Militia Training Tharkad Theatre Manual 2992 Memorandum, Tetersen edition.
The results of the battle with the Draconis Combine Sun Zhang Academy Cadre and the 3rd Dieron Regulars on Tetersen, 2992 has proved definitively that the training included in the following pamphlet are accurate and tested. As such, this manual is being issued to all officers and NCOs within all units in the Tharkad Theatre of Operations.
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It is vitally important to remember that the goal of battle with the Draconis Combine is the annihilation of their troops in battle. Where this is not possible, remember that attrition of Combine armour and equipment does vastly more damage to the Combine war machine than it does to the Lyran one. Our damage can and will be replaced. Theirs cannot.
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On Infantry (INF) Assaults on Defended Positions
The DCMS INF man is a resilient creature in the defence. Due to DCMS doctrine of only using their INF to defend or to garrison key locations, the resilient infantryman is your most likely encounter with one.
To understand the resilience of the infantryman, refer to figure 7.4, wherein the DCMS standard pillbox is depicted. Multiple layers of logs are in turn layered with earth and BAR10 plating. Either as damage, salvage, or spare parts, the pillbox is invulnerable to all but sustained autocannon fire through the firing slits or ports.
The standard pillbox is nigh invisible to all but those directly in it's fields of fire due to extensive camouflage and careful construction of the pillbox to not draw attention to itself.
Emplaced with machineguns and support PPCs, the pillbox in its own is a hard nut to crack.
Each pillbox is arranged to provide mutually supportive fire in the event that one is attacked.
Manned by 2-3 soldiers each, the DCMS infantryman will repopulate neutralised pillboxes if they are not destroyed utterly.
Leaving the infantryman unmolested for extended periods of time will result in tunnels being constructed to make this process safer. It takes a DCMS squad less than 24 hours to build a pillbox as described above.
Experiments were conducted after the battle to identify the best method to neutralize a bunker permanently. INF infiltrating close to the pillbox under sustained and accurate fire from autocannon and deploying inferno munitions to suppress a pillbox. After which a satchel charge was dispatched to ensure the collapse of the bunker head. INF must then locate the exit trenches and tunnels to clear the Drac out completely.
Of note;
Use of armour piercing ammunition was useful in allowing INF to infiltrate to within 10 metres of the pillbox without friendly casualties from HEAT.
Inferno munitions are useful in killing the occupants of a pillbox, but do not destroy the structure, allowing for reinforcements to retake their previous occupants positions and continue their fire on our troops.
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Part 3: Other Arms
Battlemechs and Armour General
AFVs are useful in all terrains that may be encountered save for swamp and quicksand. Strong arms cooperation between INF and other arms is necessary to ensure the clearance of Drac infantry from strongpoints on the assault. If these strong points are not cleared, enemy INF will invariably exit from them and engage the AFVs from the vulnerable rear. INF escorts are necessary to prevent unnecessary harm done to other arms. AFVs are extremely resilient to standard Drac INF weaponry and thus can sustain operations against enemy forces for a longer period of time comparative to our INF.
Attacks of Enemy Pillboxes
Due to the prevalent arm of the Drac being the Infantry and their prevalent defensive method being the pillbox, it is necessary that all arms train together in the reduction and annihilation of pillboxes if successful breakthrough and a return to a war of movement is to be achieved.
In close country, AFVs must be used full closed own, open turrets being vulnerable to snipers in trees or further sabotage. The pillboxes encountered were too strong for light autocannon to penetrate and AC/5s and above must be used to penetrate and destroy the structure. Further, fire must be aimed at the firing slits and ports as anything else will not penetrate and be a waste of ammunition expenditure.
Infantry must be used in close cooperation to clear a pillbox properly once the AFVs have cleared the location to prevent infantry that have retreated to trenches from returning to re-engage allied forces.
This method of clearing out a Pillbox with AFVs must be used carefully as Drac infantry squads are equipped with at least 1 Support PPC each which is capable of damaging AFV armour. It is recommended that infantry gun support is used to suppress the pillbox before other arms are brought forward to complete the reduction. Artillery must be ready on station to engage targets at forward observer direction to engage enemy anti-armour weapons outside of the mission area, or to blind with smoke the guns that have opened fire.
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Battlemech and Armour Tactics in Close Cooperation on Tetersen
It is emphasised that these notes are mainly in reference to the new Light to Medium Utility Mech and the Heavy to Assault Mech which were constructed and deployed in large numbers to the Regiments on Tetersen and make up the majority of Battlemechs deployed during the battle of Mount Utility. Deployment of AFVs at the beginning of the battle were Lance scale attachments to INF Companies on the assault.
This did not have the desired effect as the small scale of AFVs deployments left them vulnerable to attrition from enemy pillboxes outside the main objective area and overwhelming Battalion deployments of Drac AFVs quick reaction force assets to counter our Lances.
Further, INF that were escorting the AFVs into battle were then inevitably killed in a short period of time due to the focused fire that each AFV received from emplaced Drac units. It was found that escorting INF were better used in bounding movements along the flank to engage the emplaced Dracs as they revealed themselves.
