38th Division (Word of Blake)
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| |
| 38th Division | |
| Formed | Late 3060s |
| Disbanded | 3075 |
| Nickname | Purity of Devotion |
| Affiliation | Word of Blake |
| Parent Command | Word of Blake Militia |
The Thirty-eighth Division was a Word of Blake hidden military unit that was later revealed to the Inner Sphere in the opening stages of the Jihad. The unit was known for its operations in the Lyran Operation Theater of the war, specifically on Hesperus II.
Contents
History[edit]
Early Years[edit]
The unit first appeared in a raid masquerading as Kuritan forces in April 3068 while striking at the Lyran world of Edasich. Hitting various locations across the planet in paired Level II formations in an effort to mimic Combine companies, they devastated cities and industries in these simultaneous attacks.
In September of 3069, the unit conducted a swift nuclear strike against Summer, hitting the planetary capital city of Curitiba. Again they had been doing this while flying under false colors and accompanied by a flotilla of Pocket WarShips. The raid resulted in the destruction of the local Com Guard unit protecting the planet. The unit swiftly left the scene before Skye forces could discover who had attacked. While doing so, the 38th Division's force attempted to raid Skye itself while these forces investigated. However, the raid ran into the problem, Lyran battlecruiser LAS Fylgia which had gone missing was in-system. The 38th deployed its aerospace fighters to try and deliver a nuclear attack, but were wiped out before making the attempt. The 38th Division managed to withdraw from Skye, and conducted an orbital nuclear attack against Menkent before returning to friendly space.[1]
Invasion of Hesperus II[edit]
In February 3070, the 38th with the 40th Shadow Division invaded Hesperus II as part of the Operation: Steel Hammer. The invasion was made possible after previous years of raiding laid the groundwork for the task force's attack. The invasion force's Lola III-Class Destroyer, End of Wisdom and its flotilla of Pocket of WarShips paved a way through Hesperus' aerospace forces. After the destruction of the Fox Class Corvette, LAS Melissa Steiner, the invasion force blockaded the planet and forced the defenders of Defiance Industries to surrender.[2] The unit was later refitted by newly augmented factories of Hesperus, for its next mission.
The Arc-Royal Assault[edit]
The 38th with the 2nd Division and 43rd Shadow Division deployed to Arc-Royal where they were to assault the planet. Attempting to slip by naval forces under false colors, the WoB forces were found out. Naval forces inflicted heavy damage on the 38th and its fellow Division members as they escaped. The unit itself had been reduced to two Level III forces.
Arcturus[edit]
The division participated in a number of off-world actions, most notably on Arcturus in 3073.[3]
Stone's Assault on Hesperus II[edit]
The surviving forces of the Division had returned to Hesperus II to recover, but by 3074 they had still not built up their strength. In December of that year, Devlin Stone's coalition forces invaded Hesperus II. During the brutal fight for the planet, the unit defended the Defiance Industries complexes along the Second Division. The Precentor Martial split his forces and sent the Battle Corps Legion and a mixed mercenary command against the Thirty eighth Division while the First Army faced the Word's Second Division, with both WoB divisions supported by Castle Brian-like fortifications. Just after one day, the assault stalled. During the next seven days a brutal fighting converted an extended siege to a final push, where the Com Guard Seventy-ninth Division was able to breach the defenses and gain access to the mountain complex. The Seventy-ninth's opened the can on the Word's hold on Defiance Industries, but it took another month before Com Guard battle armor were able to clear the facility of Blakist troops and saboteurs.[4] Only two Level II formations survived the battle.[3]
Following the heavy damage taken by the 38th, the Division was disbanded with the remaining personnel merged into the 3rd Division.[5]
Officers[edit]
| Name | Command | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 38th Division | |||
| Precentor VIII | Maria Paez | 3070 - 3074[3] | |
Tactics[edit]
The unit is trained in raiding and anti-raiding tactics.[6]
Composition History[edit]
3068[edit]
3072[edit]
- 2 Level III formations
3075[edit]
- 2 Level II formations
Game Rules[edit]
3074[edit]
When this force is defending a base, unit, or other objective against a raiding force, their opponents receive a –3 Initiative penalty to reflect the unit's ability to “read” their battle plan.[3]
Notes[edit]
The report given in the Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents are written as canon scattered intelligence report and facts about the unit may not be solid.
Reference[edit]
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 92: "38th Division profile" - Unit conducts nuclear attacks against Skye related worlds
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 24: "Operation: Steel Hammer" - 38th listed as one of the attacks of invasion against Hesperus II
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 9: "Thirty-eighth Division [Word of Blake] (February 3070–November 3074)"
- ↑ Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 5: "The Battle for Hesperus II"
- ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 126: "Word Of Blake Militia"
- ↑ Jihad Secrets: Blake Documents, p. 142: "Special abilities include anti-raiding abilities"