Features:

22 Navigating by the Stars

The ancient and dangerous pseudo-science of astrology still holds sway today, even in
the highest echelons of power.
Father F. Thomassi
24 The Clans: Culture of the Savage
Noble savages of myth, or opportunistic thugs made-to-order? The answer could shape
the future of the Inner Sphere.
Professor I. Prescott Snell
26 Artwork of Deception
Despite jokes about the inability to hide a ten-meter BattleMech, camouflage still plays
an important role on the modern battlefield for good and for ill.
Leftenant General Pavel V. Miliukov
28 The Naval Service: A Crisis of Numbers
Exploring the financial realities of rebuilding the AFFS WarShip fleet.
Commodore Henri Rollet
30 The Great Equalizer
A contributing alumnus shares hard-learned lessons on the uses and application of battle
armor on the modern battlefield.
Major Benjamin F. Marion
34 Point of the Sword
A brief history of the Operation Bird Dog raid on Virentofta.
Leftenant Colonel Jesse Ruczynski
38 The RCT Must Change!
How simple administrative changes can stiffen the backbone of the AFFS.
Major General Angela Voss

Departments:
3 From the Desk of the Editor in Chief
4 Letters to the Editor
6 Culture
10 Boys and Their Toys
14 The Support Troops

Staff:
Leftenant General Thomas J. Jackson (Ret.) Editor in Chief
Major Winston B. Thompson (Ret.) Production Director
Sergeant Major Roy Solomon (Ret.) Editor

The Review (ISSN 1337-G4M3R) is published monthly by War College of Goshen Publishing: publishing@wcgoshen.edu.goshen.fs.comnet. Yvonne Steiner-Davion,
Commander-in-Chief; Lft. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, Editor in Chief. Delivery charges subsidized in part by the War College of Goshen and paid to the ComStar HPG Station,
Goshen. 3067, W ar College of Goshen Publishing. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. The W ar College of Goshen
logo and The Review logo are protected through trademark registration throughout the Inner Sphere. CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS please see our ComNet
site at service.wcgoshen.edu.goshen.fs.comnet or write to customerservice@wcgoshen.edu.goshen.fs.comnet. No subscriber information is shared with any outside entity.

2
I sit in my office and stare out the window, decades before we see a full restoration to the
greatness we once knew. While the image on last
replaying in my mind the images that continue to months cover spoke so simply of the laying down
flit across the Tri Dee screens images of a of arms, the image on the cover of this months
combat-riddled Avalon City, of the destitute issue speaks of the greater task ahead, of
homeless, of war orphans and widows. And while repairing, refitting, and reconstructing the true
my heart is indeed heavy at the thought of such nobility of the Federated Suns her people and
suffering, and at the thought of such destruction her pride. And in this task, we must remain ever
not only upon our Capitol world, but across the vigilant. We must seek new voices, new role
breadth of our state, my heart is yet warmed with models, and at the same time we must re-learn
the hope of what is to come. the old lessons of history from old voices who
speak wisdom from the grave.
To be sure, reports are still coming in of sporadic
fighting on distant worlds where the news of Peace That our nation is no longer at war with itself does
has not yet reached. To be sure, the death toll not grant us the right to rest on our laurels. The
continues to climb as more accurate reports are only thing, in fact, that it grants is the right to begin
filed concerning the outcome of our self-infliction. the hard work of peace. We must fully mourn the
And yes, it is true that the images of our great dead and celebrate the living, yes but we
State are now marred with the refuse of combat CANNOT allow the internal focus of our
damaged and destroyed machines reconstruction to blind us to the reality
of war which now litter those spaces of the larger universe. For while
that we once considered beautiful. Let us make it our isolation is a viable means of
focus to restore, convalescing, it is also the promise of
But though the clouds may hang low continued tyranny to those outside our
over the sky, the Sun yet pierces rebuild, and re- borders. Let us not forget the citizens
through, spilling light and hope upon forge our nation of worlds now lost to the Snake and
the war-tattered world below. the Coward, and let us not forget the
Reconstruction. Indeed the
as one.
citizens of those worlds who have
reunification of a peoples heart, never tasted the true freedom afforded
gradually mending old wounds, us by the Six Liberties.
bringing wholeness. No, in a months time the
news has not brought us significant new Yes, indeed let us make it our focus to restore,
developments or actions, but in some fashion it rebuild, and re-forge our nation as one. But let us
has brought us that which is better. Stability the not forget what lies beyond our borders, that one
constancy of reconciliation in all reaches of our day we may resume the crusade upon which we
vast State. once embarked to bring freedom where injustice
now reigns.
Indeed, I am amazed at the stories already
flooding the networks of soldiers who once fought The Federated Commonwealth may be sundered,
each other working side by side to assist the but the Federated Suns and her ideals still stand.
beleaguered civilians in the very combat zones And as shafts of light pierce through clouds of
in which they once fought. Families are being gloom, may we as well one day soon pierce
reunited gathering to celebrate the survival of through the clouds of war with which we have up
those who have returned home, and gathering to until recently surrounded ourselves, and may
mourn the deaths of those who have been bright shining freedom spill out onto the landscape
confirmed dead at the end of this nightmare. of the universe around us.

And yet the pundits and politicians are correct Lft. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson (Ret.)
we have only begun to rebuild, and it will be Editor in Chief

3
 The editorial staff welcomes all comments to articles published in The Goshen Review. The publisher
would like to remind its readers that inclusion of an article in The Review does not necessarily imply
that the editorial staff of The Review or the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns endorses the view(s)
proffered by a contributing author or respondent. This disclaimer is especially appropriate when the
piece in question is obviously editorial in nature. Please be assured that we do vet all submitted
material very carefully as to contributor and topic so as not to waste our valuable column space or our
esteemed readers time. If you find yourself provoked by a particular author or topic and then proceed
to invest your time, energy and passion clarifying your own knowledge or motivations then we feel that
we have admirably fulfilled our mission. Be warned: we consider our contributors and our readers to
be independent intellectual and moral vessels with all the rights and responsibilities that those traits
imply.

As often as possible we will submit the questions of the readership and obtain rebuttals from authors
as time and resources allow.

Dear Editors, realm back under their governance, though a

While I see a great deal in your magazine about
military methodologies, I see precious little
regarding policy. Perhaps this is due to a hands-
off tendency among those of your staff, or perhaps
it is a heavy-handed force from above, but I
believe the staff of The Review is remiss in not
addressing some of the current issues that the
Federated Suns and its citizens suffer due to the
political and military upheaval of the past five
years.
There is a crisis that has been perpetuated since
the time of Hanse Davion that the peoples of the
Federated Suns who live on border worlds
apparently are possessed of a lack of importance
to the hierarchy of the Suns leadership, including
the First Prince and any interim holders of the
throne (be they an appointed Regent or a usurping
tyrant). This is the policy that allows a Federated
Suns world populated with loyal citizens of this
nation to fall under the boot heel of tyrants from
those nations that neighbor us. This occurred in
the Fourth Succession War, as the oft-lauded
Hanse allowed some dozen Suns worlds to fall
under the sway of the Draconis Combine. This
inexcusable action was repeated in the War of
3039, though some negligible accounting reveals
that more Combine worlds were lost to the Suns
than vice-versa. It is known that other
considerations occurred during the Liao invasion
of 3057 which placed worlds formerly of their
great number of Suns citizens (in truth, the entirety
of those planets populations) became de facto
prisoners within the oppressive political regime
of the Confederation.
However, this policy, despite the despicable lack
of concern for the common man and woman of
the Federated Suns that it clearly displays to the
entirety of the human sphere, was adhered to
once again at the close of the recent civil war.
That Tikonov, an industrialized world whose
population was infused and swelled by those of
the Federated Suns, could be allowed to remain
in the hands of the Confederation military is
unforgivable. It is not the loss of war materiel that
I am saddened by, but the fact that now, within
our own borders, a hostile and oppressive power
has established a base of power and the military
has done naught but establish an easily-broken
blockade dismays me no end.
Most disillusioned,
Major Ryan Steadman, AFFS retired
Late of Tikonov
The policy of any Interstellar State regarding its
border worlds is, to be sure, one of the most diffi-
cult and onerous aspects of Interstellar Govern-
mental code. Compounded by the nature of mod-
ern warfare and the resultant tendency of borders
to change with regularity, creation and execution

4
of fair policy can be essentially impossible. While
warfare on ancient Terra was more often over the
control of specific tracts of land or cities, modern
campaigns are waged with specific intent of gain-
ing control over entire planets and their populace.
The very essence of modern warfare, then, as-
sumes the secondary nature of planetary rights
in comparison to interstellar rights.
So then, how does an Interstellar State deal with
the loss of a planetary system to another
Interstellar State? The logic you suggest produces
a military mindset of recapturing lost planets at
all cost. While this is most certainly noble of heart,
it is poor of strategy. Every example listed in the
above letter occurred in a similar situation: The
Federated Suns were at war, and so were unable
adequately to defend all of her borders; the
Draconis Combine and Capellan Confederation
took advantage of the strategic weakness in the
AFFS deployment and took border worlds from
her. In all of these situations, the loss was due to
an over-stretched military, and the fact that they
have not yet been reclaimed is due to that
selfsame issue.
It is a commonly known military strategy to
counterattack ones foe at their weakest positions
in order to draw off forces from their attack. While
in the case of the Draconis March worlds lost
during the FCCW, this is not exactly the case, the
logic still holds. For the sake of Offensive Strategy,
border worlds were lost. On account of resultant
under-strength military, those border worlds
remain unclaimed.
Let us examine the current situation of Tikonov.
While an important production world within the
Suns, Tikonov was lost for two primary reasons.
5
First, because the FCCW required AFFS troops
elsewhere, leaving Tikonov poorly defended, and
second because the FCCW left the AFFS in a
weakened state, unable to launch an offensive
campaign against the forces holding Tikonov.
Especially with the late arrival of Wolfs Dragoons,
accompanied with a warship fleet, it would take
far too many resources to retake Tikonov at this
time.
While the logic of the above letter is by all accounts
very noble of intent, the actions produced by such
a policy change would effectively sacrifice one
border world for another. In order to retake
Tikonov, the AFFS would be forced to leave other
Capellan March border worlds ill-defended. On
retaking Tikonov, the AFFS, now more battered
than before, would likely find that the retreating
forces from Tikonov are joined with reinforcements
on one of the recently vacated Capellan March
border worlds. Per the new policy, the AFFS would
then endeavor to muster up the strength to attack
this new position once again leaving more
worlds ill-defended. The resultant game of tag
would produce an outcome much like that of the
first three Succession Wars. Near-constant
conflict and combat prohibits an Interstellar State
from rebuilding her military.
Is this to say, then, that those citizens of the Border
worlds are valued less? The simple answer to this
is No. Their contribution to the Federated Suns
is cherished, and when one such world falls under
the shadow of another Interstellar State, the Suns
mourn their loss. The sad fact of war, however, is
that not all battles are won, and some key battles
are lost. The loss of one planet, no matter how
keenly felt that loss, cannot be allowed to
compromise the defense of an entire border.
 of the various calendars in use throughout the
Diwali, the Festival of Lights UHC.

Every world in the Federated Suns celebrates Though the holiday is little understood outside of
Grain Rebellion Day as a national holiday of the Hindu-majority worlds of the Crucis March,
liberation from the shackles of old Terra. Also on Brantapur and the other worlds of the former
appearing on the official Federated Suns Register UHC it rivals the great jubilees of the old Star
of Holidays is Diwali, a holiday observed on many League era. All businesses and government of-
worlds with the burning of an effigy (often of Sun- fices shut down for the week and the streets are
Tzu Liao) and the exchange of candies and gifts. filled with daily processions as large and boister-
Some historians of the Federated Suns have ous as a victory parade (which in fact they are).
mistakenly attributed Swarms of children run
these practices to Guy barefoot, by turns
Fawkes Day, an throwing garlands be-
antiquated English fore the litters of the
holiday unrelated to gods or taking aim at
Diwali. In fact Diwali effigies of the demon
dates back to the Narakasura with their
Classical Civilization of asthras, known else-
the Indian Subcontinent where as bottle-rockets.
and is perhaps second (This is the true origin of
only to Passover in the burning effigies;
antiquity among our they are vanquished
official holidays. demons of Hindu my-
thology.) The proces-
The adoption of Diwali sion concludes with a
as an official holiday Goliath BattleMech
dates back to the lumbering carefully be-
annexation of the hind the parade floats.
United Hindu Collective The enormous quad
in 2540. Prince Mech is painted gray
Alexander Davion was and decorated with an
eager to secure the eight-meter length of
fealty of the Maharaja of flexible tubing to re-
Brantapur while in the semble a gigantic
midst of a bloody civil A traditional open-flame diya. Terran elephant (holy to
war, and he instructed the Hindus for its asso-
his ambassadors to ciation with the god
offer whatever House Davion could spare, Ganesh). Perched atop the Mech is a riding gon-
meaning anything short of money and equipment. dola bearing a young maid (representing the god-
During alliance talks between the Federated Suns dess Lakshmi) wearing a nine-meter sari and
and the UHC, representatives of House Davion struggling to wave her hands under the bulk of
offered, in addition to promises of autonomy and dozens of flower garlands. The throng of specta-
respect for local mores, to make a traditional tors bows as she passes, and even the Maharaja
Hindu festival an official holiday of the Federated himself bows before the many idols. The boys
Suns. Perhaps to their surprise, this show of and men go naked to the waist in traditional dhotis.
honor was well received by the Hindus, and it was By evening all have feasted on tiffins (sweets and
agreed that after annexation the first day of Diwali savories of near-infinite variety) served on broad
would serve as a catchall for the myriad holidays leaves for plates while seated on straw mats.

