Infantry and Infantry Carriers (APCs) are the backbone of any vehicular military unit. Popular opinion has it that infantry is almost totally useless against vehicles, and especially against 'Mechs, but actual combat situations have almost invariably proved this myth to be false.
         Infantry Carriers are not fighting vehicles, for their main function is to transport infantry squads from one battle to another. Although most APCs mount weapons, these are usually only for defense against other infantry units. In most cases, the infantrymen will dismount from the vehicle and fight on foot rather than be trapped under fire in an armored personnel carrier.
         Each of the three basic types of APCs has its own individual function on the battlefield. The wheeled APC is used mostly in city fighting, because wheels are best-suited for roads and light cross-country movement. Tracked APCs are used mostly in heavy cross-country terrain, such as broken or hilly regions. Hover carriers are used in deserts and snow plains, because they can move quickly over such terrain.

         Armored Personnel Carriers are among the least complex and sturdiest vehicles available. They do not require any special equipment to repair, and a communicator is the fanciest piece of equipment they carry.
         The APC's weapons are usually minimal in order to increase the number of men the vehicle can transport. Moreover, the small size of the vehicles dictates that any weapons mounted be light ones.
         Wheeled APCs tend to be cheaper to build, and they carry more armor than the other two types. Their cross-country mobility is limited, however. Tracked APCs are more expensive to build, but can operate in a wider variety of terrains. Hover APCs tend to sacrifice armor protection for speed. Though restricted to travel in open areas, the hover carrier is the vehicle of choice for any commander who wants his units to be able to respond rapidly.
         Modern carriers have communications equipment that allows their men to keep in touch when away from the vehicle. These communications sets may be of almost any type, from personal communicators to long-range systems.

         There are no battle reports of spectacular APC actions on the battlefield, but there are accounts of infantry units holding back forces that, statistically, at least, should have destroyed them easily.
         Of all the House Lords, Katrina Steiner seems to be the only one who sees the particular advantage of using infantry in battles. A single infantryman cannot do much damage to a 'Mech, but a whole company can wipe one out with little effort.
         During one border dispute with Kurita, Katrina Steiner was forced into a desperate defense of the planet Garrison. When she was forced to withdraw her 'Mech forces and move them to a more important, even more threatened planet, the only troops left to defend Garrison were infantry units. Those troops were ordered to remain to defend the planet as best they could.
         Katrina had left 15 companies of infantry to face 15 lances of 'Mechs. Indeed, some of these 'Mech lances were among Kurita's finest troops. As the Steiner infantrymen knew they had no choice but to fight or surrender, they dug in and awaited the inevitable onslaught.
         They did not have long to wait. Several Kurita lances came storming over the hills in an apparent attempt to overrun the hapless infantry. After several infantry companies had taken heavy losses, the infantry commander ordered his remaining units to open fire at point-blank range. Several of the 'Mechs were destroyed outright by head hits, and the rest were thrown into confusion. It was clear that the Kurita troops never expected the infantry to last this long.
         This confusion was all the infantry needed to win the battle. In a heated 20-minute engagement, they destroyed the rest of the 'Mechs. The infantry commander immediately ordered all his troops into their APCs and moved into the hills to wait for the other Kurita 'Mechs.
         Two hours later, the other Kurita 'Mechs began to cautiously edge toward the battle site at the foot of the hills. In silence, they surveyed all that was left of their fallen comrades. Just then, the infantry commander ordered his troops to attack the remaining 'Mechs, five of which were immediately cut down. The rest retreated from the battlefield, and left Garrison as quickly as they could.

         There are many popular variants on Armored Personnel Carriers.   The most popular mount more weapons, such as machine guns, at the expense of carried troops.   Quite often, these vehicles no longer carry troops, and are used purely for infantry support.
         Infantrymen are sometimes considered the craziest of all combat troops.   Perhaps this is because they have been known to paint their carriers in bright, garish colors that obviously reveal their position to anyone within sighting distance.

         Larry Godson
         Commander, now General, Godson was at the head of Steiner troops in the defense of Garrison.   His famous order was, "Don't fire till you see the glow of their control panels!"