HISTORY of
The 501st Armored Cavalry Detachment History of the 501st ACD
(a work of fiction) Galactic History
Thousands of eons ago, war consisted of groups of individuals, Infantry, that would fight each other for a cause they believed in. As civilizations grew, industry and technology developed. The armored suit, to protect the individual was developed, mostly at great sacrifice to the wearer. Science found ways of moving these armored soldiers faster by placing them on beasts of burden which they rode into battle. This was the development of the first armored Cavalry used in warfare. Soon it became necessary to employ armor not only on the rider, but also on the beast itself.
This was known as Heavy Cavalry.
The weapons of war advanced from rocks and sticks, through launched objects and blades to simple ballistic weapons. While these weapons proved to be effective against individuals, even in armor on armor clad beasts, the advancement of ingenuity caused these weapons to fire more ammunition, larger shells, further distances, at higher rates- faster more destructive. The next stage was clear. Heavy weapons, Artillery, capable of killing hundreds of the heaviest armor clad Infantry. In different civilizations this and the following stages developed at different times in their histories.
ARMOR!
Not just for infantry, but large vehicles. Transports, surface ships, sub-surface ships, aircraft, spacecraft, anything that could be used in war could use an exterior skin of a harder material that would insure the survivability of the crew, cargo and infantry inside. This result made it more difficult to stop invading armies with ballistic weapons. Sometimes even larger high explosive ordinance could be stopped by the sufficient amount of armor, if correctly employed tactically, strategically. Technology took another step forward - Energy weapons!
At first, only these large cumbersome armored vehicles could transport the equipment needed to create even the smallest Laser beam weapon, but they were highly effective.
As the Technology of War advanced so did civilizations.
In the era prior to the early Republic, there was one great Galaxy wide war that occurred because of the various species and their unjustified claims of superiority and ownership.
To end this hundreds of species banded together to form the Galactic Republic. This was to be the ruling government of the entire Galaxy, with each species and local systems having representation in the Galactic Senate. It was the hierarchy of the Senate to build an Army and bring about the end of the War that was devastating Hundreds and thousands of worlds.
The Republic Armies were disband.
Peace followed for almost a thousand years.
Armies still existed, but they were more for protection of home worlds and corporate interests. 

Enter the Trade Federation

The Trade Federation, a vast consortium of business interests that controls interstellar shipping, is controlled by a species called Neimoidians. Not physically or mentally adept at warfare, they were highly skilled in business, diplomacy and negotiations. To protect their interests, they purchased and employed Battle and Destroyer Droids along with Droid piloted fighters, from the Geonosians.
When the government sought to tax outlying trade routes, the Neimoidians reacted with a brazen blockade of the peaceful world of Naboo. The Senate sent representatives to discuss a treaty. In this time the Queen Amidala of Naboo managed to escape back to Coruscant and confronted the Senate for support. Disgusted with the outcome and deliberations, She returned to Naboo and with the help of the other Native species took back the capital city after destroying the Trade Federation Droid Control Battleship and arrested the Viceroy for the unlawful blockade. The Trade Federation's Droid Armies employed Assault landers, the AAT (Armored Assault Tank) and the MTT (Multi-Troop Transport).
 Trade Federation AAT The marriage of repulsorlift and heavy armor has resulted in formidable floating tanks known as AATs. These assault tanks form the frontline of Trade Federation armored infantry divisions. A crew of battle droids drives the battle tank and operates the array of laser and projectile weaponry carried by the vehicle. Baktoid Armor Workshop's Armored Assault Tank is a fearsome design studded with heavy artillery. Its turret-mounted primary laser cannon has long-range destructive capability, and is bracketed by a pair of pylon-mounted secondary laser cannons. A pair of forward-facing short range blaster cannons round out the AAT's energy-weapon complement. Contained in the forward edge of the tank's armored repulsorlift shroud are six energized shell projectile launchers capable of delivering specialized payloads. The tank contains three separate magazines from which to draw warheads: high-energy shells encased in a cocoon of plasma for incredible speed and penetration power, specialized armor-piercing warheads, and high explosive "bunker busting" shells. The AAT requires a crew of four battle droids to operate: a commander, a pilot, and two gunners. The vehicle has a maximum speed of 55 kilometers per hour. Trade Federation MTT A terrifying display of Trade Federation efficiency, the mammoth MTT (Multi-Troop Transport) is an armored giant capable of disgorging over a hundred battle droid soldiers into the thick of combat. The vehicle's bulbous armored front end opens to reveal an articulated deployment rack, upon which rest dozens of compressed battle droids. The rack extends forward and deposits the droids into neatly organized rows. Upon activation from an orbiting Droid Control Ship, the droids unfold into their humanoid configuration. Manufactured by Baktoid Armor Workshop, the Multi-Troop Transport's bold lines and prodigious size recall heavy jungle-dwelling creatures known for charging their enemy. The MTT follows a similar design strategy, as its heavily armored fore section can withstand great impacts, allowing it to ram an enemy building, and then unload its carried troops behind enemy lines. The hydraulically powered deployment rack is detachable, and can carry 112 battle droids in stowed configuration. The vehicle's engines work hard to create the repulsorlift field required to move so heavy a craft. The repulsorlift's cooling and exhaust system vents straight down beneath the craft, creating a warm cushion of air beneath the MTT. In addition to its thick armor, the MTT is protected by four forwarded-mounted anti-personnel blasters. It has a maximum ground speed of 35 kilometers per hour, and a flight ceiling of four meters. The Separatist Movement
(Edited from Starwars.com)

