244th Division (ComStar)

244th Division Level IV-psi
Nickname Peace Through Words (3050)
The Cloaked (3052-3062)
The Prince's Men (3062)
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command 7th Army


The Com Guard 244th Division has had an interesting career in the ComStar military forces, having fought against Clan Nova Cat during the Battle of Tukayyid and later defecting to join Victor Steiner-Davion in the FedCom Civil War which led to their exile from the Order.

History[edit]

With the public unveiling of the Com Guards, the regular ranked 244th Division, referred to by the nickname of Peace Through Words, was assigned to the Seventh Army, and was stationed on Gibson.[1]

As part of the 7th Army, during the Battle of Tukayyid the 244th faced Clan Nova Cat. After landing, the Nova Cats' Alpha and Gamma Galaxies brushed aside the 244th to try and reach the target city of Joje. As the Com Guard units harassed the Cats in an effort to cut off their Beta Galaxy from its landing zone and supplies, Gamma Galaxy withdrew, luring the 244th and the 467th Divisions into a Beta Galaxy ambush, heavily damaging both forces and winning the Nova Cats several ComStar supply depots.[2]

Like many surviving divisions, the rebuilt 244th chose a new nickname based on their experiences, The Cloaked. Unable to return to their original posting in the Free Worlds League, with their former HQ planet even becoming the homeworld of Word of Blake, the 244th's headquarters was moved to Devil's Rock on the FedCom-League border.[3] After Devil's Rock was retaken by the Free Worlds League, the 244th transferred to Mogyorod.[4]

After Victor Steiner-Davion was named as Anastasius Focht's successor as Precentor Martial of ComStar, the 244th's then CO Shint Dieter attempted to take a Level III worth of troops to join the Word of Blake. However Dieter hadn't counted on the resolve of Level III commander Raymond Irelon who led the division's "loyalist" troops against them, suffering some losses but preventing all but a few sympathizers from escaping. Irelon's efforts in preventing a mass exodus earned him a promotion to command of the 244th, the division adopting a new nickname: "The Prince's Men", to underline their loyalty to Victor.[5]

FedCom Civil War[edit]

Viewed by many within the Guards as almost fanatically pro-Victor, as many expected, as soon as he made his speech denouncing his sister Katherine Steiner-Davion, the entire 244th mutinied en masse and pledged their support to his cause.

During the first wave of the FedCom Civil War the 244th arrived on Newtown Square in time to prevent Victor's capture by Adam Steiner and the 14th Donegal Guards.[6] They then landed on Coventry with the Outland Legion and 39th Avalon Hussars. While there they destroyed the 1st Coventry Jaegers.[7] On York the Prince's Men guarded the headquarters area while the 6th Crucis Lancers moved out to face the Alarion and Carlisle APMs. The Lancers were caught in a trap, however, and Victor ordered his forces to withdraw.[8] The 244th fought the 11th Arcturan Guards RCT for nineteen hours, losing a third of their strength. The 244th resisted the Lyran forces for another thirteen hours, giving time to the other Allied units and allowing them to escape.[9]

As part of the first thrust of Operation SCATTER, Victor's multipronged attack to restrict the LAAF's ability to effectively respond and attack his forces, the 244th effortlessly brushed aside the defenders on the worlds of Eidsfoss and Ciotat before assaulting their final objective of Furillo and its Defiance Industries factory. The inexperienced Thomas Hogarth led the Furillo BPM broke within three days and the 244th, supported by elements of the Outland Legion, claimed the factories for the Allies. Brutally rebuffing the militia's attempts to recapture the factory complex, the Prince's Men finally withdrew after the arrival of the Fox-class LAS Robert Kelswa, lifting off on July 17th with their DropShips filled with vital matériel and supplies.[10]

The 244th escorted Victor to Tikonov in the fourth wave, where they rebuilt some of their strength.[11] After that the Prince's Men relocated to Thorin, where they and the Outland Legion faced a task force of Lyran regiments. For two weeks the 244th sparred with the 1st Alarion Jaegers, 11th Arcturan Guards, 4th Lyran Regulars, 4th Alliance Guards, Carlisle APM, and Alarion APM. During this fighting the 244th's commander was killed.[12]

The Allied forces, including the 244th, withdrew from Thorin and returned to Tikonov. There the 244th assaulted the 1st Republican's positions in Tikograd, pinning them in place so the 10th Lyran Guards could smash the Loyalist unit. Battle armor infantry from the Prince's Men then seized the Earthwerks Industries annex building the Loyalists were using as a headquarters and killed the remaining command staff.[13] After the Tikonov assault, the 244th reinforced the 3rd Crucis Lancers on Marlette. There they faced the 5th Lyran Guards and Marlette CMM as well as the remains of the 1st Republican and 15th Deneb Light Cavalry. They only fought for a brief time however, before they were ordered to rejoin Victor.[14] The Prince's Men landed on New Avalon in time to join the final assault on Avalon City.[15]

After the conclusion of the Civil War, the surviving members of the 244th Division were cast out of the Order and placed on permanent exclusion, with First Precentor Gavin Dow specifically blaming Victor for destroying their careers and the reputation of the Order. While expressly forbidden to physically enter any ComStar facility, as a sign of compassion the unit members are not under a Communications Interdict and could still use the organization's HPG network.[16]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 244th Division (ComStar)
Precentor IV Fredery Slagle 3050
Demi-Precentor Shint Dieter 3054 - 3061[5]
Precentor Raymond Irelon 3062 - 3065[17]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

244th Division (Division/Regular)[18]

Note: At this point in time the 244th Division was stationed on Gibson.[18]

3055[edit]

244th Division (Division/Green)[19]

Note: At this point in time the 244th Division was stationed on Devil's Rock.[19]

3062[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Officially the insignia of the 244th Division was a sword impaling a crown, but with the shift in loyalty to Prince Victor, many members also started to wear the Sword and Sunburst of the Federated Suns.

References[edit]

  1. 20 Year Update, p. 71
  2. Tukayyid, p. 40
  3. ComStar, p. 84
  4. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 126
  5. 5.0 5.1 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 33
  6. FedCom Civil War, p. 67
  7. FedCom Civil War, p. 85
  8. FedCom Civil War, p. 102
  9. FedCom Civil War, p. 103
  10. FedCom Civil War, p. 104: "Operation Scatter"
  11. FedCom Civil War, p. 126
  12. FedCom Civil War, p. 149
  13. FedCom Civil War, p. 158
  14. FedCom Civil War, p. 172
  15. FedCom Civil War, p. 170
  16. Field Manual: Updates, p. 82
  17. FedCom Civil War, p. 149
  18. 18.0 18.1 20 Year Update, p. 71
  19. 19.0 19.1 ComStar, p. 85

Bibliography[edit]