403rd Division (ComStar)

403rd Division IV-phi
Formed Early thirty-first century
Nickname Przeno River Rats
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command 4th Army


Noted for their actions against Clans Jade Falcon and Smoke Jaguar, the 403rd Division is considered among the most elite and fanatically loyal units in the Com Guards.

History[edit]

Immediately prior to the Clan Invasion the regular ranked 403rd Division, then an upsilon-based formation referred to by the nickname of Forceful Words, was assigned to the 11th Army, and was headquartered on the Federated Commonwealth held world of Yorii.[1]

Battle of Tukayyid[edit]

Along with the rest of the relatively green Eleventh Army, the 403rd faced Clan Jade Falcon during the Battle of Tukayyid. Assigned to defend the approaches to Robyn's Crossing from the vanguard of the advancing Falcons, the 403rd prepared a series of fortified positions two kilometers from the bridge and the 388th Division dug in around it.[2][3][4]

Leading the charge, the elite Star Colonel Rard Hoyt led 1st Falcon Striker sent its faster OmniMechs to enfilade the 403rd forces while the Cluster's heavier 'Mechs launched a direct assault against their reinforced positions. Despite the near constant assault from the 1st Striker's heavy 'Mechs, OmniFighters and Arrow IV bombardment, the 403rd successfully held its position and bought time for the Com Guard forces at the bridge to prepare, until a Star of Elementals succeeding in slipping behind the division's lines.[5][2][3]

Launching a "headhunter" attack against the 403rd's HQ, the Falcons eliminated the 403rd's CO Precentor Robert Maigatter as well as vital supplies and communications equipment, sending the division into disarray. As the 403rd broke, the Strikers breached their lines, annihilating more than 70% of the division.[5][3]

After ComStar Schism and Operation Bulldog[edit]

Rebuilt as a IV-phi formation, the now tempered and elite 403rd chose a new nickname based on their experiences against Clan Jade Falcon, Przeno River Rats. After the ComStar Schism the 403rd was reassigned to the Twelfth Army to defend against any further Clan aggression, taking up headquarters on Ueda.[6]

The 403rd's elite standing earned them a place in the Com Guard contingent that took part in Operation Bulldog, launching from Tanh Linh to act as unneeded support for the 1st Proserpina Hussars' Trial of Possession against the Ninth Nova Cat Regulars for Kanowit during the first wave, the 403rd then joined the 8th Alshain Avengers, 1st Davion Guards and 2nd Kell Hounds in facing Psi Galaxy's 11th Garrison Cluster on Yamarovka in the second wave. Among the most fierce and costly fighting during Bulldog, when 11th Garrison Cluster refused to withdraw, the 403rd and the rest of the SLDF taskforce were forced to kill the Smoke Jaguar unit down to the last man.[7][8]

Capellan-St. Ives War[edit]

With the lessened Clan threat after the Great Refusal and increasing tensions in St. Ives Compact, the new Precentor Martial of ComStar Victor Steiner-Davion transferred the 403rd along with the along with the 321st Division to bolster the Fourth Army in 3061. Headquartered on the Compact world of Nashuar, the 403rd attempted to maintain peace and defuse tensions on that world and those surrounding it.[4] While the Compact was ultimately forcefully reintegrated into the Capellan Confederation, the 403rd remained in the recreated St. Ives Commonality as peacekeepers with the blessing of Duchess Candace Allard-Liao.[9]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 403rd Division (ComStar)
Precentor IV Robert Maigatter 3050- 3052[1][3]
Precentor XVI Darrel Burns 3055 - 3067[6][4][10]

Tactics[edit]

The 403rd Division is able to use small units with great effect.[11]

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

403rd Division (Division/Regular)[12]

Note: At this point in time the 403rd Division was stationed on Yorii.[12]

3055[edit]

403rd Division (Division/Elite)[13]

Note: At this point in time the 278th Division was stationed on Ueda.[13]

3062[edit]

3067[edit]

  • 403rd Division (Przeno River Rats IV-phi)[10]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 20 Year Update, p. 71
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tukayyid, p. 58: "Campaign: Clan Jade Falcon"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Jade Falcon Sourcebook, p. 32: "Battle of Tukayyid"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 27: "4th Army V-Iota: The Defenders of Honor"
  5. 5.0 5.1 Era Report: 3052, p. 49: "Factions - Clan Jade Falcon - First Falcon Striker (The Pursuing Peregrines)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 ComStar, p. 85: "12th Army V-Beta"
  7. The Dragon Roars, pp. 10–11: "Unit Summaries - Operation Bulldog"
  8. The Dragon Roars, p. 24: "Wave Two: Driving Forward"
  9. Field Manual: Updates, p. 85: "4th Army V-Iota (The Defenders of Honor)"
  10. 10.0 10.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 98: "4th Army V-Iota - (The Defenders of Honor)"
  11. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 137
  12. 12.0 12.1 20 Year Update, p. 71
  13. 13.0 13.1 ComStar, p. 85

Bibliography[edit]