A decade later, despite rosy recollections of a greater past, the Republic succumbed into undeniable decay. Its cumbersome bureaucracy slowed down any attempts at reform, and too many of its constituents had grown corrupt and complacent to enact any change. A feeling of disenfranchisement grew in the galaxy, particularly in outlying systems where heavy taxation was not balanced by improved services. 
Into this disarray stepped a charismatic man named Count Dooku, who sought to teach the Republic a lesson. The status quo could be upended and there was an opportunity for change -- radical change. Dooku led a popular Separatist movement that gained increasing momentum, and in two short years, he had a following of several thousand solar systems. 
Into this disarray stepped a charismatic man named Count Dooku, who sought to teach the Republic a lesson. The status quo could be upended and there was an opportunity for change -- radical change. Dooku led a popular Separatist movement that gained increasing momentum, and in two short years, he had a following of several thousand solar systems. 
For the first time in a thousand years fear of open warfare crept into the Republic. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine was confident in peaceful resolution through negotiation, but not everyone was so level-headed.
Alarmist Senators called for the creation of an Army of the Republic. The Military Creation Act was to be put to a vote, and many believed that the establishment of a Republic military would merely be the catalyst for an all-out civil war. The vote was delayed following an assassination attempt on the opposition leader, Padmé Amidala. 
What none in the Senate knew was that the Separatists were gearing up for war. Count Dooku courted the massive engines of commerce in the galaxy -- institutions such as the Corporate Alliance, the Trade Federation, the Techno Union, InterGalactic Banking Clan and Commerce Guild -- with promises of reform and unyielding devotion to capitalism. In exchange, these bodies would commit their immense armies to the Separatist cause. With their droid armies scattered throughout the galaxy, the Separatists would overwhelm the Republic. Dooku felt confident that ten thousand more systems would join the Separatists. 
In a darkened conference room on the Techno Union foundry world of Geonosis, Count Dooku made his offer, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems was formally established. The Republic was warned of this alarming new development. 
The Republic responded with a pre-emptive strike against the Separatists, attacking their world with a newly created clone army. In the explosive ground battle that ensued, the Clone Wars between the Separatists and Republic began.
 AT-TE (All Terrain Tactical Enforcer) An intimidating armored assault mech, the All Terrain Tactical Enforcer (AT-TE) saw its explosive debut on the battlefields of Geonosis, at the start of the Clone Wars. Specialized Republic drop ships carried the lumbering walker craft into the thick of combat, unleashing them to crawl inexorably toward enemy fortifications. The walker features six articulated legs for propulsion. The legs are low to the ground, which reduces the walker's top speed but does provide it with increased stability. The body of the walker consists of two armored halves connected by a flexible sleeve that increases its mobility on the field. The front of the mech is lined with four ball-turret laser cannons, while a single heavy projectile cannon is turret-mounted on the vehicle's dorsal surface. Its rear fire arc is protected by a pair of laser cannon turrets. Though the walker's armor can easily deflect small arms fire, tanksmasher rockets can pierce an AT-TE's armor and destroy its complex propulsion mechanisms. The base AT-TE design was originally built to help mining companies maintain order on far-flung worlds, but the design was extensively revised for combat applications. The six legs of the AT-TE move the low-built vehicle at speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Contained within its armored hull are 20 clone troopers ready to disembark for combat at a moment's notice. It requires a crew of one pilot, one spotter, and four gunners or support crewmen. An additional exterior gunner controls the projectile cannon. The walker's plodding pace allows it to penetrate energy shields, which are effective at deflecting the high-velocity repulsorlift systems of flying or hovering craft. The AT-TE's armor is supplemented by electromagnetic shielding that protects the walker from ion cannon or EMP attacks. The walker, like the rest of the clone army's heavy armor, was developed in secret at Rothana Heavy Engineering, a clandestine subsidiary of Kuat Drive Yards. Formation of the Empire
(edited from Starwars.com)

