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PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.16 03:19:00 -
[1]
Battle report July 14th 1600-0500
DISCLAIMER: I am not, nor have I ever been much of an RPer. While writting this Battle Report up I sort of jump in and out of Character. Take from it what you will. Dont chide me for either being a either- meh I was told to post this here instead of COAD 
Wow, let me just start off this report with an e-Hi 5 to all who attended this op. Honestly, that was some of the best flying ive seen from the Militia, indeed some of the most cohesive flying from a group in a long time. Its amazing some of us had not even flown together before, and those that had, have only been doing so for a couple of weeks. That was pure class fellas, well done.
It all started off with a lazy gatecamp of approximately 5-6 ships maintaining a camp on the Nourv gate in Tama. I decided to join this camp by dusting off my old trusty Cerb and settled into a comfortable snipe position off the gate. Reports of Caldari militia were few and far between and for large portions of time the only traffic through the gate was ceptors and the occasional frigate. Intel from internal spies within the State Protectorate Milita confirmed that the presence of our camp was being relayed in their militia channel and that pilots were advised to avoid jumping into the system. Despite this the occasional idiot/ ignorant pilot jumped into us and was quickly dispatched. After an hour or so, hostile militia forces had increased to approximately 75, but how many of those were actively forming a fleet against our merger forces was unknown.
Suddenly a Drake class Battlecruiser jumped into Tama and was promply engaged. The predictable and telltale spike in local signalled that it was time for a tactical withdrawal. Somewhere in the region of 20-30 hostiles had jumped in in a heavy fleet. Having constant eyes on the hostiles from our Recon ships, It was decided that we would attempt skirmish with the fleet, which was now reapproaching the Nourv gate and the safety of Caldari high security. I warped back into medium range position and got to work releasing welcome volleys of Heavy Missiles manufactured by the Caldari Navy themselves.
I could think of no better way to decommission these terrible weapons of mass destruction than on the hulls of their Militia's ships.
As their tacklers began to quickly descend on me the presence of an Amarr Apocalypse Class Battleship arrived at long ranges from the gate. I was more than slightly relieved when I realised that it was in fact piloted by a Minmatar pilot who began to work his way through the support still lingering at the gate. The decision was made to engage the fleet, despite being outnumbered by 2:1 and heavily outclassed in terms of material. Within 5 minutes, the hostile fleet was smashed and forced to relinquish the field, leaving behind several battleship wrecks. A quick stocktake of our fleet revealed zero losses on our side, to our amazement. Experience, positioning and co-ordination had prevailed over frightful odds. At this point several other Tribal Militia and Gallente militiamen joined the camp including another Apoc at sniper range and a Gallente Phobos pilot. Our combined friendly presence numbered around 12 at this point, though the Minmatar continued to act as a seperate entity under their own command.
Not more than 15-20min later a second, even larger hostile fleet was reported massing on the Tama gate in nourv. A similar game plan was agreed upon, and a simular result achieved. Well over 20-30 hostiles jumped into Tama at this point yet again we were able to skirmish and eventually hold the gate from their cumbersome fleet. It must be said that the fire support from the two Apoc class BS from the Tribal Militia was sustained, accurate and effective. Again the Caldari were forced to conceed the field after their lighter support were reduced to a point where they were inadequate to protect their main battle formation from our more mobile strike force.
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PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.16 03:19:00 -
[2]
A growing number of looters had appeared on the field, like rats scavenging through the remains of a fallen army and our overviews become cluttered with neutral entities. It was not until our overviews began lighting up that we realised we had infact been engaged now by a third, and even larger fleet of neutrals. Honestly, I do not really know who was shooting who in this engagment, killboards appear to show Sylph Alliance members, Caldari State militia, Tribal Militia, Fed Defense Union and other auxiliaries or opportunistic pirates. Suffice to say the combined response of the Gallente, Minmatar and Concord deployments of sentry gun fire was enough to completely decimate the attacking force. It is unknown whether Sylph Alliance was in cahoots with the Squidies or whether it was simply a case of right time, wrong place. Sylph appears to have suffered heavily in this encounter, loosing at least 1 Command Ship sporting a faction fitting and a host of Tech 2 support vessels. The Fed Militia again got off with only very light casualties.
