The 44th are probably the only soldiers in the galaxy stupid enough to take on near-impossible missions, but smart enough to actually succeed.
—a soldier of the 44th explaining the division's tendencies for difficult missions.
The 44th Special Forces Division was a regiment of Clone troopers from the Clone Wars through to the Galactic Civil War. Part of the overall special forces which served in the Grand Army of the Republic alongside units like the 501st Airbourne, the 44th was thought to be one of the most elite units in the GAR, and was also the only regiment in it's entirety to disobey Order 66, eventually joining the Alliance to Restore the Republic.
The 44th was also the home to Nightingale Squad, a unit of four Clone troopers who gained fame in both the Republic and the Rebellion for their elite status.
Commanders[]
Four main commanders served for the 44th:
- Jeden Vesal - a Jedi Master and the Jedi General of the regiment. Vesal first fought alongside members of the 44th when he met CC-1450, known better as Commander Phoenix, on Geonosis, and fought alongside Nightintgale Squad (consisting of CC-1451 (Wraith), CC-1452 (Twenty) and CC-1453 (Sting)) in bringing down a group of Techno Union ships. Jeden was elevated to the rank of Master after the battle and was given command of the 44th.
- Admiral Anhal - Jeden's second-in-command and the leader of the 44th's elite naval force. Anhal commanded the three-cruiser fleet the 44th operated from, based on Jeden's flagship, the Phantom. Anhal also gave tactical support and was often the leader of the 44th instead of Jeden in naval engagements, as the admiral knew much more about that type of warfare.
- CC-1450 (Commander Phoenix) - Jeden's third-in-command and the leader of Nightingale Squad. Phoenix was the highest-ranking Clone trooper in the regiment and while he was not an expert with strategy, he was en excellent soldier, and other troops nonetheless were happy to serve with him. Phoenix also had a close friendship with Jeden, and the two often worked off each other during missions.
- CC-2785 (Commander Lion) - the fourth-in-command of the regiment and a tactical genius, Lion was often given command of the 44th if Jeden and Nightingale Squad were operating a seperate mission, and he also commanded most of the infantry forces of the 44th during wide-scale battles. His most famous moment was during the First Battle of Dantooine, where his force of 20,000 troops kept back 80,000 droids, starfighters and tanks for four days, only losing a fifth of their force.
Jeden later took a Padawan, Koses Lik-Har, who would eventually arise to the rank of General after gaining the rank of Jedi Knight, becoming second-in-command. However, he did not reach this rank until shortly before the end of the Clone Wars, though he did retain his rank in the 44th after Order 66.
Operational history[]
Kamino[]
The 44th was formed on Kamino, with it's two leaders then being Phoenix and Lion, who had a close friendship. Trained from the bottom up as an elite unit, the 44th were often trained by bounty hunters and mercenaries instead of Kaminoan combat instructors, making them stand out in combat compared to other Clones. Due to their status, however, the 44th rarely mingled with any battalions outside of the special forces regiments, though they did befriend members of the 501st Airbourne, who were another special operations regiment.
Clone Wars[]
Geonosis[]
The 44th's first engagement was on Geonosis, and it played a pivotal part. While Phoenix and Nightingale Squad infiltrated the arena as Dooku held the Jedi surrounded, Lion went with ten gunships and many of his men to land in the arena and exfiltrate the trapped Jedi. The daring move succeeded and the Clones took only four casualties. However, the battle wasn't over. Nightingale Squad went with a Jedi Knight, Jeden Vesal, to sabotage a group of stationary Techno Union ships, leaving Lion to command the 44th in a daring operation.
Assigned to destroy an armoured Banking Clan battalion, the 44th's infantry were forced to engage tanks, but were able to do so successfully. Using gunships to move destroyed AT-TEs to their position to use as a wall and as cover, the Clones not only intercepted and blocked the convoy, but annihilated it to the last droid. It was the first victory for Lion and the 44th, and wouldn't be the last.
After the battle, the 44th recuperated on some of the medical ships in orbit over Geonosis. Phoenix met with Jeden and the pair met with Master Yoda, who informed Jeden that he would be elevated to the rank of Jedi Master, and would be given command of the 44th. Jeden met his new second-in-command, Admiral Olan Anhal, who Jeden quickly identified as a very unlikeable man but a strategic expert. Jeden also met Lion, and the regiment finally had it's main line-up of commanders. The Clone Wars had begun.
Dantooine[]
While Jeden and Nightingale Squad went on another mission, Lion and the 44th were stationed on Dantooine, an important argrucultural world for the Republic, when an enormous Seperatist fleet came into orbit. With Anhal fighting a naval battle, Lion moved his men to a fortress/outpost on the equator of the planet, an important defensive zone that housed an orbital shield. With orbital bombardment impossible and the fortress needed to be captured, the Seperatists deployed their force of 80,000 against the 44th's 20,000: they were outnumbered 4 to 1.
