Editing 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image = [[File:Fusiliersoforiente2ndbrigade.png]]
| Designation = Second Fusiliers of Oriente
| Formed = [[2485]]
| Disbanded = [[3079]]
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname = The Golden Phoenix
| Affiliation = [[Duchy of Oriente]]
----
[[Free Worlds League]]
| Parent Command = [[Fusiliers of Oriente]]
| Sub-Command = 
}}
==History==
===Formation===
The '''Second Fusiliers of Oriente''' were formed in [[2485]] by the Duchy of Oriente. From the time of their formation through [[3025]] they formed the core of the Free Worlds League's defenses against [[Capellan Confederation]] aggression.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 95</ref>

===Reunification War===
By the time of the [[Reunification War]], the 2nd Fusiliers and their sister regiments had become known as brigades, although they still operated at regiment strength; as a result, records of their deeds during the various campaigns of the war record the 2nd Fusiliers as the 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente Brigade. The 2nd Fusiliers served in two different major campaigns during the war, acting first as a part of the [[1st Marik Auxiliary Corps]] commanded by [[General]] [[Ian Marik]] as a part of the SLDF Task Force Canopus, before being redeployed as a core part of the [[2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps]] commanded by General [[Duke]] [[Narinder Selaj]] as a part of the SLDF Task Force Mailed Fist; as a result, the 2nd Fusiliers saw extensive service in the campaigns against both the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] and the [[Rim Worlds Republic]].<ref name="H:RWp95">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 95, "SLDF Task Force Canopus"</ref><ref name="H:RWp129">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 129, "SLDF Task Force Mailed Fist"</ref><ref name="H:RWp148">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 148, "Magistracy Of Canopus Front (Jump-Off - 2582)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp152">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 152, "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-Off - 2587)"</ref><ref>''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 153, "Rim Worlds Republic Front (Jump-Off - 2596)"</ref>

====Restitution====
At the end of the military buildup prior to the official declaration of war between the Star League and the Magistracy, the 2nd Fusiliers were stationed on the [[Free Worlds League]] border world of [[Rohinjan]] alongside the [[1st Marik Militia|1st]] and [[3rd Marik Militia]]. During the first wave of attacks the 2nd Fusiliers were selected alongside the 3rd Marik Militia to deploy in support of the [[57th Brigade]] for the invasion of [[Restitution]]. The SLDF task force would continue to deploy the 2nd Fusiliers and the 3rd Marik Militia together throughout the campaign against the Magistracy until the 2nd Fusiliers were redeployed to the Rim Worlds Republic theater.<ref name="H:RWp148"/>

Restitution was famous for its media industry - particularly the producers of dubious pornography and low-brow dramas. Restitution's media industry had given the planet experts in communications, data delivery and image and video manipulation and a planetary communications network as advanced as any in the [[Inner Sphere]]. The attack on Restitution was expected to be a tough fight; intelligence showed that the defending garrison consisted of the [[3rd Canopian Light Horse]], one of the elite [[Chasseurs á Cheval]] regiments, and that the capital city of Magdeburg had been surrounded by massive prepared defenses, augmenting the benefits of its location atop a narrow bluff.<ref name="H:RWp148"/><ref name="H:RWp97">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 97-98, "Restitution and Cranston (October-November 2577)"</ref>

The 57th Brigade were allocated the majority of the AeroSpace assets from the [[58th Brigade]] to assist them in achieving air superiority over Magdeburg so allow for the 57th to make a direct assault on the city, bypassing the bulk of the prepared defenses. The plan was a complete success - in large part due to the fact that only token resistance was offered; the 57th secured the city, only to discover that there was no sign of the 3rd Canopian Light Horse. While the SLDF had been preparing to conquer Restitution, the planetary defenders had redeployed and would appear two weeks later in the [[Cranston]] system, bloodying the 58th Brigade badly.<ref name="H:RWp148"/><ref name="H:RWp97">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 97-98, "Restitution and Cranston (October-November 2577)"</ref>

