Stealthy Tigers

Stealthy Tigers logo.svg
Stealthy Tigers
Formed 2874
Disbanded c. 3081
Affiliation Mercenary
Parent Command Independent

The Stealthy Tigers were a mercenary unit formed during the Third Succession War and were destroyed in the Jihad.

History[edit]

The Stealthy Tigers were formed in 2874 by the Duke of Tamar who was frightened by a Draconis Combine offensive and by the poor performances of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces. To avoid the old laws against individual nobles purchasing heavier BattleMechs, the unit was officially a mercenary unit.[1]

The Stealthy Tigers were named after two famous Lyran units destroyed in the Second Succession War, the Stealths and the Tamar Tigers, and were an attempt to recapture the effective weaponry and tactics of those units. Formed to defend their homeworld, Tamar, they operated under a yearly contract with the LCAF.[1]

In March 2915, the Stealthy Tigers were part of the defense of Tamar when the DCMS invaded with three regiments. After seven months of combat, the DCMS units withdrew.[2][3] The unit would repel raids on Tamar for the next 60 years.[4] By the Third Succession War's end in 3025, they were stationed on the Marik front on Loric.[5]

During the Fourth Succession War the unit began the war still deployed on Loric and was later moved to Giausar in October 3028 as part of the LCAF's response to the Free Worlds League's Operation DAGGER.[6]

By 3050, the unit was in service to the Free Worlds League. It had refused to re-sign with the LCAF after the formation & Lyran recognition of the Free Rasalhague Republic, part of which comprised of former Tamar Pact worlds, and the abortive War of 3039. It was loaned to the Capellan Confederation during Operation GUERRERO in 3057. The Tigers fought alongside Always Faithful in the attempted conquest of Caph which ended up in stalemate after battles with Lindon's Battalion and Gustafson's Grenadiers.[7][8] Caph was ultimately secured by Word of Blake forces.[8]

They took on more contracts in the Chaos March, participating in the pacification of Carver V and later accepting a contract with "Emperor" William Baranov on Hall in 3065. There, the Tigers fought against Burton's Brigade and Critchley's Cavaliers who were fighting for Baranov's rival, Count Radcliffe McNally. In mid-3066, The Stealthy Tigers repulsed an assault on the capital Harney by NcNally's forces by way of a combat drop. Burton's Brigade fell back from the overwhelming fire which enabled the Tigers to outflank the Cavaliers who would surrender the next day.[9][8]

The unit would be changed forever in October 3067 due to the presence of two Blakist Sixth of June agents, twins Mason and Kirsten Markoja, who had infiltrated the unit and managed to take control by secretly killing the commanding officer and driving a wedge between the elite Raiders and the rest of the regiment. The Raiders found out about the Markojas' links to Word of Blake and during a battle between the Fourth Oriente Hussars, Baranov's Republican Guards, the Stealthy Tigers and units of the Allied Mercenary Command (Third Dismal Disinherited and Burton's Brigade), the leader of the Raiders, Captain Ezra Payne, broadcast his accusation of treason to the regiment. This set off a battle between the Stealthy Tigers with one siding with the Raiders and the other with the Markojas. It would not be limited to just combat troops, the techs also would split and start fighting at their base. Kirsten Markoja was killed in a duel with Payne, who was badly injured ejecting from his 'Mech but most of the Raiders were killed. Payne, the remnants of his company, the surviving Raiders and techs who had sided with him escaped from Hall on the Stealthy Tigers Dropship Tigris.[10]

The remainder of unit stayed on Hall under Mason Markoja and would be accused of executing AMC POWs and FWL troops.[11] They were still there in 3071[12] and would serve under the Word of Blake for the rest of the Jihad.

In August 3077, the Stealthy Tigers were part of a mercenary task force under the command of Pierre Grandin of Grandin's Crusaders to retake Marcus during Operation SCOUR.[13] By this time, the unit was less than a battalion in strength.[14] The task force trapped the planet's garrison, the Twentieth Marik Militia in the capital city of Zotikos, with only a few survivors joining the arriving Com Guard Fourth Army.[13] The task force also captured the valuable uranium mines on the continent of Wahryn with the Fourth Army failing twice trying to recapture them.[13] Com Guard Blake's Wrath special forces units then blew up the mine network, denying their use to the Word.[13] The Coalition forces then retreated to the nearby world of Dieudonné.[15] The Blakist troops would hold the planet until news of Terra's recapture reached the system. Many mercenaries fled while the rest failed to quell a revolution. Those that were captured were executed.[13] It is not known if any Stealthy Tigers were amongst them but it was confirmed that the Stealthy Tigers had been wiped out by 3081.[16]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the Stealthy Tigers
Colonel Bob Vermithrax 3025[5]
Colonel Yuri Rauschenbusch 3030s - 3067[8]
Colonel Mason Markoja 3067[10]

