Editing Operation RIPOSTE

{{Cleanup|reason=review needed|date=September 2023}}

{{InfoBoxConflict
| conflict = Operations AMBUSH and RIPOSTE
| partof = [[Fourth Succession War]]
| image = 							
| caption = Operations AMBUSH and RIPOSTE
| date = December [[3028]]
| place = 
| planet = [[Algot]]<br>[[Axton]]<br>[[Kawich]]<br>[[Basalt]]<br>[[New Aragon]]<br>[[Nopah]]
| territory = No changes
| faction1 = Attacker<br />[[Capellan Confederation]]
| faction2 = Defender<br />[[Federated Suns]]
| commander1 = [[Chancellor]] [[Maximilian Liao]]
| commander2 = [[First Prince]] [[Hanse Davion]]
| forces1= 
| forces2= 
| result = Capellan Confederation total defeat
| environment = 
| conditions = Normal
}}

'''Operation RIPOSTE''' was a [[Capellan Confederation]] counterattack launched during the fourth wave of [[Operation RAT]], intended to destroy underdefended supply depots on six worlds vital to the [[Federated Suns]] continued involvement in the [[Fourth Succession War]]. Unbeknownst to the Capellans however, the supposed Achilles Heel they were targeting as part of RIPOSTE was in fact false intelligence designed to convince them to strike as part of '''Operation AMBUSH'''.

==Overview==
As the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Suns]] launched the fourth wave of Operation RAT, the Davion troops quickly began to realize that they were not encountering any resistance from frontline [[Capellan Confederation Armed Forces]] units. In response to RAT's third wave, [[Chancellor]] [[Maximilian Liao]] had ordered them withdrawn to prevent them from being cut off from the rest of the Confederation, but also to use them in a ambitious scheme to cripple the Davion offensive under the code name of Operation RIPOSTE. <ref name=BPFSW-20>''BattlePack: Fourth Succession War'', pp. 20-21 "Scenario 5: Operation Intruders Communion"</ref> <ref name=FSWMAV1-88>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', pp. 88-89 "Operations Riposte and Ambush - Operation Riposte - Operation Ambush"</ref>

Information supplied by traitorous [[Capellan March]] Duke [[Michael Hasek-Davion]] supposedly revealed to the Chancellor that all the supplies for the AFFS forces involved in the invasion moved through only six worlds, which had now been stripped of their [[BattleMech]] garrisons as the invasion ceaselessly drove deeper into the Confederation. The loss of these depots would cripple the Davion offensive in the Confederation, and with luck the [[Draconis Combine]]'s own drive into the [[Terran Corridor]] would force the AFFS to grind to a halt, buying the CCAF vital months to rest, regroup and counterattack. Desperate to regain the initiative and with the [[Maskirovka]] verifying Hasek-Davion's intelligence as seemingly accurate, the Chancellor committed among his last remaining frontline units and reserve [[DropShip]]s and [[JumpShip]]s to the task, some six [[BattleMech]] [[regiment]]s with twice as many support units. An additional seventh world would also be targeted as part of RIPOSTE after Capellan agents learned of compelling intel pointing to an [[New Avalon Institute of Science]] laboratory on Axton on the brink of breakthrough in [[myomer]] strength. Though some within the Confederation doubted the leaked information, such as [[Pavel Ridzik]], the Chancellor's trust in Hasek-Davion was so total he refused to consider any other option.<ref name=BPFSW-20/> <ref name=FSWMAV1-88/>

Unfortunately for the Capellan's, [[First Prince]] [[Hanse Davion]] and the [[MIIO]] had been aware of Hasek-Davion's traitorous behavior since at least [[3026]], opting to feed him limited and false intelligence rather than eliminate him. During the planning stages of Operation Rat, the First Prince also set in motion Operation Ambush a plan to lure the Confederation into a rash strike. At first the information flowing to Duke Hasek-Davion merely played up the importance of the six worlds and underplayed their defenses, but by end of the third wave the reports seen by Hasek-Davion and supplied to the Chancellor were almost completely fabricated. In truth while the six worlds were supply points, there were also five other equally important ones and numerous other regional logistic points on Capellan worlds captured in the first waves would have prevented any halt to the offensive, while each of the six worlds were defended by seventeen 'Mech regiments and forty [[infantry]] and [[Combat Vehicle|armor]] regiments.<ref name=BPFSW-20/> <ref name=FSWMAV1-88/>

When the Davion troops committed to the fourth wave of Operation RAT began to report encountering minimal at best resistance, the First Prince realized the Chancellor had taken the bait. Garrisons on the six worlds were placed under strict radio silence and as much vital supplies were shipped and hidden outside the supply depots proper and prepared for the Capellans arrival.<ref name=BPFSW-20/> <ref name=FSWMAV1-88/>

