66th Division (ComStar)

Stationed for most of its life in Lyran Space, ComStar's 66th Division became increasingly intertwined with Archon Katrina Steiner-Davion during later years of the FedCom Civil War and was annihilated on Tharkad.

History

Clan Invasion

Prior to the Battle of Tukayyid the elite ranked Sixty-Sixth Division, known by the nickname of Obedience Above All, made its headquarters on the Lyran world of Rigil Kent.

One of the very few elite ranked divisions within the Com Guards, Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht assigned the 66th and other the divisions of the Tenth Army to the defence of Clan Wolf's primary target city of Skupo during the Battle of Tukayyid.

The 66th encounted the Wolves outside the small hamlet of Forest's End alongside its sister unit, the 283rd Division. Taking terrible losses as they harassed the right flank of the advancing Fourth Wolf Guards, Third and Seventh Battle Clusters, when the Wolves continued efforts pushed the 278th and 166th Divisions back, the 66th and the other Com Guard defenders was ordered to retreat towards the primary target city of Skupo.

Stationed within the city limits alongside the 208th Division, when Natasha Kerensky's famed Thirteenth Wolf Guards overcame the 138th and 166th Divisions, and the 11th Wolf Guards shattered the elite 278th, Precentor Martial Focht ordered both divisions to withdrawal from Skupo, now lacking the troops to necessary to hold it. The 66th attacked the advancing Wolves before retreating in the hopes of luring them away, but the Clan forces did not take the bait and focused on taking Skupo.

Taking the nickname of The Loner Division, the shattered Sixty-Sixth was transferred to defend the HPG compound on the Lyran capital of Tharkad to allow it to rebuild. After the ComStar Schism increasing numbers of the Division's members defected to the Word of Blake in the Free Worlds League, the strain of rebuilding the unit led Precentor Garron to retire in 3059 with Precentor Dag Kesselring selected as his replacement.

FedCom Civil War

Remaining on Tharkad, while the other divisions of the Tenth Army found themselves increasingly on the outer with the new Lyran Alliance, Kesselring's ties to the Lyran court ensured his division enjoyed cordial relations.

While initially a boon, by 3062 Kesselring and his officers had begun to show favoritism towards his old nation with the flow of intelligence to ROM regarding the Lyran's government activities trailing off, resulting in the unit's reliability being downgraded to questionable.

In 3066, in prelude to the invasion of Peter Steiner-Davion's Pan-Lyran coalition, Precentor Kesselring swore in public he and his division would defend the capital against outside forces.

The Division was finally deployed in March of 3067 as part of reserve force. As part of the reserves, they stayed back as bulk of Regent Nondi Steiner's forces went on the offensive against her nephew's forces in the region of Tharkad known as the Wash. The 66th was pulled into battle when the 20th Arcturan Guards pressed the 66th Com Guards As Lyran Loyalist units were separated, 66th Division held against the 20th Arcturans' superior numbers. However, pan-Lyran allies Aerospace Fighters strafed the ComStar unit, helping the 20th shatter the 66th Division.

Jihad

The survivors of the 66th were released after the conclusion of the Civil War, remaining on Tharkard in the months leading up to fateful Fourth Whitting Conference. When the Word of Blake forces struck Tharkad as the Jihad erupted, the few remaining Level IIs of the 66th Division joined the Lyran defenders in unsuccessfully attempting to repel the Blakist invaders, likely leading to their final destruction.

Officers

• As of 3050 the Sixty-Sixth was commanded by Precentor Lucynda Glemzu.

• As of 3052 the commanding officer of the 66th was Precentor Gustuv Garron.
  • Taking command of the unit after Tukayyid, the strain of rebuilding the unit as more and more of his troops defected to the Blakists led him to retire in 3059.

• As of 3067 the 66th was under the command of Precentor Dag Kesselring.
  • A scion of minor Lyran noble house, after replacing Garron it was hoped Kesselring's ties would improve relations between 10th Army and the Lyran Alliance. Unfortunately the division went over to the Alliance, providing ComStar intelligence to the Loyalist forces and fighting on behalf of the Loyalist forces in the final defense of Tharkad. While believed killed during the fighting on Tharkad, Kesselring's body was never found. After the destruction of the Sixty-Sixth, increasing evidence came to light that apart from leaking to the Alliance, Kesselring was also passing information to Word of Blake.

Composition History

3062

• The Harassers III-tau - CO: Demi-Precentor IX Florence Lichwa
• Deadly Decoys III-chi - CO: Demi-Precentor Allan Murzyn
• The Charioteers III-upsilon - CO: Demi-Precentor Raymond Ruggerio
• Storm Clouds III-phi - CO: Demi-Precentor V Alan Kearns
• Wondrous Foresight III-upsilon - CO: Demi-Precentor VII Pegeeen Holtane
• Golden Wraiths III-sigma - CO: Demi-Precentor II Frank Posch

Notes

• The insignia of the Sixty-Sixth shows a single knight facing a barbarian horde.

Rules

Game Rules

The 66th Division being trained with the LAAF forces. The unit gain +1 to its initiative when it operating with the LAAF forces. However, its suffers from -1 to its initiative when facing Lyran associated forces. During the battle, there risk of units of the 66th defecting to Word of Blake forces, when in a scenario together. A controlling player, once in the scenario, must rolls 1D6 per unit (mech, BA Squad, vehicle, etc), on result of a 1 that unit is consisted to be part of the WoB opposing force.

Bibliography

• 20-Year Update
• ComStar
• Era Report: 3052
• FedCom Civil War (sourcebook)
• Field Manual: ComStar
• Field Manual: Updates
• Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade
• Technical Readout: Project Phoenix
• Tukayyid
• Wolf Clan Sourcebook