Editing Long March Offensive

{{otheruses|the Lyran Commonwealth's Age of War-era military operation|other uses|Long March}}

{{InfoBoxConflict
| conflict = Long March Offensive
| partof = Late [[Age of War]]
| image = 							
| caption = Long March Offensive
| date = [[2463]]
| enddate = [[2468]]
| place = 
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| territory = 
| faction1 = Attacker<br />[[Lyran Commonwealth]]
| faction2 = Defender<br />[[Draconis Combine]]
| faction3 = Defender<br />[[Free Worlds League]]
| commander1 =
| commander2 = 
| commander3 = 
| forces1= 
| forces2= 
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| result = 
| environment = 
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}}

==Overview==
The '''Long March Offensive''' was a late [[Age of War]]-era military operation launched by the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] in [[2463]]. It became their most ambitious attack to date, lasting until [[2468]]. The Long March Offensive was a two-front offensive, one front focused on the [[Draconis Combine]], the other on the [[Free Worlds League]]. This was part of [[Archon]] [[Alistair Steiner]]'s efforts to regain the losses the Commonwealth had suffered at the hands of its neighbors over the previous two decades. The Long March Offensive was designed to capitalize on the newly gained superweapon, the [[BattleMech]]. Archon Steiner pushed the military offensive quickly before the new technology developed by the [[Terran Hegemony]] and subsequently stolen by the Commonwealth could spread to their enemies.<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p.?? - "Lyran Military Superiority - Archon Alistair quickly orders a military campaign".</ref>

==Military Objectives==
On the Draconis Combine Front, the initial operations were feints intended to appear efforts to retake [[St. John]]. When Kuritan forces moved to counter the Lyran invasion, Commonwealth Forces then turned and assaulted [[Nox]], [[Skondia]], [[Trolloc Prime]] and [[Caldrea]].<ref name=HSTLC21>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'', p. 18 (PDF p. 21) - "Lyran Military Superiority, Long March, Hard March" - Early events led to and the beginnings of the Long March Offensive</ref> 

On the Free Worlds League Front the Commonwealth plan was intended to take back the worlds of [[Bella I]], [[Alula Australis]] and [[Cavanaugh II]].

==Timetable of the Offensive==
===Draconis Combine Front===
====Bad Start====
The Long March Offensive did not start very well for the [[Lyran Commonwealth]]. Two [[WarShip|Combat JumpShip]]s, the LCS ''[[Stringfire]]'' and the [[Everett (Individual JumpShip)|LCS ''Everett'']], both loaded with three battalions of troops and their equipment, experienced a [[misjump]]. The two vessels were too close to each other when they attempted to jump; when their distortion fields mingled, both ships were morphed together. At the end of the jump, nothing remained but a big, twisted and unrecognizable ball of metal.

====Feint toward St. John====
The surviving battalions that arrived at [[St. John]] were emotionally traumatized from the loss of their fellow soldiers from the ''Everett'' and the ''Stringfire''. They felt the increased burden left by the absence of those six battalions of troops, and tried to take up the slack left by the missing troops and their equipment. However, military discipline held and the Lyran 'Mechs and their support troops were able to defeat the Kuritan garrison.

Six months after taking St. John, intelligence on the military front became clear: the Combine military was strengthening the border forces where the St. John forces appeared to be thrusting into the Combine. This was exactly what the Lyran commanders wanted them to do.<ref name=HSTLC21/>

====Thrust towards Skondia====
The new Lyran offensive towards their primary objectives began with the planet [[Skondia]]. Skondia was desired due to its large metal deposits, and the Lyran attackers easily swept aside the reduced Draconis Combine garrison, retaking the planet. Leaving a light garrison on the world, the Long March forces moved towards their second objective: [[Nox]]. This world was wanted for its gem deposits. Although the Kuritans were more determined to defend Nox, the Steiner 'Mechs soon pushed the defenders into a full retreat.<ref name=HSTLC21/>

