Battle of Towne (3133)


Battle of Towne
Part of The Dark Age era
Start Date 27 August 3133
End Date 2 September 3133
Location Port Howard
Planet Towne
Result Stormhammers repelled after accomplishing their goal.
Factions
(Attacker)
Stormhammers		 (Defender)
Republic of the Sphere
Commanders and leaders
Kristoff Erbe[1]
Forces involved
Lyran Rangers[2] Towne Militia[1]

Twenty-first Centauri Lancers[1]

Triarii Protectors[1]

Overview[edit]

In August 3133, as part of a broad effort to hijack working HPGs around the Republic of the Sphere to broadcast a recruitment call, a Stormhammers detachment attacked Towne. The Lyran Rangers detachment found the world guarded by a mix of local militia forces, Twenty-first Centauri Lancers, and Triarii Protectors. Although the defenders eventually drove the Stormhammers off after intense fighting, the Stormhammers took the HPG station for long enough to send their recruitment message.[1][2]

Prelude[edit]

After the events of Gray Monday shut down the HPG network, Towne held one of the few HPGs to remain in operation.[3] Jasek Kelswa-Steiner, leader of the Stormhammers, sought to use said HPGs to broadcast a message to recruit Lyran loyalists.[2] He received assistance from Lohengrin in modifying a number of Garrot Superheavy Transports that the Stormhammers had seized from the Skye militia. The modifications made the Garrots resemble Skystar Freight Helicopters, ubiquitous civilian cargo haulers.[4]

Towne spent the early months after the Blackout building up forces. The local militia rapidly expanded,[5][6] supplemented by Chak Rasbid's Twenty-first Centauri Lancers BattleMech lance and its associated supporting vehicles and infantry.[7][8] Weeks before the attack, a Triarii Protectors detachment arrived on Towne as a goodwill gesture.[7]

Battle[edit]

In the early hours of 27 August 3133, the Stormhammers began their attack. The modified Garrot helicopters were used to infiltrate commandos into the Prince John spaceport under the guise of merchant activity, seizing the facility easily.[4] Alongside this attack, several Stormhammers DropShips, including a Union-class and an Excalibur-class, landed in areas around the capital, Port Howard. The planetary government announced that these were part of a trading convoy.[9] However, in secret, Towne's leaders activated local forces and sent Governor Renee Oscar and her staff to a safe location. Within hours of the landing, the two battalions of Stormhammers surged south towards Port Howard, engaging Towne's defenders in battle.[10] Local Knight-Errant Kristoff Erbe was placed in charge of the defense.[1]

Fighting continued as the Stormhammers pushed deeper into the city. In the morning of the 28th, the Lyran Rangers seized control of the HPG for several hours, continuously broadcasting their prerecorded recruitment call to planetary and local interstellar networks. Later that day, they were pushed out by the defenders.[11] The battle went on almost without stopping through the 29th, growing into a brutal and destructive slog. Collateral damage was widespread.[10] A thunderstorm that morning added to the destruction.[1][12]

Finally, after three days of steady combat, the Stormhammers fell back. They were driven off planet by 2 September 3133.[1]

Aftermath[edit]

The raid on Towne caused significant damage. Erbe reported causing a full mixed company of Stormhammers losses with defenders sustaining only light damage, while Dr. Nadia Sanyi of Port Howard's Prince Ian Memorial Hospital reported a mixed civilian-military casualty count estimate of around 1,500. Much of northern Port Howard was devastated during the battle.[1]

Throughout the battle, some of Towne's citizens answered the Stormhammers' recruitment call.[11] This notably included Thyeis Oyo, who stole one of Port Howard's two St. Florian FireMechs, used it against several local Draconis Combine-descended businessmen he had grudges with, and left with the attackers.[13] He was among approximately 200 fresh recruits accumulated during the raid.[1]

In the long run, the attack drove Towne to increase security. Additional forces and security measures were placed in and around the HPG compound,[14] and by February 3134, additional mercenaries were hired.[8] As well, Towne's tourist industry suffered after the attack.[15] Damage from the Stormhammers' attack also led to the local INN planetwide network's shutdown in March 3134.[16]

Beyond Towne, the destruction of many SkyStar helicopters in the decade afterwards may have been spurred by their use in the raid.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 237: "Stormhammers, Supporters Withdraw After Port Howard Clash"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 7: "Important Military Actions of 3133"
  3. ↑ Era Digest: Dark Age, p. 4: "Functional Republic HPGs as of 1 January 3135"
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Technical Readout: 3150, p. 44: "Garrot Superheavy Transport"
  5. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 100: "Citizens Leap to Towne’s Defense"
  6. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 104: "Enlistment Soars After Port Howard Drive"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 214: "Jurik: Centauri Lancers Coming to Towne"
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 328: "Oscar: More Mercenaries for Towne"
  9. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 229: "Official Urges Calm as Unidentified DropShips Land Near Capital"
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 235: "Fighting Rages in Port Howard!"
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 233: "Kelswa-Steiner: The Hour of Steiner Has Come!"
  12. ↑ MechWarrior: Technology of Destruction, p. 6: For Loyalty or Money
  13. ↑ Technical Readout: Irregulars, p. 52: "St. Florian FireMech MOD"
  14. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 314: "After the Stormhammers: A Look Back"
  15. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 339: "Official: Delays May Doom Otherworld Theme Park"
  16. ↑ Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 364: "03/09/3134"

Bibliography[edit]

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