imported>Ocherstone at 05:31, 18 January 2025

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{{otheruses|the mercenary unit|the BattleMech|Bandersnatch}}
{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image =
| Designation = Bandersnatches
| formed =
| Disbanded = [[2933]] (entered permanent employment with ComStar; became part of the [[Com Guards|ComStar Guards and Militia]])
| Previous Designation =
| Nickname =
| Affiliation = [[Mercenary]]
| Parent Command = Independent
| Sub-Command =
}}

Described as a heavy [['Mech]] assault [[battalion]] of good ability, the '''Bandersnatches''' were a [[mercenary unit]] that was hired by [[ComStar]] in [[2931]] during the [[Necess Kurita]] affair. The unit subsequently went to work for ComStar permanently and would become part of the [[Com Guards|ComStar Guards and Militia]].

==History==
Commanded by Colonel Dietrikson, the Bandersnatches had fought well on the [[Draconis Combine]]'s front along the [[Federated Suns]] border. They were known to be a notable mercenary unit in Kuritan employ,<ref name=CM-Kp25>''Combat Manual: Kurita'', p. 25, "The Dragon's Hirelings"</ref> yet [[Coordinator]] [[Hugai Kurita]] was not interested in continuing their employ in late 2931. The unit's employment with the [[Draconis Combine]] was only two days from ending when Kurita started an incident with ComStar by abducting his newly invested sister [[Necess Kurita]]. As soon as the Bandersnatches' contract expired, the [[ROM|Covert Operations department]] of ComStar hired the unit at twice the normal rate due to their close proximity to [[Luthien]]. The Bandersnatches were immediately placed aboard [[DropShip]]s registered as ComStar freighters and secretly deployed to be ready to combat-drop on [[Luthien]] by the ComStar [[JumpShip]] ''[[Eyes of Blake]]''. Their orders were to rescue the kidnapped [[Acolyte#Ranks and Hierarchy|Acolyte]] and ruin the Imperial Palace in the process. Shocked that the supposedly neutral organization was prepared to take military action, the Coordinator gave in to ComStar's demand that Necess Kurita be allowed to return to the Order. The attack order was canceled less than ten minutes from execution on the 13th of December 2931.<ref name=HK83>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 83</ref><ref name=CS39-42>''ComStar'', pp. 39–42</ref><ref>''Handbook: House Kurita'', p. 59</ref>

In the aftermath of the successful resolution and the indicated need for a standing military, [[Primus of ComStar|Primus]] [[Hollings York (ComStar)|Hollings York]] offered the Bandersnatches permanent employment with ComStar. The mercenary unit was used to form part of the basis of the ComStar Guards and Militia when they were formed in [[2933]].<ref name=CS39-42/>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the Bandersnatches'''
|-
| [[Colonel]]||Dietrikson||[[2931]]
|-
|}

==Tactics==
Unknown.

==Unit Composition==
As of 2931, the Bandersnatches were a heavy 'Mech battalion and possessed several DropShips.<ref name=HK83/> The fact that they were carried on a ComStar JumpShip seems to indicate that they did not possess a JumpShip of their own, though this is ultimately conjecture.

==Notes==
*Although The Bandersnatches are said to have formed the core of ComStar's military arm, it should be noted that ComStar had cached considerable amounts of military hardware and that [[Jerome Blake]] had retained elements of the SLDF who had refused to join [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]'s [[Operation EXODUS]]. ComStar had used these troops to capture and hold [[Terra]].
*The Bandersnatches should not be confused with [[Clinton's Cutthroats]], another mercenary unit that was hired permanently by ComStar (or possibly a hidden cabal within ComStar) in [[2870]] specifically to permanently guard the [[Hidden Five]] and formed the nucleus of these secret worlds' independent defenses, which were separate from the [[Com Guards]], ComStar's regular secret military.

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Combat Manual: Kurita]]''
*''[[ComStar (sourcebook)|ComStar]]''
*''[[Handbook: House Kurita]]''
*''[[House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)]]''

[[Category:Mercenary Commands|Bandersnatches]]

Bandersnatches - Revision history

imported>Ocherstone at 05:31, 18 January 2025