Battle of Luthien (3052)

The Battle of Luthien, referred to by the Clans as Operation Dragonslayer, started on January 4th 3052[1], saw the combined forces of Clans Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat stage an assault against Luthien, capital world of the Draconis Combine. [2] Aside from being one of the largest battles of the Clan Invasion and one of the few major defeats suffered by the Clans prior to the Battle of Tukayyid, the battle saw the first major co-operation between Houses Kurita and Davion to defeat the invaders, as well as the softening of Coordinator Takashi Kurita's Death to Mercenaries Order, thanks to the aid of the Wolf's Dragoons and Kell Hounds mercenary units.

Prelude to the Battle

Following the victory on Wolcott, Theodore and Hohiro Kurita along with Shin Yodama withdrew to Luthien to review the battleroms of the engagement and plan for the Clan’s next assault. Intelligence reports poured in from all along the frontline, but the Clans had apparently ceased their attacks on the Draconis Combine. Shin Yodama suggested that the defeat on Wolcott led the invaders to halt their offensive, but the Kanrei discounted this possibility.

Clan Smoke Jaguar, still smarting from it's embarrassing defeat at Wolcott, demanded that they be allowed to avenge themselves on the Draconis Combine. IlKhan Ulric Kerensky quickly agreed with their choice of targets. If they succeeded, much of the resistance faced by the Smoke Jaguars, Nova Cats and Ghost Bears would evaporate. For this reason ilKhan Kerensky approved Operation Dragonslayer, the invasion of Luthien.

The DCMS dispatched ISF officers and hired operatives into the Clan occupation zones. Shin Yodama contacted the few Yakuza cells he knew of that remained active on Smoke Jaguar or Nova Cat held worlds. All received the same orders: find out the objective of the next Clan invasion. None of these agents could discover the world slated for the Clans' attack, and many were never heard from again. Then late in November, a sympathetic source in ComStar informed Theodore Kurita that the Clans planned to renew their invasion of the Draconis Combine by striking at Luthien. [3] Although some reports place the source as deliberate leaks by the Clans as part of a psychological warfare strategy. [2]

Calling an emergency meeting of the regimental commanders stationed on Luthien, Theodore announced that the Clans had targeted Luthien for invasion. "Nothing can stop the Clans once they have determined where they will strike," the Kanrei told his military leaders. "We lack the naval vessels to challenge the Clan invasion fleet before it arrives in-system. Our only hope is to find the best way to drive the invaders off Luthien once they arrive."

Tai-sa Oda Hideyoshi of the Otomo and Tai-saShigeru Yoshida of the 1st Sword of Light immediately pledged their regiments to the defence of the capital. [4] Yoshida suggested that they recall the Ryuken units from their border posts to aid but this was rejected. The Ryuken were more valuable to the war effort where they were, threatening fast deep penetration raids that would force the Smoke Jaguars to garrison their captured worlds with large numbers of troops. The decision was made no units would be called in from other worlds. The Genyosha, 1st Sword of Light, 2nd Legion of Vega, and the Otomo would defend Luthien, along with whatever militia regiments could be mustered and equipped. [5]

Unlikely Allies

On November 27, 3051, Kanrei Theodore Kurita sent a request for help in the defence of Luthien to Hanse Davion of the Federated Commonwealth. [6] After much deliberation, Davion decided to help Theodore and sent messages to two of his most trusted mercenary commanders: Jaime Wolf, commander of Wolf's Dragoons, and Morgan Kell, commander of the Kell Hounds, requesting that they join in the defence of Luthien. Both Jaime Wolf and Morgan Kell accepted and transported their entire units to Luthien with the greatest haste. [7]

The Clans Prepares

As the Kurita military leaders debated how to defend Luthien, the leaders of Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat also laid plans. ilKhan Kerensky had appointed the Khan of the Smoke Jaguars, as the overall invasion commander. [2] The Jaguar Khan, in turn, appointed Galaxy Commander Dorian Wirth [8] of the Jaguars Alpha Galaxy to bid against Khan Severen Leroux of the Nova Cats for the privilege of leading the assault on Luthien. In an unusual move each bidder was allowed access to forces drawn from both Clans. Political rivals in both the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats have speculated that ilKhan Kerensky forced the Khan’s hand. His supporters insist that he had shown foresight and allowed the bidders access to both Clans because he knew that Luthien would provide the stiffest Inner Sphere resistance yet faced by either the Smoke Jaguars or the Nova Cats. [5]

