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> Battle of Luthien
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post Dec 21 2005, 01:10 PM
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Of all the military operations of the Clan Wars, perhaps no single engagement--save for Tukayyid--was as significant as the Battle of Luthien.


For the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, the battle marked the end of Coordinator Takashi Kurita's refusal to deal with mercenaries. Indeed, two mercenary units--the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons--provided vital support against the Clan invasion force, acts that precipitated the end of a twenty year feud between Dragoons commander Jaime Wolf and the Coordinator. But more important, the battle united two of the Inner Sphere's most bitter enemies--the Draconis Combine and Hanse Davion's Federated Commonwealth--to face a common enemy.


Even though the hard-fought battle lasted only a few hours, its repercussions will be felt for years to come.


Following the victory on Wolcott, Theodore and Hohiro Kurita along with Shin Yodama withdrew to Luthien to review the battleroms of the Wolcott engagement and plan for the Smoke Jaguar's next assault. Intelligence reports poured in from all along the Smoke Jaguar/Nova Cat front, but the Clans had apparently ceased their attacks on the Draconis Combine. Shin Yodama suggested that the defeat on Wolcott led the invaders to halt their offensive, but the Kanrei discounted this possibility.


Khan Kincaid Furey of Clan Smoke Jaguar, still smarting from his Clan's embarrassing defeat at Wolcott, demanded that Clan Smoke Jaguar be allowed to avenge themselves on the Draconis Combine. ilKhan Ulric Kerensky quickly agreed with Khan Furey's choice of targets. If the Smoke Jaguars succeeded, much of the resistance faced by the Smoke Jaguars, Nova Cats and Ghost Bears would evaporate. For this reason ilKhan Kerensky approved Operation Dragonslayer, the invasion of Luthien.


The Kanrei dispatched ISF officers and hired operatives into the Clan occupation zones. Shin Yodama contacted the few Yakuza cells that remained active on Smoke Jaguar or Nova Cat held worlds. All received the same orders: learn the objective of the next Clan invasion. Unfortunately, none of these agents could discover the world slated for the Clans' attentions, and many were never heard from again. Then late in November, a sympathetic source in ComStar informed Theodore Kurita that the Clans planned to renew their invasion of the Draconis Combine by striking at Luthien.


The Kanrei immediately called an emergency meeting of the regimental commanders stationed on Luthien. Theodore's announcement that the Clans had slated Luthien for invasion evoked a stunned silence from the commanders of the Genyosha, 1st Sword of Light, 2nd Legion of Vega, and the Otomo.


"Nothing can stop the Clans once they have determined where they will strike," the Kanrei told his military leaders. "We lack the naval vessels to challenge the Clan invasion fleet before it arrives in-system. Our only hope is to find the best way to drive the invaders off Luthien once they arrive."


Tai-sa Oda Hideyoshi of the Otomo and Tai-sa Shigeru Yoshida of the 1st Sword of Light immediately pledged their regiments to the defense of the Combine's capital. Yoshida suggested that the Kanrei recall the Ryuken units from their border posts to aid in the operation. Theodore considered the proposal for a moment, then rejected the idea. The Ryuken were more valuable to the war effort right where they were, on the border between Clan occupied space and the Draconis Combine. On Luthien, the Ryuken units would be able to engage only the forces the Smoke Jaguars committed to the invasion. Theodore preferred to have the Ryuken remain along the border where their fast deep penetration raids could force the Smoke Jaguars to garrison their captured worlds with large numbers of troops.


"If we lose Luthien, we lose one world out of hundreds," the Kanrei told his commanders. "Yes, it would be a great dishonor for our capital to fall to the invaders. But we cannot allow ourselves to become so concerned with the preservation of our honor that we lose the entire realm. We cannot strip regiments away from areas of potential Clan threat to protect one world, even if it means losing Luthien.


"If we lose the capitol we will avenge our honor by defeating the Clans on other worlds. We cannot fight this war for pride or honor, or even for planets. We must fight this war for our survival, and the survival of our way of life. If the Clans succeed in conquering the Draconis Combine as they have the Free Rasalhague Republic, we--and everything we have ever known and cherished--would be destroyed. We would cease to be the Draconis Combine; we would no longer be the inheritors of the samurai tradition. And that, my friends, would be the cruelest dishonor of them all."