The continued violence had begun taking its toll on our fleet, with members dropping off from exhaustion and in bad need of resupply and reinforcement. Some ships were running dangerously low of munitions and efforts for backup from Essence were called.
The militia, dealing with several other engagements and operations across Black Rise was still able to deploy a further 20 pilots to the area immediately with more trickling in. Thusly reinforced, we awaited eagerly the reports of yet another huge fleet amassing in Nourv.
At approx 0215 the local channel of Tama climbed from 30-34 to well over 130. The Caldari had arrived in force, a cumbersome armada flying in a rough, rag-tag formation that the Gallente militiamen have colloquially and disapprovingly dubbed "the Squidy Blob". Further Recon analysis of the fleet confirmed a large presence of Raven Class Battleships, Drake Battlecruisers and an smaller assortment of Caracal and Omen class cruiser support. Preying on the disorganised rabble, the Militia was able to pick of stragglers in quick hit and run efforts as the hostile fleet unsuccessfully attempted to engage our fleeting force. Multiple Battleships were found stranded at planets or undocking from Tama station, seemingly abandoned by their comrades and quickly dispatched by our disciplined force. The fighting was by no means one long engagement. At one point the hostile fleet appeared to jump into Surjurento (sp?) and recollect there, blocking our most obvious route back to friendly space.
In a move that appeared more insanely brave rather than reasonable, the 15 or so FDU still operational in tama redeployed back onto the Nourv gate, thereby cutting off any stragglers coming to reinforce the 100+ Caldari in Surj. To our surprise, multiple Battleships and Battlecruisers continued to jump into Tama and their impending destruction from Nourv. All the while more than 100 of their comrades looked on with disconcerting nonchalance as we butchered their brethren. After more than 20min of sporadic engagments in Tama, the Caldari Fleet again retook the Nourv gate in Tama and our forces withdrew to a tactically defensive postion in deep space and took stock of our situation.
Losses had been minimal but every loss weakened our fleet that much more. The Caldari appeared shaken, clinging within jump range of the Nourv gate. It was decided that we would again deploy at range and attempt to dislodge them from their position on the gate. The ensuring battle lasted for at least 10 min, our fleet engaging, mauling and disengaging, only to reappear at another co-ordinate moments later to again unleash the fury of the Federation, the fires of Luminaire burning as brightly in their minds as the Caldari vessels were on their overviews. Despite the frantic nature of the battle, comms discipline was superb, easily a match for the established reputations of the Zero-Zero space elites.
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PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.16 03:21:00 -
[3]
Edited by: PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik on 16/07/2008 03:23:10
Several deployments of interceptors hunted the rest of the system, pinning down pockets of the Caldari fleet that had somehow become detached from the main battlefleet and finished off by our smaller more mobile force. As primaried battleships began to breakapart, no doubt with distress signals blaring our fleet would disperse just as the main battlefleet would arrive on the scene, only to be told that stragglers at their last location were now being engaged and destroyed. Confusion within the Caldari Fleet was evident and it served only to invigorate our onslaught.
This continued with unabated fury for upwards of an hour, before losses, ships in dire need of repair and growing confusion forced our fleet to regroup again at a "safe spot". Despite not holding the field it had become obvious that we had inflicted enormous damage on the Caldari fleet, far greater than had been returned. Ships and crew were stood down for a brief respite and remote nanobot repairs, rearming and more than a few drinks and smokes were broken out of the ship galleys. It was at this point were my personal story came to a short hiatus. An internal malfunction demanded the ship's system be shut down for an hour or so while repairs were made (ie- had to log off :P).
