352nd Assault (Clan Wolf)

Assault 352nd (Clan Wolf) logo.png
352nd Assault Cluster
Nickname The Silver Wolves
Affiliation Clan Wolf
Parent Command Beta Galaxy

The 352nd Assault Cluster was a military formation of Clan Wolf that was effectively destroyed during the Refusal War in 3057.

History[edit]

With the reorganization of the Cluster by Erik Kerensky the fighting strength was considerably increased. During Operation REVIVAL they showed their Inner Sphere opponents their skills with light, fast-moving machines.[1]

Operation REVIVAL[edit]

The 352nd Assault and its parent Beta Galaxy were assigned to the invasion of the Inner Sphere as part of Operation REVIVAL. The unit participated in the following waves of the conflict.

Wave Two[edit]

The 352nd made their first contribution to Operation REVIVAL on Csesztreg in May 3050. Trinaries Command and Elemental faced the defending First and Second Csesztreg Militia Mechanized Infantry Regiments at the Battle of Annick Woods. This action caused so much damage to the defending forces that the planetary government surrendered soon after.

Wave Three[edit]

On 1 July 3050, the 352nd joined Alpha Galaxy's Fourth Wolf Guards and 279th Battle Cluster in the invasion of Rasalhague. The Fourth was assigned to attack Asgard, the new capital city that was still under construction. This was part of Khan Ulric Kerensky's (ultimately successful) plan to manipulate Elected Prince Haakon Magnusson into fleeing the planet. Meanwhile, the 352nd landed on the far southern continent of Hammerfest where they engaged the Third Freemen and its supporting units who defended the industrial center of Ymir. The 352nd pushed the attack relentlessly, and Ymir fell on July 13, with the remnants of the Third Freemen that had not escaped surrendering shortly thereafter. Once the Elected Prince had escaped, and the other target cities had been taken, the 279th and the 352nd joined the Fourth in positions facing the capital of Reykjavik. After the defenders refused to surrender, the Clan Wolf forces assaulted the city on July 15. The battle was extremely brutal and lasted two days, but Clan Wolf emerged victorious.[2][3]

Wave Four[edit]

The 352nd would meet the Third Freemen again, in September 3050 on Kandis. There, the Freemen and the local First and Second Kandis Mechanized Brigades scattered throughout the planet's main continent, using hit-and-run tactics to harry the Wolf Force, which included Trinaries Command and Assault and Binary Elemental from the 352nd, as well as the Silver Keshik. The Wolves countered by attacking the defenders' command and communications structures.

Wave Five[edit]

In November 3051, the whole of Beta Galaxy landed on Sevren. They faced the Twenty-fifth Arcturan Guards RCT, which was led by a veteran of the Fourth Succession War and the War of 3039. The first few battles were inconclusive, due in part to the Arcturan Guards imposing themselves aggressively on the Wolf forces. Finally, the Third Battle Cluster found a weak point in the Guards' lines, and exploited it. Following this event, the Arcturan Guard had to go on the defensive, and eventually retreated off world to Colmar.

The following month saw Beta Galaxy fighting the Twenty-sixth Lyran Guards RCT on two separate worlds, first on Kobe and then on Thun. On Kobe, the Guards were reinforced by the First and Second Kobe Mechanized Brigades. Beta managed to kill the commander of the Twenty-sixth, Hauptmann General Joy Corelli in the first battle. Her replacement, Leftenant General Jinders Green-Davion managed to stabilize the situation, but was forced to conclude that the Guards were too damaged to hold Kobe. He then made the decision to retreat to Thun.

Beta Galaxy followed the Guards to Thun, where Khan Radick's impatience led him to order high-risk missions to try to decapitate the Guards' command structure. An initial push by Elemental Headhunter Stars failed, and Khan Radick personally led a low-level drop to finally decide the issue, pushing the Guards into an off-world retreat.

The 352nd's final action of Wave Five was fought on Domain in January 3052, against the mercenary First Knights of St. Cameron, who were backing up the First and Second Domain Militia Brigades. The battle was most notable for the disappearance of the Knights after the battle, who did not retreat off-world, but who were not heard of again.

Tukayyid[edit]

In May of 3052, the 352nd Assault and the rest of Beta Galaxy were deployed to Tukayyid as part of Wolf Clan's force bid for Trial of Possession of Tukayyid.

