The Battle of Coventry
The Conflict
Prelude
The Jade Falcon's Incursion had been fairly succesful. Soon the planet of Coventry became their next target. Four Lyran task forces had been raised to deal with the Incursion. All of them arrived in Coventry ahead of the Jade Falcons and made landings to defend the planet.
Deployment
As soon as the Lyran Task Force arrived, the 1st Jagers (who were waylayed on Coventry after being devistated on Bucklands) were put on alert. All combat capable units were deployed to the defense of the planet. They were moved to the Coventry Metal Works.
The Engagement
The Gryfalcon Eyrie Cluster was assigned to assault the Coventry Metal Works. Risenjager aerospace fighters worked alongside Lyran fighters to buy time for the defending units even managing to destroy a Falcon dropship, forcing the claners to land at an alternate sight away from the defensive lines. Artillery barages softened up the Falcons for a time, but they adapted and rushed the lines. All in all, when the withdraw order came, the 1st Jagers faired better than the Lyran Militia having been assigned to the far end of the line.
The 1st would go to ground along with the defending Lyrans. For the next few months the company forces would break down into their respective companies and act as diversionary forces. Faster units would strike at Clan stars, drawing them into carefully planned ambush points where the entire company would eliminate the enemy. The narrow passes used at this time created false sensor readings which blinded the Falcons to their imminent demise.
The 2nd Jagers had been scheduled to relieve the 1st on Bucklands. They came across the "Coventry Expeditionary Force" as they jumped into the Outreach system for a supply stop. The 2nd would join the Wolf's Dragoons led task force.
On April 10th, the 2nd droped onto the city of Leitnerton along side the Eridani Light Horse They pushed out Falcons' 1st Falcon Strike Custer. out of the city and into a fighting withdrawal.
The 2nd would follow the 71st Light Horse in the assault on Port St. Williams on April 21st.
The 1st worked with the surviving Lyrans, Waco Rangers and Crazy Eights in attacking the rear areas of the Falcons' formations. However, the 1st would be ambushed in the Dales region by adhoc Falcon clusters authorized to use "vague" interpretation of Clan Honor. The 2nd would avoid most of the destruction, having headed warnings from Lyran scouts and not being as stuborn as the Ranger and Eights commanders, however, they were still whittled down to 50% of their capacity by the time the Wolf's Delta Regiment came in to reinforce them. This attempt to capture Port St. Williams ultimatley fails.
On May 8th, the Falcons began an assault in the hopes of capturing Leitnerton under cover of a massive thunderstorm. They struck at weakend sectors of the defensive lines. The Riesenjager, being stationed in a seporate sector, could only assist with aerospace fighters and artillery support. The Falcons attempted to counter-battery the Riesenjager artillery positions, but their inexperience with the weapons led to the company suffering no casualties.
On May 10th, a formation of Dragoon aerospace fighters made an attempt to bomb Falcon positions in Port St. Williams. The Falcons detected the fighters and intercepted them. This caused Expeditionary force to scramble all fighters. The massive furball prevented the Dragoon fighters from striking their target.
By the end of May, the Expedtionary forces supplies were nearly depleated. A desperate plan was hatched to use the mining tunnels of the Cross-Divide Mountains to strike at the Falcons rear command posts in the town of Whitting. The Riesenjagers, acting independantly, dispatched a small team on foot to scout out the town ahead of the attack. This team was led by the former bondsman Lotte as it was believed that she could easily blend in with her former clansmen if needed. The team was able to plant demo charges near key defensive positions without encountering any resistance. On May 30th, the Dragoon's Delta Regiment as well as a force of dismounted mechwarriors and infantry, including members of the Riesenjager, struck Whitting, catching the defending Jade Solahma Cluster completely by surprise.
After the Whitting raid, the Expeditionary Force's command drew up plans to retreat from Lietnerton and return to the guerrilla tactics they had employed before in order to make the best of the exhausted force that remained. However, on June 5th a relief force lef by First Prince Victor Steiner-Davion and made up of a multinatinal force arrived in system and issued it's own batchall for the planet. Falcon Khan Marthe Pryde, honor bound, granted the new force safcon (safe conduct) to land at Whitter.
Khan Marthe Pryde faced a dilemma. Wolf Khan Vladimir Ward had announced his intention to strike Falcon occupied worlds if she did not return from Lyran space. Facing being dezgra (disgraced/dishonored) status if she retreats and the loss of worlds and the contempt of her people if she stayed. Khan Pryde chose to accept when Victor granted her hegira (honorable withdrawl) on account of the Falcons defeat in the Whitting raid.
After an exchange of prisoners and bondsmen, the Falcons departed Lyran Space.
Outcome
The victory at Coventry would prove that the Inner Sphere could work together. The first Whitting Conference (named after the pivitol raid) would be held on October 3rd. One major outcome of the conference was the reformation of the Star League on November 21st.
For the Riesenjager, the battle had proven to be costly. 43% of the units that been on Covenrty were destroyed or otherwise unusable, a further 20% required major repairs. The company would return to Essex in full for the first time in order to reoganize and prepare for what would come next.
Aftermath
With the formation of the Second Star League, plans were drawn up to send a message to the clans. This would result in [Operation Bulldog] and [Operation Serpent] whose mission was the elimination of the Smoke Jaguar Clan.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
Battle
Battlefield Type
Planetary
Start Date
March 10th, 3058
Conflict Result
Victory for the Federated Commonwealth and Inner Sphere
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