Raiders[edit]

Within the unit was an exclusive group of MechWarriors called Raiders. They were regarded as the elite of the Tigers. Membership was by invitation only and had to be unanimous amongst all current Raiders. It was earned by a MechWarrior "doing their job well."[17] Raiders were spread throughout the regiment but their numbers were small. In 3067, there were only 17 Raiders.[18]

Raiders wore a pin on their uniform lapel. The pin was black enamel with a white tiger's head in profile.[17]

By custom only a Raider could become the regiment's commander. Once promoted, the commander would, also by custom, cease being an active Raider but would still wear the pin.[19]

After the events of October 3067 the Raiders were no longer active in the unit as they were either all dead or had fled the regiment.[20]

Tactics[edit]

3067[edit]

The Unit fielded many fast medium-class 'Mechs with a few heavies serving as backup. The unit would harass an enemy unit with high speed attacks and retreats.[8]

Support[edit]

3067[edit]

The unit possessed enough DropShips to transport the entire command. The Tigers' technical staff could handle the unit's routine maintenance, but lacked the resources to rebuild the battalion's worth of damaged 'Mechs they had.[8]

Composition History[edit]

2874[edit]

Stealthy Tigers (Reinforced Regiment)[1]

Three light 'Mech battalions
One assault 'Mech battalion
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Tamar.

3025[edit]

Stealthy Tigers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[5]

CO: Bob Vermithrax
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Loric.

3050[edit]

Stealthy Tigers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[21]

CO: Colonel Yuri Rauschenbusch[8]
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Ventabren.

3059[edit]

Stealthy Tigers (Regiment/Regular/Reliable)[22]

CO: Colonel Yuri Rauschenbusch
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Caph.

3067[edit]

Stealthy Tigers (Two Battalions/Regular/Reliable)[8]

CO: Colonel Yuri Rauschenbusch
XO: Major Mason Markoja
First "Panther" Battalion
CO: Major Mason Markoja
Second "Leopard" Battalion
CO: Major Kirsten Markoja
Jaguar Company (Independent / Training Company)[10]
CO: Captain Ezra Payne
Note: At this point in time the unit was stationed on Hall.

Notes[edit]

  • Field Manual: Lyran Alliance has the Stealthy Tigers return to swear allegiance to the Duchess of Tamar on Porrima in 3062. As there is no mention of this anywhere else, this has probably been retconned.
  • In Technical Readout: Prototypes, the Stealthy Tigers were mentioned as being one of the first mercenary units to purchase the WLF-2H Wolfhound after it entered production in 3083. There is no other mention of the unit in any other Dark Age publications, so it can be assumed that this is an error.

Gallery[edit]

  • Camomercsstealthytigers.png

‎

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 66
  2. ↑ Technical Readout: 3026, Revised Edition, p. 8
  3. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 70
  4. ↑ House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 71
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth), p. 119
  6. ↑ NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1, p. 63: "Overview"
  7. ↑ Chaos March pp. 30–31
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Mercenaries Supplemental, p. 61: "Stealthy Tigers Unit Profile"
  9. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental II, p. 27: "Burton's Brigade: In With Both Feet"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Embers of War
  11. ↑ Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 18
  12. ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 110
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Total Chaos, pp. 164–165: "MARCUS"
  14. ↑ This is surmised by the fact that the Grandin’s Crusaders were battalion strength and was given command due to being the largest unit. See Total Chaos, pp. 156, 173
  15. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 57: "The Jihad in Review"
  16. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 120: "The Condemned"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Embers Of War, p. 9
  18. ↑ Embers Of War, p. 232
  19. ↑ Embers Of War, p. 118
  20. ↑ Embers Of War, p. 314
  21. ↑ 20 Year Update, p. 57
  22. ↑ Field Manual: Mercenaries, p. 111
Note: Page numbers from Embers of War are from the Kindle edition and may not match the printed edition.

Bibliography[edit]

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