Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
Let's get to it.
Rico: I just haven't mentioned them. Plus, Army divisions are far more common.
tristian5: They definitely have a fanbase.
QuestionMarkBob: To some degree, yes
Guest: Stop asking about the Colossus. My answer is no
cousinxcaps: Yes. Over half of the Dreadnought class has been retired, including the Bismarck. There is now a new Bismarck, which as you noticed, is a Repulse class battlecruiser
Chapter 26- Blitzkreig on Dantooine
(August 22, 2049)
The winds are blowing warm and fierce over the plains of Dantooine as the sun is rising in the sky. On top of a tall command building, Field Marshal Walter Kummetz scans the horizon with a set of binoculars before lowering them. He sighs a bit and then turns to head back down into the building.
Field Marshal Kummetz is the general in command of the defense of Dantooine. He's currently at his headquarters in the military settlement that used to be an abandoned Rebel base. The base the settlement was built on was relatively small. Now, it's almost the size of a small city, with the former Rebel base being used as the headquarters.
It's been almost two weeks since the Hammer Squadron's raid on Mygeeto. Sure enough, the raid had managed to slow down the First Order and forced them to take extra time to rebuild what the Hammers destroyed and build up a stronger invasion force.
However, this had also given the Terrans time to reinforce. Reinforcements had poured into Dantooine over the past week. The planet's defenses had increased from a few divisions and a small defensive task force to a large army and a sizeable fleet.
Kummetz had been assigned to command the ground defense of Dantooine. Under his command was a massive army of 15 divisions and several smaller units. Among these were the four divisions that had already been on Dantooine: the US 17th Airborne Division, the Thai 5th and 15th Infantry Divisions, and the Elvish 2nd Infantry Division.
Reinforcements had since arrived from the armies of India, Germany, and Lortir. First to arrive was the VI Lortirian Corps, which included the 2nd and 5th Lortirian Infantry Divisions and an artillery regiment. The next to arrive was the Indian III Corps, which included the 2nd and 57th Mountain Divisions and 56th Infantry Division. They had then also received a second Elvish division, the 9th Infantry Division.
Finally, the last reinforcements to arrive was the real heavy firepower of the defense: the German 5th Panzer Army. Germany had heavily militarized over the course of the Grysk War, and it's army was now the largest it had been since WWII. The centerpiece of the German Army was the 5th Panzer Army, which included all but one of Germany's panzer divisions. The 5th included the 1st, 7th, 9th, and 21st Panzer Divisions, the 29th Panzergrenadier Division, and the 35th Artillery Regiment.
In all, Field Marshal Kummetz had an army of about 470,000 troops and almost 1,000 tanks and walkers. He had deployed his army in several regions of Dantooine to maximize their efficiency and hopefully draw the First Order to them on their terms. The Indians and Lortirians had been deployed to the mountains a few hundred miles from the main settlement and set up camp near the foothills. Both the Indians and Lortirians were highly trained in mountain combat, and intended to use that advantage. He had then deployed the Elves to the forests in the south of Dantooine, where they were most at home.
Finally, he had kept all remaining forces in the main settlement, known as Camp Organa. The 5th Panzer Army was stationed around the outside of the camp and attack the First Order pre-emptively when they try and land. The 17th Airborne and the two Thai Divisions would remain in the camp and defend it if the First Order got past the 5th Panzer Army.
As he descends the stairs back into his main headquarters building, Kummetz fiddles with his commlink. The First Order is expected to arrive at Dantooine either today or tomorrow, and he's just waiting anxiously at this point for the word to come in from the defense fleet.
(Orbit over Dantooine)
In a high orbit over Dantooine, Admiral Tanaka is waiting on the bridge of his flagship, the battlecruiser Haruna. Tanaka is one of the highest ranking commanders in the Andromeda Fleet, and had been ordered by Jonathan to take personal command of the defense fleet over Dantooine.
Tanaka had begged for every ship that could be spared for this mission, and thankfully, Jonathan had managed to gather a fairly large fleet for Tanaka. Not including the Haruna, Tanaka had two more battlecruisers, a starfighter carrier, 4 Baltimore class Star Destroyers, 14 Tokyo class Star Destroyers, 3 Jutland class heavy cruisers, 6 Naboo class heavy cruisers, and 8 Anzio class light cruisers. He had also been given custody of three nuclear warheads for use against the First Order's fleet.
Tanaka sits down at a seat beside the holotable, ready to finally eat and drink something, which he hasn't done for far too long. However, right as he sits down, he hears alarms beginning to go off. Tanaka sighs as he stands back up and mutters,, "Here we go."