==Planets attacked during Operation RIPOSTE==
===Algot===
:'''Attacker:''' [[Davion Light Guards]] RCT <br />Alpha Regiment of [[Twelfth Vegan Rangers]]
:'''Defender:''' The Third battalion of the [[2nd Ariana Fusiliers]] + two regiments of hovertanks and one of jump infantry
:'''Outcome:''' The battle was fought in two places. The first engagement took place at a number of warehouses. The Capellan commander have trust in the capabilities of his troops. The defending Delta Company of the Light Guards split the attacking force. The supporting Hovercraft had no chance to help their comrades. The Capellan forces were beaten in close combat.<br />
:The other fight took place several hundred kilometers away. The march of the Capellans was uncontested. The Guards and the Rangers lied in an ambush out of sight of the attackers. The CO discover the trap and fight to the end against the defenders but the superior numbers began to count and in a final push all remaining CCAF forces were defeated.
:Source: p.91

===Axton===
:'''Attacker:''' [[2nd NAIS Training Cadre]] and four regiments of infantry and tanks
:'''Defender:''' First Battalion of the [[4th Tau Ceti Rangers]] + 1 Platoon of Death Commandos
:'''Outcome:''' The Rangers were tasked with the mission to capture all equipment of value and destroy whatever could not be transported. The 4th Tau Ceti had luck when they stormed the Homebase of the Cadre. Only a company of 'Mechs and some infantry regiments defended the base. They had no chance against such experienced attackers. The Rangers discover the hidden lab and began to plunder it. The main force of the Cadre were on a training cycle outside of the camp. The Cadre formed a company of the experienced soldiers which tried to block the Capellans in withdrawal. The mercs managed to lift off after the CO of the cadre was killed in action.

===Kawich===
:'''Attacker:''' Striker Regiment, [[Eridani Light Horse]] <br />three regiments of infantry and armor, reinforced by the Second Battalion of 'Mechs from the [[1st Davion Guards]] RCT<br /> [[3rd Crucis Lancers]]
:'''Defender:''' Three groups<br />Group 1:A battalion from [[Warrior House Hiritsu]]<br />Group 2:A battalion from the [[3rd Confederation Reserve Cavalry]], a company from [[Trimaldi's Secutors]], and a company of [[Lothar's Fusiliers]]<br />Group 3: a battalion of [[Trimaldi's Secutors]] and two companies from [[Laurel's Legion]]
:'''Outcome:''' The Warrior House Hiritsu meet the Striker Regiment. First the ELH sent their conventional force against them. The fight saw the loss of 12 Light Horse 'Mechs. The fighting was brutal as the Warrior House forces fought to the death.
:A force of 5 companies were tasked with the destruction of the warehouses near Jamou. The CO tried to use speed to rush in and retreat after the demolition. But they had not expected 9 conventional battalions supported by 3 'Mech companies. 
:The Capellan officer order his troops back to the awaiting DropShips. Some troopers disobeyed and broke off to fight the Davions and were killed. These actions cost them 12 'Mechs. The remaining forces were ground down by six companies of the Guards before they could retreat offworld. 
:Another force containing forces of the Trimaldi's Secutors and Laurel's Legion landed on the planet. When forces of the Crucis Lancers meet them, the troops of the invading units behaved oddly. The warriors of the Legion surrendered and the members of the Secutors began to fight them.  The Crucis Lancers had to intervene with force to calm the attackers. The Legion changed sides.
:Source:94 - 93
:''See [[Battle of Kawich (3029)]]''

===Basalt===
:'''Attacker:''' [[4th Davion Guards]] RCT<br />[[4th Crucis Lancers]]
:'''Defender:''' several 'Mech battalions and companies totaling almost regiment  = <br />A company from the [[Kerr's Intruders]], <br />a company from [[McCrimmon's Light Cavalry]] <br /> a company from [[MacGregor's Armored Scouts]]<br />five companies from the [[1st New Hessen Irregulars]] <br />18 'Mechs from the veteran [[Warrior House Ijori]]<br />with  three infantry regiments and four armor regiments
:'''Outcome:''' A taskforce of 3 'Mech companies (one each of [[Kerr's Intruders]] + [[McCrimmon's Light Cavalry]] + [[MacGregor's Armored Scouts]] were ordered to destroy the warehouse complex at Zander's Light. They were stopped by the main forces of 4th Guards. The Capellans were forced to surrender.
:The other taskforce use a unconventional tactic (Avalanche drop). They dropped their force on top of the defending 4th Lancers. The Capellans quickly discovered that the warehouses were empty. They decided to hunt the Davions rather the supply depots. The 3 defending companies began to retreat as far as possible to draw out the CCAF warriors who followed them blindly. The Capellan forces became strung out and the remaining 6 'Mech companies and conventional forces of the Lancers interrupted their pursuit. The CCAF forces chose to fight to the death rather than surrender.