====Ruschegg====
The capture of [[Ruschegg]] in [[2578]] was relatively easy for the 2nd Fusiliers and the other units involved; one of three former Free Worlds League worlds which had defected to the Magistracy in the 2550s, all three were conquered through a display of overwhelming force and agile diplomacy by [[Captain-General]] [[Marion Marik]]. The defenders of Ruschegg effectively offered no resistance to the SLDF landings, although it would have been difficult for any local militia to contest an invasion which saw the SLDF [[58th Brigade]] deploy alongside the [[62nd Royal Brigade]], the 1st and 3rd Marik Militia and the [[1st Fusiliers of Oriente|1st]] and 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente Brigades. Within a very short period of time the planetary leader of Ruschegg had not only surrendered but was actively petitioning for Ruschegg to be admitted into the Free Worlds League. The relatively peaceful capture and annexation of Ruschegg, [[Payvand]] and [[Scheuerheck]] was a publicity coup for the Free Worlds League, one that the [[Captain-General]]'s allies in the Parliament used extensively against opponents of the [[Star League]].<ref name="H:RWp148"/><ref name="H:RWp100">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 100, "Ruschegg, Payvand and Scheuerheck (August-October 2577)"</ref>

====Aspropirgos====
Following the campaign for Ruschegg the 2nd Fusiliers supported the 58th Brigade in their next campaign, the battle for [[Aspropirgos]]. The [[Magistracy Armed Forces]] had managed to surprise and outfox the SLDF task force several times in the opening years of the war, and as a result the SLDF timetable slowed as Captain-General Marik built up her forces for the next major invasions. In addition to refitting and rearming VII Corps and the FWLM regiments acting in support, Marik targeted two worlds each year for invasion, consolidating gains as part of a slow encirclement of the Magistracy capital world of [[Canopus IV]]. Aspropirgos was one of these worlds targeted during this relatively fallow period of operations, and the combined forces of the 58th Brigade, the 2nd Fusiliers and the 3rd Marik Militia clashed with Aspropirgos' defenders, the [[1st Canopian Fusiliers]] and the [[2nd Canopian Grenadiers]]. In what would be the standard pattern of warfare for the MAF when defending worlds during 2580-[[2581]], the two Canopian regiments did their best to sting the invaders before retreating ahead of any effective retaliation, saving their strength for later battles.<ref name="H:RWp148"/><ref name="H:RWp150">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 150, "Magistracy Of Canopus Front(Jump-Off - 2582)"</ref><ref name="H:RWp101">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 101, "Gallis, Aspropirgos, Fanardir and Borgan's Rift (January 2580-October 2581)"</ref>

The battle for Aspropirgos was the last fought in the Canopian campaign by the 2nd Fusiliers; in [[2581]] the Fusiliers were redeployed along with the 1st Fusiliers to form a part of the 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps as the campaign against the Rim Worlds Republic began.<ref name="H:RWp148"/>

====Operation MAILED FIST====
The Second Fusiliers were one of six regiments chosen to serve in the [[2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps]] formed in [[2581]]<ref name="H:RWp152"/> to support the [[Star League Defense Force]] when the [[Star League]] decided to intervene in the civil war that had been raging inside the Rim Worlds Republic since [[2575]].<ref name="H:RWp131">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 131, "False Starts (2579-81)</ref>

The 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps incorporated the Second Fusiliers along with their sister brigade, the First Fusiliers, as well as the [[2nd Marik Militia|Second]] and [[6th Marik Militia|Sixth Marik Militias]], the [[2nd Regulan Hussars|Second Regulan Hussars]] and the [[2nd Defenders of Andurien|Second Defenders of Andurien]]. The 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps was one of a number of Corps that made up [[Task Force MAILED FIST]], the military component of [[Operation MAILED FIST]], the Star League operation within the Rim Worlds Republic between [[2581]] and [[2596]].<ref name="H:RWp152"/><ref name="H:RWp153">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 153, "Rim Worlds Republic Front (2588-2596)"</ref>

The Second Fusiliers spent the bulk of Operation MAILED FIST operating alongside the Defenders of Andurien and the Regulan Hussars. Together, the three regiments would fight campaigns on [[Urjala]] in [[2583]], [[Kitopler]] in [[2586]], [[New India]] in [[2587]], [[Slewis]] in [[2590]] and [[Toland]] in [[2593]]. The Defenders of Andurien and the Regulan Hussars went on to fight on [[Apollo (system)|Apollo]] in [[2596]], but the Fusiliers remained on Toland.<ref name="H:RWp152"/><ref name="H:RWp153"/>

