Wolf's Dragoons

Wolf Dragoons
General Overview
Faction	Mercenary
Capital	Outreach
(click to enlarge)

Overview

Wolf's Dragoons Comprised of the elite of Wolf's Dragoons, who are themselves the elite of all mercenaries and the Inner Sphere, Alpha Regiment has long served as the Dragoons' high profile unit, with the best equipment, the finest officers, vast support and fresh paint jobs. Originally nicknamed "First Team" and later "The Dire Wolves", Alpha Regiment is given the highest profile assignments that guarantee the most media coverage, the better to distract the public from the discreet operations of the other Dragoon units. With attached Infantry, Armor and Aerospace Fighter units, plus ample DropShip and JumpShip transport, Alpha Regiment clearly embodies the Combined Arms Doctrine championed by Colonel Jaime Wolf's Dragoons. Colonel Wolf himself commanded Alpha for over forty years before turning command over to Kelly Yukinov, who had served as his second-in-command for nearly twenty years. This did not lessen Alpha's quality, however, as it continued to maintain the highest standards and professionalism. It was in Alpha that the best battlemechs the Dragoons could field would be found. In the years before the Clan Invasion, it fielded significant numbers of exclusive Dragoon 'mechs, most notably fielding the highest number of 100-ton Marauder IIs of any line regiment, and years later fielding the most OmniMechs and Clan-tech equipped 'mechs. Alpha Regiment truly served as the vanguard of the Dragoons throughout its existence.

History

In service to Davion

The Federated Suns were the Dragoons' first employer.Alpha Regiment first appeared in the Inner Sphere along with the rest of Wolf's Dragoons in 3005, appearing in orbit over New Delos, and soon signing on with the Federated Suns.

They first saw action on a deep raid against the Capellan Confederation, striking at the Liao world of Styk in late 3006 and early 3007. They were accompanied by Epsilon Regiment and the elite Seventh Kommando, with Colonel Wolf in command. Their primary target was the Tao 'Mechworks factory at Hegemony Bay, defended by elements of the 4th Confederation Reserve Cavalry. After the Kommandos lured most of the Cavalry far from the city in a so-called "rebel uprising", Alpha Regiment landed just outside the Bay, quickly overpowering the sole Cavalry battalion still on site and inflicting enough damage on the Mechworks to set them back six months. When Liao attempted to bombard the Alphas from the sea, they were harried by the Kommandos' hovercraft. Meanwhile, the rest of the Cavalry were trying to force their way back into the city under heavy AeroSpace attack. The Dragoons DropShips conducted a daring landing to extract their ground forces. The entire operation went off without a hitch, further cementing the Dragoons' reputation.

Wolf's Dragoons and Alpha Regiment continued to have success over the next two years in many smaller actions. In March 3008, Alpha and all five regiments of the Dragoons, as well as five top Davion regiments, assaulted the key world of New Aragon, defended by eight Liao regiments. The invasion was plagued with misfortune early on, as the 4th Deneb Light Cavalry's DropShips were ambushed while attempting to land, crippling much of that regiment. Liao AeroSpace fighters plagued the Dragoons' own advances, and the 1st and 2nd Kearny Highlanders, elite regiments of the famous Northwind Highlanders, were firmly entrenched in strong defensive positions. The Dragoons advances were repeatedly rebuffed by the Highlanders, and several units took significant damage. They finally made progress when elements of Alpha, along with elements of Gamma Regiment and the Seventh Kommando, dropped behind enemy lines in a feint to draw out the Liao reserves. When the Capellans committed, Zeta Battalion moved in, overrunning the defending Waco Rangers and the McCormack's Fusiliers. With their defensive position hopelessly compromised, the Capellan forces were forced to retreat from the planet. The Dragoons and their Davion allies had won one of the largest 'mech battles of the Third Succession War.

In 3009, Alpha accompanied the rest of the Dragoons back to the Clan Homeworlds to report on the Inner Sphere, an operation that took ten months.

