[x] Deny Operation Bronco
Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)
- Thread starter LordSunhawk
- Start date
Turn 57 - The Odds Are Stacked Against Us
Turn 57 - The Odds Are Stacked Against Us
Combat Report - Operation Bronco Orbital Phase
Friendly Losses - HMS Galatea, 8 ASF severely damaged, 1 Lost, pilot recovered
Enemy Losses - 24 Achilles, 14 Leopard-CV, 162 Sabre
Complete orbital supremacy has been achieved. There were very limited enemy assets in orbit, however they did engage in kamikaze tactics. Only a single Achilles got close enough to make an attack, and its wreckage took out HMS Galatea. She is a constructive total loss, however the entire crew was able to be taken off safely and the wreckage destroyed as per protocol.
Combat Report - Initial Orbital Drop - 1st Pathfinder Regiment
Friendly Losses - 2 Mech’s damaged in the drop, no losses
Enemy Losses - 1 Internal Security Battalion destroyed, prisoners taken
The initial orbital drop easily secured the planned landing zone with no effective opposition. The internal security forces present were caught completely flat footed and seemed utterly shocked that them simply ordering our forces so surrender to the ‘Might of the Dragon’ was met with a charging particle projection cannon. Needless to say, we now have to deal with a battalion's worth of very confused prisoners who seem to think that we cannot possibly be serious about attacking the planet.
Orbital surveillance indicates no more than a single regiment’s worth of light mechs hesitantly moving towards the landing zone, indications are that they will arrive within 3 days. Force composition based on orbital reconnaissance indicates that the force consists of a mix of Wasp and Locust mechs with no supporting elements.
The Home Army is generally obeying the instructions to keep their heads down, however you are receiving contact reports about enemy positions. Force estimates have been revised sharply downward; there are no more than two conventional regiments worth of forces on the entire continent, in addition to the light Mech regiment. According to the Home Army and reports from your special operations forces the majority of the mobile Mech forces on the planet departed just over a week ago ‘in a great hurry’.
Combat Report - Ground Operations - Phase 1
Friendly Losses - 5 mechs with damaged internals, 10 mechs with armor damage. Minor injuries. Six dead infantry troopers.
Enemy Losses - Entire Light Mech Regiment destroyed, the mechwarriors are of decidedly poor quality and it is quickly determined that this is a training unit of raw recruits.
The enemy forces attacked in a very disjointed manner and were handily dispatched. The only fatalities on our side was a single squad of power armor troopers who somehow got stuck in a burning structure and were unable to escape in time when the roof collapsed on top of them.
The majority of the enemy forces were taken prisoner, morale was exceptionally poor and it became glaringly obvious that this was a training unit that was nowhere near combat ready. Under questioning the prisoners let slip that the Dragon’s daughter had ‘refused the honor of being summoned to the Dragon’s side’.
ISF sabotage operations result in some minor damage to the LZ security perimeter, local residents turn in the ISF agents without much prompting. The civilian population appears to be highly supportive of your forces.
All factory complexes are in your hands. The continent has been secured with no remaining enemy formations present. Orbital strikes have disrupted attempts by the Dracs to send forces from the main continent.
You are Jeremy Griffith, on scene commander. Your losses to date are significantly below even best case estimates. You have 3 intact factory complexes, 2 geared towards producing light mechs, with significant raw material stockpiles, 1 geared towards producing the Sabre aerospace fighter. You have a friendly local populace, many of whom have made it clear that they either are Home Army or are friendly towards the Home Army and are willing to support your ‘liberation’ of their home.
In regards to the factory complexes, do you…
In regards to the overall plan, do you...
Combat Report - Operation Bronco Orbital Phase
Friendly Losses - HMS Galatea, 8 ASF severely damaged, 1 Lost, pilot recovered
Enemy Losses - 24 Achilles, 14 Leopard-CV, 162 Sabre
Complete orbital supremacy has been achieved. There were very limited enemy assets in orbit, however they did engage in kamikaze tactics. Only a single Achilles got close enough to make an attack, and its wreckage took out HMS Galatea. She is a constructive total loss, however the entire crew was able to be taken off safely and the wreckage destroyed as per protocol.
Combat Report - Initial Orbital Drop - 1st Pathfinder Regiment
Friendly Losses - 2 Mech’s damaged in the drop, no losses
Enemy Losses - 1 Internal Security Battalion destroyed, prisoners taken
The initial orbital drop easily secured the planned landing zone with no effective opposition. The internal security forces present were caught completely flat footed and seemed utterly shocked that them simply ordering our forces so surrender to the ‘Might of the Dragon’ was met with a charging particle projection cannon. Needless to say, we now have to deal with a battalion's worth of very confused prisoners who seem to think that we cannot possibly be serious about attacking the planet.
