2nd Battle of Wezen 2156
Turn 20
Background:
Following the passage of the stellar flare through the Wezen System that truncated the 1st Battle of Wezen, the fleets of the Eurasian Solar Union and the Imperial Japanese Space Fleet have regrouped.
ESU Vitse-admiral Zhou Li, as the defender, has the option of continuing the struggle, or of withdrawing. Admiral Ito Nakamura has similar options.
Wezen System contains seven planets. Wezen III is a Minimal Terran world and has been force settled by the Eurasian Solar Union, using the transported population of Dubhe V. Wezen VI is a Barren, mineral rich world that the ESU hopes to settle in the future. Wezen II is a Small Gas Giant and Wezen IV, V and VII are large gas giants. All other planets in the system are small, uninhabitable, rocky worlds.
Eurasian Solar Union Situation:
Admiral Zhou is in a tricky situation. He is outnumbered by the IJSF attackers, yet he must attempt to save the colony world of Wezen III.
He can still call upon the Planetary Defence Unit and its flight of fighters, and his Light Carrier still has two full, and two partial, flights available. Of his ships, only the Lublin is carrying any damage, having lost all its armour and one hull box.
The Planetary Defence Unit is equivalent to a Battledreadnought class ship, except that it lacks FTL drives and cannot manoeuvre. It carries a standard fighter flight. As the PDU is in orbit around the planet it protects, it will follow the orbiting rules for ‘Planets and Other Large Bodies’ from Pg 13 of More Thrust.
3rd Fleet consists of:
| Tsiolkovsky class Light Carrier Glushko, carrying four flights of Katya Standard multi-role fighters - Evil Horde, Iron Fists, Victorious Workers and Lucky 8's. Evil Horde Flight has only three craft, while Iron Fists Flight has been brought up to four craft. |
| Petrograd class Battleship Petrograd |
| Udaloy class Missile Battlecruiser Udaloy |
| Manchuria class Battlecruiser Mongolia (Kontr-admiral Pelshe's flag) |
| Warsaw class Destroyer Lublin. Lublin has lost three armour and one hull box |
| Novgorod class Frigate Novgorod |
The Glushko is acting as flagship.
Zhou is a Good officer and gains a '+1' on Initiative rolls. Also, one ship under his command, which may be changed from turn to turn, acts as if it has a Good Captain due to Zhou's inspiring advice. The Captains of the Petrograd and Mongolia are Good officers. Kontr-admiral Pelshe and the Captains of the Glushko, Udaloy, Lublin, Lvov, Vilna and Terezin are Average officers. The Captain of the Novgorod is a Poor officer.
IJSF Situation: Admiral Ito Nakamura scents victory. 1st Fleet, while taking some casualties during the 1st Battle of Wezen, still heavily outnumbers the Eurasian Solar Union defenders. More importantly, Nakamura feels he holds the advantage in both Fighter Flights and HDC-armed strike boats.
1st Fleet consists of:
| Hiryu class Light Carrier Hiryu - carrying five flights of Standard fighters and a flight of Interceptors. Two of the Standard Fighter Flights have been reduced to four craft each. | |
| Yamato class Battleship Yamato, with a flight of Standard Fighters | |
| Ronin class Patrol Cruiser Ronin with three Hull of Damage. | |
| Mogami class Heavy Missile Cruisers Mikuma | |
| Mogami class Heavy Missile Cruisers Myoko | |
| Mogami class Pulse Torpedo Cruiser Takao with fifteen Hull of Damage. | |
| Shoya class Picket Shoya | |
| Soyokaze class Destroyer Asagiri | Soyokaze class Destroyer Fujinamia |
| Soyokaze class Destroyer Harukaze with three Hull of Damage. | Soyokaze class Destroyer Hanatsuki |
| Soyokaze class Destroyer Hatsuzakura | Soyokaze class Destroyer Hayanami |
| Soyokaze class Destroyer Isokaze | Soyokaze class Destroyer Isonami |
| Naginata/H class Strike Boat Naginata | Naginata/H class Strike Boat Harutsuki |
| Naginata/H class Strike Boat Kuwa | Naginata/H class Strike Boat Manrikiju |
| Naginata/H class Strike Boat Momo | |
| Naginata/A class Strike Boat Sakura | Naginata/A class Strike Boat Sandanju |
| Naginata/A class Strike Boat Shirayuki | Naginata/A class Strike Boat Murasame |
| Three Ninja Class scouts | |
| Two Fleet Auxiliaries | |
The Hiryu is acting as flagship.
Reinforcements in the shape of the Mogami class Pulse Torpedo Cruiser Kurutaku and the Arashi class Light Cruiser Arashi are in-bound from Polaris and will arrive on-table on any turn the Japanese player rolls a 5 or 6 during the initiative phase.
