3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry

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Third McCarron's Armored Cavalry
Nickname The Wild Ones
Affiliation Capellan Confederation
Parent Command McCarron's Armored Cavalry

The Third McCarron's Armored Cavalry regiment was usually deployed as a heavy assault unit that used brute force instead of fancy tactics.

History[edit]

Formation[edit]


Third Succession War[edit]

In 3007 the regiments of McCarron's Armored Cavalry raided New Valencia, baseworld of Wolf's Dragoons. Though they seized several small communities, the Dragoons were able to hold off the Armored Cavalry units long enough for the Eridani Light Horse regiments to arrive. The MAC regiments didn't inflict any damage to the Dragoons, but did raze several villages.[1]

Fourth Succession War[edit]

In the Fourth Succession War all regiments of McCarron's Armored Cavalry except for the First were stationed on Menke. They later fought a long campaign to defend Sarna but had to retreat off world as Davion reinforcements arrived in the end phase of the war.

After arriving in the Sarna system, AFFS forces led by the aggressive behavior of General Gordon Hartstone, the combat commander of the Fifth Syrtis Fusiliers, combined with a lack of military intelligence about the garrison on the planet cost the invading Federated Suns forces dearly. Hartstone had his DropShips accelerate towards Sarna at high speed, faster than the DropShips transporting the other forces, intent on arriving two days early and thereby giving his Fusiliers the chance to make their mark in the invasion. What the invasion forces were unaware of was that all four regiments of McCarron's Armored Cavalry were on Sarna, and the Fusiliers dropped in their midst. The initial landing zone was intended to be just north of the Gray River, but the proposed landing site proved untenable due to heavy mud and floodwater left over from local flooding, forcing the Fusiliers' DropShips to ground on higher ground to the northwest. As the Fusiliers deployed, the empty DropShips in orbit detected more than a hundred aerospace fighters converging on the Fusiliers position, forcing the DropShips in orbit to land on Sarna after destroying the defending AFFS aerospace fighters. The Capellan fighters then began an intense strafing and bombing campaign, savaging the Fusiliers attached aerospace wing and ground forces. The Second and Third Battalions of the Fusiliers were subjected to intense fighter attack with heavy casualties, while the First Battalion was harassed by fast-moving Savannah Master hovercraft. Even with supporting fire from the grounded DropShips, the Fusiliers losses were catastrophic; after shattering the three 'Mech battalions with aerospace forces and ambushes and leaving just a company of Fusilier 'Mechs fleeing into deep forest under the cover of forest fires behind them, the Big Mac used their aerospace fighters to destroy the bulk of the Fusiliers ten supporting regiments, with just two regiments surviving. Ten of the twenty DropShips that transported the conventional forces to Sarna were destroyed; the crews of six of the destroyed DropShips, the FSS Calona, FSS Deborah, FSS Hasek, FSS Haversham, FSS Minos, and FSS Parker, could have survived if they had abandoned the Fusiliers, but instead chose to fight until destroyed.[2]

The [[Crater Cobras] and the Screaming Eagles were still on approach to Sarna when the Fusiliers were destroyed, and were faced with an invidious choice; Sarna was obviously a brutal trap, but aborting the invasion would leave them in breach of contract, placing any future employment in jeopardy. The commanding officers of the three regiments decided to press ahead with the invasion, but to alter the plans given to them by the COC in the hope that they could hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive. All three regiments dropped at the Blackhole DZ, 200 km away from where the Big Mac had destroyed the Fusiliers, after their DropShips made multiple in-flight course corrections to confuse the Big Mac's fighters. The drop was successful, with the mercenaries arriving on Sarna on the 29th of May and swiftly destroying the local militia forces near Backtal, securing the landing zone to enable their attached conventional forces to deploy. Narrowly avoiding a hidden minefield, Westrick's Black Cobras secured a weapons factory near Backtal after surprising the defending militia forces before the munitions stored there could be destroyed. Fighters from the Big Mac subsequently destroyed the factory complex, but not before the Black Cobras had secured significant quantities of autocannon ammunition and vibrabombs.[2]

With ComStar enacting a communications interdiction in response to the invasion of Sarna, the other DropShips and JumpShips in the system that had transported the invasion force acted on the last messages they received - messages sent by Hartstone indicating that everything was proceeding according to plan when he thought he was winning - and left the Sarna system for other assignments back in Federated Suns space, leaving the mercenaries unsupported. The Big Mac, believing that the mercenary drop was a decoy intended to lure them away from the capital, maintained a cautious defense until August, when it became apparent that the mercenaries were unsupported. In late August the four regiments of the Big Mac arrived near Backtal, where the Cobras and Eagles had been nervously awaiting a rapid demise; with the Big Mac finally attacking, the two mercenary commands elected to make their last stand in a region known as Graves Hollow, a forested valley some twenty kilometers in length, with numerous locations where strongholds could be fashioned or ambushes launched.[2]

