Post by Insano-Man on Sept 24, 2018 9:20:17 GMT -5
General Information
Region: The city of Glevonni and surrounding territories
Planet: Tivovnik
System: Darmstalldt
Time: January 4th, 2186 A.F. - September 1st, 2186 A.F.
Result: Costly Coalition Victory
Belligerents
Coalition of Human Systems
Federal Guard (Praetorian Federation)
Commonwealth Armed Forces (Garrant Commonwealth)
Republican Military (Republic of Tharkad)
Independent Strategic Alliance
Regentic Militant (Verinen Regentic Permanos)
4th Strategic Command of the Republic (Timosi)
Unaffiliated
Tsarova Worldcorps
Blackcap Raiders
Omnia
Estimated Losses
Civilian Collateral: 3,921
Praetorian: 31,040
Tsarova: 20,019
Timosi: 19,004
Garran: 15,821
Verinen: 6,200
Tharkadian: 4,122
Blackcap: 194
Omnia: 4
Total: 100,325
Causes
The major factors that led to the Siege of Glevonni were primarily Tivovnik's strategic location in the Darmstalldt system. That being so because Tivovnik is the only planet present in the Darmstalldt system.
Darmstalldt itself was also an incredibly valuable strategic asset, as the jump points from the system could be used to bypass the Verinen "shield worlds" at the edge of their colonial sphere. These planets, both barren and populated, served as military staging points and defensive fortifications, allowing uncontested dominance of the jump paths that led to their core worlds.
Thirdly, as part of the Coalition war strategy to eliminate the Timosi by first securing their major colonies, then launching an attack on their capital in Anchorage, Tivovnik was a necessity. Being an economic hub and a major population center, this task would have been all but impossible without first taking the planet.
Stages
Initial Fleet Engagement
The 3rd Expeditionary of the Commonwealth Navy with supporting vessels and troop transports from the 2nd Naval Brigade of the Republican Military arrived in the system at 1300 Earth standard on January 5th. At the time, only Timosi vessels were present in orbit around Tivovnik. A distress signal sent out brought both Timosi and Verinen reinforcements, which joined the fight soon after the 3rd Expeditionary engaged the 20th Colonial Defense Fleet.
Numbers:
3rd Expeditionary Fleet
Total: 80+16
25 frigate-class vessels
20 cruiser-class vessels
5 heavy combat vessels
15 troop transports
10 cruiser-class carriers
5 heavy carriers
2 troop transports (Republican)
10 cruiser-class vessels (Republican)
4 heavy combat vessels (Republican)
20th Colonial Defense Fleet (Initial)
Total: 16
10 frigate-class vessels
3 cruiser-class vessels
1 heavy combat vessel
2 cruiser-class carriers
20th Colonial Defense Fleet (Reinforced)
Total: 61+45
30 frigate-class vessels
20 cruiser-class vessels
4 heavy combat vessels
2 troop transports
5 cruiser-class carriers
10 frigate-class vessels (Verinen)
25 cruiser-class vessels (Verinen)
3 heavy combat vessels (Verinen)
5 cruiser-class carriers (Verinen)
2 heavy carriers (Verinen)
As the fight dragged on, it became evident that Commonwealth carriers supported by heavy Republican ships were far too difficult for the ISA forces to overcome. Commandant Ernst Rovvid of the 20th Colonial ordered a retreat after the TSV Hans Mossinf was disabled by a strafing run across its bridge, at approximately 1630.
While it is evident that retreating so soon into the battle effectively handed control of Tivovnik's orbit to the Coalition forces, this action is widely recognized to have been critical to the stalling tactics Timosi forces had committed themselves to during the war. Without the ships from the 20th, it is suspected that the colonial empire that the Soivetet Republic had committed itself to would have been dealt a blow from which it would have never recovered.
