Editing Rolling Thunder Company

{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}
{{otheruses|the military unit|the scenario pack|Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)}}

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[FILE:Old Regulan Hussar insigna.jpg|190px]]
| Designation    = Rolling Thunder Company
| formed         = [[3015]]<ref name=RTp9>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' p. 9</ref>
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = 
| Affiliation    = [[Free Worlds League]]
| Parent Command = Eastern Strike Battalion<br/>[[First Regulan Hussars]]<ref name=RTp9/>
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

The '''Rolling Thunder''' was originally a late [[Third Succession War]] BattleMech company which was configured for assault missions.  The unit was assigned to the Free Worlds League's Eastern Star Strike Battalion of the [[1st Regulan Hussars|First Regulan Hussars]].  The unit was noted for its unique characteristics of its battle-hardened personnel and its antics on and off the battlefield.

==History==
===Formation===
The company was formed from the remains of three previous companies belonging to the ''First Regulan Hussars'' in [[3015]]. The ''First Regulan Hussars'' had been rebuilding after the brutal fighting in the [[Marik Civil War (31st c.)|Marik Civil War]] fought between [[Anton Marik]] and his brother, sitting [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Janos Marik]].<ref name=RTp9/>

Assigned as the new company's commanding officer was Force [[Captain]] Vic "The Ripper" Davis. During part of [[3015]], Captain Davis relentlessly whipped his people in shape with a degree of liberally applied brutality in both a verbal and physical sense. After its training period ended the company was newly named '''Ripper's Reavers'''.<ref name=RTp9/>

===Battle of Dixie===
In [[3016]], the unit participated in a [[Battle of Dixie (3016)|raid of Dixie]], a Lyran world.  Part of this raiding force were elements of [[Wolf's Dragoons]]. When the Dragoons were threatened by the sudden appearance of an assault company of Lyrans, the Reavers moved and intercepted the assault company in a no-holds-barred battle in which the unit prevented the raiding force from failing its mission and kept the Dragoons from being flanked. The Reavers lost half of number in the course of the brutal fight with the assault company, which earned them the respect of [[Colonel]] [[Jaime Wolf]]. Colonel Wolf noted the company's approach to battle was like "Rolling Thunder".  The nickname caught on quickly and the unit was later officially named ''Rolling Thunder''. The raid itself was deemed a success.<ref>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' p. 9 - Origin of Rolling Thunder and its name.</ref>

===Raiding, Riots, and Garrison Duty===
Following its Dixie raid, the unit participated in a raiding campaign with the Dragoons for the following two years. By [[3019]], the unit was exhausted and needing refit. The Regulan High Command reassigned the unit to garrison duty of a base in the hills near the planetary capital of [[Tiber (FWL)|Tiber]]. However, after nearly two years of quiet training and rest the population rose in revolt against the ruling family of the planet.  Rolling Thunder was dispatched and fought in the streets of the capital to subdue the riotous population.  However, Thunder's actions in subduing the population led to atrocities being committed against citizens.  Noting the resentment towards the unit after the riots, the Regulan High Command reassigned them to [[Regulus]].

In [[3021]], the unit was deployed for a tour as the security force for the League Parliament on [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]]. Many of the unit's warriors complained of it being boring "powder-puff duty"; Captain Davis replied to their concerns in his usual direct and physical manner. This resulted in a number of the company's personnel making a visit to the medical section for various injuries. For the remainder of the tour, no warrior brought up the issue of the nature of their duty again.  The company's most noted event was when it was used as the Honor Guard for visiting director [[Subhash Indrahar]] of the [[Draconis Combine|Draconis Combine's]] Internal Security Forces.

In December 3022, the unit was once again assigned to garrison the capital world of Regulus.  While there, Captain Davis received a promotion and was replaced as the unit's Commanding Officer by Thunder's Fire Lance Commander, [[Gerald Cameron-Jones]].

For the next two years, Rolling Thunder alternated between garrison duty in the Principality's capital and the Lyran border. While on the Lyran border, the unit conducted probing raids as well as defending against similar probes from Commonwealth forces, such as raiding the [[Red Wolves]]' base on [[Tainjin]] in 3023.<ref name=RTp26>''Rolling Thunder (Scenario Pack)'', p. 26-27, "Wolf Hunt"</ref>  In December, [[3024]] the unit found itself once again on Tiber, where it was deployed in counterinsurgency duty. Resistance factions rose to full revolt in early [[3025]] where the unit faced a Hussars unit and the [[Tiber Militia]] which had defected to the rebel cause. Force Captain Cameron-Jones led Rolling Thunder to completely destroy the traitors.  In May, the unit was deployed to [[Hongqiao]] where it was sent to destroy another rebellious faction who had been waging a guerrilla war since 3020. In these endeavors, the Thunder was unable to pin down the elusive enemy and was pulled from the planet after five months.<ref>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' pp. 9-10 - Rolling Thunder's early assignments in 3016 to early 3025.</ref>

===Border Campaigns and Other Actions===
In November 3025, the unit was reunited with the main body of the First Regulan Hussars and was assigned to [[Calloway VI]]. This was part of Captain-General Janos Marik's plan to pay back House Liao for breaches in their two year [[Concord of Kapteyn|peace treaty]].

