I've long been a fan of the BattleTech setting and game. Having gotten to understand it more, I have participated in the community off and on since early 2000, after obtaining a boxed set the year before. The novels, particularly William H. Keith Jr.'s Decision at Thunder Rift, got me interested a while beforehand.Once I started building up my Traveller collection, I ended up getting a copy of the well written Ground Forces for the GURPS Traveller line. I really enjoy how it sets up a complete force, with company and battalion headquarters, and also explains how the staff works as well as actual command. One major point for enhancing my suspension of disbelief was how the about the author mentioned Mr. Berry's expertise in not only weapons, but the floor buffer.
Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a simple, planetary militia unit for my own amusement. Not the greatest troops in the universe, but older and younger than average people who wanted to defend their homeworld, with the Commanding Officer being a MechWarrior who could not get back to his normal unit because a war broke out making interstellar travel impossible. A few years later, I wanted to update it to the end of the conflict. As the world I picked was largely untouched, so any combat experience would have been from defending against small scale raids, and some of the troops would have been given offers they could not refuse by commands higher in the food chain to join.
Introduction
After the establishment of the Corydon 1st Mobile Militia Battalion in early portion of the Jihad, the decision was made to slowly build the unit up into a larger formation. Between salvage, imports, and existing stock, a reinforced battalion of BattleMechs was obtained, mostly Succession Wars vintage machines, with a few high-tech items sprinkled through-out the formation. Since then, they have trained to a roughly Regular standard, with some subunits nearly Veteran. The support battalion in particular has been noted for an exceptionally high quality.
Structure
The Corydon Militia is structured in a fashion dissimilar to most units in the Inner Sphere. Regiments are not tactical formations, but administrative based on unit role for the Mobile Brigades, with regional regiments deploying together. There are currently four Administrative Regiments in the Corydon Militia.
-Corydon Ducal Guards
Theoretically the cream of the crop, the Guards are three battalions of Mechanized Infantry, including two companies of light armor support, with APCs. The First Battalion is permanently garrisoned in the capital, and provides security for the government. Second and Third Battalions operate with the First and Second Mobile Brigades. Their symbol is the arms of the world, with a ducal coronet above.
-Corydon Hussars
The punch of the Militia, the Hussars are a Medium to Heavy Armored Regiment with a Company of BattleMechs in the First Battalion. Second and Third are equipped with two companies of heavy and medium tanks each and a hovercraft company for screening. Regimental insignia is a crossed carbine and sabre.
-Corydon Light Horse
Named for the SLDF’s famed Light Horse Regiments, the Corydon Light Horse is three Battalions of light Armor and BattleMechs. The First has two companies, with two mixed lances in Second and Third. Fire support is largely from Striker Light tanks, with a smattering of hovercraft platoons in most companies. The regimental insignia is a slouch hat with the right side pinned up and a large feather in the band.
-Corydon Rifles
The line regiment of the Corydon Militia, the Rifles consists of four battalions. The First Rifles are an Airmobile unit in the First Brigade, the Second is a motorized unit in the Second Brigade, and the Third and Fourth are motorized units in the Third Mobile Brigade. They use a hunting horn with a battalion number in the center.
-Corydon Artillery
The Conventional Arm of Decision, the Artillery has three battalions. First has four firing batteries, and the Second and Third have three each, one Sniper and two Thumper. These units use a pair of crossed cannons as a distinction.
-Regional Regiments
Local Defense organizations, each one is composed of two infantry battalions and a support battalion for each planetary district. These largely untrained rifle equipped infantry are not expected to last long against determined opposition. Uniforms feature a patch of local design, with mascots popular.
Training and Manpower
As a wealthy world with a functional industrial base in the recruitment district of one of the Armed Forces of the Federated Suns’s premier Regimental Combat Teams, the Third Crucis Lancers, the Corydon Militia draws upon an excellent raw material for conventional soldiers. The Corydon Military Training Facility provides a broad base of military training. Based on the AFFS Recruit and Officer Depot, it provides high quality training for conventional troops. Officers who graduate from there display skills at nearly the same level as AFFS academies, and are occasionally poached by Regular Units. Officer training is a combination of the academics provided by the University of Corydon, and typical Inner Sphere military training. Advanced enlisted leadership course and staff officer training is also available, with one convening each year of the course.
Uniforms
Uniquely, the Brigade has been issued distinctive uniforms. For dress and office functions, a drab green jacket and trousers are worn, with a khaki shirt and tie. Headgear is either a beret in the appropriate color, or a peaked cap, badged as the appropriate unit. The Light Horse have been known to replace the peaked cap with a broad-brimmed hat with the left side turned up. For combat and other ‘dirty work,’ a simplified suit, of a similar color to the service uniform, is worn consisting of short jacket and trousers. MechWarriors wear coveralls in this color over cooling gear outside of their Mechs. Infantry are equipped with standard 3030 AFFS kit.
