Battle of Guyra
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| Battle of Guyra | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict: | Dominion War | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date: | 2374 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Location: | Guyra system | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Result: | Dominion victory | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| BATTLE CHRONOLOGY | |||||||||||||||||||||
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The Battle of Guyra was a large battle that took place in the Guyra system in the early months of the Dominion War that resulted in a Federation Alliance loss. (Star Trek: Swiftfire: "Over the Horizon")
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[edit] Prelude
Concerned with the number of retreats along the front Starfleet decided to lure the Dominion into a trap to weaken their ability to continue to push into Federation territory. The Guyra system was chosen as the spot because it contained an ancient and powerful Moonbase, which Starfleet had made operational and had the firepower to take on a fleet. The Dominion fleet would then be positioned so that the moonbase with a large supporting group of starships from the Fifth Fleet and the Klingon Third Battlegroup could decimate the enemy.
To force the Dominion to attack they spread the rumour that the planetary starbase on Guyra IV had perfected a biological agent to be used against the Jem'Hadar. Starfleet had learnt of a Changeling spy operating in the system and use it to feed this false information to the enemy.
The bait could not be ignored by the Dominion and 735 ships, 550 in three strike fleets from the Jem'Hadar Thirteenth Division and 186 ships from the Eighth Shodar, Twenty-Third Order, were dispatched to take the system from the Federation. With the Changeling spy's work done Starfleet captured the Changeling and incarcerated it so it could not further affect the outcome. 235 Starfleet and 136 Klingon warships, half of the available forces in the area, were assembled for the battle.
[edit] The battle
When the Dominion force arrived it split its forces, arraying itself to block any easy escape from the system. Two groups heading in system, the larger group of 582 headed for Guyra IV and a smaller group of 24 ships headed for Guyra III. The larger group was successfully manoeuvred into position and the moonbase unleashed its startling firepower. The plan worked initially with the enemy fleet taking heavy losses, including the loss of their commander, Pulnon. However, the captured changeling escaped and changed the orbit of the moon before setting it on a collision course with Guyra IV causing the destruction of the moonbase and the planetary starbase on Guyra IV.
After this the battle turned against the Federation and Klingons. Despite losing nearly half of their forces up to this point the Dominion managed to gain the upper hand. The events at Guyra IV had a negative effect on the morale of the Federation forces. It also saw the destruction of any Federation logistical facilities in the system making it impossible to hold.
Following their questionable tactics at Guyra IV the Dominion and Cardassian forces also indiscriminately targeted civilians at Guyra III during the evacuation of the colony. Escaping civilian transports were attacked and destroyed. Despite the efforts of defending Starfleet forces the Cardassians also bombarded the colony from space totally destroying it. The result was thousands of Federation civilians were murdered by the invading forces.
The battle was already lost for the defending forces. Starfleet managed to rally its forces to retreat. Groups of starships were organised and dispatched throughout the system to assist isolated pockets of resistance and spread the order to retreat. The battled allied force converged some way from the system before making a group withdrawal from the now Dominion territory.
[edit] Aftermath
While in comparison to the Dominion the material losses suffered by Starfleet and the Klingons were much smaller, they still lost a significant number of vessels. Sixty-four Starfleet ships were lost and including the advanced prototype, USS Ambassador (NX-78613). Two Starfleet bases were also destroyed and a Federation system was devastated with two inhabited planets suffering catastrophic damage, leaving basically a 'dead' system.
The Klingons suffered a higher losses during the battle than their Starfleet counterparts, despite committing less forces to the engagement with eighty-six vessel destroyed. They also lost their commanding officer, General G'tor during the battle. Not long after the battle the Third Battlegroup would have to be pulled off the front lines due to the losses it had suffered. ("Pressure Points")
The Dominion and Cardassian forces suffered more then 50% losses in terms of warships. While they did win the day these heavy losses added to the need for the Dominion to bring down the minefield at the mouth of the Bajoran Wormhole and receive meaningful reinforcement from the Gamma Quadrant. In the end the Dominion did not claim the system as the battle and effectively removed anything of value with the total destruction of the Federation bases and the major ecological damage caused to the only two M class planets.
[edit] Participating forces
- Starfleet Fifth Fleet
- 3rd Tactical Wing
- USS Creed (destroyed)
- USS Excelsior
- 59th Tactical Wing
- 268th Tactical Wing
- USS Aldrin
- USS Ambassador
- USS Frontier (destroyed)
- USS Long (destroyed)
- USS Malinche
- USS Phar Lap
- USS Shokia
- USS Swiftfire-A
- USS T'hanu
- Other
- USS Tasman
- USS Warwick (destroyed)
- 3rd Tactical Wing
- Klingon Third Battlegroup
- IKS Che'tha (destroyed)
- Jem'Hadar Thirteenth Division
- Pulnon's battle cruiser (destroyed)
- Cardassian Eighth Shodar
| Major battles of the Dominion War | |
| Second Battle of Deep Space 9 (2373) | Battle of Torros III (2373) | Battle of Sector 432 (2374) | Battle of Guyra (2374) | Battle of Rumarda (2374) | Battle of Tyra (2374) | Raid on Sector 432 (2374) | Operation Blue Room (2374) | First Battle of Vulcanis (2374) | Operation Return (2374) | Kalandra Offensive (2374) | Battle of Betazed (2374) | Second Battle of Vulcanis (2374) | Battle of Benzar (2374) | Battle of Sybaron (2374) | Liberation of Benzar (2374) | Battle of the Tibor Nebula (2374) | Raid on Tohvun (2374) | Third Battle of Vulcanis (2374) | First Battle of Chin'toka (2374) | Battle of Ricktor Prime (2375) | Battle of Chudala (2375) | Kalandra Campaign (2375) | Invasion of Septimus III (2375) | Breen Attack on Earth/Raid on San Francisco (2375) | Second Battle of Chin'toka (2375) | Battle of the Three Suns (2375) | Liberation of Betazed (2375) | Battle of Getha (2375) | Battle of Cardassia (2375) |