According to eye witness reports the hostile fleet than jumped several systems towards Gallente space, camped the Old Man Star system and returned, shadowed by the remnants of the Federation Fleet. This portion of the engagement is unclear to me so Ill leave it for others to comment.
Fate clearly has an ironic sense of humour however. Despite my Cerb surviving more than 7 hours of nearly constant engagments, endless volleys of missiles and munitions with the shields never failing, within 2 minutes of the ship coming back online I was probed out of my safe spot and promptly ganked by a roaming pirate band.
Oh the Humanity!
The total engagement of some of the pilots lasted from 1600 (one of the first kills is marked just after 1600) right through to 0500, with the main engagments starting around 2200, building to a climax at 0230 and finally petering out around 0430. While it is true there was not fighting consistantly through this period, hostile contacts were never longer than 10min or so apart at the most and far more commonly 1-2min apart.
Losses on all sides are hard to judge and as to be expected, killboards never tell the whole tale. For much of the fight the Federation gang never peaked over 15-20 pilots active, in ships and deployed, though at its peak did reach around 37 in fleet (how many were actually in ships, ready to engage is hard to tell but id estimate around 25-30 max). Likewise Hostile numbers varied greatly thoughout the battle, but the final fleet tallied well over 80 vessels at one point, alot of which were Battleship class. Suffice to say, one jump away from the epicenter of the State Protectorate's Hub, the Federation fleet were consistently outmanned and outgunned thoughout the battle.
It should also be noted that this was not a case of 15-20 "nanoed" ships harrassing a battlefleet. To my knowledge the healthy proportion of our fleet were in t1 ships and the few nano-able ships that were there were not, apart from of course, the minmatar Vagabond Class heavy assaults and our smaller interceptor squads.
Rough estimates of losses can be put at
Caldari: 80+ losses, including a disproportional amount of Battleships
Gallente: 18-22 losses, mainly t1 cruiser class vessels and a few Recon/Hac/ BS class vessels
Other: Minmatar kb shows minimal losses as to be unnoteworthy and Sylph losses around 10-20 ships at an estimate (to be confirmed)
Gallente killboard link
Link
Part 2
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PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.16 03:22:00 -
[4]
(Third time: Killboard stats appear to be somewhat inaccurate- its only just come online to clearly show the difference between milita and non-militia losses and Im not going through all the related crap to figure it out
Again I state however, these numbers are only rough estimates and a error margin of 10% +/- would certainly not be considered overly broad.)
We do know several certainties...
# The Tama/Nourv jump off point into Black Rise was successfully disrupted for over 12 hrs to any large vessels.
# Caldari losses far exceeded Gallente ones, and on most occasions the FDU held the field of battle after the engagement, thereby allowing the looting of wrecks to commence.
# Caldari losses in raw material terms appears greater also, loosing more BS, more BC and more support vessels than the FDU
# Morale in the FDU has never been higher, but reports from spies within the Caldari Militia show more than a few questions being raised about the competency of their higher command, particularly when confronted with non-conventional tactics
# I love the smell of roasting Squid in the morning.
Cheers for reading!
Paddypaddy.
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BloodBird
Gallente
Federal Defence Union
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Posted - 2008.07.16 07:32:00 -
[5]
Beutiful read, Mr. Nihildarnik. As I have stated before, as long as the Federation execute higher dicipline, skilled piloting of our vessels, organisation and tactics, we will compensate for our lower numbers and halt the Caldari just fine.
We will win this war.
(OOC - don't worry about it - you did great, the report is beutiful and I see no ooc-like things like refferences to things that would not be in existance in-character(NPC navy, 'carebear/PVP' etc). Nice report )
Sig source |
Kade Jeekin
Kinda'Shujaa
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Posted - 2008.07.16 08:31:00 -
[6]
A great report. Good to hear that Sylph also suffered heavily.
