Battle of Holm'starn

The Battle of Holm'starn was the fourth major and largest engagement of the campaign to liberate Bothawui and was launched simultaneously with a space offensive against the Imperial fleet holding in orbit over the area.

Holm'starn lay across the Rylle'vak ('Quiet') Ocean from the cities of Drev'starn, Covepi'starn, Navshe'starn and Gna She'starn - a natural barrier which General Creed determined to be worth exploiting. With orbital control contested, Creed was able to force the Republic to launch an aquatic assault against a prepared position and chose to deploy his reinforcements there, rather than attempting to immediately retake the captured cities, leaving garrison forces on the western continent to bleed and delay the Republic while Imperial forces made ready.

Defenses
Creed leveraged the high cliffs of the coast to channel Republic forces into a seven kilometer stretch of beach on which his army had prepared substantial earth works under a strategy of defense-in-depth. Open only to the rear, layered lines of defenses constituted four distinct 'sectors' designed to hamper and punish any Republic advance, or Imperial retreat. Creed was mindful to maintain regimental segregation between lines to limit the impact of sacrificing whole battalions on the morale of subsequent defenders.

Sector One
Sector One covered the first two hundred meters from the water's edge, a mire of dragons teeth, mono-filament razor-wire, tank traps and mines defended by three line battalions of the Imperial Army in shallow trenches. Bogging down the Republic disembarkation forced the Republic to limit its initial commitment of troops until it had established a beach-head, or be broken by sustained artillery bombardment while waiting for space in which to make landfall.

Sector Two
Sector Two was a three hundred meter deep stretch of entirely open ground, leveled and cleared to create a buffer zone between the first and second lines of defense. Held by two line battalions and half an assault regiment, defenders enjoyed a commanding position from atop a twenty meter tall earthworks wall, well supported by regularly stationed heavy blaster cannons which were to be destroyed or withdrawn to Sector Three once rebel forces reached the wall.

Sector Three
Held by the remaining three assault battalions of the Imperial Army and their vehicles - 121 GAVs and 53 Heavy Tanks - armored units crossed the four-hundred meter deep sector to engage emerging armor, suppress infantry and provide cover for emplacements to withdraw when overrun.

Sector Four
Four hundred meters deep, the defensive line at the rear of Sector Four was held by a full regiment of the 203rd Stormtrooper Legion deployed from the Desolator and supported by a battalion of the 92nd Legion from the Annhilator alongside twenty-two AT-AT's, and thirty-four AT-ST's. Acting as both a final defensive line protecting shield generators and artillery, troopers were under orders to fire on any Imperial soldier attempting to retreat from Sector Three.

Progression
Republic forces made landfall just before dawn - using relatively darkness to limit the efficacy of long-range fire during the vulnerable disembarkation phase. Infantry spearheaded the landing, supported by a mobile force of T2-B repulsor tanks. The heaviest casualties of the battle were suffered in Sector One, focused on the first hundred meters from the water-line where area denial weapons ruined any meaningful attempt at cohesive engagement. Individual units and vehicles broke through at sporadic points and intervals, ultimately overwhelming the entrenched defenders in valiant, isolated charges. With nowhere to retreat Imperial forces fought to the last man.

Facing a daunting march through the killing fields of Sector Two, the Republic paused its assault to erect shield generators to cover the landing of T4-B heavy tanks and Multi Proton-Torpedo Launcher crawlers. While free to safely navigate tank traps and dragons teeth, proton mines set to respond only to heavy machines claimed a substantial portion of Republic armor.

Sustained close-range artillery fire on the prepared positions of Sector Two broke through the soft-fortifications, bringing down the wall in multiple breaches through which Republic armor advanced, T4-B's engaging blaster cannon emplacements with concussion missiles.

Over enthusiasatic T2-B's stormed through gaps in the Sector Two line, inflicting heavy casualties on withdrawing defenders only to be turned back by a counter-attack of Imperial tanks and GAV's, suffering losses as they attempted to retreat. With the focus of the battle now in sector three, Republic infantry moved and used P-LEX concussion missile launchers to destroy the Imperial armor. With loss of their vehicles, the defenders in Sector Three were no better positioned to withstand the advance of T4-B's than the defenders of Sector Two and fearing a repeat of that awesome bombardment attempted to retreat - Imperial Stormtroopers opened fire on those companies abandoning their positions, stopping the rout in its tracks.

Initial breaches into Sector Four were stopped dead by the 203rd and 92nd Legions - AT-AT and AT-ST's making short work of Republic armor both heavy and light. With Republic PLEX troopers infesting the ruins of Imperial defensive positions and MPTL crawlers making their way into range, the fiery destruction of the Desolator in orbit was visible from the battlefield. General Creed ordered a suppressing barrage of artillery fire on the position and sounded a general retreat.