21st Royal Division
Sarna News
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| Twenty-first Royal Division | |
| Formed | By 2575[See Notes] |
| Affiliation | Star League |
| Parent Command | VII Corps |
The Twenty-first Royal Division was a part of the Star League Defense Force Regular Army. It was one of the SLDF's Royal units, which consisted of troops from the Terran Hegemony.
History[edit]
The Twenty-first Royal Division was originally formed during the creation of the SLDF in 2571 and was a part of VII Corps during the Reunification War, where it served in the Magistracy of Canopus campaign from 2577 to 2588.[1][2]
As a part of the Magistracy of Canopus task force, the Twenty-first was stationed on Watermael when military action against the Alliance began. The Twenty-first didn't undertake an offensive action at division strength during the Magistracy of Canopus campaign, but the Commanding Officer of VII Corps, Captain-General Marion Marik, would often assign a division or more of troops to the conquest of various worlds by drawing together brigades from across VII Corps. Brigades from the Twenty-first operated in conjunction with independent regiments from within VII Corps as well as fighting alongside units from the Free Worlds League Military assigned to the task force as auxiliary forces.[1][2]
Brigades from the Twenty-first fought alongside brigades from the Nineteenth Division in 2577 to capture the worlds of Gouderak, Restitution, and Umka and alongside brigades from the Twentieth Division in 2578 to capture Ruschegg. The Sixty-first Royal Brigade was one of two brigades involved in the protracted battle with the Canopian Chasseurs á Cheval on Eleusis in 2579.[1]
Following two fallow years of rebuilding, refitting and rearming the Twenty-first was put back into combat in 2582, capturing the world of Royal Foxx alongside elements of the Twentieth, and then capturing Nobel in 2583 alongside the Nineteenth. All three divisions within VII Corps contributed to the invasion of Canopus IV in 2584, and while the campaign would continue after the fall of Canopus the final SLDF victory was certain. The Magistracy Armed Forces continued to resist and contested as many invasions as possible, but lacking much by way of naval assets the Canopians were unable to redeploy rapidly as they had done in the opening stages of the war; as a result, after pushing the two surviving regiments from the Chasseurs á Cheval from Candiear in 2585 the Twenty-first was able to destroy or capture the Second Canopian Fusiliers and Samuelson's Slaughterers on the world of Cate's Hold in 2587. The Sixty-second Royal Brigade was the last SLDF brigade to see active combat in the war with the Magistracy when Marik led the Sixty-second and two FWLM regiments against the last of the Canopian forces gathered on Kossandra's Memory in the final battle of the war.[1][2]
Officers[edit]
| Rank | Name | Command | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commanding Officers of the 21st Royal Division | |||
Tactics[edit]
Unknown.
Composition History[edit]
2577[edit]
Twenty-first Royal Division[1]
Despite the doctrine and organization originally defined for divisions during the creation of the SLDF, the Twenty-first would most likely have been a mélange of combined armed units.[3]
Notes[edit]
- Special Rules for the Twenty-first Royal Division can be found on Historical: Reunification War, p. 181.
- ^ The Star League and Historical: Reunification War state that in 2575, the SLDF had ten full corps with each divided into three divisions and nine brigades in a set organizational structure.[4][5] The Twenty-first was listed as being a division of one of those corps.[1]
- It was confirmed by the author of Historical: Reunification War that in general, the Divisions listed within The Star League can be traced back directly to those Divisions listed within Historical: Reunification War.[6] However, in 2764 there are two divisions listed as Twenty-first within the SLDF: the Twenty-first Infantry Division, XXXVI Corps,[7] and the Twenty-first Royal Jump Infantry Division, XLIII Corps.[8] It is not known which of these can trace their history back to the Twenty-first Royal Division of the Reunification War era.
References[edit]
- ↑ a b c d e f Historical: Reunification War, p. 148: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (Jump-Off – 2582)"
- ↑ a b c Historical: Reunification War, p. 149: "Magistracy of Canopus Front (2583 – 2588)"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 27: "Divisions and Brigades"
- ↑ The Star League, p. 47: "Battle Plans"
- ↑ Historical: Reunification War, p. 27: "Image and Reality"
- ↑ "Ask the Writers: "Star League Divisions: Reunification War to Liberation of Terra"". Official BattleTech Forums. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
- ↑ The Star League, p. 149: "Sixteenth Army"
- ↑ The Star League, p. 155: "Seventeenth Army"