Editing Hanni Schmitt

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = 
| caption             = Hanni Schmitt
| name                = 
| birthdate           = 
| died                = 27 December [[2766]]<ref name=NHSP17-S3-HS-S-D-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall From Glory", "Situation", date of the battle of Gorst Flats given</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[Star League]]
| rank                = [[Colonel]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents             = 
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = Yes
}}

'''Hanni Schmitt''' was a [[Colonel]] in the [[Star League Defense Force]] and the last commander of the original [[Royal Black Watch Regiment]].

==History==
===Ancestry and Family===
Schmitt's family was famously descended from the country of Wales on [[Terra]].<ref name=TRO3067-38-M-HS-1>''Technical Readout: 3067'', p. 38, "Morrígú", "Overview", Hanni Schmitt's Welsh heritage is expanded upon.</ref> By the later [[Star League era]], the Schmitts had apparently developed a long and distinguished history of serving with the SLDF, with her mother also serving in the military, where she was known to have piloted a ''[[Highlander]]''.<ref name=HLTV2-103-ITN-CS-H-1>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 103, "In the Night", Colleen Schmitt's grandmother piloted a ''Highlander''</ref>

Schmitt's granddaughter, [[Colleen Schmitt|Colleen]], was born in [[2756]].<ref name=HOK119-CS-RBW-D-B-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", Colleen Schmitt's birth year</ref> While Hanni Schmitt served out her duties to the [[Star League]], both Hanni and her mother told stories to Colleen about the glory of the SLDF.<ref name=HOK119-CS-SL-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", Colleen Schmitt grew up hearing tales about the Star League Defense Force</ref><ref name=FMCC19-I-CS-GD-2>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 19, "Inception (2756-2822)", Colleen Schmitt was raised on tales of the SLDF</ref>

===Career and the Royal Black Watch===
Although there is little detail of Schmitt's early career, it is known that she graduated from the prestigious [[Gunslinger Program]], and was therefore considered among the most elite MechWarriors in the entire SLDF.<ref name=FMCS98-FFG-G-1>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98, "Fall From Glory", every member of the Black Watch being a graduate of the Gunslinger program</ref><ref name=TSL83-COTH-GP-1>''The Star League'', p. 83, "Conquest of the Hegemony", the Royal Black Watch is made up entirely of graduates of the Gunslinger Program</ref><ref name=NHSP17-S3-HS-GS-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall From Glory", "Situation", every member of the Black Watch is a graduate of the Gunslinger program</ref>

Some years prior to 2766, Schmitt, now holding the rank of [[Colonel]], was promoted to command of the Royal Black Watch, the oldest and arguably most prestigious regiment in the SLDF, and the personal bodyguard unit of the [[First Lord]] of the Star League.

===Betrayal and Death===
[[File:Various BattleMechs.jpg|right|300px|The last stand of the [[Royal Black Watch]]]]
On 12 December, 2766, Schmitt and several other top SLDF officers and Star League nobles met with First Lord [[Richard Cameron]] to discuss their concerns about [[President of the Republic]] [[Stefan Amaris]] of the [[Rim Worlds Republic]]. The assembled officials attempted the convince the young First Lord that Amaris was planning some foul play, and that his presence at court and the presence of [[Rim Worlds Army]] troops on Terra was intolerable. Cameron was completely dismissive of their concerns, and had the group forcibly removed from his presence. Schmitt deeply lamented these events, recording her thoughts and fears for the future in her diary.<ref name=NHSP17-S3FFG-HS-RC-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall from Glory", Schmitt meets with Richard Cameron to discuss Stefan Amaris</ref>