Wirth opened the bidding: "I will take Luthien with four combined-arms Galaxies," he said. Then he paused as though waiting for Khan Leroux to counter, but cut off his opponent's counter-offer with a quick amendment to his own. "Minus, that is, all naval support from our Jumpships." This act disrupted Khan Leroux's initial plan. Hurriedly, he countered by bidding away half his aerospace fighter support. Unknown to either Clan officer, this move would give the Inner Sphere troops an invaluable tactical advantage. In the end, Wirth won the right to lead the invasion of Luthien with three combat Galaxies and three aerospace Clusters. [7]

With the bidding completed, the Clan commanders settled in to plan strategy. Determined that the Kuritas would not trick them as they had on Wolcott, it was agreed the invasion force would issue no Batchall. After all, the batchall had been dishonoured at Wolcott, proving the Combine troops had no honour. Some sources state that a batchall was employed and that the Jaguars allowed their opponents the choice of battlefield, [2] however, the same sources then mention that the Clans were surprised at the presence of mercenaries; something that should have been included in any batchall. Event early in the battle suggest that in fact no batchall was used. [9]

Khan Leroux of the Nova Cats favoured a surgical strike, aimed at decapitating the DCMS command. He argued that the invasion should be concentrated around Imperial City, because capturing the city with one stroke would throw the rest of the planet's defenders into disarray. Dorian Wirth opposed limiting the invasion force's area of operations. believing Leroux's plan would enable the Kurita defenders to draw the Clan forces into ground better suited to defence than attack, as they had done in the Battle of Wolcott. Instead he suggested their forces spread across the face of the planet. By striking vigorously at key cities and manufacturing centres and committing freebirth troops to secondary objectives, the Clans could stretch the defenders to the breaking point.

Both plans had merit and eventually Operation Dragonslayer would implement elements of both. Capturing Imperial City would be the primary objective of the invasion. The Jaguar's Alpha Galaxy and the Nova Cats' Beta Galaxy would ground near the planetary capital and press the attack there. Elements of both Clans would strike at secondary targets across Luthien simultaneously. Under this compromise plan, maximum effort would go into capturing Imperial City and tying up the Combine's front-line units, as the secondary strikes will prevent the Combine forces from reinforcing the city's defenders. The first Clan JumpShips appeared in the Luthien system in the early hours of January 4, 3052. [10]

Breakdown of the Fighting

Luthien System

Combine Aerospace Wings attempt to prevent Clan DropShips landing.

0530 Hours, 04 January 3052

As the clan forces began their high-speed run for Luthien, warded by the fighter screen of the Nova Cat 3rd Aerospace Cluster, the 3rd Aerospace Wing and 7th Aerospace Wing intercepted them. The 3rd was instructed to draw defending Clan fighters away from their DropShips, clearing the way for the heavier attack ships of the 7th. Trouble with the 7th's catapult launch stations delayed their arrival for several vital minutes. During which time the 3rd destroyed nine Clan fighters and severely damaged two DropShips. When the 7th finally arrived, their heavy Slayer and Stuka fighters found the scattered Clan fighters easy targets. During the fighting, a pair of Kurita Shilones, under the command of Tai-i Michael Cannello spotted a crippled Jagatai A and forced it to land at Tsushima. Star Captain Yehud Nova Cat became the first prisoner taken in the Battle of Luthien. [11]

2200 Hours, 04 January 3052

Contrary to many popular accounts, the aerospace engagement that marked the beginning of the Battle of Luthien was not a single epic battle. Rather, it comprised a series of brief, but intense skirmishes. The Combine's 3rd Aerospace Wing that had first engaged in a fight that lasted less than twenty minutes. A short time later, the 7th Aerospace Wing engaged in a battle that lasted just under an hour. The invaders then passed beyond the operational ranges of these two wings and travelled virtually unimpeded for almost fifteen hours until they reached the planet. At which point Combine and allied mercenary aerospace forces stationed on Luthien met the Clan DropShips as they entered the planet's atmosphere, trying to prevent their landing in the Tairakan Plains. [12]

Tairakana Plains

0500 Hours, 05 January 3052

As agreed no Batchall was issued, so in an attempt to gain the information normally learned by such, Theodore Kurita dispatched several reconnaissance patrols to the Clan landing zones on the Tairakana Plains. It was hoped that the data these patrols acquired would helped the DCMS tailor their defensive plans to maximize the effect of his forces. [13] One such patrol was led by Shin Yodama, [14] this was located and attacked by elemental skirmishers of the 1106th Aggressor Cluster. [15]

0715 Hours, 05 January 3052

The Otomo spring their trap.