In that moment, the battle was decided. No units would be called in from other worlds. The Genyosha, 1st Sword of Light, 2nd Legion of Vega, and the Otomo would defend Luthien, along with whatever militia regiments could be mustered and equipped before the invaders arrived.



Unlikely Allies
On November 27, 3051, Kanrei Theodore Kurita sent a request for help in the defense of Luthien to Hanse Davion of the Federated Commonwealth. After much deliberation, Hanse Davion decided to help Theodore and sent messages to two of his most trusted mercenary commanders: Jaime Wolf, commander of Wolf's Dragoons, and Morgan Kell, commander of the Kell Hounds, requesting that they join in the defense of Luthien. Both Jaime Wolf and Morgan Kell accepted and transported their entire units to Luthien with the greatest haste.



The Jaguar Prepares
As the Kurita military leaders debated how to defend Luthien, the leaders of Clan Smoke Jaguar and Clan Nova Cat also laid plans. ilKhan Kerensky had appointed Khan Kincaid Furey, the Khan of the Smoke Jaguars, as the overall invasion commander. Furey, in turn, appointed saKhan Dorian Wirth of the Jaguars to bid against Khan Severen Leroux of the Nova Cats for the privilege of leading the assault on Luthien.


In an unusual move, Khan Furey allowed each bidder access to forces drawn from both Clans. Khan Furey's rivals in both the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats have speculated that ilKhan Kerensky forced Khan Furey's hand. His supporters insist that Khan Furey allowed the bidders access to both Clans because he knew that Luthien would provide the stiffest Inner Sphere resistance yet faced by either the Smoke Jaguars or the Nova Cats. saKhan Wirth opened the bidding.


"I will take Luthien with four combined-arms Galaxies," saKhan Wirth said. Then he paused as though waiting for Khan Leroux to counter the bid, but cut off his opponent's counter-offer with a quick amendment to his own. "Minus, that is, all naval support from our Jumpships."


saKhan Wirth's bidding away his warships disrupted Khan Leroux's initial plan. Hurriedly, Khan Leroux countered by bidding away half his aerospace fighter support. Unknown to either Clan officer, this move would give the Inner Sphere troops an invaluable tactical advantage. In the end, saKhan Wirth won the right to lead the invasion of Luthien with three combat Galaxies and three aerospace Clusters.


With the bidding completed, the Clan commanders settled in to plan strategy. Determined that the Kuritas would not trick them as they had on Wolcott, Khan Furey announced the invasion force would issue no batchall, no formal challenge to the enemy. After all, the batchall was a ritual observed between honorable warriors, Khan Furey said. And at Wolcott, the Combine troops proved they had no honor.


Khan Leroux of the Nova Cats favored a surgical strike, aimed at decapitating the Dragon. He argued that the invasion should be concentrated around Imperial City, because capturing the city with one stroke would throw the rest of the planet's defenders into disarray. saKhan Wirth of the Smoke Jaguars opposed limiting the invasion force's area of operations. He believed Khan Leroux's plan would enable the Kurita defenders to draw the Clan forces into ground better suited to defense than attack, as they had done on Wolcott. saKhan Wirth suggested their forces spread across the face of the planet. By striking vigorously at key cities and manufacturing centers and committing freebirth troops to secondary objectives, the Clans could stretch the defenders to the breaking point. Khan Furey stepped in and rendered his decision.


Both plans had merit and Operation Dragonslayer would implement elements of both. Capturing Imperial City would be the primary objective of the invasion. The Jaguar's Alpha Galaxy and the Nova Cats' Beta Galaxy would ground near the planetary capital and press the attack there. Elements of both Clans would strike at secondary targets across Luthien simultaneously. Under Khan Furey's compromise plan, maximum effort would go into capturing Imperial City and tying up the Combine's front-line units, as the secondary strikes will prevent the Combine forces from bolstering the city's defenders.


