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	Following the poor performance of V Corps during the campaign for [[Haynesville]],<ref name="H:RWp119+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 119-120, "Haynesville"</ref> Forlough came to rely heavily on the Auxiliary Corps to take on combat actions rather than V Corps. As a result, the newly arrived 4th Benjamin Regulars were dispatched to conquer the world of [[Budingen]]. The Regulars didn't know that elements of the Pitcairn Legion were on-world, and ended up with a protracted battle to conquer Budingen; the Regulars turned the tide of the campaign when they struck against the civilian population, forcing the Legion to concentrate on aiding the population before having to retreat in the face of the harsh Budingen winter. The Regulars then took advantage of an early thaw to suppress the population, breaking their will to resist before a relief force could arrive. The Regulars took heavy casualties in the campaign and a heavy raid from the Legion the following year, and as a result spent the entire of the war stationed on Budingen rather than engaging in any other combat operations.<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp120">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 120-121, "Budingen"</ref><ref name="H:RWp122">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 122-123, "... And Military"</ref>		Following the poor performance of V Corps during the campaign for [[Haynesville]],<ref name="H:RWp119+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 119-120, "Haynesville"</ref> Forlough came to rely heavily on the Auxiliary Corps to take on combat actions rather than V Corps. As a result, the newly arrived 4th Benjamin Regulars were dispatched to conquer the world of [[Budingen]]. The Regulars didn't know that elements of the Pitcairn Legion were on-world, and ended up with a protracted battle to conquer Budingen; the Regulars turned the tide of the campaign when they struck against the civilian population, forcing the Legion to concentrate on aiding the population before having to retreat in the face of the harsh Budingen winter. The Regulars then took advantage of an early thaw to suppress the population, breaking their will to resist before a relief force could arrive. The Regulars took heavy casualties in the campaign and a heavy raid from the Legion the following year, and as a result spent the entire of the war stationed on Budingen rather than engaging in any other combat operations.<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp120">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 120-121, "Budingen"</ref><ref name="H:RWp122">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 122-123, "... And Military"</ref>
−	The Galedon Regulars regiments were due to be used in an attack on [[Ki Zoban]] alongside the SLDF during late 2582, but [[Coordinator]] [[Hehiro Kurita]] was so incensed by the annexation of a number of systems on the Outworlds Alliance/[[Federated Suns]] border by Davion troops that he withdrew the DCMS regiments from the planned attack. Instead, the Coordinator ordered the regiments to seize a number of worlds along the coreward border of the Alliance, as well as emptying the Task Force supply caches of all of the matériel supplied by the Combine to support the war effort. These supplies, intended to keep the entire task force operating for a year, were consumed by the Auxiliary Corps during their assaults on [[Kazanka]], [[Nexus Ri]] and [[Zlatousi]]. The three regiments of Galedon Regulars - the 4th, 19th and 24th - faced the [[1st Alliance Armored Division|1st]] and [[2nd Alliance Armored Division|2nd Alliance Armored Divisions]] as well as large local militias boasting armor and heavy infantry support. The brutal actions the Task Force had taken against the civilian populations of occupied and contested worlds had massively increased Outworlds Alliance Militia enlistment, and the Federated Suns was covertly supplying the [[OAM]] with experienced military advisors who were training and sometimes leading the Militia forces. The net result was three grueling planetary campaigns. Initially, the battles were exactly what both sides had been looking for: large-scale warfare with mobile Kuritan BattleMechs facing large quantities of armor and infantry. The Alliance forces were stronger and better fortified than the DCMS units expected, leading ''Sho-sho'' Igushi to call forward the 3rd Dieron Regulars as reinforcements, and while the DCMS regiments attempted to attack the civilian population they found themselves blocked by superior numbers of Alliance tanks and infantry. The DCMS made rapid gains, but faced constant, stubborn resistance from the Alliance forces. Ultimately, the greater supplies available to the DCMS made the difference, with the Alliance forces retreating in early [[2583]], but both sides had taken heavy damage and the DCMS had denuded the entire task force of its supplies.