Ace Pilots of the One Year War

(TL Note: EB39 is written from a in-universe perspective, from about UC0120 or so.)

Introduction: Ace pilot requirements

What is an ace?

The word 'ace', from old French, means 'one who excels', which was later applied during the early days of aerial combat to indicate 'one who has shot down 5 planes'.  This requirement of 5 planes or occasionally the pilot to score the first kill in an engagement were not particularly strictly defined at the time.

However, after some time, the usage of this word to denote a pilot who has shot down five planes would become common parlance.

MS-07B3 Gouf Custom

MS-07B3 Gouf Custom

Model Number: MS-07B3

Head Height: 18.2m

Base Weight: 58.5t

Loaded Weight: 77.6t

Generator Output: 1,034 kW

Thruster Output: 40,700kg

Armor Material: Luna Titanium 

Main Armament: Triple 35mm Gatling Cannon, Gatling Shield, Heat Rod, Heat Saber.

As the Gouf was intended to be used as an Anti-MS unit, the Mobile Suit's individual combat capabilities were increased, with the equipment enhanced by close combat weapons and improved fixed weapons, like the whip-like electrified heat rod on the right arm.  The left hand initially featured a 5-barrel 75mm machine gun, but the loss of adaptability and flexibility was later deemed to be incompatible with Zeon tactics.

Johnny Ridden

Military ID Number: PM056330279A

Affiliation: Mobile Assault Corps

Biography:

Born UC0056, as a third generation of the first colony immigrants. Johnny Ridden's family immigrated to space from the former Australia, though he was of American ancestry, unusual within Zeon.

Warship Historica

Space Ships and the birth of ships able to operate Mobile Suits.
~Humanity's progress in space and the necessity of new weapons~

Mobile Suits Launch for a Tivvay Heavy Cruiser, December UC 0079

With the advent of the space immigration policy, Anti-Earth Federation activities increased and lead to the militarization of Side 3 as a result.   The weapons born from of this series of events were the Space Warship and ships able to operate Mobile Suits.

Universal Century Ships: Musai-Class Light Cruiser

Principality of Zeon Forces - Musai-Class Light Cruiser

The Musai-class light cruiser was commissioned in July U.C. 0075 as the standard light space cruiser in the Principality of Zeon forces.  The most prominent design feature of this class was its design specializing in Mobile Suit deployment.  Equipped with Minovsky thermonuclear fusion reactors in nacelles on each side of the ship, it also featured hangar space, a bridge section block, and cannon turrets in the main hull.

Zeon Forces Uniforms and Smallarms

The Principality of Zeon’s Military uniforms are particularly notable for their emphasis on appearance and design.  The design, which is evocative of designs in the restoration era past, gives priority to identification, with rank devices not only present on shoulders and sleeves, but also a large rank insignia on the chest, a particularly noteworthy point.

MS-18E Kämpfer

MS-18E Kämpfer Assault Experimental Heavy Mobile Suit
Overall Height/17.7m
Empty Weight/ 43.5t
Loaded Weight/ 78.5t
Thruster Output/ 29,500kg x2, 27,000kg x2, 12,000kg x4 
Apogee Motors/ 16
Armament/ 60mm Machine Cannons, Custom Shotgun, etc.

In the late One Year War, the Zeon Military was developing a number of new mobile suits for various roles.  With the Federation Forces' offensive being driven by mass production of Mobile Suits, Zeon’s inferior industrial base meant that Zeon Mobile Suits needed to be of superior quality (in terms of abilities) to counter this strategy.

Ramba Ral

A man who belonged to the battlefield, one of Zeon’s leading warriors.

Rank at the end of the One Year War: Captain (O-3)

One Year War Duty Assignment: Zeon Military, Space Attack Corps

Birth Year, Place: Unknown, Side 3

Career accomplishments: Participated in the Battle of Loum in January 0079, where he was credited with sinking six ships, making him one of Zeon’s top ‘Ship Aces’ at the time.   On October 6th, 0079, he assembled a special strike force to suppress the White Base, and dropped to Earth.   This force engaged the White Base several times, and after forming a guerilla force under his ‘M3 operation’, was able to get close to the White Base, but after sustaining wounds inside the enemy ship, determined his own fate.

‘The Blue Giant’ was this Zeon Soldier’s alternate name, highly skilled in commanding Guerilla operations, and Mobile Suit Piloting, where he piloted his MS-07B Gouf against the White Base’s Ace, Amuro Ray in his RX-78-2 Gundam, ultimately fighting the Gundam to an even match in combat.

Zeon Herzogtum Korps Wahrzeichen

Zeon Principality Corps Rank Insignia

(TL note: I have listed the equivalent Army and Navy ranks for each officer rank, as Bandai has chosen the Naval ranks to be officially localized to the English-language releases, but the enlisted ranks in Japanese are definitely Army ranks only, so I did not list Naval ranks there.   Because of this discrepancy, I will use Army ranks elsewhere on the site.)

Though many parts of the Zeon Military uniforms remain mysterious, the military ranks basically follow the chart below.  A detailed explanation of the different types of rank insignia are explained in detail below.