95th Alpine Battalion

The Snow Gorillas are an independent mercenary unit based out of New Themyscira. The infantry unit is specially trained and equipped for mountain, alpine, and tundra action. They are also notable for being female exclusive, and do not allow cyborgs and gene-augments into their unit. They take their name from the oversized parkas they wear.

Basic Gear

Thermal Encounter Suit

The Snow Gorillas wear a modified encounter suit that are manufactured for thermal insulation and heat retention. These suits are three inches thick, have a hood, and fur trim around the face, neck, wrists, and boots. This is part aesthetic and part protects the wearer from windblown ice and snow. The suit offers improved protection compared to the normal encounter suit.

Pulse Skis

Pulse skis look like a standard pair of alpine skis, but have boosters at the base of the boot. These allow for exceptionally long ski jumps, high speed cross country travel, and the ability to ski uphill. They are power hungry, so it is generally better to save the boost capacity for serious need.

Main Armament

The Snow Gorillas most commonly equip a short stock automatic rifle. This is a common chemjet type of weapon, combining conventional gunpowder propellant and a magnetic barrel.

Sidearm

An expensive option, Snow Gorillas typically are equipped with laser pistols. These tend to be adjustable so that the infantry can use them for cutting ice, melting snow, or flash heating rocks to create a heat source. The laser pistol is much more often a tool than a weapon.

Structure

The 95th Alpine Battalion has a conventional infantry structure and is composed of 6 infantry companies. The first four companies are classified as foot/rifle despite being on rocket skis. The 5th company is classified as mechanized, and the 6th company is the HQ unit.

Each company is lead by a Captain. The captains have more advanced cuirasser armor suits, and are typically a different color. The normal infantrywoman wears a medium blue suit, and the captains wear dark blue. Captains also carry a brace of pistols, typically a pair of magnetic pistols, supplemented by the standard laser pistol side arm.

The mechanized company is mounted on the military version of a snowmobile. These vehicles have a forward mounted light machine gun, and a handful are equipped with an offset gun pod that can be fitted with a grenade launcher, a mortar, or a heavy machine gun.

The command company is fully motorized and has a number of military snow cat armored personnel carriers, snowmobiles, and half a dozen light armor vehicles. Most of the light vehicles are self propelled mortars, and the Snow Gorillas use them to lob smoke rounds or avalanche triggering 'thumpers'. The snowmobile infantry also have the same thumper rounds.

Mobility

The 95th retains the services of the New Themysciran infantry transport the NTS Claudia Dauphin. The medium infantry battalion transport is lightly armored and lightly armed, but is equipped for acting as a mobile base for the battalion. The Snow Gorillas call the ship 'the Chalet' and it is their mobile home away from home.

Deployment

The Snow Gorillas are a very specialized unit, limited in scope, and limited in equipment. They are most commonly employed in Europe as security forces, or mountainous regions of North America. They have only seen very limited employment, and in an era of flying warships, combat robots, and other high mobility tools of war, they have suffered high losses. This, combined with the limited effectiveness of basic infantry with rifles and mortars, has seen the 95th and similar specialized units become increasingly irrelevant.

Ultimate Fate

The 95th Alpine Battalion was dissolved after the Drakensberg campaign and the Battle of Three Rondavels. The Chalet deployed in a sheltered highland valley and the 95th deployed as a recon in force element supporting the SAUR 32nd Gondwaner Heavy Artillery battalion and 2nd Lesotho Highlander mech company. During the course of the campaign, the Chalet was struck repeatedly and destroyed by the Cratos Corp ship, the CCS Agathon. The Snow Gorillas responded to the destruction of the Chalet by abandoning their mission to rain fire on the Agathon, but the frigate decimated the infantry, and destroyed all of their large vehicle forces.

After the summation of the Drakensberg Campaign, the SAUR drew a Pyrrhic victory, driving back the marauding AfroZone forces of the Atlantic Federation, and their mercenary allies. The Snow Gorillas and half a dozen other military and mercenary units were dissolved or merged into 'survivor' units.

Source - Space Pirate Cobra