Difference between revisions of "Operation LIBERATION"
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| − | '''Operation Liberation''' was the codename given to the liberation of [[Terra]] during the [[Amaris Civil War]]. Begun on January 23rd, [[2777]], the operation would last until September 29th, [[2779]], with the personal capture of the Usurper [[Stefan Amaris]] by [[Commanding General]] [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]. As the final battle of the [[Hegemony Campaign]] and, indeed, the civil war, the effort to win back the seat of the [[Star League]] would prove to be a grueling affair, resulting in immense destruction and the loss of millions of lives. | + | '''Operation Liberation''' was the codename given to the liberation of [[Terra]] during the [[Amaris Civil War]].<ref name=BS11>''BattleSpace Sourcebook'', p. 11</ref> Begun on January 23rd, [[2777]], the operation would last until September 29th, [[2779]], with the personal capture of the Usurper [[Stefan Amaris]] by [[Commanding General]] [[Aleksandr Kerensky]]. As the final battle of the [[Hegemony Campaign]] and, indeed, the civil war, the effort to win back the seat of the [[Star League]] would prove to be a grueling affair, resulting in immense destruction and the loss of millions of lives. |
==Preparations== | ==Preparations== | ||
By the time General Kerensky had captured all the worlds closest to Terra, he had suffered significant losses: a third of his ground forces and nearly half his navy had been destroyed in the campaign to recapture Hegemony worlds. However, relief would come in the form of military supplies and refugee assistance from the [[Capellan Confederation]], [[Lyran Commonwealth]], and [[Federated Suns]]. As such, Kerensky still had nearly a thousand ships and over 100 [[division]]s available for the invasion of the most heavily defended world in the universe.<ref name=TSL90>''The Star League'', p. 90</ref> | By the time General Kerensky had captured all the worlds closest to Terra, he had suffered significant losses: a third of his ground forces and nearly half his navy had been destroyed in the campaign to recapture Hegemony worlds. However, relief would come in the form of military supplies and refugee assistance from the [[Capellan Confederation]], [[Lyran Commonwealth]], and [[Federated Suns]]. As such, Kerensky still had nearly a thousand ships and over 100 [[division]]s available for the invasion of the most heavily defended world in the universe.<ref name=TSL90>''The Star League'', p. 90</ref> | ||
| − | The Reagan [[Space Defense System]] was the largest and most powerful SDS ever built: besides the many dozens of ground-based laser and missile batteries, it included 250 ''Casper'' drone ships orbiting the planet and five heavily armed and armored battlestations protecting both [[jump point]]s. Unlike prior SDS which had been more easily defeated once electronic countermeasures were developed, the Reagan was more robust; brute force would be the only means of defeating it.<ref name=TSL91>''The Star League'', p. 91</ref> Garrisoning the planet's major cities and [[Castles Brian]] were [[Rim Worlds Republic Military|Republican]] divisions fanatically loyal to the self-styled "Emperor" Amaris.<ref name=TSL92>''The Star League'', p. 92</ref> Most of these divisions were positioned on the North American continent, protecting Unity City and Amaris.<ref name=TSL93>''The Star League'', p. 93</ref> | + | The Reagan [[Space Defense System]] was the largest and most powerful SDS ever built: besides the many dozens of ground-based laser and missile batteries, it included 250 ''Casper'' drone ships orbiting the planet and five heavily armed and armored battlestations protecting both [[jump point]]s. Unlike prior SDS which had been more easily defeated once electronic countermeasures were developed, the Reagan was more robust; brute force would be the only means of defeating it.<ref name=BS11 /><ref name=TSL91>''The Star League'', p. 91</ref> Garrisoning the planet's major cities and [[Castles Brian]] were [[Rim Worlds Republic Military|Republican]] divisions fanatically loyal to the self-styled "Emperor" Amaris.<ref name=TSL92>''The Star League'', p. 92</ref> Most of these divisions were positioned on the North American continent, protecting Unity City and Amaris.<ref name=TSL93>''The Star League'', p. 93</ref> |
| − | General Kerensky spent several months devising the invasion plan, in the mean time offering Amaris a chance to surrender; the Usurper, who had begun losing his sanity since the beginning of the Hegemony Campaign, refused in a rambling message. The finalized plan first called for the destruction of the battlestaitions through the use of automated "fire ships."<ref name=TSL91 /> 20 [[JumpShips]] | + | General Kerensky spent several months devising the invasion plan, in the mean time offering Amaris a chance to surrender; the Usurper, who had begun losing his sanity since the beginning of the Hegemony Campaign, refused in a rambling message. The finalized plan first called for the destruction of the battlestaitions through the use of automated "fire ships."<ref name=TSL91 /> 20 [[JumpShips]] would carry 60 [[Overlord]] [[DropShips]], with weapons stripped for extra armor and packed with explosives, to perform suicidal kamikaze runs in an effort to take them out. With the jump points clear, the waiting fleet of 932 WarShips and transports would jump in from eight different worlds and make a high-g burn for Terra. Because speed was critical, it was decided the distance between jumping ships would be reduced to one-fourth, in order to fit in more ships per jump, and to give each group five minutes to clear the jump point before the next group jumped in.<ref name=TSL91 /> |
