12th Division (ComStar)

Com Guards 12th Division.png
12th Division
Formed Unknown (mid-3030s)
Nickname Pure Waveforms (3050)
The Grizzly Grinders (3055)
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command Sixth Army

Their successful defense of the Luk considered one of the key events of the Battle of Tukayyid, the Twelfth Division is one of the most elite rated units in the Com Guards.

History[edit]

With the public unveiling of the Com Guards, the veteran ranked Twelfth Division, referred to by the nickname of Pure Waveforms, was assigned to the First Army, and was headquartered on the Draconis Combine world of Galedon V.[1]

The Twelfth Division suffered a disgrace shortly after its public unveiling due to a disastrous mistake by its first commanding officer. With the Com Guards deployed into the Combine as part of an agreement between Primus Myndo Waterly and Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita, the shipping of matériel for the Twelfth at its new stations was also intended to mask the transfer of SLDF matériel to the DCMS as part of Operation ROSEBUD. Unfortunately the Twelfth's CO unintentionally assigned a number of advanced 'Mechs intended for the Com Guard forces, including at least one BLR-2C BattleMaster, to the Combine rather than the stripped down SLDF equipment they were meant to receive. When the mistake was discovered, the so-called Precentor Who Lost His Name was reduced to the rank of Acolyte and was undergoing personality modification and reeducation on Terra, his fate a cautionary tale well known among ComStar.[2][3]

During the Battle of Tukayyid, the First Army was tasked with defeating Clan Ghost Bear. Along with the Ninety-first Division, the Twelfth trapped Delta Galaxy's Twentieth Polar Bear Attack Cluster in the outskirts of the Holth forest, inflicting heavy losses and turning the tide in Bears' push for Luk.

As the Alpha Galaxy and Beta Galaxies withdrew to assist the push for Spanac, the Twelfth staged a brilliant ambush, setting fire to the Holth forest and luring Beta Galaxy's Seventh Bear Guards Cluster into clear paths where the units dug-in forces waited. While horrified by the waste of thousand acres of woodland to the point Ghost Bear Khans lodged a formal protest, Clan honor forced the exhausted Seventh to attack the Com Guard unit despite the advantage of Clan advanced heat sink technology being nullified by the fire. The overheated OmniMechs of the Seventh charged the massed forces of the Twelfth and were destroyed to a man.[4][5][6][7]

After the Ghost Bears succeeded in driving the 103rd Division out of Spanac to capture the target city, under massed artillery fire from the Fourth Army, the Twelfth joined the Ninety-First Division in raiding the outskirts in an unsuccessful attempt to take the city back.[6][8]

Choosing the nickname of The Grizzly Grinders after their efforts on Tukayyid, the now elite ranked Twelfth were shifted to bolster the shattered Sixth Army, moving their headquarters first to Pella II in the Sarna March[9] and then Mualang in the Draconis Combine after the FWLM recaptured Pella II in 3057.[10]

Held in reserve during Operation Bulldog, many questioned the rebuilt Twelfth's modern combat experience, but the efforts of the unit to help integrate Clan Nova Cat in Combine society, through diplomatic efforts and a series of military exercises against the DCMS's Genyosha regiments and the Nova Cats' Tau Chi Galaxies helped to earn the respect of all parties.[10]

However, despite their skill and determination, the Twelfth's efforts to defend the Combine against Clan Ghost Bear's counterattack during the Combine-Ghost Bear War was not nearly as successful, taking heavy damage and being forced to withdraw back to Asgard in late 3062, requiring almost a year of refit and repair before returning to station on Malang.[11]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 12th Division (ComStar)
Precentor Robert Jodoin Prior to the Clan Invasion
Precentor Herman Schtiles Since the Twelfth Division was moved to the Sixth Army - 3067

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition[edit]

3050[edit]

12th Division (Division/Veteran)[1]

Note: At this point in time the Twelfth Division was stationed on Galedon V.[1]

3055[edit]

12th Division (Division/Elite)[9]

Note: At this point in time the Twelfth Division was stationed on Pella II.[9]

3062[edit]

Notes[edit]

The insignia of the Twelfth Division shows a meat grinder from which a Ghost Bear is attempting to escape.

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 20 Year Update, p. 70
  2. BattleTech ComStar Battle Level II, Herman Schtiles pilot card
  3. Technical Readout: 3050, p. 192: "BattleMaster
  4. ComStar, pp. 70–71
  5. Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 82
  6. 6.0 6.1 Invading Clans, p. 29
  7. Tukayyid, pp. 48, 51–52
  8. Tukayyid, p. 48
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 ComStar, p. 85
  10. 10.0 10.1 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 31
  11. Field Manual: Updates, p. 86

Bibliography[edit]