Liberation of Enothis
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The Liberation of Enothis,[1] also called the Enothian War,[2d] was an engagement of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade.[1]
Prelude
In 771.M41,[4b] during the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, Warmaster Macaroth's offensive on the Cabal System stalled. This left the Crusade's forces overextended, allowing the Chaos Warlord Urlock Gaur to lead attacks on multiple planets along the Crusade's coreward flank in an effort to disrupt the Crusade's supply lines. Enothis was targeted alongside Belshiir Binary, Caius Innate and Khan V.[4a]
War
The Chaos forces under the command of Magister Anakwanar Sek initially invaded southern Enothis where they quickly took the Southern Trinity Hives.[3b] The Chaos forces pushed north, driving back the Enothian planetary defence forces.[1] The local loyalists were primarly composed of the armies and airforce of the Northern Commonwealth, a state which dominated northern Enothis.[2a][3b] To support the struggling Enothian defenders, the Sabbat Worlds Crusade Ninth Army under Lord Militant Humel was sent to stop Sek's advance.[3a]
When the Imperial crusade fleets arrived, Humel intended to drive out the invaders with a massive ground offensive.[3b] However, Sek's forces retreated to the Trinity Hives, and lured the overconfident Imperium into a trap, devastating their forces.[1] By this point, the Chaos forces were resupplied as well, as part of a general Chaos counter-offensive in the Khan Group. In battles lasting two months, Lord Militant Humel's armies were forced from the southern hives into a retreat during which they were constantly harassed by Chaos aircraft.[2a] Fleeing through the Interior Desert back to the north, the Imperials suffered massive losses.[3b]
Humel hoped to get his armies back to the cities at the Zophonian Sea, where they could be rebuilt and resupplied.[3b] It fell to the pilots of the Imperial Navy and PDF air forces to defend them, flying sorties to harass the Chaos forces.[1][3b] Advised by Admiral Ornoff, Humel recognized the need to check the Chaos air power, and he devoted all available resources to support an air war.[3b] The Imperial airforce, including famous formations such as the Phantine XX and 101st Pacificus Elite (the famed "Apostles"), alongside the Commonwealth airforce managed to keep their allies somewhat safe.[3b] Ultimately, however, the cities alongside the southern Zophonian Sea could no longer be held and the Imperial loyalists retreated across the sea to the Commonwealth's core territories.[3b]
The Chaos air wings then attacked in force, and the Imperial Navy engaged them over the Zophonian Sea. The heroism of the Imperial pilots saw the enemy's most renowned ace killed and their forces driven back.[1][2d] Even though the Imperium suffered heavy losses with 948 aircraft destroyed, the Chaos airforce was largely destroyed; it lost about 7840 planes.[2d] The Imperial victory in the Battle of the Zophonian Sea allowed the Imperium to regain the initiative. In the following weeks, Humel's armies assaulted the Trinity hives again, finally reclaiming them and driving Magister Sek off-world[1][2d] on the 62nd day of 774.M41. By this point, Sek had already fled the planet.[3b]
Order of battle
Imperium
- Enothis Planetary Defence Force[1]
- Sabbat Worlds Crusade Ninth Army[3a]
- Astra Militarum contingent
- Imperial Navy contingent
- 101st Pacificus Elite "Apostles"[1]
- 63rd Imperial Fighter Wing "Sundogs"[2a]
- 1267th Navy (recon)[2b]
- 409 Raptors[2a]
Chaos
Sources
- 1: Warhammer Community: Air Wars of the 41st Millennium (Posted 30/8/2019) (Last Accessed 31 August 2019)
- 2: Double Eagle (Novel)
- 3: The Sabbat Worlds Crusade (Background Book) (1st edition)
- 4: The Guns of Tanith (Novel) — The Saint (Omnibus)
