1st Army (ComStar)

Insignia of 1st Army
1st Army V-kappa
Nickname The Bear Maulers
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command Com Guards


Assigned the Dieron Theater, from 1 to 2 on the Inner Sphere Clock, the Com Guard First Army primarily faced Clan Ghost Bear during the Battle of Tukayyid, adopting the nickname of The Bear Maulers.[1]


History[edit]

Stationed in the Draconis Combine since the public unveiling of ComStar's military, the First have established strong ties to the local community through recruitment of locals and marriage into Combine families.[1]

On Tukayyid, the majority of the First Army contested the Ghost Bear landings, leaving the veteran 103rd and the reserve Fourth Army to defend the target cities of Luk and Spanac. Harassing Ghost Bears, the First successfully prevented the capture of Luk, but at the cost of considerable losses and capture of Spanac.[2]

The reconstruction of the First was a long process, while badly damaged on Tukayyid and losing troops to the Word of Blake, the majority of the troops were in fact lost in the post-Tukayyid reorganization of each Army down to four divisions and to bolster other armies.[1]

Apart from the 9th, despite being stationed in the Combine the First didn't play a major role in Operation Bulldog, escaped the FedCom Civil War and missed out on seeing action in the Combine-Ghost Bear War. The First's close links with the indigenous population meant the army mourned with Victor at the death of Omi Kurita, throwing their full support behind his reinstatement as Precentor Martial.

After the beginning of the Jihad the Com Guard Armies were stretched too thin. To counteract this, the 7th-12th Armies were disbanded and used to reinforce the 1st-6th Armies. This gave each of the newly-reinforced Armies a full six Divisions. The 1st Army was one of the formations affected, receiving new reinforcements.[3]

In 3074 the First Army joined the Coalition assault on Hesperus II. The First Army attacked the Second and Thirty-eighth Word of Blake Divisions in the Myoo Mountains. Though supported by mercenary forces, it was elements of the First Army that drove the Second Division out of their defensive positions. The 79th Division was responsible for driving out the Second, but the Defiance Industries plants wouldn't be clear until December 3074.[4]

As part of the Free Worlds League theater of Operation SCOUR, the First Army attacked Shiloh in 3077. There they faced the 6th Free Worlds Legionnaires and the Shiloh Protectorate Militia. Most damaging to the First however, were civilian suicide bombers created by the Manei Domini. These unwitting pawns allowed the Blakists to push the Coalition forces off the planet's surface.[5] The First Army fought on many other worlds, taking serious damage each time. By the time they reached New Earth in June 3078, the First Army was down to a quarter of their pre-Jihad strength.[6] Due to their poor condition, they were assigned one of the smaller targets on Terra, the island of Singapore. Along with the 2nd Davion Guards, Kentares DMM and 5th Free Worlds Guards,[7] they forced the Word of Blake's 19th Division to destroy the Castle Brian complex that was on the island.[8][9]

Their roster almost completely gutted by Manei Domini-driven civilian suicide attacks during the fighting on Singapore, [10] the surviving elements of First Army were rolled into the newly forming Republic of the Sphere's armed forces and was effectively disbanded. [11]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the First Army
Precentor Katherine Luarca 3050 - 3053[2]
Precentor Katrina Troth 3053 - 3067
Precentor Rachal Drake 3067 - ????
Precentor Martial Victor Steiner-Davion Assault on Hesperus II[12]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

3055[14] to 3067[15][edit]

3074 - 3076[edit]

Average Experience: Veteran[12]


Gallery[edit]

Game Rules[edit]

3074[edit]

If the Precentor Martial of ComStar is present, First Army divisions receive a +2 Initiative Bonus and cannot be the target of Overrun Combat. These bonuses are lost if the Precentor Martial is removed from play.[12]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Field Manual: ComStar, pp. 20-21, "1st Army (ComStar) Profile"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tukayyid (scenario pack), p. 48, "Campaign: Clan Ghost Bear"
  3. Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 210
  4. Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 5
  5. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 29, "Shiloh Falls"
  6. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 67
  7. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 96
  8. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 127
  9. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 110, "Singapore on Fire"
  10. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 106 "What Lies Beneath - The Republic of the Sphere - The Com Guards"
  11. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 104 "What Lies Beneath - The Republic of the Sphere - Forces gifted to the Republic"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Jihad Turning Points: Hesperus II, p. 8 "First Army [ComStar] (November 3074–December 3074)"
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 20 Year Update, p. 70, "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  14. ComStar (sourcebook), p. 84, "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  15. Field Manual: Updates, p. 84, "Com Guards Deployment Table"
  16. 16.0 16.1 Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 63 "Galatea Secured"

Bibliography[edit]