OBT Forum

Good morning, all.  I know it has been a while since I last posted here at Shattered Dawn, but I have not forgotten any of you.  Things are so-so right now, but I have finished In Harm’s Way and e-mailed it off to Baen (keep your fingers crossed!), so I can finally sit down and take a good hard look at something fun (BattleTech!  Yeah!  LOL).  I am still looking for full-time work, and do not have regular access to the internet, but I did want to continue making a few small contributions to our shared universe.  So having said that, let us be about it.


Today, I intend to take an in-depth look at the Armored Corps of the Taurian Defense Force.  I know, I know; I have done similar looks in the past but this one takes all of your comments and suggestions into consideration and looks past the BattleMech Force of the TDF to fully examine all components of our favorite Periphery power.  First off, we need to ask ourselves the question:  what do the Taurians expect out of their own Defense Forces?  For much of the history of the Concordat, we see a state that does not embark upon expeditions of conquest or even raids.  Instead, more than any other known power expect maybe the Outworlds Alliance, the Concordat views its own armed forces as a defensive instrument.  Protecting the citizens of the Concordat from invaders and raiders is the number one job of the Defense Force, so that is where we will begin.

From canon we know that each and every world of the Taurian Concordat is assigned at least one full-strength Armored Battalion.  That is in addition to any local infantry and constabulary forces, or any Noble’s Regiments that may or may not be present on a given world.  We also know that TDF Armored formations utilize a unique ‘maniple’ system with two vehicles to the maniple and three maniples to the lance.  This structure means that TDF Armored formations—at all levels—are big and mean, with 18 vehicles to the company and at least 54 to the battalion.  I say ‘at least’ because that number assumes three companies to the battalion, an assumption that I do not believe holds true for the TDF as I envision it.  My vision of the Taurian Armored Corps is that of an integrated combined-arms formation of armor, infantry, VTOLs, and artillery that uses mobility and firepower to drive away hostile forces.  While Fortress Command utilizes super-heavy (and super-slow) armored vehicles, towed artillery, and heavy infantry to defend specific locations, the responsibility of the Armored Corps is to use maneuver and fire to isolate and defeat in detail the invaders.  If isolating an enemy proves unfeasible, TDF armored battalions and regiments will maneuver to strike at their most vulnerable points:  the logistics, transports, and rear-echelon components that any realistic assault force has to have to succeed.

This doesn’t mean that the Armored Corps won’t go toe-to-toe with enemy ‘Mechs or armor; indeed, Taurian history is filled with many such instances of Concordat tanks charging Star League assault battalions.  Rather, I see the men and women of the Armored Corps as having been taught all of the accumulated history and tactics of armored warfare from the early 20th Century onwards.  They know that without supplies and ammunition and fuel, invaders have little choice but to retreat—that is a military axiom that has only rarely been violated throughout history.  Most BattleTech writers tend to ignore that, however, seeing everything as a clash of ‘Mechs, with tanks and infantry playing only a supporting role.  In the TDF, on the other hand, that perception is reversed.  Here it is TDF ‘Mechs that distract and pin hostile invaders (on worlds lucky enough to have a BattleMech battalion or two) while the Armored Corps cuts its vulnerable chain of supply and retreat:  a defensive mission that the Taurian Armored Corps conducts in an offensive manner.  The key to success lies in training, aggression, and equipment, none of which the Taurians lack.

Although the BattleMech Force gets all the media attentions, the Taurians know it is the Armored Corps that is the primary defenders of their worlds.  Unlike Fortress Battalions and locally raised infantry formations, the Armored Corps consists of volunteers from those who have completed their mandatory service under the conscription laws.  These men and women are professional soldiers who have chosen to make defending their homes their number one priority.  Once an individual volunteers for service in the Armored Corps, they undergo a three-month course of training that encompasses everything from how to operate and fight armored vehicles, to maintaining them in the field, to the history and tactics of armored combat.  Building upon the knowledge the recruits gained at Infantry School after being conscripted, the Armored Course hones their skills and puts through grueling challenges to test their competence and aggression.  Only seventy percent of the volunteers complete the course annually, but those who do pass and join the Armored Corps are among the best that Taurus has to offer.

