1st Aragon Borderers

First Aragon Borderers
Formed	3011–3013
Disbanded	3079 (destroyed)
Previous Designation(s)	New Aragon Planetary Militia
Nickname	The Pride of New Aragon
Affiliation	Federated Suns
Parent Command	AFFS

Formed from the staunch planetary militia of New Aragon, the First Aragon Borderers watch the borders of the Capellan March. Though primarily a specialized defensive unit, they have seen multiple actions offworld, including battles against the Clans.

History

Formation

The First Aragon Borderers were created initially as a stopgap measure in response to the constant pressure exerted on the Federated Suns-Capellan Confederation border. As New Aragon had changed hands between the Federated Suns and the Capellan Confederation numerous times during the Third Succession War, the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns decided that, rather than tie up an AFFS unit and contribute more issues to their supply chain, two battalions' worth of BattleMechs would be added to New Aragon's planetary militia. This would have a twofold purpose: help the planet fight off raids by the Capellan Confederation and secure the Federated Suns' hold on it. This planetary militia unit then became known as the First Aragon Borderers.

Although the exact date of the Borderers' founding is not specified, it can be inferred that its activation was likely tied to Hanse Davion's restructuring of New Aragon's military forces during his tenure as military governor from 3011 to 3013, after the planet was secured for House Davion by elements of Wolf's Dragoons in 3008. Even though the presence of 'Mechs on New Aragon didn't halt the Capellans' continual encroachments, the planetary militia suddenly found itself able to give the raiders more than a fair fight. Although the unit sustained many casualties as they passed through the crucible of their first combat, they managed to bring down many Confederation raiders and win valuable experience. By 3024, they were considered more than a match for Capellan units such as Marshigama's Legionnaires, and were able to inflict severe losses on the state mercenaries while suffering very few of their own.

Fourth Succession War

In 3029, the First Aragon Borderers joined other Federated Suns forces in attacking the Capellan Confederation as part of Operation Rat. During the second wave of the offensive, the unit was assigned, along with Delta Company of the Davion Light Guards, to invade and capture Hunan. Opposing the two Federated Suns units was the First Battalion of the Freemont's Cuirassiers, who met the Borderers as they landed just outside Hunan's capital city. Unfortunately, the Borderers were ill-equipped to face down the many Marauders of the Cuirassiers, and suffered devastating losses. Were it not for the timely and effective intervention of Delta Company, the unit would most likely have been wiped out entirely.

After successfully capturing the planet, the Borderers redeployed back to New Aragon, where they returned to the task of defending their homeworld and began to replaces their losses taken on Hunan. During the fourth wave of Operation Rat, they were stationed at Fort Ellison when two battalions from the Second Chesterton Voltigeurs made planetfall south of their position. Knowing that their force of mostly infantry and armored vehicles would be outmatched by the 'Mechs and superior numbers of the Voltigeurs, the Borderers set up ambushes and harassed the advancing Capellans as they approached the fort. Despite their fierce resistance, the Borderers were pushed back to the fort and were in danger of losing their position when the aerospace element of the Davion Heavy Guards arrived and immediately began a series of extensive airstrikes on the Voltigeurs. As the momentum shifted, the Borderers regrouped and charged the wavering enemy, forcing their commander to call a retreat back to their landing zone. Unfortunately for the Capellans, their DropShips had been attacked and destroyed by Heavy Guards, Aragon Borderers, and New Avalon Crucis March Militia fighters in orbit. The Voltigeurs were encircled and forced to surrender to the Borderers.

War of 3039

Although the unit took no part in the official hostilities of the War of 3039, official AFFS records show that the First Aragon Borderers remained actively stationed on New Aragon from 3038 to 3040, likely to monitor the Capellan border in case of any CCAF incursion.

Clan Invasion and Operation Bulldog

Although initially deployed to Layover in 3054, likely in response to the Clan Invasion, the First Aragon Borderers were at some point forced to return to New Aragon to again deal with Capellan incursions. During the majority of the invasion's opening battles, the Borderers found themselves tied up maintaining and preserving the security of their homeworld, including countering attacks perpetrated by forces sympathetic to the Free Worlds League and Capellan Confederation during Operation Guerrero. Sometime in 3059, they were called upon to join the newly founded Second Star League Defense Force in Operation Bulldog as they faced off against the forces of Clan Smoke Jaguar and accepted the chance to prove themselves against the Clan.

On May 13th, 3059, they were stationed on McAlister with other SLDF forces, awaiting the greenlight. In the first wave of the attacks, they participated in a Trial of Possession that saw Jeanette recaptured by the Inner Sphere. During the second wave, they attacked and secured Almunge with the First Amphigean Light Assault Group, meeting minimal resistance and sustaining no losses. They and the First Amphigean garrisoned Almunge during the Smoke Jaguar counterattack, then proceeded to assault Coudoux, supported by the Second Sword of Light and the Com Guard Thirty-fourth Division. There, they fought against the Smoke Jaguars' Seventeenth Garrison Cluster and witnessed them fleeing back to the Clan Homeworlds.