6
Houses are prepared for the festival by decorat-
ing with lights and colored crepe paper. Inside
the homes are displayed small (50 mm) statuettes
of gods and idols.
These are collected, painted, and displayed in a
seven-, nine-, or eleven-tiered case called a Golu
as a show of devotion, and neighbors compete to
display the largest and most adroitly painted
collection. This practice has spread beyond Hindu
worlds but often the small idols are replaced by
delicately painted Mech miniatures of cast lead
or other non-precious metals.
The extravagance of the festival contrasts sharply
with the situation on many other worlds of the
Crucis March in the wake of civil war. The
resurgence of Hindu Nationalism on the worlds
of the former UHC has had no political
repercussion so far, but the Hindus have long
memories, and their history notes that in a time of
another Davion civil war the Maharaja was able
to name his price for political support. In
coffeehouses and hookah lounges the question
is being asked: When will the Hindus finally take
their place at the forefront of Federated Suns
affairs? With the civil war settled, Hindus now
feel free to jockey for courtly favor and political
influence without appearing untoward. The simple
truth is that New Avalon needs all the support it
can get for the massive recovery that is barely
underway, and Hindu leaders can probably expect
new titles, new business charters, and possibly
even marriage into the Great House in exchange
for their continued fealty. Given the history of
Davion-Hindu relations, it is not out of the realm
of likelihood to expect to see Avalon City parading
gray Goliaths next Diwali.
Dr. Shanti Jodipurkar
Associate Professor of Comparative Religion
Congratulations to the War College of
Goshens Parade Dress Company and
Sabre Review Team on being chosen to
present the flag of the Federated Suns at
the upcoming Martial Olympiad!
7
Wonder of the Universe:
A Childrens Guide to the Wisdom of Homer
Kellogi
Homer Kellogi, adapted by Renee Champollion
Nova Press, 180 pp., 19.90C
The Wisdom of the Universe is undoubtedly the
most popular book in the Inner Sphere. There
are countless editions in dozens of languages,
and the stories are so famous that even the
illiterate can recite them. It is also a window into
its own moment in history; written during the First
Succession War and released Sphere-wide in its
aftermath, it tells the story of civilizations downfall
through a series of vignettes as recalled by its
author, the inimitable Homer Kellogi. It is fitting
that now, at the end of our great Civil War, a new
childrens edition called Wonder of the Universe
has been released into general circulation. One
wonders that it has taken so long! Kellogi has
always been a favorite of children, and parents in
each of the Successor States have seen his book
as an educational resource free of the heavy hand
of official pedagogy. However, Kellogi wrote for
an adult readership, and among his amusing tales
are several encounters inappropriate for youthful
consumption. (Heretofore a childrens version
had to be improvised; parents would sometimes
rip out the chapter on Dustball before handing the
book over to their children.) This new edition
features larger print than the original and includes
eight pages of four-color plates. At the handsome
price of 20C, it will probably find its way into the
hands of the children of the well to do exclusively.
Much of the charm of the original survives the
simplified storytelling and the heavy truncation of
Kellogis Odyssey. The concise histories of the
Successor States are mostly intact and unscathed.
The dynastic foibles are less bawdy but still
uproarious. We still visit the Pyramids on Vega,
the domed parks of Victoria, the Grain Rebellion
Day reenactment on New Syrtis, and the Festival
of Lights in the holy city of Benares on Chahar; all
is told in fine detail that remains faithful to the
original. Gone are the bordellos, the streetwalkers,
the youth gangs, the sad-eyed child prostitutes
and their snarling, prepubescent pimps. Gone
also is the alchemy that transformed calamity and his grave? Not a chance. Hed simply shrug his
penury into piercing humor and sagacity. The shoulders and chuckle softly, knowingly. We fall
stories are mostly preserved and are still lively for it every time.
and entertaining, but an adult reader appreciates
them mostly because he remembers the originals. Genevieve Buckley, WCG '54
It is undeniable, though, that something has been
lost in the retelling. The hue of Kellogis Universe
has been brightened and the shadows rubbed out,
leaving an impression that feels less true-to-life,
and therefore less adventurous.

What set Wisdom of the Universe apart from other

contemporary histories was its moral indictment
of the Succession Wars. Without lapsing into
harangue, it simmered with fury at the senseless
waste of wealth and life while it quietly chuckled
at the all-too-human follies that made the collapse
of the Star League (perhaps) inevitable. The
Succession Wars were at once the most tragic,
most pathetic, and most ridiculous period in
human history. We saw grain planets choking on
the bounty of their own harvest while millions
starved a few parsecs away. We saw subsistence
hunters on one world shoot game with bow and
arrow and cook in a microwave oven, while on
another world they would shoot with a laser rifle
and cook over a campfire. We saw the donkey
replace the hovercar and the oxcart replace the
freight train. The greatest civilization in history
had been reduced nearly to barbarism in two
generations. Kellogi recognized it for what it was:
a terrible joke that the human race had played
upon itself.
Perhaps it is because of the ongoing technological
renaissance that we feel the need to update our
literature along with our battlefield armaments.
Some of the backwardness of the Succession
Wars has already passed into memory, and
someone at Nova obviously thought that the time
had come to make Kellogi relevant to todays
youth. The result is a book that no longer
deserves a position among the constellation of
classics. Kellogi has been reduced from great
storyteller in the tradition of Aesop and Voltaire to
mere observer of local customs and curiosities.
It is an irony that our generations attempt to make
of his work an educational book has removed all
of its instructive power. Would Kellogi roll over in
Who Watches The Watchers?
The popular tridee serial The Watchers is
returning for a second season this fall. The
science fiction melodrama gained a large
audience with its unusual mix of political thriller,
hard-boiled murder mystery, and allegorical
modern-day fantasy. The series began its run as
a murder mystery set in an alternate Inner Sphere
in which the Succession Wars continued
uninterrupted to the present day. (Interestingly
the technology gains of the last three decades
appear to have taken place absent the Clan
Invasion or the Federated Commonwealth; we are
left to assume that in this alternative timeline a
similar recovery of Star League technology has
taken place.) The investigation of the murder
takes place amid the escalation of conflict among
the Great Houses. The murder victim is
discovered to be a high-ranking envoy of the
Prince, whom we assume to be Hanse though he
is never named, and a member of a secret society
called the Watchers. Over the course of many
weeks, we learn that the head of the Watchers is

8
unfolding an elaborate scheme to resurrect the
Star League and to place his puppet on the throne
of the First Lord. The season ended before the
details of the plot could be revealed with a
seemingly preposterous cliff-hanger: reports of an
alien invasion of the Periphery, and news that the
Successor Lords had called a halt to their
impending war plans and would immediately form
a pact of mutual defense against the alien threat.
The last turn of the screw in the season finale
played to record tridee audiences throughout the
Federated Suns and the Lyran Alliance as well
(wars dont appear to stop broadcasting deals),
and has people chattering about something other
than the privations of Reconstruction. The
parallels to recent history are obvious: aliens stand
for the Clans, who were initially mistaken for non-
human invaders. The reformation of the Star
League under threat from beyond also jibes with
real history, but the suggestion that the alien
invasion may be the coup de grace of a secret
societys plan to trick the House Lords into
cessation of hostilities is pure science fiction. Or
is it? There were persistent rumors throughout
the fifties that the Clans were in league with
ComStar, or indeed, that they were a ComStar
fabrication. It may be that the authors of this serial
are suggesting that there may be weight to this
view; at the very least they are tapping into
widespread public suspicion of secret
organizations and resentment at their meddling.
Already there are conspiracy theories in
circulation blaming secret societies for everything
under the sun. I know of no organization, real or
imagined, that corresponds nicely to the
Watchers. They would seem to be a dramatic
amalgamation of several such purported societies.
What is most interesting to this reviewer about
the widespread popularity of this melodrama is
the suggestion that humanity needs a common
foe against which to unite. It seems that, rather
than looking ahead to life as usual in the aftermath
of the Civil War, that we of the Federated Suns
are still waiting for the other shoe to drop. There
is a palpable sense on New Avalon that our respite
from disaster may be only temporary, and that
forces beyond our control are working against us,
9
plotting our ruin. Centuries of foreign conflict have
steeled us against threats from without, but now
usurpation and subversion from within have left
us paranoid to internal threats. Chief among
these, of course, is ComStar, whose presence as
a secretive neutral power within our borders has
been only grudgingly tolerated for centuries.
There are those who have suggested that the
W.O.B. Schism was in fact a grand ruse designed
to quell suspicion after ComStars terrifying display
of power in stopping the Clan invasion at Tukayyid.
Some go on to suggest that ComStar/W.O.B. is
laying schemes to destroy the successor states
and establish a United Terran Empire (sometimes
a Terran Overlord Government) in place of the
reformed Star League. Whatever one thinks of
these rumors, their circulation indicates an
underlying public neurosis that the writers of The
Watchers have brilliantly tapped.
The serial was supposed to last for a single
season, but the river of money it generated has
convinced everyone involved to extend the project
for another year. One wonders how they will
manage to resolve all of the plotlines and to
present new mysteries that will keep us tuning in.
We cant wait to find out.
Ishmael Brightly
Ishmael Brightly attended WCG until his medical
discharge in 58. He is a frequent contributor to
Tridee Guide.

Certain Mechs perform so ably within their in-
tended role that they essentially set the standard
for all other Mechs to follow. No matter how ef-
fective in their own right, succeeding Mechs will
always be judged (fairly or unfairly) against the
yardstick of the definitive Mech of their class and
mission profile. In the field of heavy reconnais-
sance and quick strike, the standard by which all
Mechs are judged is the PXH Phoenix Hawk.
Fast moving, solidly armored, and equipped with
a reliable array of firepower, the
PXH is capable of skirmishing
its way across the battlefield to
determine the critical points of
an impending engagement be-
fore rebounding across the field
to disrupt the enemy advance
just in time for heavier reinforce-
ments to begin pounding the
enemy lines. Produced nearly
nonstop in the Star League fol-
lowing its adoption in the late
2600s, the Mech is also seen
in substantial quantities in the
militaries of virtually every sig-
nificant power of the Inner
Sphere. The design was so
simple to modify, it even was
assigned a LAM conversion
process in the later 2800s to
increase its versatility following
the Kerensky exodus. Though
such technology has been es-
sentially permanently lost, it is still a point in favor
of the utility of this quick-striking chassis.
The basic Phoenix Hawk adopted by the Star
League was the PHX-1. Despite popular opinion
that the Mercury Light Mech pregenerated the
theories of Omni technology, many engineers
personally contend that it was the Phoenix Hawks
ease of modification that led to the Mercurys
modular laser mountings. Indeed, the Phoenix
Hawk is, at its heart, a fairly simple rebuild of the
Stinger light BattleMech, accomplished by way of
a reinforced chassis and heavier fusion engine.
Maintaining the same speed and jump profile as
its predecessor, the Phoenix Hawk is often
10
assigned to the same roles by virtue of the
superior survivability of its heavier weapons and
armor. The PHX-1 was equipped with a single
large and two medium lasers, both from the
Harmon weapons line. A pair of M100 machine
guns gave the Hawk improved anti-infantry
firepower for no increase in heat issues. This was
of great benefit to a pilot, as the Mech could only
handle carefully managed salvos of firepower
before overheating, with the coolant system being
restricted to the ten integral sinks of the 270 GM
fusion engine. The Mechs
mission profile was dedicated
heavy recon, and it was this role
that led to the Mechs near-
legendary versatility. By
modifying the armor or
weapons loads slightly, Star
League techs could mount
either an ECM suite or BAP
array, depending on mission
needs. Still in service with
periphery militaries and various
militia or mercenary units
across the Sphere, the PHX-1
set the standard which became
a trend happily adopted by the
AFFS.
The AFFS, quite impressed with
the PHX-1s performance,
quickly seized upon the chance
to develop and field their own
variants of the design following
the release of the Mech to their forces. Always
careful of resources and maintenance issues, the
Quartermasters Office issued a refit of the
Phoenix Hawk which extracted the two M100
machine guns in favor of additional heat sink
jackets for the leg-mounted Pitban 9000 jump jets.
This improved the Mechs ability to jump and fire
its primary laser, while also eliminating 20 percent
of its heat overload, turning the machine from a
dedicated recon vehicle to a reliable light raider
and scout-hunter. While the refit (dubbed the
PHX-1D) weakened the designs use against
infantry, the overall benefit was considered
superior to the minor loss. Plus, the
Quartermaster reasoned, the refits could be
deployed alongside standard Phoenix Hawks,
thus increasing a lances overall versatility. When
the resource-draining succession wars hit, the
increased combat capability of the 1D vindicated
itself time and time again, performing reliably in
the service of the Federated Suns.
As the succession wars devoured resources on
all fronts, R&D funding virtually disappeared until
the mid-3020s in the Inner Sphere. With the slow
decline of the third succession wars hostilities,
the release of the Merlin BattleMech (the first new
design in the sphere in over a century) sparked a
new interest both in designing new Mechs and
refitting older ones to new battlefield needs. Given
its ease of maintenance (and the relatively good
condition of most surviving machines), the
Phoenix Hawk was one of the first machines
considered for such refitting by the forward-
thinking NAIS. In the late 3040s, the still young
AFFC unveiled its refits of the Phoenix Hawk,
specifically to counter those of the FWLMs -3M
series of the mech.
These refits were two of the premier advances of
newly recovered LosTech to the medium
BattleMech class in the AFFC. Results of the
extravagant economic benefits of the FedCom
alliance, the PHX-3D and -3S were incredible
leaps forward from the original frameworks.
Achernar BattleMechs PHX-3D is the direct
successor to the original 1D refit of the Star
League Phoenix Hawk. The GM 270 engine was
upgraded to the brand new GM 270 XL series,
freeing up tonnage within the chassis for additional
firepower. The 270 XL also showcased the NAIS
double-strength heat sinks, giving the Mechs 12
heat dissipation sinks far superior capacity to the
originals, all with no reduction in speed or jump
capacity. With this in mind, designers elected to
mount a Diverse Optics Sunbeam extended
range large laser on each arm of the Mech,
resulting in double the primary hitting power of
the old design, and at greater ranges. These two
weapons were so powerful, they would quickly
overpower even the tremendous capacity of the
NAIS heat sinks, so pilots learned to husband their
firepower responsibly. Backing up the large lasers
11
is a pair of medium pulse lasers, both of the Martell
weapons series. Improving the Mechs already
prodigious defensive armor is the LFN Lindblad
Shotgun anti-missile system, which eliminates
much of the threat from LRMs, one of the few
weapons historically able to overcome the
Phoenix Hawks defense at range. The Mechs
primary weaknesses lay in its less than attractive
heat management curve and the debatable merits
of the fragile and expensive XL engines.
Proponents argue that the heat is manageable
enough to merit deployment, while the Mechs
speed, range, and maneuverability overcome the
fragility of the large XL engines. Detractors
question the value of a highly expensive machine
as a medium workhorse design, intended to be
mass produced, in light of the sometimes shaky
FedSuns (or FedCom) economy. Also, the
superlight endo steel framework required to
account for the last of the Mechs tonnage makes
the machine something of a nightmare to repair
and maintain.
The PHX-3S, produced by Coventry Metalworks,
was considered an excellent companion to the
Achernar design. Using the same tonnage-saving
XL engine technologies of the -3D, the Steiner
Mech company elected to pursue a different
route, far more in line with the reconnaisance
mindset of the original Phoenix Hawks. Using
the PHX-1 as their basis of operation, Coventry
added a powerful Thunderbolt-12 large laser,
which incorporated the brand new pulse
technology. Hard-hitting and accurate, this
weapon improved the Mechs scout-hunting
capacity and overall damage curve at the cost of
overall range as compared to the standard large
laser. The secondary weapons of the PHX-1 were
retained, with the addition of the same Lindblad
Shotgun AMS of the -3D, and a cellular
ammunition storage bin (CASE) for the M100s
ammunition. This demanded some small sacrifice
in armor tonnage, but Coventry countered this loss
with the addition of ferro fibrous armor to get the
maximum protection for the mass applied, an
expense for which pilots are grateful. Also, techs
prefer the ferro fibrous armor to the endo steel
structure of Achernars -3D, since it is far easier
to maintain in the field. However, the Mechs
premier technology was the incredibly powerful
Myomer Acceleration Signal Circuitry which the
AFFC had just rediscovered. Increasing the
Mechs top running speed to 150% of the original
series, these circuits made the -3S a literal speed
demon on the battlefield, baffling enemy targeting
systems and letting the Mech complete its
missions with incredible alacrity. However, the
MASC system is also very demanding, and can
burn out even the improved actuator mountings
necessary for the system to work. This kind of
blowout cripples a Mech, turning it into little more
than a target for enemy units. The Mech does
have a more manageable heat curve than the
-3D, but lacks the range and punch of the
Achernar design. Critics raise the expense issue
again, as well as the fear that so many vulnerable
technologies (MASC and XL engines) make this
variant a glass-jawed boxer.
Reviews on these two designs came back mixed
in the end. While definitely improvements over
the original Phoenix Hawks, both were
temperamental machines which demanded much
exertion on the part of their pilots to ensure the
technologies were functioning in balance with one
another. In addition, both designs had totally
stripped the Phoenix Hawks of their original easy-
maintenance mindsets with the addition of so
many convoluted technologies. Even with the
increasing education of technicians within the
AFFC, the heavy fighting of the period following
3050, along with the secession of the Lyran state,
left technical crews struggling to keep the
machines functioning amid a near nightmare of
12
logistical confusion. Some techs voiced a fear
that this would mean a return to the scavenger
mindset of the succession wars, so frustrated were
they at the complex machinery. It was no
coincidence that a new Davion-originated design
would not appear in large numbers within the
Federated Suns military until after the FedCom
Civil War died down. However, both the -3D and
-3S are still in service today with both the Steiner
and Davion militaries, thanks to their indisputable
overall combat effectiveness (albeit this is in vastly
reduced numbers following the brutality of the
war).
There are two remedial designs currently being
produced within the Federated Suns. Both
attempt to address the issues which made the
-3D and -3S less popular than their predecessors,
and both seem to do so with the original designs
grace and precision. While no less difficult to
maintain, the designs eliminate many of the
difficulties pilots of the previous series faced in
heavy combat.
The first design, already being deployed to some
front line units, is the PHX-3PL. The moniker is
somewhat obvious, given that the Mech replaces
the -3Ds twin large ER lasers with a trio of pulse-
tech laser weapons. A single large and two
medium Diverse Optics pulse lasers are married
to a NAIS Technologies targeting computer (an
upgraded Apple Churchill targeting network,
specifically). In acknowledgement to the
increasing power of infantry on the battlefield, a
pair of Diverse Optics sunbeam ER small lasers
round out the Mechs weapons. The AMS of the
-3D was done away with, allowing for an
appreciable increase in the Mechs overall armor
protection. This design has eliminated ninety
percent of the -3Ds heat problems as well, as the
pilots can now fire their three main weapons on
the run without worry. This makes the -3PL a very
effective skirmisher, especially considering the
improved accuracy of the pulse laser/targeting
computer combination.

