Editing Operation BROKEN FIST

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{{InfoBoxConflict
| conflict = Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN and Operation BROKEN FIST
| partof = the [[Jihad]]
| image = 							
| caption = Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN and Operation BROKEN FIST
| date = From March [[3068]] to August [[3069]]
| place = 
| planet = 
| territory = No changes
| faction1 = Forces of the Bolan and Skye Provinces of the [[Lyran Alliance]]
| faction2 = [[Free Worlds League]]
| commander1 =
| commander2 = 
| forces1= 
| forces2= 
| result = Draw
| environment = 
| conditions = Normal
}}

'''Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN''' was the name for military invasion of the [[Free Worlds League]] by the military forces of the Bolan and Skye Provinces of the [[Lyran Alliance]], and formed one half of the war between the two Lyran Provinces and the League; it was then followed by '''Operation BROKEN FIST''', the Free Worlds League counteroffensive, and the two comprise a border conflict which stretched from February [[3068]] to December [[3069]].<ref name="J:FRp44">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 44 - "The Jihad In Review"</ref><ref name="J:FRp45">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 45 - "The Jihad In Review"</ref>

==Beginnings==
The border conflict between the Free Worlds League and the bordering provinces of the Lyran Alliance had its beginnings in a number of incidents in [[3067]]. On 24 October 3067, Lyran-hired mercenaries, the [[Bloody Stoats]], botched an attempt to kidnap a League general, [[Gurald Eichner]], killing him and some League [[Cadet]]s instead. The Stoats were also destroyed in the exchange, and a noteputer from their commanding officer, [[Deimos von Schetzle]], was captured, exposing the Lyran plans to invade the League. A League fleet entered Lyran space near [[Gienah]] for a rescue operation.<ref>''The Nellus Academy Incident''</ref> Two months later, on 24 December 3067, the leader of the [[Sirius|Sirian Concordance]] military government, [[General]] [[Helen Thrall]], was killed in a gunfight with unknown attackers. The act was perpetrated by agents from the [[Word of Blake]], but reports on the numbers of the assassins varied and all official sources blamed the Lyran intelligence agency [[Lyran Intelligence Corps|Loki]] and the [[Free Skye|Free Skye Republic movement]] as the force behind this assassination.<ref name="J:FRp44"/> 

This was followed shortly after by an apparent revenge attack from Sirian forces; the renegade ''[[Eagle (WarShip)|Eagle]]''-class [[WarShip]] [[Eagle (WarShip)#Named Vessels|FWLS ''Percival'']] and ground forces in the colors of the [[Sirian Lancers]] conducted a two-day raid on the planet [[Skye]] on the 4 February 3068.<ref name="J:FRp45"/> The naval engagement in the system involved the FWLS ''Percival''<ref>''Blake Ascending'', p. 46</ref> and the ''[[Fox (WarShip)|Fox]]''-class [[Fox (WarShip)#Named Vessels|LAS ''Katrina Steiner'']]. The casualties among the invaders were high, losing four DropShips but the ''Percival'' bombarded the defending [[4th Skye Rangers]] and the [[1st Skye Jaegers]] from orbit. The damage to the planetary economy was horrendous. Satisfied with avenging the death of General Thrall the Sirian Lancers retreated. 

Following the raid on Skye Duke [[Robert Kelswa-Steiner]] declared war on the [[Free Worlds League]], calling on all troops loyal to the Isle of Skye to join in the defense of Skye. This was followed at the end of February by the assassination of General [[Caesar Steiner]] at his command post on [[Cavanaugh II]] at the hands of agents from the Free Worlds League. Three days later Duke [[Alder Umayr]] of the Bolan Province followed Kelswa-Steiner's lead and also declared war on the League, the two provinces beginning to coordinate strategies together for an assault on the League. The resulting attack plan was given the name Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN and began on the 10th of March.<ref name="J:FRp45"/>

==Operation ÜBERSCHATTEN==
===Wave 1 (March 3068 - May 3068)===
During the first phase of the operation, three planets ([[Togwotee]], [[Megrez]], and [[Cascade]]) were conquered with minimal losses by the Skye forces. The worlds [[Colfax]], [[Sheridan]], [[Thermopolis]], and [[Pingree]] were later secured by Bolan forces after some heavy fighting on Thermopolis.

===Wave 2 (May 3068 - June 3068)===
After a short period of rest and refit the Steiner forces stepped up their invasion efforts successfully and conquered [[Preston (FWL)|Preston]], [[Rexburg]], and [[McAffe]]. The fighting saw the loss of the [[4th Lyran Regulars]] at the hands of the defending [[9th Regulan Hussars]] but all other targets were secured.

===Wave 3 (June 3068 - July 3068)===
The LAAF could capture also [[Shasta]], [[Ideyld]], and [[Gallatin]] with their new troops but the FWLM struck back at Preston. This raid cost the Lyrans the [[2nd Donegal Guards]]. Without significant defending forces the FWL planets [[Niihau]], [[Autumn Wind]], and [[Gannett]] fell with minimal losses.

==Operation BROKEN FIST==
===Phase One (July 3068)===
Marshal [[Jeremy Brett]] gathered enough units to counter the invading LAAF with force and the initial assaults cost the LAAF dearly in form of the [[11th Lyran Regulars]] the 4th Lyran Regulars and [[Gabhardt's Carabineers]]. The planets Colfax and McAffe were reconquered.

===Phase Two (July 3068)===
[[Gallatin]], [[Ideyld]], and [[Cascade]] were the next targets of the FWLM which were quickly secured without major losses.

===Phase Three===
This time the Marik's took the fight back in the Steiner realm and assaulted the worlds: [[Wyatt]], [[Phecda]], [[Alchiba]], [[Milton]], [[Denebola]], [[Loric]], [[Ford]], [[Giausar]], [[Timbiqui]], and [[Poulsbo]]. The only larger battle took place on Giausar, where the defending [[One-Eyed Jacks]] were heavily beaten by the combined strength of the [[20th Marik Militia]] and the [[Knights of the Inner Sphere]].

The Marshal used the momentum to invade more worlds like [[Dixie]], [[Arcadia (LC)|Arcadia]], [[Mizar]], [[Summer]], [[Khon Kaen]], [[Penobscot]], and [[Cavanaugh II]]. With this successful invasion the Bolan forces lost their supply lines. With the White out and the political chaos in the League itself the border clash came to a hold. Some units retreat back closer to [[Atreus (FWL)|Atreus]] and the normal hierarchy was disturbed. At this moment the LAAF renewed their defensive operations and secured some lost territory between November 3068 ([[Syrma]], [[Zebebelgenubi]]) and January 3069 (Mizar, Summer, [[Alcor]]).

==End of the War==
The military leader of the Bolan Province acknowledged that the situation for both sides were uneasy. With the retreat of the Bolan forces from February 3069 until August 3069 from some world (Autumn Wind, Gannett, Megrez, Niihau, Pingree, Preston, Thermopolis, Togwotee, Rexburg, Shasta, and Sheridan) the war was finished.

==Conclusions==
The losses on both sides were high. The LCAF lost three seasoned mercenary commands and a minimum of four house units. The FWLM saw the destruction of the [[6th Orloff Grenadiers]] and the [[9th Regulan Hussars]]. Nothing was gained and many lives were lost for a war without meaning.

==Map==
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==Gallery==
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==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Blake Ascending]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents]]'', p. 21-24
* ''[[The Nellus Academy Incident]]''

[[Category:Jihad Era Military Operations|BROKEN FIST, Operation]]