Shadow Divisions
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The Shadow Divisions were the greatest surprise to Inner Sphere intelligence agencies during the Jihad. Led by Precentor Apollyon and reporting directly to The Master, the Shadow Divisions served as the Blakist's main offensive arm, initiating first strikes against Tharkad, New Avalon, Luthien, Atreus, and Sian. Consisting solely of Manei Domini troops, the Shadow Divisions quickly proved themselves the equal of most elite military commands.[1] With their focus on offensive operations, the Shadow Divisions spent most of their time outside the borders of the Word of Blake Protectorate.[2]
Though the Shadow Divisions and Word of Blake Militia both answered to the Master, their commanding officers (Precentor Apollyon and Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais) were bitter rivals. This friction, as well as the Manei Domini habit of looking down on the "Frails" that made up most of the WoBM troops, led to several cases where the Word suffered avoidable reversals. Late in the Jihad, there were rumors that Shadow Divisions raided Protectorate worlds and killed members of the Word of Blake Militia and Protectorate Militia.[3][4][5]
History
As the Shadow Division's existence was a complete surprise to the Inner Sphere, very little is known about their early history. The first known sightings of the Shadow Divisions came at the onset of the Jihad in 3067 when they struck Tharkad and New Avalon. However, as the horrors of the Jihad dragged on they became notorious for their brutality.
Tactics
The Shadow Divisions employed any weapon that would help them achieve victory. Usually these were updated conventional weapons such as OmniMechs or OmniFighters, but the Shadow Divisions were especially dangerous when losing. They indiscriminately used nuclear weapons, orbital bombardments, chemical and biological weapons on those worlds where they were defeated. One of the prime examples of this is Galax where they employed a chemical weapon to poison the fragile biosphere of the planet, forcing the world into quarantine.
Units of the Shadow Divisions
When the Shadow Divisions first appeared in the Inner Sphere, they consisted of 13 divisions.
- 40th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on Hesperus II 3074
- 41st Shadow Division - Destroyed on Gibson 3079
- 42nd Shadow Division - Destroyed on Luthien 3074
- 43rd Shadow Division - Destroyed on New Home 3078
- 44th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on New Avalon September 3074
- 45th Shadow Division - Destroyed on New Home 3078
- 46th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on Circinus 3081
- 47th Shadow Division - Destroyed on New Home 3078
- 48th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on Circinus 3081
- 49th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on Devil's Rock 3081
- 50th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on New Earth 3078
- 51st Shadow Division - Destroyed on Terra 3078
- 52nd Shadow Division - Destroyed on Gibson 3079
- 53rd Shadow Division - Destroyed on Poulsbo 3081
- 54th Shadow Division - MIA, last seen on Jouques 3079