Shensi: January 17th, 3051
After several days of light resistance from Marik forces, it would seem that new life blood was poured into Capellan resolve. Several dedicated attack forces recaptured Styx, Gan Singh, and Shensi. Marik, having overextended its borders, and supplies, couldn't field units in this time to defend these world's correctly, which lead to the collapse of the front. A humiliation even by the lowest standards. It appears as though FWLM forces were absent from the battlefield, and the conscripted forces and garrisons that appeared, were little resistance to the power of Capellan regular and veteran units.
On January 15
th however, FWLM forces rallied to their banner, and staved off the invasion of Zion. The mercenary unit ITX can be most credited with the defence, keeping TCAF and 66MG off the world during several exposed, shortfalls in the Marik line.
This lead to the sixth battle of Gan Singh. The most contested battle of the war so far. FWLM regular units hit the world several times while ITX defended Zion, but couldn't rally enough troops for the assault. Gan Singh fell after an intense series of firefights. FWLM defeated several regular and veteran Liao formations during this assault, but only barely managed to recapture the world, with high casualties.
Showing a new willingness to engage in the battle, and with fresh reinforcements and elite TCAF units, Liao's push on the FWL front has been very successful. In the coming day, Gan Singh was retaken, and Liao units even pushed all the way back to Zion. Zion being the beginning of the Marik counteroffensive. This collapse of FWL forces heavily exposed much of the problems inside the FWLM military. Command was left with a grim situation on their only major war front.
Once a glorious sign of Marik war commitment, the front had degenerated into at best, a quagmire, and at worst, a reversal of fortunes. Due to outside circumstances, Marik forces were unable to commit to battle, or, if they were committing, were doing so under dubious circumstances, leading to greater and greater gains by the Capellan Confederation. However, even with these losses, the only benefit which could be seen or understood so far, if it was a benefit at all, was as Liao had shifted these more battle hardened formations, and new equipment, to their front, House Davion had taken advantage of the situation.
Without new units to reinforce their positions, Capellan forces across their Davion line, collapsed. Wei, Shenshi, and Gan Singh all fell in a short time to concentrated assaults by the AFFS. Worse for the Capellans yet, on January sixth, reconstituted, and with shorter supply lines and greater coordination, the Free World's League rallied its forces, and pitched battle over the course of an extended period, over the key world of Zion. Zion was traded again back to the FWL in a series of ruthless battles, before finally recaptured by the Capellan Confederation, almost exclusively by TCAF during a sixteen hour pitched battle.
Capably lead, and ruthlessly able to replace their losses, TCAF managed finally to take Zion, permanently seemingly, from any further FWL push imaginable. However, much to the surprise of the haggard troops of this war, nearly a full regiment of AFFS forces landed on the world in what is considered a devastating setback to the Capellan forces. Even as FWLM forces had pulled back, outfought and outmanoeuvred, they inflicted increasingly serious casualties on their adversaries.
In a bid of diplomacy, it was decided that Davion troops could be used to liberate the planet from Capellan Control. Negotiations over
who would own the planet by the end of the war, would undoubtedly take place. Capellan High Command seemed to underestimate the willingness of once bitter rivals, the FWLM and AFFS, to coordinate and work together. Commanders who once stood opposite of one another, now stood to help one another. Attacks were linked up together to synchronize their assaults as best as possible. Enemy formations were caught in the trap, often being forced to choose between fighting the FWLM, or fighting the AFFS.
With this in mind, an ambitious plan was made by FWLM high command. Not to continue throwing their depleted forces at Zion, which Davion was taking using a dedicated regiment, but to shift two battalions to Pleoine, jumping through now friendly Davion space. An attack was formed to retake Shenshi, a planet which had traded between Liao, Davion, and Marik multiple times. Caught unaware, and caught off guard, defenders and garrison forces, were forced to fight three relatively competent Marik units. The 1FWG, MGA, RMA, Seraphim and others made significant gains against weakened defences, before defeating the mercenary unit, 69MG, in a series of running battles.
The 69MG, a unit which had seen heavy action across the Capellan front on behalf of their employers, had been a backbone for the house during much of the fighting. Often competently lead, the mercenaries had proven themselves worthy enemies, even managing several fantastic holding actions during the assault, but when faced by the 1FWG in several heated engagements, trading a victory for two defeats, much of the unit, due to heavy losses, was forced to wtihdraw, only further complicating their employer's position.
Inevitably, Shensi fell to this surprise assault, leaving the Capellans in a further complicated position.
Right now, FWLM forces seem poised to return to Styk, intending to throw at least one battalion against the defenders, using stretched units. FWLM high command won't speak of how in depth its increasingly friendly relations to the Federated Suns had become, but it would comment that it was pleased with the liberation of the people of Zion, from the
tyranny of their former allies, the Capellan Confederation.
Drop Commander Orzel "Storm Eagle" Adamski of the 1st First Free World's Guard, was even remarked as saying.
“These battles are the first on our road to Capella, and then Sian. Too long as the Capellan Confederation, and their treacherous and hostile behaviour, been allowed in our space. To defeat the Capellans, and end their tyranny and aggression, is to support the Clan front, as to no longer have a treacherous nation in our midst.”
FWLM command however, has not issued any releases on the Free World's Leagues stated goals, other than to say that it has an invested interest in returning 8 planets to its control.
- Storm Eagle.
Edited by stormeagle, 17 January 2016 - 10:36 PM.
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stormeagle, on 14 January 2016 - 05:51 PM, said:
