Battle of New Avalon (3151)

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Operation DAWN
Part of The IlClan Era
Start Date From 17 May to 17 September 3151 Planet New Avalon Result Federated Suns victory
Factions
(Attacker) Federated Suns	(Defender) Draconis Combine
Commanders and leaders
Julian Davion	Matsuhari Toranaga
Forces involved
First Avalon Hussars Fifth Avalon Hussars 1st Davion Guards First NAIS Cadre Sixth Crucis Lancers First Davion Auxiliaires Second Davion Auxiliaires	Ryuken-hachi 5th Sword of Light 2nd Genyosha

Operation Dawn is an early IlClan Era military operation that was undertaken by the Federated Suns against the Draconis Combine in the Dragon's Tongue world of New Avalon. The Operation took place both the space around and on the ground of New Avalon, and marginally in some nearby systems.

Introduction

The military campaign known as Operation Dawn was launched by the Federated Suns during the IlClan Era. Its objective was to target the Draconis Combine forces on the world of New Avalon, which was located in a region called the Dragon's Tongue. The operation involved both space and ground combat on New Avalon, as well as some minor engagements in neighboring systems.

Prelude

The end of the Dark Age Era marked one of the most challenging times in the history of the Federated Suns. Following the Palmyra Disaster, the Combine forces had destroyed most of the AFFS's leadership and elite units, leaving them vulnerable. The Draconis Combine created an occupation zone called the Dragon's Tongue, which extended from Coloma to New Avalon. The all-out assault on the Federated Sun's capitol New Avalon resulted in the Battle of New Avalon (3146), with the Kuritans taking not only the planet but also the capital of the Draconis March, Robinson. Additionally the Capellan Confederation seized the Capellan March capital of New Syrtis. The arrival of the new First Prince, Julian Davion, from Lyran Commonwealth space did little to improve the situation. Without their three key capitals, the Suns' economy was in disarray, their military weakened, and the Federation was on the brink of collapse.

Despite the dire circumstances, the situation slowly began to change. In 3149, the Kuritans' mistreatment of mercenaries caused them to lose the Wolf's Dragoons, depriving them of almost five full regiments. Weakened, the Kuritans were unable to expand the Tongue region further, and even the Federation raids, such as Operation PERCEVAL, caused them significant harm. Julian focused his efforts on retaking New Syrtis, and with the assistance of the Republic of the Sphere, they managed to recapture Robinson as well. The only planet left was New Avalon, and both sides concentrated all their efforts to either free or keep the crucial planet.

Launch of the Operation

The 3 April 3151, the Task Force Dawn was ready to attack New Avalon, or at least as ready as they could. The MIIO, though at a heavy cost, had obtained intel about the Kuritans's deployments on New Avalon and the Dragon's Tongue. They were redeploying, reducing the garrison in not important planets, a defensive strategy. But the Suns' Admiral McMasters pointed than simply they hadn't enough JumpShips to send all the Task Force in a single trip. So first they had to obtain them.

Operation UMBRA

On 17 May, a full fleet of Federated Suns JumpShips arrived on New Avalon's nadir jump point, and released a swarm of assault DropShips, fighters and transports filled with marines. The outnumbered Kuritan defenders movilized, but the attackers didn't went for they; instead, they boarded and captured a number of JumpShips stationed on the jump point. However, the majority jumped out of the system... and, surprisingly, the invaders departed almost immediately. Toranaga placed New Avalon on full alert, but soon became evident than the planet wasn't the target, but the escaping ships. These jumped to Coloma, where the another AFFS fleet had preceded them and captured the one which had escaped previously, focusing specially in the biggers, like Star Lord (JumpShip class) and Monolith. All that was part of Operation Umbra, the work of AFFS admiral McMasters; their attack opn New Avalon wasn't more than a ruse to to make the stationed JumpShips -almost all former Federated Suns ones captured by the Kuritans- to be captured, to allow the real invasion AFFS fleet. to jump into New Avalon in a single trip. And it had succeeded beyond all expectations.