Admiral Nakamura is an Average officer as are the Captains of the Hiryu, Yamato, Ronin, Takao, Harutsuki, Kuwa, Murasame, Sandanju, Sakura, Shirayuki, Fujinami, Harakaze, Hayanami and Isokaze. The Captains of the Myoko, Naginata, Asagiri, Hanatsuki and Isonami are Good officers and the Captains of the Mikuma, Shoya, Manrikiju, Momo, and Hatsuzakura, and Rear-admiral Idiyami are Poor officers. The captain of the Light Cruiser Arashi is a Good Officer and the captain of the Kurutaku is an Average Officer.
Points/Mass:
| Imperial Japanese Star Fleet: | 3686 Points | 1087 Mass |
| Eurasian Solar Union: | 1760 Points | 540 Mass |
| (2236 incl. PDU) | (687 incl. PDU) | |
| (1778 incl. PDU Ftrs only) | (549 incl. PDU Ftrs only) |
Ships used:
All Eurasian Solar Union ships in this engagement were Fleet Book 1 standard except for:
UDALOY Class BC/M: Mass 94, Strong Hull (10/10/9/9), Thrust-4, FTL, 1xLevel-1 Screen, 2xFireCon, 3xPDS, 1xClass-1, 4xClass-2 (AP/FP/F, FP/F/FS, AS/FS/F, F), 1xSML, 6-Mass Magazine; 312 pts.
Ship designed by Mark ‘Indy’ Kochte.
All Imperial Japanese Space Fleet ships were Beta Fleet standard, except as noted below.
The Fleet Auxiliaries were Fleet Book 1 standard.
MOGAMI Class CH/M: Mass 90, Weak Hull (6/5/5/5) Thrust-5, FTL, 2xFireCon, 2xPDS, 7xClass-1 Beams, 2xSML, 21-Mass Magazine; 309 pts
MOGAMI Class CH/P: Mass 90, Weak Hull (6/5/5/5), Thrust 5, FTL, 1 x Level-1 Screen, 2x FireCon, 1x PDS, 7x Class-1 Beams, 1x Class-2 Beam (AP/A/AS), 5x Pulse Torpedoes (F); 309 pts.
NAGINATA/A Class Strikeboat: Mass 10, Fragile Hull (1), Thrust-6, FTL, 3x PDS, 1x ADFC; 37 pts
NAGINATA/H Class Strikeboat: Mass 10, Fragile Hull (1), Thrust-6, FTL, 1x PDS, 1 x Class-1 HDC; 35 pts
Ships designed by Paul MacQuibban.
Historical Result:
Admiral Zhou again decided to engage near the colony world of Wezen III, so as to take advantage of the Planetary Defence Unit support fire. Again, he deployed his fleet in two divisions. The light division of the destroyer Lublin and the frigate Novgorod were to pass around the planet and attempt to out-flank the Japanese line, while the Heavy Division, deploying in line abreast from the Mongolia on the port wing through the Petrograd and Glushko to the Udaloy on the starboard wing, was to pass in front of the planet and seek to engage the starboard end of the Japanese line.
Nakamura anchored the port and starboard ends of his main line with two squadrons of four destroyers each, deployed in line abreast. Between these two squadrons stretched a line of five Naginata/H class Strike Boats armed with HDCs. Behind the link between the port destroyer squadron and the HDC line, he deployed a Mogami class Missile Cruiser ahead of the Yamato, and flanked the battleship with two Naginata/As and a scout. Behind the starboard link, the second Mogami Missile Destroyer was deployed ahead of the Hiryu. Two Naginata/As and a scout completed the formation. Well back from the line, the two fleet auxiliaries, supported by the third scout and the damaged Takao, brought up the rear.
The two battle lines approached each other, the ESU suddenly turning to break at full thrust, and then angle themselves around to pass the starboard end of the Japanese line. The PDU fighters were launched, followed by those on the ESU carrier Glushko, against the Japanese starboard destroyer wing. Japanese fighters scrambled to meet them, creating a huge furball along the Japanese line.
Firing commenced between the battle lines and soon the Japanese had lost Ronin and the Strike Boats Harutsuki, Kuwa, Manrikiju, Momo, Murasame, Sakura and Sandanju. The destroyers Harukaze and Hatsuzakura were also lost.
Just as it looked as if Zhou would be able to bring his battered fleet through the maelstrom, the Petrograd was lost with all hands and the carrier Glushko was destroyed. Command of the ESU 3rd Fleet then devolved to Kontr-admiral Alu Pelshe on the Mongolia.
Admiral Nakamura immediately offered terms, and Pelshe, to save his battered command, agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Wezen. These were the immediate withdrawal of all Eurasian Solar Union naval units in the system and the surrender of the Planetary Defence Unit and colony of Wezen III to the Imperial Japanese Space Fleet.
Aftermath:
Admiral Zhou and some of his crew were rescued by the Imperial Japanese Space Fleet from their escape pods in near orbit around Wezen. Zhou is now a prisoner of His Imperial Majesty.
Pelshe was censured for surrendering Wezen, but the Committee for the Public Safety agreed to honour the Treaty of Wezen, as this freed up units to prosecute the war against the Neu Swabian League more vigorously.
The IJSF quickly completed repairs to their ships in the Wezen System and began making use of the slips the ESU had built to strengthen their position in this sector of space.