Complimenting the -3PL series is the longer-

ranged Phoenix Hawk-6D. Using the same
targeting computer as the -3PL, the -6D swaps
the large pulse laser with a high-powered
extended range particle cannon from Aberdovys
Mk line. Delivering a solid punch at long ranges,
this weapon allows -6Ds to be teamed with -3PLs
to allow for a short-range, long-range combination
that is difficult to oppose. A quartet of Magna Mk
VI extended range medium lasers allow the -6D
to brutalize enemies at closer ranges; the
combined firepower of the four lasers is enough
to unbalance even assault Mechs if they connect.
Thus the Mech can perform both sniping and
quick-strike operations, making it a highly versatile
machine. Much like the -3D, the Mech cannot
accommodate an alpha strike, although it can fire
either grouping of weapons without too much heat
burden. Even jumping with multiple weapons
firing will not overburden the machines heat
capacity beyond control, which allows pilots
greater versatility than the -6Ds predecessor.

Both machines are still difficult to maintain, and

their expensive nature will make them rare until
the Federated Suns can re-establish her already
foundering economy. Still, proponents of the
machines are hopeful that they will redeem the
Phoenix Hawks formidable reputation of years
past, and prove beneficial as the AFFS moves to
rebuild. There is something to be said for the
Mech that, even with several dubious upgrades,
it is still considered successful enough to warrant
yet another go at making it just a little better be-
fore the AFFS looks elsewhere for a reliable re-
con machine.

Captain Isaiah Moses Rosner (Ret.)

13
 Supporting the Infantry
Infantry, like any other combat element on the
battlefield, requires considerable combat service
support. The typical AFFS infantry company of
up to ninety soldiers requires ammunition, rations
and other supplies, as well as medical and
transportation support. This article will examine
the organization of several typical support
battalions that provide direct support to the three
types of infantry regiments found in an AFFS
Regimental Combat Team: foot infantry,
mechanized infantry and jump infantry. The
Eighty-Fourth Avalon Light Infantry, 135th
Federation Jump Infantry and the 115th Crucis
Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the Seventeenth
Avalon Hussars Regimental Combat Team will
serve as examples. Their respective support
battalions are the 391st Federation Support
Battalion, 508th Federation Support Battalion and
the 163rd Crucis Support Battalion.
All infantry regiment support battalions within the
Seventeenth Avalon Hussars RCT have the same
basic structure regardless of the type of infantry
they support. Each battalion has a Supply &
Transport Company, a Medical Company and a
separate Battalion Headquarters Platoon.
The Supply & Transport Company
Relative to BattleMechs and armor, infantry do
not consume large quantities of supplies, but they
still consume literally tons a day, with the actual
amount varying depending on both the
circumstances and the unit. Infantry in heavy
combat will require more than those on occupation
duty; mechanized infantry equipped with ICE-
powered vehicles will require large quantities of
fuel; and soldiers lucky enough to be issued laser
rifles will require less ammunition than others but
will still require such things as hand grenades and
rations. Responsibility for supporting such needs
falls to the Quartermaster Corps via the support
battalions supply & transport company (S&T Co.).
The AFFS has two basic organizational schemes
for its S&T Cos. attached to infantry regiments:
those for the mechanized infantry and those for
14
the foot and jump infantry. An S&T Co. supporting
a foot or jump infantry regiment normally has a
single S&T Platoon, a Fuel Platoon, one Field
Services Platoon, a Maintenance Support Section
and a Company Headquarters Section. An S&T
Co. supporting a mechanized infantry regiment
normally has two S&T platoons, a single Fuel
Platoon, one Field Services Platoon, one
Maintenance Support Section and a Company
Headquarters Section.
As a general rule foot and jump infantry regiments
do not have enough organic transport to move
their infantry. These troops are expected to walk,
run or jump, as the case may be, on the battlefield.
Operational mobility, that is, movement beyond
the immediate battlefield, is provided by their
attached S&T Co. The S&T Co.s Supply &
Transport Platoon is equipped with enough trucks
to move the whole regiment, including their
equipment and basic supply allowance, in one lift.
For the Eighty-Fourth Avalon LI and the 135th
Federation JI this transport amounts to 10-ton
class, extended wheelbase flatbed trucks, with
side-rail-mounted fold-down bench seating, and
tarps for protection from the weather. Aside from
the engine, these trucks are much like those
designed for the same purpose as far back as
the twentieth century. The S&T Platoons in the
391st Federation Support BN and 508th
Federation Support BN each have 27 such trucks,
one for each infantry platoon. Each truck can,
besides carrying up to 30 infantrymen, carry up
to another three tons cargo, if it is properly stowed,
and tow a cargo trailer. These S&T Platoons each
have 28 logistics specialists divided into three
squads of nine. The twenty-eighth soldier in the
 391st Federation Support Battalion &
508th Federation Support Battalion TO&Es
Battalion Headquarters Platoon: 6 Officers, 8
Battalion Headquarters Platoon: 6 Officers, 8
Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 2 Office Trucks, 4 GPV
Supply & Transport Co., Total Personnel: 120
Supply & Transport Co., Total Personnel: 86
Company Headquarters Section: 1 Officer,
6 Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Supply & Transport Platoon: 28 Logistics &
Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 27 10-ton Cargo Trucks
Fuel Platoon: 18 Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 9 10-ton Fuel Trucks
Field Services Platoon: 18 Field Services
Specialists, 9 Utility Engineers
Vehicles: 18 10-ton Cargo Trucks
Maintenance Support Section: 4 Mechanics, 2
Assistant Mechanics
Vehicles: 2 10-ton Wrecker Trucks
163rd Crucis Support Battalion TO&E
Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 2 Office Trucks, 4 GPVs
Company Headquarters Section: 1 Officer, 6
Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Supply & Transport Platoon x2: 28 Logistics &
Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 9 20-ton Cargo Trucks, 1 GPV
Fuel Platoon: 18 Logistics & Admin Specialists
Vehicles: 9 20-ton Fuel Trucks
Field Services Platoon: 18 Field Services
Specialists, 9 Utility Engineers
Vehicles: 18 10-ton Cargo Trucks
Maintenance Support Section: 8 Mechanics, 4
Assistant Mechanics
Vehicles: 3 Light Recovery/Maintenance
Vehicles, 1 20-ton Wrecker Truck

Medical Company, Total Personnel: 75 Medical Company, Total Personnel: 75

Medical Platoon x3: 3 Officers: 1 Medical Medical Platoon x3: 3 Officers: 1 MedicalDoctor,
Doctor, 2 Nurses; 15 Medics, 7 Logistics 2 Nurses; 15 Medics, 7 Logistics & Admin
& Admin Specialists Vehicles: 1 10-ton MASH Truck, 1 10-ton
Vehicles: 1 10-ton MASH Truck, 1 10-ton Cargo Truck, 4 Ambulances
Cargo truck & 4 Ambulances
Total Battalion Personnel: 209
Total Battalion Personnel: 175
Major Equipment & Vehicles
Major Equipment & Vehicles: 20-ton Weight Class Trucks Variants Qty
10-ton Weight Class Trucks Variants Qty Cargo 18
Cargo 48 Fuel 9
Fuel 9 Wrecker 1
Office 3
MASH 3 Other Vehicles Qty
Wrecker 2 Ambulance, 5-ton Class 12
Cargo Truck, 10-ton 21
Other Vehicles Qty Office Truck, 10-ton 3
Ambulance 12 MASH Truck, 10-ton 3
General Purpose Vehicle 5 General Purpose Vehicle 7
Light Recovery Vehicle 3
Trailers Variants Qty
Cargo 51 Trailers Variants Qty
Field Kitchen 9 Cargo, for 20-ton Cargo Truck 18
Fuel Tanker 9 Cargo, for 10-ton Cargo Truck 15
Field Kitchen 9
Fuel Tanker 9

15
platoon is, of course, the platoon leader, normally
a sergeant-major, although occasionally a subal-
tern or leftenant is put in charge.
The two S&T Platoons in the 163rd Crucis Sup-
port BN, which supports the 115th Crucis MI, are
quite different than their counterparts in the 391st
Federation Support BN and 508th Federation
Support BN. Each of the two S&T Platoons in the
163rd has 28 logistics specialists but the 163rds
S&T Platoons have only nine 20-ton cargo trucks
and a jeep or other general purpose liaison
vehicle.
Why the difference? As stated, foot and jump
infantry regiments rely on their respective support
battalions for infantry transport. Mechanized
infantry regiments do not. Consequently, the S&T
Platoons in the 163rd focus solely on moving
supplies for the 115th Crucis MI. The 163rds S&T
Platoons maintain the standard ratio of just over
three soldiers per cargo vehicle.
The S&T Platoons in the 391st and 508th maintain
a ratio of just over one soldier per vehicle. During
normal supply operations they only use those
trucks that are required, the rest are left in a central
motor pool. When the entire infantry regiment is
on the move each truck is manned by a single
soldier from the S&T Platoon; the infantry platoon
leader usually rides shotgun while the rest of the
platoon is available to support the driver if needed.
Each support battalions S&T Co. has a single Fuel
Platoon of nine fuel trucks and 18 logistics
soldiers. The size of the truck issued to the
platoon depends on the expected fuel demand.
The 391st and 508th have 10-ton fuel trucks, while
the 163rd has 20-ton fuel trucks.
84th Avalon Light Infantry Regiment TO&E
Personnel:
1st Foot Infantry Battalion, Total Personnel: 287
Foot Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 113
Co. Command Team: RGT CO, RGT SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry
RGT Headquarters Support Platoon: 4
Officers, 12 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 2 Office Trucks, 2 GPVs
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 87
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry
Foot Infantry Battalion x2, Total Personnel: 271
Foot Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 97
Co. Command Team: BN CO, BN SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 87
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Foot Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry
Total Regiment Personnel: 829
Major Equipment & Vehicles:
Vehicles Qty
General Purpose Vehicle (GPV) 14
Office/HQS Truck 5