Once the Armored Course is completed, the solider is then assigned to one of more than two hundred regiments and independent battalions stationed across the Concordat.  Unlike the ‘Mechs of BattleMech Force, the Armored Corps formations mostly remain on the same world, although there are more than two dozen regiments and battalions in the Hyades Cluster designated as a Rapid Deployment Force that stand ready to ship out to a hot spot on only a few days notice.  This tendency by the Armored Corps to keep the same units on the same worlds allows the personnel assigned to those formations to learn how to best use that worlds terrain and weather to assist in their defense of the people living there.  After just two decades of this policy being put into place after the Fall of the Star League, armored formations garrisoning worlds began to display an institutional knowledge of ‘their’ worlds special conditions.  The individual troopers may come and go, reassigned to other units on other worlds, but the formation itself retains that knowledge and teaches it to soldiers new to the world.

Now we come to the nuts and bolts of the thing:  how the Armored Corps is comprised.  There are seven types of common battalion level formations in the Taurian Armored Corps:  the air cavalry squadron, the armored cavalry squadron, the light armored battalion, the medium armored battalion, the heavy armored battalion, the mobile artillery battalion, and the heavy artillery battalion.  We will begin by looking at the artillery formations.

The mobile artillery battalion is the most commonly encountered formation of Taurian artillery.  Consisting of Gribeauval Light Mobile Howitzers, Napoleon Mobile Howitzers, and Swift Wind scout cars, this formation is able to maneuver well enough to support everything but the hovercraft armored cavalry formations.  The basic unit of the mobile artillery battalion is the battery, which contains three lances of six vehicles each.  Two of the batteries feature two lances of Gribeauvals (each of which carries a turret-mounted Thumper artillery piece with forty rounds and moves at 5/8) and one of Swift Winds (which operate independently as forward observers for the Gribeauvals).  The other two batteries are organized the same, but feature Napoleons in place of the Gribeauvals (the Napoleons are slower at 4/6, but carry a Sniper artillery piece in the turret, along with thirty rounds).

The heavy artillery battalion is organized identically, but replaces the Gribeauvals with Dahlgrens (a slow and heavy self-propelled howitzer, moving at 3/5, but one that carries a turret-mounted Long Tom along with 20 rounds).  Only a handful of Taurian mobile artillery battalions are classified as heavy and these formations are normally found only on worlds of vital importance to the Concordat.

Air Cavalry Squadrons are formations that consist solely of Bessieres VTOLs.  Organized in four troops with three lances of six Bessieres each, the Air Cavalry is fast and lethal.  Each Bessieres moves at 12/18 and carries a pair of LRM-5 launchers (with a ton of ammo), a machine-gun (with a half-ton of ammo), and a 1.5-ton bay able to carry cargo or up to five fully equipped jump infantry.  This means that each Air Cavalry Squadron can deploy seventy-two fast-moving VTOLs and three-hundred sixty jump infantrymen.  Air Cavalry Squadrons are used as supporting elements in the defense of Concordat system, and are never found as the sole Armored Corps defenders of any specific world.  These units tend to operate as scouts and flankers, protecting formations of ‘Mechs or armored fighting vehicles from being ambushed by hostile forces.  They also serve a critical role in being able to rapidly move into an enemy’s rear and deploy as a blocking force, or for operations against vulnerable supply lines and lightly armored support vehicles.

