304th Assault (Clan Ghost Bear)

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304th Assault (Clan Ghost Bear).jpg
Three Hundred and Fourth Assault Cluster
Disbanded 3077 (destroyed)
Nickname The Howling Bears[1]
Affiliation Clan Ghost Bear
Parent Command Beta Galaxy

The 304th Assault Cluster, the "Howling Bears", was a storied unit of Clan Ghost Bear's Beta Galaxy. Proving themselves in Operation REVIVAL and the First Combine-Dominion War, the Cluster was destroyed during the Word of Blake Jihad.

History

Operation REVIVAL

The 304th Assault Cluster fought on the following worlds during the Clan Invasion:

Wave One

Wave Three

Wave Four

Wave Five

Battle of Tukayyid

During the Battle of Tukayyid, the 304th fought and decimated the 121st Division of the Com Guards on the march to the city of Luk, but were forced to turn back.

They were among the forces that held the city of Spanac against raids by the 91st and 12th Divisions.

First Combine-Dominion War

As a part of Beta Galaxy, the 14th was actively involved in the First Combine-Dominion War, which began in 3062 with a suicidal attack by three regiments of the Alshain Avengers against Alshain. While the 12th Bear Chevaliers attacked the Clan Nova Cat forces on Mualang, preventing those forces from coming to the assistance of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, the 304th and the other elements of Beta Galaxy attacked both Dumaring and Najha.[2]

The 304th took heavy damage on Maule when Nova Cat forces launched a ferocious deep strike at them, but the 304th was still able to launch an attack on Gunzburg shortly after the end of the War, working with the Second Bear Regulars from Tau Galaxy to seize the Clan Wolf world. The attack on Gunzburg was one part of the Ghost Bear counter-attack against the Clan Hell's Horses forces that Khan Vladimir Ward had brought to the Inner Sphere as allies and who had launched their own invasion of the Ghost Bear Occupation Zone during the Combine/Dominion War.[2]

Jihad

Pesht

Continuing to operate as a part of Beta Galaxy, the 304th took part in the Ghost Bear campaign against the Word of Blake during the Jihad; Beta's first target was Pesht,[3] which the Ghost Bears hit on 15 December 3074, the same day their forces also struck at Luthien. The Ghost Bear forces attacked the Blakist forces remorselessly, making no attempt to offer zellbrigen to their opponents on either world. The Ghost Bears also destroyed any DCMS units that attempted to intervene, and by 20 December had crushed their enemies on both worlds.[4][5]

Kaus Media and Ascella

at the end of January 3075, Beta Galaxy abandoned Pesht as abruptly as it had arrived;[5][6] the Ghost Bears organized their forces to drive towards Terra in several waves, each named after the lead Galaxy in that wave. Beta Galaxy formed the heart of Beta wave, striking first at secondary worlds like Kaus Media and Ascella[3] on 6 October 3075.[7][8]

Rho[9] and Theta Galaxies[10] were assigned to support Beta Galaxy in Beta Wave, with Rho seizing Kaus Australis and joining the assault on Ascella.[9] In the resulting battle the 14th Battle Cluster took enough damage that it had to retreat, but Beta Galaxy pressed on.[3] Rho Galaxy was pushed into reserve on Ascella after the 297th Battle Cluster was nearly destroyed, leaving Beta Galaxy and one of the units personally affiliated to Devlin Stone, Stone's Lament, to clear the planet.[9] The losses on Ascella were such that Theta Galaxy was moved up from a garrison role to an active combat role within Beta Wave, only to see the Galaxy perform poorly when tasked with capturing Moore[10] in July 3076[11][12] and Pike IV[10] in September 3076.[11][12]

Dieron

Beta Galaxy won the right to join the attack on the Blakist forces at Dieron[3] in 3077[13] alongside Alpha,[14] Rho[9] and Omega Galaxies.[15] Dieron was a bloodbath for all the Ghost Bear Galaxies involved; Beta smashed through the Blakist blockade in the system and took over the city of Olivet,[13] but lost the 304th Assault Cluster in the battle fought in the Chiloe Pass. It also had to disband the 12th Bear Chevaliers after they were gutted by Blakist forces in the tunnels within Fortress Dieron.[3]

Officers

Rank Name Command
Commanding Officers of the 304th Assault Cluster (Clan Ghost Bear)
Star Colonel Paul Vishio 3050[16]
Commanding Officers of the 304th Assault Cluster (Ghost Bear Dominion)
Star Colonel Paul Vishio 3067[17]

Tactics

As with Beta Galaxy this Cluster practices a careful approach to warfare, using mechanized Elementals to support flanking maneuvers. Star Colonel Vishio also employs his Elementals as effective sappers and headhunters.[16]

Unit Insignia

The insignia of the 304th Assault Cluster shows a bear silhouetted against a gray tower, howling like a wolf.[18]

Composition History

3052

304th Assault Cluster

  • Supernova Trinary Command - Star Captain Dillan Vong
    • Alpha Command Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
    • Bravo Command Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
    • Charlie Command Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
  • 321st Assault Trinary - Star Captain Vegara Ortiz
    • Alpha Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
    • Bravo Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
    • Charlie Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
  • 14th Assault Supernova - Star Captain Bernard Bazso
    • Alpha Assault Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
    • Bravo Assault Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
    • Charlie Assault Nova (5 OmniMechs, 25 Elementals)
  • 72nd Assault Trinary - Star Captain Edwin Bekker
    • Alpha Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
    • Bravo Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
    • Charlie Assault Star (5 OmniMechs)
  • 1st Elemental Support Binary - Star Captain Ossin Vong
    • Alpha Elemental Star (25 Elementals)
    • Bravo Elemental Star (25 Elementals)

3058

304th Assault Cluster

  • Supernova Trinary (Star Captain Dillan Vong) Command (3 OmniMech/Elemental Novas)
  • 321st Assault Trinary (Star Captain Vegara Ortiz) (3 OmniMech Stars)
  • 14th Assault Supernova (Star Captain Bernard Bazso) (3 OmniMech/Elemental Novas)
  • 72nd Assault Trinary (Star Captain Edwin Bekker) (3 OmniMech Stars)
  • 1st Elemental Support Binary (Star Captain Ossin Vong) (2 Elemental Stars)

3061

304th Assault Cluster

  • 5 Trinaries

3067

304th Assault Cluster (Veteran/Fanatical)[17]

At this time the 304th was stationed on Gunzburg and was operating at just forty-five percent of full strength, but three-quarters of the were Cluster using OmniMech or equivalent technology.[17]

Notes

The 72nd Assault Trinary of the 304th was the protagonist's unit in the MechWarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy computer game.

References

  1. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 89
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Field Manual: Updates, p. 60-61, "Beta Galaxy (Night Howlers)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Beta Galaxy"
  4. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: 3076, p. 55, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"
  6. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 14, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  7. ↑ Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 18, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  8. ↑ Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 54, "The Jihad In Review"
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Rho Galaxy"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Theta Galaxy"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jihad Hot Spots: Terra, p. 22, "Timeline of the Jihad"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Jihad: Final Reckoning, p. 56, "The Jihad In Review"
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Jihad Turning Points: Dieron, p. 5, Beta Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)
  14. ↑ Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Alpha Galaxy"
  15. ↑ Field Report: Clans, p. 9, "Omega Galaxy"
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 89, "304th Assault Cluster Profile"
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Field Manual: Updates, p. 77, "Beta Galaxy (Night Howlers)"
  18. ↑ Field Manual: Warden Clans, p. 89

Bibliography

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