Trailers Variants Qty

Cargo, various types 19

16
135th Federation Jump Infantry Regiment
TO&E
Personnel:
1st Jump Infantry Battalion, Total Personnel: 224
Jump Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 92
Co. Command Team: RGT CO, RGT SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1GPV
Jump Infantry Platoon x3: 21 Infantry
RGT Headquarters Support Platoon: 4
Officers, 12 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 2 Office Trucks, 2 GPVs
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Jump Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 66
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Jump Infantry Platoon x3: 21 Infantry
Jump Infantry Battalion x2, Total Personnel: 208
Jump Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 76
Co. Command Team: BN CO, BN SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1GPV
Jump Infantry Platoon x3: 21 Infantry
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists
Vehicles: 1 Office Truck, 1 GPV
Jump Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 66
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Jump Infantry Platoon x3: 21 Infantry
Total Regiment Personnel: 640
Major Equipment & Vehicles:
Vehicles
General Purpose Vehicle
Office/HQS Truck
Trailers Variants
Cargo, various types
The Field Services Platoon in each of the three
support battalions S&T Cos. are basically the
same. Each platoon is organized to break down
into three-man Field Services Teams (FST) of two
field service specialists and one utility engineer.
Each FS Platoon in the 163rd, 391st and 508th
has nine FSTs, and each FST supports the infantry
company and any support personnel in the area.
Each FST within the Seventeenth Avalon Hussars
RCT is issued two 10-ton trucks, one field kitchen
trailer and one cargo trailer, along with a set of
generators, portable shower and latrine units, and
other equipment.
Vehicle maintenance support is essential in any
modern army unit, even if it is a foot infantry unit
with only a few jeeps. The 391st and 508th each
have two Vehicle Maintenance Support Teams
(VMST) in their Maintenance Support Sections;
the 163rd has four. Each VMST consists of two
mechanics and one assistant mechanic. The
equipment issued to each team varies based on
the vehicles they are required to support. Three
of the VMSTs in the 163rd have small recovery/
maintenance support vehicles capable of
recovering and carrying a battle damaged Heavy
APC variant, the standard armored vehicle in the
115th Crucis MI. The fourth VMST in the 163rd
and all VMS Teams in the 508th and 391st are
assigned wrecker trucks.
S&T Company Headquarters Sections are uniform
throughout much of the AFFS. Those within the
Seventeenth Avalon Hussars RCT are no different.
Each HQ Section consists of the company
commander and six logistics and administrative
specialists. Collectively they are responsible for
moving all of the supply oriented paperwork
generated by the support battalion and the infantry
regiment it supports. For mobile command and
Qty control, each HQ section has a single office truck,
14 most such trucks in the Seventeenth AH RCT are
5 built on a 10-ton truck chassis, and a jeep or
general purpose vehicle of some sort.
Qty
19 The Medical Company
Infantry absorb more casualties by far than any
other service branch on the modern battlefield.
17
 115th Crucis Mechanized Infantry
Regiment TO&E
Personnel:
First Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Total
Personnel: 311
Mech. Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 125
Co. Command Team: RGT CO, RGT SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Mech. Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry, 2
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 LRM Variant Heavy APC
RGT Headquarters Support Platoon: 4
Officers, 12 Admin/CI Specialists, 4
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 2 HQ Support Variant Heavy
APCs
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists, 2
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 HQ Variant Heavy APC
Mech. Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 93
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Mech. Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry, 2
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 LRM Variant Heavy APC
Mechanized Infantry Battalion x2, Total
Personnel: 291
Mech. Infantry Co., Total Personnel: 105
Co. Command Team: BN CO, BN SGM,
Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Mech. Infantry Platoon x3: 28 Infantry, 2
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 LRM Variant Heavy APC
BN Headquarters Support Section: 2
Officers, 8 Admin/CI Specialists, 2
Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 HQ Support Variant Heavy
APC
(Cont.)
18
115th Crucis Mechanized Infantry
Regiment TO&E (Cont.)
Mech. Infantry Co. x2, Total Personnel: 93
Co. Command Team: Co. CO, Co. First
Sergeant, Co. Admin/Supply SGT
Vehicles: 1 GPV
Mechanized Infantry Platoon x3: 28
Infantry, 2 Vehicle Crewmen
Vehicles: 1 LRM Variant Heavy APC
Total Regiment Personnel: 893
Major Equipment & Vehicles:
Heavy APC Variants Qty
LRM 27
Headquarters Support 5
Other Vehicles Qty
General Purpose Vehicle (GPV) 9
Trailer Variants Qty
Cargo 9
As a consequence, infantry must receive the lions
share of the medical support provided to combat
troops. Standard AFFS doctrine calls for a Medical
Platoon of 25 soldiers attached to each infantry
battalion.
AFFS Medical platoons attached to infantry
battalions use the same standard organization as
any AFFS medical platoon assigned to support
upwards of 500 soldiers. The treatment section
of the platoon is made up of the three officers (a
medical doctor and two nurses), as well as two
medics, the two crewmembers of the platoons
MASH truck and the driver of the platoons supply
truck. The platoons ambulance section consists
of four medics and four drivers equipped with four
ambulances, and the combat medic section
consists of nine combat medics.
In the field each combat medic supports one
infantry platoon, living with them and enduring all
that they must endure. In many units the platoons
combat medic is considered a member of the
platoon despite the fact that medics are only ever
attached, never assigned, to a platoon and can
be reassigned as required. Since combat medics
are attached at platoon level and must keep up
with their charges, they are normally provided a
spot in any transport the infantry platoon might
have. Combat medics attached to jump infantry
units, like all soldiers normally attached or
assigned to a jump infantry regiment, are jump
pack qualified.
Although medical platoons are clustered into a
company within the support battalion they
frequently operate independent of one another.
Therefore the company has an integrated
command structure with the senior platoon leader
acting as the company commander.
Bullet and shrapnel wounds, burns, traumatic
amputation of extremities and broken bones are
the most common battlefield injuries among
infantry. As a consequence, medical doctors that
support infantry battalions are trained primarily in
standard emergency room medicine and general
surgery; most hold the rank of captain and have
only recently completed their medical residency
requirements. One of the two nurses assigned to
the platoon is normally a trained trauma/intensive
care nursing specialist, while the second is being
trained for such demanding work. All combat
19
medics, as well as most medics assigned to a
medical platoon, are trained trauma specialists,
equivalent to a civilian emergency medical
technician (EMT).
Battalion Headquarters
Support battalion headquarters, like S&T Co. HQ
sections, are fairly uniform throughout the AFFS.
The staff work involved in planning and executing
logistics operations for a combat regiment is
remarkably similar from support battalion to
support battalion despite the combat regiments
type. Like 417th Avalon Support BN (detailed in
the previous issue of The Review), the 163rd,
508th and 391st HQ Sections each have six
officers, including the BN commander, and eight
logistics and administration specialists. The BN
S-1, S-2, S-3 and S-4 officers each have a staff of
two. Each HQ has two office trucks assigned,
along with four jeeps or general purpose vehicles
for the myriad liaison duties an HQ unit must
accomplish.
Field Trains
Field trains for infantry regiments operate much
like to those attached to BattleMech regiments
but are considerably smaller due to the lighter
support requirements of infantry. Standard
operating procedure in the AFFS calls for most
support assets for an infantry battalion to be
consolidated in a battalion field train. This field
train is formed around a Medical Platoon, and a
squad of three FSTs. Each battalion field train
also has a slice from the S&T Platoon and Fuel
Platoon: the size of the slice depends on the
circumstances at hand and the type of infantry
regiment being supported.
Foot infantry operate primarily as a static force.
When they do not require transportation all S&T
and Fuel Platoon assets are centrally held and
generally collocated with the S&T Co. HQ. Once
per day, usually under the cover of darkness, the
infantry companys administrative specialist or first
sergeant leads a replenishment team of one or
two trucks forward to the company rear from the
S&T Co. area. Frequently the infantry companys
own general purpose vehicle is the only vehicle
required for the mission. If a battalion is spread
over a very wide area, usually in company sized
bases, in static positions, the battalion field train
may be allotted one or two trucks from the S&T
Platoon pool. These trucks, along with the few
vehicles actually assigned to the infantry battalion,
allow it to maintain its lines of communications
between the various bases. When the regiment
is on the move an infantry battalion field train is
usually assigned nine cargo trucks, to transport
the battalions infantry. Jump infantry regiments
operate much like their foot infantry brethren but
tend to be on the move more since they are the
BattleMech regiments primary direct infantry
support.
Mechanized infantry battalion field trains operate
a little differently than those supporting the foot
infantry. Like the foot infantry they have a Medical
Platoon and a section of three FSTs in their field
train. They also get a slice from one of the two
supporting S&T platoons, usually three cargo
trucks. The second S&T platoon shuttles back
and forth between the RCT supply depots and
the regiment rear area.
20
Each mechanized infantry battalion field train also
has a VMST from the Maintenance Support
Section of the S&T Co. Armored vehicles require
almost as much maintenance as a BattleMech.
Fortunately, though, they have a crew that can
perform most routine maintenance, allowing the
VMST to focus on recovery and repair work. AFFS
doctrine calls for one VMST per every dozen
armored vehicles, approximately. Since the 115th
Crucis MI uses platoon-sized armored personnel
carriers each mechanized infantry battalion is
supported by only one VMST. Each battalion field
train is also provided with two fuel trucks. One
truck is normally with the field train while the
second is heading back to the regiment rear area
to refill. The other trucks in the Fuel Platoon run
between the RCT fuel depot and the RCT rear
area with the second S&T Platoon, collecting and
delivering fuel.
As with the 417th Avalon Support BN, the BN
Headquarters for the 163rd, 508th, and 391st form
the rear area headquarters for the regiments they
support, planning and coordinating the logistics
operations for the regiment allowing the
regimental commander to focus on the battle at
hand.
Infantry regiment support battalions throughout
the AFFS follow these two basic models, but it is
rare for any battalion to look exactly like another.
Also note that independent regiments, in particular
independent mechanized infantry regiments, have
other types of combat assets assigned, such as
armor, combat engineer support and VTOL
support. These additional combat assets will
require additional support.
The next Support Troops essay will examine the
organization and mission of support battalions for
the various types of armor regiments in the AFFS.
Major Daniel Callan, AFFS (Ret.)
About the Author: Major Callan received his
Master of Science degree in Logistic Sciences
from the NAIS in 3050, where he taught for three
years before becoming a member of the faculty
at the War College of Goshen in 3054.
 AFFS Infantry Regiments
The AFFS fields a variety of infantry
regiments to fulfill a variety of missions.
Almost all AFFS infantry regiments use the
same standard organization. Normally they
each have nine infantry companies organized
into three battalions. AFFS doctrine requires
all infantry companies within a regiment to
be the same basic type, i.e., foot, mechanized
or jump; exceptions, though rare, do exist but
are generally considered temporary. This is
to insure that all infantry within the regiment
have the same basic capabilities. This makes
training, logistics and mission planning much
easier.
21
Most infantry regiments assigned to Regi-
mental Combat Teams (RCTs) simply have
their nine infantry companies and com-
mand elements. If the regiment needs
support it is usually attached from one of
the other units within the RCT.
Independent infantry regiments can have a
wide range of supporting units assigned on
a permanent or semi-permanent basis. A
Military Intelligence platoon and a
Communications platoon are almost always
assigned. Combat engineers, various types
of VTOL units, along with Air Defense Artillery
and Field Artillery, are also frequently
assigned to independent infantry regiments.
Sometimes an infantry regiment might even
give up one of its infantry battalions for
additional support. Independent mechanized
infantry regiments frequently have only two
infantry battalions supported by an armor
battalion.
Whether a regiment has separate or
integrated command depends largely on
which Corps the regiment descends from.
Regiments from the Davion Brigade of
Guards almost universally field separate
command elements at the battalion and
regiment levels, whereas most Crucis Lancer,
Avalon Hussar and March Militia regiments
feature integrated command structures at all
levels.
Note that in regiments with an integrated
command structure, and not just among the
infantry, it has become common practice for
the regimental commanders battalion to
function as the regimental reserve and the
battalion commanders company to function
as the battalion reserve. This frees up the
commander to coordinate the entire unit
without depleting the strength of his personal
company. A good commander, however, will
rotate the units through reserve and lead his
own company into battlebut only when the
larger command has been properly prepared
for battle.

