321st Colonial Rangers Battalion
the Confederate unit that bred Heaven's Devils
The 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion was an elite Terran Confederacy unit formed on Turaxis II during the Guild Wars. Under the corrupt Colonel Vanderspool it gave rise to the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon, nicknamed Heaven's Devils, which counted Jim Raynor and Tychus Findlay among its members.
The 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion was an elite Terran Confederacy military unit of rangers and marines, formed on Turaxis II during the Guild Wars and tasked with high-priority missions in the campaign to retake that world. From its ranks came the platoon that would be nicknamed Heaven's Devils. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
Formation on Turaxis II#
Near the end of the Guild Wars, the 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion was ordered to Turaxis II during the campaign to retake the world. It was placed under the command of Lt. Colonel Javier Vanderspool and assigned to Fort Howe, assembling from recruits of the Thundering Third. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
The 321st Platoon repelled a Kel-Morian attack at Fort Howe and pushed back the advance. Unbeknownst to the rank and file, Vanderspool had made a deal with the Kel-Morians to loot the Confederate armory and sell off the profits. The scheme was interrupted by Jim Raynor, Tychus Findlay, and their squad, who repelled the looters and realized they were Confederate. Findlay's group took one of the trucks for themselves and returned the rest to Vanderspool so as not to arouse suspicion. Vanderspool, concerned but decorated with accolades and promoted to full colonel, assigned those he suspected to a newly formed Special Tactics and Missions Platoon, the 1st Platoon, for elite specialist work, and planted a spy among them, a medic named Lisa Cassidy. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
The birth of Heaven's Devils#
The 321st next prepared for the liberation of Kel-Morian Internment Camp-36. The squad trained in the use of the new CMC-230 XE and CMC-230 XF "Thunderstrike" armor for the operation. Private Jim Raynor went ahead to warn the camp but was captured by the Kel-Morians. The 321st assaulted the camp regardless and liberated the prisoners, but Kel-Morian Hellhounds drove off the dropships sent to evacuate them. The platoon pushed through on the ground, warded off an ambush by the Snakehead Komando, and freed the prisoners. For their part in the battle, the Special Tactics and Missions Platoon earned the nickname Heaven's Devils. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
The unit then took part in the third and final offensive to retake the city of Polk's Pride, using resocialized marines to draw fire while more specialized forces crossed on artificial bridges. The assault pushed the Kel-Morians back, though at high cost to the Confederacy. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
Mutiny and dissolution#
It was soon revealed that Colonel Vanderspool was working with the Kel-Morians and had installed kill switches in the 1st Platoon's armor to prevent them from interfering in a joint operation to rob a train of silium crystals. The 1st Platoon and 2nd Squad mutinied, turning on both the Kel-Morians and Vanderspool's loyal resocialized marines. The Kel-Morians were beaten, the remaining members of the 1st Platoon deserted, and Vanderspool was left critically injured, though not dead. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
The squad's core members became the founding Heaven's Devils: Sergeant Tychus Findlay, Lance Corporal Jim Raynor, and Privates Hank Harnack, Ryk Kydd, Connor Ward, and Max Zander, with medic Lisa Cassidy among their associated members. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion?
- The 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion was an elite Terran Confederacy military unit of rangers and marines, formed on Turaxis II during the Guild Wars and tasked with high-priority missions in the campaign to retake that world. From its ranks came the platoon that would be nicknamed Heaven's Devils.
- Who commanded the 321st Colonial Rangers Battalion?
- The battalion was placed under the command of Lt. Colonel Javier Vanderspool and assigned to Fort Howe. Vanderspool had secretly made a deal with the Kel-Morians to loot the Confederate armory and sell off the profits.
- How did Heaven's Devils get their nickname?
- The Special Tactics and Missions Platoon prepared for the liberation of Kel-Morian Internment Camp-36, assaulting the camp and freeing the prisoners after pushing through on the ground and warding off an ambush by the Snakehead Komando. For their part in the battle, the platoon earned the nickname Heaven's Devils.
- Why did the 321st Platoon mutiny?
- It was revealed that Colonel Vanderspool was working with the Kel-Morians and had installed kill switches in the 1st Platoon's armor to keep them from interfering in a joint operation to rob a train of silium crystals. The 1st Platoon and 2nd Squad mutinied, beat the Kel-Morians, and deserted, leaving Vanderspool critically injured.
- Who were the founding members of Heaven's Devils?
- The squad's core members became the founding Heaven's Devils: Sergeant Tychus Findlay, Lance Corporal Jim Raynor, and Privates Hank Harnack, Ryk Kydd, Connor Ward, and Max Zander, with medic Lisa Cassidy among their associated members.
Sources
- BookStarCraft II: Heaven's Devils, William C. Dietz, 2010
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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