The ground battle began when the 1st Jaguar Guards launched their attack against the three Kurita regiments drawn up along the shores of Basin Lake. The Jaguar Guards opened the battle with long-range fire, [16] but charged quickly into close-combat range and into a trap; closing with what they believed were Otomo 'Mechs, the Clans discovered a vibrabomb minefield peppering the ground in front of the Combine unit's position, and the "Otomo 'Mechs" were actually drones which were also booby-trapped. As the Smoke Jaguars staggered from the effects of the mines and "Q-Mechs", the genuine Otomo attacked. Their sudden charge, coupled with the chaos wrought by the minefield, brought the Smoke Jaguars’ advance to a halt. [17]

0845 Hours, 05 January 3052

The Smoke Jaguar's first probing attack on Combine lines had bogged down, but then Trinary Alpha of the First Jaguar Guards struck the centre of the Combine's defensive position, hoping to break through the 1st Sword of Light. [18] The Combine lines held for almost an hour against the ferocious assault of the Jaguar Guards, but as reinforcements of the Otomo and the 2nd Legion of Vega arrived they began forcing the Clans back. This counter attack was in turn broken by the arrival of Clan reinforcements [19] including the 5th Jaguar Regulars, supported by Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat aerospace strikes. [20]

0915 Hours, 05 January 3052

As the Smoke Jaguars reinforcements ran into the 1st Sword of Light's second line; the Otomo, the 2nd Legion of Vega, and the freshly committed Genyosha launched the first all-out counter assault on the invaders. The Genyosha inflicted terrible damage on the Smoke Jaguars, folding their right flank back on itself. As they turned to face the Genyosha, they siphoned warriors away from the 1st Sword of Light, the Otomo and the 2nd Legion of Vega. At this point defeat seemed certain for the Clans, but they consolidated their force and pushed through the Combine defenders for the second time and forced them to retreat. [21]

Imperial City Air Defence Zone

1130 Hours, 05 January 3052

Dogfight over the Waseda Hills.

Following the collapse of the Combine line, the Nova Cats and the battered Smoke Jaguars began a quick march toward Imperial City, supported by their aerospace forces. As they approached Basin Lake and the Waseda Hills, a desperate fight for air supremacy between the Clans and mercenary forces ensued. Elements of Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds' aerospace wings launched a series of attacks against the Clan fighter Trinaries of the 63rd Jaguar Regulars and the 25th Nova Cat Regulars, engaging them in a furious free-for-all. The battle swung quickly in favour of the more numerous mercenaries. In the end, the Clan fighters were driven from the area, leaving the Inner Sphere defenders in total control of the sky over Luthien. [22]

Waseda Hills

1230 Hours, 05 January 3052

The Combine units struggled to contain the clan advance. With disregard for the Jaguar attack plan the Nova Cats pushed Delta Galaxy deep into the Waseda Hills attempting to reach the Imperial City before the Smoke Jaguars. [23] Bypassing Basin Lake they pushed towards the Kado-Guchi Valley. ComStar intelligence had suggested that the area was defended by militia, but the Cats ran into three regiments of Wolf’s Dragoons and Kell Hounds who stopped the clan advance cold. [24] The mercenaries hoped to delay the Cats long enough that their aerospace forces could stage a bombing run, however the Nova Cats 119th Striker Cluster engaged head on as the 32nd Assault Cluster made a flank march into the valley. [25]

Meanwhile, the third battalion of the Kell Hounds Second Regiment caught the 336th Jaguar Combat Cluster on the shores of Basin Lake. They launched an all-out assault to try and halt the clan advance. The mercenaries took heavy casualties and where only saved by the arrival of elements of the 1st Sword of Light, however the Hound’s battalion was spent as a force. [26]