Evolutions over time resulted in the AFVs being deployed as part of a larger force to clear objectives for short attacks. It is not recommended that they over-extend lest the Drac cut them off from their own lines of reinforcement.
AFVs must have a worthwhile target and objective before they are launched into an attack. Where previous reconnaissance in detail is not possible, it will often be best for the INF to approach the enemy position until they are held up and then for the AFVs to be launched at known centres of resistance. It must be borne in mind that a great deal of enemy fire comes from supporting posts outside the main position. While AFVs, covered by infantry guns and fire from their own infantry were relatively immune to the effects of enemy fire and could wander about the main enemy positions with certainty. Infantry could not do the same and outlying positions will have to be destroyed or neutralised before our own INF can come onto the main enemy position. This can be done with a second detachment of AFVs, artillery, mortars, or other small arms fire according to ground and the circumstances. They may even be liquidated by other detachments of INF.
The actual AFV attack on enemy positions was never anything in the nature of a quick blitz or cavalry charge. It was a process of taking on one center of resistance after another at point-blank range until the heart and guts had been torn out of the enemy resistance. Fresh enfilading positions were sometimes found after the INF had started to advance again, and these had to be dealt with in a similar manner before our own INF could establish themselves on the positions without suffering prohibitive casualties.
In general it is essential that a section of INF be specially appointed to give close protection for each AFV against enemy attacks with magnetic or contact mines, Inferno munitions, satchel charges, or swarm attacks. All troops should be trained in this task in varying formations, and should be shown the ideal distance to follow or flank the tank, so as to give maximum protection with minimum risk.
+Break+
The year was 2993. It had been a year since the attack on Tetersen and 8 months since he had been made Acting-Margrave of the Trellshire Theatre of Operations.
Aurelius von Randt looked at the pamphlet in his hands with a satisfied nod.
His staff had put together a committee to see what lessons could be learned from the battle for Mount Utility and then, to codify the lessons that would be useful for the Commonwealth's soldiery.
The lessons had been written down into a pamphlet, and then distributed out to his new command. There had been 6 Combat Commands here under his control, augmented to 7 with the Combat Command he had been allowed to bring out from the Tharkad Interior Theatre of Operations.
That was just his existing command, his Combat Commands had grown by 4 thanks to the equipment from the Utility Company that had expanded into aerospace and armoured vehicles in a big way.
It had been 8 months for the Generals to learn the lessons that he had asked of the men and women under his control. He had to sack more than a few of the generals who refused to play 'ball' and follow his orders found themselves assigned to rear echelon positions counting trees and blades of grass. His 'forestry' Battalions were the most senior in the Commonwealth, nowhere else would you find so much gold and silver braid and Steiner pips on sleeves. Regardless of how highly ranked they were or their friends in court or the Estates General, he had them all sacked.
The training had from then on, been that much more useful. The rank of Margrave which gave him command over all LCAF assets within the Trellshire region (on contingence of course) ensured he didn't need to play the stupid games of politics to get anything done.
He could sack who he did not want and keep those he did.
The politics would come to bite him on the ass he was sure, but, with enough victories under his belt and the infrastructure put in place for further victory… he was much more sanguine about stepping away once his actions caught up to him. His successors would use his methods if they wished to win.
His men were ready, and, more importantly, Duke Huu Vu, now unofficially, Arch-Duke Huu Vu by Archon decree. Well, he was ready as well.
The Naval Depots had been established deep into Trellshite territory and loosely spread beyond that. The slipways were producing Jumpships, but, more importantly, there were empty ones ready to receive damaged vessels.
The reports in his hands spoke of the excess of Primitive Warships as some had taken to calling them under the command of Admiral Chou, ready to begin the first phase of their plan.
It was easier now that they had a Fleet Admiral on their side for this to run the naval contingent, and, more importantly, was highly ranked enough that he could tell the other naval officers who would want control over the situation to go pound sand.
The Triple V mercenaries had been incorporated into the Vu Ducal command and had been bolstered further in number and capability by that inclusion.
In short.
It had been a year.
But he was now ready to take the fight to the Combine.
All the pieces were in place, all the players had been brought forward, and there was nothing else that they would need to be concerned with going forward.
After all, they had the navy on their side, he was the army, the logistics were covered by the LCAF and Duke Vu.
There would be nothing that could stop them!
Granted, there had been no overt signs of the White Fleet and who had sent them, but Fleet Admiral Chou had dropped some hints, as had his LIC liaison now that he was Margrave that there were developments on that front… but they had been frustratingly opaque on the details.
Merely that there were measures being taken to ensure that whoever sent the White Fleet got the message that such behaviour was unacceptable. As to the who, he was being denied that information, which was frustrating in the extreme… but he supposed that it was the best that he could get. Archon's eyes only meant what it said on the tin.
Still.
The White Fleet wouldn't be an issue.
The only thing that could be a problem was the Archon, and he had given sanction for this operation.
Yes, there wouldn't be anything that could cause problems for Stage 1 of Operation Wyrmsbane. He and the other 4 had made sure to account for all the variables
Yes.