On 27 December, 2766, Amaris finally struck, assassinating Cameron and unleashing his [[Amaris Coup|coup]] across the [[Terran Hegemony]]. The alert went out to the Black Watch and to the palace guards the very moment the laser was fired. The Black Watch battalion on duty, commanded by Schmitt herself, quickly took up positions throughout [[Unity City]] while the rest of the regiment rapidly mobilized.<ref name=HLOT1-73-BFUC-1>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 73, "Battle for Unity City", the alarm mobilizes the Royal Black Watch</ref><ref name=TSL82-COTH-RWB-A-1>''The Star League'', p. 82, "Conquest of the Hegemony", the Black Watch is alerted to the shooting in the palace</ref> When an [[aerospace fighter]] patrol spotted the [[Fourth Amaris Dragoons]] converging on the city from the north, Schmitt led a short company of her troops out to meet them while the rest of her battalion secured the city.<ref name=HLOT1-73-BFUC-2>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 73, "Battle for Unity City", Schmitt leads a company to meet the advancing Fourth Amaris Dragoons</ref> Moments later, an atomic strike launched from Amaris' fighters destroyed [[Fort Cameron]], effectively wiping out those elements of the Watch that were still mobilizing. Amaris' personal bodyguard unit then appeared within the city, having been smuggled in through the spaceport. With the overwhelming advantage of surprise, numbers and air support, the Rim World troops soon had the few surviving SLDF troops in the city on the run. Schmitt and her eight MechWarriors were now the only SLDF force on hand to oppose Amaris near Unity City.<ref name=HLOT1-73-BFUC-3>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 73, "Battle for Unity City", nuclear attacks devastate Unity City and destroy Fort Cameron</ref> Forced to oppose the Dragoons to give the SLDF any chance of rallying, Schmitt chose Gorst Flats for her and her troops to make their final stand that night.<ref name=HLOT1-73-BFUC-4>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 73, "Battle for Unity City", Schmitt and her troops take up position at Gorst Flats</ref><ref name=TSL83-COTH-RWB-A-1>''The Star League'', p. 83, "Conquest of the Hegemony", only nine Royal Black Watch warriors survive Amaris' ambush</ref><ref name=HLOT1-7374-DA-RBW-1>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', pp. 73-74, "Desperate Actions", the surviving Black Watch hold Gorst Flats against the Amaris Dragoons, destroy two companies</ref><ref name=FMCS98-FFG-4AG-1>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98, "Fall From Glory", the remnants of the Black Watch make their final stand after being ambushed</ref><ref name=TSL83-COTH-RWB-GF-1>''The Star League'', p. 83, "Conquest of the Hegemony", Schmitt chose Gorst Flats for her and her soldiers to make their final stand</ref><ref name=NHSP17-S3-HS-GF-1-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall From Glory", "Situation", Schmitt and her warriors make their stand at Gorst Flats</ref> The Flats were well-suited to a defensive position, with high, forested hills on one side and the waters of Puget Sound on the other. This prevented the Amaris Dragoons from using their numerical superiority to full advantage, forcing them to advance into a meat grinder. The Dragoons' second battalion spearheaded the advance, with ten Rim World 'Mechs being downed before they could even respond. The Black Watch simply refused to die, completely destroying one company and laid another to waste.<ref name=TSL83-COTH-RWB-GF-2>''The Star League'', p. 83, "Conquest of the Hegemony", the first ten Amaris Dragoons are destroyed before they could respond</ref><ref name=NHSP17-S3-HS-GF-1-2>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall From Glory", "Situation", the Black Watch refuses to die, despite being hopelessly outnumbered by the Amaris Dragoons</ref> The Fourth Dragoons' commander, Colonel [[Armstrong Duket]], was desperate to reach Unity City before SLDF reinforcements could reach them. With the apparent approval of Amaris, the Colonel ordered his fighters to launch a nuclear assault to completely destroy Schmitt and her remaining warriors. The battle of Gorst Flats was over.<ref name=HLOT1-7374-DA-RBW-2>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', pp. 73-74, "Desperate Actions", Colonel Duket orders a nuclear strike to finish off Schmitt and the Black Watch</ref><ref name=TSL83-COTH-RWB-GF-3>''The Star League'', p. 83, "Conquest of the Hegemony", Amaris employs nuclear weapons to finish off the Black Watch</ref><ref name=NHSP17-S3-HS-GF-1-3>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 17, "Scenario 3: Fall From Glory", "Situation", Amaris resorts to nuclear weapons to finish off the Black Watch</ref><ref name=FMCC19-I-CS-RBW-1>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 19, "Inception (2756-2822)", Colonel Hanni Schmitt and the rest of the Royal Black Watch are slain opposing Stefan Amaris</ref><ref name=HOK119-CS-RBW-NS-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", the remnants of the Royal Black Watch Regiment are destroyed by nuclear strike</ref> Shortly after, the Rim World troops in the city finished off any Black Watch troops who had survived to that point, spelling the end of the legendary command.<ref name=HLOT1-7374-DA-RBW-3>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', pp. 73-74, "Desperate Actions", the Royal Black Watch is completely destroyed</ref>