Armored Cavalry Squadrons are probably the most sought after formations to join in the Taurian Armored Corps.  These formations consist of three troops of hovercraft, supported by a troop of Bessieres and their jump infantry.  There are three types of hovercraft assigned to the Armored Cavalry Squadrons, each posted to their own troop.  The St.-Cyrs are the lightest and fastest, with a ground speed of 11/17, and are armed with a medium laser, a SRM-4 launcher with 25 salvoes, and a machine-gun with 100 bursts, all of which are mounted in a turret.  In addition, each St.-Cyr is outfitted with a 1-ton bay that can carry cargo or five fully equipped foot infantry troopers (up to seven to squeeze in a pinch, however).  Next are the mid-weight Jourdans, with a ground speed of 10/15.  The Jourdan forgoes a missile rack in order to carry a single turret-mounted PPC and machine-gun, the latter with 100 bursts of fire.  It also carries a 1-ton infantry bay identical in dimensions to that of the St.-Cyr.  Finally, the Massenas are the heavy hitters of the Armored Cav.  Each Massena moves at 9/14 and packs quite a wallop with its turret mounted armaments:  a PPC, a LRM-5 with 24 salvoes, a SRM-4 with 25 salvoes, and a machine-gun with 100 bursts.  Like the St.-Cyr and Jourdan, the Massena is also outfitted with a 1-ton bay for cargo or infantry.  Overall, this gives the Armored Cavalry Squadron a total of fifty-four hovercraft, eighteen VTOLs, ninety jump infantry, and two-hundred seventy foot infantry troopers.  Armored Cavalry Squadrons are the fencing foils of the TDF, and are usually the first to see serious combat.  They are also kept in reserve to exploit any openings during battle, using their speed and firepower to slip past enemy formations and attack their rear or flanks—or their grounded transport ships.

The three types of Armored Battalions are all organized identically, with three companies of armored combat vehicles (each with three six-vehicle lances) and a fourth company that consists of Bessieres VTOLs and jump infantry.  The only difference lies in the vehicles assigned to the unit, but each consists of fifty-four tracked vehicles, eighteen VTOLs, ninety jump infantry, and two-hundred seventy foot infantry troopers.  First we will take a look at the vehicles and then at the various formations.

The Murat is the lightest of the tracked ground vehicles assigned to the Armored Battalions.  This vehicle has a ground speed of 7/11 and carries all of its armaments in the turret (a medium laser, a SRM-4 with 25 salvoes, and a machine-gun with 100 bursts).  Like all the previous Taurian armored combat vehicles, the Murat features a 1-ton bay that can carry either cargo or five fully-equipped foot infantry troopers.

The Lannes comes next.  With its speed of 6/9 and turret-mounted PPC and machine-gun (100 bursts of fire included at no additional charge!), plus the capability to carry cargo or infantry, it serves as a vital component for all Armored Corps commands.

The Davout moves at 5/8 and carries a heavy selection of guns, all in its turret.  The main weapon is a PPC, with a machine-gun with 100 bursts for anti-personnel work.  But in addition, the Davout carries a LRM-5 launcher with 24 salvoes of missiles.  Of course, the 1-ton bay for infantry and/or cargo comes standard.

Then there is the hard-hitting Suchet.  At 4/6, the Suchet features a PPC, a LRM-10 launcher with 24 salvoes, a SRM-6 launcher with 15 salvoes, and a machine-gun with 100 bursts—all of which are turret mounted.  Plus, there is the infantry/cargo bay seen on previous TDF armored combat vehicles.

Last, but certainly not least, is the massive Soult assault tank.  This ninety-ton monster carries armament and equipment and infantry bay identical to the Suchet, but adds an AC-10 autocannon with 20 bursts to the turret.  It pays for that firepower, however, by having a ground speed of merely 3/5.

Light Armored Battalions are the most common of the three encountered on Taurian worlds.  These formations consist of a one company each of Murats, Lannes, Davouts, and Bessieres.  With its combination of mobility, firepower, infantry, and armor, the Light Armored Battalions are the heart and soul of the TDF Armored Corps.

Only slightly less common than the LABs are the Medium Armored Battalions.  These units are comprised of one company each of Lannes, Davouts, Suchets, and Bessieres.  While not quite as maneuverable or mobile as the LABs, the MABs can lay down a withering field of fire against hostile forces and sustain heavier damage while still remaining operational.

Finally, the Heavy Armored Battalions are the rarest of the TDF Armored Corps.  Not well-favored in a military that relies upon maneuver rather than firepower, the HABs are assigned only to the most critically important of Concordat worlds to serve as a mobile reserve for Fortress Command.


The majority of Concordat worlds have only a handful of Armored Corps battalions to defend themselves with; yet, against the threat of pirates and raiders this is usually enough to protect the citizenry.  Important worlds, such as New Vandenberg, Pinard, Perdition, Sterope, MacLeod’s Land, and core systems of the Hyades are defended by multiple REGIMENTS of Armored Corps units.