In service to Liao / Marik Civil War

McCarron's Armored CavalryIn mid-3010, the Dragoons signed on with the Capellan Confederation. Against the forces of the Free Worlds League, the Dragoons and Alpha Regiment continued to build on their already impressive reputation. In 3012, Alpha Regiment took a minor "black mark" on its record when warriors of the unit encountered some off-duty members of McCarron's Armored Cavalry on Carver V, resulting in a bar brawl. The two elite mercenary companies carried a significant feud from the Dragoons' time with House Davion.

In early 3014, Capellan Chancellor Maximillian Liao struck a deal with Duke Anton Marik, brother of Captain-General Janos Marik, to support Anton's bid for his brother's throne. As part of this agreement, Liao allowed the Dragoons to sign a contract with Anton Marik. On May 22, 3014, Duke Anton made his claim, triggering the Marik Civil War.

Early in the conflict, Alpha Regiment, accompanied by Beta Regiment, Gamma Regiment, Zeta Battalion and the Fire Support Group, as well as heavy rebel Aerospace support from a Vengeance-class DropShip, struck at Emris IV, defended by elements of the 6th and 9th Marik Militia. Alpha and Gamma Regiment, led by Colonel Wolf, were assigned to confront the Sixth Militia, which was defending the StarCorps Industries factory in Ivanograd. The Dragoons found the Militia to be well-entrenched, and Colonel Wolf spent two weeks probing their positions. Major Patrick Chan's Baker Battalion's attacks were held off, and other actions proved unsuccessful as well. Then-Lieutenant Natasha Kerensky led a small force through an abandoned drainage tunnel and behind enemy lines. Colonel Wolf then sent Alpha Regiment into an all-out assault, and with their position compromised, the Sixth's heavy battalion was destroyed. The other two battalions were pursued by the Alphas while Gamma secured the factory. Emris IV soon fell to the Rebels, adding another victory to the Dragoon legend. Overall casualties to Alpha Regiment were light.

Anton MarikAlpha next saw action on Sophie's World, where they reinforced Delta Regiment against the 1st Atrean Dragoons, surviving elements of the Sixth Marik Militia and the Head Hunters mercenary unit. When the First Atrean's position was compromised and they attempted to pull out, Major Kelly Yukinov's Able Battalion laid down withering fire that scattered them while Delta Regiment moved in to finish them off. The First Atrean were destroyed and the other loyalist forces were forced to withdraw. Damage to Alpha's troops was again light. After securing their victory on Sophie's World, they returned to Emris IV.

Operations on Vanra were somewhat tougher for the Dragoons' First Team, where they again faced the Sixth and Ninth Marik Militias, as well as the 1st Orloff Grenadiers and three conventional regiments. The Loyalist forces were counter-attacking against Anton Marik's worlds to slow the progress of Task Force Eagle. Colonel Wolf led Alpha Regiment, Gamma Regiment and the 4th Regulan Hussars in a supporting role in an attempt to take back Vanra. The entrenched Loyalists were supported by the cadets and equipment of the Orloff Military Academy. Alpha Regiment focused on the Sixth Militia, and was slowly driving a wedge between their two surviving battalions when the Fourth Regulan suddenly changed sides, attacking Gamma Regiment and throwing the Rebels' plan into disarray. Suddenly surrounded, Wolf conducted a masterful impromptu plan by disengaging from the Loyalists and driving straight into the turncoat Regulan Hussars, inflicting heavy damage. The Loyalists were thrown off-balance by this move, and by the time they recovered, Wolf was bringing his Dragoons back to attack them. The Sixth and Ninth Militias, strung out and under-strength, were almost completely wiped out. The Orloff troops managed an orderly retreat, moving on to Tiber. Losses to Alpha were moderate, and they soon returned to New Delos.

Alpha Regiment was later part of a task force that included almost all the Dragoons, sent to retake McKenna from the Loyalists. Realizing they were hopelessly outnumbered, the 1st and 2nd Regulan Hussars were forced to withdraw. Alpha took light casualties during this operation.