While the fleet was en route to Terra, a second task force of 40 WarShips would use a [[Pirate Jump Point]] to jump close to the planet and destroy as many ''Casper'' drone ships as possible before the main fleet arrived.<ref name=TSL91 /> Once the main fleet had destroyed the rest of the drones, [[Aerospace Fighter]]s would be launched to take out 30 key laser and missile batteries on the European and Asian continents, allowing the transports to land the ground forces and begin the reconquest.<ref name=TSL92 /> General Kerensky knew this would be the last, greatest battle of the civil war, and on January 23rd, twenty minutes prior to the invasion's launch time, he gave a taped address to the entire fleet.<ref name=TSL91 /> | While the fleet was en route to Terra, a second task force of 40 WarShips would use a [[Pirate Jump Point]] to jump close to the planet and destroy as many ''Casper'' drone ships as possible before the main fleet arrived.<ref name=TSL91 /> Once the main fleet had destroyed the rest of the drones, [[Aerospace Fighter]]s would be launched to take out 30 key laser and missile batteries on the European and Asian continents, allowing the transports to land the ground forces and begin the reconquest.<ref name=TSL92 /> General Kerensky knew this would be the last, greatest battle of the civil war, and on January 23rd, twenty minutes prior to the invasion's launch time, he gave a taped address to the entire fleet.<ref name=TSL91 /> | ||
==Space Battle== | ==Space Battle== | ||
| + | The battle for control of Terra's orbital space would become known as the largest space engagement ever in human history.<ref name=BS11 /> The automated "fire ships" jumped in and, although most DropShips were lost in the attack, all ten battlestations were destroyed.<ref name=TSL91 /> With the jump points secured, the all-clear signal was sent and the fleet began jumping in. Despite the sheer size and complexity of the operation, only 20 ships failed to make the jump, with 18 suffering drive failures at their point of departures.<ref name=BS11 /> The troop transport ''Richardson'' suffered damage to its station-keeping drives upon arrival, and her captain ordered all DropShips to launch to save themselves. The ''Richardson'' would be destroyed when the corvette ''Mississippi Queen'' materialized with its prow inside her engineering section, though the latter ship would survive and retain enough functionality to clear the jump point before the next group appeared.<ref name=TSL91 /> | ||
| + | |||
| + | Once the operation was complete, the fleet assembled into formation, WarShips forming a protective barrier around the armored DropShip carriers, and made for Terra at speed. When the main fleet was four days away from the planet, the 40-ship flotilla jumped in and began a two-day confrontation with the ''Casper'' drone ships. When the last ship of the flotilla, the cruiser ''Sovetskii Soyuz'', was finally destroyed, their sacrifice had accounted for the destruction of over 100 drones.<ref name=BS11 /><ref name=TSL91 /> That same day, the remaining 150 drones began to engage the main fleet, shadowing it outside of weapons range before making small, swift attacks aimed at destroy as many transports as possible. In an effort to protect the transports, some heavily-damaged WarShips attempted to ram the drone ships; while most such runs were avoided, these efforts caused the drone ships to be more cautious, caused in part by their confusion regarding these suicidal attacks.<ref name=TSL92 /> Eventually, when the fleet was only 12 hours flight time from Terra, the entire drone force moved in to attack. The ten-hour running battle that followed was fierce, leaving a trail of debris in the wake of the two fleets; however as the melee dragged on the drones lost their tight organization and were eventually destroyed in a crossfire. While Kerensky had lost a significant portion of his fleet, he had destroyed the entire drone fleet and was poised to begin the invasion of Terra.<ref name=TSL92 /> | ||
==Invasion== | ==Invasion== | ||
==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
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<references /> | <references /> | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
| + | *''[[BattleSpace]]'' | ||
*''[[The Star League]]'' | *''[[The Star League]]'' | ||
[[Category:Star League Era Military Operations]] | [[Category:Star League Era Military Operations]] | ||
Revision as of 17:10, 16 June 2011
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Operation Liberation was the codename given to the liberation of Terra during the Amaris Civil War.[1] Begun on January 23rd, 2777, the operation would last until September 29th, 2779, with the personal capture of the Usurper Stefan Amaris by Commanding General Aleksandr Kerensky. As the final battle of the Hegemony Campaign and, indeed, the civil war, the effort to win back the seat of the Star League would prove to be a grueling affair, resulting in immense destruction and the loss of millions of lives.
