5233rd Profor Infantry Regiment
The Duchess's Own Magash Dragoons
"Air Is Life"
Though closely associated, both popularly and administratively, with the Duchess of Sabines's Own Huscarles and the mercenary companies of Magash Maximus, the 5233rd Profor Infantry Regiment, the Duchess's Own Magash Dragoons, is part of the Unified Army of Sabine in service with the Unified Armies of the Imperium. It served in both the Fourth and Fifth Frontier Wars and is often off world on the Emperor's business. There is also a colonial regiment of the Dragoons, consisting of the mercenary companies of Magash Maximus, which served in the Fifth Frontier War, and are now in private service. Both regiments share the Profo Infantry Motto "Air is Life."
The Dragoons are an elite drop profor infantry regiment. Unlike a standard drop infantry regiment, which typically fight with only what they can carry on their battlesuited backs, the 1,600 Protected Force Troops require quite a bit more in the way of vehicles and support. In many ways they are Unified Army equivalent of the Imperial Marines. They are not normally used in ship boardings, but spend most of their time fighting on very hostile vacuum worlds. They also have expertise in both enclosed environment and free space combat.
Unlike Marines they most typically fight in the military version of the armored vacc suit, Army Combat Armor. The types of ACA used by the Dragoons is optimized for long endurance in hostile environments, providing better protection, for a longer period of time than standard ACA.
When required, they wear the Type 62-CS Rearden Profor Medium-Duty Battledress, the space optimized version of the standard Rearden Battledress. Modifications include full life support, flight pod, enhanced waste management system, and an NPU.
Regimental Organization
The Regiment is organized into three Profor Infantry Battalions, each with its own profor cavalry vehicles. Supporting the infantry battalions are a Headquarters, Medical Support Company, Quartermaster Group, Light Artillery Unit and Transportation Unit.
Each Battalion is made up of five companies, commanded by an Dragoon Captain. Each company is made up of 3 platoons, commanded by a Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant. Each platoon is made up of three squads. Also attached to each Battalion is a sniper team, consisting of a sniper and a spotter.
The Headquarters consists of the Regimental Colonel, his Executive Officer, typically a Major, The Regimental Sergeant Major who is a warrant officer, and thirteen support personnel, some of who are either intelligence analysts or communication technicians. The HQ has at its disposal an Astrin, in its command variant.
The Medical Support unit consists of three surgeons and three other doctors supported by six nurses (who are warrant officers) and 30 medics, who are normally distributed throughout the platoons.
The Quartermaster Group, normally commanded by a Lieutenant, has ten soldiers who operate the four Teamster heavy G carriers, used to transport supplies for the regiment.
The light Artillery Unit is commanded by a Captain of Artillery, assisted by two Lieutenants. It is a Light Artillery Unit because it possesses no meson canons or Ortillery capability. What the 199 soldiers in this unit do possess is the ability to bring a staggering amount of fire support down on an enemy. The unit is organized into two units each consisting of an Astrin Fire Control Variant vehicle and three Astrin Fire Support Vehicles. An additional Astrin FSV can be attached to HQ for direct control by the Regimental Commander. Because drop infantry doctrine calls for the ultimate shoot and scoot strategy no provision is made for field replenishment of the FSVs, and support vehicles do not deploy with them. An Astrin Nuclear Damper Variant provides protection for the Headquarters unit and Artillery.
The Transportation Unit, commanded by a Lieutenant, sees to the repair and disbursement of all of the Regiments vehicles. She is assisted by two NCOs. Each Infantry Battalion has a Support Cavalry Troop attached. The assigned troop provides Astrin ATVs and support personnel for the Battalion. The Transportation Unit CO also coordinates with the crew of the Imperial or Colonial Navy Transport which carries the Regiment in theater. Also under the command of the Transportation Unit are the warrants and troopers of the Regimental Cutter Service. The Regiment has two assault cutters, and a single general purpose modular cutter.
Weapons
Like many Profor units the Magash Dragoons prefer the Advanced Combat Assault Weapon (ACAW), a modular weapon system that can be configured for different mission profiles. The ACAW is manufactured by Instellarms under the designation IA-552 AGW. This is a relatively new system and has replaced the KG56A3 gauss rifle used by the Dragoons in the FFW. It uses the same 4mm ammunition.
The Very Rapid Firing Gauss Gun 4 mm (VRFGG-4mm.) is the standard battledress weapon of the Dragoons, used instead of energy weapons for most missions. The VRFGG fires the same needle rounds as the ones mounted on the bullet bikes .This version is armored and includes an integral 20 mm gauss grenade launcher.
The Electromagnetic Battle Rifle 20 mm (LEMB-20). The weapon of choice for snipers in battledress. When in ACA most snipers use the T-45 Laser Rifle.
The Dragoons also use a variety of standard gauss weaponry while in garrison. The standard side arm for officers and warrants is the 4mm gauss pistol. They are also expected to possess a serviceable ceremonial sword for use with the full dress uniform.