Despite their early successes, the conflict soon turned against the Rebels as the Loyalists rallied. When Duke Anton demanded that Wolf break up his forces to supplement Anton's troops, Wolf refused, citing their contract. In retaliation, Anton arrested Liaison Officer Joshua Wolf, Wolf's brother and second-in-command, and 27 Dragoon dependents on New Delos, keeping them as hostages and demanding Wolf comply. Instead, Wolf led his forces back to attack New Delos en masse. The Dragoons, including Alpha Regiment, fell upon Duke Anton's stronghold, despite the Duke's claims that Joshua Wolf and the other civilians had been executed. Defending Duke Anton were surviving elements of the 18th Marik Militia and the remains of the 1st, 2nd and the 5th Ducal Guard. The Dragoons fought with unprecedented fury; the First Ducal Guard quickly fleeing the planet even as Alpha and Gamma Regiments fought their way to Anton's stronghold at Cienfuegos. The Dragoons were forced to fight their way through a narrow pass, allowing the defenders to hold them off for several days, as the forest at the rear of Anton's position was lit aflame with napalm charges to discourage attack from that direction. Natasha Kerensky and her Black Widows braved the flames to take the fortress from behind, killing Anton in the process and effectively ending the war. Alpha's losses on New Delos were moderate.

In service to Marik

The Free Worlds LeagueUnexpectedly, the Dragoons almost immediately signed with the victorious Janos Marik. Both the League and the Dragoons were tired from so much fighting, and needed time to recover. The next few months saw a relatively quiet period of raids and counter-raids along the Lyran Commonwealth border.

In 3019, the Dragoons would begin the boldest campaign of their history to that point: The capture of Hesperus II, home of Defiance Industries, the largest battlemech factory in existence which had held out successfully against twelve major campaigns to take or destroy it, and which was the foundation for the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces entire military industry. In a series of raids, the Dragoons made their way through Lyran space, keeping House Steiner off-guard with their seeming odd choice of targets.

Unfortunately for the Dragoons, a spy in the Marik court had revealed to the Lyrans the Dragoons ultimate target. Hesperus II had been reinforced, and the Dragoons now faced the 6th, 15th and 24th Lyran Guards, the 3rd Royal Guards and the mercenary Hsien Hotheads and Hansen's Roughriders. The Thirteenth Battle for Hesperus would be a brutal campaign, as the Dragoons faced far greater opposition than predicted. By June 22, Wolf led Alpha Regiment along with Gamma Regiment and Zeta Battalion across the Erewhon River, braving heavy Aerospace fighter and hovercraft attacks. Facing serious losses, the Dragoons were forced to pull back. Alpha had lost many warriors already, several lost to the river, their bodies and wreckage carried away by the current. Ultimately, neither the determination of his line regiments nor the cunning of the Black Widow nor even the sheer power of Zeta Battalion was enough to take the factories, and the Dragoons were forced to retreat back to Marik space. [26] Afterwards, Wolf returned to the Clans to report. He would return to the Inner Sphere with replacement 'mechs and equipment. To help replace his lost warriors, the Dragoons opened for hiring from outside the unit for the first time.

In service to Steiner

The Lyran CommonwealthIn the Spring of 3020, a recovered Wolf's Dragoons entered the service of Archon Katrina Steiner, and were soon posted to the Draconis Combine border. Representatives of the Lyran high command reviewed the Dragoons on Chukchi III, reporting favorably to the Archon.

After a period of rest and refit, Alpha Regiment once again returned to action, as Alpha, Delta and Epsilon Regiments, supported by reserve units from the Donegal Guards, launched a massive assault on the Kuritan world of Dromini VI, a small but important industrial planet that had changed hands several times over the centuries. Dromini was garrisoned by 3rd and 22nd Dieron Regulars. Unbeknownst to the Lyrans or the Dragoons, the elite 2nd Sword of Light, arguably the most decorated unit in the Draconis Combine, was also on planet. Epsilon and Alpha quickly achieved their landing zone objectives, with Alpha sparring with the Twenty-second Dieron. Delta Regiment, however, was ambushed by elements of the Second Sword of Light, resulting in significant losses. Eventually the Dragoons, led by Alpha Regiment, pushed back the Second Sword under constant pressure. Disaster nearly struck when Alpha's command company was ambushed, and Colonel Wolf's Archer was crippled. Wolf found himself alone behind enemy lines, and only survived because the Kuritan commander refused to slay an enemy who was unable to defend himself. Within hours, the Second Sword's counter-attack had faltered, and they were soon back on the defensive. When Kuritan reinforcements arrived in system, they were ambushed by the Lyran units who had been held in reserve. Overall, the Dragoons and Lyrans had dealt very serious damaged to the DCMS, setting back their operations for several months. Indeed, during 3022, the Lyrans took three planets from the Combine.