====Caldrea Debacle====
Between [[2465]] and [[2467]], the Steiner campaign forces attacked [[Caldrea]], a key world in the [[Orestes]] Star Cluster. The planet's defenders fought a fierce defense again the invaders;  Lyran commanders were also taken aback by the planet's northern continent, which was a virtual maze of mountain ranges. The Draconis Combine forces laid numerous traps and used lots of ambush points, frustrating and damaging the Lyran forces.<ref>''Long March, Hard March'', p.?? - "DCMS force bedevil Lyran forces in Mountain mazes of Caldrea".</ref>  

The DCMS main defense position was subsequently identified by the battle-weary Lyran forces; the [[LCAF]] [[23rd BattleMech Battalion (Lyran Commonwealth)|23rd BattleMech Battalion]] had attempted three times to take the Kurita stronghold that guarded the Kelli Mountain Pass, and the fourth attempt would be the last. The delays in taking the stronghold had put the twenty three days and kilometers behind the rest of the advancing Commonwealth forces. 

The DCMS defensive position was labeled "The Cassino" after a similar structure on [[Terra]]. The Cassino had held up against Lyran long-range artillery barrages, aerial attacks and repeated armored vehicle charges. The Lyran commanders allowed for only one more attempt at taking the fort, before a longer, alternate route would need to be found. On this final attack the heavy 'Mechs of the 23rd were ordered forward to divert the fort's fixed gun emplacements. Lighter 'Mechs used [[Jump Jet]]s to vault up the side of the mountain face. Two 'Mechs out of the first twelve lost their footing, tumbling uncontrollably back down the mountain; one of those 'Mechs exploded on its way down, while the second made it to the bottom, but when the rattled MechWarrior emerged from his machine, he was promptly shot in the face by a DC sniper. Realizing that no fortress guns had been prepared for enemies on the mountain cliff to the sides or above the fort, the advancing Lyran Commonwealth jumpers closed in, being careful of loose rocks that could send them to the Pass floor. The Lyran MechWarriors so focused on the main steel doors to the Fort that they didn't anticipate landmines being placed where gun emplacements hadn't been. The first notice the Lyrans had was when a Steiner 'Mech had its leg ripped away. Thrown off-balance, the 'Mech had nowhere to go but tumbling straight down. Like a domino effect, other explosions occurred one after another. The few Commonwealth 'Mechs that made it to the main steel doors were met with overwhelming heavy autocannon fire from guns that had been repositioned and were waiting directly behind those same steel doors. 

Prior to the 23rd's last mission, the Lyran commanders briefed the unit commander of the last resort they would take in the event of the assault by the 23rd failing; when the 23rd was beaten back, the weary Lyran Generals reverted to the barbaric use of neutron type nuclear weapons to clear stubborn Combine forces out of their defensive positions. 

After nine months Caldrea was finally the property of the Lyran Commonwealth, although no-one knew what use the Commonwealth would be able to make of the half-devastated planet.<ref>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' - Agony of Defeat - Exploits of the Lyran 23rd BattleMech Battalion</ref>

===Free Worlds League Front===
Between the years of [[2465]] to [[2468]] the Long March Offensive continued into the [[Free Worlds League]]'s territories. Lyran forces were able to take the worlds of [[Cavanaugh II]] and [[Bella I]] easily from League forces.  

On [[Alula Australis]] the defending Marik troops had dug in, anticipating a Steiner attack. Even repeated steady attacks by Lyran 'Mechs couldn't dislodge the [[FWLM]] forces from their well-prepared defensive lines. The first use of Marik-built BattleMechs by the defenders greatly reduced the stresses previously involved in using Armored Vehicles against the Lyran 'Mechs. 

All momentum in the Steiner attacks came to a screeching halt when the Lyran forces learned of the assassination of Alistair Steiner.

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Handbook: House Steiner]]''
* ''[[House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)]]''


[[Category: Age of War Era Military Operations]]
[[Category: Wars]]