Battle of Mallory's World (3013)
"Third Battle of Mallory's World" | |||||||||
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Part of The Third Succession War | |||||||||
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Factions | |||||||||
(Attacker) Draconis Combine |
(Defender) Federated Suns |
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Yorinaga Kurita | Ian Davion Eugene Drivers |
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Forces involved | |||||||||
Second Sword of Light 24th Dieron Regulars 2nd Legion of Vega 9th Benjamin Regulars 36th Dieron Regulars |
Seventeenth Avalon Hussars Fourth Davion Guards First Robinson Rangers Seventh Crucis Lancers[2] Badanoff's Brigands[2] Mallorian Militia Kell Hounds (mercenary) Chloe's Cavaliers (mercenary) |
The Third Battle of Mallory's World was a key battle fough on Mallory's World.
Origin of Conflict
In 3013, Ian Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns, began preparing a operation to invade the Combine's world of Halstead Station, expecting to capture its huge warehouses. Gathering two task forces, one lead by himself and another by his brother, Hanse Davion, began preparing for the invasion. Unfortunately, the Draconis Combine ISF, which had obtained a good picture of the Suns' forces disposition, uncovered the absence of several Federated units, presuaded the Coordinator Coordinator Takashi to invade Mallory's World to search them. Takahashi ordered the Warlord of Dieron to seize the planet's agricultural resources. The Second Sword of Light along with two other BattleMech regiments and ten non-'Mech regiments assaulted the planet. The Third Battle of Mallory's World began.
Invasion
Two weeks after the kuritan invasion, the 3 October, Ian was forced to interrupt his planning to respond to the invasion. His Fourth Davion Guards faced stiff competition from the Second Sword of Light, but by mid-month, they broke the Kuritan siege of Colterville, and later moved his Guards into the planet's desertic region to track down the Second Sword, relying in the 17th Avalon Hussars to protect his flank against the 24th dieron Regulars, but the Hussars, after attempting a close assault, were mauled, falling back, leaving the Guards' flank vulnerable. Hanse Davion, with three regiments, was on a nearby planet, and wanted to assist Ian, but the Prince ordered him to remain focused in Halstead Station's operation. To reassure his brother, he promised him to call reinforcements, making come a nearby mercenary unit which he had worked previously: the Kell Hounds.[3]
Running Battle
The Hounds needed ten days to arrive at Mallory's World, and during that time, the defenders' situation worsened quickly. The 24th slipped to the north, keeping the Davion Guards away from the planet's temperate zones, so the defenders had to rely on air supplies until a raid of the Dieron Regulars damaged the air support, leaving the Guards without supplies, forcing them to play to hide-and-seek with the Second Sword. After days of running battles across a labyrinth of desert plateaus and wadis, the Guards, led by Ian, were forced to get into a canyon. There, for several days, Ian's Atlas was always the first to attack and the last to retreat. When the Guards became trapped, Ian fough off the Second Sword, downing four 'Mechs before facing the officer Yorinaga Kurita. The duel resulted in Ian's death, but before the Kuritans could take his body, the Hounds, after two days of near-constant marching, arrived, rescuing their corpse and retreating with the Guards' remnants to Colterville. A stalemate ensued, which prevented the Kuritans from securing the world.[4]
Aftermath
Three months of intense fighting and scorched earth tactics resulted in the planet being freed from the invaders, but at a high cost for the Federated Suns. Yorinaga Kurita was promoted to Tai-sa, receiving command of the Second Sword of Light.[5][6]
References
Bibliography
- BattleForce
- Historical Turning Points: Mallory's World
- House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)
- Obligation's Forge (short story)
- The Kell Hounds (sourcebook)