143rd Division (ComStar)

143rd Division IV-delta
Nickname The Grace of Thought (3050);
The Focht Hussars (3062)
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command 9th Army

The 143rd Division saw action in both the Battle of Tukayyid and the FedCom Civil War.

History[edit]

Immediately prior to the Clan Invasion, the regular ranked 143rd Division, then a Xi level mix referred to by the nickname of The Grace of Thought, was assigned to the Eighth Army and was headquartered on the Lyran Commonwealth world of Poulsbo.[1] It was noted as having a large concentration of MCY-97 Mercury BattleMechs.[2][3]

Along with the rest of the Eighth Army, the 143rd was assigned to combat Clan Diamond Shark during the Battle of Tukayyid. While the Eighth suffered heavy losses, ROM's intelligence rating the Diamond Sharks as the weakest Clan on Tukayyid proved accurate, with the Sharks totally routed and almost completely destroyed.[4][5]

Post-Tukayyid[edit]

Like many Com Guard Divisions, the regular rated 143rd Division chose a new nickname after their efforts on Tukayyid, calling itself The Focht Hussars. Rebuilt as a IV-delta formation, the 143rd was transferred to recoup the losses suffered by the Ninth Army, moving its headquarters to the Lyran Alliance world of Lipton.[6]

As with all the Com Guard divisions posted in the Lyran Alliance, the 143rd suffered negatively from the retirement and replacement of Anastasius Focht by Victor Steiner-Davion as Precentor Martial of ComStar in 3061, facing increasing distrust from the local populace and LAAF High Command in response to ComStar's rejection of Katherine Steiner-Davion as First Lord of the reborn Star League. [7][8]

The division's wide deployment across the Alliance's Skye Province and Freedom Theater made their situation even more tense as the flames of Free Skye and Robert Kelswa-Steiner fomenting another succession increased in the years leading to the FedCom Civil War. Questioning if the Lyran Alliance would truly respect ComStar's fragile post-Schism neutrality, Precentor Reed stepped up the training schedule of his troops and efforts to ensure their material is in full working order,[9] staging combined Level IV scale field exercises every year from 3062 on.[10]

Precentor Reed's efforts were heavily influenced and complicated by Leutnant-General Carl Bert-Gregg, CO of the Fourth Alliance Guards, the Lyran unit stationed on Lipton. Bret-Gregg's extreme disgust with the Order, after the depth of its manipulation during the Succession Wars era was revealed, led him to expect the 143rd Division would betray the Alliance even if he lacked evidence they would.[11]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

The unease between Fourth Alliance Guards and 143rd came to a head on 13 January 3064, when Guards CO Leutnant-General Bert-Gregg refused the division's annual request to deploy for regularly scheduled field exercises for fear the 143rd was preparing to declare its support for Victor Steiner-Davion's gathering forces on Thorin. Tension increased as both sides argued at first verbally and then with isolated fighting, before the 143rd's CO Precentor Reed chose to avoid escalating the conflict and ordered his troops to stand down and return to barracks, to the apparent satisfaction of the Fourth. Though both sides remained on high-alert, after the bulk of the Fourth withdrew to join the Loyalist forces heading toward Thorin, the Hundred and Forty-Fourth resumed its normal exercises in the summer of 3065.[10][8]

After General Greggs' departure for Thorin, infighting between pro–Free Skye and anti–Free Skye factions began on 2 August 3065, at first with words, but soon escalating to weaponry. By August 16th the two sides had begun to engage in 'Mech battles when the 143rd Division intervened, placing themselves between the warring factions. With Bret-Gregg still on Thorin, both factions chose to respect ComStar's neutrality and soon returned to their barracks, though by late August a large number of the garrison went AWOL or on leave, only later to reappear in Free Skye units.[12]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 143rd Division (ComStar)
Precentor IV Nina Caputo 3049[1]
Precentor XIV Alder Reed 3055 - 3067[6][9][13]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

143rd Division (Division/Regular)[14]

Note: At this point in time the 143rd Division was stationed on Poulsbo.[14]

3055[edit]

143rd Division (Division/Regular)[15]

CO: Precentor III Alder Reed
Note: At this point in time the 143rd Division was stationed on Lipton.[15]

3062[edit]

  • 143rd Division (The Focht Hussars IV-delta) - CO: Precentor IX Alder Reed[9]

3067[edit]

  • 143rd Division (The Focht Hussars IV-delta) - CO: Precentor XIV Alder Reed[13]

Notes[edit]

  • The insignia of the 143rd depicts a skull and crossbones with an eye patch.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 20 Year Update, p. 70: "8th V-omicron"
  2. ↑ Technical Readout: 3050, p. 56
  3. ↑ Technical Readout: 3050 Revised, p. 50
  4. ↑ Tukayyid, pp. 69–70: "Campaign: Clan Diamond Shark"
  5. ↑ Invading Clans, p. 141: "Baptism of Fire"
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 ComStar, p. 85: "9th Army V-lambda (The Rag Tags, New Earth Theater, from 9 to 10 on the "Inner Sphere Clock")"
  7. ↑ Field Manual: ComStar, p. 36: "9th Army V-lambda: The Rag Tags"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 87: "9th Army V-Lambda (The Rag Tags)"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 37: "9th Army V-lambda: The Rag Tags - 143rd Division (The Focht Hussars) IV-delta"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 FedCom Civil War, p. 131: "Wave Four - Lyran Alliance Other Actions - Lipton"
  11. ↑ Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 46: "Alliance Guards - 4th Alliance Guards RCT: Death Before Dishonor"
  12. ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 148: "Wave Five - Lyran Alliance - Other Actions - Lipton"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 98: "9th Army V-lambda (The Rag Tags)"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 20 Year Update, p. 71
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 ComStar, p. 85

Bibliography[edit]

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