---------------------------------------
Outface the depths of evil with clarity
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Reza Pluss
Minmatar
Tribal Liberation Force
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Posted - 2008.07.16 14:18:00 -
[7]
Wonderful report. I hope that we will see more such frontline journalism in the future from our courageous allies in the Gallente militia.
I hope that the Amarr regroups such that you can travel down to the Bleak Lands and repeat your successes and help free the slaves that still suffer every day.
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Dex Nederland
Caldari
Lai Dai Infinity Systems
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Posted - 2008.07.16 15:10:00 -
[8]
 Originally by: PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
We do know several certainties...
# The Tama/Nourv jump off point into Black Rise was successfully disrupted for over 12 hrs to any large vessels.
# Caldari losses far exceeded Gallente ones, and on most occasions the FDU held the field of battle after the engagement, thereby allowing the looting of wrecks to commence.
# Caldari losses in raw material terms appears greater also, loosing more BS, more BC and more support vessels than the FDU
# Morale in the FDU has never been higher, but reports from spies within the Caldari Militia show more than a few questions being raised about the competency of their higher command, particularly when confronted with non-conventional tactics
# I love the smell of roasting Squid in the morning.
Congrats you disrupted Tama/Nourv jump off point, what else is new?
Thank you for creating customers.
Perhaps you missed it, but the Caldari State Protectorate militia doesn't have a high command - here.
I also enjoy squid, your point?
 Founder Heiian Society |
Absolom Hues
Gallente
Strix Armaments and Defence
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Posted - 2008.07.16 19:07:00 -
[9]
Edited by: Absolom Hues on 16/07/2008 19:08:13
Originally by: Dex Nederland
...Perhaps you missed it, but the Caldari State Protectorate militia doesn't have a high command - here.
Quote:
And here we have it... a Caldari that recognizes where their own weakness is.
To the original poster, great report!
___
Serving the Gallente Federation... one Caldari ship at a time.
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Ganru Autaal
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Posted - 2008.07.16 19:46:00 -
[10]
Interesting read Paddy always good to hear the stories from the frontlines and i hope more pilots create there own reports.
The pilots of your fleet and the fleet commander both deserve much respect fighting against the odds which would send the average fleet running for the nearest station and also for fighting for so long.
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Stitcher
Caldari
Duty.
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Posted - 2008.07.16 22:09:00 -
[11]
Edited by: Stitcher on 16/07/2008 22:09:39
While I have to congratulate the FDU's forces on leaving the field of battle with more kills to their name (again) I can't help but point out that your people's thirst for the body count comes at the expense of ignoring actual objectives.
You're temporarily inconveniencing immortals, Captain Nihildarnik. All the death and destruction you're causing is sustainable, and it won't win you the war. No matter how many Protectorate pilots you pod, you'll never be able to kill all of us, because we'll just keep coming back.
Meanwhile, unless I'm mistaken, the Odamia system remains in State hands. If I were you, I'd worry more about reclaiming lost territory than about leaving as much biomass as possible tumbling through the void.
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Lt. Verin "Stitcher" Tarn-Hakatain. |
PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.16 22:45:00 -
[12]
Edited by: PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik on 16/07/2008 22:48:06
Originally by: Stitcher
Edited by: Stitcher on 16/07/2008 22:09:39
While I have to congratulate the FDU's forces on leaving the field of battle with more kills to their name (again) I can't help but point out that your people's thirst for the body count comes at the expense of ignoring actual objectives.
You're temporarily inconveniencing immortals, Captain Nihildarnik. All the death and destruction you're causing is sustainable, and it won't win you the war. No matter how many Protectorate pilots you pod, you'll never be able to kill all of us, because we'll just keep coming back.
Meanwhile, unless I'm mistaken, the Odamia system remains in State hands. If I were you, I'd worry more about reclaiming lost territory than about leaving as much biomass as possible tumbling through the void.
