Editing Operation FREEDOM

'''Operation FREEDOM''' was originally a major offensive during the [[Third Succession War]] by the [[Lyran Commonwealth]] against the [[Draconis Combine]], with the stated goal of reclaiming the many worlds lost to House Kurita, particularly in the [[Federation of Skye]] region. It would officially last for over a century. 

{{InfoBoxConflict
| conflict = Operation FREEDOM
| partof = [[Succession Wars]]
| image = 
| caption = 
| date = [[2866]]
| enddate = [[3025]] (unofficial)
| place = 
| planet = 
| faction1 = [[Lyran Commonwealth]]
| faction2 = [[Draconis Combine]]
| commander1 = 
| commander2 = [[Coordinator]] [[Jinjiro Kurita]]
| forces1= 
| forces2= 
| forces3 = 
| result = The Draconis Combine's assaults netted them a total of 21 worlds taken from the Federation of Skye
| environment = Standard
| conditions = Normal
}}

==History==
===Prologue===
In the early years of the [[thirtieth century]], the [[Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces]] found themselves in a sorry state, short of both men and equipment. The Third Succession War had seen the Commonwealth lose many worlds to the [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery|armies]] of the Draconis Combine with the Lyrans just barely repelling an assault on the critical planet of [[Skye]], the capital of the Federation of Skye. The Combine had claimed a number of worlds with strong industrial bases from the Skye region, further weakening the war effort. The Dragon now turned its eyes rimward onto the vulnerable [[Tamar Pact]] and its own capital of [[Tamar]]. <ref name=HSLC70>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' p. 70</ref> <ref name=HHS4546>''Handbook: House Steiner'' pp. 45-46</ref>

Desperate to turn the tide, [[Archon]] [[Eric Steiner]] implemented new compulsory service laws. Though unpopular, it provided his forces with badly-needed recruits, bringing many line regiments back to full strength. After the worlds of [[Kobe]] and [[Sevren]] fell in [[2912]], Eric quickly implemented a plan to distract the Combine from Tamar by liberating important industrial worlds taken by the Combine from the Federation. Declaring his intent to "retake the Commonwealth", the plan was named Operation Freedom in part after the world of [[Freedom]], which would be one of the first worlds targeted.<ref name=HSLC71>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' p. 71</ref><ref name=HHS4849>''Handbook: House Steiner'' pp. 48-49</ref><ref name=hktdc81>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 81</ref>

===Opening Strikes===
Archon Eric planned two separate thrusts for the first wave of his counteroffensive. In addition to Freedom, [[Dalkeith]], [[Skondia]] and [[Ryde]] were chosen, both for their locations and their industrial strength. The operation began in February [[2913]] and initially went well, as Kuritan commanders were shocked the supposedly inferior Lyran soldiers could launch such an offensive. Personally commanding the [[3rd Royal Guards]], Eric led the attack on Freedom, outmaneuvering the [[6th Sword of Light]] and trapping two battalions of enemy forces in a valley facing [[Artillery|artillery]] and [[Aerospace Fighter|air support]] fire.<ref name=hktdc81/> After wearing the stunned Kuritans down, Eric personally led his [[BattleMech]] forces into the valley, completely destroying the Sixth Sword. Tragically, Archon Eric was killed when his ''[[Zeus]]'' stepped on a hidden [[Vibrabomb|vibrabomb]]. As it fell, the 'mechs head and chest fell on another vibrabomb, killing the Archon in a fiery explosion. <ref name=HSLC71/>

===The Grind===
The offensive soon bogged down as Lyran forces reacted to this blow. <ref name=HSLC71/> However, Operation FREEDOM was not canceled, even as years passed and it was reduced primarily to the raiding that was typical of the Third War. In [[2952]], however, Lyran troops successfully retook [[Phalan]] from the Combine, a major campaign that showed to all that the Lyran military had significantly improved over the years. <ref name=HSLC74>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' p. 74</ref><ref>''House Kurita (The Draconis Combine)'', p. 86</ref> In [[2953]], the Lyrans were forced on the defensive somewhat, as the Kuritan invasion of [[Alexandria (LC)|Alexandria]] (a Federation planet only one jump from Freedom) turned into a major two-year campaign as both sides called for reinforcements. The defenders were eventually successfully in repelling the DCMS troops. <ref name=HSLC74/>       

The Combine's determined warriors kept the progress of the offensive slow, <ref name=HHS49>''Handbook: House Steiner'' p. 49</ref> and by [[2997]], Operation FREEDOM had been technically active for a shocking 84 years and had seen the reigns of six Archons. Worlds such as [[Baxter]], [[La Blon]], [[Lyons]] and Skondia had all been successfully retaken, but the progress was slow at best, and the LCAF troops were exhausted by the pace insisted on by Archon [[Alessandro Steiner]]. <ref name=HSLC78>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' p. 78</ref> Archon Alessandro was, however, able to reclaim four more worlds by [[2997]]. <ref name=HHS51>''Handbook: House Steiner'' p. 51</ref> Alessandro attempted to push his troops further with his [[Operation Concentrated Weakness|Concentrated Weakness]] policy, only to suffer disastrous setbacks that lost him his throne. By the middle of the reign of [[Katrina Steiner]], Operation Freedom had been dormant for some years, though an attempt was made to briefly reactivate it in an effort spearheaded by the [[mercenary]] [[Wolf's Dragoons]], with successes coming on such places places as [[Dromini VI]], where a heavy raid inflicted serious losses on House Kurita. <ref name=HSLC82>''House Steiner (The Lyran Commonwealth)'' p. 82</ref>

==Legacy==
Operation FREEDOM fell well-short of its ambitious goal of retaking all the Federation planets lost to House Kurita during the Third Succession War. Indeed, between the start of the conflict in [[2866]] and its unofficial end in [[3025]], the Draconis Combine's assaults netted them a total of 21 worlds taken from the Federation of Skye. <ref name=HHS47>''Handbook: House Steiner'' p. 47</ref> However, most of those losses came in the early years of that conflict, and the overall performance of the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces was far improved by its end. It would help prepare the Commonwealth to launch [[Operation GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG]] during the [[Fourth Succession War]]. 

The success of Operation FREEDOM also bolstered relations between the Commonwealth and the [[Federated Suns]]. First Prince [[Joseph Davion II|Joseph Davion]] closely watched the Commonwealth's progress in the early years of the campaign, going from viewing the Lyrans with derision to respecting the determination of the LCAF. Joseph launched his own offensive against the Combine in 2918, a year earlier than first planned, partially because he believed it would aid the Commonwealth's campaign.<ref>''House Davion (The Federated Suns)'', PDF version, p. 85</ref>

==References==
<references/>

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

[[Category:Third Succession War Era Military Operations|FREEDOM]]