====Urjala====
The campaign to secure Urjala saw the Second Fusiliers fighting against the same battalion from the [[4th Amaris Fusiliers|Fourth Amaris Fusiliers]]<ref name="H:RWp134">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 134, "Helbrent to Nightwish (July 2582 - November 2584)"</ref> that had successfully conducted a very damaging raid on at the main spaceport facility on [[Alarion]] in 2581,<ref name="H:RWp132+">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 132-33, "Alarion (December 2581)"</ref> and while the Free worlds League forces quickly crushed the Amaris Fusiliers they rapidly found themselves experiencing similar problems to Task Force MAILED FIST units on other worlds - they lacked the numbers to exercise sufficient control over the ground, and as a result found their hold on Urjala slipping away in the face of a rebellious population. Eventually, a portion of the garrison on the nearby world of [[Bolan]] was dispatched to Urjala to help secure the Star League grip on the world, but the Second Fusiliers would remain on Urjala for another two years.<ref name="H:RWp134"/><ref name="H:RWp152"/>

====New India====
The Second Fusiliers fought the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers for a second time on New India, which was the garrison posting of the other half of the Fourth; in contrast to many of the other planetary campaigns being fought at the time, the fight on New India was actually a stand-up fight, with the Fourth Amaris Fusiliers fighting hard and selling themselves dearly, but without resorting to the more desperate or savage guerrilla and resistance tactics the SLDF was facing on other worlds.<ref name="H:RWp135">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 135, "Arlina to Viborg (December 2584 - September 2588)"</ref>

====Slewis====
In contrast with the difficult occupation of Urjala and the fierce battle for New India, the campaign for Slewis was remarkably easy; an agricultural world with a large timber industry, Slewis was targeted by the Fusiliers, Defenders of Andurien and Regulan Hussars in May 2590 and was the last world in the [[Timbuktu Province]] to be captured, but the occupation consisted largely of the leaders of Slewis calmly acknowledging the arrival of the Free Worlds League forces before simply continuing their farming and logging operations.<ref name="H:RWp136">''Historical: Reunification War'', p. 136, "Illium to Barcelona (March 2589 - August 2591)"</ref>

====Toland====
The Second Fusiliers and their companion units from the 2nd Marik Auxiliary Corps operated largely independently of the other units within Task Force MAILED FIST; the only exception to this was the campaign to secure Toland, where they fought alongside the SLDF [[18th Division (Star League)|Eighteenth Division]] against the local militia forces.<ref name="H:RWp152"/><ref name="H:RWp153"/>

=== Star League Era ===
All of the Fusiliers of Oriente were placed under direct control of the Duchy of Oriente following the Star League [[Council Edict of 2650]] - a measure taken by [[Captain-General]] [[Ward Marik]] at the recommendation of the [[Dormuth Council]] to have the Fusiliers and the other military units provided by the various provinces of the Free Worlds League count as private military forces, rather than as federal military forces, and thereby exempting them from an otherwise mandatory drawdown under the terms of the Council Edict.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp4">''Field Report 2765: FWLM'', p. 4, "Circumventing Directive 30"</ref> As a result of Ward Marik's direction the bulk of the funding for the Fusiliers had to be provided by the Duchy, but the Fusiliers also gained the best equipment that the Duchy could buy as well as the best recruits from the [[Princefield Military Academy]]. Despite the change in the chain of command, the Fusiliers and Oriente remained highly loyal to the Captain-General, and the Fusiliers were the only provincial forces to accept orders from a sitting Captain-General between the passing of the Council Edict and its repeal a century later.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/>

Despite the changes brought on by the Council Edict the Second and the other brigades and regiments of the Fusiliers continued to demand - and maintain - only the best standards from their personnel, and every year the Fusiliers continued to earn more commendations and service medals than any other Free Worlds League formation while maintaining the high level of operational readiness that the Grand Duke demanded of them. Whilst detractors of the Fusiliers argued that the Grand Duke was too liberal in handing out awards to his forces, the sniping was baseless; every award was earned through merit.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/>

In [[2762]] elements of the Second Brigade of the Fusiliers of Oriente were training with the [[1st Orloff Grenadiers|First Orloff Grenadiers]] on [[New Delos]] when they discovered a pirate raid.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/> The Second Fusiliers attempted to engage the pirate force, which [[Grand Duke]] [[Cedro Allison]] of the [[Duchy of Oriente]] believed to be under [[Maskirovka]] direction, when elements of the SLDF [[131st BattleMech Division]] intervened and engaged the pirates directly.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp5"/> The SLDF forces - which were from the [[1333rd Brigade]] - ended up having to surround the Second Fusiliers and order them to stand down after frustrated elements within the Fusiliers fired warning shots on the lead [[BattleMech]] [[company]] from the 1333rd.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/>

