reactivation of the Training Battalion program. It took years
 
−
for him to earn the respect of his noble-born comrades,
 
−
though some of the staunchest traditionalists in the
 
−
Avalon Hussars still refuse to acknowledge his uncanny
 
−
natural abilities. Anselm first tasted defeat at the hands of
 
−
Benjamin Regulars Chu-i Reginald Benton. The animosity
 
−
between the two men grew with each encounter. Anselm
 
−
sees the Combine MechWarrior not only as an enemy to
 
−
vanquish, but also as an exemplar of the excesses and
 
−
entitlement of the nobility.
 
−
---------------------------------
 
−
RG13-7
 
−
Chu-i Reginald Benton: Reginald Benton is the eldest scion
 
−
of one of the most reputed MechWarrior families in the
 
−
Draconis Combine. His great-grandfather, Albert Benton,
 
−
was once recognized as one of the greatest Stinger pilots in
 
−
the Inner Sphere, and his progeny took pride in mastering
 
−
the ’Mech as a rite of passage. Reginald, however, struggled
 
−
to meet his forebears’ expectations. MechWarrior combat
 
−
does not come naturally to him; only long hours of study
 
−
and longer hours of practice have brought him his current
 
−
skill. Benton’s encounters with Federated Suns MechWarrior
 
−
Anselm Remaldi have tarnished his hard-earned reputation.
 
−
His inability to defeat such a baseborn commoner diminished
 
−
Reginald’s standing in the eyes of his peers. Reginald despises
 
−
his opponent’s casual expertise at piloting his Locust. He
 
−
craves nothing more than to see his rival fully broken.
 
−
============================================
 
−
SF75 "The Republic Rampage"
 
−
When First Army Group jumped to Clovis in early
 
−
August (3149), neither Toranaga nor the High Command could
 
−
reliably determine the marauding RAF force’s ultimate
 
−
destination. Toranaga worried that at any moment the large
 
−
task force could head rimward toward the AFFS operations
 
−
in the Dragon’s Tongue theater, and make a play for New
 
−
Avalon. However, the RAF could very well have Robinson, the
 
−
former Draconis March capital, in its sights. Toranaga knew he
 
−
could reinforce only one of the two potential targets. Instead
 
−
of gambling on the wrong target and risk losing, he held
 
−
his reserves and waited until the RAF played its hand before
 
−
deciding where to commit.
 
−
===========================
 
−
SF81 "Federated Suns Counterattack"
 
−
In early February 3150 On Clovis, the beleaguered Second Battalion of the First Avalon
 
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Hussars greeted the Fifth Davion Irregulars with open arms. For the
 
−
previous three years, Second Battalion had been slowly chipping away
 
−
at the Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars, and the Hussars were elated
 
−
that Erik Sandoval had kept his promise to return. Together, the two
 
−
battalions of AFFS troops claimed the planet and sent the Forty-fifth
 
−
limping back to the Combine.
 
−
-->
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
Line 94: Line 37:
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
 
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13]]''
 
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13]]''
 +
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14]]''
 
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16]]''
 
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16]]''
 +
* ''[[Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18]]''
 
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
 
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
  
−
[[Category:Dark Age Era Military Operations|Clovis (3147)]]
+
[[Category:Late Dark Age Era Military Operations|Clovis (3147)]]

Latest revision as of 05:20, 5 January 2024

Battle of Clovis (3147)
Part of Operation PERCEVAL
Start Date June 3147
End Date February 3150
Planet Clovis
Result Federated Suns victory
Factions
Federated Suns Draconis Combine Republic of the Sphere
Commanders and leaders
Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell Tai-sa Emi Roberson Paladin Max Ergen
Forces involved
First Avalon Hussars,
First Davion Guards,
First Kestrel Grenadiers,
Fifth Davion Irregulars		 Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars,
Second Legion of Vega		 First Army Group

Overview[edit]

