82nd Division (ComStar)

82nd Division IV-pi
Formed 3030s
Nickname The Web Cutters (3062);
Justice Through Words (3050)
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command 2nd Army


While noted for its actions against Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Diamond Shark during the Battle of Tukayyid, the 82nd Division was among those most negatively affected by the selection of Victor Steiner-Davion as the Precentor Martial of the Com Guards.

History[edit]

Immediately prior to the Clan Invasion, the green ranked 82nd Division, then a Sigma level mix referred to by the nickname of Justice Through Words, was assigned to the Second Army and was headquartered on the Federated Suns world of Tishomingo.[1] In early 3052 the 82nd Division would present Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht with an olive jumpsuit when he oversaw the induction of a new group of MechWarriors into the division.[2]

Along with a number of other divisions of the 2nd Army, the 82nd was assigned to reinforce the Fifth Army's efforts against Clan Smoke Jaguar during the Battle of Tukayyid. Stationed just outside the Dinju Pass with the 322nd Division, the 322nd was charged with the defense of the Jaguars' Alpha Galaxy target city of Dinju Heights. While the bulk of Alpha's assault was caught in the ambush laid by the 299th and 323rd Divisions in the Pass, the Jaguar Grenadiers made it to the other side and engaged the 82nd and 322nd in a desperate attempt to take the city. Cut off from the Sixth Jaguar Dragoons and with a 323rd MechWarrior seemingly killing Jaguar Khan Lincoln Osis, the Grenadiers' death-or-glory assault was doomed to failure, but their furious attack forced the 82nd and 322nd Divisions to withdraw back into the city and allowed a few Grenadiers to escape back to their drop zone.[3][4]

With the withdrawal of the Smoke Jaguars, the 82nd was among the divisions of the Second and Fifth Armies transferred to assist the Eighth Army's defense against Clan Diamond Shark. With the Shark frontline Clusters bottled up in the valley, the Sharks were totally unprepared when the fresh troops of the 5th Army performed a combat drop behind their front lines, cutting off both Alpha and Gamma Galaxies from their landing zones and supply deports. As the 82nd, 301st and 182nd Divisions advanced to assist their brothers in the valley, the shocked Shark Khans realized their forces were completely surrounded and dangerously low on ammunition. Unable to break stranglehold of the encircled Com Guard forces, only the arrival and sacrifice of the reserve forces of the Freeborn 3rd Shark Regulars allowed the shattered Sharks to withdraw in defeat.[5][6]

After the withdrawal of the Diamond Sharks, a number of elements from the 82nd would be transferred to the desperate fighting against Clan Wolf, suffering heavy losses in combat against the infamous Natasha Kerensky's Wolf Spiders.[2]

Like many Com Guard Divisions, the now elite rated 82nd Division chose a new nickname after their efforts on Tukayyid, calling itself The Web-Cutters. Rebuilt as a IV-pi formation, the 82nd transferred its headquarters to Draconis Combine world of Halstead Station.[7] Despite its elite standing, the 82nd would not be selected to take part in Operation Bulldog, a blow to the division's morale.[8]

The situation would only grow worse with the selection of Victor Steiner-Davion as the new Precentor Martial, with the entire 82nd Division shocked when its commanding officer Precentor Julius Rostinberger refused to serve under him and resigned his commission. By early 3062 almost an entire Level III had followed their former commander's lead, a small number defecting to the Word of Blake, but the bulk joining Rostinberger on Outreach to join his new mercenary unit, The Shield.[8] The division would remain a hotbed of discontent with Victor during the FedCom Civil War as more and more troops departed. By 3067 the 82nd could only field half its official paper strength, a third of which were green academy recruits.[9]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 82nd Division (ComStar)
Precentor James Leboeuf 3049[1]
Demi-Precentor Julius Rostinberger 3055 - 3061[7]
Precentor Xue Zhi-Heng 3061 - 3067[10]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

82nd Division (Division/Green)[1]

Note: At this point in time the 81st Division was stationed on Tishomingo.[1]

3055[edit]

82nd Division (Division/Elite)[7]

Note: At this point in time the 82nd Division was stationed on Halstead Station.[7]

3062[edit]

Note: It was noted in 3060 that the 82nd was one of the primary users of the Pinto attack VTOL.[11]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 20 Year Update, p. 70: "2nd V-lambda"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Blood of Kerensky Omnibus - Epub, p. 1027: "Lost Destiny - Chapter Forty-Five"
  3. Tukayyid, pp. 29: "Campaign: Clan Smoke Jaguar"
  4. Invading Clans, p. 62: "Tukayyid: The Crucible"
  5. Tukayyid, pp. 69–77: "Campaign: Clan Diamond Shark"
  6. Invading Clans, p. 141: "Baptism of Fire"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 ComStar, p. 84: "2nd Army V-mu (The Iron Warriors, Fomalhaut Theater, from 2 to 3 on the "Inner Sphere Clock")"
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 23: "2nd Army V-Mu: The Iron Warriors"
  9. Field Manual: Updates, p. 84: "2nd Army V-Mu (The Iron Warriors)"
  10. Field Manual: Updates, p. 98: "Com Guards (Deployment as of 1 August 3067)"
  11. Technical Readout: 3060 (6th printing), p. 17: "Deployment"

Bibliography[edit]