<ref name="H:RWp121">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121, "The Dragon Responds"</ref><ref name="H:RWp121+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121-122, "Kazanka, Nexus Ri and Zlatousi"</ref>	+	The Galedon Regulars regiments were due to be used in an attack on [[Ki Zoban]] alongside the SLDF during late 2582, but [[Coordinator]] [[Hehiro Kurita]] was so incensed by the annexation of a number of systems on the Outworlds Alliance/[[Federated Suns]] border by Davion troops that he withdrew the DCMS regiments from the planned attack. Instead, the Coordinator ordered the regiments to seize a number of worlds along the coreward border of the Alliance, as well as emptying the Task Force supply caches of all of the material supplied by the Combine to support the war effort. These supplies, intended to keep the entire task force operating for a year, were consumed by the Auxiliary Corps during their assaults on [[Kazanka]], [[Nexus Ri]] and [[Zlatousi]]. The three regiments of Galedon Regulars - the 4th, 19th and 24th - faced the [[1st Alliance Armored Division|1st]] and [[2nd Alliance Armored Division|2nd Alliance Armored Divisions]] as well as large local militias boasting armor and heavy infantry support. The brutal actions the Task Force had taken against the civilian populations of occupied and contested worlds had massively increased Outworlds Alliance Militia enlistment, and the Federated Suns was covertly supplying the [[OAM]] with experienced military advisors who were training and sometimes leading the Militia forces. The net result was three grueling planetary campaigns. Initially, the battles were exactly what both sides had been looking for: large-scale warfare with mobile Kuritan BattleMechs facing large quantities of armor and infantry. The Alliance forces were stronger and better fortified than the DCMS units expected, leading ''Sho-sho'' Igushi to call forward the 3rd Dieron Regulars as reinforcements, and while the DCMS regiments attempted to attack the civilian population they found themselves blocked by superior numbers of Alliance tanks and infantry. The DCMS made rapid gains, but faced constant, stubborn resistance from the Alliance forces. Ultimately, the greater supplies available to the DCMS made the difference, with the Alliance forces retreating in early [[2583]], but both sides had taken heavy damage and the DCMS had denuded the entire task force of its supplies.<ref name="H:RWp121">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121, "The Dragon Responds"</ref><ref name="H:RWp121+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121-122, "Kazanka, Nexus Ri and Zlatousi"</ref>
	====2583====		====2583====

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{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand | image = [[Image:Draconis Combine Aux Corps 2581.png|150px]] | Designation = 1st Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps | formed = [[2581]] | Disbanded = [[2585]] | Previous Designation = | Nickname = | Affiliation = Star League | Parent Command = [[SLDF Task Force Outworlds]] | Sub-Command = }} The '''Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps''' was one of a number of auxiliary formations formed by the various [[Inner Sphere]] nations to support [[Star League]] operations during the [[Reunification War]]. Unlike those forces the [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]] gave up to the Star League to form a part of the nascent [[Star League Defense Force]] the Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps remained a discrete formation of comprised solely of [[DCMS]] regiments under the command of an DCMS officer - ''[[Sho-sho]]'' [[Masao Igushi]] for the bulk of the war - but the Corps as whole were under the operational command of the overall SLDF commander of the [[SLDF Task Force Outworlds]]. The Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps was one of a number of auxiliary corps formed to support SLDF operations in this manner, all of whom returned to full-time service within the DCMS at the end of the campaign.<ref name="H:RWp33">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 33, "Additional War Preparations"</ref><ref name="H:RWp35">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 35, "Integration With The SLDF"</ref> ==History== ===Formation=== [[SLDF Task Force Outworlds]] was built largely around the SLDF [[II Corps (Star League)|II Corps]] and [[V Corps (Star League)|V Corps]] under the command of [[General]] [[Amos Forlough]]. SLDF Task Force Outworlds was the third of the task forces to be assembled, and reflected events in the war against the Taurian Concordat. Whereas it had originally been envisaged that the invasion of the Outworlds Alliance could be conducted by [[VI Corps (Star League)|VI Corps]], the escalating conflict in the Concordat led to VI Corps being redeployed to the Taurian theater and II Corps taking up responsibility for the [[Draconis Combine]]/[[Outworlds Alliance]] border.