At the end of 3022, Colonel Wolf unexpectedly activated the escape clause in the Dragoons' contract, signing on with House Kurita.

In Service to Kurita

The Draconis Combine was the fifth Successor State to employ the DragoonsIn June 3023, Alpha Regiment led the Dragoons' heavy raid on the Federated Suns industrial world of Quentin IV in one of their first actions in service to House Kurita, their new employer. Alpha was joined by Gamma and Delta Regiments. By this time, (and likely for considerable years before) Major Kelly Yukinov, commander of Able Battalion, was serving as acting commander of Alpha Regiment in Colonel Wolf's absence. Indeed, when introducing him, Colonel Wolf described him as "the one who really runs Alpha Regiment." The Dragoons would be joined by Coordinator Takashi Kurita as well as elements of the First and Seventh Sword of Light. Coordinator Takashi wanted to see his new mercenaries in action first-hand. The Dragoons and their Kuritan allies were opposed by the mercenary units the Snake Stompers, the White Witches and several planetary militia units. Alpha Regiment faced heavy opposition from the Stompers, who took advantage of the volcanic terrain to ambush and destroy several Dragoon 'mechs, even injuring Colonel Wolf. Later, when the ranking Sword of Light officers attempted to provoke Major Yukinov with disparaging insults, Yukinov allowed them to spearhead the attack on the Independence Weaponry factories, the primary target of the entire operation. The Kuritans, supported by the Dragoons, recklessly assaulted the defenders, costing them several 'mechs and warriors in securing their objectives with little regard the losses. Overall the operation was a resounding victory for the Dragoons.

Alpha Regiment and the rest of the Dragoons continued to serve the Combine very well over the course of their contract, raiding many border worlds of House Davion's Draconis March while garrisoning several worlds in the Galedon Military District. They nevertheless made political enemies within the Combine's high command. As of 3025, Alpha Regiment was based on Capra, though they frequently raided across the Davion border.

In September 3026, a task force including Alpha Regiment, Zeta Battalion and a battalion of the Ryuken, Tetsuhara's experimental force based on the Dragoon doctrine, assaulted Barlow's End. In addition to providing the Ryuken training unit with combat experience, the main objective of the operation was to secure an experimental jump stabilizer that was being developed. During planning, their new liaison officer, Jerry Akuma, attempted to secretly assassinate Tetsuhara and Yukinov in a bombing at their base camp, seriously injuring both commanders. The battle for Barlow's End soon turned into a fiasco, as elements of the elite Eridani Light Horse were discovered on planet, and soon began putting pressure on the Dragoons. With Colonel J. Elliot Jamison of Zeta Battalion in command of the Dragoons on-planet, command of the Ryuken forces fell to Tai-sa Elijah Satoh, an incompatent officer who blindly followed the original plan approved by Warlord Grieg Samsonov. Jamison and Tetsuhara's aide, Michi Noketsuna, were eventually forced to lead their forces in a withdraw.

Yukinov would return to duty by late November, and soon began rapidly bringing Alpha Regiment up to full strength through rigorous training exercises. Alpha Regiment was assigned to garrison Delacruz.