The Black Cobras were the first unit to engage the Big Mac, battling the Third McCarron's Armored Cavalry after the Third stumbled across the defensive positions put in place by the Second Capac Infantry regiment. Colonel Westrick moved his forces swiftly along two parallel roads before dispersing them into the woods when the Third noticed them, turning the battle into a deadly free-for-all amidst the forest, where the two 'Mech forces fought amidst the huge trunks of the Saman Pine trees. Westrick's tactics allowed the Black Cobras to hold out long enough for the First Kluane Assault Tank Battalion to join the fray, with the Demolishers and Manticores of the First persuading Colonel Linda Chandrasekar of the Third to order her regiment to retreat.[2]

The battle fought by the Black Cobras was the first of many to be fought between the mercenaries and the various Big Mac regiments, losing roughly a quarter of their forces by early December, whilst inflicting at least as much damage on the Big Mac; despite the lack of word from the COC, morale on the mercenary side was still high, until the Big Mac managed to slip through a lightly-guarded portion of the hollow to surround the mercenary forces. The Cobras and Eagles began what they thought would be the last battle, only to be saved by the appearance of more AFFS forces. Two of the premiere RCTs from the Davion Brigade of Guards, the Davion Heavy Guards and the Davion Light Guards, had arrived with no clear idea of the situation on Sarna until they received frantic messages from the mercenaries. The two Guards regiments skipped the usual planning stages for a drop and left their DropShips on the next orbit, a dangerous tactic that saw many of the Guards' 'Mechs scattered, but with the bulk of their strength behind the Big Mac regiments. With the Guards' conventional forces descending by DropShip, Colonel Archibald McCarron chose to save his regiments rather than try and finish the Cobras and the Eagles, staging a swift, fighting retreat against the vengeful Guards for several weeks before managing to reach his DropShips and escape, less a regiments worth of 'Mechs and personnel.[2]

Andurien/Canopus Invasion[edit]

In May 3032 the Third, along with the other regiments of McCarron's Armored Cavalry as well as House Liao's Warrior House Kamata and Warrior House Hiritsu, landed on Betelgeuse. They quickly drove the First, Third, and 4th Defenders of Andurien, and the Tooth of Ymir off the world. They inflicted particularly heavy casualties on the First Defenders.[3] The Wild Ones then moved on to Primus, which they and the 1st McCarron's Armored Cavalry took without sustaining any casualties from enemy action.[4][5] 3034 found the Nightriders and the Wild Ones raiding Shiba, inflicting heavy losses on the 4th Defenders of Andurien. Only the suicidal rear guard action of two Andurien companies allowed any of the Defenders to escape.[6]

War of 3039[edit]

Operation Guerrero[edit]

Operation Bulldog[edit]

The Third didn't participate in Operation Bulldog but during this same time they landed on Sakhalin to put down an armed insurrection. Rather than land and march several kilometers to engage, the Wild Ones simply landed their DropShips in the center of the rebel base. Though this cost them a DropShip, they were able to destroy the rebels, level the base, and seize a replacement DropShip. They then returned to Kaifeng, leaving the 1st Capellan Defense Force to clean up.[7]

Xin Sheng Campaign[edit]

Between 3063 and 3067 the Wild Ones raided Tsingtao, Remshield, Foot Fall, and Jonathan. They hoped to provoke a response from the AFFS but no such response occurred.[8]

Jihad[edit]

In 3069 the Third Armored Cavalry assaulted Taygeta alongside both St. Ives Lancers regiments. They drove the 3rd Ceti Hussars and Vanguard Legion off-world and took the world for the Confederation. This provided a key jump-off point for an assault on New Syrtis.[9]

As part of that assault, the Third MAC assaulted the defender's rear. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to break through and took heavy losses. The unit withdrew alongside other CCAF units when the recall order arrived. They spent most of the rest of the Jihad on Menke, providing warriors to help rebuild other MAC units and serving as a cadre force.[10]

Republic Era[edit]

The Third was deployed on Acamar and Tsitsang. Each time they faced Stone's Revenants and each time they were defeated. The conventional assets of the Republic forces were able to pin down the Third, while the Revenants' 'Mechs inflicted heavy damage.[11] After losing more than three-quarters of their forces, the Third returned to Menke to rebuild.[12]