<ref name="H:RWp109">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 109-110, "SLDF Efforts"</ref> The Draconis Combine was called on to provide the Auxiliary Corps to form the third part of SLDF Task Force Outworlds, a call that the Combine initially resisted until it was made clear that the [[DCMS]] units would be commanded by a DCMS officer - who would answer to Forlough in turn - and that the corps would remain a homogeneous formation comprised solely of DCMS units.<ref name="H:RWp36">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 36, "Integration With The SLDF"</ref> With the commitment of the Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps SLDF Task Force Outworlds was complete.<ref name="H:RWp107">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 107, "Task Force Outworlds"</ref><ref name="H:RWp140">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 140-141, "Outworlds Alliance Front (Jump-Off-2585)"</ref> ===Reunification War=== Initially, only four regiments of troops from the [[Galedon Regulars]] were available from the Auxiliary Corps in 2581, as regiments from the [[Benjamin Regulars]] and [[Dieron Regulars]] were in the process of being moved forward from rear areas within the Combine.<ref name="H:RWp141">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 141, "Outworlds Alliance Front (Jump-Off-2585)"</ref> The [[17th Galedon Regulars]] had been deployed inside the [[Outworlds Alliance]] on the world of [[Santiago]] since [[2572]], when [[First Lord]] [[Ian Cameron]] issued [[Directive 21]]. Although the Directive was touted publicly as a measure to cut down on bandit activity, it was actually the deliberate occupation of three Alliance worlds as an attempt to provide more information on the covert military buildup the Alliance had recently begun.<ref name="H:RWp108">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 108, "Something From Nothing"</ref><ref name="H:RWp110">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 110, "Fait Accompli(shed)"</ref> The 17th Galedon didn't care for their posting or the residents of Santiago, and had a highly antagonistic relationship with the civilian population. This eventually led to an event that would provoke widespread condemnation throughout the [[Inner Sphere]] and the various [[Periphery]] nations when troops from the 17th Galedon killed two dozen civilians and injured many more - including children - in what became known as the [[Santiago Massacre]]. The public backlash from the massacre delayed military operations against the Alliance for some years, and Santiago would be a hotbed of guerrilla resistance for more than 30 years.<ref name="H:RWp111">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 111, "Santiago"</ref><ref name="H:RWp19">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 19, "Bloody Santiago"</ref> ====2581==== War between the Star League and the Outworlds Alliance was declared openly in 2581; with the first wave of invasions being conducted by SLDF troops. Forces from the Auxiliary Corps were originally planned to stage a decoy raid on the world of [[Mitchella]] in support of a strike on [[Alpheratz]].<ref name="H:RWp116+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 116, "Sudden Halt"</ref> Instead, the first combat action the Auxiliary Corps would see was on the world of [[Sevon]], where units led by General Forlough had been tricked, ambushed and bloodied by a quasi-mercenary unit from the [[Federated Suns]], the [[Pitcairn Legion]], and troops from the [[Outworlds Alliance Militia]]. After weeks of combat, Forlough called the Auxiliary Corps in as reinforcements, and the three available regiments of Galedon Regulars - the [[4th Galedon Regulars|4th]], [[19th Galedon Regulars|19th]] and [[24th Galedon Regulars|24th]] - landed on Sevon on the 26th of October. The additional brigade of DCMS troops was enough to force the defending forces to retreat, although they suffered casualties as a result of the brilliant rearguard action fought by the Alliance troops.<ref name="H:RWp116">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 116, "Sevon"</ref> The war took a darker turn in late 2581, when an enraged General Forlough ordered the SLDF troops conquering [[Medron]] to crush the stubborn resistance offered by the planetary garrison by decimating the population of the world. Acting under these orders, the SLDF troops executed one in ten of the civilian population of Medron and utterly destroyed the defending militia forces. As a result of the perceived success of this measure, Forlough issued standing orders for resistance on any Alliance world to be punished the same way, orders that the DCMS troops would apply zealously throughout the war.<ref name="H:RWp117">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 117, "Rage Unleashed"</ref> ====2582==== In [[2582]] the Auxiliary Corps was reinforced by the [[4th Benjamin Regulars]] and the [[3rd Dieron Regulars]], bringing it up to an operational strength of two brigades.