With these preparations completed, the Combine stood girded for battle when the first Clan Jumpships appeared in the skies over Luthien in the early hours of January 4, 3052.



Luthien System, 0530 Hours, 04 January 3052
As the forces of the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats began their high-speed runs for Luthien, the 3rd and 7th Luthien Aerospace Wings intercepted them. The 3rd was instructed to draw defending Clan fighters away from their Dropships, clearing the way for the heavier attack ships of the 7th.


Trouble with the 7th's catapult launch stations, however, delayed their arrival for several minutes. During that time the 3rd destroyed nine Clan fighters and severely damaged two Dropships. When the 7th finally arrived, their heavy Slayer and Stuka fighters found the scattered Clan fighters easy targets.


During the fighting, a Jagatai-A of the 3rd Nova Cat Assault Cluster took heavy damage from one of the 3rd's Slayers, but before the Kurita fighter could finish off it's crippled prey a pair of Scythas engaged it. As the Slayer dueled with it's tormentors, a pair of Kurita Shilones, under the command of Tai-i Michael Cannello spotted the crippled Jagatai and forced it to land at Tsushima. Star Captain Yehud became the first prisoner taken in the Battle of Luthien.



Luthien System, 2200 Hours, 04 January 3052
Contrary to many popular accounts, the aerospace engagement that marked the beginning of the Battle of Luthien was not a single, epic battle. Rather, it comprised a series of brief, intense skirmishes. The Combine's 3rd Aerospace Wing first engaged the Clans in a fight that lasted less than twenty minutes. A short time later, the 7th Aerospace Wing engaged the Clan invasion force in a battle that lasted just under an hour. The invaders then passed beyond the operational ranges of the two wings and traveled virtually unmolested for almost fifteen hours. Combine and allied mercenary aerospace forces stationed on Luthien met the Clan Dropships as they entered the planet's atmosphere.



Tairakana Plains, 0500 Hours, 05 January 3052
In an attempt to gain the information normally learned in the batchall, Theodore Kurita dispatched several reconnaissance patrols to the Clan landing zones on the Tairakana Plains. The data these patrols acquired helped the Kanrei tailor his defensive plans to maximize the effect of his forces.



Tairakana Plains, 0715 Hours, 05 January 3052
The ground battle for Imperial City began when the Jaguar Guards launched their attack against the three Kurita regiments drawn up along the shores of Basin Lake.


The Jaguar Guards opened the battle with long-range fire, but charged quickly into close-combat range and into the Kanrei's first trap. Closing with what they believed were Otomo 'Mechs, the Clans discovered vibrabombs peppering the ground in front of the Combine unit's position. Then they discovered the "Otomo 'Mechs" were actually jury-rigged drones, many of which were booby-trapped as well.


As the Smoke Jaguars staggered from the effects of the mines and "Q-Mechs", the genuine Otomo entered the fray. Their sudden charge, coupled with the havoc wrought by the minefield, brought the Smoke Jaguars to a halt.



Tairakana Plains, 0845 Hours, 05 January 3052
The Kanrei's trap bogged down the Smoke Jaguar's first probing attack on Combine lines, but then Trinary Alpha of the First Jaguar Guards struck the center of the Combine's defensive position, hoping to break through the 1st Sword of Light and give the Clans a clear road into Imperial City.


The Sword lines held for almost an hour against the ferocious assault of the Jaguar Gaurds. Then, reinforced by the Otomo and the 2nd Legion of Vega, they began forcing the invaders back.


This resistance was broken, in turn, by the arrival of Clan reinforcements, supported by Smoke Jaguar and Nova Cat aerospace strikes.



Tairakana Plains, 0915 Hours, 05 January 3052
As the Smoke Jaguars ran into the 1st Sword of Light's second line, the Otomo, the 2nd Legion of Vega, and the Genyosha launched the first all-out assault on the invaders.


The Genyosha inflicted terrible damage on the Smoke Jaguars, folding the invader's right flank back on itself. As the invaders turned to face the Genyosha, they siphoned a portion of their strength away from the 1st Sword of Light, the Otomo and the 2nd Legion of Vega.