Misery and the Fourth Succession War

The Ryuken; Alpha's opponents on Misery In January 3028, relations between the Combine and the Dragoons exploded on An Ting into open violence. Although the bulk of Alpha Regiment was not present, the course of the Dragoons was now clear. In April 3028, Alpha Regiment joined the rest of the Dragoon units on Misery. The Battle of Misery was one of the largest, most bloody 'mech battles in history, as all five Dragoon regiments, along with Zeta Battalion and the Black Widow Company, faced off against the Ryuken, now built up to four regiments, along with the 17th Galedon Regulars, the 21st Galedon Regulars, and the elite 8th Sword of Light. The Kuritan force would be led by newly-promoted Tai-sho Minobu Tetsuhara, acting under the orders of Warlord Samsonov. The battle all but ended on May 20, when elements of Alpha Regiment, led by Captain Dechan Fraser, defeated and captured Tetsuhara in the Trolfjel Highlands not long after Colonel Wolf's command lance overran the Ryuken headquarters. Though the Dragoons would eventually prove triumphant, the cost in men and machines was astronomical.

Alpha Regiment as a whole was ultimately forced to reorganize into four provisional companies, with Natasha Kerensky's Black Widow Company attached. Major Yukinov would command the First provisional company, while Major Coshasa DuKirk (formerly commander of Charlie Battalion) would command the second. Major Stanford Blake, Wolf's chief of intelligence, commanded the Third company while the Black Widows made up the Fourth. The Fifth company was commanded by Major Patrick Chan, former leader of Baker Battalion.

Glenmora

The 5th Galedon Regulars fought Alpha Regiment on GlenmoraWith Colonel Wolf on Terra at the wedding of First Prince Hanse Davion to Archon-Designate Melissa Steiner, Yukinov took command of Alpha Regiment and the Black Widow Company at their new assignment of Glenmora. They were just in time for the beginning of the Fourth Succession War. Glenmora was assaulted by the 5th Galedon Regulars, commanded by Sho-sho Li Dok To. While personally scouting the enemy, Major Yukinov and his lance mates found themselves in a firefight. Knocked unconscious early in the fight, Yukinov's 'mech computer triggered his ejection seat when his fusion engine was about to explode. Glenmora Air Rescue managed to retrieve Yukinov in a daring rescue that saw two helicopeters shot down by Kuritan 'mechs, but his injuries rendered him unable to return to duty for several months. Yukinov turned command of the Dragoons on Glenmora to Major Coshasa DuKirk of Charlie Battalion. The assumption of command of DuKirk, who had joined the Dragoons during their service to the Combine, caused severe friction in Alpha's ranks, with many initially refusing to accept her. This was somewhat understandable given the insular nature of the Dragoons and their Clan origins, as relatively few "Spheroid" warriors and officers had earned a place in their ranks at the time. DuKirk was not native to the Combine, but she had been recruited by Jaime Wolf at a hiring hall on Dieron, formerly serving with the Fire Lizard mercenary regiment. DuKirk faced down her detractors, offering to commit suicide if anyone questioned her loyalty to the Dragoons. She proved successful in forcing down her detractors. DuKirk's first action was to release the Black Widow Company to raid behind enemy lines. The Black Widows were very successful in disrupting the Kuritans, destroying a Star League-era Mobile Headquarters vehicle and forcing them to become more cautious. The Widows were so disruptive that Li Dok To had to dispatch two heavy companies to his rear area to hunt down the Widows. Kerensky's company ambushed this force in the Mud Pits, costing Kurita several 'mechs before the Widows withdrew. Wolf arrived to take command just days before the Fifth Galedon were reinforced by the 16th Galedon Regulars, running his DropShip through a gauntlet of Kuritan Aerospace fighters. He then led Alpha's remaining units on a forced march before the Kuritans could link up. The action ultimately failed, though Alpha managed to withdraw to a defensible position. Now with two regiments to press the Dragoons, Fifth Galedon commander Li Dok To spent the next several months whittling down his enemies, successfully ambushing the Second Provisional Company and killing Major DuKirk, Wolf's acting second-in-command. The Dragoons were forced to fall back on the city of Tronka, where the two Kuritan regiments continued to press them. At one point on the verge of victory, Dok To and Tai-sa Francisco Bevier of the 16th Galedon found themselves arguing over who would "finish off" the Dragoons. Dok To and Bevier had long had a tumultuous working relationship, and it came into play now. Near the peak of the battle, the 10th Deneb Light Cavalry arrived from Benet III to assist the Dragoons, temporarily forcing both Kuritan regiments into retreat. When they attempted to pursue, the Cavalry was ambushed and its commanding officer was killed. Wolf took command of the demoralized Davion troops as well, and the grateful soldiers of Alpha Regiment declared the Cavalry's green warriors to be "Honorary Dragoons". Though the Regulars had taken losses, Colonel Wolf knew he could not prevail on Glenmora, and finally ordered his troops to retreat to the rendezvous planet of Crossing. Despite being forced to retreat and taking further losses, Alpha Regiment's performance on Glenmora had only further enhanced the Dragoons' reputation. The regiment's warriors had come away from the Misery campaign believing their ability and reputation had been validated, and feeling they had nothing more to prove. On Glenmora, they fought with the utmost discipline and professionalism, refusing to act rashly or fall to the level of recklessness as their Galedon Regular foes. These qualities served them well despite being heavily out-numbered.

