56th Division (ComStar)
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| Fifty-sixth Division IV-eta | |
| Nickname | Eyes of ComStar (3050) The Martial's Sword (3062) |
| Affiliation | ComStar |
| Parent Command | Eighth Army |
History[edit]
Immediately prior to the Clan Invasion, the green ranked Fifty-sixth Division, an upsilon level mix referred to by the nickname of Eyes of ComStar, was assigned to the Eighth Army, and was headquartered on the Free Worlds League world of Sterling.[1]
Along with the rest of the Eighth Army, the Fifty-sixth was assigned to combat Clan Diamond Shark during the Battle of Tukayyid, forming part of the defense of the primary target city of Kozice Prime. Initially held in reserve, the Fifty-sixth joined the Thirty-first and Eighty-fifth Divisions in attempting to disrupt the Shark's supply lines.[2][3][4]
With the Sharks' Gamma Galaxy turning to deal with this threat, most notably the increasingly brutal and bloody stalemate between the green Eighty-fifth Division and the 222nd Assault Cluster. After the Eighty-fifth tied up the Shark's supply lines for an entire day, the patience of the 222nd's CO ran out, breaking batchall to order the 369th Striker Cluster to reinforce the 222nd in an attempt to finally obliterate the infuriating Eighty-fifth. While the Eighty-fifth finally crumbled in the face of both clusters, the victory was especially costly for the Sharks with the doomed division taking the 222nd down with them and the Fifty-sixth joining the Thirty-first Division in avenging the sacrifice of the Eighty-fifth by tearing the 369th apart.[2] [3] [4]
Like many Com Guard Divisions, the Fifty-sixth chose a new nickname after that climactic battle, calling itself The Martial's Sword and was rebuilt as a iota based formation. Remaining with the Eighth Army, with the arrival of the Word of Blake and the ejection of ComStar from the Free Worlds League in 3052, the now regular ranked division moved its headquarters world to Solaris in the Lyran Alliance.[5]
While initially serving the standard role as garrison troops for the Game World's HPG station, the Fifty-sixth's status as a relatively neutral party accepted by even the Free Worlds League slowly evolved into a role of arbiters to defuse tensions between the various member states and maintaining order during the fighting season starting in 3058. Becoming increasingly prominent as animosity between the halves of the fractured Federated Commonwealth swelled, after Victor Steiner-Davion's selection as Precentor Martial of ComStar, relations with Lyran officials cooled with the Fifty-sixth being removed from its peacekeeping role in 3062.[6]
As the tensions between the Lyran Alliance and Davion Federated Commonwealth manifested in an increasingly bitter Grand Championship between the Lyran Victor Vandergriff and Federated Suns warrior Michael Searcy, the Alliance took the further step of ordering the Fifty-sixth to withdraw completely from Solaris to prevent them from trying cool matters.[7] Transferring to Rahne, thanks to the Loyalist's paranoia the Fifty-sixth saw some of the least involvement in the FedCom Civil War compared to the other divisions of the Eighth Army. After the removal of Katherine Steiner-Davion, the Fifty-sixth was requested to return to Solaris and were reinstated as neutral peacekeepers once more, freeing up Lyran troops for duty elsewhere.[8]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 56th Division | |||
| Precentor IV | David Stomberg | 3050[1] | |
| Precentor | Marleen Dunn | 3055[5] | |
| Precentor | Celene Jussiaume | 3062 – 3067[6] [9] | |
Tactics[edit]
Unknown.
Composition History[edit]
3050[edit]
Fifty-sixth Division (Division/Green)[1]
- Note: At this point in time the Fifty-sixth Division was stationed on Sterling.[1]
3055[edit]
Fifty-sixth Division (Division/Regular)[5]
3062–3067[edit]
- Right to Fight III-eta: Demi-Precentor IX Clarence Hamre
- Blind Pursuit III-kappa: Demi-Precentor IV Sonya Johnson
- Roll the Bones III-iota: Demi-Precentor I Dinah Alday
- White Rabbits III-lambda: Demi-Precentor VII Roman Gales
- Wild Children III-theta: Demi-Precentor X Kenneth Sommers
- Rain or Shine III-iota: Demi-Precentor III Steven Denk[9]
3075[edit]
- A mixed Level III: Demi-Precentor Anette Dawn[10]
Notes[edit]
- The insignia of the 56th was broadsword featuring the ComStar logo, pointing upward in a deliberate reversal of the downward pointing Word of Blake insignia.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d 20 Year Update, p. 71: "8th V-omicron"
- ↑ a b Tukayyid, pp. 69–70: "Campaign: Clan Diamond Shark"
- ↑ a b Invading Clans, p. 141: "Baptism of Fire"
- ↑ a b Era Report: 3052, p. 63: "Factions - Clan Diamond Shark - 269th Striker Cluster (The Hammerheads)"
- ↑ a b c d ComStar, p. 85: "9th Army V-lambda"
- ↑ a b c Field Manual: ComStar, p. 35: "8th Army V-pi (Stern Defiance)"
- ↑ FedCom Civil War, p. 18: "Flashpoint November 3062-February 3063 - First Sparks"
- ↑ Field Manual: Updates, pp. 86–87: "8th Army V-pi (Stern Defiance)"
- ↑ a b Field Manual: Updates, p. 98: "Com Guards (Deployments as of 1 August 3067)"
- ↑ Technical Readout: 3075, p. 18: "Kobold Battle Armor"