Battle of Clovis (3147)
Sarna News
| Battle of Clovis (3147) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation PERCEVAL | ||||||||
|
||||||||
| Factions | ||||||||
| Federated Suns | Draconis Combine | Republic of the Sphere | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
| Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell | Tai-sa Emi Roberson | Paladin Max Ergen | ||||||
| Forces involved | ||||||||
| First Avalon Hussars First Davion Guards First Kestrel Grenadiers |
Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars Second Legion of Vega |
First Army Group | ||||||
Overview
In June 3147 the Federated Suns' Prince's Champion Erik Sandoval-Groell launched Operation PERCEVAL, a counter offensive against the Draconis Combine designed not to conquer worlds but to confuse Combine high command and destroy logistical capabilities. One world that stood in PERCEVAL's path was Clovis, garrisoned by two battalions of the Forty-fifth Benjamin Regulars. An invasion force consisting of at least the First Avalon Hussars, First Davion Guards, and First Kestrel Grenadiers jumped into a pirate point close to the planet, believing they'd have a three to one superiority over DCMS forces. Things went awry almost immediately. The Forty-fifth Aerospace Wing intercepted the DropShips enroute, destroying a primary Hussar vessel outright and critically damaging two of the Guards'. The Regulars slammed into the disoriented Hussars intending to inflict as much damage as possible before superior numbers required them to break contact. The Guards were eventually able to put pressure on the Regulars' lines, but the Combine forces refused to give the AFFS a clear path to their objectives.[1]
Sandoval wanted to avenge his troops lost aboard their transports but knew that with at least two DCMS units within jump distance of Clovis his time was limited. Afterall this was a campaign of heavy raiding not conquest. The Regulars still held several logistic objectives and Sandoval was determined to complete at least one before departing Clovis. He ordered the Grenadiers to press the Regulars' pickets while the Guards flanked them and hit at a supply cache, one of the largest in the Proserpina Prefecture. As the Guards neared on their objective however, the Second Legion of Vega arrived at a pirate point. Sandoval was out of time, any further delays would bog PERCEVAL down in a battle of attrition. With several DropShips still too damaged to liftoff, the taskforce now lacked the transport capacity needed to retreat off world. Second Battalion of Hussars volunteered to remain on planet and conduct a guerilla campaign alongside the now emboldened resistance movement. Pledging "we will come back for you" the rest of the task force jumped to their next objective.<ref name=SF33>
References
- ↑ Shattered Fortress, p. 33: "Operation PERCEVAL Round Two"