Battle of Amritsar

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This article is about the FPA–Imperial War battle. For the eponymously titled LOGH episode, see The Battle of Amritsar Starzone (episode).

The Battle of Amritsar Starzone (Japanese: アムリッツァ星域会戦) was a major battle of the FPA–Imperial War which took place in the Amritsar Starzone in 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE). The battle occurred within the scope of a larger campaign which included the Battle of Jafnhár, the Battle of Bilrost Starzone, the Battle of Dverger Starzone, and the Battle of Alviss Starzone. (LOGH: 'The Battle of Amritsar Starzone')

History

In 796 UC (487 IC / 3596 CE), the Imperial fleet under Reinhard von Lohengramm counterattacked the spread out Alliance fleets in Imperial territory. The Alliance fleets had had their supply line cut off and their attempts to forage for supplies had triggered revolts among the local population. Weakened from lack of supplies, the Alliance fleets were swiftly defeated by the Imperial forces.

Unwilling to retreat back to Iserlohn Fortress without a final attempt to hold on to their territorial gains, the remaining combat worthy elements of the Alliance fleets were ordered to regroup in the Amritsar star system by Fleet Admiral Lasalle Lobos against the advice of his Chief of Staff, Dwight Greenhill.

Amritsar was a red giant star and the system was uninhabited. The Alliance fleets took position in orbit around the star and were in a line formation with the 5th Fleet on the left flank, the 8th Fleet in the centre, and the 13th Fleet on the right flank. Of the 3 fleets, the 13th Fleet had escaped virtually intact, having gained the advantage over the Kempff Fleet in the Battle of Jafnhár. The 5th Fleet and 8th Fleet in contrast had both suffered 30% losses in the Battle of Bilrost and the Battle of Wansteidt respectively at the hands of Imperial pursuers. Well aware that they would be outnumbered, the Alliance fleets had deployed a large minefield of 40 million mines in their rear to secure it against Imperial attack.

The Imperial fleet was formed into a line to engage the Alliance forces and was at a higher altitude above Amritsar and the Alliance forces. As the Alliance fleets rose to engage, Yan Wen-li ordered fusion bombs to be dropped into Amritsar, triggering an upward surge of hot gas that lifted the 13th Fleet swiftly towards its target, the Mittermeyer Fleet. After taking losses and with his flagship Beowulf damaged, Mittermeyer conducted a tactical withdrawal, backing away from the 13th Fleet. Wary of exposing himself to counterattack, Yang declined to pursue.

The Black Lancers then advanced from the Imperial left flank, aiming towards the 13th Fleet's right flank. The 13th Fleet successfully backed away, evading the Black Lancers, which then changed course to target the 8th Fleet. The firepower of the Black Lancers shattered the 8th Fleet, and critically damaged its flagship, Krishna, which fell towards Amritsar. The 8th Fleet commander, Vice Admiral Appleton, went down with his ship. With the effective destruction of the 8th Fleet, the Alliance formation was in danger of disintegration, with the 13th Fleet pinned down by the Mecklinger Fleet and unable to immediately turn to assist the remnants of the 8th Fleet.

At this moment, Imperial Vice Admiral Bittenfeld made a critical error. Flush with victory over the 8th Fleet, he ordered the Black Lancers to launch fighters, set their cannons for short range combat, and turn towards the 13th Fleet. He had hoped to pin the 13th Fleet against the Mecklinger Fleet, however Yang had been waiting for this opportunity. The 13th Fleet's attack caught the Black Lancers as they were in the middle of launching fighters and turning, and inflicted heavy losses.

The final turning point of the battle came with the arrival of 30,000 additional Imperial ships led by Vice Admiral Kircheis in the Alliance's rear. Faced with the dense Alliance minefield, he deployed the large scale directional Seffle particle generators that projected a stream of Seffle particles through a section of the minefield. The Seffle particles were then triggered by cannon fire from the Barbarrossa. Additional mines were drawn to target the resulting explosions, and the result was a large clear path through the minefield. The sudden clearing of the minefield took the Alliance by surprise as directional Seffle particle generators were a new technology that the Empire had never fielded before in a battle, and which the Alliance had failed to acquire through a defector in 792 UC (483 IC / 3592 CE). (LOGH: 'The Battle of Amritsar Starzone')

Faced with the threat of envelopment and annihilation, the remaining Alliance forces began to retreat towards Iserlohn Fortress, with the Imperial fleets in pursuit. Yang Wen-li took it upon himself to act as rearguard and directed the 13th Fleet to focus fire on the thinnest section of the Imperial formation, the Black Lancers. The Kircheist Fleet was sent to reinforce the Black Lancers but before this could be done, the 13th Fleet successfully broke through the Black Lancers and escaped. (LOGH: 'New Trends')

Legacy

The Battle of Amritsar was a major Imperial victory that marked the climax of the Imperial counterattack that drove back the Alliance invasion of the Empire. The Alliance lost the 8th Fleet, further weakening it, and was saved from losing the 5th Fleet and 13th Fleet only through the efforts of Yang Wen-li.

The scale of the Alliance defeat would lead to deep resentment within the Alliance military towards the Alliance government, and sow the seeds for the military led coup and civil war that would occur the following year. (LOGH: 'New Trends', 'Before the Storm')

Trivia

The father of Emil von Selle, future aide to Reinhard von Lohengramm, was a doctor aboard an Imperial cruiser and was killed when the ship was destroyed during the Battle of Amritsar. (LOGH: 'Seeking a Free Universe')

Appendices

Name variations

• Battle of Amritsar Starzone (Derived from DVD subtitles for Amritsar)
• Battle of Amlitzer Starzone (English fan sources)