Nonetheless, the Clones stuck to their position. Thanks to multiple counter-attacks and pre-emptive ambushes, the Clones held their ground for four days of non-stop violence. Lion himself fought with his Clones despite his commanding status, and eventually the forces of Mace Windu and the 187th Scout Legion arrived, winning the battle. While the battle of Dantooine wasn't over, the 44th had done their part, and in excellent style.
The 44th lost 4,000 men during the defence of Dantooine, but celebrated it as a victory knowing the overwhelming odds of defeat. Lion was praised as a hero and became famous throughout the GAR.
Korriban and the Grand Sith Order[]
Jeden and Nightingale Squad intercepted a smuggler's frigate, discovering that one smuggler posessed a Sith crystal. Destroying the frigate and fleeing, the smuggler led the 44th on a chase through the galaxy. Jeden chased the smuggler to Ord Mantell, sending a detatchment to the planet before going with Nightingale Squad into a dormant volcano, finding the smuggler to be a Force-user who called herselfDarth Nelox. Phoenix killed the apparent Sith, but mystery remained in Nelox's final words: she apparently ruled the Grand Sith Order.
Jeden met with Jedi Masters Kit Fisto and Obi-wan Kenobi, before going with his squad to the ancient Sith homeworld of Korriban. Discovering a new branch of Sith, Jeden took a prisoner, a Sith acolyte who in truth wished to become a Jedi named Koses Lik-Har, before meeting with the fleet in orbit. Contacting Mace Windu, the Jedi Master called for Korriban to be attacked in order to stop the Sith. Obi-wan summoned the 212th Attack Battalion and the 44th prepared for a gruelling battle.
The battle in the Valley of the Dark Lords was suspectfully brutal. While many of the Sith were only weak Force-users with lightsabers, the final battle proved to be deadly, with the Sith's force of ancient Sith Imperial battle droids and it's best-trained members dealing hurt to the 212th and the 44th, who were also joined by the 187th Legion of Mace Windu, former comrades in battle to the 44th. Eventually, after Jeden severely wounded the leader of the Sith, Darth Krasor, the mad Sith Lord detonated explosives across the Valley in the hopes of destroying the Republic army. While the Clones took less casualties than expected, the Sith were wiped out.
The 44th were scarred by the battle of Korriban. However, the other battalions were finally able to see the 44th in action, garnering much respect. Koses Lik-Har eventually became Jeden's Padawan and joined Nightingale Squad, giving the 44th another Commander.
Rise of the Empire[]
Order 66[]
After participating in a minor naval role during the Battle of Coruscant, the 44th shipped out into Deep Space to search for the runaway General Grievous. However, Jeden had in truth left Coruscant due to his senses, telling him that something evil would befall Coruscant and the Jedi Order. Jeden decided not to return to Coruscant when Grievous was found, and it was a good decision. For only moments later, Order 66 was given.
Jeden and Koses were on the bridge when Phoenix received the Order. However, Jeden was able to sway the Clones into disobeying the Order, telling them that Palpatine was the true enemy, not the Jedi. Sting finally convinced the 44th to lower their weapons, and the 44th then did an act no other Clone division did: they all disobeyed Order 66.
For nearly two decades after, the 44th used the stealth capabilities of their fleet to ambush Imperial shipping and engage the Empire on multiple different fronts. Aiding multiple resistance cells against the Empire, Jeden was soon contacted by Bail Organa, who wished to create the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Jeden accepted, and the 44th joined the Rebellion.
Rebellion and end of the Division[]
The 44th fought alongside the Rebellion, becoming heroes of propaganda due to their elite status and the fact that they were some of very few Clones to disobey Palpatine. Even fighting against figures such as Grand Admiral Thrawn, the 44th were famous throughout the galaxy, and also feared by the Empire.
However, the 44th would not all live to see the end of the War. After the Battle of Hoth, the fleet tried to escape the Imperial naval forces in orbit, only to botch the hyperspace jump and end up in orbit over Tatooine, where multiple Star Destroyers were stationed. While Jeden, Koses and Nightingale Squad fled, the rest of the 44th, including Anhal and Lion, decided to remain behind, deciding to go down with the ship. The fleet was annihilated with the 44th on-board, ending the division completely.
Traits of the Division[]
The 44th were by far one of the most elite units of the GAR and the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Due to the training they received from bounty hunters and mercenaries, the 44th often used very unorthodox methods in combat, though this proved to work exceptionally well, as shown by their victories on both Dantooine and Geonosis. The 44th were also known to value helping allies more than destroying the enemy, one of the reasons why they often had less casualties numbers than over units.
The colours of the 44th were white and black, in the same way that the 501st had white and blue, or the 212th had white and orange. Jeden was very lenient on how Clone troopers presented themselves, so custom paints, tattoos and the way that many made their hair and facial hair look were common practice. It was predicted by Lion that over 80% of the division had at least one tattoo of the 44th's insignia, with the commander himself having a huge tattoo across his back.
The motto of the 44th was :"For Comradery, Not For Glory".
A member of the 44th SFD.