Julian didn't waste any time to launch the real attack: quickly, the new fleet jumped to the AFFS headquarters on Argyle, loaded and, on 7 June, Dawn task force jumped at New Avalon. There, the First Prince broadcasted his return to all the population, asking Toranaga to surrender peacefully. The kanrei didn't reply, but the citizens of the planet rioted against the Kuritans, beating to death any captured invading officer, and forcing the Combine forces to retreat to Avalon City, where Toranaga keep the place with the 5th Sword of Light, while the Ryuken-hachi manned the Corean Enterprises Factory.

Space Battle

Despite the odds, Toranaga refused to yield. While the invading DropShips burned towards the planet, they were ambushed by Toranaga's remaining ones which had hid behind the moon Galahad. Instructed to target mainly troop carriers and specially ships of the First Davion Guards -expecting obviously to kill the First Prince- the Kurita task force raced past the Davion screen ships and struck the heart of their formation like kamikazes. The transports of the Sixth Crucis Lancers bore the brunt, losing about two conventional battalions, until the Kuritan ships passed through and engaged the Davion Guards' formation. Without making any attempt to preserve their own lives, the attackers sacrificed themselves, destroying or crippling twice their number before their last ship, the Nekohono'o Willing Sacrifice was destroyed by mass fire. Aboard the command ship, the Running Fox, Admiral McMasters struggled to keep the fleet together as Combine Aerospace fighters rose from the planet, but they weren't able to stop the landings. The battle moved to the ground.

Ground Battle

The First and Second Davion Auxiliaries grounded nearby Achernar BattleMechs facility, facing immediate artillery bombardment. Though the Genyosha has only a token force of infantry, they hold the factory hostage, tie up the Auxiliaires there for most of the campaign. Meanwhile, both Hussar regiments, due to the aerospace fighter harassment, missed their approach window and had to ground far from teir objective of Corean Enterprises. Once there, the Ryuken-hachi engaged both Hussar units in a running battle back to the plant. The Davion Assault Guards and Sixth Crucis Lancers performed a combat drop into the regions surrounding Avalon City. THe Fifth Sword gave no ground, savaging the Assault Guards before retreating into the bulwarks they'd built into the city. The Prince's Champion, Erik Sandoval-Groell, led the ground battle. Julian Davion had wanted to do it himself, but his advisors convinced him to not put himself into risk, so he overseed the battle from the Running Fox's bridge. Meanwhile, other AFFS units participated also in Operation Dawn, but in other systems: Julian had sent the Dawn Guards and the Kestrel Grenadiers to tie down the Twenty-Second New Samarkand Regulars on Coloma, and mercenary raids increased across all the Dragon's Tongue, coordinated by Marshal Philip Rahm of the Eight Crucis Lancers.

Conclusion

However, not all the Combine invaders on New Avalon were captured: Tai-i Saul Pereira, officer of the Fifth Sword of Light, managed to escape during the victory celebrations, joining with some squads of DCMS infantrymen, refusing to surrender and fleeing deeply into the Gran Avalon mountain range. However, their survival at long term was unlikely, as they were hunted by a disproportionate number of Davion troops.

Operation Dawn was quickly followed by the AFFS Operation Solar Flare, the reconquest of all the Dragon's Tongue worlds. After the Battle of Greely (3152), the conflict ended de facto, with both sides quickly adopting an undeclared truce to rebuild their forces. But the devastation of the battles, fough almost exclusively in Davion space, and the huge military losses of Operation Dawn, ironically, left the Combine -technically, the loser- in best shape and stronger than the Federated Suns, technically, the winner.

Gallery

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  Matsuhari Toranaga's Atlas when defeated by Julian Davion's Marauder II

Bibliography

• The Damocles Sanction (novel)
• Dominions Divided