In 3104 the Third attacked the Eighth Avalon Hussars LCT on the world of Spica. Knowing that they couldn't win a direct engagement with the Third, the Hussars instead planned and executed an ambush on the Third that saw the Eighth's 'Mechs used as bait. Commanded directly by General Stasi Ivanova, the Eighth's 'Mechs led the Third into a valley while the Hussars' hovertanks harassed the Armored Cavalry. When the Third's vanguard entered the valley it came under sustained fire from a company of Destrier Siege Vehicles assigned to the Hussars and was swiftly destroyed; the Hussars then counterattacked while the Ballista trailers attached to the Destriers launched missile artillery at the Third, and the Third was driven offworld.[13]

Dark Age[edit]

The Third was held back from the initial waves of Operation CELESTIAL REWARD. They struck the capital cities of both Taygeta and New Syrtis, using their assault 'Mechs and heavy vehicles to simply crush any opposition. After New Syrtis was secured, they returned to Menke for rest and recovery.[14] On Taygeta they faced the Ridgebrook CMM and 5th Crucis Lancers.[15]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry
Colonel Linda Chandrasekar 3025[16]
Sang-shao Otto Kung 3050 - 3085[17][18][7][19][12][9]
Sang-shao Sergei Tolkov 3145[20]

Tactics[edit]

The command puts their assets to best use. First the 'Mechs secure territory and the armor defends it. The CO seek the decision in a final assault if the tide of battle changes for the worse (in his mind).[7]

Composition History[edit]

3025[edit]

The Wild Ones (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[16]

  • CO: Colonel Linda Chandrasekar
1st Battalion
Major Otto Kung
2nd Battalion
Major Nathan Bragg
3rd Battalion
Major Jordan Brush
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Menke.[21]

3028[edit]

The Wild Ones (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[22]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Menke.[22]

3040[edit]

The Wild Ones (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[23]

Note: At this point in time the command was stationed on Overton.[23]

3050[edit]

The Wild Ones (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[17]

  • CO: Colonel Otto Kung
Note: The command was deployed at Overton.[17]

3054[edit]

The Wild Ones (Regular/Reliable)[18]

  • CO: Colonel Otto Kung

3063-3067[edit]

3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[7][19]

  • CO: Sang-shao Otto Kung
  • 1st Battalion: Zhong-shao Christine "The Demon" Blake
  • 2nd Battalion: Zhong-shao Kool Suk Lynn
  • 3rd Battalion: Zhong-shao Lance Hawkins

- The half of the regiment field more than 75 weight 'Mechs
- Most medium 'Mechs outfitted with MASC

Kung's Piranhas (2 Flights/Elite/Fanatical)[7][19]

The Terrible Three (1 Regiment/Elite/Fanatical)[7][19]

  • Armor Commander: Zhong-shao Devin Montgomery

- Mostly heavy tanks

- In 3067 the 'Mech unit was at 88% of nominal strength.[19]

3079[edit]

Third McCarron's Armored Cavalry (Regiment/Regular/Questionable)[24]

Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Menke.[24]

3085[edit]

3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry (Regular/Reliable)[12]

  • CO: Sang-shao Otto Kung

Kung's Piranhas (2 Flights/Veteran/Reliable)[12]

The Terrible Three (Reliable/Regular)[12]

3145[edit]

3rd McCarron's Armored Cavalry (Elite/Reliable)[20]

  • CO: Sang-shao Sergei Tolkov

Tolkov's Piranhas (Elite/Questionable)[20]

The Terrible Three (Regular/Reliable)[20]

1st Menke Armored Infantry (Regular/Reliable)[20]

Notes[edit]

  • Also known as "McCarron's Thugs".

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Wolf's Dragoons, p. 10
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 2, pp. 44–51: "Sarna"
  3. ↑ Historical: Brush Wars, p. 63
  4. ↑ Historical: Brush Wars, p. 64
  5. ↑ Historical: Brush Wars, p. 88
  6. ↑ Historical: Brush Wars, p. 66
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Field Manual: Capellan Confederation, p. 88: "3rd McCarron's Unit Profile"
  8. ↑ Field Manual: Updates, p. 26
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3070, p. 66
  10. ↑ Field Report: CCAF, p. 15
  11. ↑ Field Manual: 3085, p. 26
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Field Manual: 3085, p. 33: "Capellan Confederation Armed Forces Deployment Table - 3085"
  13. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145: Federated Suns, p. 28: "Destrier Siege Vehicle"
  14. ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 32
  15. ↑ Technical Readout: 3145 Capellan Confederation, p. 40
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 95: "McCarron's Armored Cavalry"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 20 Year Update, p. 63: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3050"
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Objective Raids, p. 41: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3054"
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 Field Manual: Updates, p. 33: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3067"
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 Field Manual: 3145, p. 45: "CCAF Deployment Table - 3145"
  21. ↑ House Liao (The Capellan Confederation), p. 107
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Historical: Brush Wars, p. 88
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Historical: War of 3039, p. 140
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Field Report: CCAF, p. 15

Bibliography[edit]

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