PART 3
6th Elembiv 3135 – Gliese 190 discovered by 1st (Grav) Survey Sqn. The system is a M class star with a terrestrial planet with a primordial atmosphere of Helium, Hydrogen and Nitrogen, giving it a HI of 2.53. At 19:58 3 ships of a new class of alien ship is detected running away from Gliese A-IX. BC Sqn #1 and FF Sqn #5 move to investigate. A further 2 alien ships are detected are detected just in front of the first 3 ships detected.
7th Elembiv 3135 – At 01:58, the ships come within sensor range and at 236M km they are determined to have a mass of 32400 tonnes. They are probably some kind of freighter so Space Marshal Winifred Thomas elects to close and kill them with lasers. By 11:16 the last of them is destroyed.
VIEW IMAGE 8
12th Elembiv 3135 – The Mabli Jeavons Xenologist team complete their assessment of the second planet of the LHS-292 system. The planet was an outpost of the Theocracy of Praseodymium and appears to have up to 23 installations that could be recovered. At 04:01 a single alien ship is detected approaching from the alien home world. The ship must have just been built. The Viraat class has an estimated tonnage of 6900 tonnes. A single salvo of 10 Arrows is fired at it. The salvo destroys the target at 04:06.
14th Elembiv 3135 – Luyten 870-2 system discovered by 1st (Grav) Survey Sqn. The system is a D class brown dwarf with no planets.
27th Elembiv 3135 – First of the Gwaywffon class escort cruisers enters service.
13th Aedrinios 3135 – Cynol Emlyn Phillips (Co 32nd Eng Bde) is killed in an accident.
17th Aedrinios 3135 – A new alien vessel with a mass of 13800 tonnes is detected and assigned the reporting name of TRINKAT. Cruiser Sqn #1 moves to intercept. After watching the TRINKAT for some time it appeared that the ship was not attempting to engage. At 13:02 they opened fire with a salvo of 20 Arrow Mk2s. The missiles hit at 13:16, it appears 15 Arrows are required to kill a TRINKAT, the wreckage of which joins the ever increasing number of wrecks in the system. As normal, the cruiser squadron approaches the planet to recover the life pods (321 survivors).
30th Aedrinios 3135 – TT Sqn #1 has collected 1st Heavy Assault Div from Daear and set course to conduct an assault of the alien home world. Carrier Group #2 is also dispatched. Their Magnel class FACs will be used to support the landings with their Meson cannon.
2nd Cantlos 3135- A ground training facility and details of ground unit strength 36 are discovered in Deliverance by 20th Engineer Brigade.
18th Cantlos 3135 – At 06:21 a new class of alien warship is detected in the Gliese 84 system. The 1000 tonne class is allowed to close. The class appears to have no long range weaponry and, once the class has been scanned, the CG Gweilch fires 5 Arrows at point blank range. The ship is destroyed at 06:26; however, a salvo of 7 enemy missiles also was fired at point blank range. 3 of the missiles hit Albanwyr and just scratch her armour.
1st Samonios 3135 – At 18:26, Carrier Group #2 rendezvous with the rest of 3rd Fleet.
9th Samonios 3135 – At 0625, a new MAGAR class is detected launching from the Alien Shipyard
s. The ship is only 18.49M km away, so CG Sqn #1 fires 5 Arrows at it without leaving the rest of the fleet. At 06:30, the MAGAR becomes another wreck in the system. FF Sqn #5 goes to pick up the survivors.
20th Samonios 3135 – Troop Transport Sqn #1 has arrived in the Gliese 84 system and whilst they are loading the drop ships in preparation for the first planetary assault in Celtic history another 2 MAGAR FACs are detected leaving the orbital ships yards. At 04:01 CG Sqn #1 fires 5 Arrows at each. At 04:03, fourteen missiles are detected inbound from the FACs. At 04:04, both FACs are destroyed. Without guidance their missiles self-destruct.