Here is TO&E for the First Brigade. I used Technical Readout 3039, Historical War of 3039, Technical Readout Vehicles Annex, Field Manual: Star League Defense Forces, and GURPS Traveller Ground Forces to design this for your comments and questions. For the most part, it's a high end militia with a little recovered technology for the occasional joker.
Perhaps the finest Planetary Militia unit in the Crucis March, the First Corydon Mobile Brigade fields an impressive variety of equipment, from hover Jeeps to a token Templar Assault OmniMech that sees more parades than training fields. The First Mobile Brigade wears the unit patch of the Old Star League Defense Force 90th Mechanized Infantry Division as its insignia. Brigade insignia is worn on the left sleeve of uniforms, with the right wearing regimental for personnel assigned to combat arms units. Brigade HQ assigned wear the Brigade patch on both shoulders. The Engineer Company wears a Castle, Medical a caduceus, and Logistics companies a wagon wheel, each with a number designated the Brigade. Units are painted in appropriate camo, with the brigade insignia on the left front and right and left sides of armored fighting vehicles, and left leg and each shoulder of BattleMechs. Battalion insignia is shown on the right rear of all units.
Brigade HQ (Veteran/Reliable)
A. Command Company
1. BattleMech Command Lance (Brigade CO) Templar TLR1-O, Cataphract CTF-3D, Catapult CPLT-C1, Enforcer ENF-4R
2. Conventional Command Lance (Brigade XO) three Goblin Medium Tanks, Mobile HQ
B. Headquarters Company
1. Scout Platoon-Four Darter Scout Cars
2. Security Platoon- four Hunter Light Support Tanks
3. Security Platoon-Machine Gun Platoon, Maxim Heavy Hover Transport
4. Support Section-One Mobile Field Kitchen, three tanker trucks
1st Hussars (Reliable)
A. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (Regular)
1. Conventional Command Platoon-Four Vedette Medium Tanks-3058
2. Scout Platoon-Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Medical Platoon-three Darter Scout cars modified into ambulances, MASH vehicle
4. Maintenance Platoon-Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle, Flatbed Truck, Coolant Truck, Two Hover Jeeps, four tech teams
5. Supply and Service Platoon-Mobile Field Kitchen, one flatbed truck, two tanker trucks
B. BattleMech Troop (Green)
C. Hover Troop (Regular)
2. Fire Platoon, four Saracen Medium Hover Tanks
3. Battle Platoon, four Scimitar Medium Hover Tanks
D. Tracked Troop (Regular)
1. Command Platoon, four Vedette Medium Tanks
2. Heavy Platoon, four Po Heavy Tanks
3. Urban Platoon, two Typhoon UAV, two Hetzer Wheeled Assault Guns
1st Light Horse (Reliable)
A. Headquarters and Headquarters Troop (Veteran)
2. Scout Platoon-Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Medical Platoon- three Darter Scout cars modified into ambulances, MASH vehicle
4. Maintenance Platoon-two BattleMech Recovery Vehicles, Coolant, two hover jeeps, four tech teams
5. Supply and Service Platoon- Mobile Field Kitchen, one flatbed truck, two tanker trucks
B. BattleMech Troop (Regular)
2. Scout Lance Locust LCT-1V, Cicada CDA-2A, Locust LCT-1V2, Locust LCT-1S
C. BattleMech Troop (Green)
3. Recon Lance Stinger STG-3R, Wasp WSP-1A, Stinger SGT-3G, Wasp WSP-1L
D. Armored Troop (Regular)
1. Fire Platoon: four Striker Light Tanks
2. Light Platoon: four J. Edgar Light Hover Tanks
3. Scooter Platoon: Four Savannah Master Hovercraft
2nd Guards (Fanatical)
A. Headquarters and Headquarters Company (Regular)
1. Command Platoon: four Goblin Medium Tanks
2. Scout Platoon-Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Medical Platoon- Three Darter Scout cars modified into ambulances, MASH vehicle
4. Maintenance Platoon-BattleMech Recovery Vehicle, Flatbed Truck, Two Jeeps, two tech teams
5. Supply and Service Platoon- Mobile Field Kitchen, one flatbed truck, two tanker trucks
B. Mechanized Infantry Company (Green)
1. Three Machine Gun Infantry Platoons (Foot)
2. Transport Section: Heavy Wheeled APC (LRM), two Darter Scout Cars
C. Mechanized Infantry Company (Green)
1. Three Machine Gun Infantry Platoons (Foot)
2. Transport Section: 1 Maxim HHT (3026), Heavy Hover APC
D. Motorized Infantry Company (Regular)
1. Two Machine Gun Infantry Platoons (foot)
