Kanon Campaign
The Kanon Campaign was a major front of the ZOCU-PACT War involving the Japanese-led PACT invasion of Kanon and various orbital and planetary actions within the rest of the star system. The campaign took place between February 14 and December 10, 2186 and was referred to within PACT forces as Operation Burst Angel. Initially envisioned as a fast-paced operation with overwhelming forces to restore Japanese control over Kanon, the battle for orbital control over Kanon proved extremely costly for PACT with ZOCU light elements able to launch devastating strikes on some divisions while they were still in transit. Once ground operations began, Kanon's terrain, climate and unexpectedly stiff resistance quickly bogged the assault down within a month of its start. ZOCU was also able to run the prototypes and technical blueprints of the then new OMF-06 Hoplite off of Kanon, a success which was to have serious strategic consequences for both PACT and the EU in space. For months, determined resistance on the ground was able to keep PACT forces from delivering a decisive blow despite steady escalation whereas PACT was never able to achieve full orbital supremacy nor completely stem the trickle of reinforcement and resupply to defenders on the ground. ZOCU raiders also inflicted significant losses in the starways behind PACT's front lines, complicating the logistical difficulties already faced by General Takeda. By December, the ZOCU Combined Fleet was once again ready for action and this time dealt a decisive defeat to PACT space forces, leaving ZOCU with control of Kanonian space and over seventy thousand prisoners of war in captivity.
Forces
Kanonian Terrestrial Militia
Commanders:
- Great Duke Akira Sumeragi
Forces:
- 20,000 KTM troops
- 16,000 KTM reservists
- 3,000 pan-ZOCU volunteers
- 2,000 pan-ZOCU (Cosmos Glide)
- 300,000+ volunteers by November 2186
Losses:
- 13,600 KTM
- 50,000 volunteers
- 1,500 pan-ZOCU volunteers
Operation Burst Angel
Commanders:
- General Ichiro Takeda
Forces:
- 8,000 UN troops
- 100,000 pan-PACT troops
- 34,000 reinforcements through September 2185
Lossess
- 20,000 killed
- 70,000 captured
Background
Although relations between ZOCU and the Core had been souring from the start of the 2180's, one of the key indices of tension, the relationship between Japan and Kanon, remained relatively mild. Despite dissatisfaction with apparent insincerity on the Kanonian side of the table, Japan's long tradition of conflict aversion since the Second World War combined with domination of the Diet by a coalition of moderates to form what the Imperial Party later attacked as appeasement. By 2182, the Kanonian and Chosonese cuts of the PACT interstellar catapult network were operational, stimulating some trade and serving as another buffer to cooling relations. For a while, there appeared hope that a deal could be worked out whereby Kanon would promulgate its own self-determiend constitution but continue to recognise the Emperor of Japan. In 2185 however, the harder line Imperial Party secured control of the Diet and at this point, talks broke down, quickly reversing years of gains from their predecessors' careful diplomacy. When Japanese sovereignty over Kanon was publicly asserted throughout late 2185, Kanon responded with the Separation Proclamation declaring complete independence from Japan on New Years Day of 2186. This triggered a series of decisions in Japan and Korea wherein the two mustered their considerable political capital on Earth to pass UN Resolution 11079, green-lighting Japanese and Korean intervention in ZOCU space.
Initial Phase
Operation Burst Angel organised two field corps totalling approximately 100,000 PACT troops supported by the American 3rd, 6th and 7th Fleets arrived in-system on February 14th and immediately began landing operations. These reinforced the roughly 8,000 troops that were holding a number of prepared UN enclaves against intermittent probing and harassment.
The ground forces available to the Kanonian Terrestrial Militia consisted of around 20,000 troops, 16,000 reservists, and a small contingent of 3,000 pan-ZOCU volunteers - nearly a 3:1 numerical disadvantage exacerbated by the greatly superior number of autonomous and semi-autonomous drones and telesoldiers available to the pan-PACT army.
Unsurprisingly, command agreed unanimously that the only reasonable course of action was to conduct a prolonged defense and wear the war down to a trickle until the logistical balance shifted in Kanon's favor or the strategic situation for the alliance shifted sufficiently to allow relief to arrive from offworld.
While the PACT's early gains were rapid, by the middle of March the local rainy season had begun, turning much of the lowlands and rainforests into treacherous morasses. Kanonian sappers destroyed vast lengths of road along the PACT's axis of advance with both explosives and landslides, further hindering fast movement. Partisans equipped with everything from small arms to aquatic mobile suits also quickly made their presence felt. The USASF still controlled the skies however and kept the Kanonian fleet or any offworld ZOCU reinforcements from moving inwards from the Robe, the vast debris field that filled the outer system.
Continuation
The combination of climate, terrain, and PACT's underestimation of their strength allowed the Kanonians to extend the war beyond their opponents' timetables.