Battle of Helm (3138)
Sarna News
| Battle of Helm (3138) | |
|---|---|
| Conflict details | |
| Part of | Operation HAMMERFALL |
| Start Date | 19 April 3138 |
| End Date | 28 April 3138 |
| Planet(s) | Helm |
| Location(s) | Helmdown |
| Result | Lyran and Wolf victory; Silver Hawks' partial destruction |
| Attacking Forces | |
| Affiliation | Lyran Commonwealth Clan Wolf |
| Commanding Officer(s) | Alaric Ward Vedet Brewer Roderick Steiner |
| Command(s) | 1st Hesperus Guards 1st Steiner Strikers Alpha Galaxy |
| Defending Forces | |
| Affiliation | Marik-Stewart Commonwealth |
| Commanding Officer(s) | Anson Marik |
| Command(s) | Silver Hawk Irregulars |
| Other Forces | |
The Battle of Helm (3138), also known as the Helm Massacre, was a late Dark Age Era military operation undertaken by the allied Clan Wolf and Lyran Commonwealth forces against the defending Marik-Stewart defenders.[1]
Contents
Origins of the Conflict
Archon Trillian Steiner used Anson Marik's reformation of the Silver Hawk Irregulars as an excuse to invade the former Free Worlds League space. She enlisted the help of Clan Wolf in exchange for new worlds. The alliance was tenuous but it served both the Lyrans' and the Wolves' interests for the time being.[2]
Lyran Invasion
Reinforced by Clan Wolf forces, the Lyran invasion was almost unstoppable: the minor forces of the Marik-Stewart Commonality were overwhelmed and still worse, they had two fronts as Marik and nearby worlds were invaded by the Spirit Cats and Oriente Protectorate. Only the Silver Hawks were able to stymie the invaders on several occasions, but their small size, barely a regiment, limited their effectiveness.[3]
Attack on Helm
The First Hesperus Guards and a Clan Wolf Cluster, commanded by then-Star Colonel Alaric Wolf, would first see action together on Helm in April. The bulk of the Irregulars had been sent offworld, leaving behind only two skeleton companies to delay the invaders' advance as long as possible. Wolves and Lyran forces were not cooperating due to a number of issues and lack of trust between their commanding officers Duke Vedet Brewer and Alaric Ward. In addition, Brewer had his own ambitions and only followed the Archon because it benefited him. Archon Trillian Steiner, which assisted the invasion from the front lines, used her diplomatic skills to get both units to work together.
Clan Wolf attacked Helm's capital city of Helmsdown where the Silver Hawk Irregulars had entrenched, but encountered heavy resistance from their forces hidden amongst the civilian farmers. By May 22nd, Steiner had called in the First Steiner Strikers, led by her cousin Colonel Roderick Steiner.[4][5]
The Massacre
Two days later, the 28 April, the battle for capital city resumed with the Wolves attacking it by his own initiative, engaging the Silver Hawks. Then, the Hesperus Guards followed, covered by artillery fire,m and later, the 1st Strikers joined the assault. The Irregulars were forced to retreat to the center of the city, with the lyrans pursuing them, but the Hesperus Guards fell to concentrated artillery fire, forcing them to cease persecution.[6]
The Hawks continued retreating through the city, hiting and running, harassing both lyran and Wolf forces. Alaric Wolf then ordered his bombers to bomb the city's center. The destruction made easier the Wolves' advance. The Hawks then ceased fighting, only running, fearing the Wolves. They fell into disarray under the three-side attack, after the Strikers joined the battle. Leaderless and confused, the Hawks' officers and soldiers decided to surrender to Brever's forces, believing him to be the most honorable. Lieutenant Fred Parsons contacted the Duke, offering his unit's surrender, and Vedet accepted, offering him the terms. But the surrender attempt failed when the bulk of the Hawks, led by Lieutenant Zeke Carleton began firing at all directions. Anyway, the Duke communicated to Roderick and Alaric the surrender, but the Wolf leader ignored the order and led the last charge against the Hawks. Despite the Wolves finding only isolated resistance, they killed any surrended or fighting Hawks, including Parsons, taking no prisoners. Alaric Wolf's heavy handedness made the battle to be noted as the Helm Massacre. However, the massacre didn't affect Anson Marik and was promptly covered up by Trillian Steiner. Vedet was also furious with the Wolf leader for having stole him his victory and vowed never to work with them again. The exact number of Hawks' soldiers and support personnel was between fifty and one hundred.[7][8][9]
Aftermath
Helm became a decisive battle in Hammerfall: soon after, Anson Marik died on Stewart, and the Marik-Stewart Commonality died with him, but Anson made sure to ensure the Silver Hawks' survived. The Hawks remained protecting the last worlds of the Coalition still free, and played a part in the rebirth of the Free Worlds League.[10]
Anyway, the Hawks never forgot the massacre, or forgive the wolves: they mantained a vendetta against the wolves. At the dawn of IlClan Era, with the Empire almost defenseless, they began retaking historical Silver Hawk's worlds, Colonel Lucas Cameron-Witherspoon led the Gryphons' First Battalion to Helm, landing there on 7 August 3151. Fueled by their hate to the Wolves, they led the charge against the minimal Wolf garrison through the Nagayan Mountains, hunting down the Wolf warriors to a man. After the victory, Lucas commissioned a monument outside Helmdown which commemorated all the Silver Hawk Irregulars killed there in 3138.[11]
Gallery
- The Last Charge image.jpg
Alaric Ward's Timber Wolf leading the last charge
References
- ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 108
- ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 24
- ↑ Era Report: 3145, pp. 23–24
- ↑ The Last Charge ch. 10
- ↑ Field Manual: 3145, p. 24
- ↑ The Last Charge chs. 11–12
- ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 20: Timeline of Events/April 28th - Helm Massacre Noted
- ↑ Era Report: 3145, p. 23: Hammerfall & Homecoming - Invasion of Helm and snapshot of events noted
- ↑ The Last Charge chs. 13–16
- ↑ Field Manual: 3145, pp. 17–18
- ↑ Empire Alone, pp. 40–41