Orbital surveillance indicates no more than a single regiment’s worth of light mechs hesitantly moving towards the landing zone, indications are that they will arrive within 3 days. Force composition based on orbital reconnaissance indicates that the force consists of a mix of Wasp and Locust mechs with no supporting elements.
The Home Army is generally obeying the instructions to keep their heads down, however you are receiving contact reports about enemy positions. Force estimates have been revised sharply downward; there are no more than two conventional regiments worth of forces on the entire continent, in addition to the light Mech regiment. According to the Home Army and reports from your special operations forces the majority of the mobile Mech forces on the planet departed just over a week ago ‘in a great hurry’.
Combat Report - Ground Operations - Phase 1
Friendly Losses - 5 mechs with damaged internals, 10 mechs with armor damage. Minor injuries. Six dead infantry troopers.
Enemy Losses - Entire Light Mech Regiment destroyed, the mechwarriors are of decidedly poor quality and it is quickly determined that this is a training unit of raw recruits.
The enemy forces attacked in a very disjointed manner and were handily dispatched. The only fatalities on our side was a single squad of power armor troopers who somehow got stuck in a burning structure and were unable to escape in time when the roof collapsed on top of them.
The majority of the enemy forces were taken prisoner, morale was exceptionally poor and it became glaringly obvious that this was a training unit that was nowhere near combat ready. Under questioning the prisoners let slip that the Dragon’s daughter had ‘refused the honor of being summoned to the Dragon’s side’.
ISF sabotage operations result in some minor damage to the LZ security perimeter, local residents turn in the ISF agents without much prompting. The civilian population appears to be highly supportive of your forces.
All factory complexes are in your hands. The continent has been secured with no remaining enemy formations present. Orbital strikes have disrupted attempts by the Dracs to send forces from the main continent.
You are Jeremy Griffith, on scene commander. Your losses to date are significantly below even best case estimates. You have 3 intact factory complexes, 2 geared towards producing light mechs, with significant raw material stockpiles, 1 geared towards producing the Sabre aerospace fighter. You have a friendly local populace, many of whom have made it clear that they either are Home Army or are friendly towards the Home Army and are willing to support your ‘liberation’ of their home.
In regards to the factory complexes, do you…
| [] | Demolish them | Factories are destroyed |
| [] | Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces | You will be able to produce 2 battalions worth of Jenner’s from stockpiled materials |
| [] | Write-In | Effects to be determined |
In regards to the overall plan, do you...
| [] | Request reinforcements from home | 1st Garrison Division will be sent |
| [] | Prepare to evacuate civilians and withdraw | Evacuate as many civilians as you can fit and prepare to retreat |
| [] | Write-in | Effects to be determined |
Thors_Alumni
Well-known member
[X] Use the Dropships to send any willing refugees back to Griffins roost than use them to bring in the 1st Garrison Division from Griffins Roost along with a reinforcement dropship for the one that was destroyed.
-[X] Keep enough Dropships on planet to provide a quick escape route in case the Drac's attack in large forces.
Ignore this, There is a better plan in the works.
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Knowledgeispower
Ah I love the smell of missile spam in the morning
I've got a bad feeling about that giant Drac space force in the other system. Lets give the Home Army some stuff and blow the factories to bit, and head back home with as many refuges as possible.
[X] Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces
While the friendly forces aren't skilled MechWarriors, neither were the garrison forces on this continent -- two battalions of Jenners will make it *exponentially* harder for the Dragon to even attempt to retake the continent, as mere security/police forces will no longer be adequate to the task.
[X] Write-in: Orbital Bombardment.
It's all about the momentum. Right now, we have a solid and sustainable foothold on the Dragon's very planet, we have actual orbital control, and the Dragon's armies are elsewhere. While it's legitimate to worry about where that "elsewhere" might be . . . the best answer to that question is to go all in and start smashing key infrastructure on the other continents with orbit-to-surface fire. Our friends in the Home Army should be able to provide locations and warn civilians to clear out. . .
And while the necessary planning for that happens, we can start by bombarding the Dragon's own palace where we don't have to worry about collateral damage.
While the friendly forces aren't skilled MechWarriors, neither were the garrison forces on this continent -- two battalions of Jenners will make it *exponentially* harder for the Dragon to even attempt to retake the continent, as mere security/police forces will no longer be adequate to the task.
[X] Write-in: Orbital Bombardment.
It's all about the momentum. Right now, we have a solid and sustainable foothold on the Dragon's very planet, we have actual orbital control, and the Dragon's armies are elsewhere. While it's legitimate to worry about where that "elsewhere" might be . . . the best answer to that question is to go all in and start smashing key infrastructure on the other continents with orbit-to-surface fire. Our friends in the Home Army should be able to provide locations and warn civilians to clear out. . .
And while the necessary planning for that happens, we can start by bombarding the Dragon's own palace where we don't have to worry about collateral damage.
Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
How many of the prisoners are fanatics, and how many of them are just regular soldiers? We should probably establish two different types of PoW camps: one for the crazies and one for the normies. The normies can eventually be released and assimilated into society or allowed to leave for elsewhere. We should probably do something to keep them from getting lynched. As for the fanatics though... dunno what we're going to do about them.
Whether or not we demolish the factories depends on whether or not we believe we can finish the liberation of the planet and build up enough allied forces here to defend Nowa Warszawa from a possible invasion by Gunji. Gunji has more resources than the lord of this system and seems to be more competent, so she will likely win. It is unknown whether or not after her war with the Dracs concludes if she will have the means or the agenda to try to push into this system and fight us.
How populated is this planet? I don't think we could evacuate the entire planet's population before Gunji comes. We would be basically allowing her to take the planet without a fight. That would pretty much end any hope for Nowa Warszawa eventually becoming independent again, and the people would be assimilated as our citizens on Griffin V.
Or we can stand and risk a long fight to try to preserve Nowa Warszawa as a nation, and then there would be the investment of trying to help rebuild their world afterwards.
EDIT: on second thought, it seems that defending Nowa Warszawa is actually easier than it sounds. We have space superiority and can probably prevent most - if not all - enemy forces from landing on the planet. If any forces do land on the planet, it will be a hard won fight, like when the 100 Jenners landed on Griffon's Roost, but we have decent chances of winning against that. I think we might actually be able to pull this off. The only thing we can't defend against is that kinetic wave of debris, not that like that really matters because there aren't any valuable orbital stations left and our space forces can move out of the way.
[X] Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces
The one thing I'm concerned about is drawing too many forces away from Griffin. What if Gunji decides to go there instead of Nowa Warszawa? But I'm confident in our space superiority, so...
[X] Request reinforcements from home
Whether or not we demolish the factories depends on whether or not we believe we can finish the liberation of the planet and build up enough allied forces here to defend Nowa Warszawa from a possible invasion by Gunji. Gunji has more resources than the lord of this system and seems to be more competent, so she will likely win. It is unknown whether or not after her war with the Dracs concludes if she will have the means or the agenda to try to push into this system and fight us.
How populated is this planet? I don't think we could evacuate the entire planet's population before Gunji comes. We would be basically allowing her to take the planet without a fight. That would pretty much end any hope for Nowa Warszawa eventually becoming independent again, and the people would be assimilated as our citizens on Griffin V.
Or we can stand and risk a long fight to try to preserve Nowa Warszawa as a nation, and then there would be the investment of trying to help rebuild their world afterwards.
EDIT: on second thought, it seems that defending Nowa Warszawa is actually easier than it sounds. We have space superiority and can probably prevent most - if not all - enemy forces from landing on the planet. If any forces do land on the planet, it will be a hard won fight, like when the 100 Jenners landed on Griffon's Roost, but we have decent chances of winning against that. I think we might actually be able to pull this off. The only thing we can't defend against is that kinetic wave of debris, not that like that really matters because there aren't any valuable orbital stations left and our space forces can move out of the way.
[X] Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces
The one thing I'm concerned about is drawing too many forces away from Griffin. What if Gunji decides to go there instead of Nowa Warszawa? But I'm confident in our space superiority, so...
[X] Request reinforcements from home
Decim
Chronic on/off lurker
[X] Double Down
-[X] Prepare to hold ground against the inevitable DCMS counterattack
--[X] Request reinforcements from home (1st Garrison Division)
--[X] Use Spec Ops units to get forward recon on DCMS unit composition
--[X] Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces
-[X] Request a second Navy task group (composition TBD)
--[X] Blockade Nowa Warszawa to prevent any enemy reinforcements from landing
--[X] Use blockade units to bombard enemy military surface installations and units
--[X] Achieve space superiority overall by destroying any remaining DCMS space infrastructure and shipyards
I'm not certain if this is a good idea, but if you guy really want to put the squeeze on the DCMS here. Here's how to do it. Pull in additional navy units to blockade the planet and secure the system, then use 1st Garrison to dig in and prepare for the counterattack while the Spec Ops go for broke and raise hell and get recon done. Then once the DCMS does attack, crush them. Or if the opportunity arises, just go for defeating them in detail. I'm not terribly picky at this time.
I'm not sold on it though because it is very risky to bring in that many additionally dropships. Hence why I'm not voting quite yet.
Something I do want to bring up though is this, I asked in Discord if Home Army had any intel to share on DCMS units on planet, and they estimated around 20 infantry and AFV regiments and 5-10 Battlemech regiments, specifically noting the Otomo is on planet.
EDIT: Welp, looks like I'm going for it. Made a minor edit to the block to clarify what to do with the Jenners.