Defeat seemed certain for the Clan invaders, but then the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats consolidated their force and pushed through the Combine defenders for the second time.



Imperial City Air Defense Zone, 1130 Hours, 05 January 3052
Following the collapse of the Combine line, the Nova Cats and the battered Smoke Jaguars began a quick march toward Imperial City, supported by Clan aerospace elements.


As the invaders approached Basin Lake and the Waseda Hills, a new phase of the battle began: the fight for air supremacy between the Clans and the mercenaries. Elements of Wolf's Dragoons and the Kell Hounds' aerospace divisions launched a series of attacks against the Clan fighters, engaging them in a furious free-for-all. The battle swung quickly in favor of the mercenaries, who held tenaciously onto any advantage they could grab. In the end, the Clan fighters were driven from the skies, leaving the Inner Sphere defenders in total control of the area over Luthien.



Katsura River Valley, 1345 Hours, 05 January 3052
As the fighting in the Waseda Hills began, the engagement on the edges of the Tairakana Plains wound down. The pounding taken by the Smoke Jaguars and Nova Cats' subsequent breakthrough left some Kurita companies with little to do.


In hopes of increasing the pressure on the battered Smoke Jaguars, Theodore Kurita ordered two 2nd Genyosha companies and one Otomo company to launch a lightning raid into the Clans' rear area. He instructed them to attack the Smoke Jaguars' reserves, cause as much damage and confusion as they could, then pull out.


Two Kurita 'Mechs were destroyed, and almost all took serious damage in the operation. The raiders, in turn, left eight Clan machines destroyed or so badly damaged that the invaders abandoned them during their withdrawal from Luthien.



Shaidan Basin: Amori Military District, 1350 Hours, 05 January 3052
Provided with inaccurate intelligence, the Clan invasion planners assigned the capture of the Arisaka Munitions Complex to a freebirth Cluster.


Meanwhile, Tai-i Velk marshalled the Amori Militia in the marshy rice paddies of the Shaidan Basin.


As the Clan warriors crossed the slippery rice paddies, Tai-i Velk sprung his trap. The Amori Militia put up stiff resistance, then feigned a panicked retreat across the two Shaidan River bridges. As the invaders followed them across the spans, the militiamen detonated charges that destroyed the bridges. Backed by ground armor and the Minikuchi, the militia pinned the Clan warriors against the rain swollen river.


Caught in a completely untenable position, Star Captain Edna did the only thing she could to avoid the destruction of her command. She surrendered.



Nova Cat Secondary Landing Zone, 1400 Hours, 05 January 3052
As the fighting in the Tairakana Plains and the Kado-guchi Valley began winding down, Theodore Kurita ordered the 6th DEST to begin operation "Black Thunder." The team members swarmed out of a concealed blind to attack the Clan Union Class Dropship Broadsword. The operatives captured the Broadsword, along with two of her crew, after a short fire fight in the vessel's main 'Mech deck. Four DEST troopers died in the fighting, and a like number were wounded.


The team then flew the captured Dropship, under fighter escort, to the main military spaceport southeast of Imperial City.



Luthien Armor Works: Jirushi City, 1400 Hours, 05 January 3052
In an attempt to cripple the Draconis Combine, a Star of medium and heavy OmniMechs attacked the Luthien Armor Works, where they encountered a unit assembled from the remnants of 'Mech companies eradicated by the invaders earlier in the Clan invasion.


The complex's machinery and steel-reinforced ferrocrete buildings blocked virtually all communications, sensors, and targeting systems. Lacking Elemental support and facing a stronger unit than expected, the Clan warriors inflicted moderate damage on the facility before fleeing to their landing zone for evacuation.



Kado-guchi Valley, 1600 Hours, 05 January 3052
After smashing their way through the Genyosha/1st Sword of Light/Otomo line and fighting a prolonged stop-and-go battle with the Kell Hounds and Wolf's Dragoons, the Nova Cats finally succeeded in breaking out of the Waseda Hills and into the Kado-guchi Valley. Having already faced stiffer opposition than they expected, the Nova Cats were on guard for another assault. The attack came in the form of the Dragon's Claws, a unit of veteran Kurita warriors commanded by Coordinator Takashi Kurita.