<ref name="H:RWp141"/> Combat operations for the Corps began with the occupation of [[Valentina]], which turned into a bloody affair that would tie the 17th and 24th Galedon Regulars up for months. The population of Valentina had already voted to surrender to Star League forces if invaded, but the actions of the 17th Galedon on Santiago were an open wound for the Valentinian population, who engaged in a campaign of covert resistance against the invaders. The two DCMS regiments decimated the population of Valentina and destroyed every building suspected of being affiliated in any way with the resistance, as well as instituting strict curfew and group assembly laws that were enforced harshly.<ref name="H:RWp119">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 119, "Valentina"</ref> Following the poor performance of V Corps during the campaign for [[Haynesville]],<ref name="H:RWp119+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 119-120, "Haynesville"</ref> Forlough came to rely heavily on the Auxiliary Corps to take on combat actions rather than V Corps. As a result, the newly arrived 4th Benjamin Regulars were dispatched to conquer the world of [[Budingen]]. The Regulars didn't know that elements of the Pitcairn Legion were on-world, and ended up with a protracted battle to conquer Budingen; the Regulars turned the tide of the campaign when they struck against the civilian population, forcing the Legion to concentrate on aiding the population before having to retreat in the face of the harsh Budingen winter. The Regulars then took advantage of an early thaw to suppress the population, breaking their will to resist before a relief force could arrive. The Regulars took heavy casualties in the campaign and a heavy raid from the Legion the following year, and as a result spent the entire of the war stationed on Budingen rather than engaging in any other combat operations.<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp120">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 120-121, "Budingen"</ref><ref name="H:RWp122">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 122-123, "... And Military"</ref> The Galedon Regulars regiments were due to be used in an attack on [[Ki Zoban]] alongside the SLDF during late 2582, but [[Coordinator]] [[Hehiro Kurita]] was so incensed by the annexation of a number of systems on the Outworlds Alliance/[[Federated Suns]] border by Davion troops that he withdrew the DCMS regiments from the planned attack. Instead, the Coordinator ordered the regiments to seize a number of worlds along the coreward border of the Alliance, as well as emptying the Task Force supply caches of all of the material supplied by the Combine to support the war effort. These supplies, intended to keep the entire task force operating for a year, were consumed by the Auxiliary Corps during their assaults on [[Kazanka]], [[Nexus Ri]] and [[Zlatousi]]. The three regiments of Galedon Regulars - the 4th, 19th and 24th - faced the [[1st Alliance Armored Division|1st]] and [[2nd Alliance Armored Division|2nd Alliance Armored Divisions]] as well as large local militias boasting armor and heavy infantry support. The brutal actions the Task Force had taken against the civilian populations of occupied and contested worlds had massively increased Outworlds Alliance Militia enlistment, and the Federated Suns was covertly supplying the [[OAM]] with experienced military advisors who were training and sometimes leading the Militia forces. The net result was three grueling planetary campaigns. Initially, the battles were exactly what both sides had been looking for: large-scale warfare with mobile Kuritan BattleMechs facing large quantities of armor and infantry. The Alliance forces were stronger and better fortified than the DCMS units expected, leading ''Sho-sho'' Igushi to call forward the 3rd Dieron Regulars as reinforcements, and while the DCMS regiments attempted to attack the civilian population they found themselves blocked by superior numbers of Alliance tanks and infantry. The DCMS made rapid gains, but faced constant, stubborn resistance from the Alliance forces. Ultimately, the greater supplies available to the DCMS made the difference, with the Alliance forces retreating in early [[2583]], but both sides had taken heavy damage and the DCMS had denuded the entire task force of its supplies.<ref name="H:RWp121">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121, "The Dragon Responds"</ref><ref name="H:RWp121+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 121-122, "Kazanka, Nexus Ri and Zlatousi"</ref> ====2583==== 2583 didn't have an auspicious beginning for the Auxiliary Corps. In addition to the raid on Budingen that badly damaged the 4th Benjamin Regulars, the Pitcairn Legion struck at the world of [[Bad News]], mauling the 3rd Dieron Regulars there, reducing the effective combat strength of the regiment by at least a third and destroying supply and repair depot they had been guarding.