It seems that astrology is suddenly everywhere.
Newspapers devote full pages to horoscopes,
matchmakers schlep thick astrological tomes, and
nobles habitually make public appearances only
on days deemed auspicious. If it were only a fad
the resurgence of astrology might be dismissed
as mere nuisance, but astrology has roots long
and deep in the Inner Sphere, and there is reason
to believe that its influence will continue to grow.
Astrology has long been a respectable profession
and on many worlds the astrologer doubles as
the village matchmaker. The Doctor of Astrology
receives many of the same honors as the Doctor
of Philosophy. Nowadays only the fiercest
rationalist or the most pious monotheist rejects
astrology outright. Yet astrology is demonstrably
worthless as a predictive tool, and as a
matchmaking aid it does no better than a spinning
bottle. How did it come to hold such esteem?
In their attempts to understand the universe, the
first civilizations on Terra watched the stars and
followed their annual procession through the sky.
By the stars ascension they learned when to plant
crops, when to reap, and when to move with the
livestock to avoid drought. They gave the stars
names and imagined them to be gods. No fault
can be found with humanitys ancestors for
mistaking the sky for Heaven; after all, the stars
governed the rhythms of life for generations
untold.
Gazing at the sky kept humanitys earliest
scientists fruitfully employed for centuries. The
earliest principles of mathematics were developed
to predict the movement of planets, and the
regularity and predictabilitythe discoverability
of the motion of heavenly bodies aided greatly in
convincing our ancestors that the universe was
governed by logic, order, and reason. Therefore,
22
the universe could be understood by science
rather than by superstition. The birth of the
profane sciences and their separation from the
sacred was the first step on the journey from Terra
to the stars, and fittingly it was a step taken with
eyes lifted upward. It was not until the 18th
Century that astronomy fully divorced itself from
astrology, leaving astrology the poorer spouse.
Not surprisingly, astrology experienced
resurgence during the Succession Wars. While
outmoded and possessing a reputation (well-
deserved) for quackery during the days of the Star
League, astrology suddenly became one of the
few paying occupations for individuals with
mathematical talent after the collapse of industry
and legitimate science. By curious happenstance
astrology had become more difficult and more
rigorous after the First Exodus, because to track
the movements of one systems (Sols) planets
and stars relative to anothers without the aid of a
computer is remarkably difficult. That the
astrologers interpretations were worthless is
beside the point; merely to produce the
mathematical calculations in the first place
required an impressive reservoir of talent, so it is
no mystery that both ComStar and the navies of
the Successor States recruited heavily from the
Colleges of Astrology, especially to replenish the
ranks of JumpShip navigators, which had suffered
heavy losses in the first half of the Succession
Wars.
With such noble pedigree it is little wonder that
astrology is so well esteemed. If it were only the
public in astrologys thrall there would be little
cause to worry. But MechWarriors are famously
superstitious, and the warrior nobility are as taken
with astrology as the lower classes. A
MechWarriors life depends as much upon chance
as skill on the battlefield, and the pervasive sense
of helplessness before the indifference of fate astrology as a harmless distraction is not immune.
drive some to near madness. Rituals such as Any commander worth his salt knows that for the
tapping ones helmet, making a sign with the hand soldier there are no harmless distractions.
to ward off evil, or performing animal sacrifices
and augury serve as a psychological coping Even if it were not harmful in the ways described,
mechanism. The MechWarrior seeks to gain a there would still be good reason to object to
measure of control over his fate however possible astrologys resurgence. Astrology and similar
while off the battlefield, because when the Mech pseudo-science are more appropriate to a people
steps onto it, it is at the mercy of blind chance. enslaved by distant potentates than to freeborn
Many a soldier in hour of peril has placed faith in men and women. As the folk of other nations live
a supreme being. Such faith is frequently or die at the whim of their Lords, it is little wonder
ennobling and can prompt a doomed soldier to that they feel they are at the mercy of the heavens
acts of extreme courage and self-sacrifice on for their well-being. They consult astrologers
behalf of the nation. Reliance upon the good favor regarding when to marry and give in marriage,
of the stars offers paltrier benefits by any measure. when to sow and reap, when to make pilgrimage
and offer sacrifice. In the absence of the power
It is impossible to reason a man out of a position to better their lives people will turn to whatever
that he was not reasoned into, and I do not expect offers hope; but we of the Federated Suns are
this epistle to turn anyone out of astrology, but I not powerless. Even our poorest citizens have
would that others regard it not as a harmless quirk rights before the state, and our nobles arent
but as a danger to the fighting unit and to the allowed to bully their subjects with impunity. Like
individual. Any superstition is potentially the Lords of other nations, the stars are cold,
detrimental in combat. A soldier encumbered by distant, and utterly indifferent to us. They make
charms and rituals will react more slowly because poor masters and are unworthy of our
he is mindful of them instead of his surroundings. genuflection.
Observing taboos or fear of bad luck can make
him hesitate. If he places his confidence in Fr. F. Thomassi
worthless hexes, his fighting mettle will shatter Vicar of War College of Goshen Parish
the moment they fail him, making him useless as
a soldier and dangerously passive as an officer.
Astrology is especially dangerous because the
preoccupation with auspicious and inauspicious
days for action and inaction can cause chaos
when set against a military timetable. A
commander who delays his plans even a day
because of his horoscope is criminally negligent,
and the danger is compounded if the enemy
learns of his weakness. (DCMS forces were
famously routed during the Third Succession War
when the Lyrans correctly guessed that an attack
would come at a time the Dracs considered lucky.)
There is even a persistent belief that these are
the End Times and that the Universe is about to
enda belief buttressed by astrology and spread
by certain factions of the Unfinished Book
movement. Taken by itself, this belief may be
harmless, but if given the proper catalytic events
it could paralyze our forces if it becomes
widespread. Even the casual user who views

23
 out of it. In this conception of pre-history,
Any attentive parent knows that it is in our nature civilizations ills are inherent to civilization itself,
to covet what we lack and to despise what we and man is trapped in a civilized state that is harm-
possess. This rule applies to all things we are ful to him, but upon which he is now dependent
heir to, from property, to title, to civilization itself. for survival. It is easy to see Rousseauian logic
Throughout history the persistent myth of the to Aleksandr Kerenskys Exodusonly quitting
Noble Savage has flourished best in times of civilization can save us from civilizationand to
relative peace and prosperity. Properly Nicholas Kerenskys organization of the Clans.
understood, the myth of the virtuous, uncivilized Although he echoed his father in praising the Star
man is more a critique of civilization than an League, he believed the Inner Spheres society
argument to actual anthropology. In short, the to be irredeemably corrupt and sought to purge
claim is that all of mans depravities and all traces of Inner Sphere social mores from his
deprivations are caused by civilization itself, and exile community. Kerenskys goal was to divorce
that, far from ennobling man, civilization the advanced science of the Star League from
continually draws him further and further away the culture that had produced and sustained it.
from his noble, self-reliant, unblemished, pre- Modernity with all its trappings was suspect, so
civilized self. This idea has had vocal proponents to the ruling caste he gave a tribal culture of the
in every civilized age from the sort praised by Rousseau.
Roman Republic to the Star League
Era, but among scholars it is most The Clans are the For all their advanced
often associated with Rousseau, living culmination of technology, Clan culture has
who argued it most cogently in his much in common with the
Second Discourse.
Nicholas Kerenskys societies of primitive man. Their
desire to free man governing council more
The Second Discourse is an from his wretched, resembles Iroquois than Star
imaginary history of mans ascent League government. Their
that attempts to discover through civilized state and tribalistic rituals, such as the
thoughtful reflection the cause of return him to a Noble Ghost Bear hunts, the Goliath
societys persistent ills. Rousseau Scorpions endurance tests, the
traced their origin all the way back
Savagery... Nova Cats directed dreaming
to the genesis of society itself. and the Coyotes shamanism all
Arguing first that mans body is show a deliberate identification
made soft when he is taken from the wild, just as with pre-civilized society. The Clans are the living
a domestic animal is slower and weaker than its culmination of Nicholas Kerenskys desire to free
wild counterpart, he goes on to say that in his man from his wretched, civilized state and return
natural state solitary man has complete freedom him to a Noble Savagery, an existence as close
and self-sufficiency (not living in family groups or to his natural state as circumstances would allow.
tribes). It is only with the invention of private Clanners themselves are deeply committed to
property that nature is unbalanced, and that Rousseauian virtues: self-reliance, honesty,
inequality and want are introduced into the world, family, and bravery. All claim to despise
placing us on the road to disaster. There is, subterfuge and guile, which Rousseau derided as
however, a happy medium between pre-social, vices of modern society. The Clans do not as a
animal-like man and modern, civilized, miserable rule amass wealth to individualsa practice
man: the savage, who lives in a village with his decried by Rousseaubut give to each member
family and owns property that he earns and keeps of the Clan only that which he or she needs out of
by the dint of his own strong arms. Rousseau resources held in common. The Clans, for all their
calls the era of primitive man the happiest and solidarity and commitment to unity, favor self-
most durable epoch of human history, and he sufficiency and individual achievement as social
opines that only tragic accident drew himus virtues. In composition, execution, and ethos the

24
Clans closely resemble the Noble Savage of
Rousseaus imagination.
Rousseau was not a serious proponent of a return
to primitive society. In his later writings, he used
the idea of the Noble Savage as a man free of
necessity to advocate a theory of liberal
government. The tableaux of Rousseaus ideas,
including the Noble Savage, lost much of its
cachet during the Succession Wars. As the Inner
Sphere became reacquainted with actual
savagery and its utter lack of nobility, the few
scholars who continued to study Rousseau found
his ideas something of an embarrassment.
Within the Federated Suns itself, the societies
most like those of primitive man are not forest-
dwelling wild men but the youth gangs that plague
our poorest worlds. The young savages who
inhabit our blighted urban areas havent a hint of
nobility, but instead are cruel and cunning and
survive by preying upon the weak. Anyone who
lives in a neighborhood controlled by a youth gang
lives in constant fear of robbery, or yoking as
they term it. Rival gangs quarrel over control of
city blocks in a manner similar to Clan Trials of
Possession, sometimes including the scheduling
of the battle beforehand at a mutually agreed-upon
place and time. Elaborate rituals surround these
rumbles, for example, drawing playing cards
from a deck to choose combatants. Sometimes
disputes are settled by a contest at dance or song
rather than by fighting. The gangs give
themselves whimsical names and speak in a
strange argot of underclass and foreign (often
Russian) loanwords. A gang members standing
within the gang is based upon his personal honor,
which he must be ready to defend at all times.
Sometimes defending his reputation is achieved
by stealing something of value from a rival gang,
or by fighting off challengers of lower status within
his own gang. Gang members tend to be
flamboyant, and where the youth gangs mesh with
organized crime one sees young hoodlums
wearing extravagant and gaudy attirejewelry,
tattoos, superfluous athletic wear, and unusually
placed silk scarves of a color designating
membership in his particular gang. The similarity
of Clan culture to Inner Sphere gang culture,
25
stronger than to any other Inner Sphere culture,
is striking and manifold.
Not merely of academic interest, the analogy to
youth gangs is a clue to the Clans possible
disparate futures. Though the conditions
favorable to the creation and entrenchment of
youth gangspoverty, urban blight, a plenitude
of war orphansremain, history shows that a
determined constabulary can shatter a gangs
control of a neighborhood with a few high-profile
captures and a visible show of force. Given
serious challenge the gang will typically melt away,
though another may take its place when law
enforcement stands down if the underlying social
problems remain. When wealth comes
unexpectedly to a formerly poor area, gang culture
may wither away as legitimate employment begins
to draw young men out of the gangs. Conversely,
unguarded wealth may induce the gang to evolve
into an organized criminal group, becoming more
adult, more sophisticated, and much, much more
dangerous. The analogy to the Clans holds here
as well. Consider: The fate of the Smoke Jaguars
was to crumble before the first stiffening of
resistance against them. Deprived of their destiny
as conquerors, their ideology of superiority shown
for a sham, they experienced moral and military
collapse when pressed. The Ghost Bears appear
to have solidified their hold over Rasalhague and
will run it as a fiefdom. The wealth will corrupt
them from their stated purpose and they will be
integrated quickly into Inner Sphere politics. The
Diamond Sharks are fast becoming less a Clan
than a trading cartel, and may soon come to
resemble the trade guilds of the Inner Spheres
early history. The Home Clans, denied access to
the wealth of the Inner Sphere, are destined to
continue to squabble amongst themselves over
a paltry and ever-dwindling supply of resources.
Spurred by deficiencies inherent to their culture,
the unraveling of the Clan way of life is already
well underway.
I. Prescott Snell
Professor Snell is the Chair of Philosophies of
Peace at the WCG. His book, The Clan Way of
Life, is published by the Goshen Press.
Camouflage is a game we all like to play, but our is to apply a dual tone scheme that will effectively
secrets are as surely revealed by what we want disrupt a units outline, even that of a Mech.
to seem to be as by what we want to conceal. Taking into account that the most common colors
- Unknown in deserts are the sandy beige of the ground, and
the grey blue of the sky, Brigadier General Baylen
enthusiastically jumped on the idea, and designed
I n June 3004, the Twenty-Second Avalon Hussars a pattern after them. Big angular patches of beige
suffered a grievous defeat at the hands of the 18th and grey blue would be painted on Mechs. From
Dieron Regulars. As their Mechs were cresting a distance, he thought, the pattern would disrupt
Watanabe Ridge, in the Kamishi Desert, they the Mechs silhouette, making it harder to spot
came into sight of the awaiting Regulars. The and identify, and giving some delay before the
Kuritans could concentrate their fire on each unit enemy decided to open fire. From close range,
as it came over the top, bringing it down he thought, it would have a ghost effect on
mercilessly. Following units suffered the same in enemy shooters hidden on a counter-slope, who
their turn, with a handful of bedraggled survivors would be confused long enough to allow a unit
limping back to the relative safety of Watanabe cresting the ridge to fire the first shot. At that time,
Ridges counter-slope. The 18th Dieron Regulars when these theories were suggested to soldiers
crested the ridge on their heels, of units used to fighting in
sending the Hussars on a deserts, reactions ranges from
desperate run for their He wanted an attack to leery incredulity to outright
DropShips. On the slopes of be staged in conditions hostility. Protests were
Watanabe Ridge however, the unanimous, and the High
better part of a Davion Company
that would show the Command buried the idea.
of BattleMechs lay wrecked... worth of his idea, and
This defeat sparked an uproar in specifically requested This could not fail to dismay
the Federated Suns, as the utterly General Baylin.
Avalon Hussars had been sent that ordinary tactical Konstantin Baylin had been,
in order to test the efficiency of precautions be throughout his military service,
the newly issued but poorly a very mediocre officer, and
conceived Desert Skyline
discarded. displayed gifts one would have
Camouflage Pattern (DSCP); the better expected from a Lyran
uproar lasted several weeks till other concerns officer. He could not be called a social general
took public attention away from it. Sadly enough, however, in the sense he had an unwelcome
the chain of events leading to this disaster is fairly perseverance to stick stubbornly to some of his
typical of the levels of incompetence and greed projects. And, unfortunately, he believed that his
can be met in most military bureaucracies. DSCP was the ticket to get back on the fast track
to promotion at a time when his career had been
Since 3002, the Armed Forces of the Federated sidelined by assignment to a dead-end job in the
Suns High Command had been pondering the Capellan March Headquarters on New Syrtis.
opportunity of designing a new camouflage pattern There, however, he managed to draw the attention
for desert warfare. Desert is arguably the most of the March Lord, Duke Michael Hasek.
deceptive terrain for combat. It seems nothing
will disrupt line of sight or offer cover, and yet one Some time earlier, Duke Hasek had received
can hardly distinguish minor ridges and gullies some interesting information from a Capellan
that are common places of concealment for a defector, a noble by the name of Vladimir Chulin.
defending unit. It is then vital to baffle, for as long This Chulin, whose information was part of what
a range as possible, the human sight, as the later brought Michael Hasek to take the way to
famed Eyeball Mk I is still the preferred fire treachery, had managed to divert some state
control for most warriors. The best way to do this money for his own uses, and wanted to invest it