Soon after Rolling Thunder and the Hussars arrived on Calloway, a regiment of the mercenary force, the [[Second McCarron's Armored Cavalry]], made planetfall.  The Cavalry was unprepared for the battle-hardened First Regulan Hussars, who along with Thunder successfully routed the Capellan mercenaries. Within a week of the raid, Rolling Thunder and its Hussars parent command commenced a series of raids along the Capellan border.

After the border campaign, Thunder was assigned an independent task to help with counterinsurgency on [[Wallis]].  However, the unit arrived too late, and was nearly trapped by rebel forces who had gained control of the planet by a coup.  The unit was forced to go to ground and avoid rebel forces for three months until March [[3027]], when reinforcements arrived to help them put down the rebellion.

Within a month, the unit had been rotated back to Regulus where it conducted extensive training & refitting in preparation for new offensives with the rest of the First Regulans.

In October, the unit was deployed to the Lyran front, where it and the First Regulan launched a series of large and small raids against such worlds as Dixie, [[Ford]], [[Loric]], and [[Poulsbo]].  Thunder's actions helped to keep the Lyran Commonwealth's forces off balance.<ref>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' pp. 10-11 - Rolling Thunder's actions in Capellan and Lyran borders from 3025-3028.</ref>

During the Poulsbo raid in [[3028]], the First Regulan Hussars targeted a base that was being used to stage attacks into the League. Thunder was ordered to attack the city of Silverdale to clear it of enemy forces; this would have led the way for Marik forces to strike the Bangor military base outside the city.  However, Lyran forces had been waiting, and Thunder was ambushed the in city by the [[Lyran 2nd Armored Brigade|Lyran Second Armored Brigade]]. The combat vehicle force, also known as ''Steel Lightning'' was supported by two infantry companies placed in the city for the counterattack. The Thunder was able to maul the Lyran forces, but the raid fell short of taking the base itself out.<ref>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' pp. 27-28 - Thunder meets Lightning (scenario) - excerpts from Diary of Gerald Cameron-Jones from Silverdale raid.</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 Ripper's Reavers'''
|-
| [[Captain]]||[[Vic Davis|Vic "The Ripper" Davis]]||[[3015]] - [[3016]]<ref name=RTp9/>
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the Rolling Thunder Company'''
|-
| Captain||Vic "The Ripper" Davis||3016 - [[3022]]
|-
| Captain||[[Gerald Cameron-Jones]]||3022 - [[3028]]
|}

==Tactics==
===3028===
The Company's principal tactics focused on firepower. The unit's three lances employs tactics which are not traditionally performed in its parent regiment, the First Regulans.

The ''Attack Lance'' is used in two roles: as a Heavy Recon and probing force, used to find weaknesses in enemy forces, and to cover the unit's retreat should the company need to withdraw. As part of their retrograde maneuver they also have their flamer-equipped 'Mechs create fires in order to make smoke screens to cover their withdrawal.

The ''Fire Lance'' provides cover fire for the company. It also employs its lighter machines with the ''Command Lance''&#39;s light 'Mechs for scouting assignments.<ref>''Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)'' p. 11 - Composition & Tactics - ''Rolling Thunder's usual tactics used by various lances.</ref>

==Composition History==
===3028===
*Command Lance
**Force Captain [[Gerald Cameron-Jones]], BLR-1G ''Battlemaster''
**[[Lieutenant]] [[Alexandra Cherenkov|Alexandra "Lexi" Cherenkov]], VTR-9B ''Victor''
**[[Paul DeVries]], HBK-4G ''Hunchback''
**[[Peter Jansen]], HER-2S ''Hermes II''

*Fire Lance
**Lieutenant [[Kathryn Garrick]], AWS-8Q ''Awesome''
**[[Lucas McCain]], ARC-2K ''Archer''
**[[Mikhail Cherenkov]], WHM-6L ''Warhammer''
**[[Robert Blackwell]], FS9-''Firestarter''

*Attack Lance
**Lieutenant [[Francis Canny]], OTL-4D ''Ostsol''
**[[Esteban Rodriguez]], OSR-2C ''Ostroc''
**[[Jacob Bianco|Jacob "Crazy Joe" Bianco]], SHD-2H ''Shadow Hawk''
**[[Sergeant]] [[Anton Karlevski]], WVR-6M ''Wolverine''

*Transportation unit was the DropShip [[Adamant|FWLS ''Adamant'']]

==Notes==
By the Clan Invasion era, the unit had faded away.  In the midst of the [[Jihad]] conflict, there were rumors of the unit being reactivated to work for the newly independent Principality of Regulus.<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 81 - Revival of Rolling Thunder in 3077.</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Rolling Thunder (scenario pack)]]''

[[Category:Free Worlds League Commands|Rolling Thunder]]