In the final mop-up, both the First Amphigean Light Assault Group and the First Aragon Borderers attacked Stapelfeld, where they fought hard against the Nineteenth Garrison Cluster, who eventually initiated a Trial of Possession to honorably surrender. Although the Borderers sustained heavy losses during their actions in Operation Bulldog, they managed to salvage enough parts from the battlefields to be able to field nine Clan BattleMechs at the conclusion of hostilities, four of which were OmniMechs.

While the unit was away from New Aragon, its garrison duties were taken over by the Third FedCom RCT and the Twelfth Vegan Rangers, who still remained on the planet by the time that they returned from the front.

FedCom Civil War

See also: Battle of New Aragon (3062)

Opening Shots

Issues between the Third FedCom RCT and the First Aragon Borderers began to surface upon their return. The commander of the Third FedCom RCT, Hauptmann-General Charles Finnigan, refused to acknowledge the Borderers' commander, Leftenant-General Jimmie Kirston, as the head of New Aragon's defensive operations, despite Kirston being granted that authority both by the AFFS and the local government. Finnigan and the men and women under his command, who had formed close relationships with the people of Sarna, blamed Victor Steiner-Davion for its loss during Operation Guerrero and advocated joining Katherine Steiner-Davion and her Lyran Alliance. Finnigan was ordered to have the Third FedCom relocate to Moravian and allow the First Aragon Borderers to return to their duties, but made strange, implausible excuses about why the move was impossible.

As news of conflicts between pro-Katherine and pro-Victor forces reached New Aragon, both Kirston and the Marshal in charge of the Valexa PDZ ordered Finnigan and the Third FedCom to leave the planet, offering the use of the Borderers' transport capabilities to effectuate their departure. Finnigan instead marched on Alexandria, the city where the Borderers were stationed. Recognizing the advance as a precursor to an attack, Kirston and the commander of the Twelfth Vegan Rangers, General Tom Stancel, coordinated a surprise attack on the Third FedCom by the Rangers' Alpha Regiment on December 9th, 3062. The attack was a massive success, rendering a full one-third of the Third FedCom combat ineffective and stalling their advance toward Alexandria temporarily. As Finnigan drove his unit onward towards the objective, he and his forces were harried by the Borderers' hallmark nimble, harassing defense. Kirston's strategic use of Leopard DropShips to move his command's heavy and assault 'Mechs rapidly across the battlefield quickly broke the Third FedCom's column apart and allowed the Rangers and Borderers to focus on attacking Third FedCom bases in the cities of Dalemar and Gary.

Escalation

Working together, the Rangers and Borderers were able to completely clear Third FedCom forces from their garrisoned position in Dalemar by December 13th. Unfortunately, their attempt to oust the garrison in Gary on December 14th was unsuccessful. Finnigan used this change in momentum wisely, marshalling the body of his forces and assaulting Alexandria. The following battle was as bloody as it was unproductive, as the Borderers and Third FedCom ravaged each other's forces. Even at half their operational strength, the Third FedCom was more than a match for the First Aragon Borderers. The timely arrival of a group of Rangers finally turned the tide in favor of the Borderers, and both sides retreated back to their camps to regroup. Adept at salvaging and capturing equipment from their time in the Clan Wars, the Borderers were able to reinforce themselves with repurposed Third FedCom Equipment.

On January 4th, 3063, Leftenant-General Kirston made his move on Third FedCom forces camped outside Gary. Unfortunately, the rough terrain around the encampment proved fatal to the Borderers, as they were torn apart by Finnigan's combined-arms teams, leaving only a single battalion of 'Mechs in the Borderers' ranks. The Twelfth Vegan Rangers once again hot-dropped to the rescue, but the battle dragged on for three more weeks before both forces limped away to lick their wounds until the end of the month.

Endgame

The battle resumed in February 3063 with Hauptmann-General Finnigan strategically feinting an attack on the weakened Borderers. Once the Twelfth Vegan Rangers dropped to assist the struggling Borderers, he struck at the mercenaries' base in Dalemar, destroying or crippling most of the unit's now-undefended DropShips. March consisted of sporadic hit-and-run attacks by both sides as they sought to find an opening in the other's defenses. In April, General Stancel was surrounded while conducting an attack on a Third FedCom position. This time it was Kirston and the Borderers who combat dropped in, and together the two units retook the towns of Hubertsville and Fallau. The rescue cost the Borderers dearly, however, leaving the regiment with only fifteen 'Mechs standing once all was said and done. Relayed this information by his intelligence component, Finnigan pressed the attack on April 3rd. The battle lasted ten long days until, on April 13th, the Allied forces made one last desperate hot-drop, right on top of Finnigan's command post. While Borderers aerospace units dominated the skies, the Rangers launched diversionary attacks to tie up and draw in the body of the surviving Third FedCom. Cut off from support, Hauptmann-General Finnigan was slain in battle, perishing when his Devastator was destroyed. With the loss of its commander, the Third FedCom began to crumple.