In June 3147 the Federated Suns' Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell launched Operation PERCEVAL, a counter offensive against the Draconis Combine designed not to conquer worlds but to confuse Combine high command and destroy logistical capabilities. One world that stood in PERCEVAL's path was Clovis, garrisoned by two battalions of the Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars. An invasion force consisting of at least the First Avalon Hussars, First Davion Guards, and First Kestrel Grenadiers jumped into a pirate point close to the planet, believing they'd have a three to one superiority over DCMS forces. Things went awry almost immediately. The Forty-fifth Aerospace Wing intercepted the DropShips en route, destroying a primary Hussar vessel outright and critically damaging two of the Guards'. The Regulars slammed into the disoriented Hussars intending to inflict as much damage as possible before superior numbers required them to break contact. The Guards were eventually able to put pressure on the Regulars' lines, but the Combine forces refused to give the AFFS a clear path to their objectives. Chu-i Christian Tessmann and his Thug performed so admirably in this conflict that he was promoted to Tai-i.[1][2]

Sandoval wanted to avenge his troops lost aboard their transports but knew that with at least two DCMS units within jump distance of Clovis his time was limited. After all, this was a campaign of heavy raiding not conquest. The Regulars still held several logistic objectives and Sandoval was determined to complete at least one before departing Clovis. He ordered the Grenadiers to press the Regulars' pickets while the Guards flanked them and hit at a supply cache, one of the largest in the Proserpina Prefecture. Leftenant Chris Tyranis of the Grenadiers and his Victor were at the heart of this action yet again. As the Guards neared on their objective however, the Second Legion of Vega arrived at a pirate point. Sandoval was out of time, any further delays would bog PERCEVAL down in a battle of attrition. With several DropShips still too damaged to liftoff, the taskforce now lacked the transport capacity needed to retreat off world. Second Battalion of Hussars volunteered to remain on planet and conduct a guerrilla campaign alongside the now emboldened resistance movement. Pledging "we will come back for you" the rest of the task force jumped to their next objective.[1][3]

The ensuing guerrilla campaign was greatly aided by the many WVR-10R Wolverines and their minimal ammunition needs. The guerrilla campaign also birthed one of the best known rivalries of the era between Leftenant Anselm Remaldi's Locust and Chu-i Reginald Benton's Stinger, the "Tangerine Ghost". First meeting in following a running battle between the Regulars and local resistance, Remaldi legged Benton's Stinger. The pair faced off again in 3148, this time forcing Remaldi to eject. He was briefly captured but escaped with the help of the underground and took over the Locust of a Hussar who died in an accident. The pair met at least four more times, never a decisive victory though Remaldi lost two more Locusts. Soldiers on both sides routinely bet on the next outcome, and surrounding fighting would often halt while the pair dueled. The two have developed a deep hatred for each other, with Remaldi viewing the contest as exemplifying the excesses of the nobility, while Benson's inability to kill the lowborn MechWarrior has harmed his social standing among the Combine peerage.[4][5][6][7][8]

Initial relief for the beleaguered Hussars came not from Sandoval, but from the Republic of the Sphere's Operation ERUPTIO. In early August 3149 Paladin Max Ergen led First Army Group jumped into the Clovis system and conducted a raid in force against the Regulars. While they did not extract the Hussars after leaving for their next target of Le Blanc, their raid undoubtedly took some pressure off the Hussars, and the uncertainty of the Republic's next move prevented what meager reinforcements were available outside the Dragon's Tongue[9]

Finally, in early February 3150 Sandoval came back for the Hussars. The Fifth Davion Irregulars landed and linked up with the surviving members of the Second Battalion, who had been slowly grinding the Regulars down. The Regulars surrendered and retreated back to the Combine. As the Combine, Tessmann, and Benton left, Remaldi broadcast a series of taunts knowing it would infuriate Benton, their feud unresolved. Benton has been petitioning for a transfer to a unit likely to face the First Hussars again, and to upgrade his Stinger with Clan tech.[10][5][7][2]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shattered Fortress, p. 33: "Operation PERCEVAL Round Two"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14, p. 13
  3. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18, p. 13
  4. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 18, p. 8
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13, p. 4
  6. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 13, p. 7
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16, p. 4
  8. ↑ Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 16, p. 7
  9. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 75: "The Republic Rampage"
  10. ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 81: "Federated Suns Counterattack"

Bibliography[edit]

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