Battle of Vega (3039)
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| Battle of Vega (3039) | |||||||
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| Part of War of 3039 | |||||||
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| Factions | |||||||
| Attacker Federated Commonwealth |
Defender Draconis Combine |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| General Nondi Steiner (April-June) Hauptmann-General Kathleen Heany (July-August) |
Sho-sho Christine Nordica | ||||||
| Forces involved | |||||||
| Third Davion Guards Third Lyran Guards Snord's Irregulars First Gravewalkers 17th Reconnaissance Regiment |
Fourteenth Legion of Vega Fifth Amphigean Light Assault Group Second Legion of Vega Second Dieron Regulars |
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Contents
Prelude
Vega was one of the few defeats for the nascent Federated Commonwealth in the Fourth Succession War, so pride in addition to military and political significance contributed to making its conquest a priority in the War of 3039. The Lyran Intelligence Corps located two defending units, the Fourteenth Legion of Vega and elements of the Fifth Amphigean Light Assault Group. Lyran high command assigned the Third Lyran Guards and the Third Davion Guard the task of defeating the Fourteenth Legion of Vega, a rematch for the former’s defeat by the Legion in the last year. Snord's Irregulars, First Grave Walkers, and Seventeenth Recon (Camacho’s Caballeros) were assigned the Amphigeans. The two groups were designated Task Force Snow and Task Force Blizzard respectively.[1][2]
Attack
Landings began on 19 April 3039 with Task Force Blizzard in the western portion of the North Nanturo Continent and Task Force Snow in the eastern portion. Blizzard quickly swooped into the Nasew spaceport, overrunning the small armor and infantry detachments assigned to the spaceport. This spaceport would be vital for supplying FedCom forces. The Fifth Amphigean knew they were facing a heavier force at least twice their size and sought to delay the invasion as long as possible. They split the two battalions they had on planet, First Battalion, commanded by Tai-sho Kent Gerber, kept the Grave Walkers, commanded by Colonel Dennis Merwin, and Cabelleros, commanded by Colonel Carlos Camacho, pinned at the spaceport with probing attacks searching for a weakness that might hamper the FedCom logistics train.[1][2][3]
Third Battalion, commanded by Chu-sa Fengo Olesko dispersed throughout the Great Desert of Tears, raiding targets of opportunity and becoming a major thorn in the FedCom’s side. Snord’s Irrgulars, commanded by Rhonda Snord, had been previously held in reserve at the spaceport, and were now ordered to hunt them down. Equipped with at-the-time a mysterious amount of Star League technology – namely Beagle Active Probes, Double Heat Sinks, and Arrow IV artillery - the Irregulars tracked Olesko through a sandstorm and on 22 April engaged them near Felicity Oasis. Routed, the Third Battalion fled west across the sea to New Egypt, with the Irregulars in hot pursuit.[1][2][4]
As Third Battalion retreated, the Grave Walkers and Cabelleros continued to repulse First Battalion’s probes, eventually forcing First Battalion to retreat off world.[2]
By 30 April the Irregulars had caught up to Oleska in the Bandli Wastes north-east of New Egypt within sight of the Bandlisi Pyramid. The battle joined at range, with Rhonda Snord dropping Abusan Frazer’s Catapult with a Gauss rifle slug through the cockpit in the opening volley. Seeking to negate the Irregulars’ range advantage Oleska challenged Snord to a duel that win or lose would bring the Irregulars to the brawling range the Amphigeans preferred. Oleska’s strategy was ultimately unsuccessful, with her battalion shattered in a mere forty minutes, and an unconscious Oleska strapped to a MEDEVAC VTOL. Oleska later said she considered it an honor to fight against the Irregulars, but she disliked the tactic of broadcasting her music over the communication channels. A week later on 6 May, the last of the surviving Amphigeans retreated off world and declared Vega lost.[1][2][5][6][7]
The Fourteenth Legion of Vega faced the Third Davion Guards and Third Lyran Guards. The two FedCom units held the Legion in place, and once the Fifth Amphigean LAG evacuated the mercenary units turned to face the Legion. The Legion of Vega was trapped between two fronts, and rather than be destroyed they also evacuated the world. The Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces established a forward command area on Vega, and sent the Third Lyran Guards to their next target.[1]While participating in planning sessions, many of the LCAF field commanders were killed by a DEST-planted bomb.[8] This threw the defenders into chaos, and the arrival of the 2nd Legion of Vega, 14th Legion of Vega, and 2nd Dieron Regulars made things worse. The LCAF forces were scattered across the planet, and when the Grave Walkers and Snord's Irregulars were sent off-world[9], the DCMS forces turned their full attention to the Third Davion Guards. Faced with almost certain defeat, the Third Guards evacuated the world.[9]
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Reference
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Historical: War of 3039, pp. 32–33: "Vega (April–June)"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Turning Points War of 3039: Vega, p. 13: "Task Force Blizzard"
- ↑ Turning Point War of 3039: Vega, p. 14: "You Ain't Nothin'"
- ↑ Turning Point War of 3039: Vega, pp. 115-16: "Wag Your Tail"
- ↑ Turning Point War of 3039: Vega, p. 17: "Ain't Gonna Feed You No More"
- ↑ Rhonda's Irregulars, p. 10: "War of 3039 and Later"
- ↑ Rhonda's Irregulars, p. 46: "Everything Old is New"
- ↑ Historical: War of 3039, p. 66: "The ISF War"
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Historical: War of 3039, pp. 76–78: "Vega (July–August)"