Crossing

Eight different Galedon Regulars units faced the Dragoons between Misery and the warThe remains of Alpha Regiment would rejoin the survivors of the other Dragoon regiments on Crossing. Setting up their defenses at Tartarus Caldera, a vast crater that once housed a Star League-era radio telescope, the five Dragoon regiments could now field only about a single regiment's worth of battlemechs. Nevertheless, the Dragoons turned down Davion offers of assistance, and dug in. On September 2, 3029. Kurita DropShips neared Crossing's orbit. The Fifth and Sixteenth Galedon Regulars had followed the Dragoons from Glenmora, and they were joined by the 8th and 12th Galedon Regulars, units that had fought the other Dragoon regiments on Harrow's Sun and Wapakoneta. Though all four Galedon Regular regiments had taken heavy losses, they had been reinforced by green recruits fresh out of the academy, bringing them up to strength on paper if not in unit quality. The Kuritans had a four-to-one advantage in numbers and had learned a great deal from their previous battles. They were cautious in their approach, weary of ambushes or traps. They were also accompanied by an elite 'mech company (named "Sword of the Void") of the DEST that remained in orbit as a reserve force. With such a numerical advantage, the Combine forces chose not to bring their conventional troops into the battle, deigning such units worthless distractions, fit only to guard their DropShips.

Alpha Regiment, such as it was, entered the battle of Crossing with its second-in-command Major Yukinov still injured and recovering on Robinson and another Major DuKirk killed, not to mention most of their warriors and machines destroyed. Major Patrick Chan, formerly of Baker Battalion, now commanded the remains of the Fifth Provisional Company from the cockpit of a salvaged Valkyrie. Nevertheless, the surviving warriors of Alpha were as ready as any other Dragoons to fight House Kurita to the death.

Colonel Wolf contacted the invading ships and told them where they would meet them. It was essentially a challenge, but it also served to protect the civilian population of Crossing, which was only lightly defended by the Tenth Deneb Light Cavalry soldiers who had pulled off Glenmora with Alpha Regiment. The campaign was long and hard, with the Dragoons making the Galedon Regulars pay for every inch they took in blood. At one point, the DEST team conducted a daring drop in the middle of the Dragoons defense, causing havoc behind the lines. Just as it seemed the Dragoons might collapse, elements of the Tenth Deneb would surprise the Galedon Regulars from behind, buying the Dragoons time to recover. It was at this point that Zeta Battalion, having recovered their strength on Robinson, entered the battle, having arrived undetected in rented Mule-class DropShips. As the desperately needed reinforcements fell on the Galedon Regulars, Colonel Wolf and his warriors finally crushed the DEST company, freeing them to turn on the Kuritan forces. Most of the Fifth Galedon was destroyed climbing the mountain wall in an attempt to retreat, and the Sixteenth's survivors were forced to surrender to Natasha Kerensky. The Eighth and Twelfth were routed by the emboldened Dragoons, harassed by Inferno-rocket wielding infantry using the cover of the mountains. They would flee to their transports. Of the four battlemech regiments that had attacked Crossing, only 112 Kuritan 'mechs survived. Wolf's Dragoons had been brought to the edge of destruction, but their reputation was greater than ever. An entire Successor State had devoted all its resources to crushing them, yet they still lived. In the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War, Alpha Regiment, like virtually every other Dragoon line unit, was effectively inactive, with losses far too high to field a viable command.