26
into a chemical industry project. In this respect,
Baylens arrival, and his pet project, were a
godsend for Duke Hasek, who thought hed found
an indisputable and legitimate way to reward his
protg... Using the considerable influence that,
as a March Lord and Field Marshall, he wielded
in the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, he
rode roughshod on every protest and imposed
an experimental implementation to test out
Baylens Desert Skyline Camo Pattern. On his
recommendation, several units, including the
Twenty-Second Avalon Hussars, were chosen to
serve as guinea pigs....
Eventually, all protests were in vain... Even worse,
they fueled Baylens desire to see his concept
proven on the field. He wanted an attack to be
staged in conditions that would show the worth of
his idea, and specifically requested that ordinary
tactical precautions be discarded. He even
requested to have an assault to be staged on a
counter-slope defensive position. The Eighteenth
Dieron Regulars logistical base on Altair was
selected as the target, and the 22nd Avalon
27
Hussars picked to attack, since being based on
Quentin, they were the closest to Altair...
The raid ended up in the fiasco recounted above.
But for Sergeant David Levines rearguard action,
leading a hodgepodge of units charging into the
pursuing Regulars right flank, it could very well
have led to the destruction of the whole assault
force. As it was, more than a company of Mechs
were lost. So severe was the defeat that it sent a
backlash rippling throughout the circles of Davion
military power... The DSCP was immediately
cancelled, but the protests had been so vocal that
they drew the medias attention, and they did not
stop there. The media, scenting blood, started to
pick on the AFFS senior command... When they
dared to question the abilities of the Prince
himself, a board of inquiry was nominated to
investigate the case and bring out the truth.
Leftenant General Maison was its chairman. The
commission drew public attention away, and
eventually pronounced both Duke Haseks and
Chulins innocence, laying the blame squarely on
the shoulders of Baylin. Shamed by his conviction,
Baylin was driven to take his own life, bringing a
fortunate end to the scandal...
The DSCP scandal is one from which, even some
60 years after the fact, lessons can be learned to
prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.
They differ not in the least from what can be
learned from scores of other incidents. Innovation
is a necessity in a military. However, when the
proposed changes cause the unanimous protests
of the men in the field, the command would be
well advised to listen, for such unwelcome
changes are very unlikely to bring any
improvement or to meet the goals they have been
set. But more importantly, a soldier must always
be aware that his duty lies first with the interests
of his nation. It is indeed legitimate to further
personal goals to make a career. But every time,
a soldier must question whether the service, and
thus the nation, will gain from it. The Armed
Forces of the Federated Suns is no place for a
social general.
Lft. Gen. Pavel V. Miliukov, AFFS (Ret.)
Professor of History
It is no secret that the AFFS suffered horrendous
losses during what has come to be known as the
Federated Commonwealth Civil War. The AFFS
Navy was especially hard hit. The WarShip fleet
now consists of only fifteen ships: three Avalon
Class Cruisers and twelve Fox Class Corvettes,
a pitiful fleet compared to our neighbors. Many
of these ships are back at the shipyards
undergoing either repair or completion. DropShip
losses, although not fully tallied yet, are expected
to be just as serious. The JumpShip docking collar
shortage dating back to the Lyran Alliance
secession was compounded by the losses of the
civil war and has been only partially mitigated by
the repatriation of a number of AFFS JumpShips
from the LAAF. And this does not begin to account
for the aerospace fighter losses.
The AFFS will be hard pressed to make good its
losses within the next decade. It may take longer.
The critical shortage, as always, is money; the
AFFS needs more to rebuild. Many units can
expect to be consolidated or stood down in order
to save money.
be possible to restart WarShip construction sooner
and maintain the perishable knowledge base
necessary for such projects.
Historical analysis shows that the average cost
of a JumpShip, or WarShip, K-F drive core is
proportional to the number of DropShip docking
collars it possesses. The formulae are:
JumpShip K-F Core Cost* = [220.1875 million D-
Bills + (130.325 million D-Bills x D)]
WarShip K-F Core Cost* = [1,761.5 million D-Bills
+ (1042.6 million D-Bills x D)]
*Multiply Cost by 3 if the ship is Lithium-Fusion
battery equipped.
Where: D = Number of DropShip Docking Collars
built into the core.
Note: These cost formulae only account for the
cost of the cores coil, initiator, controller and
charging system. All other K-F core components
cost less than one percent of the drives total.
Costs have been adjusted to Fiscal Year 3067

The AFFS Navy can expect to bear its fair share

of budgetary belt-tightening like the other
branches in order to rebuild. The first order of
business will be to repair all available WarShips,
but after that the AFFSN can expect a construction
moratorium to free up procurement funds to
replace DropShip, JumpShip and other aerospace
losses. The AFFSN cannot reasonably expect to
begin building new WarShips for a decade at a
minimum. Or can it?

WarShips, Docking Collars, and Costs

WarShips, also known as combat JumpShips, are

built around a compact type Kearny-Fuchida (K-
F) Drive core. These cores are what make
interstellar travel possible. The problem is that
these compact cores, which are five times more
expensive than a standard core (fifteen times
more if equipped with Lithium-Fusion batteries),
represent over 75% of a typical WarShips cost.
If the cost of the K-F core can be reduced it may

28
Federated Suns-Bills. One D-bill is equal to 1.3
ComStar-bills.
Clearly if the number of DropShip docking collars
on a WarShip is reduced, a major cost savings
can be realized.
Assault DropShip Squadrons
AFFSN WarShip tactical doctrine has always
required the deployment of an Assault DropShip
Squadron (ADS) with each WarShip. These
DropShips provide a screening and scouting force
that both protect and multiply the strength of the
WarShip. Regardless of whether any new
WarShips have docking collars or not, they need
an ADS for support. Regardless of how many
DropShips are in the average ADS an additional
JumpShip will need to be built to replace any
docking collars lost by their deletion from an
existing design; in the case of an Avalon Class
Cruiser six JumpShip docking collars must be built
in some combination on standard JumpShips.
These collars must be equipped like the new
WarShip. If it has a Lithium-Fusion battery, then
the standard JumpShips must have them as well,
to match the capabilities of the WarShip that is
being placed in production.
The Invader Class JumpShip is one of the most
successful and versatile standard JumpShips ever
designed. Three docking collars are considered
the ideal in terms of versatility, cost and
maintainability. Unfortunately an Invader Class
JumpShip cannot be equipped with a Lithium-
Fusion battery without removing a docking collar.
Therefore a new standard JumpShip must be
designed to support the new WarShip design. It
should be capable of transporting three DropShips
and should carry a Lithium-Fusion battery to keep
up with its assigned WarShip.
Even with the construction of two such standard
JumpShips, a large savings can be realized by
deleting the docking collars from an Avalon Class
Cruiser. One Avalon K-F Compact Core, with six
collars, costs 24.05 Billion D-Bills. An Avalon clone
with a Lithium-Fusion Battery but lacking docking
collars, plus two standard JumpShips with three
29
docking collars and Lithium-Fusion battery each,
would cost approximately 8.95 Billion D-Bills:
nearly a two-thirds reduction in cost.
Modular Kearny-Fuchida Drives
Any WarShips built under this program should be
equipped with modular K-F drives. These types
of drives allow docking collars to be added to a
ship at some later date without replacing the actual
K-F drive itself. Adding DropShip docking collars
is by no means an easy or cheap process on such
a design but it can be done relatively quickly during
a typical three or four month shipyard
maintenance period, which occur regularly in the
life of a WarShip.
The concept of the modular K-F drive was
pioneered in the SLDF Sovetskii Soyuz Cruiser
design. Federated-Boeing Interstellar has
recently worked on a modular K-F drive design
as recently as 3056, when they were ready to
construct a prototype. While the program was
shelved to ramp up Fox Class Corvette
construction, reactivating the program would be
relatively easy and inexpensive. It could cost as
little as 2 Billion D-Bills to construct an initial
prototype K-F core.
By building a WarShip with a modular K-F drive,
and initially without docking collars, the AFFSN
will be able to field the most important part of a
WarShip, the ship itself, much sooner than current
funding levels and designs will allow. As a side
benefit, once docking collars are added to these
WarShips, the Lithium-Fusion battery equipped
standard JumpShips can be reassigned to other
duties and expand the available pool of transports.
Commodore Henri Rollet, AFFSN
About the Author: Commodore Rollet is currently
a Visiting Fellow at the War College of Goshen
from the Armstrong Flight Academy where he is a
senior instructor at the AFFS Test Pilot School.
Commodore Rollet commanded the first AFFSN
aerospace fighter squadron assigned to an
AFFSN WarShip since the Second Succession
War.

BATTLE ARMOR:
Organization and Operations
In the past decade and a half, we have seen the
emergence of a new and powerful force on the
field of battle, the battle armored (BA) infantryman.
With the rediscovery of certain lost technologies
and the reverse-engineering of captured
equipment from the Clan invasion, what was once
thought to be a lost asset of the Star League has
reappeared in the armies of today. The Armed
Forces of the Federated Commonwealth (AFFC)
was the first military to deploy its own BA suit,
although this deployment was too late to be a
factor in stopping the Clan invasion.
The specialized Sloth and Infiltrator
suits quickly followed and gave
commanders more flexibility than the
original basic design. Since the debut
of those designs, almost a decade
ago, the AFFC (now the AFFS) and
the New Avalon Institute of Science
(NAIS) worked closely together to
develop the Cavalier and the Infiltrator
Mk II (also known as the Puma)
suits. The Cavalier suit is the AFFCs
answer to the Clan Elemental suit and
it attempts to mimic the Clan suits
capabilities with a small degree of
success. The Infiltrator Mk II is a
much needed upgrade to the original
Infiltrator suit and is certainly a sight to behold on
the battlefields of today.
MISSION
The general mission of the battle armor squad in
the AFFS is to locate, close with and destroy the
enemy by fire and maneuver, or to repel the
enemys assault by fire and close combat.
ORGANIZATION
The battle armor squad consists of four
infantrymen, each with their own battle suit,
supervised by a sergeant. Four squads comprise
a platoon which is led by a lieutenant. Three
platoons make a company, commanded by a
30
captain. Three to four companies comprise a
battalion, commanded by a major. To date, there
has been no larger organization of battle armor
in the AFFS.
DUTIES
General: Every member of the squad must know
the duties of the other squad members, as the
squad leader must know the duties of the platoon
commander, and must be able to assume them
at any time.
Squad Leader: The squad leader carries out the
orders issued to him by the platoon commander.
He is responsible for the discipline,
appearance, training, control, conduct
and welfare of his squad at all times,
as well as the condition, care and
economical use of its weapons and
equipment. In combat, he is also
responsible for the tactical
employment, fire discipline, fire
control and maneuver of his squad.
He takes position where he can best
carry out the orders of the platoon
commander and observe and control
the squad. In addition to his primary
duties as a leader, but not to the
detriment of them, he serves as an
assaulter. He is responsible for the
effective employment of his battle
armor suit along with its condition and care.
Assaulter: The assaulter carries out the orders
issued to him by the squad leader. He is
responsible for the effective employment of his
battle armor suit, along with its condition and care.
In addition to his duties as the assaulter, he acts
as the assistant squad leader.
Breacher: The breacher carries out the orders
issued to him by the squad leader. He is
responsible for the effective employment of his
battle armor suit, along with its condition and care.
The breacher acts as the explosives expert in a
squad and carries a number of explosives charges
to assist the squad in its missions.
Scout: The scout carries out the orders issued
to him by the squad leader. He is responsible for
the effective employment of his battle armor suit,
along with its condition and care. The scout acts
as the lead element of the squad on a patrol and
is trained extensively in navigation and tracking.
TECHNIQUE OF FIRE
When squad members have completed individual
training for their battle suit, they must learn the
techniques of battle armor fire. Technique of fire
refers to the application and control of the
combined fire of a fire unit. A fire unit is a group
of men whose combined fire is under the direct
and effective control of a leader. The fire units
discussed herein are the battle armor squad.
Effects of Battle Armor
The best effects from battle armor are obtained
when the squad is close to the enemy. The squad
should use cover and concealment offered by
terrain and take advantage of the supporting fire
of BattleMechs, vehicles, aerospace assets and
artillery to advance as near to the enemy as
possible before opening fire. Normally, it should
not open fire at ranges greater than the maximum
effective range for their given weapons system.
Application of Fire
The potential firepower of the four-man squad with
all members firing is conservatively estimated at
24 well-aimed shots per minute. This does not
include squads equipped with short range
missiles. The following terms are used when
discussing application of fire:
Neutralize: To render enemy personnel
incapable of interfering with a particular
operation.
Fire Support: Fire delivered by a fire unit to
assist or protect another unit in combat.
Target of Opportunity: A target which
appears in combat, within range, and
against which fire has not been planned.
31
Types of Unit Fire
The size and nature of a target may call for the
firepower of the entire fire unit or only parts of it.
The type of target suggests the type of unit fire to
be employed against it. The squad leader
receives orders from the platoon commander, who
usually designates a specific target, or multiple
targets, depending on the amount of fire required
to accomplish the objective.
A fire unit distributes its fire as designated by the
squad leader. Normally, the squad leader orders
his fire unit to limit the squads fire to a sector of
the platoon target, to engage a separate target,
or to shift to a target of opportunity. For example,
if the platoon is targeting an enemy BattleMech,
one squad may focus only on a single leg of the
Mech, while the other squads of the platoon
concentrate their fire on an arm or the torso. If
the target is under control, the squad leader can
elect to direct his squad to fire upon an enemy
unit approaching to support the enemy which the
platoon is dealing with.
Fire Delivery
Requirements of Position: In occupying a firing
position, squads are deployed to satisfy the
following requirements:
Be capable of delivering desired fire
support.
Possess good fields of fire.
Have adequate cover and concealment.
Permit fire control by the unit leader.
Combat Patrols
Combat patrols are assigned missions which
usually require active engagement of the enemy.
As a secondary mission, they collect and report
information about the enemy and terrain. Combat
patrols are employed in both offensive and
defensive operations. Combat patrols can inflict
damage on the enemy, establish or maintain
contact with friendly or enemy forces, deny the
enemy access to key terrain, probe enemy
positions, and protect against surprise ambush.
Types of Combat Patrols and their Missions:
a. Raid Patrols: Raid patrols destroy or
capture enemy personnel or equipment,
destroy installations, or free friendly
personnel who have been captured by the
enemy.
b. Ambush Patrols: Ambush patrols
conduct ambushes of enemy patrols,
carrying parties, foot columns, and
convoys. An ambush is a surprise attack
from a concealed position upon a moving
or temporarily halted target. The primary
purpose of an ambush is to kill enemy
troops; the ambush is one of the oldest
most effective types of military action.
Ambushes are executed for the general
purpose of reducing the enemys overall
combat effectiveness and for the specific
purpose of destruction of his units. The
cumulative effect of many small
ambushes on the enemy lowers the
morale of enemy troops and, in general,
is harassment of the enemy force as a
whole.
c. Contact Patrols: Contact patrols
establish and/or maintain contact with
friendly and enemy forces. They do this
by contacting friendly forces at designated
contact points. They also maintain
contact with enemy forces without
becoming decisively engaged with the
enemy. They establish contact with a
friendly or enemy force when the definite
location of the force is unknown.
d. Economy of Force Patrols: Economy of
force patrols perform limited objective
missions such as seizing and holding key
terrain to allow maximum forces to be
used elsewhere.
e. Security Patrols: Security patrols in
static situations detect infiltration by the
enemy, detect and kill or capture
infiltrators, and protect against surprise
32
attack. They protect a moving unit by
screening the flanks, the areas through
which the unit will pass, and the route over
which the unit will travel.
Battle Armor Operations on Urban Terrain
Fighting in urban areas is characterized by close
combat, limited fields of fire and observation,
difficulty in control of troops, and canalization of
battlemech and vehicular movement. The
defender can use urban areas to channel and stop
an enemy attack. Buildings normally provide both
the attacker and defender with good protection
from both direct and indirect fire. They also
provide covered and concealed routes that can
be used to move troops and supplies. Fighting at
close range, the outcome depends largely on the
initiative and aggressive leadership of small-unit
leaders. In many cases squads operate
independently in their assigned zones of action.
The attacker must isolate and clear parts of the
urban area that he moves through. This causes
him to lose the momentum of the attack. Urban
areas must be attacked when they:
cannot be bypassed,
contain a key terrain feature (bridge, road
junction),
must be returned to friendly control,
are needed for future operations, or
are held by an enemy force that must be
destroyed.
Battle armor operations on urban terrain include
all actions that are planned and conducted on a
terrain complex where manmade construction
impacts on the tactical options available to the
commander. Urbanization is characterized by
changes in land usage of manmade features
across natural terrain. There are four categories
of urban terrain: strip areas, villages, towns and
small cities, and large cities associated with urban
sprawl.
The full range of manmade and natural terrain
features exist on the urban battlefield. One end
of the scale consists of small built-up areas
dispersed along lines of communications. The
force attacking through such an area may be able
to bypass or easily sweep aside any resistance
without losing the momentum of attack. The other
end of the spectrum consists of a complex urban
area which totally occupies units maneuvering in
building-by-building, floor-by-floor combat.
BattleMech- or Vehicle-Infantry Coordination
The BattleMech is primarily an offensive weapon
employed to carry the fight to the enemy.
Maximum use is made of its firepower, mobility,
speed, and shock action. Restricting the speed
of BattleMechs and vehicles to the speed of battle
armor on foot is not desirable as it negates most
of those units capabilities. With the introduction
of battle armor on the modern day Inner Sphere
battlefield and with the addition of OmniMech
technology, it is possible for armored infantry to
ride into the battlefield.
Upon reaching the point of imminent contact with
an enemy unit, the battle armor squad can
dismount the BattleMech and begin making its
way towards the target unit. This allows for little
degradation of the BattleMechs capabilities while
keeping the armored infantry in the forefront of
the fight. This process can be duplicated with
Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs). Although
most modern day APCs are slower than many
OmniMechs, they can be utilized as a delivery
platform in the same fashion as an OmniMech.
Anti-BattleMech Operations
Armored infantry are unique on the battlefields of
today. Most of the battle armor in the inventory of
the AFFS can make anti-BattleMech attacks.
These attacks consist of two main types which
are:
Leg (or Kneecap) Attacks: Leg attacks
consist of the battle armor squad
maneuvering close enough to the target
BattleMech and scaling it to knee level.
Usually this is accomplished by the
breacher of the squad with assistance
from another member. The breacher and
33
assistant will then place an explosive
charge into the separation of the armor
between the upper and lower leg at the
knee joint of the target Mech. Upon
placement, the breacher and assistant will
dismount from the target and rejoin their
squad. This maneuver is designed to
cripple the BattleMech and hinder its
movement without exposing the battle
armor squad to immediate destruction.
Swarm Attack: A swarm attack consists
of an entire squad either utilizing their
integral jump jets or making use of a
grapple rod. The squad will scale a
BattleMech up to its torso and begin firing
their weapons at the joints and weak
points of the armor that every BattleMech
has. This type of attack is very risky and
is best accomplished upon a shutdown,
prone or previously disabled mech. This
maneuver is designed to inflict maximum
damage at close range to areas the squad
would normally not have access to due
to the Mechs rapid movement and
usually long to extreme range. Often this
mode of attack can assist in the capture
of enemy MechWarriors.
The above information represents a basic
framework for the proper application of battle
armor in the modern field of combat. For more
information regarding the capabilities and basic
concepts of battle armor warfare, see AFFSM 6-
5, the Battle Armor Operations Manual.
MechWarriors, vehicle crews, infantrymen and
aerospace pilots should familiarize themselves
with the organization and tactics of all serving
units. Increased familiarity on behalf of the other
branches will promote understanding and better
coordination, and help us to accomplish our
missions to an even greater extent.
Major Benjamin F. Marion, Class of 57
Major Marion is currently en route to a new
assignment after serving with the Fourth Crucis
Lancers on Giausar during the Civil War, where
he commanded a company of battle armor.

