Battle of Robinson (3149)

Battle of Robinson (3149)
Part of Operation ERUPTIO
Start Date 18 October 3149 End Date 25 November 3149 Planet Robinson Result Republic of the Sphere victory Territorial changes Republic of the Sphere conquest, on behalf of Federated Suns
Factions
(Attacker) Republic of the Sphere	(Defender) Draconis Combine
Commanders and leaders
Paladin Max Ergen	Tai-shu Angmar Kyuzu
Forces involved
First Fides Defenders Second Fides Defenders Tenth Hastati Sentinels Tenth Principes Guards Eleventh Principes Guards Twelfth Principes Guards Tenth Triarii Protectors Twelfth Triarii Protectors	Seventh Sword of Light Eighth Sword of Light Ryuken-ni Ryuken-go Ryuken-nana First Ghost

Overview

On 18 October 3149, Task Force ERUPTIO jumped into the Robinson system with First and Second Army Group each arriving at a different celestial poles. Draconis Combine aerospace fighters concentrated on the Second Army Group flotilla, claiming a DropShip transporting Second Fides Defenders. The two Groups landed and pursued different objectives.

First Army Group

First Army Group landed on the Cannan continent with the objectives of Tiberias which contained the Robinson Battle Academy and bordered the Robinson Standard BattleWorks. They moved at a slow yet methodical pace, taking two weeks to move into position to encircle their objectives. These were two weeks the Combine forces used to much effect, and the triple shifts the RSBW pulled allowed them to rush several OTL-8E3 Ostsols onto the field so fresh off the lines they didn't have paint. While the main body was moving on the objectives, the First Fides' special forces battalion infiltrated the Academy and fomented a riot. When the defending Ryuken-nana turned inward to focus on the riotous students, the First pushed hard on them, routing nana from the Academy. After subjecting the Eighth Sword of Light in the industriplex to three days of continuous airstrikes and fending off probing attacks from Ryuken-ni, on 25 October Paladin Max Ergen ordered the main body of First Army, Tenth Hastati Sentinels, Tenth Principes Guards, and Tenth Triarii Protectors to constrict the encirclement. Upon realizing the situation, ni punched through the lines and retreated but the Eighth attempted to hold out. Their resolve evaporated when Ergen destroyed Tai-sa Lincoln Marovitch's Tenshi and soon they too abandoned the field but not without dealing considerable damage to the Tenth Pincipes. Both regiments presumably abandoned the world as well, as battle ROMS do not record their later involvement. Marovitch was captured.

Second Army Group

Second Army Group was set against the planetary capital of Bueller and the Seventh Sword of Light, led by Warlord Angmar Kyuzu. Perimeter security was established by the Eleventh and Twelfth Principes Guards while the Second Fides was to take the city itself. In a prelude to the actual assault, a twelve-man group was sent to abduct Daimyo Adam Ogata, the planetary governor. Despite repeated attempts, they were unsuccessful and the majority of these operatives lost their lives.. Two lances of Marauder IICs, one in each perimeter regiment, helped anchor those lines and accounted for at seven Seventh Sword of Light ’Mechs during this stage alone.

Combine Reinforcements

Shortly after the last failed attempt on the Daimyo, reinforcements sent by Gunji-no-Kanrei Matsuhari Toranaga consisting of the First Ghost and Ryuken-go (both still battered from earlier encounters with ERUPTIO) entered the system. Republic aerospace assets proved ineffective and both regiments made planetfall in and around Bueller to support the Seventh. The Seventh pushed out from Bueller and attempted to fix the Eleventh Principes while the First Ghost flanked them, but the more mobile Twelfth Principes and Triarii forces were able to turn their flanks in turn. Taking advantage of the holes in the line created by this Combine counterattack the Second Fides pushed into the city and claimed the government center only to find Daimyo Ogata had slipped away. With their supply base lost and their rear threatened, the Seventh and go rushed into the Eleventh. Tai-i Collin Carlyle piloting a salvaged RAF King Crab claimed four kills in this action and inflicted heavy damage against the Eighth. This headlong assault was in turn broken when the Second Fides and a relief force from First Army Group crushed the Combine forces in a pincer. The Marauder IIC lances once again proved valuable, holding the Elevenths line long enough for the pincer to close on the Combine flanks and accounting for at least another eight kills.

Electing not to admit defeat to the Coordinator, Tai-shu Kyuzu sought death in battle, but instead was taken captive. Shortly thereafter the Seventh Sword broke and the Combine forces limped to any DropShips they could find. On 25 November, Paladin Ergen declared Robinson liberated in the name of the Federated Suns.

Aftermath

A brief but brutal guerilla campaign was waged on Robinson after Ergen's announcement, including a shooting that put the Paladin in the hospital for three weeks. First Fides forces eventually discovered Daimyo Ogata's location, and with his capture resistance virtually halted.

Tai-shu Kyuzu was allowed to request permission from the Coordinator to commit seppuku but received no response, so he continued to sit in prison.

Tai-i Collin Carlyle was able to withdraw with other elements of go and is rumored to be in line for a promotion and a transfer to Ryuken-ruko for his actions.

Paladin Ergen departed Robinson with First Army Group to rearm on Terra before heading back into the fray against Shiloh and Clan Wolf. Second Army Group remained on Robinson until AFFS troops could relieve them—which they did sometime prior to February 3150 in the form of the First Davion Irregulars—before rejoining First Army Group on Shiloh. Upon learning of the RAF's departure, the Sixteenth Galedon Regulars attempted to retake the world.

Bibliography

• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 5
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 6
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 14
• Shattered Fortress