While in the Pozoristu Mountains, the 352nd and the rest of the Galaxy were assaulted by ComStar's 11th Army as they were making their way to the city of Brzo. The assault killed their Galaxy Commander, senior Khan Garth Radick, which was a morale blow to the unit. Khan Natasha Kerensky led Beta with her Alpha Galaxy through nine ComStar Divisions to entering Brzo and achieving one of their Clan's Objectives.[4]

Refusal War[edit]

In 3057, Clan Jade Falcon accused ilKhan Ulric Kerensky of treason and forced him to be demoted to Star Colonel for his actions. Ulric Kerensky then called for a Trial of Refusal, against the Jade Falcons. Later on Tamar, Uric Kerensky negotiated Trial to encompass the entire Jade Falcon Occupation Zone.

Colmar[edit]

In September on Colmar, the 352nd assaulted the planet's defenders, the 12th Falcon Regulars Cluster. The Falcons chose to fight in the Marakaa Valley, waiting for the 352nd on Bright Basin.

Marching in column formation through the valley, the Wolves were able to use the narrow walls to their advantage. 12th Falcon's aerospace fighters were limited from their directions they could take to strafe the advancing Wolves, this forcing the Falcon's fighters to break off.

The Falcon 'Mechs descended from the high ridge to attack Cluster's 'Mech's weapons range. The 352nd's young Wolf supremacists chose not to engage strictly in zellbrigen. Using a modified rule, an entire Star of 'Mechs would fire on a single target as each came into range. This devastated the traditionalists of the 12th Falcons, reducing them to barely 10 percent in strength.

Once completing its salvage of rightfully earned isorla, the 352nd left the planet to meet with Khan Kerensky without taking any bondsmen.[5]

Twycross[edit]

In early December, as part of Khan Natasha Kerensky's Task Force, the 352nd landed on Twycross. They engaged the Falcon forces on the Plain of Curtains just outside the Great Gash where the Falcons had been defeated in 3050. The 352nd Assault help formed part of "Diamond" formation at edge of Plains. As the Falcons' 6th Provisional Garrison Cluster engaged 341st Assault Cluster, the 341st withdrew within the formation drawing them in. Once within, the 352nd and its task force mate, 3rd Battle Cluster opened fire on the garrison unit, devastating it. The surprise tactic caused the Falcons to approach more carefully and assaulted 352nd and rest reinforced units. As the combat intensified, the 341st was forced to disengage and withdraw. The 352nd and other units followed the 341st into the canyons of the Gash from combat, in hopes to lure Falcons into ambush with waiting 11th Battle Cluster. However, in the end the Falcons did not pursue the Wolves, and Khan Kerensky ordered the 352nd and the rest of the Wolves to evacuate the planet as she remained behind to fight Falcon's Commanders.[6]

The few remaining Warden warriors from the 341st and 352nd Assault Clusters joined up with survivors of the 37th Striker Cluster and were integrated into that Cluster in order to rebuild it.[7] This Cluster was itself reorganized in late 3058 into the 2nd Wolf Legion as the exiled-Wolves reorganized their forces.[8]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 352nd Assault
Star Colonel Erik Kerensky 3052[9]
Star Colonel Serena Fetladral 3057[10]

Tactics[edit]

Originally an assault Cluster, after a few engagements with the Inner Sphere Erik Kerensky re-equipped the 352nd with mostly fast-moving heavies. The weapons and armor of these lighter units were more than adequate against the Succession Wars-era technology they faced, and the increased speed allowed the Cluster to outmaneuver and overrun their opponents.[9]

The 352nd suffered roughly 70% casualties on Tukayyid,[11] and sometime after that battle command passed to Serena Fetladral.[12] It is unclear if the rebuilt 352nd maintained this focus on lighter, faster units during its actions in the Refusal War.

Composition History[edit]

3052[edit]

[11]

Note: As of 3054, the Cluster was assigned to Satalice as its garrison assignment.[13]

3055-3057[edit]

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Wolf Clan Sourcebook, p. 87
  2. Wolf Clan Sourcebook, pp. 34–37
  3. Wolf Clan Sourcebook, p. 61
  4. Tukayyid, p. 90: Clan Wolf - 352nd Assault's actions combined with Beta Galaxy during Battle for Tukayyid
  5. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 16: Situation Colmar - 352nd Assault attacks the 12th Falcon Regulars on Colmar
  6. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 30: Blood and Sand/Aftermath - Abbreviated version of events involving the 352nd's Assault on Twycross
  7. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 155
  8. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 159
  9. 9.0 9.1 Era Report: 3052, p. 44
  10. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 16: Situation Colmar - 352nd Assault attacks the 12th Falcon Regulars on Colmar
  11. 11.0 11.1 Wolf Clan Sourcebook, pp. 86–87
  12. The Falcon and the Wolf, p. 16
  13. Objective Raids, p. 32: Clan Wolf Units - 352nd Assault assigned to Satalice
  14. The Falcon and the Wolf, pp. 18–19

Bibliography[edit]