An enumeration of kills by some (in)famous characters in the Robotech wars |
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The following are excerpts from documents that have been released on the Internet by Lowell Silverman around 2050, at the end of a long Usenet discussion about the effectiveness of the mecha combat skills of various (in)famous military personel and resistance fighters.
While the author does not claim that his listings are complete, he does point out that they were made after hours of research in the recently de-classified government archives, in many cases this involved the study of gun camera material and other mecha recordings, while in others the after-mission reports of various military personel and interviews with civilian participants could be correleated with one another.
Until new material is released or discovered, these listings may well be the final word on kill numbers.
Lieutenant Commander Scott BernardScott Bernard shot down 67 Invid mecha (confirmed):
Scott Bernard’s kills breakdown:
Scott Bernard also expended ammunition for the following reasons:
Scott Bernard may also be credited with the following indirect or unconventional kills:
Scott Bernard is the group's ace-of-aces…something that shouldn’t be a surprise given that he’s the most experienced military man in his group of fighters! Scott Bernard has a remarkable ability to stay cool under fire; this is especially evident in his talent in operating a Cyclone in battle. Despite the length of time it takes for his Cyclone’s targeting computer to lock a target (a long few seconds with annihilation discs coming at him), Scott Bernard never wastes a round by snapping off a shot. Only 1 out of 22 of the Cyclone Scorpion mini-missiles launched missed its target. Even more impressively, no Invid laid a finger or a disc on him while operating a Cyclone; Rook Bartley and Rand received grazes from discs and claw swipes. Interestingly, despite his conservative use of Scorpions in the Cyclone (probably dictated by his limited 4-missile supply!), Scott Bernard uses the Alpha’s Hammerhead missiles (maximum load of 60) prodigiously. Use of these missiles account for half of Scott Bernard’s conventional kills. Under most circumstances, Scott Bernard would fire a standard salvo (about 8 missiles) at each target. While the sheer number of missiles he expends compared to his comrades might appear absurdly high, it’s important to note that only one salvo of missiles missed its target entirely…and that was Corg’s Gosu, no less. Aside from two salvos which damaged an Iigaa (armed), and the missed one, each and every salvo aimed at Invid mecha resulted in the destruction of at least one Invid craft. Some do argue that Corg outwitted Scott Bernard twice (the surprise attack above the streets of Manhattan, and above Reflex Point when Corg’s Gosu followed his missile salvo in with a melee attack), but the final score is Scott Bernard 1, Corg 0. While Scott Bernard did take a few hits in the course of the series, there were no instances in which he was hit because he was careless or inattentive in battle (like Rand and Lancer). |
RandRand shot down 53 Invid mecha (confirmed):
Note: Determining just how many Iigaa (armed) were destroyed by the 2 Alpha salvo in “Hired Gun” is tricky as the battle footage is unreliable. Rand states: “We’re outgunned 30 to 1”, but it is unlikely that he meant that as a literal number…it's rather difficult to count in a pitched battle. From the look of things, each salvo (Rook Bartley’s and Rand’s) streaked towards a separate group of 18. It is implied that all 36 Iigaa (armed) were destroyed, and so half have been so credited to Rook Bartley. Note: In one instance in “Reflex Point” Scott Bernard and Rand both fire missiles at a group of targets at the same time, resulting in 5 Iigaa destroyed. Arbitrarily, I assigned the kills of Rand 3 and Scott Bernard 2, based on the side of the screen they were shown firing at in previous shots. Whether the two separate groups seen destroying the 5 targets were indeed separate salvos from the two pilots, or one salvo (left and right sides) of a single pilot is a matter of debate. Even though about 23 out of ~30 EU-35 rounds missed (7 hits destroyed the RCB), they are acknowledged as being part of a successful attack rather than credited as outright misses. Rand’s kills breakdown:
