6th Division (Word of Blake)

6th Division (Word of Blake) logo.png
True Believers IV-Theta
Formed Early 3060s
Disbanded 3078
Nickname True Believers
Affiliation Word of Blake
Parent Command Word of Blake Militia


The elite 6th Division was one of the first of the Word of Blake Militia units and a key member of the takeover of Terra. Known as the True Believers, the 6th Division took part in several important operations during the Jihad until they were eventually destroyed.

History[edit]

Pre-Jihad[edit]

As part of Operation Odysseus the 6th Division was paired with the 1st Division to masquerade as the 21st Centauri Lancers and discretely infiltrate the planet, where the skill of the 1st Division greatly impressed the True Believers during their integration. Following the operation's success the unit was stationed at the Manaus, Amazonia, Castle Brian, where Precentor Brandenburg-Curi began a grueling training regimen to match the same high standards as 1st Division and led to the unit being unofficially known as "The Graduate Academy" among the other Precentors. By 3062 the True Believers had achieved such skill that it was consistently defeating every other division in the yearly war games (except for the 1st Division) and reduced insurgent activity throughout Amazonia to practically nil, with Precentor Martial Cameron St. Jamais officially classifying the unit as Elite and transferring soldiers from the 6th to form other units.[1]

Jihad[edit]

The 6th was among the first units deployed in retaliation after Wolf's Dragoons' failed invasion of Mars. With the 10th Division, they struck Outreach in December 3067. After the savage battle to claim the planet, the unit used the salvage from Outreach to refit itself.

One of its Level IIIs, Dawn of Truth III, was dispatched to Lyran world of Thorin. There it deployed to Thorin and secured the planet as part of Word of Blake Protectorate by nonviolent means, how it accomplish this remains unclear.

In 3070, elements of the division invaded the world of Errai. The Level IIIs pushed Harlock's Warriors off the planet, garrisoning the planet in name of the Protectorate. After this time, the True Believers became a rapid response force to come to the aid of Protectorate worlds that need additional defense. The 6th appeared to no longer be stationed on any one planet by 3075.[2]

The 6th was one of fourteen separate Militia Divisions to be destroyed on Terra in 3078.[3]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 6th Division
Precentor Lane "The Schoolmaster" Brandenburg-Curi 3058

Tactics[edit]

Unlike True Devotion with their focus on ambushes, the True Believers rely on intricate maneuvers executed with dazzling precision to confuse their opponents. Inspired by the ancient Terran general Hannibal at the Battle of Cannae, a favorite tactic is to pin down the enemy with conventional infantry and armor, allowing BattleMechs to encircle them from the flanks and rear and fighter craft to strafe the kill zone.[1]

Composition History[edit]

3062[edit]

Four Level III formations

Errata[edit]

In the Total Chaos sourcebook, changes the lists the what Word of Blake Divisions that were deployed to Outreach as part of the Word's effort in counterattacking Wolf's Dragoons. When asked if the older materials published in Dawn of the Jihad, Blake Ascending and later the Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents on the official Forums of Catalyst Game Labs Line, BattleTech Developer Herb A. Beas II notes the following: You may be right that this is one case where newer doesn't trump older. That should have been the Sixth and Tenth at the Outreach counterattack.

Stating the Total Chaos information regarding deployment of the 1st & 4th Divisions in place of the 6th Division and the 10th were in fact erroneous.[4]

Notes[edit]

Reference[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Field Manual: ComStar, p. 56
  2. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 90: "6th Division" unit profile
  3. Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 126: "Word of Blake Militia"
  4. Quote from CGL Forums June 18, 2013 regarding errata in Total Chaos
  5. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 140: "Force-Specific Rules" listing for the 6th Division

Bibliography[edit]