Losses:
3rd Expeditionary Fleet
Total: 18+3
10 frigate-class vessels (4 disabled, 6 partially destroyed)
4 cruiser-class vessels (All disabled)
1 heavy combat vessel (CSS Hughes disabled)
2 troop transports (CSS Wilhelm Johres disabled, CSS Arganan partially destroyed)
1 cruiser-class carrier (CSS Roger Tipson completely destroyed)
2 cruiser-class vessels (Republican - Both disabled)
1 heavy combat vessel (Republican - Herald disabled)
Personnel Losses:
Garran: 121 Navy + 214 Rangers + 20 MIAV
Tharkadian: 21
20th Colonial Defense Fleet
Total: 28+6
16 frigate-class vessels (8 disabled, 3 partially destroyed, 5 completely destroyed)
8 cruiser-class vessels (6 disabled, 2 partially destroyed)
1 heavy combat vessel (TSV Hans Mossinf disabled)
3 cruiser-class carriers (All partially destroyed)
5 frigate-class vessels (Verinen - All disabled)
1 cruiser-class vessels (Verinen - Patriarch disabled)
Bombardment
At 1730, with Coalition forces controlling orbit and the reinforcing fleet beaten back, bombardment vessels were brought in for an intensive siege campaign. Timosi and Verinen forces groundside refused to evacuate their positions in Glevonni, where Verinen commanders were brushing aside the laws of war and Timosi officers were exploiting them, attempting to buy themselves additional time. This forced Coalition commanders to bomb the city until hostile forces on the planet vacated it for unpopulated terrain. Civilians in the area were notified through all possible mediums to evacuate the city before the siege began at precisely 0000.
Initially targetted were communications centers and storage depots. Following the destruction of all available targets, bombardment ships were ordered to fire on troop concentrations and fortified positions. During this time, the 20th, 21st, and 22nd Juningrad Rangers (in full force) were dropped in alongside the 8th Jaguar Assault Brigade to set up a command post near the city limits. They encountered no resistance at the drop zone and established a command post at 0430.
By 0600, there were no more visible targets for orbital artillery. However, reconnaissence regularly reported ISA troop movements across the city, despite having no discernable command post. This was thanks to a large network of underground fortifications built deep underneath existing military structures, designed specifically to withstand orbital bombardment. While this sort of defensive installation was common and almost necessary in modern warfare, the deeply-rooted sabotage of Coalition intelligence networks left commanders in orbit, as well as those on the ground, completely ignorant of that fact.
The result of this was an intensifying of the siege campaign, which eventually became an indiscriminate bombing of the city. Today, there are only seventeen major buildings left standing and only thirty-three minor buildings intact. The area around the city today is considered a contaminated zone due to the high concentration of hazardous particles in the air from collapsed buildings and exploded artillery warheads. This state persisted through the siege, as well, which resulted in all troops being required to wear protective equipment, primarily in the form of respirators and filtering masks.
Ground Operations
Operation: Pest Control - January 6th, 2186 A.F.
Pest Control was the codename for the extensive reconnaissence sweeps across the area following the bombardment campaign. Pest Control was ultimately fruitless, as it was still unknown to Coalition forces at the time that Alliance personnel were utilizing underground facilities. Despite this, Pest Control became tactically critical during this phase of the ground operations when elements of the 21st Juningrad became engaged in a series of skirmishes with the 8th Timosi Colonial Garrison.
Operation: Cockeye - January 25th, 2186 A.F.
Operation Cockeye was the phase of ground operations centered around "investigative conflicts", where minor battles would be reinforced to gauge a response from the Alliance forces engaged. Cockeye was the single most strategically successful operation during the siege, as it uncovered the majority of the underground facilities being used by the ISA to continue its fight.
During Cockeye, the 16th Novenholdt (Brigade 279) and 12th Juninosk Rangers (Brigade 1910) were brought to reinforce the Juningrad divisions. Along with them, Bravo, Charlie, Echo, and Galyg squads of the 3rd Stormtroopers landed and began raiding operations against soft targets. The 13th and 15th Wolf Guard landed planetside during this operation, bringing the estimated total of Coalition forces in Glevonni to 9,450 personnel.
Operation: Stonestorm - March 1st, 2186 A.F.
Operation Stonestorm was the single most costly operation during the siege for both the Armed Forces and Republican Military. After locating the central Alliance command bunker - or so faulty intelligence told Coalition commanders - a force of approximately 4,120 rangers, Assault troops, and guardsmen were assembled for a push on this supposedly strategically critical fortification. Upon beginning their assault, Strike Detail 2 (3rd and 5th Supporting Arms) arrived in the system with the company of the 2nd Regentic Naval Forces, contesting orbit above Tivovnik and bringing reinforcements to the beleaguered Alliance troops. The combination of some 3,000 Verinen reinforcements, orbital bombardment on troop concentrations assembled under space and air superiority, and the rearrangement of the Coalition's air superiority curtain left almost 3,000 Coalition troops dead or captured at the end of the operation, along with 200 missing (128 were later found dead, 16 captured, and the rest remain missing and presumed dead) and 500 wounded.