The history of the Inner Sphere is told as a se-
ries of invasions and counter-invasions. Worlds
change hands infrequentlyeven contested bor-
der worldsso the campaigns that lead to suc-
cessful conquest are long remembered. By con-
trast, the reconnaissance missions, harassment
raids, and rearguard actions that make large-scale
invasion practicable are scarcely remembered
and are studied only by professionals and aca-
demics. By now the specifics of Operation Bull-
dog are well known. Less well known are the
details of its precursor Operation Bird Dog, the
series of raids on rear-echelon Occupation Zone
worlds designed to destroy stockpiled supplies
and disrupt Smoke Jaguar reinforcements.
On 13 May 3059, SLDF forces received the go-
ahead to launch Operation Bird Dog. Nine worlds
were targeted in the Bird Dog raids, all possessing
significant military value to the Smoke Jaguar
Occupation Zone, among them, the planet
Virentofta. In early 3058, DMI and ISF agents had
discovered that the intelligence arm of the Smoke
Jaguars, the Watch, was headquartered on
Virentofta, and that the munitions depots of
several front-line Galaxies were located on-planet
as well. The intent of the Bird Dog raid on
Virentofta was both to eliminate the Watch
headquarters, blinding the Smoke Jaguars to the
movements and goals of the SLDF, and to deny
them their reserve supply of ordnance for the
ballistic weapons that their MechWarriors favored.
Since Virentofta was located two jumps behind
the frontlines, and since the planet was not slated
for liberation until the second wave of Operation
Bulldog, this raid was designated as an Extreme
Risk Operation. In addition to the logistical risks
on the ground, the raiding force would have to
travel through an uncharted system en route to
the target planet in order to avoid detection.
Taking these factors into consideration, the SLDF
High Command debated which unit should be
assigned to the mission. In the end, Prince Victor
recommended and the SLDF High Command
agreed that the honor of striking the lynchpin of
Smoke Jaguar Intelligence and re-supply should
go to the First Federated Suns Armored Cavalry
34
Regiment (1FSACR). Despite the shroud of se-
crecy under which the unit performed, it was well
known that the 1FSACR were unsurpassed at
lightning raids and disrupting enemy logistics.
General Rudolf Chapman, commander of the
1FSACR, chose Kommandant Xavier McDaniel
of Second Battalion to lead the raid on Virentofta.
Kommandant McDaniel, a veteran of the Fourth
Succession War and the War of 3039, was the
most experienced battalion commander in the
1FSACR, having seen action with the Seventh
Planetary Atlas Data:
World Name: Virentofta
Star Type: B4VI
Position in System: 5
Time to Jump Point: 3 Days
Recharging Station: None
Comstar Facility: Class C
Comstar Representative: Precentor Karen
French
Percentage and Level of Native Life: 50%
Mammal
Noble Ruler: None
Political Leader: Council Leader James Gavin-
Yamahagi
The planet of Virentofta was colonized very
early in mans exodus from Terra. It was found
to be a temperate planet, covered in forest and
rolling hills, with oceans of blue grass as far
as the eye could see. It is comprised of 2
major landmasses, the continents of New
Ukraine and New Belarus. The only major city
located on the planet is the capital city of
Suzdal. Suzdal was founded on the banks of
the Dniepr River. The other major cities of
Narv, Kev and Kalin are all located on the
continent of New Ukraine with only Suzdal
being located on the continent of New Belarus.
Throughout the long and fabled history of the
Succession Wars within the Inner Sphere,
never once did the weapons of warfare scar
the fair fields of Virentofta. Virentofta was
captured by the Smoke Jaguars in 3058, and
subsequently liberated by the SLDF army
during Operation Bulldog.
Crucis Lancers on Tikonov and the 1FSACR
during reprisal raids against the Capellan Con-
federation. As Kommandant McDaniel finalized
the roster of troops, all volunteers, to accompany
him, he received late word that the entire unit
would be outfitted either with captured Clan
OmniMechs or with newly produced OmniMechs
from the Draconis Combine. McDaniel ordered
that all Mechs assigned to his raiding party be
configured with energy weapons to obviate am-
munition re-supply.
On 14 May 3059, the FSS Diligent, a Scout-class
JumpShip, materialized in the binary Virentofta
system at a pirate point a mere eighteen hours
away from planet-fall. Guarding that world were
the 151st Garrison Cluster commanded by Star
Colonel Thelen Kotare, a second-line Clan unit
equipped with captured Inner Sphere designs,
second-line Clan machines and reactivated Star
League designs. In arraying his planetary defense
forces, Star Colonel Kotare had made a critical
error by deploying the entire Clusters Mech force
to defend the several ammunition caches under
his guard. He did not suspect the first target of
the 1FSACR to be the Watch Headquarters in the
capital city of Suzdal.
Kommandant McDaniels force combat-dropped
directly into the heart of Suzdal. After a few
minutes search they found their target, an
inconspicuous three-story building, and tore it
apart with laser and physical attacks. Taken
entirely by surprise, the Clan Smoke Jaguar
Watch were killed to the last man in the collapse
of the building. Without a moments hesitation,
McDaniel had his force moving for the citys
outskirts and the relative safety of Virentoftas
forests.
The loss of the intelligence center was a blow to
Star Colonel Kotares honor and by Clan reckoning
an unscrupulous attack. Kotare ordered his
commanders to find and punish the raiders for
their insolence. As McDaniels Group entered the
suburbs of Suzdal they encountered a Binary of
second-line Clan Mechs, including several
Hellhounds and Vixens. McDaniels Group fell
upon the Clan Binary with devastating efficiency,
35
destroying four of the Clan Mechs, including that
of the Star Captain, and crippling an equal number
with little damage to the raiding force. This tactical
victory allowed McDaniels Group to escape into
the open countryside and forests of New Belarus.
With the Clan forces falling back to assess the
damage done to the capital, McDaniel turned to
his secondary objective: the destruction of the
ammunition caches located on the continent of
New Ukraine.
Having allowed McDaniels Group to escape, the
Star Colonel would now have to locate and engage
them without the aid of Clan Intelligence, instead
relying on his aerospace assets, a handful of
captured Sholagars. However, McDaniel had
arranged for the preparation of a trap even before
initiating the drop into the city of Suzdal.
Grounding at an LZ (landing zone) several days
travel from Suzdal, but in a conspicuous location,
the crew of the Gleaming Saber, an elite squad of
DMI operatives, went about scattering minefields
and setting booby-traps before abandoning the
DropShip in its LZ. (They were able to evade
capture until the SLDF invasion force arrived on
planet late June.) When the DropShip was
spotted from the air, Kotare gathered the remnant
of his Cluster and marched to the LZ. After three
days travel he found the DropShip unguarded and
moved to capture the craft, claiming it as isorla.
As Kotares Mechs approached the DropShip,
however, they began to take damage from the
mines in their path. The Jaguar MechWarriors,
thinking they were under attack, charged the
DropShip over Kotares fruitless attempt to hold
them back, causing further minefield damage to
their Mechs.
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Kotare managed to restrain his MechWarriors meanwhile, had boarded two Trinaries of the 151st
from utterly destroying the DropShip and sent his Garrison Cluster onto DropShips and sent them
Elementals inside to investigate. Several were ahead of McDaniels forces into the city. With over
killed by booby-traps, and the DropShip was found thirty Mechs defending the approaches to the
to be deserted. In the meantime, Kommandant warehouses in Kalin, McDaniel made the decision
McDaniel had already doubled back and was not to attack his final objective in hopes of
almost two full days ahead of Kotares forces. By preserving his command. After nightfall
taking the offered bait of the Davion DropShip, McDaniels Group doubled back to Narv to escape
Kotare had failed to stop the 1FSACR unit from
crossing the bridges in the capital city of Suzdal
and escaping onto the continent of New Ukraine.
Once across, McDaniel ordered the bridges
destroyed, slowing Kotares pursuit even more.
The only Clan forces now defending New Ukraine
were a single Trinary of second-line Clan warriors
spread out to cover the three major ammunition
caches.

On 2 June 3059, Kommandant McDaniel hit the

first of the supply warehouses in the city of Kiev.
The few Elementals defending the site were
quickly scattered or eliminated, and McDaniels
Group quickly set to work preparing the demolition
of the supply depot. In an explosion that was
heard for kilometers the main military
consumables depot on-planet was destroyed,
leaving not even a single clip of machine gun
ammunition within.

With the first of the warehouses eliminated,

McDaniels Group continued westward to the city
of Narv. Several kilometers outside of Narv the
1FSACR encountered two Stars of Clan Mechs.
The resulting battle ended when Command
Sergeant-Major Schuders Mad Cat destroyed the
Jaguar Star Captains Man O War in one on one
combat. McDaniels Group had taken moderate
damage but had sustained no losses. It seemed
as though the luck of the Fox was truly with them.
Rather than retreat, McDaniel pushed into the city
of Narv and eliminated over 60% of the supplies
located there before being forced to evacuate.
With Clan reinforcements beginning to arrive,
Kommandant McDaniel left Narv and set out for
the port city of Kalin.