The news that battlefield control had been removed from [[Major]] Mykonos of the Fusiliers by the 131st on the grounds that the pirate raid was [[Star League]] business, rather than internal Free Worlds League business, infuriated the Grand Duke, in part because of the SLDF refusing to intervene in the earlier [[Marik Civil War (28th c.)|Marik Civil War]] on the grounds that the Civil War was internal FWL business.<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp5">''Field Report 2765: FWLM'', p. 5, "Internal Matters"</ref><ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14">''Field Report 2765: FWLM'', p. 14, "Fusiliers of Oriente"</ref>

===Anton's Revolt===
The Second Fusiliers landed on [[Calloway VI]] with the [[1st Oriente Hussars|First]], [[2nd Oriente Hussars|Second]], and [[1st Oriente Hussars|Sixth Oriente Hussars]], as well as the [[6th Defenders of Andurien]]. There they stopped Wolf's Dragoons Beta Regiment cold. The Dragoons were reinforced by Gamma Regiment, but the Second Fusiliers were able to maintain pressure on the rebel forces. Eventually the [[12th Atrean Dragoons]] and [[3rd Ducal Guard]], both rebel units, were destroyed.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 29</ref> The Dragoons also suffered serious losses. This success came at a high price however: When the fighting on Calloway ended the Second Fusiliers had lost approximately a quarter of their forces.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 36</ref>

Later, the weakened Second Fusiliers tried to raid [[Emris IV]], but Wolf's Dragoons Delta and Epsilon Regiment drove them off-world with heavy losses.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 31</ref> This ill-advised attack reduced the Second Fusiliers to approximately 40% of their base combat strength.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 38</ref>

The Second Brigade took so much damage during [[Anton Marik]]'s Revolt that two damaged [[Oriente Hussars]] [[regiment]]s were merged into it to speed recovery. This merger triggered a feud with the [[Ducal Guard]] that lasted well into the mid-3050s.<ref name=FMFWL76>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 76, "2nd Fusiliers of Oriente Unit Profile"</ref>

===Fourth Succession War===
Like many Free Worlds League Military units, the Second Fusiliers sat out much of the [[Fourth Succession War]].{{cn}}

===Andurien Secession===
The Second Fusiliers remained off the front lines until the last part of the war. In [[3048]] the Second Fusiliers raided the [[Gienah Combat Vehicles]] plant on [[Gienah]], taking plans and armored vehicles, while the [[3rd Free Worlds Legionnaires]] focused on attacking the planet's defenders.<ref name=FMFWL76/> Finally turned loose against the Andurien rebels, the Second was part of the first wave of [[FWLM]] forces that [[Battle of Andurien (3039)|attacked]] [[Andurien]]. Arriving via [[pirate point]], the Second Fusiliers avoided contact with the defenders, reinforcing the [[1st Free Worlds Guards]] once they had landed.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 80</ref> Shortly thereafter they reinforced the [[1st Marik Militia]] and contained a breakout attempt by the [[1st Defenders of Andurien]].<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 81</ref> Their greatest action, however, came when they attacked the city of Jojoken alongside the First Fusiliers of Oriente. The Second Fusiliers pinned the defending [[5th Defenders of Andurien]] in place while the First Fusiliers flanked them and struck the 5th Defenders from the rear. The two Fusilier units then ground the Defenders between them, leaving few survivors.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 82</ref> This action cost the Fusiliers about 40% of their forces.<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 82</ref>

===Operation Guerrero and Operation Bulldog===
The Second Fusiliers didn't participate in either [[Operation Guerrero]] or [[Operation Bulldog]].{{cn}}

===Jihad and Destruction===
After a series of strikes in [[3067]] into the [[Abbey District]], Colonel Angstead requested permission to strike at the [[Circinus Federation]], who he believed sponsored the attacks. To defend more of the Abbey District the Second Battalion was deployed in smaller units across a half-dozen worlds.<ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 151</ref>