===Legacy===
Very little in the way of remains were left after Amaris' nuclear assault at Gorst Flats. A hand from a ''Highlander'' 'Mech survived, and came into the possession of the [[Northwind Highlanders]], who displayed it as a sacred relic.<ref name=FMCS98-FFG-H-1>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98, "Fall From Glory", the hand of a ''Highlander'' 'Mech was all that remained of the Black Watch warriors at their final stand</ref>

Five members of the Black Watch survived the destruction at Fort Cameron, and led by [[Captain]] [[Elizabeth Hazen]], they would form the [[Ghosts of the Black Watch]] resistance movement. This group would prove a thorn in Amaris' side for years, eventually providing support to the SLDF during the liberation of Terra. They would even serve as Kerensky's personal bodyguard during the final stages of the campaign.<ref name=HLT1-80-TP-EH-1>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1'', p. 80, "Terra 'Pacified'", Elizabeth Hazen and other Black Watch survivors would form a resistance movement</ref><ref name=HLTV2-105-UC-EH-1>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 105, "Union City", Elizabeth Hazen and her Black Watch survivors serve as Aleksandr Kerensky's bodyguard</ref>

Schmitt's granddaughter, [[Colleen Schmitt]], would survive Amaris' coup, finding refuge in the Cascade Mountains and eventually joining the resistance.<ref name=HOK119-CS-AC-S-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", Colleen Schmitt would survive and join the resistance</ref><ref name=HLTV2-103-ITN-CS-4>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 103, "In the Night", Colleen Schmitt's rendezvous with SLDF units</ref> Colleen Schmitt would eventually join [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s [[Operation Exodus|Exodus]], and would go on to serve as the first [[Khan]] of [[Clan Blood Spirit]] as well as being the founder of the [[Schmitt (Bloodname)|Schmitt]] [[Bloodname]].<ref name=HOK119-CS-BS-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", Colleen Schmitt would found the Schmitt Bloodname and Clan Blood Spirit</ref> Therefore, all of the countless warriors descended from the Schmitt Bloodname - including several Khans - were descended from Hanni Schmitt.  

The Royal Black Watch would be reestablished under the [[Second Star League]] and formed from a semisecret order within the Northwind Highlanders, who had kept the Black Watch legacy alive. [[Neil Campbell]] became the first commander of the Watch since Schmitt's death.<ref name=FMC98-RBW-NC-1>''Field Manual: ComStar'', p. 98, Neil Campbell reestablishes the Royal Black Watch</ref><ref name=NHSP49-CNC-RBW-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 49, "Captain Neil Campbell", Neil Campbell reestablishes the Royal Black Watch</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[Burrock Absorption]], Schmitt's descendant, Khan [[Karianna Schmitt]], would name the [[Morrígú]] fire support vehicle in honor of the Schmitt Welsh heritage, a heritage descended from Hanni Schmitt's actions.<ref name=TRO3067-38-M-HS-2>''Technical Readout: 3067'', p. 38, "Morrígú", "Overview", the ''Morrígú'' is named in honor of the Schmitt-welsh legacy</ref>

Circa [[3115]], during the early [[Dark Age era]], [[Defiance Industries]] introduced the [[DI Schmitt]], a respected [[Lyran]] assault tank named in Schmitt's honor.<ref name=TRO3145LC-20-DIS-Y-1>''Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth'', p. 20, "DI Schmitt Tank", the DI Schmitt tank is introduced about thirty years prior to 3145</ref><ref name=DADossiers36>''MechWarrior: Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards'', p. 36: "Leo Riordan"</ref>