Katsura River Valley

1345 Hour, 05 January 3052s

As the fighting in the Waseda Hills began, the engagement on the edges of the Tairakana Plains wound down. The remnants of Kurita companies in the area were regrouping. In the hope of increasing the pressure on the Smoke Jaguars, Theodore Kurita ordered two 2nd Genyosha companies and one Otomo company to launch a lightning raid into the Clans' rear area. He instructed them to attack the Jaguars' reserves, cause as much damage and confusion as they possibly could, before pulling out. During the attack against the 32nd Jaguar Regulars two Kurita 'Mechs were destroyed, and almost all the others took serious damage but in turn, left eight Clan machines destroyed or so badly damaged that the invaders abandoned them during their withdrawal from Luthien. [27]

Shaidan Basin: Amori Military District

1350 Hours, 05 January 3052

The Battle for Luthien did not consist solely of an attempt to take the Imperial City. The Clans landed forces elsewhere on the planet as well. Provided with inaccurate intelligence, the Clans assigned the capture of the Arisaka Munitions Complex to the 22nd Smoke Jaguar Freebirth Cluster. Tai-i Velk marshalled the Amori Militia in the marshy rice paddies of the Shaidan Basin. As the Clan warriors crossed the slippery rice paddies, Tai-i Velk sprung his trap. The Amori Militia put up a heavy resistance, then feigned a disorderly retreat across the two Shaidan River bridges. As the invaders followed them across the militiamen detonated charges that destroyed the bridges. Backed by ground armour and the Minikuchi, the militia pinned the Clan warriors against the rain swollen river. Caught in a completely untenable position, Star Captain Edna did the only thing she could to avoid the destruction of her command, she surrendered. [28]

Nova Cat Secondary Landing Zone

1400 Hours, 05 January 3052

Fighting in the Tairakana Plains was winding down and that in the the Kado-Guchi Valley continued. Theodore Kurita ordered the 6th DEST to begin Operation Black Thunder. The concealed team members attacked the Clan Nova Cat Union Class DropShip the Broadsword. The operatives captured the Broadsword, along with two of her crew, after a short fire fight in the vessel's main 'Mech deck. Four DEST troopers died in the fighting, and a similar number wounded. The captured DropShip was then flown under fighter escort to the main military spaceport southeast of Imperial City. [29]

Luthien Armor Works: Jirushi City

1400 Hours, 05 January 3052

In an attempt to cripple the Draconis Combine effort to regroup, a Star of medium and heavy OmniMechs of the 22nd Jaguar Regulars attacked the Luthien Armor Works, where they encountered a unit assembling from the remnants of 'Mech companies shattered earlier in the fighting. The situation was not as the clans had expected though. The complex's machinery and steel-reinforced ferrocrete buildings blocked virtually all communications, sensors, and targeting systems, and facing a stronger unit than expected, the Clan warriors inflicted moderate damage before fleeing to their landing zone for evacuation. [30]

Kado-guchi Valley

1600 Hours, 05 January 3052

Ebon Jaguar of the 1st Jaguar Guards Cluster advances into the Kado-Guchi Valley.

The Nova Cats smashed their way through the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons, and finally succeeded in breaking out of the Waseda Hills and into the Kado-Guchi Valley. Having already faced stiffer opposition than they expected, the Cats were on guard for another assault. The attack duly came in the form of the Dragon's Claws, a unit of veteran Kurita warriors commanded by Coordinator Takashi Kurita himself. Theodore Kurita had placed his most trusted aide, Sho-sa Shin Yodama, with the Dragon's Claws as a liaison officer. [31] It was Sho-sa Yodama's awesome responsibility to "keep Takashi on a leash," and prevent him from making a suicidal charge in the style of the ancient Terran samurai. [32]

1630 Hours, 05 January 3052

The Dragon's Claws' surge down the slopes of the Kado-Guchi Valley stopped the Nova Cats' advance toward Imperial City. [33] Several Clan 'Mechs went down in the first volley. The Cats then attempted to execute an orderly withdrawal, but the Kell Hounds launched a strike against their flank and rear. [34] Willing to admit defeat and live to fight another day Khan Leroux ordered a full retreat of the Nova Cats. [23]

1700 Hours, 05 January 3052

Conversely, the Jaguars launched an all or nothing counter assault. However, things started to go wrong from the start as the 145th Jaguar Regulars were cut off from on the flank of the attack by Delta Regiment Wolf’s Dragoons and slaughtered to the last warrior. The Clan line broke when the 315th Jaguar Battle Cluster crumbled in a push from the 1st Genyosha and the Kell Hounds, this forward thrust by the Combine troops opened a gap in their ranks which was exploited by the 22nd Jaguar Regulars breaking through the Otomo and 2nd Legion of Vega their thrust was short lived as they were surrounded by Alpha Regiment of Wolf’s Dragoons. The few warriors of the 22nd to survive were taken prisoner. This blow was the last straw and the Jaguars were forced to perform a fighting retreat. [35]

