Operation GUERRERO
Sarna News
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Operation Guerrero was a short conflict between the Federated Commonwealth, the Free Worlds League, and the Capellan Confederation. Despite lasting only three months, the conflict set the stage for serious repercussions over the next two decades, ultimately culminating in the FedCom Civil War.
Contents
Background
After the death of Joshua Marik in 3057, Victor Steiner-Davion replaced the child with a double to keep war supplies from the Free Worlds League coming to his forces. Thomas Marik discovered this substitution in September of that year, and ordered the FWLM to attack the Federated Commonwealth in retaliation for the deception. Most of these worlds were former Free Worlds League planets that the Federated Commonwealth had captured and integrated into the Sarna March. Sun-Tzu Liao ordered the CCAF to attack Sarna March worlds as well to support his (possible) father-in-law.
Simultaneously with the attacks on the Sarna March by the FWLM and CCAF, Katherine Steiner-Davion announced the formation of the Lyran Alliance and declared her nation neutral in the conflict.
Military Actions
The Federated Commonwealth was completely taken by surprise by the attacks, as most of their attention was on the Clan front. The LIC, DMI, and MIIO erroneously attributed the movements of the FWLM attackers along the Sarna March border to routine troop movements.
FWLM First Wave
In September 3057, the FWLM attacked the Callison, Denebola, Marcus, Van Diemen IV, Talitha and Wasat systems. These six systems were each attacked by three FWLM regiments. The systems were chosen specifically because they were garrisoned by Federated Commonwealth troops.[1]
Callison was attacked by the 4th Free Worlds Legionnaires, 1st Free Worlds Guards, and Silver Hawk Irregular's Falcon regiment. Though normally defended by a Sarna March Militia unit, the Denebola FTM was conducting exercises on Caph with Gustafson's Grenadiers[2] which left the system's defense to the small planetary militia. After holding out for several days the militia unit surrendered.
Denebola was taken by the 6th Free Worlds Legionnaires, Atrean Hussars, and 4th Marik Militia. The 11th Lyran Guards withdrew in good order from the system, basically leaving the system to the FWLM forces.
The attack on Marcus was very different from the Callison and Denebola attacks. Defended by the 12th FedCom RCT, Marcus was attacked by the 7th Free Worlds Legionnaires, 5th Marik Militia, and 12th Atrean Dragoons. The FedCom 'Mech regiment attacked the larger force in a suicidal attempt to provide time for the rest of the FedCom defenders to withdraw. This attack destroyed a third of the Seventh Legionnaires, but the Fifth Militia and Twelfth Dragoons circled behind the Twelfth FedCom's 'Mechs and destroyed them.
On Van Diemen IV the FedCom defenders successfully held off the 10th Marik Militia and 23rd Marik Militia regiments, and the 3rd Oriente Hussars until December, when the 1st Sirian Lancers reinforced the FLWM.
Talitha was secured for the Free Worlds League by the 6th Marik Militia, Atrean Hussars and the Iron Guard.
The 2nd Republican regiment was destroyed on Wasat by the Thirteenth Marik Militia, 4th Oriente Hussars, and 2nd Sirian Lancers.
FWLM Second Wave
| Planet | FLWM Forces | FEDCOM Forces |
|---|---|---|
| Devil's Rock | Third Free Worlds Guards | planetary militia |
| Oliver | Twentieth Marik Militia First Orloff Grenadiers |
Third NAIS cadet cadre |
| Castor | Third Sirian Lancers | planetary militia |
| Zosma | Ninth Marik Militia | planetary militia |
| Pollux | Third Sirian Lancers | planetary militia |
The second wave of Operation Guerrero weren't so smoothly as the first. In this wave the planets Devil's Rock, Oliver, Castor, Zosma and Pollux were under attack.
The Third Free Worlds Guards fight a intesive urban campaign on Devils Rock with moderate loses and return the planet back to the league.
The Third NAIS cadet cadre on Oliver give the FLWM units a harder fight than expected. But the Twentieth Marik Militia and the First Orloff Grenadiers pushed the unit offworld
On Castor Third Sirian Lancers defeated the planetary milia in days, but ristance held on until mid-December.
On Zosma, the planetary milita were not match for the Ninth Marik Militia.
On Pollux, the planetary were divided by differnt loyalyties and some untis fought, others joind the League or the Alliance. This make it much easer for the Third Sirian Lancers.
CCAF First Wave
Five Warrior House regiments attacked Liao on the same day that the Free Worlds League announced hostilities with the Federated Commonwealth. The Liao SMM surrendered without a shot being fired and the system fell immediately. At the same time, the Zhanzeng de Guang took control of Zurich, overthrowing the existing pro-Davion government.[3]
CCAF Second Wave
At the start of Operation Guerreo's second wave, Sun-Tzu Liao activated guerrilla networks on Caph, Keid, New Home, Epsilon Indi, and Northwind in an attempt to return the worlds to the Capellan Confederation. These revolts were successful on each world except Epsion Indi, and the FWLM sent mercenary units to every world except Kied. (Kied would later join the Lyran Alliance.)
On Northwind, home of the famed Northwind Highlander regiments, the pro-Liao terrorist activity prompted Victor Davion to send the 3rd Royal Guards to insure the planet didn't leave the Federated Commonwealth. The Third's commander attempted to take the planet by force when on-world Highlanders started debating who they should fight for. This action prompted the off-world Northwind Highlander units to return home to liberate their planet, practically destroying the Third Royal Guard RCT in the process.[4] Sun-Tzu declared Northwind an independent Confederation barony and permanently ceded it to the Highlanders.[5][6]
Zurich fell to a pro-Davion counter-terrorist group when Carter's Cobras mercenary unit's Black Cobras regiment was ordered to Nanking by the LCCC.
The Black Cobras were assigned to secure Nanking for the Capellan Confederation, which would bring the system's factories under CCAF control. As the Cobras were making planetfall, their DropShips were destroyed by explosives placed by saboteurs. This effectively wiped out the Black Cobras as a whole, and Smithson's Chinese Bandits (a Marik mercenary unit already on Nanking) surrendered to the planet's defenders when a Federated Commonwealth relief force arrived.
Aftermath
There were several important outcomes that resulted from Operation Guerrero's success. The most obvious was the destruction of the Federated Commonwealth when Katherine Steiner-Davion formed the Lyran Alliance. Her actions, and Victor's efforts to oppose her, ultimately led to the FedCom Civil War.
Though the Free Worlds League gained eleven systems it had lost, the real victor was the Capellan Confederation. Most of the Capellan Confederation's Sarna Commonality worlds, controlled by the Federated Commonwealth since the Fourth Succession War, would return to the Capellan Confederation. (Ironically, this didn't include Sarna, which became one of several independent states in the Chaos March.) Sun-Tzu Liao would also create a new commonality centered on Liao.
The other major outcome of this conflict was the creation of the Chaos March, where forces loyal to the Capellan Confederation, Free Worlds League, Federated Suns, and Word of Blake struggled for control of many of the former Sarna March worlds. Rather than a single strong entity that the Capellan Confederation couldn't defeat, the Chaos March was populated by at least six minor and short lived independent nations. Sun-Tzu Liao's Xin Sheng-inspired CCAF would have little trouble conquering these nations in the next few decades.
References
- ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 74
- ↑ Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 114
- ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 68
- ↑ Field Manual: Lyran Alliance, p. 98
- ↑ Shattered Sphere, p. 68 "The Highlander Gambit"
- ↑ These events are detailed in the novel Highlander Gambit by Blaine Lee Pardoe.