8th Army (Star League)

Army 08th (SLDF) logo.png
Eighth Army
Affiliation Star League
Parent Command Second Army Group (2764[1] - 2772)[2]

The Star League Defense Force's Eighth Army was assigned to operations within the Free Worlds League Military Region.[3][1]

Overview[edit]

The Eighth Army was the primary army of Army Group Marik, and shared a headquarters with that formation. Its primary area of responsibility found it covering the worlds of the Marik Commonwealth.[1]

History[edit]

In 2764 the Eighth Army was assigned to the First District of the Free Worlds League region, with their headquarters on Talitha. Though traditionally the Eighth had a good working relationship with the Free Worlds League, that changed in 2734 with the signature of the Treaty of Verona. This treaty ended the civil war between Bertram Marik and Parliament. The citizens of the Eighth's area of responsibility (and the ruling Marik family) were outraged that the SLDF forces didn't step in and stop the fighting. This noninterference, though required by Star League accords, was seen as many Free Worlders as the SLDF neglecting its sworn duties. As a result, many members of the Free Worlds nobility treated the Eighth with barely concealed contempt.[1]

In response to the New Vandenberg Uprising of 2765, its four corps would be repositioned to the Second and Third Districts, filling in the gaps left open by the Ninth Army and Tenth Army fighting in the Periphery.[3] The Eighth also received twenty-nine Regiments from the First Army to reinforce it as it took on the much larger area of responsibility, bolstering the large number of Independent Regiments that went with the Eighth's mobile army structure.[4]

However, the uprising had been secretly orchestrated by Stefan Amaris to accomplish his takeover of the Star League. The Eighth Army would fight in the resulting Hegemony Campaign and suffer heavy casualties. Of the few divisions which would survive to 2784, 11 would join Operation Exodus, with the rest either disbanding or joining other Great House armies.[3]

By mid-July 2772 the Eighth Army was ready to take part in Operation CHIEFTAIN, the liberation of the Terran Hegemony. Serving alongside the Twentieth Army and the Twelfth Volunteer Brigade, the Eighth was a major component of the Second Army Group. The Second Army Group, Fifteenth Army Group and Twentieth Army Group made up Task Force Commonwealth, under the overall command of Admiral Joan Brandt.[5]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 8th Army
General Loftus Cassion 2758[1]
General Amar Watanabe 2759-2765[4][1]

Tactics[edit]

Different per Unit.

Corps of the Eighth Army[edit]

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

2772[edit]

  • 6 BattleMech Divisions[5]
  • 16 Infantry Divisions[5]
  • 26 Independent Regiments[5]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 105: "Eighth Army"
  2. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, pp. 120–121: "Operation CHIEFTAIN Star League Defense Forces Order of Battle"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 The Star League, p. 141: "Eighth Army"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 43: "Eighth Army"
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 120: "Operation CHIEFTAIN"

Bibliography[edit]