28th Division (Word of Blake)

28th Division (Word of Blake).jpg
28th Division IV-xi
Formed Later 3060s
Disbanded 3076
Nickname Promise of Deliverance
Affiliation Word of Blake
Parent Command Word of Blake Militia

The Twenty-eighth Division was a "hidden" Word of Blake Militia unit that did not appear until the outbreak of the Jihad. The unit was noted for operating in the Draconis Combine space during the war.

History[edit]

This unit first appeared in combat in April 3069, when three Level III formations quickly conquered the Draconis Combine world of Ascella. The unit was noted for achieving swift victory, with no support from WarShips, or Weapons of Mass Destruction. Later that year, the Division was seen in a raid against the Military District capital of Buckminster. They are credited in destroying the Seventh Amphigean Light Assault Group with unspecified heavily armed Aerospace assets. The unit's orbital strikes also destroyed several cities.

The 28th Division returned to Buckminster when it received word of the DCMS deploying the famed Wolf's Dragoons' Delta Regiment to protect the heavily damaged District capital. This time, the 28th Division was accompanied by the 45th Shadow Division for a heavy raid against the famed Dragoons. The two Divisions shattered Regiment Delta. However, the 45th's commander was killed in action, leaving Precentor Baughtman to lead the withdrawal from the planet, resulting in the Dragoons accomplishing their mission. Both sides received heavy damage from the fighting.

In May 3072, the 28th and the 45th Shadow Division teamed with mercenary forces for an assault on the system of Benjamin. The units first destroyed nine of the main planet's 20 artificial "semi-suns". They then proceeded to land and take the capital, Deber City, while Pocket WarShips used capital weaponry for orbital fire support against Combine ground forces. The defending Second Benjamin Regulars, and the Fifteenth Benjamin Regulars were forced to surrender en masse to the 28th[1]. However, guerrilla fighting continued with hit & run attacks against the 45th Shadow. Blakist forces dispatched mercenaries to the heavily wooded areas used by the guerrilla forces.[2]

After the conquest of the planet was completed, the 28th Division left Benjamin. It conducted raids against several nearby worlds, while leaving only a single Level III & the 45th Shadow Division to garrison the planet. In November, the Draconis Combine forces returned in an attempt to liberate the planet, but they were repelled by the Blakist garrison forces holding the planet. In December, Clan Nova Cat forces landed and destroyed the garrison, capturing the planet.

The 28th Division was reported to have returned to Benjamin in order to evacuate any surviving Shadow Division personnel in January of 3073. The Division then continued to conduct raids against Combine Command and Logistics routes between the Buckminster and Benjamin Military Districts. Inner Sphere intelligence cites that it is highly likely that the 28th Division was responsible for destruction of the Arkab delegation traveling to Benjamin in 3074.[3]

The Word of Blake launched a counterassault on the contested world of Dyev in mid-December 3076, which was under attack from Clan Ghost Bear. The deployed Blakist ground forces received support from a number of WarShips and Pocket WarShips,[4][5][6] and the resulting battle during the ground force's landing saw three Blakist WarShips destroyed, the Whirlwind-class Fire Fang, the Aegis-class Righteous Fury and the Congress-class Hollings York.[7]

The forces which managed to land on Dyev included the 28th and 32nd Militia Divisions augmented by the 3rd Bryant, 1st Lipton, 2nd New Earth and 1st Zosma Protectorate Militia Divisions; the Blakist forces landed around Trogport, and the planetary capital Novaya Mensk, before deploying outwards. Blakist media sources claimed that the 28th, Bryant and Lipton Division forces used mine tunnels connecting to the Tupik chasm to hold off forces from Clan Ghost Bear's Alpha and Omega Galaxies.[6]

The 28th was subsequently destroyed on Dyev before the end of 3076.[8]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 28th Division
Precentor David Baughman 3069

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition[edit]

  • Unknown

Notes[edit]

Precentor Dave Baughman was highlighted as a notable pilot of the Exterminator BattleMech.[9]

Reference[edit]

  1. Total Chaos, p. 115-116, "BENJAMIN"
  2. Jihad Hot Spots: 3072, p. 76 - "Benjamin Falls" article.
  3. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 100 - "28th Division Unit Profile" - brief history from 3068 to 3074
  4. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56, "The Jihad In Review"
  5. Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 23, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  6. 6.0 6.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 18, "A Time Of Cleansing"
  7. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 128, "Captured Ships"
  8. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 126, "Word Of Blake Militia"
  9. Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrades, p. 208, "Exterminator BattleMech profile".

Bibliography[edit]