The 2nd Fusiliers were stationed on the [[Duchy of Oriente]] world of [[Jouques]] in March [[3079]] when a Blakist task force hit several Oriente worlds in quick succession. The two Word of Blake divisions that struck at Jouques attacked and overwhelmed the defending 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente, destroying the Fusiliers before plundering the garrison for supplies; the Divisions then detonated three nuclear devices against major population centers nearby to cover their retreat.<ref name="J:FRp19">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 19, "Blakist Raids Savage Duchy Of Oriente"</ref><ref name="J:FRp60">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 69, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> As of [[3081]], the 2nd Fusiliers had not been rebuilt.<ref name="FM3085p75">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 75, "Heroes Of A Shattered House"</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 2nd Fusiliers of Oriente'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||[[Arlen Walker]]||[[3015]]<ref name=HM:TFWLp136>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 136, "Bronwen Rafsani profile"</ref>
|-
| Colonel||[[Ricardo Fuentes]]||[[3025]]<ref name=HMFWLp96>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 96</ref>
|-
| Colonel||[[Marissa Morgan]]||[[3042]] - [[3048]]<ref name=FMFWL73>''Field Manual: Free Worlds League'', p. 73</ref>
|-
| Colonel||[[Donald Angstead]]||[[3050]] - [[3067]]<ref name=20YUp56>''20 Year Update'', p. 56, "FWLM Deployment Table"</ref><ref name=FMFWL76/><ref>''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 161</ref>
|-
|}

==Tactics==
The 2nd Brigade is highly skilled in operations in mountain terrain, but has almost no experience fighting in urban environments.<ref name=FMFWL76/>

==Composition History==
=== 2765 ===
'''Second Brigade''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/>
:- At this poi8nt in time the Second was stationed on [[Fuentes]].<ref name="FR:2765FWLMp14"/>

=== 2786 - 2821===
'''2nd Brigade ''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable) <ref name= FSSp138 >''First Succession War'', p. 138</ref>
: Note: At this point in time the light-weight unit was stationed on [[Fuentes]]. In 2821 the command was reduced to 35 of its strength and was deployed at [[Fletcher (FWL)]]. <ref name= FSSp138/>
=== 2830 ===
'''2nd Brigade''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable) <ref name=2ndSSp98>''Second Succession War'', p. 98 </ref>
: Note: At this point in time the light-weight unit was stationed on [[Fletcher]] with an operational readiness of 81 percent. <ref name=2ndSSp98/>
=== 2864 ===	
'''2nd Brigade''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable) <ref name=2ndSSp98/>
: Note: At this point in time the light-weight unit was stationed on [[Ipswich]] with an operational readiness of 20 percent. <ref name=2ndSSp98/>

===3025===
'''Second Brigade''' (Veteran/Reliable)<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 108, "FWLM Deployment Table"</ref>
* CO: Colonel Ricardo Fuentes 	

- The Second Brigade consisted of three battalions of medium weight 'Mechs that included many ''[[Hermes II]]'' designs. The third battalion was seriously understrength.<ref>''House Marik (The Free Worlds League)'', p. 96</ref>

=== 3028 ===
'''2nd Fusiliers of Oriente'''(Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name =HBSp86/>
:Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on [[Maxwell]].  <ref name =HBSp86>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p.86</ref>

===3050===
'''Second Brigade''' (Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name=20YUp56/>
:* CO: Colonel Donald Angstead <ref name=20YUp56/>
: Note:  At this point in time the unit was stationed on [[Maxwell]].  <ref name=20YUp56/>

===3059===
'''Second Brigade''' (1 [[Regiment]]/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name=FMFWL76/>
* CO/1st [[Battalion]]: Colonel Donald Angstead 
** XO: [[Force Commander]] [[Josef Gamal]]
* Second Battalion: Force Commander [[Laurence Anderton]]
* Third Battalion: Force Commander [[Ruth Slight]]
- The Regiment is upgraded with field-modification kits

'''Second Fusiliers Aerospace Wing (The Bug Blasters)''' (1 [[Wing (Military Unit)|Wing]]/Elite/Reliable)<ref name=FMFWL76/>
* Wing Commander: [[Commodore]] [[Nyen Chen]]
- Heavy air wing

'''Ninth Maxwell Alpini''' (1 Regiment/Veteran/Reliable)<ref name=FMFWL76/>
*  Troop Commander: [[Lieutenant Colonel]] [[Elise Walker]]
- A mountain troop regiment

'''Third Maxwell Airmobile''' (1 Regiment/Regular/Reliable)<ref name=FMFWL76/>
*  Troop Commander: Lieutenant Colonel [[Thomas Lakes]]
- Equipped with ''[[Planetlifter]]s'' and [[Karnov|UR Karnov]] transports, secured by attack [[VTOL]]s

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[20 Year Update]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Free Worlds League]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Report 2765: FWLM]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[Historical: Reunification War]]''
* ''[[House Marik (The Free Worlds League)]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''

[[Category:Free Worlds League Commands|Fusiliers of Oriente, 2nd]]