A.J. Christopher
A.J. Christopher | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Affiliation | Federated Suns |
| Career | |
| Rank | Marshal[1] |
A.J. Christopher was the commanding officer of the Seventeenth Avalon Hussars during the War of 3039.[1]
History
During the first wave of the War of 3039, Marshal Christopher and the Seventeenth Avalon Hussars accompanied Field Marshal Ardan Sortek's First Davion Guards for the invasion of An Ting. Sortek's First Guards lead the initial invasion and took the capital city of Tule Mod in the face of heavy militia resistance with limited An Ting Legion BattleMech support, before Christopher's Hussars landed in late April. The Seventeenth Hussars quickly went about surrounding the Draconis Combine's conventional forces before battering them over the course of two days. The Combine militiamen ultimately withdrew to the headquarters of Sho-sho Hikaru Dyson in Cerant City, where Christopher's men destroyed them after one last breakout attempt. By the close of the Seventeenth Hussar's fight against An Ting's defenders, five thousand Combine soldiers had been taken prisoner and a further two thousand had been killed, although an unknown number continued to wage a guerrilla war for the planet.[1]
By the time the Ryuken-roku arrived to liberate An Ting in late July, the Federated Suns occupiers had endured a morale-crushing streak of terrorist attacks targeting their personnel and any civilians that aided them. On 24 July, the Ryuken quickly achieved aerospace superiority over Cerant City and forced the Seventeenth Hussars into retreat, giving the Combine a solid foothold for further operations and inspiring an increase in rebel activity. Field Marshal Sortek's series of counterattacks failed to yield results against the elite Ryuken regiment, especially considering the fatigue and low morale affecting the FedSuns soldiers, but still the occupiers did not give up. When Warlord Kester Hsiun Chi arrived on An Ting with the Ryuken-yon, Sortek's forces and the Ryuken-roku had decimated each other, creating large gaps in the front lines that could be easily penetrated.[2]
As more and more Combine reinforcements poured onto An Ting, the FedSuns' morale and supply situation began to reach critical levels. On 11 August, Field Marshal Sortek decided that the First Guards and Seventeenth Hussars could not hold An Ting against a determined and technologically-superior foe and ordered a withdrawal soon after. After one more week of minor incidents, Christopher's Hussars and Sortek's Guards pulled back to Cassias, while the Ryuken regiments fortified the Combine border against future attack.[2]