417th Division (ComStar)

417th Division (Major Trouble IV-Lambda
Nickname Major Trouble
Affiliation ComStar
Parent Command Seventh Army V-Kappa

The 417th Division was a multiregiment type formation which used Combined Arms in service of ComStar.[1]

History[edit]

First Reported Appearance[edit]

The 417th first appeared in the Inner Sphere in the early thirty-first century, when ComStar negotiated with various Inner Sphere powers to allow their "newly" formed Com Guards to garrison their respective HPG Complexes. The Division was assigned to the 7th Army in Free Worlds League, where they garrisoned the HPG Station on Talitha.[2][3]

The Clan War and the Battle of Tukayyid[edit]

In 3049, Kerensky's children, the Clans returned to the Inner Sphere. Throughout most of the invasion the unit remained at its garrison assignment until early 3052.

Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht would summon the Division along with entire bulk of the Com Guards to Tukayyid to defend Terra from the Clans. On Tukayyid, the 417th's 7th Army was assigned to garrison the cities of Joje and Tost, which was the target of Clan Nova Cat.

On May 1st, at the command of Khan Severen Leroux, Clan Nova Cat DropShips deployed their forces using his Clan's signature Hover-Drop Maneuver. However the 417th Division held air superiority over the Nova Cat's chosen landing zone, the Division living up to its nickname Major Trouble as its Aerospace Fighter assets inflicted heavy damage against the Clan forces as its hovering DropShips were dropping their 'Mechs to the ground instead of landing. Strafing and bombing runs accumulated heavy losses for the Cat's Alpha Galaxy, most notably with one of the 417th Division's Hammerhead fighters performing a kamikaze run that destroyed the Alpha Galaxy's Command DropShip and the thirty OmniMechs and six Stars of Elementals of the Fourth Nova Cat Lancers aboard her.

After grounding, Nova Cat's Alpha and Gamma Galaxies organized and began their march towards Joje. They would push past the 244th into the waiting arms of the Major Trouble and its fellow 7th Army unit, the 9th Division outside the north suburbs of Joje. The Division and the 9th lured Nova Cat forces towards this approach to Joje so they could use stall their campaign. In the suburbs the Com Guards had deployed a number of Armor assets, plus infantry, with a minefield of vibrabombs. Aerospace Fighters would sweep in and bomb Alpha and Gamma forces as the 417th and 9th bogged down the Clan forces to use up their supplies. By the third day of fighting, both the Division and the 9th would be forced to withdraw and regroup due to Nova Cats' intensity of their attack against them.

Shortly after the 417th would be called back to action after Nova Cats lured and destroyed some of the 7th Army's Division in a trap, capturing needed supplies. The 417th and 116th Division conducted an all-out attack against the Clan's Beta and Gamma Galaxies. This action would temporarily recapture ComStar's Supply Depot and also force the Cats' withdrawal. The Division and its other comrades harassed the Clan forces back to their drop zone and making them quit the battle without capturing any of their objectives.[4][5][6]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 417th Division
Precentor Eric Duvea 3050[7]

Tactics[edit]

Unknown.

Composition History[edit]

3050[edit]

417th Division (Division/ Veteran)[8]

Note: At this point in time the 417th was stationed on Talitha.[8][9]

Notes[edit]

As of this writing, there is little written of the 417th Division or its Level III component units. The Division also disappeared from sourcebook listings after Tukayyid, with no mention if the unit had been destroyed, demobilized or had defected to the Word of Blake.[10]

Reference[edit]

  1. Field Manual: ComStar, p. 14: Makeup of units deployed Tukayyid highlight they were combined arms formation which included the 417th Division.
  2. 20 Year: Update, p. 71: Unit's first listing in 20 Year sourcebook, stating where it is and what unit it is assigned to.
  3. ComStar, p. 59: Com Guard begins its deployment of 'Mech type Divisions in the beginning of the 3030s
  4. Tukayyid, p. 40: Campaign: Clan Nova Cat - Campaign history would reveal the extensive action of the 417th Division during the Battle for cities of Joje and Tost.
  5. Invading Clans, p. 117: The Clan Wars - 417th Division's detailed actions are highlighted when they fought the Nova Cat on Tukayyid.
  6. ComStar, p. 70: the 417th Division's initially attack on the Nova Cat's Alpha Galaxy landings are noted.
  7. 20 Year Update, p. 71: 7th V-Kappa's component forces includes the 417th Division and its commanding officer.
  8. 8.0 8.1 20 Year Update, p. 71
  9. Tukayyid, p. 18: Deployment - Typical makeup of Division includes 2 'Mech Battalions, Aerospace Fighter Battalion, 2 Tank Battalions and a single Infantry Battalion.
  10. ComStar, pp. 82, 85, 94: 13th Division does not appear in ComStar's deployment roster nor any mentioning the unit elements defecting. Word of Blake section does not mention any defections of the 417th Division.

Bibliography[edit]