===The Journal of Hanni Schmitt===
In [[3067]], several pieces of information were provided to [[Sandra Raines]] of the [[Interstellar News Network]] from an unnamed source, but presumed to be [[Tempest Stryker]], the deep-cover agent known as [[Damocles]] during the [[Word of Blake]] [[Jihad]]. These included a number of excerpts purportedly taken from Hanni Schmitt's journal after her death. According to the diary pages, events surrounding the death of the last member of [[House Cameron]] to hold the title of First Lord, Richard Cameron, differed from those commonly believed to be true; the major differences highlighted through the diary pages were apparent confirmation that Richard and his wife [[Elise Graham|Elise]] had twin children, not the single child reported elsewhere, and that those two children - Amanda and Ian Richard - escaped the massacre of the Cameron bloodline in the Unity Palace throne room at the hands of Stefan Amaris as a result of the actions of Schmitt and a small number of other loyal officers. Those officers arranged for [[Major]] [[Ian MacIntosh]] of the Black Watch and his BattleMech [[lance]] to swap Amanda and Ian Richard for another unnamed child and escape from Terra during Amaris' coup aboard the ''[[Colossus (DropShip class)|Colossus]]''-class [[DropShip]] [[Abyss|SLS ''Abyss'']] while the remainder of the Black Watch distracted the Fourth Amaris Dragoons with a last stand on the Gorst Flats. The ''Abyss'' purportedly escaped thanks to covering fire from the Reagan [[SDS]] installed on Terra to rendezvous with a waiting WarShip on the dark side of [[Luna]]; that WarShip, the SLS ''[[Tripitz]]'', then transported the ''Abyss'' and its cargo out of the Sol system.<ref name=IP1820-FT-HS-1>''Interstellar Players'', pp. 18-20, "Final Thoughts and New Revelations", Schmitt's supposed journal indicates an alternate history</ref> This accounting completely contradicts the "official" historical record in many respects, and is somewhat discredited by the fact that many of the other claims within this series of reports were later conclusively disproved.

==BattleMech==
Schmitt piloted an ''[[Atlas (BattleMech)|Atlas]]'' as commander of the Royal Black Watch, a variant of the AS7-S variety.<ref name=NHSP18-D-HS-A-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 18, "Defender", Schmitt pilots an AS7-S ''Atlas''</ref> The use of this variant may be disputed, as it was not formally introduced until the [[Clan Invasion]] centuries later.

==Notes==
''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]'' and ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]'' both state that Colleen Schmitt was the "granddaughter of the commander of the Royal Black Watch Regiment".<ref name=HOK119-CS-RBW-G-1>''Historical: Operation Klondike'', p. 119, "Colleen Schmitt", Schmitt is named the granddaughter of the commander of the Royal Black Watch Regiment</ref><ref name=FMCC19-I-CS-GD-1>''Field Manual: Crusader Clans'', p. 19, "Inception (2756-2822)", Colleen Schmitt is named as the granddaughter of Hanni Schmitt</ref> This is contradicted by multiple other sources which list Colleen Schmitt as Hanni Schmitt's daughter. Since these printings, [[Line Developer]] [[Ray Arrastia]] clarified that Colleen Schmitt is Hanni Schmitt's granddaughter.<ref>''https://bg.battletech.com/forums/index.php?topic=68382.0 Line Developer clarifying the relationship between Hanni and Colleen Schmitt</ref>

<div class="gamerules">
===Game Notes===
Schmitt, at the time of her death, had a Piloting score of 0 and a Gunnery score of 0 in the ''[[BattleTech (board game)|BattleTech]]'' board game.<ref name=NHSP18-D-HS-PG-1>''Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)'', p. 18, "Defender", Schmitt's Piloting and Gunnery scores</ref>
</div>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
<div class="desktop-3-col">
* ''[[Field Manual: ComStar]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Crusader Clans]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''
* ''[[Historical: Operation Klondike]]''
* ''[[Interstellar Players]]''
* ''[[MechWarrior: Dark Age - Dossiers and Pilot Cards]]''
* ''[[Northwind Highlanders (scenario pack)|Northwind Highlanders]]''
* ''[[The Star League]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3067]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3145 Lyran Commonwealth]]''
</div>

[[Category: Star League Characters|Schmitt, Hanni]]
[[Category: Gunslingers|Schmitt, Hanni]]