It is true, a war is not won on a single front, particularly not one as volatile as Tama/Nourv. Nor am I advocating attrition as the be all and end all of the FDU's strategic expertise. Yet the effects of such losses on the morale of the State Protectorate, along with the rightful questioning of the command structure of the Militia, are being noticeably felt throughout.
Indeed, you may believe yourself immortal, but no doubt your crew is not.
You may also believe your industrial capacity for war endless, yet the will of your ships captains to replace their losses is not.
And that is what is all comes down to in the end. You may have conquered a outlying Gallente system but with every fleet left in ruin, another seed of doubt is placed in the mind of another Militia captain. Who will defend your new prize when your militia is collapsing under the weight of bitter infighting and opportunistic vultures looking to cash in on your demise?
Lets face it, Odamia was always more influenced and run by the Serp's than by the Federation- the transfer of overloadship to just another occupier is irrelevant for the people on the planets, nor is it relevant to the station masters who orbit the barren waste systems who they pay their rent to. The moon resources of the system are still privately owned, I see little or no Caldari influence on the economical front.
The way I see it, the Caldari are facing a chronic shortage of the most important ingredient in a military force- espirit de corp. Every defeat questions your will to fight, every blunder of your Fleet Commanders saps that little bit more of your peoples capacity to continue.
I have no doubt the Caldari are strong willed people, but your rag-tag militia by no means does your people justice, no matter how much you pride yourself on your already weakening grasp of Odamia.
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Stitcher
Caldari
Duty.
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Posted - 2008.07.16 22:59:00 -
[13]
Edited by: Stitcher on 16/07/2008 23:00:48
I take no pride in the continued occupation of Odamia at all. I signed up to defend, not to annex, and thus far that is exactly what we have successfully done - we've defended the State.
Personally, however, I avoid Tama altogether. I prefer smaller-scale engagements between fleets of greater tactical cohesion and individual piloting skill. I'm quite content to let the rank-and-file squabble over a single stargate while my comrades and I roam virtually unopposed between whole constellations and choose our own terms of engagement.
Scale is meaningless here. For every Federal "victory" in Tama, there are thirty Caldari victories elsewhere. Don't ignore the hydra-wasp just because the Chuunor is bigger.
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Lt. Verin "Stitcher" Tarn-Hakatain. |
PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.17 04:51:00 -
[14]
Originally by: Stitcher
Edited by: Stitcher on 16/07/2008 23:00:48
I take no pride in the continued occupation of Odamia at all. I signed up to defend, not to annex, and thus far that is exactly what we have successfully done - we've defended the State.
Personally, however, I avoid Tama altogether. I prefer smaller-scale engagements between fleets of greater tactical cohesion and individual piloting skill. I'm quite content to let the rank-and-file squabble over a single stargate while my comrades and I roam virtually unopposed between whole constellations and choose our own terms of engagement.
Scale is meaningless here. For every Federal "victory" in Tama, there are thirty Caldari victories elsewhere. Don't ignore the hydra-wasp just because the Chuunor is bigger.
Just to clarify, you are talking about not taking the fight to the enemy but instead "defending" systems we are not "attacking"? Dont think that our focus is purely on the Okakuola area, we have plans far beyond that.
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Kade Jeekin
Kinda'Shujaa
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Posted - 2008.07.17 09:19:00 -
[15]
Originally by: PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
... Dont think that our focus is purely on the Okakuola area, we have plans far beyond that.
PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik, do not let pride lead you into revealing your hand prematurely. Intelligence is a weapon too.
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Outface the depths of evil with clarity
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Stitcher
Caldari
Duty.
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Posted - 2008.07.17 12:25:00 -
[16]
Originally by: PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Just to clarify, you are talking about not taking the fight to the enemy but instead "defending" systems we are not "attacking"? Dont think that our focus is purely on the Okakuola area, we have plans far beyond that.
