16th Army (Star League)

16th Army (SLDF) 2765.jpg
Sixteenth Army
Affiliation Star League
Parent Command Star League Defense Force

The Sixteenth Army of the Star League Defense Force was assigned to operations within the Draconis Combine Military Region.[1]

History[edit]

The Sixteenth Army was one of the more experienced Armies within the SLDF, having spent years deployed to the border region of the Draconis Combine abutting the Lyran Commonwealth, an area rife with tit-for-tat bandit attacks which had served to hone the Sixteenth's skills to a fine edge. Though this provided plenty of experience, the constant conflict affected morale. Further hampering efforts was the way in which the Draconis Combine's population treated the Sixteenth: as a conquering army rather than a defense partner. The Combine further soured relations by trying to get the Sixteenth to clean up some of the Dragon's problems. The Combine would describe Rasalhague secessionists or political dissidents as anti-Star League terrorists, which forced the Sixteenth to repress these individuals. Since many of the Sixteenth's soldiers came from other, more open societies, this duty was particularly disliked.[2]

As a result of this, the Sixteenth's commander decided to treat any enemy as a potential threat to the Star League. She gained a reputation for utter ruthlessness as she dispatched her troops against the Rasalhague secessionists, disloyal Kurita nobility, Lyran Commonwealth agents, and pirate bases all with equal fervor. She also pushed for the assignment of more independent regiments to the Sixteenth instead of divisions as the regiments could more easily respond to the small pirate attacks the Sixteenth most frequently encountered.[2]

The constant low-level combat between the two Great Houses served them well during the Periphery Uprising, when the Sixteenth was deployed into the Outworlds Alliance; the Periphery forces damaged XXXVI Corps and L Corps, but inflicted lighter losses on the Sixteenth than a number of other Armies would suffer. In total, by 2767 the Sixteenth had lost three divisions through disbandment and another eleven divisions and three Independent Regiments in combat actions, leaving it at close to three-fifths of full combat strength.[3]

Corps of the 16th Army[edit]

Officers[edit]

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 16th Army
General Ekatarina Thorskilden 2764 - 2777[2][4]

Tactics[edit]

Different per Unit.

Composition History[edit]

2765[edit]

  • 7 BattleMech Divisions[3]
  • 27 Infantry Divisions[3]
  • 9 Independent Regiments[3]

References[edit]

  1. The Star League, p. 141: "Sixteenth Army"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Field Manual: SLDF, p. 189
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 1, p. 45: "Twentieth Army"
  4. Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2, p. 82

Bibliography[edit]