Battle of Ankaa (3132)
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| Battle of Ankaa (3132) | |
|---|---|
| Conflict details | |
| Part of | Dark Age era |
| Start Date | 19 December 3132[1] |
| End Date | Several days later[1] |
| Planet(s) | Ankaa |
| Location(s) | In and around Anqabad |
| Result | Steel Wolves victory[2] |
| Attacking Forces | |
| Affiliation | Swordsworn |
| Commanding Officer(s) | Leftenant Colonel Diane Jameson[3] |
| Defending Forces | |
| Affiliation | Steel Wolves |
| Commanding Officer(s) | Star Captain Sadia Wolf[3] |
| Other Forces | |
Overview
At the end of 3132, two of the splinter factions fighting over the Republic of the Sphere, the Steel Wolves and the Swordsworn, took an interest in the DiNapoli Industries DropShip manufacturing facilities on Ankaa.[3] The Steel Wolves arrived first, followed shortly by the Swordsworn on 19 December 3132. Over several days of fighting, the Wolves held off the Swordsworn, securing the planet and its DiNapoli factories for themselves.[1][2]
Prelude
Ankaa-based DiNapoli Industries, recently taken over by Bannson Universal Unlimited, was the leading manufacturer of DropShips in Prefecture IV. This made the planet a tempting target. Both Kal Radick of the Steel Wolves and Aaron Sandoval of the Swordsworn saw its value, and each assigned a commander to take the DiNapoli facilities: Sadia Wolf for the Wolves, and a hastily promoted Diane Jameson for the Swordsworn.[3]
The Steel Wolves arrived first, on 16 December 3132.[4] They secured the capital Anqabad and the various DiNapoli facilities mostly bloodlessly, helped by the population's disdain for new DiNapoli owner Jacob Bannson. The local militia was quickly brought under Steel Wolves control.[4][5]
Three days later, on 19 December 3132, the Swordsworn struck.[4]
Battle
The Swordsworn opened with an avalanche drop, a direct orbital drop into Wolf-controlled Anqabad, bypassing the defensive perimeter the Wolves and militia had prepared.[4] They hit hard, inflicting heavy casualties on the Wolves and holding half of the city before, facing entrenched defenders and a powerful counterattack, Jameson gave the order to withdraw.[6][7] After hours of fighting, according to an anonymous column the Ankaa government banned from publication, hundreds were left dead in Anqabad and thousands injured, the product of two forces caring little for collateral damage. Each side's recovery teams allegedly paid little attention to injured civilians afterwards.[5]
The Swordsworn withdrawal was less an organized retreat than a chaotic scramble. They fled north, the Wolves and militia in constant pursuit. By 22 December, the front lines were in the Great Maze, a twisty network of icy canyons and hills around the North Pole.[8][9] Sensor interference, twisty routes, and tight spaces made the Great Maze a challenging place to fight, especially for the attacking Wolves. After several hours of having her forces slowly hunted down part by part, Sadia commanded the Wolves to retreat.[10][11]
The Swordsworn took the opportunity to prepare an ambush, setting up a fake command post at the base of Al Kazim, the third-largest mountain in the region.[12]
Aftermath
The DiNapoli manufacturing centre proved a valuable asset for the Steel Wolves. Beyond the DropShips the faction hoped for, the Wolves found a wealth of IndustrialMechs to use. The Steel Wolves soon fielded the Opossum and Demeter in large numbers.[13]
In the months to come, Steel Wolves leader Radick and Swordsworn head Sandoval remained public political allies. In a June 3133 INN profile on him, Radick claimed that Sandoval had disavowed the Ankaa Swordsworn force as a rogue unit.[14] By August that year, Sandoval had visited Ankaa to provide medical supplies and cleanup/reconstruction support.[15]
Notes
- Era Digest: Dark Age identifies the battle's starting date as 19 December 3132.[1] Several dates used in this article are determined from that date.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 10: "Dark Age Timeline"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 6: "Important Military Actions of 3132"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Baring the Blade: The Battle for Ankaa!, scenario 1: "Sword and Claw"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 87: "Interesting Times, Dangerous Places #345: "Avalanche""
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 77: "Ankaa Targeted"
- ↑ Battle for Ankaa: Sword and Claw results, retrieved from the MechWarrior: Dark Age website
- ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 90: "Interesting Times, Dangerous Places #347: "Impasse""
- ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 94: "Interesting Times, Dangerous Places #348: "The Midnight Sun""
- ↑ Baring the Blade: The Battle for Ankaa!, scenario 2: "Downstrike"
- ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 96: "Interesting Times, Dangerous Places: #350 "Fight or Flight""
- ↑ Battle for Ankaa: Downstrike results, retrieved from the MechWarrior: Dark Age website
- ↑ Baring the Blade: The Battle for Ankaa!, scenario 3: "Baiting the Wolf"
- ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, pp. 24 and 30
- ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, pp. 184-185: "Prefect Kal Radick: Battling the Firestorm"
- ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, pp. 215-216: "Duke Aaron Sandoval: Where He Leads, Others Follow"