Patricia Cobb

Patricia Cobb
Personal
Affiliation	Clan Hell's Horses
Profile
Rank	Colonel SaKhan of Clan Hell's Horses
Profession	MechWarrior

Patricia Cobb was the first saKhan of Clan Hell's Horses.

History

For his loyalty to Nicholas Kerensky, John Fletcher was made Khan of Clan Hell's Horses, and he chose Colonel Patricia Cobb, one of his most able 'Mech battalion commanders from the Thirty-fifth, as his saKhan. Together they forged their Clan into one which placed its focus first and foremost on its warriors. For this reason they requested a smaller share of BattleMech forces in return for a larger share of conventional armor and approval to train additional infantry from decommissioned WarShip crews. In short order they were able to put together an impressive combined-arms army, bucking current military orthodoxy that saw the 'Mech as the supreme battlefield weapon. While their critics foresaw the Clan's demise, the Hell's Horses' performance would eventually cast aside the myth of 'Mech dominance. They would implement training principles of Combined Arms into his cadre of troops. They used, among other personnel, former crew members from a number of decommissioned WarShips. Many of the BattleMech oriented Clans scoffed at Fletcher's Combined Arms strategy, claiming that it was inferior.

By early August 2821, during Operation KLONDIKE, on West Irkutsk, all of the available BattleMech and combat vehicle assets on the Peninsula had been neutralized, leaving the cities themselves. The largest of the cities was Allah, Dante, and Vesta. As Clan Hell's Horses began conquest of the cities of the Peninsula, they began widespread use of electronic countermeasures to prevent communication between targets. The communication interdiction would be paused prior to entering each city, allowing target cities to broadcast their fall to future targets and weaken morale. Allah fell to the Horses in three hours; Horse infantry and armor, led by saKhan Patricia Cobb breached the wall, allowing BattleMech assets to flood into the city. Dante, having heard the chaos of Allah, surrendered quickly after Horse troops breached their wall. Vesta, the largest city and final rebel bastion on the Peninsula, determinedly fought for its government building, and only fell after 12 hours of Hell's Horses infantry clearing the building room-by-room. Vesta was renamed by Clan Hell's Horses Hades, and made the capital of the Clan.

Bibliography

• Field Manual: Crusader Clans
• Historical: Operation Klondike