Rebuilding and the War of 3039

The survivors of Alpha Regiment and the rest of the Dragoons travelled to their new home of Outreach for rebuilding. Though it would take several years and the help of Natasha Kerensky's Black Widow Battalion, Alpha Regiment would return to active duty with the same elite level of competence and reputation they had always enjoyed. Alpha Regiment would see action during the War of 3039, where they were rotated to Caph along with the rest of the Dragoons in preparation for an eventual strike at Dieron. Caph was soon attacked by the rebuilt Ryuken-san and Ryuken-ni regiments, sent by now-Warlord Michi Noketsuna, in the hopes that destroying enough enemy supplies could postpone an attack on the district capital. Despite their old hatreds from Misery, the fighting on Caph was somewhat anticlimactic, as the Ryuken managed to evade a trap by the Dragoons and the Davion Assault Guards. The Dragoons took moderate losses overall, and while the Ryuken troops took heavier damage, they were successful in damaging the base of the 33rd Avalon Hussars before making an orderly withdrawal.

Alpha and the still under-strength Delta Regiment were then routed to Hsien, which was under attack by the 3rd Free Worlds Guards. Learning of the Dragoons' approach, the Free Worlds League troops withdrew before the Dragoons could make planet-fall.

Officers

Colonel Jaime Wolf - Alpha's first commander. Colonel Jaime Wolf was Alpha's first commander, and he continued in that role until a few years before the Clan Invasion. Wolf became a legend in the Inner Sphere, a brilliant tactician and leader who often led his men from the front, putting himself in serious danger on many occasions.

One of Wolf's most notable officers prior to the Fourth Succession War was Dechan Fraser, an Inner Sphere adoptee who quickly rose through the ranks of the Dragoons to the position of Captain. After performing many heroic feats up to and including his actions on Misery, Fraser might well have gone much further had he not been sent by Wolf to accompany Michi Noketsuna in hunting down Warlord Grieg Samsanov for his crimes.

Wolf eventually turned over formal command of Alpha Regiment to Kelly Yukinov, who had served as his second-in-command and a Brevet Colonel for over twenty years, often commanding operations that included full Colonels of other units. Yukinov was an extremely capable officer who held the Alphas to only the highest standards. He had returned from injury so many times that by the 3060s his men had nicknamed him "the Invincible Iron Man".

Tactics

Although the warriors and equipment of Alpha Regiment changed vastly over the course of its existence, the fundamental tactics they employed and professionalism they maintained remained a constant. The combined-arms doctrine was the foundation of nearly every operation the regiment undertook, with a rare exception coming on Misery. After the Dragoon Civil War, with much of their equipment upgraded with Clan-tech, Alpha preferred open battlefields where it could maneuver its entire command and take advantage of their superior-ranged weaponry. But it was equally comfortable in any terrain. Alpha typically created a flexible screen of light 'mechs (chiefly Charlie Battalion - The Pathfinders), supported by Hovercraft and Elemental units to protect the main body and probe an enemy formation, allowing the regiment's medium and heavy mechs to engage in the main fighting. Heavier and assault units were typically held in reserve. Alpha Command company usually attached itself to Able Battalion, but it could shift quickly to plug a hole in Alpha's defense or more often to take advantage of an enemy's weakness. Able Battalion (Stalking Death) was the workhorse command of the unit, holding an enemy in place, while Baker Battalion (The Red Devils) specialized in coordinated assaults. By 3067, Alpha Brigade was fully integrated with their strengthened support units, able to operate at the smallest level

Units

•Alpha Regiment

•Beta Regiment

•Gamma Regiment

•Delta Regiment

•Epsilon Regiment

•Black Widow Company

•Wolf Spiders

•Zeta Battalion

•Special Recon Group

•Fire Support Group

•Seventh Kommando