Since the Timosi War ended, Stonestorm has become almost synonymous with crushing defeats caused by intelligence lapses. Under normal circumstances, the combined espionage networks of the Coalition would have warned the forces at Tivovnik of the impending reinforcement fleet. However, it would be another year into the war before the sabotage by the Ollenhall Administration would be uncovered.
Operation: Sledgehammer - March 8th, 2186 A.F.
Operation Sledgehammer was a direct result of a second development in orbit. Shortly after the 3rd and 5th Supporting Arms reached Glevonni, the 22nd Battle Group under command of High Commander Fredrickson of the Federal Navy entered the system. The Verinen fleet - which, before the 22nd arrived, outnumbered the Coalition forces by at least 3 to 1 - quickly found itself fighting a series of disjointed skirmishes over the planet, attempting to maximize their staying power by engaging only when their troops on the ground required orbital fire support.
However, as time went on, the 2nd Naval Forces found themselves both unable to assist their troops and unable to beat back the Coalition fleet, which now outnumbered them by 2 to 1. Despite this, however, Verinen ships were still able to inflict a high amount of casualties on the Federal Guard regiments which had reached the planet. This accounted for at least a quarter of all Federal casualties during the operation.
With the Federal reinforcements planetside and Verinen troops supporting the declining Timosi garrison, the bloodiest chapter of modern warfare unfolded over the course of five months. Over 28,000 Federal guardsmen would die in the battles that followed, along with at least 10,000 rangers, 17,000 Timosi soldiers, 4,500 Verinen troops, and 3,000 Tharkadian personnel. All in all, the Verinen troops planetside refused to surrender and fought to the last man, resulting in the complete destruction of the 3rd and 5th Supporting Arms.
Aftermath - August 10th, 2186 A.F.
Some historians contend that the aftermath of the siege was, in reality, the most horrific part of the war. It was during this time that the XI Tsarova Worldcorps and a small band of Blackcap pirates arrived unannounced, entering orbit on August 10th and landing more troops than had actually participated on the Alliance side. It is still unknown why Tsarova picked Glevonni - which, by the end of the siege, was effectively a military stronghold for the Coalition - for a raid. As no commanding officers of the forces deployed were captured during the invasion, compounded by the fact that most in Tsarova's armed forces are, by definition, insane, it is likely that we will never know.
What resulted from this deployment was one of the most lopsided engagements in military history, where nearly 50,000 Tsarova personnel were turned back by approximately 5,000 of the Coalition forces still planetside. This massacre ended in the capture of some 30,000 Tsarova personnel due to the mass-suicide of their leadership. After their wholly inferior fleet was soundly defeated by the Coalition forces in orbit, the vast majority of officers and leaders in the deployed Worldcorps killed themselves, likely fearing capture. With their leaders dead, the bulk of the Worldcorps forces on Tivovnik broke and surrendered.
The issue of housing the prisoners has been a subject of debate in the Coalition since the conflict after the siege. The Praetorian Federation has since erected prisons on barren planets within their sphere of influence solely for Tsarova inmates. The Commonwealth, among other nations on Anchorage, has lambasted the Federation for the conditions of these facilities, where the prisoners are often treated like subhumans. In particular, most critics claim that Tsarova prisoners should be treated fairly and given supportive care, as most suffer from acute psychological disorders. This state has not changed and, from stances given by Federal politicians, will not change at any point in the near future.
Miscellaneous
During Operation Sledgehammer, four members of the 16th Omnia were erroneously executed by the Federal Guard. They were believed to have been deserting guardsmen and were killed by firing squads composed of trainee shocktroopers. The Federal Guard has since made a public apology, but the Omnia appear indifferent on the matter.
During Stonestorm and Sledgehammer, the southeast edge of Glevonni was subject to a strange communications blackout that came and appeared to dissipate with a thick fog. Several units went missing during this period and few have been found. This has led to the formation of a number of popular myths and legends among Coalition troops who were assigned to Glevonni, particularly among the Federal Guard and Juningrad Rangers.