2. One SRM Motorized Platoon (Tracked)
3. Transport Section: 1 Tracked Heavy LRM APC , 4 Tracked APCs
E. Fire Support Company (Green)
1. First Platoon: four Scorpion Light Tanks
2. Second Platoon: four Hetzer Wheeled Assault Guns
3. Third Platoon: four Scorpion Light Tanks
1st Rifles (Reliable)
A. Headquarters Company (Regular)
1. Command Section: Two Karnov UR, equipped with Communications Equipment, Two Warrior H-7C
2. Scout Platoon-Three Ferret Light Scout VTOLS (Armor), Sprint Scout Helicopter
3. Medical Platoon-Two Ferret Light Scout VTOLS (Cargo with Paramedic Equipment), two Cal-Boeing RTC-215M Swftran
4. Maintenance Platoon- BattleMech Recovery Vehicle, Flatbed Truck, Two Jeeps, two tech Teams
5. Supply and Service Platoon- Mobile Field Kitchen, one flatbed truck, two tanker trucks
B. Airmobile Infantry Company (Regular)
1. Two Machine Gun (Foot) Platoons
2. One SRM (Foot) Platoon
C. Airmobile Infantry Company (Regular)
1. Two Machine Gun (Foot) Platoons
2. One SRM (Foot) Platoon
D. Airmobile Infantry Company (Regular)
1. Two Machine Gun (Foot) Platoons
2. One Laser (Foot) Platoon
F. Transport Company (Regular)
1. Light Platoon: four Ferret Light Scout VTOLs
2. Heavy Platoon: four Karnov UR Transports (3026)
3. Assault Platoon: four Marten Scout VTOLs
G. Support Company (Regular)
1. Fire Platoon: four Warrior H-7 Attach Helicopter
2. Missile Platoon: four Warrior H-7C Attack Helicopters
3. Attack Platoon: four Marten Scout VTOLs
1st Artillery (Green/Reliable)
A. Command Battery
1. Command Section: Four Darter Scout Cars
2. Medical Platoon: Two Simca Ambulances
3. EW Platoon: Four Darters modified with Guardian ECM suites
4. Supply and Service Platoon- Mobile Field Kitchen, one flatbed truck, two tanker trucks
B. Sniper Battery
1. Firing Section: Four Towed Sniper Artillery Pieces, Four Prime Movers
2. Observation Section: Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Ammo Section: Four J-27 Ammo Carriers
C. Long Tom Battery
1. Firing Section: Two Mobile Long Toms (very unreliable)
2. Observation Section: Four Darter Scout Cars
D. Thumper Battery
1. Firing Section: Four Towed Thumper Artillery Pieces, Four Prime Movers
2. Observation Section: Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Ammo Section: Four J-27 Ammo Carriers
E. Thumper Battery
1. Firing Section: Four Towed Thumper Artillery Pieces, Four Prime Movers
2. Observation Section: Four Darter Scout Cars
3. Ammo Section: Four J-27 Ammo Carriers
F. Support Battery
1. Maintenance Section: Two Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicles, Two BattleMech Recovery Vehicles, Four Flatbed Trucks, four tech Teams
2. Support Section: Two flatbed trucks, two J-27 Ammo Carriers
3. Support Section: Two flatbed trucks, two J-27 Ammo Carriers
Support Battalion (Green/Reliable unless otherwise noted)
A. Headquarters Company (Regular)
1. Command Platoon: four Tracked APCs
2. Support Section: four jeeps
B. Engineering Company (Veteran/Reliable)
1. Engineering Platoon: Engineering Vehicle, 1 Platoon Motorized Rifle Combat Engineers (Demolition or Minesweeping)
2. Engineering Platoon: Engineering Vehicle, 1 Platoon Motorized Rifle Combat Engineers (Bridge Builder)
3. Engineering Platoon: Engineering Vehicle, 1 Platoon Motorized Rifle Combat Engineers (Trench/Fieldworks)
C. Field Hospital (Veteran Medical Quality)
1. MASH Platoon: Four MASH vehicles
2. Ambulance Platoon: Two Ambulance converted Darters, Two Simca Ambulances
D. Maintenance Company (Veteran Tech Quality)
1. Armor Tech Platoon: six Tech teams
2. BattleMech Tech Platoon: three Tech teams
3. Recovery Platoon: Heavy BattleMech Recovery Vehicle, BattleMech Recovery Vehicle, Two Flatbed Trucks, one Coolant Truck
E. Logistics Company
1. Warehousing Platoon: eight troops, two flatbed trucks
2. Dry Cargo Platoon: four Flatbed Trucks
3. Ammo Platoon: Four J-27 Ammo Transports
4. Land Train Platoon: two Prairie Schooner Land Trains each with one tractor, two dry cargo modules, one liquid cargo module (ICE fuel)
5. Fuel Platoon: four tanker trucks
F. Military Police Company
1. Patrol Platoon: eight hover jeeps
2. Investigation Platoon: Four detectives and two technicians
G. Food Service Company
1. Four Jeeps
2. Eight mobile field kitchens
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