Editing 23rd Avalon Hussars

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[Image:Avalon Hussars -Brigade logo 2765.png|150px|Brigade Insignia of the Avalon Hussars]]
| Designation    = Twenty-third Avalon Hussars
| formed         = 
| Disbanded      = [[Second Succession War]]<ref name="SSWp94"/>
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = The Grail Seekers<ref name="FR:FS2765p9"/>
| Affiliation    = [[Federated Suns]]
| Parent Command = [[Avalon Hussars]]
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

==History==
=== Star League Era ===
Originally formed during the [[Age of War]], the '''Twenty-third Avalon Hussars''' was one of many Hussars regiments to be drawn down during the [[Star League]] era as a consequence of the [[Council Edict of 2650]] which limited the size of the military each [[Great House]] was allowed to field. The Twenty-third was then reactivated in [[2754]] following the repeal of the edict and the subsequent wide-scale rearmament each Great House began. Unfortunately for the Twenty-third, their reactivation was plagued with problems; a series of events and a number of accidents led to a rapid turnover of personnel in key posts in a relatively short period of time, with almost the entire command staff turning over, while the Twenty-third also went through no less than three Commanding Officers in quick succession. As a result it would be five years before the Twenty-third was actually designated combat-ready, and as late as [[2765]] the regiment was still plagued with supply problems that were adversely affecting the morale of the unit.<ref name="FR:FS2765p9">''Field Report 2765: AFFS'', p. 9: "Avalon Hussars"</ref>

=== Succession Wars ===
The Twenty-third began the [[First Succession War]] at an operational strength of four battalions, but by the end of the War had been reduced to just below two battalions in strength.<ref name="FSWp134"/> The Twenty-third hadn't rebuilt by the start of the [[Second Succession War]], and became casualties of that same war - one of seven Avalon Hussars regiments to be destroyed before the end of the War.<ref name="SSWp94"/>

On the 19th of February [[2830]] Coordinator Jinjiro Kurita launched simultaneous offensives against the Federated suns and Lyran Commonwealth. [[Operation AKAI KAZE]] - RED WIND - was the offensive launched against the Federated Suns; while the main targets of AKAI KAZE were the [[Franklin]], [[Lucerne]] and [[Sakhara V]] systems, ten assorted systems were also hit by heavy raids, intended to distract and disorient the AFFS.<ref name="SSWp31">''Second Succession War'', p. 31: "The Dragon Strikes: Black Wind, Red Wind"</ref>

Overall command of the assaults on Franklin and Lucerne lay with ''[[Tai-sho (rank)|Tai-sho]]'' [[Chosokabe Motochika]], and the AFFS forces on both worlds put up a heavy defense. In late May, Motochika requested permission for his forces to withdraw, in the face of ferocious resistance and near-suicidal attacks from the defenders, rather than seeing the units under his command destroyed for little profit. After six weeks with no response, Motochika ordered his troops to retreat, only to find that his request had never been sent. Knowing that retreating without orders would result in an order for him to atone via ''[[seppuku]]'', Motochika decided to drive deeper into the Federated Suns and led his troops to [[Dahar IV]].<ref name="SSWp34">''Second Succession War'', pp. 34–35: "The Dragon Strikes: Black Wind, Red Wind"</ref>

Once at Dahar IV, Motochika played an elaborate deception on the defending Twenty-third Avalon Hussars, landing with the [[Ninth Benjamin Regulars]] under a flag of truce and stating his wish to defect. Believing that lulling the enemy into a false sense of security was a legitimate stratagem of war, Motochika played the confused AFFS officers along, submitting to searches and agreeing to be taken into custody; aiding his deception was his reputation as an honorable opponent in both the First and Second Succession Wars, one who eschewed the use of nuclear weapons. As the Hussars took Motochika into custody, his other forces in orbit - another three regiments, two of them 'Mech regiments - landed on Dahar IV, closing their trap on the suddenly besieged Hussars. Although Motochika committed suicide while imprisoned, his troops inflicted heavy damage on the Hussars, destroying all bar a battalion of the Hussars in the initial attack and then rampaging across Dahar IV, razing what had been a pristine industrial planet. When Jinjiro Kurita received word of their success, he granted permission for the DCMS forces to withdraw, as Motochika had hoped.<ref name="SSWp34"/>

==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 23rd Avalon Hussars'''
|-
|}

==Tactics==
During the Star League era all of the Avalon Hussars were required to focus on being both flexible and mobile, with every regiment required to be capable of deploying within eight hours, although many of the Hussars struggled to actually achieve this.<ref name="FR:FS2765p8">''Field Report 2765: AFFS'', p. 8: "Avalon Hussars"</ref>

==Composition History==
=== 2765 ===
'''Twenty-third Avalon Hussars''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="FR:FS2765p10">''Field Report: AFFS'', p. 10: "Regimental Status"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Twenty-third was stationed on [[Ashley]].<ref name="FR:FS2765p10"/> In common with the other regiments of the Avalon Hussars the Twenty-third had an attached aerospace wing, although these forces were primarily tasked to provide ground support rather than escort duties.<ref name="FR:FS2765p8"/>

=== 2786 - 2821 ===
'''Twenty-third Avalon Hussars''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="FSWp134">''First Succession War'', p. 134: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Hussars were a medium-weight regiment stationed on Ashley and were operating at four-battalion strength.<ref name="FSWp134"/> In 2821 the unit were operating at just below two battalion-strength.<ref name="FSWp134"/>

=== 2830 ===
'''Twenty-third Avalon Hussars''' (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name="SSWp94">''Second Succession War'', p. 94: "Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)"</ref>
:- At this point in time the Hussars were a medium-weight regiment but were still operating at the same reduced level of combat strength they had at the closing of the First Succession War. The Hussars were stationed on Ashley.<ref name="SSWp94"/> The unit was destroyed during the war.<ref name="SSWp94"/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Report 2765: AFFS]]''
* ''[[First Succession War (sourcebook)|First Succession War]]''
* ''[[Second Succession War (sourcebook)|Second Succession War]]''


[[Category:Federated Suns Commands|Avalon Hussars, 23rd]]