22nd Samonios 3135 – D-Day, the first Heavy Assault battalions land at 02:18, HQ 1st Heavy Assault Bde under the command of Brigadydd Puw Atha is the senior formation for the initial landing. The units dig in whilst they await the rest of the Div HQs. The Magnel FACs follow them to provide fire support. At 02:33, the Magnels fire at the enemy ground units and the units on the surface go on the offensive. It turns out the Meson cannons are no use against ground units. The atmospheric pressure is 0.49 so lasers should have an effect. Consequently FF Sqn #5 is sent to support and the Magnels are left to engage any alien ships that might get launched by the shipyards. At 03:03, the FFs arrive over the alien planet and immediately open fire. The bombardment catches a brigade HQ, a Mobile Infantry btn and a Garrison btn in the open and destroys them. The aliens also lose around a hundred facilities to collateral damage.
25th Samonios 3135 – The first proper offensive of the invasion engages 5 alien units causing 58%, 26%, 14% and 6% (twice) casualties. In return, 18th Heavy assault Btn suffers 1% losses.
30th Samonios 3135 – The offensive continues with a further 5 enemy units pushed back suffering losses estimated at 20%, 20%, 17%, 12% and 9%.
5th Dvmannios 3135 – The offensive stalls briefly as 11th Heavy Assault Btn walks into an ambush taking 24% casualties. Even so the ambush costs the aliens far more with another 6 units taking 37%, 27% 13%, 13%, 9% and 4% losses. The units that suffered the heaviest losses were the garrison btns that were used to bait the trap. The CO of 11th HVA (Cyrnol ApOwen Jermyn) acted with extreme gallantry during the ambush and is awarded the first ground forces Space Cross. To ensure the offensive doesn’t lose momentum, the Co of 1st Heavy Assault Div (Cadfridog Rhian Ifan) requests another laser bombardment. FF Sqn #5 open fire and destroy 7 enemy units including one of what was believed to be only 3 heavy assault btns. 103 facilities are also destroyed by the bombardment.
9th Dvmannios 3135 – Whilst advancing towards one of the major cities of Garn Singh Prime (as it has been discovered the aliens called their planet) 2 garrison btns are forced back (21% and 34% losses) and an engineering bde that was attempting to build new defences for the btns is destroyed.
14th Dvmannios 3135 – It appears that the resistance of the Garns is weakening. Over the last few days several uncoordinated enemy attacks have been beaten back with the units involved suffering losses of 56%, 34%, 23%, 20% and 10%. Furthermore, a garrison btn that had been cut off from the main enemy front was overrun and destroyed.
19th Dvmannios 3135 – An enemy mobile infantry btn is destroyed covering the retreat of a 7 other formations that had been badly mauled by the 2nd and 4th Heavy Assault Bdes. The 7 retreating unit suffer losses estimated at 52%, 52%, 32%, 23%, 21%, 13% and 3%. Celtic forces didn’t have it all their own way with 2 HVA btns (17th and 21st) taking losses of 8% and 3% respectively.
21st Dvmannios 3135 – Troop Transport Sqn #1 lands the 2nd Assault Inf Div on Garn Singh Prime to reinforce the 1st Heavy Assault Division. The TT Sqn then heads to Daear to pick up a garrison div.
24th Dvmannios 3135 – Both divisions go on the offensive and push back a significant portion of the enemy front line. Two enemy bde HQs are heavily damaged but the attacking btns (24th HVA, 126th ASI) suffer losses of 35% and 16% respectively. 14 enemy units suffer varying degrees of damage. After the battle it is determined that a replacement btn heading to the front was overrun by the 24th HVA on the way to attacking one of the bde HQs. For their bravery the COs of 24th HVA (Cyrnol Ffethryll Pricket) and 126 ASI (Cyrnol Sadwm Sais) both receive Space Crosses.
30th Dvmannios 3135 – The enemy appear to be collapsing as 6 btns are overrun and destroyed for no measurable loss to the invasion forces. The destroyed enemy btns are all garrison btns; however, a further 9 btns suffer losses between 4% and 52% (average 30%) during the headlong retreat from the victorious Celtic units. Over 35% of Garn Singh is under Celtic control, the remaining enemy units are dug in around the primary cities. Intelligence suggests that only 20 or so formations remain intact most of which are at less than 50% strength. There appears to be a mostly intact reserve force of 4btns (1HVA, 1MI, 2GAR) and a HQ hidden somewhere near the planetary capital. Word also reaches Daear The Union of Bhuj have granted us trade access.