Utilizing the Borderers' DropShips, the Rangers' 'Mechs harried and harassed the surviving elements of the Third FedCom for the rest of April until, finally cornered, they were forced to make a stand. In a six hour battle on May 11th, the Borderers and Rangers annihilated a third of the remaining Loyalists, capturing another third, and driving the final third to desert. While they made efforts to track down the Third's deserters, they were unsuccessful, as the Borderers were severely understrength and the Rangers were called away to a different battlefront. Though the Borderers' losses were heavy-- so heavy in fact that they were removed from the active AFFS rosters-- they were able to use battlefield salvage and abandoned Third FedCom RCT 'Mechs and equipment to replenish their strength and achieve active-duty status by 3067.

Jihad

In the last few weeks of October 3069, New Aragon was claimed by the Word of Blake as a protectorate. The Twenty-second Division, no longer false flagging as a Capellan formation, made planetfall and began combat operations. The Borderers, who had returned to the world to refit and repair after assisting in the beginnings of George Hasek's anti-Confederation campaign, immediately set about doing what they were best at: fortifying their positions and harassing the enemy. Realizing that they were entirely outnumbered by Word of Blake Forces, the Borderers retreated to the planet's ancient Star League fortresses, Fort Ellison and Fort McMichael, and there set up a well-executed resistance.

Unfortunately for the stalwart defenders, the Twenty-second Division did not care to conquer the planet through conventional means, nor did they feel themselves constrained by things such as "rules of war" or "basic human decency." Instead, the Blakist forces made extreme and extensive use of chemical munitions, targeting the subterranean tunnels that connected Ellison and McMichael with so many of the weapons that the entire continent of Glastonbury where the forts were located was irrevocably poisoned. When the deadly haze cleared, New Aragon and its now-ruined agricultural industries were under the control of the Word of Blake and the First Aragon Borderers were no more. According to an AFFS report in 3079, the entire unit had been killed, to the last man.

New Aragon languished under the rule of Blakist forces until February 3077, when the planet was recaptured by the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces and ostensibly joined the Confederation. As the world was no longer under the control of the Federated Suns, the First Aragon Borderers were never reconstituted.

Officers

Rank	Name	Command
Commanding Officers of the 1st Aragon Borderers
Colonel	Vincent Kooper	3025
Leftenant General	Barrie Salsburg	3050 - 3054
Leftenant General	Jimmie Kirston	3061 - 3067
Major General	Jimmie Kirston	3067 - 3069

Tactics

While they can hold their own in many stand-up fights, the First Aragon Borderers are most effective when used in defensive operations. Their primary tactic is to establish a base of fire with their heavy and assault 'Mechs and utilize maneuver elements to force the enemy into their line of fire. When confronted with a larger force, they coordinate effective raiding and guerrilla campaigns to whittle away the enemy until support can arrive. They have also demonstrated a long history of repairing and refitting their unit with battlefield salvage and captured matériel, from reconstituting destroyed Clan OmniMechs to rebuilding an entire regiment's worth of BattleMechs from the scraps of the Third FedCom RCT.

Composition History

3025

First Aragon Borderers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Colonel Vincent Kooper
• Base: New Aragon.

3040

First Aragon Borderers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)

• Base: New Aragon.

3050

First Aragon Borderers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Leftenant General Barrie Salsburg
• Base: New Aragon.

3054

First Aragon Borderers (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Leftenant General Barrie Salsburg
• Base: Layover.

3062

First Aragon Borderers (1 understrength Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Leftenant General Jimmie Kirston
• Base: New Aragon

Note: 2 battalions only

First Aragon Auxiliary (2 Battalions/Regular/Questionable)

• CO: Colonel Tab Daniels

Note: Includes Mechanized Infantry and two aerospace fighter squadrons)

3067

First Aragon Borderers (Veteran/Reliable)

• CO: Major General Jimmie Kirston
• Base: New Aragon

First Aragon Auxiliary (Veteran/Fanatical)

• CO: Colonel Gil O'Connell

3079

The Aragon Borderers were destroyed by Word of Blake forces in 3069 and, as the planet of New Aragon now belonged to the Capellan Confederation, were not rebuilt.

Color Scheme and Unit Insignia

The Aragon Borderers have a blue and white parade paint scheme. Their insignia is a black square bisected by a white diagonal band, set upon a crenellated blue shield.

Notes

• Before the First Aragon Borderers were created, the First Aragon Auxiliary infantry unit that was later attached to them was known as the Seventh Aragon Armored Cavalry.
• Rules for the First Aragon Borderers can be found in Field Manual: Federated Suns.

Bibliography

• 20 Year Update
• The Dragon Roars
• FedCom Civil War
• Field Manual: Federated Suns
• Field Manual: Updates
• Field Report: AFFS
• Historical: War of 3039
• House Davion (The Federated Suns)
• Jihad Hot Spots: 3072
• NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1
• Objective Raids