Region: The city of Glevonni and surrounding territories
Planet: Tivovnik
System: Darmstalldt
Time: January 4th, 2186 A.F. - September 1st, 2186 A.F.
Result: Costly Coalition Victory
Belligerents
Coalition of Human Systems
Federal Guard (Praetorian Federation)
Commonwealth Armed Forces (Garrant Commonwealth)
Republican Military (Republic of Tharkad)
Independent Strategic Alliance
Regentic Militant (Verinen Regentic Permanos)
4th Strategic Command of the Republic (Timosi)
Unaffiliated
Tsarova Worldcorps
Blackcap Raiders
Omnia
Estimated Losses
Civilian Collateral: 3,921
Praetorian: 31,040
Tsarova: 20,019
Timosi: 19,004
Garran: 15,821
Verinen: 6,200
Tharkadian: 4,122
Blackcap: 194
Omnia: 4
Total: 100,325
Causes
The major factors that led to the Siege of Glevonni were primarily Tivovnik's strategic location in the Darmstalldt system. That being so because Tivovnik is the only planet present in the Darmstalldt system.
Darmstalldt itself was also an incredibly valuable strategic asset, as the jump points from the system could be used to bypass the Verinen "shield worlds" at the edge of their colonial sphere. These planets, both barren and populated, served as military staging points and defensive fortifications, allowing uncontested dominance of the jump paths that led to their core worlds.
Thirdly, as part of the Coalition war strategy to eliminate the Timosi by first securing their major colonies, then launching an attack on their capital in Anchorage, Tivovnik was a necessity. Being an economic hub and a major population center, this task would have been all but impossible without first taking the planet.
Stages
Initial Fleet Engagement
The 3rd Expeditionary of the Commonwealth Navy with supporting vessels and troop transports from the 2nd Naval Brigade of the Republican Military arrived in the system at 1300 Earth standard on January 5th. At the time, only Timosi vessels were present in orbit around Tivovnik. A distress signal sent out brought both Timosi and Verinen reinforcements, which joined the fight soon after the 3rd Expeditionary engaged the 20th Colonial Defense Fleet.
Numbers:
3rd Expeditionary Fleet
Total: 80+16
25 frigate-class vessels
20 cruiser-class vessels
5 heavy combat vessels
15 troop transports
10 cruiser-class carriers
5 heavy carriers
2 troop transports (Republican)
10 cruiser-class vessels (Republican)
4 heavy combat vessels (Republican)
20th Colonial Defense Fleet (Initial)
Total: 16
10 frigate-class vessels
3 cruiser-class vessels
1 heavy combat vessel
2 cruiser-class carriers
20th Colonial Defense Fleet (Reinforced)
Total: 61+45
30 frigate-class vessels
20 cruiser-class vessels
4 heavy combat vessels
2 troop transports
5 cruiser-class carriers
10 frigate-class vessels (Verinen)
25 cruiser-class vessels (Verinen)
3 heavy combat vessels (Verinen)
5 cruiser-class carriers (Verinen)
2 heavy carriers (Verinen)
As the fight dragged on, it became evident that Commonwealth carriers supported by heavy Republican ships were far too difficult for the ISA forces to overcome. Commandant Ernst Rovvid of the 20th Colonial ordered a retreat after the TSV Hans Mossinf was disabled by a strafing run across its bridge, at approximately 1630.
While it is evident that retreating so soon into the battle effectively handed control of Tivovnik's orbit to the Coalition forces, this action is widely recognized to have been critical to the stalling tactics Timosi forces had committed themselves to during the war. Without the ships from the 20th, it is suspected that the colonial empire that the Soivetet Republic had committed itself to would have been dealt a blow from which it would have never recovered.