-[X] Prepare to hold ground against the inevitable DCMS counterattack
--[X] Request reinforcements from home (1st Garrison Division)
--[X] Use Spec Ops units to get forward recon on DCMS unit composition
--[X] Use them to equip friendly Home Army forces
-[X] Request a second Navy task group (composition TBD)
--[X] Blockade Nowa Warszawa to prevent any enemy reinforcements from landing
--[X] Use blockade units to bombard enemy military surface installations and units
--[X] Achieve space superiority overall by destroying any remaining DCMS space infrastructure and shipyards
I'm not certain if this is a good idea, but if you guy really want to put the squeeze on the DCMS here. Here's how to do it. Pull in additional navy units to blockade the planet and secure the system, then use 1st Garrison to dig in and prepare for the counterattack while the Spec Ops go for broke and raise hell and get recon done. Then once the DCMS does attack, crush them. Or if the opportunity arises, just go for defeating them in detail. I'm not terribly picky at this time.
I'm not sold on it though because it is very risky to bring in that many additionally dropships. Hence why I'm not voting quite yet.
Something I do want to bring up though is this, I asked in Discord if Home Army had any intel to share on DCMS units on planet, and they estimated around 20 infantry and AFV regiments and 5-10 Battlemech regiments, specifically noting the Otomo is on planet.
EDIT: Welp, looks like I'm going for it. Made a minor edit to the block to clarify what to do with the Jenners.
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Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
[X] Double Down
Thors_Alumni
Well-known member
[X] Double Down
[X] Double Down
That went well, I guess there's a civil dispute going on between the lord an heir that has given us an unprecedented opportunity. Another naval group could hopefully give us system supremacy and not just for the planet. Taking out or control of their space industry would ruin any chances of them fighting us successfully.
Jarow
Well-known member
For record, our currently available ground regiments (the units in italics are the ones we're considering having sent):
On Nowa Warzsawa:
2 Special Operations (infantry)
1 Pathfinder (mech)
2 Standard Mech (mech)
3 Assault (mech)
1 Armored Cavalry (mech)
1 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
On Griffin's Roost:
Garrison:
2 Heavy Garrison Force (conventional)
2 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
Imperial Guard:
1 Winged Hussars ("mech")
RRF:
3 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
1st Armored (3/4 Brigade):
2 Standard Mech (mech)
2 Armored Cavalry (mech)
1st Infantry:
2 Armored (conventional)
2 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
1 CAS (conventional fighter)
Aerie Cadre:
2 Training mech (mech)
1 Garrison Armored (conventional)
On Nowy Gdansk:
1st Garrison:
6 Garrison Armored (conventional)
2 Garrison Mech (mech)
1 Armored Cavalry (mech)
Garrison:
1 Heavy Garrison Force (conventional)
1 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
1 Winged Hussars ("mech")
RRF:
3 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
2nd Armored:
1 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
On Griffon IV:
Aerie Cadre:
2 Training mech (mech)
1 Garrison Armored (conventional)
1 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
1 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
Note that a Heavy and Light garrison force combined is about as strong as a rapid reaction regiment, but with fewer specials.
On Nowa Warzsawa:
2 Special Operations (infantry)
1 Pathfinder (mech)
2 Standard Mech (mech)
3 Assault (mech)
1 Armored Cavalry (mech)
1 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
On Griffin's Roost:
Garrison:
2 Heavy Garrison Force (conventional)
2 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
Imperial Guard:
1 Winged Hussars ("mech")
RRF:
3 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
1st Armored (3/4 Brigade):
2 Standard Mech (mech)
2 Armored Cavalry (mech)
1st Infantry:
2 Armored (conventional)
2 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
1 CAS (conventional fighter)
Aerie Cadre:
2 Training mech (mech)
1 Garrison Armored (conventional)
On Nowy Gdansk:
1st Garrison:
6 Garrison Armored (conventional)
2 Garrison Mech (mech)
1 Armored Cavalry (mech)
Garrison:
1 Heavy Garrison Force (conventional)
1 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
1 Winged Hussars ("mech")
RRF:
3 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
2nd Armored:
1 Mechanized Infantry (infantry/conventional)
On Griffon IV:
Aerie Cadre:
2 Training mech (mech)
1 Garrison Armored (conventional)
1 Rapid Reaction (conventional)
1 Light Garrison Force (conventional)
Note that a Heavy and Light garrison force combined is about as strong as a rapid reaction regiment, but with fewer specials.
Orangeduke38
Well-known member
Were any of the Drac units repairable and if so can we give them to the Home Army?
They're all bug mechs, I guess something is better than nothing if just barely but we hardly have the inner sphere experience of putting scraped mechs together.
Orangeduke38
Well-known member
That's true but 108 Drac mechs were taken out so the techs should be able to patch more than a hand full together. It's also better to use them then leave them for someone else to get them, or just leaving them to rust.