Vehicles
Because of the very nature of protected force warfare the Dragoons spend a lot more time in or on vehicles than typical jump troops . All of their vehicles have to be modified to withstand the extreme hazards associated with the environments in which they are expected to fight.
Each of the support cavalry troops consists of 10 Astrin Grav APCs, which are used to ferry the five battalion companies. Each Astrin is modified for profor service.
The light artillery company typically includes a Fire Control Center Astrin Variant, a Nuclear Damper Astrin Variant, and seven Astrin Fire Support Vehicles. Additional artillery support can be provided by weapons modules carried by the Lowalaa assault cutters.
A single command grav carrier is assigned to the headquarters. This is typically an Astrin Command Variant.
The Regimental Cutter Service provides air support for the regiment in the form of two Lowalaa assault cutters and a Columbia modular cutter. A multitude of cutter modules give this unit great flexibility. With the proper modules the cutters can provide ortillery support, transportation, medical evac, and even nuclear force protection.
The Transportation Company is ultimately responsible for the maintenance and support of all of the vehicles. Routine maintenance is done by the vehicle crews, who are assigned to each battalion for tactical command, but report to the Transportation CO for administrative purposes.
Bulletbikes provide each dragoon with enhanced mobility and firepower.
Remote transport sleds provide light logistic support for ACA equipped dragoons on planetary surfaces.
Equipment Outfitting
The Dragoons are outfitted with both long endurance TL11 Army Combat Armor and battledress.
62-CS is the standard battledress of the Dragoons. The 62-CS is the profor-optimized version of the Rearden Medium Duty Battledress. The suit has extended life-support and other equipment to enhance its ability to operate in hostile environments. TL11 Army Combat Armor is the standard Army armored. vacc suit. The long endurance version incorporates options to extend the length of time soldiers can function in hostile environments.
Equipment is mission specific. The Dragoons typically wear battledress for drop assault missions. ACA is more typical for enclosed urban or deep space combat actions, where longer endurance is required. Flexibility is the watchword of the profor unit. profor infantry must be prepared for combat in both corrosive atmospheres and hard vacuum. This requires a large amount of available equipment, though only selected items are used in any one mission.
Mission profiles
Space optimized Battledress or Extended Service Army Combat Armor gives the Profor Trooper a variety of transport options.
For long distance planetary travel the Dragoons are typically deployed in their Astrin Armored Personnel Carriers. They can cover shorter distances using bullet bikes.
For planetary assaults Troopers in BD are dropped in Orbital Drop Capsules. Integral flight units in the Quasi-Rearden Battledress give the Troopers high mobility. This is the standard drop trooper deployment strategy. It is used on heavy and corrosive atmosphere worlds, typically with support vehicles landing under cover of ortillery bombardment
Often on vacc worlds troopers drop using bulletbikes for transportation and wear long endurance ACA. Once a temporary LZ is secured vehicles follow. The Dragoons, like all drop infantry units, are not adept at holding ground. They are a high mobility unit, best suited for raids and for securing soft targets while waiting to be relieved by a profor mechanized infantry unit, having armored support. They are not especially good at fighting profor armored cavalry, their weapons are generally too light, and they lack the meson artillery, which is the most effective weapon against entrenched positions.
So what kinds of missions are they well suited for? Typically raiding missions with Y or Z life-support codes. They are excellent at taking out soft targets, infrastructure, and lightly defended military positions. Their greatest enemy is most often the hostile environments that they must operate in, more than the enemy troops who they often out class.
At technology levels which possess grav vehicle capability military units are typically divided into Infantry, Armored and Artillery, as they have been for millennium. Infantry is typically either Lift Infantry, which is transported by grav vehicles and possesses artillery and grav tank support assets or Rapid Interface troops, which make up Jump Infantry Regiments.
The Dragoons, are a combination rapid interface force and Lift Infantry unit specialized for hostile environments. The term Dragoon traditionally describes a fighting force which is transported on animal back, but fights afoot. The soldiers of the Magash Dragoons, like a standard Lift Infantry unit move using vehicles, but lack the heavy artillery and armored support. They also lack the large support structure that goes along with those heavy grav units. Unlike the Rapid Interface Battalions, the Dragoons possess vehicle assets, which give them staying power and mobility. Once Jump Troops are committed they must quickly establish a foothold which allows either extraction or relief by a standard Lift Infantry unit. The Dragoons will use similar tactics. After securing an LZ their own vehicles will follow. The relief force most typically expected by the Dragoons is a unit of profor armored cavalry, for the grav tank is the weapon of choice for hard vacc combat.
The Dragoons' preferred method of transport is the bulletbike, with the Astrin APC a close second. They have on occasion used foot power to traverse long distances over inhospitable terrain. One of the most famous exploits of the Dragoons in the FFW was a 30 day trek across the face of a vacuum moon held by the Sword Worlds, said to have been led by the Duchess herself, who was at that time an officer in Colonial Regiment of the Dragoons. Typically they will ride to their destination and dismount to fight. The Astrins provide both armored protection and environmental isolation, necessary when spending days on hostile worlds. ACA gives them much longer endurance than battledress equipped troops.