Losses:
3rd Expeditionary Fleet
Total: 18+3
10 frigate-class vessels (4 disabled, 6 partially destroyed)
4 cruiser-class vessels (All disabled)
1 heavy combat vessel (CSS Hughes disabled)
2 troop transports (CSS Wilhelm Johres disabled, CSS Arganan partially destroyed)
1 cruiser-class carrier (CSS Roger Tipson completely destroyed)
2 cruiser-class vessels (Republican - Both disabled)
1 heavy combat vessel (Republican - Herald disabled)
Personnel Losses:
Garran: 121 Navy + 214 Rangers + 20 MIAV
Tharkadian: 21
20th Colonial Defense Fleet
Total: 28+6
16 frigate-class vessels (8 disabled, 3 partially destroyed, 5 completely destroyed)
8 cruiser-class vessels (6 disabled, 2 partially destroyed)
1 heavy combat vessel (TSV Hans Mossinf disabled)
3 cruiser-class carriers (All partially destroyed)
5 frigate-class vessels (Verinen - All disabled)
1 cruiser-class vessels (Verinen - Patriarch disabled)
Bombardment
At 1730, with Coalition forces controlling orbit and the reinforcing fleet beaten back, bombardment vessels were brought in for an intensive siege campaign. Timosi and Verinen forces groundside refused to evacuate their positions in Glevonni, where Verinen commanders were brushing aside the laws of war and Timosi officers were exploiting them, attempting to buy themselves additional time. This forced Coalition commanders to bomb the city until hostile forces on the planet vacated it for unpopulated terrain. Civilians in the area were notified through all possible mediums to evacuate the city before the siege began at precisely 0000.
Initially targetted were communications centers and storage depots. Following the destruction of all available targets, bombardment ships were ordered to fire on troop concentrations and fortified positions. During this time, the 20th, 21st, and 22nd Juningrad Rangers (in full force) were dropped in alongside the 8th Jaguar Assault Brigade to set up a command post near the city limits. They encountered no resistance at the drop zone and established a command post at 0430.
By 0600, there were no more visible targets for orbital artillery. However, reconnaissence regularly reported ISA troop movements across the city, despite having no discernable command post. This was thanks to a large network of underground fortifications built deep underneath existing military structures, designed specifically to withstand orbital bombardment. While this sort of defensive installation was common and almost necessary in modern warfare, the deeply-rooted sabotage of Coalition intelligence networks left commanders in orbit, as well as those on the ground, completely ignorant of that fact.
The result of this was an intensifying of the siege campaign, which eventually became an indiscriminate bombing of the city. Today, there are only seventeen major buildings left standing and only thirty-three minor buildings intact. The area around the city today is considered a contaminated zone due to the high concentration of hazardous particles in the air from collapsed buildings and exploded artillery warheads. This state persisted through the siege, as well, which resulted in all troops being required to wear protective equipment, primarily in the form of respirators and filtering masks.
Ground Operations
Operation: Pest Control - January 6th, 2186 A.F.
Pest Control was the codename for the extensive reconnaissence sweeps across the area following the bombardment campaign. Pest Control was ultimately fruitless, as it was still unknown to Coalition forces at the time that Alliance personnel were utilizing underground facilities. Despite this, Pest Control became tactically critical during this phase of the ground operations when elements of the 21st Juningrad became engaged in a series of skirmishes with the 8th Timosi Colonial Garrison.
Operation: Cockeye - January 25th, 2186 A.F.
Operation Cockeye was the phase of ground operations centered around "investigative conflicts", where minor battles would be reinforced to gauge a response from the Alliance forces engaged. Cockeye was the single most strategically successful operation during the siege, as it uncovered the majority of the underground facilities being used by the ISA to continue its fight.
During Cockeye, the 16th Novenholdt (Brigade 279) and 12th Juninosk Rangers (Brigade 1910) were brought to reinforce the Juningrad divisions. Along with them, Bravo, Charlie, Echo, and Galyg squads of the 3rd Stormtroopers landed and began raiding operations against soft targets. The 13th and 15th Wolf Guard landed planetside during this operation, bringing the estimated total of Coalition forces in Glevonni to 9,450 personnel.
Operation: Stonestorm - March 1st, 2186 A.F.
Operation Stonestorm was the single most costly operation during the siege for both the Armed Forces and Republican Military. After locating the central Alliance command bunker - or so faulty intelligence told Coalition commanders - a force of approximately 4,120 rangers, Assault troops, and guardsmen were assembled for a push on this supposedly strategically critical fortification. Upon beginning their assault, Strike Detail 2 (3rd and 5th Supporting Arms) arrived in the system with the company of the 2nd Regentic Naval Forces, contesting orbit above Tivovnik and bringing reinforcements to the beleaguered Alliance troops. The combination of some 3,000 Verinen reinforcements, orbital bombardment on troop concentrations assembled under space and air superiority, and the rearrangement of the Coalition's air superiority curtain left almost 3,000 Coalition troops dead or captured at the end of the operation, along with 200 missing (128 were later found dead, 16 captured, and the rest remain missing and presumed dead) and 500 wounded.