Aurorae Pacificas aren't fighting in the volumes that Duty. patrols, it's true, but several of your comrades are.
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Lt. Verin "Stitcher" Tarn-Hakatain. |
Ballamahamabad Madas
Minmatar Munitions and Tactical Assets Repository
Zzz
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Posted - 2008.07.18 06:26:00 -
[17]
It is my expert opinion, that the people within the Tama solar system need to purchase more Republic Fleet faction ammunition.
Black Market Enterprise's Manufacturer, Researcher, and Hauler. |
Esna Pitoojee
Amarr
Heavily Utilized Mechanic Mayhem
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Posted - 2008.07.20 03:14:00 -
[18]
Edited by: Esna Pitoojee on 20/07/2008 03:14:33
I have been in very few battles that were as lopsided as the one you describe here. Judging by the descriptions of a friend of mine (he briefly flew with the Protectorate before realising the State under Heth was a lost cause), the sheer lopsidedness of this battle is likely due to two factors:
- A lack of a solid, significant command structure in the Protectorate fleet(s). He described situations where multiple fleet commanders were all giving orders at once under one fleet, leading to confusion as to whose order was to be followed. This accounts for the general lack of cohesiveness of the Protectorate fleet; pilots were waiting to figure out whose orders to follow, and so gave you precious seconds to locate and engage thier ships.
- A lack of coordination between various enemy fleets operating in the area. While you state that Tribal Militia members operated as a seperate force, they moved to support a friendly fleet, and if thier fire is as accurate as you say, there was likely some communication between your fleets as to enemy targets. [On a side note, does anyone else find it highly amusing that Tribal Militia members are making great use of Amarrian battleships?] By contrast, the State Protectorate fleets never seemed to operate in concert; rather, each one moved to engage you seperately. Furthermore, non-Protectorate allied fleets in the area didn't seem to be using intelligence from Protectorate channels - despite the fact that you say your fleet's location had been reported. This, in my opinion, also accounts for Sylph's losses - having flown with Sylph pilots in a true attacking fleet, the actions you describe don't correlate with a fleet preparing to engage, but rather a fleet that wasn't paying attention to local intelligence. Either that, or Caldari Intelligence and Spying is worse than I knew.
I also considered the possibility of a number of rooky pilots in the Protectorate fleet making poor decisions leading to your victory. However, you say that the Protectorate fleets (at least later on) were heavy in Battleships and Battlecruisers - ships that aren't readily availablt to rookies. If rooky error does account for your victories, it is only for the first ones.
Finally, I must say that your battle report was highly interesting and even entertaining to read.
----------------------------------------------
Say "Amarr ships suk, lol." I dare you.
My statments do not represent the opinions, views, or actions of my corp. |
PaddyPaddy Nihildarnik
Gallente
aurorae pacificas
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Posted - 2008.07.20 05:49:00 -
[19]
Originally by: Esna Pitoojee
Edited by: Esna Pitoojee on 20/07/2008 03:14:33Furthermore, non-Protectorate allied fleets in the area didn't seem to be using intelligence from Protectorate channels - despite the fact that you say your fleet's location had been reported. This, in my opinion, also accounts for Sylph's losses - having flown with Sylph pilots in a true attacking fleet, the actions you describe don't correlate with a fleet preparing to engage, but rather a fleet that wasn't paying attention to local intelligence.
The Sylph fleet were a neutral force and chose to engage FDU and TLF formations after assessing both our numbers and our positions, clearly in breach of the recent Concord accord for militias. Rightfully the Sentry Batteries replied fire. The aggression of these ships appeared adhoc, with the heavier ships engaging apparently randomly. This leads me to believe that either the fleet commander had a poor understanding of the situation, a breakdown in inter-fleet communications or that the pilots directly disobeyed ROE priorities and engaged opportunistically.
Whatever the reason for the unprovoked hostilities, Im sure that the fleet was indeed battle ready, even if our blockade was not their original target.
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