Rand is a remarkable character, who over the course of the series is transformed from a reluctant fighter with no prior combat experience into a pilot with a bag second only to Scott’s. He might have done even better had he not stubbornly stuck with the poorest Cyclone weapon of all, the EP-40 cannon, instead of picking up something more powerful (at Point K for instance when Scott grabbed an EP-37 or “Hole in the Wall” when he was carrying an RL-6). Certainly, the fact that he missed about 20 bursts with the EP-40 demonstrates his lack of experience, but then again, another 34 rounds hit their target ineffectually. The low total of 5 kills in his Cyclone aside, Rand performed well, thanks to the cannons he preferred of a bit higher power: A solid 12 Invid were downed with the Alpha and Beta’s cannons, and (having secured a rare privilege) another 14 Invid mecha at least were vaporized by his use of the Synchro Cannon artillery piece. Like Rook and Lancer, Rand is somewhat stringent on missile use, employing them on merely two occasions (though one, of course, he launched all 60 against 18 Iigaa!). Rand’s enthusiastic “let’s go get them” style might well be the reason for his success in beating out his competitor, Rook (who usually hoarded her ammunition for precise strikes). At the same time, it probably is responsible for making the Invid use Rand for target practice! So too, Rand is a bit careless as a fighter, perhaps due to his lack of prior military experience. His getting shot in the (Battloid’s) back on the streets of New York by Corg was due in large part to his lack of situational awareness. He also took a while to learn that one should not stand still on a Cyclone when a Gurab’s cannons are glowing with a priming charge! |
Rook BartleyRook Bartley shot down 36 Invid mecha (confirmed):
Note: Determining just how many Iigaa (armed) were destroyed by the 2 Alpha salvo in “Hired Gun” is tricky. Rand says- “We’re outgunned 30 to 1” (unlikely that he meant that as a literal number…rather difficult to count in a fierce battle). From the look of things, each salvo (Rook Bartley’s and Rand’s) streaked towards a separate group of 18. It is implied that all 36 Iigaa (armed) were destroyed, and so half have been so credited to Rand. Rook Bartley’s kills breakdown:
Note: From a distant view, Rook Bartley is seen to fire three blue (energy?) bursts at a Gamo during the battle inside “Denver bunker complex”. As such weapons fire is inconsistent with the Recluse rockets the RL-6 she was armed with fired, such a firing record is omitted. Rook Bartley may also be credited with the following indirect or unconventional kills:
Rook Bartley established a notable combat presence in the seriesm beginning with her miraculous rescue of Rand and Annie in “The Lost City”. Indeed, her use of the RL-6 rocket launcher is every bit as precise (if not more so) than Scott Bernard’s Scorpion use. Out of 10 direct hits in the course of the series on Invid mecha with the RL-6, 9 are destroyed and one damaged. Her precise usage of ammunition extended to the Alpha. Indeed, every time she used her Alpha’s cannon to fire upon a target, that target was hit (I don’t mean that no shots missed, but rather that all attacks (sometimes 2-3 bursts) resulted in damage to the enemy). Rook Bartley used Alpha missiles only a single time in the entire series. Remarkably enough, her suggestion was for both her and Rand to each use all 60 at once to clear the skies of a cloud of Invid Iigaa (armed). It worked too. Rook Bartley‘s aggressive fighting style paid off as often as it nearly got her killed. In “Lonely Soldier Boy”, despite leaving her RL-6 at home, so to speak, Rook Bartley made two attempts to strike Gurab (armed) in their sensor eye weak spot with the Cyclone’s feet. The first time, the Gurab dodged and nearly immolated her with a pair of annihilation discs, but the second time she succeeded in scoring the kill. Rook Bartley gets in the most trouble from hand-to-hand combat, perhaps a result of her love of getting in close to pummel the enemy. Rook Bartley sustained melee damage from each and every type of Invid mecha! |
LancerLancer shot down 14 Invid mecha (confirmed):
Note: It is unknown how many RPGs Lancer used against the Gurab (armed) in “Survival” which is why the counted 9 Recluse rockets has the plus symbol, indicating a higher unknown quantity expended. Lancer’s kills breakdown:
Lancer takes part in surprisingly few battles during the course of the series, making analyzing his skills and style difficult. Like Rook Bartley and Rand, he is stringent with missile use; despite often flying an Alpha or Beta loaded with firepower, he preferred to use his Veritech’s cannons in battle. He is the antithesis of Scott Bernard in this matter: He conserves Veritech missiles, but saturates targets (in a Cyclone) with rocket propelled grenades. One notes that Lancer never missed a target altogether (in other words, not a single round from a salvo of RPGs or cannon found their mark). Of course, in so few battles, that doesn’t mean much. Lancer might not be as attentive a flier as Scott Bernard; letting his guard down in “Dark Finale“ very nearly cost him his life, but for “the power of human emotions“ on impressionable Invid. Surprisingly, as often as Lancer flew the Beta, only one of his conventional kills was achieved while flying that mecha. In Veritechs, Lancer preferred for the most part to stay in Fighter mode, though his one Battloid kill is an enviable achievement: A Gosu |