Since the Timosi War ended, Stonestorm has become almost synonymous with crushing defeats caused by intelligence lapses. Under normal circumstances, the combined espionage networks of the Coalition would have warned the forces at Tivovnik of the impending reinforcement fleet. However, it would be another year into the war before the sabotage by the Ollenhall Administration would be uncovered.
Operation: Sledgehammer - March 8th, 2186 A.F.
Operation Sledgehammer was a direct result of a second development in orbit. Shortly after the 3rd and 5th Supporting Arms reached Glevonni, the 22nd Battle Group under command of High Commander Fredrickson of the Federal Navy entered the system. The Verinen fleet - which, before the 22nd arrived, outnumbered the Coalition forces by at least 3 to 1 - quickly found itself fighting a series of disjointed skirmishes over the planet, attempting to maximize their staying power by engaging only when their troops on the ground required orbital fire support.
However, as time went on, the 2nd Naval Forces found themselves both unable to assist their troops and unable to beat back the Coalition fleet, which now outnumbered them by 2 to 1. Despite this, however, Verinen ships were still able to inflict a high amount of casualties on the Federal Guard regiments which had reached the planet. This accounted for at least a quarter of all Federal casualties during the operation.
With the Federal reinforcements planetside and Verinen troops supporting the declining Timosi garrison, the bloodiest chapter of modern warfare unfolded over the course of five months. Over 28,000 Federal guardsmen would die in the battles that followed, along with at least 10,000 rangers, 17,000 Timosi soldiers, 4,500 Verinen troops, and 3,000 Tharkadian personnel. All in all, the Verinen troops planetside refused to surrender and fought to the last man, resulting in the complete destruction of the 3rd and 5th Supporting Arms.
Aftermath - August 10th, 2186 A.F.
Some historians contend that the aftermath of the siege was, in reality, the most horrific part of the war. It was during this time that the XI Tsarova Worldcorps and a small band of Blackcap pirates arrived unannounced, entering orbit on August 10th and landing more troops than had actually participated on the Alliance side. It is still unknown why Tsarova picked Glevonni - which, by the end of the siege, was effectively a military stronghold for the Coalition - for a raid. As no commanding officers of the forces deployed were captured during the invasion, compounded by the fact that most in Tsarova's armed forces are, by definition, insane, it is likely that we will never know.
What resulted from this deployment was one of the most lopsided engagements in military history, where nearly 50,000 Tsarova personnel were turned back by approximately 5,000 of the Coalition forces still planetside. This massacre ended in the capture of some 30,000 Tsarova personnel due to the mass-suicide of their leadership. After their wholly inferior fleet was soundly defeated by the Coalition forces in orbit, the vast majority of officers and leaders in the deployed Worldcorps killed themselves, likely fearing capture. With their leaders dead, the bulk of the Worldcorps forces on Tivovnik broke and surrendered.
The issue of housing the prisoners has been a subject of debate in the Coalition since the conflict after the siege. The Praetorian Federation has since erected prisons on barren planets within their sphere of influence solely for Tsarova inmates. The Commonwealth, among other nations on Anchorage, has lambasted the Federation for the conditions of these facilities, where the prisoners are often treated like subhumans. In particular, most critics claim that Tsarova prisoners should be treated fairly and given supportive care, as most suffer from acute psychological disorders. This state has not changed and, from stances given by Federal politicians, will not change at any point in the near future.
Miscellaneous
During Operation Sledgehammer, four members of the 16th Omnia were erroneously executed by the Federal Guard. They were believed to have been deserting guardsmen and were killed by firing squads composed of trainee shocktroopers. The Federal Guard has since made a public apology, but the Omnia appear indifferent on the matter.
During Stonestorm and Sledgehammer, the southeast edge of Glevonni was subject to a strange communications blackout that came and appeared to dissipate with a thick fog. Several units went missing during this period and few have been found. This has led to the formation of a number of popular myths and legends among Coalition troops who were assigned to Glevonni, particularly among the Federal Guard and Juningrad Rangers.
