Assault on Landown

Concurrent	Operation Hollow Storm Siege of Jacinto
Next	Battle of Ilima
Assault on Landown
Conflict	Locust-War Operation Hollow Storm
Date	15 years after E-day/6 months after Lightmass bombing at Timgad First Day of Frost
Place	Jacinto Plateau Landown
Outcome	Pyrrhic COG victory major loss of life and failure to stop the Locust assault on Jacinto
Combatants
COG
Locust Horde
Commanders
Chairman Richard Prescott Colonel Hoffman
Skorge
Strength
Several COG armored convoys with King Raven escort Rig Group 3 Rig Group 6 Thousands of Gears Several dozen Centaur Tanks A few squadrons worth of King Raven helicopters
"ten shit loads of grubs" A captured Derrick, Rig G53 Several dozen Reavers and Brumak Unknown number of Seeders
Casualties
Several hundred Gears killed, captured or wounded, including Tai Kaliso Tai's squad An unknown number of Centaur Tanks, at least a half-dozen A full squadron's worth of King Ravens Several Derricks captured or destroyed, including: Rig G53 Rig D77 Rig D11
Thousands of Drones, Kantus, and Boomers killed Unknown amount of Tickers eliminated Unknown number of Brumaks Several Reavers Several Seeders

"Prescott decided we needed to do some crazy last-ditch assault on the Hollow...finish the grubs off for good. Everyone got called in, didn't matter if you were sick or not."

—Sgt.Jonathan Harper

The Assault on Landown was a major battle during the Locust-Human War, and marked the beginning of Operation: Hollow Storm. After enduring a persistent Locust siege of their territories on the Jacinto Plateau, Coalition forces launched a counterattack aimed at recapturing the town of Landown as a launching pad for an assault on the Inner Hollows themselves.

Order of Battle

Background

After another failed Locust raid on Jacinto, this time directed at the local hospital, the failure of the Lightmass bomb to wipe out all the Locust, as well as the sinking of the cities of Tollen and Montevado, COG High Command decided that if humanity was to survive, then the impossible would have to been accomplished: an all-out attack on the Locust's home turf, the Hollow. It was decided that the abandoned mountain community of Landown would be the staging ground for this offensive, as it was the only place on the Jacinto Plateau that was suitable to dig through. The plan was for a massive column of Derricks carrying numerous squads of Gears and supported by large numbers of fighting vehicles to assault the town and establish a beachhead upon which the Gears could drill down to reach the inner Hollow, and destroy the Locust breeding grounds; and hopefully their Queen. The COG massed thousands of Gears, ranging from fresh recruits, conscripts, former prisoners to hardened veterans. For Chairman Prescott and the COG leadership, this was humanity's last stand. After fifteen years of a brutal war of attrition, soon humanity would not have the strength to hold onto Jacinto, thus the Coalition was desperate to finish the war for good, no matter if they achieved victory or not.

The Road to Landown

The Road to Landown South Landown After COG forces left the staging area, they began Operation Hollow Storm. Immediately after leaving COG-controlled territory, the columns came under heavy attack from Locust air units and mortars, taking heavy casualties including many of their King Ravens and Assault Derricks. Despite these initial losses, the COG task force pressed on, destroying all Locust opposition they encountered. Derricks, like Rig 314 broke down and were forced to stop and repair, slowing the human advance and leaving them vulnerable to mortar attacks and Locust ambushes. Many of the columns, such as Rig Group 3 suffered such assaults from the Locust forces hiding in the now burning woods and from Emergence Holes. The Derricks then rolled in onto a Locust staging area with dozens of sink holes, and Locust Drones began capturing Derricks (including Rig G53) with grappling hooks, and tried to use them to destroy the remaining COG forces, even as Brumaks attempted to prevent the Gears from crossing the bridge. Still, the COG forces survived, carved their way through the enemy ranks and moved on, until the Locust reinforcements just south of Landown brought in numerous Brumaks and Corpsers with them. After a bloody battle, COG forces finally reached Landown, having suffering significant casualties for their efforts, yet having broken through the enemy lines and left thousands of dead Drones and dozens of larger Locust creatures slain in their wake.

Street by Street, House by House

Urban warfare in the streets of Landown. Locust forces made several attempts to stop the COG advance in Landown City. With the main lines of Locust defenses now broken, the Gears began the unenviable task of clearing Tickers and Locust troops from the city. Spearheaded by Delta Squad, the humans started clearing each street and the many ruined buildings of enemy resistance, escorting their Assault Derricks, such as Rig 314, or "Betty", to the drill zone. At the same time, a COG convoy of Derricks and Centaur Tanks were moving up the main street on a more direct path to the Town Monument. Flights of Nemacysts prevented their King Ravens from providing air cover, so Delta Squad, after being pinned down at a gas station, eliminated the airborne pests, giving the COG greater control over the battlefield. Even within the city limits, Locust resistance was fearsome. Delta Squad's experience was a typical one, as the unit was forced to eliminate entire swarms of Tickers and several Locust mortar positions in order to clear a path for their rig, even facing off against Reavers and a Brumak before they could reach their destination. Though losses were again considerable, the Gears succeeded in clearing out the Locust forces from Landown and securing the drilling zone, an old cemetery next to a monument commemorating the heroic sacrifice of COG forces during the Pendulum Wars. With the entire task force now gathered and the Grindlifts warming up, the big push straight into the heart of the Locust territories could begin.

Locust Counterattack

After aligning the Derricks and establishing defenses, E-Holes appeared from underneath the graves of soldiers that had died in the Pendulum Wars and Locust troops began a massive assault, hoping to eliminate the Gears before they could deploy into the Hollow. Many Drones began to set up mortars, while thousands more Drones assaulted the Derricks directly, assisted by dozens of Boomers and air support from Reavers, pinning down many Gears onto their Rigs. The humans put up a tough resistance, with some Gears manning the Chain Guns, and hundreds of Locust died within the first few minutes of the fighting. However, the Gears took casualties too, and several Derricks along with their squad perished under the onslaught before the combined firepower of the humans drove the enemy off. After a short but heavy battle, Delta and the other Gears were able to enter their Grindlifts. At that moment, Locust reinforcements, led by Skorge, leader of the Kantus priests, proceeded to assault the COG staging area, killing several Gears and destroying a Centaur Tank. In the end, Delta and many other Gears successfully deployed into the Hollows, but at the cost of the dig zone.

Outcome and Aftermath

The Assault on Landown was a considerable strategic victory for the Coalition of Ordered Governments, as the success of the engagement allowed the Gears to take the offensive against the Locust for the first time in many years, whilst sustaining heavy losses that the COG would struggle to recuperate from. After over a decade of watching as the Locust pushed them further and further, humanity got the chance to strike back for a change, taking the initiative against their subterranean foe. Losses on both sides were heavy, with hundreds of Gears and dozens of their vehicles lost in the effort to take Landown, compared to the thousands of Locust killed. As such, the success of the operation was lessened for the COG, but the strategic gain of hitting the Inner Hollow for the first time led their leadership to deem these losses reasonable.

References

Template:Battles of the Locust-Human War