The Clone Wars lasted many years and the Armored Mechs served well.

With spoken regrets, Palpatine accepted the new mantle of power. He promised to return his absolute authority to the Senate after emergency subsided. What no one realized was that the galaxy would undergo further upheaval, and that a state of crisis would ensure Palpatine's authority for decades. 
Palpatine instituted a military build-up unprecedented in galactic history. He created the New Order, a Galactic Empire.

Maximilian Veers was a loyal Imperial who excelled during his classes at the Academy, achieving an officer's commission at a young age. Veers was dismayed by the complacency and incompetence of officers senior to him, and proved his worth when he saved his lackluster commander, General Irrv, from a native insurrection on Culroon III. For that action, young Lt. Veers saw promotion to major. 
 History of the 501st ACD Patch Like all sub groups (garrisons, squads, outposts, detachments, etc) in the 501st Legion - each wants to have a logo design to create a sence of unity amongst the fellow members.

It would be nice to use a logo that reflected something known, like most stories and mythology, which is firmly rooted in Star Wars. The concept was to follow the design of the United States Army Armored Division patches because it is the closest analog to what the ACD is.
 
The triangular design divided into three areas: Red, blue, and yellow. Superimposed, in black, are the track of a tank and a cannon; a bolt of red lightning is superimposed on these. The Division's number appears in the upper portion. 

The 3rd Armor Division patch is the same as the insignia of all U.S. Armored Divisions. It is the shape of an equilateral triangle, divided into three segments, each a different color. The Blue segment represents the Infantry components of the Division: Scarlet, the Artillery, and Yellow, the Cavalry. The tank track (mobility) and cannon (firepower) in black, topped by a red lighting shaft (speed) are symbolic of armored "blitz" warfare. The black Arabic "3" in the upper yellow segment of the triangle indicates the number of the division. The division's nickname, "SPEARHEAD" in block letters against a yellow background.

The defining elements of Armored Division insignia had relevance to the ACD and the ones that could be applied were accepted and integrated into the design for the ACD logo. Specifically the colors and the overall shape of the patch.

The Tracks, Cannon and Lightning Bolt; did not hold true in this fictional universe, mostly because the technology is more advanced. Tracked vehicles rarely exsist and the depiction for the Armored Walker is not easily defined by a foot pad. The Cannon would be replaced by a laser- not an easy depiction and conflicted heavily with the lightning bolt. Because of these differences- all three elements were removed.

Having the concept formulated and realizing that elements of the Star Wars Universe would need to be integrated to make it suitable to the detachment. 

The Division Number was replaced by the Imperial Forces Symbol in the Yellow "Cavalry" field, the dominant position. In the blue "Infantry" field, was placed the smallest, most effective armored unit- the AT-ST walker, and in the Scarlet "Armor" Field was placed the largest most effective armored unit known in the Star Wars Galaxy, the AT-AT.

While the concept was good- graphic skill was needed to obtain the first solid logo to take shape. A call went out for help.
A loyal Stormtrooper TK-1068 Darren Wright of the 501st Central California Garrison volunteered and was able to improve on the concept and gave the ACD its first usable logo. 
Another version of this logo developed to show a more integrated and detailed pictures instead of the shillouttes for the ST and AT. 

Another loyal Stormtrooper saw the logo and offered to make them sharper and more detailed.
Jay Harris TK-1010 of the 501st Florida Garrison produced these and a variation with the Detachment's nickname. 
 

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