<ref name="H:RWp123">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 123, "Pitcairn's Raids"</ref> Forlough was furious with the DCMS forces, who continued to operate along the agenda set by Coordinator Kurita, rather than following the Task Force's plans;<ref name="H:RWp121"/> the Auxiliary Corps had been cut off from the SLDF supply chain in punishment for their operations in 2582, but continued gains by the Federated Suns led the Coordinator to order ''Sho-sho'' Igushi to seize more worlds, in this case the worlds of [[Milligan's World]], [[Prinis Prime]] and [[Quantraine]].<ref name="H:RWp125">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 125, "Kurita's Overeager Appetite"</ref> The 4th, 19th and 24th Galedon Regulars deployed again, but this time didn't have the depth of supplies that had sustained the constant battlefield tempo used to subdue worlds in 2582. The Alliance 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions were waiting for them again, and both Milligan's World and Quantraine had large militias extensively trained by Federated Suns advisors. This time, the Armored Divisions dug in deep, preventing the DCMS regiments from using the kind of mobile warfare that had netted them gains in previous campaigns; attempts by the various Galedon Regulars units to attack the civilian population and infrastructure were countered by Alliance anti-'Mech trained infantry, who crippled the Regulars advance units, slowing the attacks long enough for the Armored Divisions and militia to redeploy and blunt the Combine attacks. This time, the Auxiliary Corps just didn't have the strength and depth of supply needed to successfully conquer the worlds; their retreat was described by ''Sho-sho'' Igushi as the successful conclusion of reconnaissance raids that had badly damaged the Alliance Armored Divisions, but the Coordinator was angry with Igushi's performance and banished him him to the far coreward reaches of the Combine. Igushi was replaced with ''Sho-sho'' [[Rimas Nelsson]], but the Coordinator gave the Auxiliary Corps no additional supplies or resources to draw on, limiting the combat actions that could be attempted by the Corps to little more than securing their hold over worlds already taken.<ref name="H:RWp125"/> ====2584-2585==== Combat operations slowed dramatically in [[2584]], and the year was punctuated by the replacement of General Amos Forlough with [[Major General]] [[Franklin Barnex]], who possessed a very different view of how the war should be conducted compared to his predecessor. Barnex repealed the orders allowing SLDF and DCMS units to attack civilians and allowed the Auxiliary Corps access to the SLDF supply chain again, on the condition that that officers and units abided by his new policies.<ref name="H:RWp126">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 125-126, "Year Four: Slow Grind"</ref> While this gave the DCMS access to a considerable supply change and Barnex was able to persuade Nelsson to launch another attack on Quantraine - an attack that would last into [[2585]] - the Auxiliary Corps wouldn't manage to secure any additional worlds for the Combine beyond those seized in 2582.<ref name="H:RWp126+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 126+, "Negotiation"</ref> Despite this, the Combine gained 14 Alliance worlds as a result of the official peace treaty signed between the Outworlds Alliance and the Star League.<ref name="H:RWp126++">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 126, "Year Five: Peace In Our Time"</ref> ===Disbandment=== Although the Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps served as an operational command for five years, it was a temporary organization just like the other auxiliary formations, and was disbanded at some point after the Reunification War. ==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 1st Draconis Combine Auxiliary Corps''' |- | ''[[Sho-sho]]''||[[Masao Igushi]]||<ref name="H:RWp107"/> |- | ''Sho-sho''||[[Rimas Nelsson]]||[[2583]]<ref name="H:RWp125"/> |- |} ==Tactics== Different per Unit. ==Composition History== ===2581=== * [[Galedon Regulars]]<ref name="H:RWp141"/> :* [[4th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[17th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[19th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[24th Galedon Regulars]] ===2582-2585=== * [[Benjamin Regulars]]<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp107"/> :* [[4th Benjamin Regulars]] * [[Dieron Regulars]]<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp107"/> :* [[3rd Dieron Regulars]] * [[Galedon Regulars]]<ref name="H:RWp141"/><ref name="H:RWp107"/> :* [[4th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[17th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[19th Galedon Regulars]] :* [[24th Galedon Regulars]] Total force strength:<ref name="H:RWp107"/> * 6x [[BattleMech]] regiments * 4x armor regiments * 11x infantry regiments * 1x [[aerospace fighter|aerospace]] regiment ==References== <references /> ==Bibliography== * ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]'' [[Category:Star League Defense Force Auxiliary Corps|Draconis Combine 0001st]]

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