Jim “Lunk” AustinAs Jim Austin is not a pilot, it should come as no surprise that all his victories were achieved through non-mecha, or unconventional means:
Jim Austin is not a pilot, but the fact that he survived his only combat flight (against Corg’s Gosu) is a distinction not earned by the majority of REF pilots in the final days of the war against the same opponent. Jim Austin’s aiming skills are impressive with the armor-piercing cannon…5 shots, 5 hits, 5 kills aimed while in motion! Unfortunately, it would appear that that was all the ammunition he had available. I guess it makes him an ace, though. |
Annie “Mint” LaBelleAs Annie is not a pilot nor a fighter, it should come as no surprise that she has only a number of unconventional kills:
Total verified kills: 2 1/3 (see above) Annie received a Gurab (armed) claw swipe, which parted her jacket without injury. ANALYSISFor a noncombatant, 2 1/3 kills are pretty good. |
Robotech New Generation Pilot’s Accomplishment ReportColonel Jonathan Wolff (final fight only)Colonel Wolff shot down 5 Invid mecha (confirmed):
Colonel Wolff’s combat style may reflect his long time as an infantryman on Earth. Observe how well he uses the Alpha as a melee weapon: Indeed, he dispatches two Gurab (armed) with blows from the Veritech’s legs, compared to only one Invid craft dispatched with two heavy salvos of missiles. Despite expending 28 missiles, Wolff’s one kill with them was not terribly impressive. His first salvo of 12 was too spread out, allowing a clever Gurab (armed) to block the one that came close enough to enough to cause damage. The second salvo of 18 might have caught both Iigaa (armed), but concentrated on only one (which was destroyed). Wolff used the Alpha‘s cannon precisely. Two Invid mecha were dispatched with single bursts each, one shot severed a Gurab (armed)’s arm (freeing Rand’s Cyclone), and the other two shots struck near a pair of Gurab (armed), perhaps convinced them to back off for a moment. It would seem though, that Wolff’s show[boating] of skill in operating the Alpha was his downfall. In taking the effort of making the fancy move of kneeing a Gurab (armed) in the sensor eye, another Gurab (armed) came up from behind and the two traded lethal shots. One rememberes that in his prime, however, Colonel Wolff was one of the deadliest pilots alive. |
Robotech New Generation Pilot’s Accomplishment ReportCorgCorg shot down 9 REF mecha (confirmed):
Note: Given the prodigious (and ineffective use) of annihilation discs on the part of Invid pilots, the number of rounds from this weapon that missed have not been recorded. Note: The hit that Corg is believed to have scored on Rand’s Alpha while flying a Gurab (armed) before transmutation to human form is omitted. Total verified kills (9 victories):
Corg is a highly talented pilot, proving a tough adversary against the Bernard Team even before he was transmutated to human form. Even when flying an Iigaa (armed) or Gurab (armed) against the Bernard team, he was able to survive (if not significantly damage them). Indeed, the clearest demonstration of Corg’s talents comes not from his victories against admittedly lackluster REF pilots but from his ability to engage (as seen in “The Big Apple”) 4 excellent pilots alone and score hits. He makes short work against the lesser experienced Alpha pilots. These pilots fly in straight lines, don’t dodge, don’t use missiles, and rarely even tried firing with cannons at him; his weapon seemed significantly more accurate and powerful as well, instantly destroying each flier with a single hit (while up to 3 hits scored on Rand’s Alpha did not cause it to explode). Corg’s flying style was heavily based on maneuver; he would utilize the high performance qualities of his Gosu to full advantage, evading most fire with jukes and bursts of speed. His style is quite attuned to his personality, aggressive and lacking in subtleness. Whereas Scott will respond to an attack by missiles with evasive action and attempts to shoot them out of the air, Corg will merely dodge them and fire a burst in response. This perhaps explains his ability to turn the tables on the REF attackers unfamiliar with such a quick counterattack. On the other hand, Corg frequently became overconfident to a damaging degree. He was buried in “Denver” for dividing his forces, which were defeated piecemeal by 4 lightly armed Cyclones, and nearly killed by cobalt bombs when he blundered confidently into a Bio-emulator trap. His death occurred when he simply flew straight and slow, and neither dodged nor counterattacked when Scott fired a salvo of missiles at him. Therefore, one may conclude that while a technically skilled pilot and warrior, Corg was subject to the fatal trait of carelessness. |
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Content by Lowell Silverman, adaptation by Pieter Thomassen