331st Royal BattleMech Division
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| |
| 331st Royal BattleMech Division | |
| Formed | 2576 |
| Disbanded | 2821 |
| Nickname | The North American Division[1] |
| Affiliation | Star League |
| Parent Command | V Corps |
Contents
Overview[edit]
The 331st Royal BattleMech Division was one of the most famous military units of the first Star League. Since the 331st was a "Royal" unit, it was part of the Terran Hegemony ruled by House Cameron. After the fall of the Star League, the 331st joined General Aleksandr Kerensky on his Exodus. When the Exodus Civil War broke out, the 331st left with Aleksandr's son Nicholas Kerensky in the Second Exodus and eventually formed the core of Clan Wolverine becoming the 331st Battle Cluster.[2]
History[edit]
The Star League[edit]
The 331st Royal BattleMech Division and its parent unit, the V Corps, were founded in 2576. It was one of the first true combined arms divisions in the SLDF. It was unique in that it fielded designs from across the Inner Sphere. In addition, the regiments of the division contained four battalions, making it overstrength compared to most SLDF divisions.[3]
Early Years[edit]
In 2578, the Lyran Commonwealth threatened to secede from the Star League. The 331st was sent to that nation to make sure the Commonwealth remained in the League. Later that year, the Star League declared war upon the Periphery, namely the Magistracy of Canopus, the Outworlds Alliance, and the Rim Worlds Republic to force those Periphery states to join the League.
The 331st was assigned to Operation Mailed Fist in 2581, the invasion of the Rim Worlds Republic, where the 331st took heavy losses during the invasion of Apollo. At the time, the 331st was only at brigade strength, and it would take nearly a half-century for the SLDF to rebuild the unit to full strength.[3]
Later Years[edit]
In 2764, the 331st was part of the Eleventh Army, with its headquarters on the Lyran planet of Zollikofen. In April of that year, the 331st was dispatched to New Vandenberg as a base of operations during the Star League's attempt to put down rebellions on seventeen Periphery worlds. The following year, the 331st was transferred to Zaprudy as the entire Periphery (with the exception of the Rim Worlds Republic) was now in open revolt.
In 2772, the 331st joined up with Task Force Commonwealth when General Kerensky planned his mass assault to retake Terra from the forces of the Usurper, Stefan Amaris. On 30 September 2779, the SLDF succeeded in overthrowing the Amaris coup and summarily executed the Usurper for crimes against humanity.
Exodus[edit]
After the fall of the Star League in 2781, General Kerensky began recruiting SLDF forces to join him in leaving the Inner Sphere; one of the many units answering Kerensky's call was the 331st. On 5 November 2784, 80% of the SLDF departed with Kerensky in his Exodus.
In 2786, the Exodus Fleet reached the Cloak of Kerensky and the later-named Pentagon Worlds. The 331st became part of the group that colonized the planet Circe. In 2801, the Exodus Civil War broke out and Nicholas Kerensky called for a Second Exodus. What remained of the 331st rallied to Nicholas' cause and departed with him to form a new society: the Clans.
Clan Wolverine[edit]
In 2821, the Clans returned and conquered the Pentagon Worlds, ending the Exodus Civil War. The 331st was part of the task force that retook Circe. At this time, the 331st was disbanded and its soldiers became part of the Clan Wolverine touman as the 331st Battle Cluster.[2] Sarah McEvedy, daughter of the last commander of the 331st (James McEvedy),[4] was elected the first Khan of Clan Wolverine, and Franklin Hallis, a descendant of another previous commander of the 331st, was elected saKhan.
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 331st Royal BattleMech Division | |||
| Lieutenant General | Frederick Hallis | [citation needed] | |
| Major General | James McEvedy | 2764 - 2784[5] | |
Tactics[edit]
Unknown.
Composition[edit]
As an SLDF BattleMech division, the 331st would have been composed with two brigades of 'Mech regiments and one brigade of Mechanized Infantry regiments.[6]
2764[edit]
331st Royal BattleMech Division - Elite[5]
- 3311th Royal BattleMech Brigade
- 3312th Royal BattleMech Brigade
- 3313th Royal Mechanized Infantry Brigade
Game Rules[edit]
During the Star League era, the 331st is skilled at combined arms. Any time they field a force that mixes BattleMechs with combat vehicles or infantry, they gain a +1 initiative bonus. If the 331st's force only includes one type of unit in the scenario, the bonus isn't added. Since they have a wide variety of BattleMechs for every four units on the field ('Mechs or vehicles) the 331st player can choose two of them from the Star League Random Assignment Table instead of rolling for them.[7]
Notes[edit]
The division's commander was always from the Terran continent of North America, and its symbol changed depending on which sociopolitical region the commander was from. In the case of James McEvedy, his was Minnesota.[5]