Preparations
By the time General Kerensky had captured all the worlds closest to Terra, he had suffered significant losses: a third of his ground forces and nearly half his navy had been destroyed in the campaign to recapture Hegemony worlds. However, relief would come in the form of military supplies and refugee assistance from the Capellan Confederation, Lyran Commonwealth, and Federated Suns. As such, Kerensky still had nearly a thousand ships and over 100 divisions available for the invasion of the most heavily defended world in the universe.[2]
The Reagan Space Defense System was the largest and most powerful SDS ever built: besides the many dozens of ground-based laser and missile batteries, it included 250 Casper drone ships orbiting the planet and five heavily armed and armored battlestations protecting both jump points. Unlike prior SDS which had been more easily defeated once electronic countermeasures were developed, the Reagan was more robust; brute force would be the only means of defeating it.[1][3] Garrisoning the planet's major cities and Castles Brian were Republican divisions fanatically loyal to the self-styled "Emperor" Amaris.[4] Most of these divisions were positioned on the North American continent, protecting Unity City and Amaris.[5]
General Kerensky spent several months devising the invasion plan, in the mean time offering Amaris a chance to surrender; the Usurper, who had begun losing his sanity since the beginning of the Hegemony Campaign, refused in a rambling message. The finalized plan first called for the destruction of the battlestaitions through the use of automated "fire ships."[3] 20 JumpShips would carry 60 Overlord DropShips, with weapons stripped for extra armor and packed with explosives, to perform suicidal kamikaze runs in an effort to take them out. With the jump points clear, the waiting fleet of 932 WarShips and transports would jump in from eight different worlds and make a high-g burn for Terra. Because speed was critical, it was decided the distance between jumping ships would be reduced to one-fourth, in order to fit in more ships per jump, and to give each group five minutes to clear the jump point before the next group jumped in.[3]
While the fleet was en route to Terra, a second task force of 40 WarShips would use a Pirate Jump Point to jump close to the planet and destroy as many Casper drone ships as possible before the main fleet arrived.[3] Once the main fleet had destroyed the rest of the drones, Aerospace Fighters would be launched to take out 30 key laser and missile batteries on the European and Asian continents, allowing the transports to land the ground forces and begin the reconquest.[4] General Kerensky knew this would be the last, greatest battle of the civil war, and on January 23rd, twenty minutes prior to the invasion's launch time, he gave a taped address to the entire fleet.[3]
Space Battle
The battle for control of Terra's orbital space would become known as the largest space engagement ever in human history.[1] The automated "fire ships" jumped in and, although most DropShips were lost in the attack, all ten battlestations were destroyed.[3] With the jump points secured, the all-clear signal was sent and the fleet began jumping in. Despite the sheer size and complexity of the operation, only 20 ships failed to make the jump, with 18 suffering drive failures at their point of departures.[1] The troop transport Richardson suffered damage to its station-keeping drives upon arrival, and her captain ordered all DropShips to launch to save themselves. The Richardson would be destroyed when the corvette Mississippi Queen materialized with its prow inside her engineering section, though the latter ship would survive and retain enough functionality to clear the jump point before the next group appeared.[3]
Once the operation was complete, the fleet assembled into formation, WarShips forming a protective barrier around the armored DropShip carriers, and made for Terra at speed. When the main fleet was four days away from the planet, the 40-ship flotilla jumped in and began a two-day confrontation with the Casper drone ships. When the last ship of the flotilla, the cruiser Sovetskii Soyuz, was finally destroyed, their sacrifice had accounted for the destruction of over 100 drones.[1][3] That same day, the remaining 150 drones began to engage the main fleet, shadowing it outside of weapons range before making small, swift attacks aimed at destroy as many transports as possible. In an effort to protect the transports, some heavily-damaged WarShips attempted to ram the drone ships; while most such runs were avoided, these efforts caused the drone ships to be more cautious, caused in part by their confusion regarding these suicidal attacks.[4] Eventually, when the fleet was only 12 hours flight time from Terra, the entire drone force moved in to attack. The ten-hour running battle that followed was fierce, leaving a trail of debris in the wake of the two fleets; however as the melee dragged on the drones lost their tight organization and were eventually destroyed in a crossfire. While Kerensky had lost a significant portion of his fleet, he had destroyed the entire drone fleet and was poised to begin the invasion of Terra.[4]