Crossbone Vanguard

The Crossbone Vanguard (クロスボーン・バンガード, Kurosubōn Bangādo), abbreviated CV, was the military arm of the Cosmo Babylonia aristocratic movement in the Universal Century timeline. Founded and commanded by the Ronah Family, the Vanguard served as the military force intended to establish and defend Cosmo Babylonia’s vision of aristocratic spacenoid rule against the Earth Federation.

Overview

The Crossbone Vanguard combined professional military organization with aristocratic ideology. Unlike previous Zeon movements that emphasized spacenoid independence through democracy or militant nationalism, the Vanguard explicitly advocated aristocratic governance, arguing that educated nobles would rule more effectively than corrupt democratic systems.

The organization’s name reflected its dual nature:

“Crossbone” evoked the skull-and-crossbones symbol, suggesting piracy and rebellion against established order
“Vanguard” emphasized their role as the forward element establishing a new social order

History

Formation

The Crossbone Vanguard was established in the UC 0110s by the Ronah Family, wealthy spacenoid aristocrats who had accumulated significant economic and political influence in the space colonies. Meitzer Ronah, the family patriarch, developed Cosmo Babylonia ideology and recognized that military force would be necessary to establish their envisioned aristocratic state.

The Vanguard recruited from:

Ronah Family loyalists and employees
Spacenoids sympathetic to aristocratic governance
Professional soldiers dissatisfied with Federation service
Ideologues believing in noble obligation to lead

Training emphasized both combat proficiency and ideological indoctrination, creating soldiers who genuinely believed in Cosmo Babylonia’s vision.

Mobile Suit Development

The Vanguard developed distinctive mobile suit designs characterized by:

Emphasis on speed and manoeuvrability over raw firepower
Elegant aesthetics reflecting aristocratic sensibilities
Advanced technology sourced through Ronah Family resources
Designation system (XM series) distinct from Federation standards

Key mobile suits included:

XM-01 Denan Zon – Mass production unit
XM-05 Berga Giros – Heavy assault type
XM-06 Dahgi Iris – Commander unit
XM-07 Vigna Ghina – High-performance unit

March UC 0123: Frontier Side Invasion

Under Iron Mask’s (Carozzo Ronah) command, the Crossbone Vanguard launched a surprise attack on Frontier Side in March UC 0123. The invasion aimed to seize the colony cluster and establish it as Cosmo Babylonia’s territorial base.

The attack proceeded with shocking speed and brutality:

Overwhelming initial assault disabled Federation defensive forces
Systematic occupation of colonies
Harsh treatment of civilians who resisted
Terror tactics to enforce compliance with Cosmo Babylonia rule

The Vanguard’s aristocratic rhetoric about “liberating” spacenoids clashed jarringly with their violent methods, revealing the contradiction in enforcing noble governance through mass violence.

Conflict with the F91

The Vanguard’s invasion was opposed by resistance fighters including Seabook Arno piloting the F91 Gundam. The conflict revealed tensions within the Vanguard:

Some soldiers genuinely believed in Cosmo Babylonia’s ideals
Others recognized the hypocrisy of noble philosophy enforced through terror
Iron Mask’s increasing fanaticism concerned even loyalists
The Vanguard’s methods alienated potential spacenoid sympathizers

Defeat and Transformation

The Crossbone Vanguard was defeated following Iron Mask’s death in combat against Seabook Arno. The leadership’s collapse, combined with Federation counter-offensive and internal dissent, shattered the Vanguard’s military cohesion.

However, remnants of the organization survived. Some Vanguard members, disillusioned with the Frontier Side invasion’s methods but still believing in certain Cosmo Babylonia principles, reformed as a new Crossbone Vanguard. This reorganized Vanguard would later operate in the Jupiter sphere, appearing in Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam with modified goals and less fanatical methods.

Military Structure

Command Hierarchy

Supreme Commander: Meitzer Ronah (overall leadership)
Military Commander: Iron Mask / Carozzo Ronah (operational command)
Mobile Suit Corps: Organized in squadrons led by aristocratic officers
Support Services: Logistics, intelligence, colonial administration

Tactics and Doctrine

The Vanguard’s military doctrine emphasized:

Speed and Surprise: Rapid overwhelming assaults
Mobile Suit Superiority: Advanced units over mass production
Terror and Control: Harsh occupation to prevent resistance
Aristocratic Leadership: Officers from noble families leading common soldiers

This approach achieved tactical success but strategic failure – the Vanguard could win battles but couldn’t win popular support, undermining Cosmo Babylonia’s claim to represent spacenoid interests.

Ideology

Cosmo Babylonia Philosophy

The Vanguard operated under Cosmo Babylonia ideology:

Aristocratic Governance: Educated nobles would rule more effectively than democratic systems
Spacenoid Evolution: Space colonists represented humanity’s future
Rejection of Federation: The Earth Federation was irredeemably corrupt
Noble Obligation: Aristocrats had duty to lead less capable masses

Contradiction

The fundamental contradiction in Crossbone Vanguard ideology was obvious to opponents:

Claimed to represent spacenoid interests whilst killing spacenoid civilians
Advocated noble governance whilst employing terror tactics
Preached aristocratic refinement whilst conducting brutal warfare
Promised liberation through military occupation

This hypocrisy undermined support even among spacenoids sympathetic to anti-Federation movements.

Legacy

The Crossbone Vanguard’s legacy was complex:

Military Impact: Demonstrated private forces could challenge Federation supremacy
Ideological Failure: Aristocratic governance proved no more legitimate than Federation democracy when imposed by force
Organizational Persistence: Reformed Vanguard continued operating in Jupiter sphere
Historical Lesson: Added to catalogue of spacenoid movements that turned noble rhetoric into violence

The reformed Crossbone Vanguard in Crossbone Gundam attempted to learn from the original organization’s failures, operating with more nuanced understanding of means and ends.

Behind the Scenes

The Crossbone Vanguard was created by director Tomino Yoshiyuki for Mobile Suit Gundam F91 as exploration of aristocratic ideology within the Universal Century timeline. Unlike previous Zeon movements (nationalist, militarist, or revolutionary), the Vanguard represented explicitly aristocratic philosophy.

Tomino intended the organization to demonstrate that any ideology – even one framed in noble terms – becomes monstrous when enforced through violence. The Vanguard’s elegant mobile suits and refined rhetoric contrasted deliberately with their brutal tactics, highlighting hypocrisy.

Mechanical designer Okawara Kunio designed the Vanguard’s mobile suits to appear aristocratic and refined, distinct from both Federation and previous Zeon aesthetics, visually reinforcing their ideological distinctiveness.

Appearances

Mobile Suit Gundam F91
Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam – Reformed organization

External links

Crossbone Vanguard on the Gundam Wiki