===New Aragon===
:'''Attacker:''' [[Davion Heavy Guards]] RCT<br />[[New Avalon]] Crucis March Militia<br />[[1st Aragon Borderers]] and six infantry and tank regiments
:'''Defender:''' The three battered regiments of the [[Chesterton Voltigeurs]] (4 bat) <br />+ 4 regiments of infantry and two heavy tank regiment 
:'''Outcome:''' Once fielding 3 full regiments the Voltiugeurs could save only 4 battalions from the slaughter house of Tikonov. After same time of recovery this units were tasked with the mission to secure or destroy all possible supplies of the AFFS on New Aragon. Three different base were located and marked for destruction. Each taskforce consists of 4 'Mech companies support by conventional assets (6 infantry battalions + 3 heavy armor battalions). 
:The 1st Taskforce attack Fort McMichael. The 'Mechs formed the vanguard and the flanks were protected by the other forces. The column run into two companies of Davion Assault Guards. The CO hoped to lure the Davions into a trap, but were trapped themselves; first from a flaking maneuver from the Guards' hovertanks and secondly pounded from the sky by fighters.  The 3CCAF troops were shattered with only a handful of survivors.
:The 2nd Taskforce assaulted Grahamsville. The maps showed an easy riverside target. The normally small river was swollen from recent flooding and the Davion engineers had built a defensive flood wall around the warehouses. The CCAF units struggled to cross the river because to bridges were destroyed and the river was too dangerous. The taskforce was caught unawares by the New Avalon March Militia. The CO's of both sides were wounded and the ongoing fight shifted to the Davions. The Capellans made a bloody last stand with only 3 lances surviving to surrender.
:And finally, the 3rd Taskforce attacked Fort Ellison. The Aragon Border + 18 attached battalions were tasked with the defense of the complex. The approach was difficult, but the main forces were out of sight. The Capellans thought they could destroy some supplies and flee, but after a fierce fight with the Borderers they changed their attitude. Hunted by 2 Mech units and without air support the Voltigeurs surrendered after they saw no chance to escape.
:Source: p. 98

===Nopah===
:'''Attacker:''' Beta Regiment of the [[Twelfth Vegan Rangers]] + [[Crater Cobras]] (2 reg.) +[[1st Ceti Hussars]] [[RCT]]
:'''Defender:''' 3rd Battalion of the [[1st McCarron's Armored Cavalry]]  + 1 battalion a from the [[Confederation Reserve Cavalry]] + [[Warrior House Lu Sann]] (1b) +  [[Prefectorate Guard]]
:'''Outcome:''' The 3 companies of the MAC were surprised by the presence of the Vegan Rangers Beta Regiment. The 2nd Battalion of the Rangers were attacked in a series of engagements by the Cavalry. When they realize that the defenders were stronger than expected the warriors of the MAC decide to go to ground and harass the Davion forces for the following months.
:The second group attacked a warehouse complex. The units landed opposite sides and attempted a pincer movement. The Cavalry attacked the 2nd Cobras on one side, and the 1st Cobras engaged the Warrior House Lu Sann on the other. The CRC surrendered after some losses and when it became apparent they were facing an overwhelming number of 'Mechs. The Warrior House lasted longer, but ultimately faltered after the 1st Cobras finished the CRC and joined the heavy fighting.
:The last battle occurred between the Prefectorate Guard and the 1st Ceti Hussars. The two units meet in the past on different occasions. The CCAF unit pushed forward unsupported. The Hussars retreat and set ambushes. The 'Mech forces of the Capellans had the weight advantage, but the Hussar swiftness was an important tactical advantage for them in the hit and run fighting. In a final battle the Guards fought to the death and were annihilated.
:Source: p. 100

===Halloran V===
:'''Attacker:''' [[2nd New Ivaarsen Chasseurs]] RCT<br />The Second Regiment of the [[Screaming Eagles]]  
:'''Defender:''' 15 remaining members of the once-proud [[Freemont's Cuirassiers]] reinforced by two regiments of armor and infantry
:'''Outcome:''' The CCAF forces landed in the near of the AFFS base. The Capellans retreat after a short engagement with 2nd Chasseurs. The terrain worked for the attackers but after the Davion called their supporting mercs in the invaders met their destiny in a fight to the death. 
:Source: p. 100

==Conclusion==
Thanks to the false intelligence supplied to the traitor, the Capellan forces were wholly unprepared for the considerable opposition on the six worlds targeted by RIPOSTE, with virtually all of the CCAF forces taking part wiped out entirely. A near complete debacle, RIPOSTE's only success was the Fourth Tau Ceti Rangers' discovery and plundering of a minor New Avalon Institute of Science facility on Axton. Though the Axton laboratory contained nothing with any military application, its files revealed the existence of a major NAIS facility on [[Bethel]] researching [[Triple Strength Myomer|advanced myomers]] which would result in [[Operation INTRUDERS COMMUNION]]. <ref name=BPFSW-20/> <ref name=FSWMAV1-101>''NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1'', pp. 88-89 "Operations Riposte and Ambush - Overview"</ref>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[BattlePack: Fourth Succession War]]''
* ''[[NAIS The Fourth Succession War Military Atlas Volume 1]]''

[[Category:Fourth Succession War Era Military Operations|RIPOSTE]]