Within moments, First Order warships are beginning to drop out of hyperspace. Tanaka watches carefully, counting every ship he sees. He spots a Mandator-IV class siege dreadnought, 10 Resurgents, 2 Centurion class starfighter carriers, 9 ISDs, 14 cruisers, 3 frigates, and about two dozen transport ships carrying troops to land on Dantooine.
"Sound the alarm! Battlestations! Scramble all fighters and ready the nukes!" Tanaka orders.
General quarters alarms sound on all ships, and the fleet readies itself for battle as starfighters begin to scramble. Aboard the starfighter carrier Saratoga, weapons crews finish loading three nuclear anti-ship missiles aboard B-3 bombers.
It doesn't take long before the space battle commences with clashes of hundreds of starfighters between the two fleets. In the midst of this, the B-3s armed with the nukes are able to launch their missiles as Mustangs and SFA-181s pound the targeted warships with laser fire and proton torpedoes before streaking away to avoid the blasts. The missiles successfully hit their targets, two of the missiles destroying the Mandator-IV and disabling a nearby Maxima-A class heavy cruiser with the EMP, and the third missile destroying a Resurgent. After moments pass, allowing the EMP to disperse, starfighters and bombers resume attacking the First Order.
The admiral in command of the First Order's fleet orders his warships to advance and engage the Terran fleet. Meanwhile, the First Order's landing ships begin moving down towards Dantooine's surface, using their battle fleet's advance as cover to start landing their troops. Aboard the Haruna, Admiral Tanaka watches as the landing ships start to descend to the planet's surface. He knows he can't spare the firepower or starfighters to stop the landing.
"Get me Marshal Kummetz," Tanaka asks. He turns to the holotable as the Haruna's gunners are preparing to open fire. Within seconds, an image of Kummetz appears before him.
"Marshal, the First Order is here. We're engaging, but they've got over 20 transport vessels heading planetside. You're gonna have company," Tanaka says.
"Thanks for the warning. Hold on up there, Admiral," Kummetz says before he cuts the transmission.
Tanaka refocuses his attention on the battle ahead of him, knowing Kummetz is gonna have to fend for himself.
(Few hours later)
Down on the surface of Dantooine, a massive First Order army is marching across the landscape towards Camp Organa. Scans of the planet had confirmed most of the Terran garrison on the planet was at Camp Organa, so the bulk of the First Order's forces had landed about 50 miles from Camp Organa and was now heading for the camp. Other forces had been landed to take on the other Terran forces spread across the planet and to take other settlements.
From his headquarters, Marshal Kummetz is watching through his binocks as the mass of the First Order's army approaches. Over 200,000 stormtroopers and hundreds of walkers are bearing down on Camp Organa.
What concerns Kummetz the most is that at the front of the advancing army is a line of All-Terran MegaCaliber Six walkers. The AT-M6 was the successor to the AT-AT, and possibly the most dangerous weapon on the ground that the First Order possessed.
The number of AT-M6s worries Kummetz. Fort Organa has a shield protecting it from orbital bombardment, but the turbolaser on the AT-M6 could penetrate the shield at close ranges. However, of greater concern is the effectiveness of the AT-M6 against Terran tanks. In the past, the Imperial AT-ST and AT-AT had not been terribly effective against Terran tanks.
But the AT-M6 was the opposite. In fact, a major reason behind it's design was to counter Terran tanks. It's extremely heavy armor made it more resistant to tank shells, and its heavier laser cannons were more effective. On top of that, the turbolasers were designed to be capable of penetrating the armor of any Terran tank, including ones with deflector shield technology like the Leopard 3. The weak points on the AT-AT that Terran tanks had previously exploited had been reinforced or otherwise protected.
Kummetz is concerned about the number of AT-M6s approaching Camp Organa. This could throw a wrench in his plans. However, he had managed to adapt his tactics. When he realized the First Order was landing, he had detached the 7th and 9th Panzer Divisions to the east to allow them to come in on the First Order's right flank, while the rest of the 5th Panzer Army is positioned for a head on assault.
Kummetz pulls up his commlink and speaks into it, "Division commanders. Standby."
Kummetz waits and watches as the First Order's army continues its advance towards Camp Organa. They're now only about 6 miles out.
"Standby…Execute!" Kummetz orders.
Immediately, 105 and 155mm artillery pieces behind the defensive wall of Camp Organa, along with dozens of multiple rocket launchers. Hundreds of artillery shells and unguided artillery rockets streak through the air and begin hitting amidst the First Order's army. A number hit against the AT-M6s with little effect, but more soar over and past the walkers, slamming into the ranks of the foot soldiers.