On 14 June, Kommandant McDaniel arrived in

the hills surrounding Kalin. Star Colonel Kotare,

36
the two Trinaries now threatening to encircle his
force. By 26 June, however, the Smoke Jaguars
had begun to close the noose around the
1FSACR. Unable to flee, McDaniel chose to
mount his defense from a rocky outcropping
outside the city known simply as Hill 330.
What neither Star Colonel Kotare nor
Kommandant McDaniel knew was that on that day
the full strength of the 1FSACR had arrived in-
system, along with the 31st ComGuard Division,
the 42nd Galedon Regulars, the Northwind
Hussars and Stirlings Fusiliers. Operation
Bulldog had arrived at Virentofta and hunter would
now become the hunted.
For the next eight hours McDaniels Group fought
off four minor probing actions and two major
assaults against his position on Hill 330. Each
time the Smoke Jaguar forces advanced more
determined to destroy the raiders, but each time
they were pushed back. By the third major assault
most of McDaniels BattleMechs were barely
functional, their weapons ports glowing with heat.
(The left arm of Leftenant Andrew Keanes Black
Hawk-KU actually melted away from its shoulder
actuator.) Just when it seemed McDaniels force
would be overrun, several advance elements of
the 1FSACR began to advance behind the Smoke
Jaguar positions. With Leftenant-General
Rennard at the head of the Third Battalions First
Company, the fresh Davion Mechs savaged what
remained of the Smoke Jaguar Trinary, narrowly
saving McDaniels Group.
In the end, the 151st Garrison Cluster chose death
over dishonor; they fought to the last man and
none were taken alive. Conversely, McDaniels
Group had suffered no casualtiesan amazing
feat. Of the OmniMechs that accompanied them
through the mission only two, Command
Sergeant-Major Hans Schuders Mad Cat and
Sergeant Autumn Lhasas Firestarter, were
salvageable.
In debriefing and subsequent analysis it was found
that the 1FSACR not only succeeded in their
primary objective, the elimination of the Clan
Smoke Jaguar intelligence arm, but also had
37
destroyed 75% of all the ammunition stockpiles
on the planet. Only the warehouses in the city of
Kalin were left intact (and these were captured
by the SLDF forces). It was easily the most
successful of the Operation Bird Dog raids
assigned to House Davion. Only the Ryuken-yon
matched them in extracting their entire force,
although they were relieved in the first wave of
Operation Bulldog, not the second.
Leftenant Keane and Command Sergeant-Major
Schuder were awarded the Federated
Commonwealth Medal of Honor. For his
exemplary actions on Virentofta, Kommandant
Xavier McDaniel was awarded the Federated
Commonwealth Medal of Honor and the Star
League Medal of Honor. Perhaps the greatest
honor, however, was that the grateful populace
of Virentofta renamed Hill 330 McDaniels Hill, but
the local farmers know it as the point of the
sword.
Outnumbered and out-equipped, facing savage
foes thirsty for blood, the men and women of the
AFFS who participated in Operation Bird Dog are
heroes in the finest tradition of the Federated
Suns. The High Command might justifiably hand
out a helmet-full of Diamond Sunbursts to the
MechWarriors of McDaniels Group. Such
heroism has become so common in the AFFS that
there is danger we might come to regard it as
commonplace. It is not. It is the rarest and most
precious of virtues that a young man or woman
risk life and limb for kin and country, and it is duty
that we note and remember these deeds, now
and for all time.
Lft. Col. Jesse Ruczynski
About the author: Leftenant Colonel Ruczynski
began his career with the AFFS in 3055 at the
age of eighteen after graduating from the Albion
Military Academy on New Avalon. He served with
the Kestrel Grenadiers seeing action both in the
Chaos March and Operation Bulldog. He currently
serves with the faculty of the War College of
Goshens Department of Military History while
recuperating from wounds suffered in action
during the recent Civil War.
T he AFFS has used the same standard
organization scheme for its Regimental Combat
Teams for centuries. Many consider it a tradition
that should not be touched, but now is the perfect
time to correct deficiencies in the organization
that the AFFS has managed to ignore for
decades.
The standard RCT organization scheme, which
has been in use for centuries, forms what
amounts to a division around a single BattleMech
regiment. It is typical for RCTs to have one
BattleMech regiment, two aerospace fighter
wings, three armor regiments: usually two
medium and one heavy, and five infantry
regiments: one jump, two mechanized and two
foot. All of these assets are administratively
controlled from one of three brigade
headquarters units: aerospace, armored and
infantry; the BattleMech regiment is normally
administratively controlled directly by the RCT
Headquarters.
During operations portions of the regiments are
traded among the various brigades and
regiments to form mutually supporting combined
arms units; note that it is common practice to
trade units down to the company level. As an
example, normally one of the armor regiments
in the RCT trades two of its armor battalions, one
each, to the combat teams two mechanized
infantry regiments. The result is three
mechanized infantry heavy combined arms
regiments despite the fact that one is still called
an armor regiment. Battalions within the
combined arms regiments will also trade
companies to form a mechanized infantry heavy
combined arms battalion. As a general rule the
AFFS does not trade platoons among different
types of companies.
This scheme allows a standard RCT to field three
ground combat brigades: the BattleMech Brigade
consisting of the RCT BattleMech regiment and
the jump infantry regiment; an armored brigade
consisting of three mechanized infantry heavy
combined arms regiments; and an infantry
brigade consisting of two foot infantry regiments
38
AFFS Infantry Companies
The AFFS fields a variety of regular infantry
companies. Equipment issues among
companies can vary widely depending on a
units location, funding priority and mission
but basic company organization is the same
throughout all infantry company types with
the exception of jump infantry.
The basic building block of an AFFS infantry
company is the infantry platoon. Most AFFS
infantry platoons are made up of 28 soldiers
organized into four squads of seven. The
first squad is led by the platoon leader, a
leftenant, and functions as the heavy
weapons element of the platoon. The six
remaining soldiers in the squad are divided
up into two or three man teams which operate
any support weapons assigned to the
platoon. Each of these weapons teams,
whether two or three troops, are led by a
corporal. The other soldiers are privates. The
platoons three other squads are designated
rifle squads, and each consists of a sergeant
as the squad leader, and two fire teams of
three soldiers each. The fire teams each
consist of a fire team leader and two riflemen,
a corporal and two privates, respectively.
The AFFS, like every other military, organizes
its jump infantry into platoons of 21 soldiers.
This tradition goes back to the Terran Alliance
Marine Corps of the 22nd century when it was
found that jump infantry platoons with more
than three squads were simply too difficult to
command and control effectively on the
battlefield. A jump infantry platoons squads
are organized like foot infantry and any
support weapons the platoon may have are
distributed among the three squads.
AFFS infantry companies, regardless of type,
have three infantry platoons and a separate
company command team, which consists of
the company commander, company first ser-
geant and company administrative special-
ist. The company commander, of course,
and an armored support regiment. Note that the
third armor regiment, generally a cavalry unit, and
all RCT combat support assets, are attached
or assigned to these brigades at the discretion of
the RCT headquarters but only when a specific
mission requires it.
This operational organization has worked
efficiently for the AFFS for centuries and is an
excellent combination of firepower, mobility and
support assets that can accomplish, without
assistance, most any mission that the AFFS gives
it. The problem is the transition from the
administrative organization of garrison duty to the
battlefields operational organization.
When in garrison the AFFS normally groups a
regiment together in one location; this aids
administration and training, and keeps down both
transport costs for supplies and travel expenses.
Although BattleMech regiments are routinely split
up to garrison two or more facilities on a planet,
or even two planets, it is rare for conventional
regiments to be split up.
Regimental Combat Teams do not transition to
their tactical organization until placed on alert,
either by their commander, his deputy, or some
higher authority. And therein lies the problem.
On numerous occasions during the recent civil
war, entire regiments were caught flatfooted
without support because the enemy was not seen
coming, they were already on planet! In many
cases a distance of only a few dozen kilometers
39
leads the entire company and is responsible
for everything within it. The companys first
sergeant fulfills a number of rolls: he is the
company commanders primary tactical ad-
visor and the companys senior administra-
tor, as well as the chief enlisted liaison be-
tween the soldiers and the officers of the com-
pany. The first sergeant is also in line to com-
mand the company should the company com-
mander and the platoon leaders become ca-
sualties. The company administrative spe-
cialist is usually a corporal or sergeant, and
as the title suggests, is the main company
clerk with duties covering both supply and
personnel issues. Although he is a part of
the company he is not an infantryman and is
therefore often over looked in articles cover-
ing infantry organization.
Foot infantry do not have transport vehicles
assigned at company level; the old shoe-
leather express is their primary means of
transport on the battlefield. For support, foot
infantry must rely on the weapons they carry.
To provide a good compromise between
mobility and firepower most support weapons
are concentrated in a single platoon: the
Heavy Weapons Platoon. The types of
weapons in heavy weapons platoons vary but
generally they have at least two light mortars
and two semi-portable or support machine
guns. Recoilless rifles are also popular
because of the variety of ammunition that they
can use. The other two platoons in a foot
infantry company are normally organized as
standard rifle platoons. Some foot infantry
companies, especially those classified as
light infantry, simply have three rifle platoons
and a command element, forgoing any
support weapons heavier than a semi-
portable machine gun.
Mechanized infantry in the AFFS is defined
as infantry that has armored transport
assigned at the platoon level. The armored
vehicles crew is considered a part of the
infantry platoon though they remain with the
vehicle. All three platoons in an AFFS
separated armor and infantry regiments, leaving
them completely vulnerable to attacks that mechanized infantry company are usually
exploited weaknesses due to their lack of equipped with the same type of weapons and
mutually supporting combined arms forces. all operate as mechanized rifle platoons.
Arrangements for the company command
RCT combat regiments should be reorganized team vary from company to company but
so that they are fully functional combined arms most company commanders ride with the first
formations even when in garrison. Major platoon; the first sergeant frequently rides
additions and revisions to tactical plans and with the second platoon and the company
existing structures would be unnecessary since administrative specialist usually rides in the
all that is required is the swapping of companies, company field train.
on a permanent basis, between regiments. In
most cases existing headquarters units are AFFS jump infantry companies are organized
already versed in how to operate as combined like any other infantry company with three
arms units on the battlefield; all that needs to be platoons and a company command team.
done is to train them to administer that formation. AFFS jump infantry platoons are normally
issued the same types of weapons and
The RCT brigades should also be renamed to operate as three rifle platoons although some
reflect this new reality, mechanized infantry companies follow the foot infantry model and
heavy combined arms regiments should form the have a heavy weapons platoon and two rifle
bulk of the forces assigned to the newly renamed platoons.
Mechanized Infantry Brigade. The Infantry
Brigade would be formed around an armored
support regiment and the existing foot infantry
regiments already assigned to the RCT. Serious Repatriation Bond Project
thought should also be given to adding a third
foot infantry regiment to the RCT to insure that
Needs You!
the Infantry Brigade has three full infantry
All of us lost loved ones in the Civil War, and
regiments, capable of handling operations in
the entire Nation is struggling to rebuild not just
areas where the armored support regiment would
our economy and our cities, but also our military.
be of little use.
We know that hardship is the standard for all of
The BattleMech and Aerospace Brigades as they
us now, but imagine if you had lived through
currently exist would not require any modification,
the horror of that conflict and were still not able
and existing combat support and combat service
even to reach home? That is the case for a
support units would continue to operate as they
number of AFFS troops still within Lyran Alliance
always have, attached or assigned at the
territory. By bringing them home, not only will
discretion of the RCT headquarters.
you help reunite loved ones by repatriating our
courageous defenders, you will also bolster our
The reorganization could be done now, with a
defense at the same time.
minimum of disruption, as units rebuild following
our recent civil war. The reorganization wont
We ask not that our fellows, who have already
prevent a surprise attack, but it will reduce our
lost so much, give more than they are able.
vulnerability to it.
However, should you find the means, we, the
Staff of The Review, humbly support the
Maj. Gen. Angela Voss
Repatriation Bond Project which seeks to return
our wayward defenders and we urge those who
Major General Voss is currently the commander
are able to aid this noble cause.
of the Davion Light Guards RCT Infantry Brigade.

40
Credits:
Overall Concept/Content Editing: Jonathan B. Andrus (MadDogMaddux)
Layout and Graphics: Chris Thompson (TeamNutmeg)
Additional Graphics: Ken Nabors (Yuri Hikado), FanPro, and the U.S. Government
Text Editor: Geoff Swift, PhD (97Jedi)

Authors:
- Lt. General Thomas J. Jackson: Jonathan B. Andrus (MadDogMaddux)
- Maj. Ryan Steadman: Geoff Swift, PhD (97Jedi)
- Dr. Shanti Jodipurkar: "Tobias Francis"
- Genevieve Buckley: "Tobias Francis"
- Ishmael Brightly: "Tobias Francis"
- Captain Isaiah Moses Rosner: (fallen_angel)
- Maj. Daniel Callen: Duane Bywaters (boilerman)
- Father F. Thomassi: "Tobias Francis"
- I. Prescott Snell: "Tobias Francis"
- Lt. Gen. Pavel V. Miliukov: (miatezhnyi)
- Commodore Henri Rollet: Duane Bywaters (boilerman)
- Maj. Benjamin F. Marion: Ben Klinefelter (Shadow6)
- Lft. Col. Jesse Ruczynski: Chris Johnstone (Generalstoner)
- Maj. Gen. Angela Voss: Duane Bywaters (boilerman)
- Maj. Jacob Pontiac Brothers: Geoff Swift, PhD (97Jedi)

Other Pieces:
- Advertisements: Ken Nabors (Yuri Hikado) and Chris Thompson (TeamNutmeg)
- Filler Text: Geoff Swift, PhD (97Jedi)

Additional Research: Chris Thompson (TeamNutmeg)

Special thanks to Jeff "Jellyjoker" Liggett for the exceptional CGI piece featured on our cover!

Disclaimer:
"WizKids LLC has sole ownership of the names, logo, artwork, marks, photographs, sounds, audio, video
and/or any proprietary material used in connection with the game Classic BattleTech. WizKids, LLC has
granted permission to The Review to use such names, logos, artwork, marks and/or any written materials
for promotional and informational purposes on its website but does not endorse, and is not affiliated with,
The Review in any official capacity whatsoever."

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