Imperial City

1700 Hours, 05 January 3052

As the battle in the Kado-Guchi Valley reached its peak, Trinary Striker of the 4th Nova Cat Regulars broke away from the battle. Seeking to curry favour with Kincaid Furey of the Smoke Jaguars, Star Colonel Camille ordered her unit to destroy a small industrial park on the southeast side of Imperial City. The Cats had scarcely began their attack when elements of the 7th Imperial City Militia, along with armoured infantrymen of the 1st Omega Regiment, attacked them. A vicious street fight broke out, ending only when a Wolf’s Dragoon air strike forced the Nova Cats to withdraw with heavy casualties. [36]

Nijunen Desert

0235 Hours, 06 January 3052

Realising the battle was lost the Smoke Jaguars attempted to cripple the Combine's ability to continue the war, Kincaid Furey ordered a force of the 225th Jaguar Battle Cluster to destroy the largest iron-ore mine on Luthien, located in the heart of the Nijunen Desert some 25 kilometers south of Takaoguchi. This time, ComStar provided the Clans with accurate information. Under the cover of night, the veteran Jaguar Cluster squared off against the 143rd Luthien Defense Regiment. Using the natural defensive potential of several sinkholes in the region, Tai-sa Alexi Nagumo's troops fought the Jaguars to a standstill, until heavy losses forced the Combine regiments to withdraw and the Jaguars to complete their mission. [37]

Prologue

The Battle of Luthien reached its climax in the Kado-Guchi Valley, where twelve Inner Sphere regiments squared off against five Clan Galaxies. The Valley had become a massive killing zone, when the battle was over, the smoke that arose from hundreds of burning 'Mechs streaked the sky. The Clan force was defeated and the few Clan warriors that survived the battle were taken prisoner. Out of the two Nova Cat Galaxies only 40% remained operational, [23] and less than half of the Jaguars boarded their DropShips to withdraw. [35]

Of the two Kell Hound regiments that came to Luthien just over two battalions of 'mechs remained operational. Wolf's Dragoons had arrived with five full regiments and had been reduced to two and a half. The Combine's six regiments had suffered similar grievous damage, with the Genyosha and the 2nd Legion of Vega faring the best, with only fifty percent casualties. The reserve regiment had been hurt most with only three 'mechs operational at the battle's end.

Units Involved[38]

Clan Smoke Jaguar

Clan Nova Cat

Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery

Mercenary Units

References

  1. ↑ Luthien, p. 29
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Invading Clans , p. 60
  3. ↑ Luthien, p. 6
  4. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.220
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Luthien, p. 7
  6. ↑ Blood Legacy , p.224
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Luthien, p. 8
  8. ↑ Era Report: 3052, p. 54
  9. ↑ Luthien, p. 35-7
  10. ↑ Luthien, p. 12
  11. ↑ Luthien, p. 29
  12. ↑ Luthien, p. 32
  13. ↑ Luthien , p. 35
  14. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.254
  15. ↑ Clan Troops, p. 42-3
  16. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.269
  17. ↑ Luthien, p. 38
  18. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.270
  19. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.271
  20. ↑ Luthien, p. 41
  21. ↑ Luthien, p. 44
  22. ↑ Luthien, p. 47
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Invading Clans , p. 118
  24. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.276
  25. ↑ Luthien, p. 49
  26. ↑ Invading Clans, p. 60
  27. ↑ Luthien, p. 52-3
  28. ↑ Luthien, p. 55
  29. ↑ Luthien, p. 58
  30. ↑ Luthien, p. 62
  31. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.278
  32. ↑ Luthien, p. 68
  33. ↑ Blood Legacy, p.290
  34. ↑ Luthien, p. 71
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Invading Clans, p. 62
  36. ↑ Luthien, p. 78
  37. ↑ Luthien, p. 65
  38. ↑ Luthien, p. 25-28

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://www.sarna.net/wiki/index.php?title=Battle_of_Luthien_(3052)&oldid=329298"