Knowing his father's inclination for making suicidal charges reminiscent of the ancient Terran samurai, Theodore Kurita placed his most trusted aide, Sho-sa Shin Yodama, with the Dragon's Claws as a liaison officer. It was Sho-sa Yodama's awesome responsibility to "keep Takashi on a leash," as some war historians have put it.



Kado-guchi Valley, 1630 Hours, 05 January 3052
The Dragon's Claws' surge down the slopes of the Kado-guchi Valley stopped the Nova Cats' momentum toward Imperial City. Several Clan 'Mechs went down in the firestorm of that first volley. The Clan force then attempted an orderly withdrawal, but the Kell Hounds launched a strike against the Cat's flank and rear.



Imperial City, 1700 Hours, 05 January 3052
As the struggle in the Kado-guchi Valley reached its peak, Trinary Striker of the 4th Nova Cat Regulars broke away from the battle. Seeking to curry favor with Khan Furey, Star Colonel Camille ordered the unit to destroy a small industrial park on the southeast side of Imperial City. The Clan troops had scarcely begun their task when elements of the 7th Imperial City Militia, along with armored infantrymen of the 1st Omega Regiment, attacked them. A ferocious street fight ensued, ending only when Dragoon air strikes forced the Nova Cats to withdraw with heavy casualties.



Nijunen Desert, 0235 Hours, 06 January 3052
Another "side show" of the Battle of Luthien, the night battle outside Takaoguchi pitted elements of the 225th Jaguar Battle Cluster against the 143rd Luthien Defense Regiment.


In his attempts to cripple the Combine's ability to continue the war, Khan Furey ordered a force to destroy the largest iron-ore mine on Luthien, located in the heart of the Nijunen Desert some 25 kilometers south of Takaoguchi. This time, ComStar provided the Clans with accurate information.


Under the cover of night, the veteran 225th squared off against the defenders. Using the natural defensive potential of several sinkholes, Tai-sa Alexi Nagumo's troops fought the Jaguars to a standstill, until heavy losses forced the Combine regiments to withdraw.



Prologue
The Battle of Luthien reached its climax in the Kado-guchi Valley, where twelve Inner Sphere regiments squared off against five Clan Galaxies. The Kado-guchi Valley had become a massive killing zone, when the battle was over, the smoke that arose from hundreds of burning 'mechs streaked the sky with inky ribbons. The Clan force was defeated and the few Clan warriors that survived the battle were taken prisoner. Of the two Kell Hound regiments that came to Luthien just over two battalions of 'mechs remained operational. Wolf's Dragoons had arrived with five full regiments and had been reduced to two and a half. The Combine's six regiments had suffered similar grievous damage, with the Genyosha and the 2nd Legion of Vega faring the best, with only fifty percent casualties. The reserve regiment had been hurt most with only three 'mechs operational at the battle's end.


DCMS and Allied units that participated in the battle at Kado-guchi Valley:


Genyosha (2 Regiments / 6 Battalions)
Otomo (1 Regiment / 3 Battalions)
1st Sword of Light (1 Regiment / 4 Battalions)
2nd Legion of Vega (1 Regiment / 3 Battalions)
Dragon's Claws (1 Regiment / 3 Battalions)
Wolf's Dragoons (5 Regiments / 15 Battalions)
Kell Hounds (1 Regiment / 2 Battalions)


Clan units that participated in the battle at Kado-guchi Valley:

31st Smoke Jaguar Assault Galaxy (3 Clusters)
44th Smoke Jaguar Attack Galaxy (3 Clusters)
315th Smoke Jaguar Battle Galaxy (4 Clusters)
4th Nova Cat Assault Galaxy (3 Clusters)
183rd Nova Cat Assault Galaxy (5 Clusters)


This breaks down to 36 Inner Sphere regiments against 18 Clan Clusters.
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