The artillery bombardment continues unabated for several minutes. Then, just as the First Order's army is preparing to begin returning fire, the gates through the defensive wall open up, and the hundreds of tanks of the 1st and 21st Panzer Divisions come pouring through the gates. The tanks, a mix of Leopard 3 and Panther KF51 tanks, assemble quickly into battle formation before, as one, the over 400 tanks begin their advance towards the First Order. Following behind them are hundreds of infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, and behind those, dozens of the latest model of AW-1 Leviathan walkers.
The tanks are fast. Their advanced engines and track systems enable them to travel at 42 miles per hour, even over uneven ground. The tanks advance at full speed across the plains towards the First Order. The commanding general quickly realizes that the Terrans are launching a tank charge, and orders his AT-M6s to open fire on the charging tanks. The walkers begin firing when the tanks are still 2 miles beyond gun range.
Several Leopards and Panthers are hit by laser cannon fire or turbolaser bolts and destroyed, but continue their advance towards the First Order. The First Order keeps firing, destroying more tanks. By the time the tanks reach about 3 miles from the First Order's army, the AT-M6s have destroyed almost 30 tanks.
Then, without warning, a volley of HEAT and sabot rounds slam into a pair of AT-M6s, managing to destroy both of them. The commanding general, who is on board a small shuttle over the main body of the army, quickly looks to the east. He is shocked to see over 400 more tanks speeding towards his army from the east, with hundreds more vehicles afterwards.
The general immediately realizes the Terrans' plan: distract him from the front, and then strike their flank. And he knows that the Terrans have proved how effectively they can use their tanks at high speed.
However, although he now recognizes a threat, the general is not certain how to respond. He knows of this tactic used by the Terrans, which he knows is sometimes called blitzkrieg. Although the First Order has strategies to counter this, they almost entirely geared around a direct frontal assault. A frontal assault, combined with a flanking maneuver, is not something they anticipated. And the general knows no matter what he chooses to do at this point, one of his sides will be exposed to fire from the Terrans. Trying to decide what to do, the general loses valuable moments trying to decide what to do.
It's those lost moments that give the Germans that advantage they need. Although the AT-M6 is much more heavily armored than the AT-AT, their neck is still their weakest spot, followed by the joints where their legs connect to the body. The charging Leopards and Panthers focus the fire from their 130mm main guns at these two vulnerable points, pounding them with HEAT rounds. One by one, AT-M6s begin to fall as they have their heads blown off or legs severed. At the same time, as the incoming fire lessens, the tanks charging from their front have a better view of the massive walkers. The Leopards and Panthers begin to fire, focusing the fire from their main guns on the turbolaser cannons on the walkers' backs. Although difficult to hit, the Terrans have theorized that a direct hit to the turbolaser can cause heavy damage to the walker, even crippling it. Most fail to score direct hits on the turbolaser, but several do score direct hits, completely crippling two walkers and causing two more to lose their turbolaser cannons.
By the time the tanks charging from the east reach the First Order's army, all but a few of the AT-M6s have been destroyed, for an overall cost of 37 tanks destroyed. The tanks had also managed to destroy a number of AT-AT walkers.
Finally, the tanks of the 1st and 21st Panzer Divisions reach the ranks of the First Order's army, and with no hesitation, smash right into their ranks. Every tank is firing it's main gun whenever they can find a good target, which blazing away with their mounted machine guns and laser cannons. Meanwhile, the charging tanks of the 7th and 9th Panzer Divisions focus on the remaining walkers, including AT-ATs and AT-STs.
Stormtroopers scatter out of the way of the charging tanks, but there is little standing in the way of the Germans. Two stormtroopers armed with rocket launchers manage to disable two tanks, but the most of the rest of the army tries to scatter. However, the Germans are relentless. Although the drivers begin to slow their tanks down, the gunners don't hold back, pouring hot metal and laser fire into the ranks of the First Order's stormtroopers.
"Pull back," the general orders as he realizes the amount of casualties the Germans are causing, and knowing his forces need to regain their composure and get a more defensive position.
The First Order begins to pull back from Camp Organa, the remaining walkers trying to cover their retreat. However, the Germans maintain their momentum, disrupting the walkers and maintain the pressure on the returning stormtroopers.
The battle for Dantooine is well underway, and already the First Order is on the defensive.
And, I'll end the chapter there.
So, I will be dividing the battle for Dantooine into two chapters. Next chapter will wrap it up. That chapter will be up soon. Until it's up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!