Confed+Kilrathi forces during Enyo Capture of 2639

[Mjr. Whoopass]

I have another question for a story I'm writing. I plan to show the Enyo capture from the Kilrathi perspective. The WC Encyclopedia has this entry:

Enyo capture
The Kilrathi occupy the human world of Enyo taking 250,000 humans prisoner. See Enyo engagement.
[Wing Commander]

I would like to know what ships each side had available in 2639 for this engagement and which are known to have participated. I would also like to know if anyone has any other info pertaining to this battle.

Here's some potential ships that could've been present according to Forstchen's book "Action Stations" circa 2634:
Confed Craft Circa 2634
Wildcat: Space interceptor. Confed's top space dogfighter as of 2634. It was 30 yrs. old as of 2634 with outdated engines and stress flaws becoming increasingly common.
Hurricane: Space to Surface escort fighter. "Hybrid design"- it was 'dead meat' vs. a Wildcat in space and vs. a Hawk in atmosphere. A twin seat variant also existed (probalby for training purposes?) and was at least 40yrs. old. Could still be deadly in the hands of a skilled pilot.
Falcon: Heavy fighter-bomber. A few steps up from the Hurricane.
Hawk: Atmospheric fighter.
Gladiator: An "old" space to surface bomber. Hurricanes were designed to escort these and Sheridan Marine Landing Craft. Stationed at McAuliffe.
Trident: Heavy bomber known to be stationed at McAuliffe in 2634.
Hummer: Light recon and strike plane also stationed at McAuliffe.
Minotaur: Well over 100 yrs. old "should've been in a museum". It was possibly not flyable and stationed at McAuliffe.
Sheridan Marine Landing Craft: Transports Marines from space to surface.
Wasp: Old jump-capable personal transport with one gun.
Confed Capital Ships circa 2634
Battleship: Many were "old", their huge size allowed for strong shields and large high energy weapons. Admirals pre-Kilrathi war would likely select these as their flagships rather than carriers.
Ranger Class Carrier: These were "old" and may escort battleships.
Carrier: It's implied these are different from the Ranger class. One such carrier was the original Concordia lost in the 2634 Battle of McAuliffe.
Heavy Cruiser: I only know of their existance, no info.
Kilrathi Craft Circa 2634
Vak: Fighter craft known to be stationed in the Hallin system inside the Kilrathi Empire. It was patrolling with 'upgraded' frigates.
Heavy Cruiser: I only know of their existance, no info.
Targu Class Frigate: These were 'upgraded' frigates at the time.
Light Frigate: Not much is known other than they were guarding a jump point in the Hallin System.
Civilian Craft Circa 2634
Smuggler Ship: One such ship (the Phantom) was piloted by Landreich smugglers. It possesed a topside gunner/navigator with photon blasts, pilot, co-pilot/front lasers gunner, and cheif engineer/tail gunner with twin mass drivers. Can drop things such as decoy mines and the illegal and expensive Nuke Mines. You can see and hear the tail gunner from the co-pilot seat, so it may not be very large. A Kilrathi Targu Frigate can gain on it if the Smuggler Ship's scoops slow it down.

Obviously I'm primarily short on info for Kilrathi fighters and capital ships. I'm also lacking information on the Kilrathi Enyo invasion. Any extra info or additions to the info I have is appreciated! I'm still going through the book "Action Stations" and hope to find service dates on fighters from this site, but it would greatly help and save time with some help from Wing Commander scholars.

 

[Mjr. Whoopass]

Just found this:

In 2639 Captain Tolwyn once again played a vital role in the Enyo Engagement and parallel defense of McAuliffe. When Kilrathi forces stormed the planet and held a quarter of a million hostages under orbital guns, Tolwyn rallied the remaining defenders and coordinates a massive counterstrike. Flying Raptor Heavy Fighters a small force deployed mines around a nearby jump point. The Kilrathi easily avoided the field, but when the mines were radio-detonated a large Confederation fleet jumps in and headed straight for the Kilrathi gunships with minimal loss of civilian life.

I wonder which book this is from? I would want to read this because one entry says the Kilrathi took 250,000 prisoners and this other entry says there was minimal loss of civilian lives. One says they occupied Enyo, the other says they held it hostage. How long did the Kilrathi hold Enyo? Is it true that they took 250,000 prisoners? Where can I read more about this?

This entry also gives me an extra Confed fighter and possibly a Kilrathi ship?:
Confed
Raptor: Heavy Fighter. I think it's safe to assume this is the Raptor from WC1.
Kilrathi
Gunship?: This is either a type of ship or is an expression to describe Kilrathi capital ships in general... or perhaps the orbital guns?

More Info: Joseph "Knight" Khumalo from WC1 was given his call sign during the Enyo engagement.
Raymond Blakely, and Academy instructor in 2654, was dubbed the 'Savior of Enyo".
Maria "La Dona" Alvarez was a pilot during the Enyo Engagement.. This info comes from the Encyclopedia, but I'm not sure of what sources and if there's more info on the roles these characters played.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

I wonder which book this is from? I would want to read this because one entry says the Kilrathi took 250,000 prisoners and this other entry says there was minimal loss of civilian lives. One says they occupied Enyo, the other says they held it hostage. How long did the Kilrathi hold Enyo? Is it true that they took 250,000 prisoners? Where can I read more about this?

This is a good thread, you're clearly doing some real research here.

The implication of that Encyclopedia entry is incorrect - the Kilrathi don't land on Enyo and take 250,000 people prisoner... they land there and then hold the population hostage by placing a series of orbital guns.

The story comes from the original Claw Marks and has been expanded upon several times in similar manuals:

* The Super Famicom manual adds some clarification to the story: the mines were placed between the orbital gunships and the fleet which is pursuing the raptors. The Confederation fleet launches a quick strike against the guns and then maneuvers with the Raptors to form a pincer around the Kilrathi main battle fleet. It also clears up the timeline: the Kilrathi attack on .033, the Confederation plans its response on .036, 'Phase One' begins on .038 and the engagement is won with the pincer on .040.

* Voices of War includes an entry from the Kilrathi perspective. It also introduces a continuity error by calling it the "McAuliffe Engagement" instead of the Enyo Engagement (presumably confusing it with the 2634 McAuliffe Ambush).

* Victory Streak adds the fact that "then-Captain Tolwyn" was responsible for regrouping the Confederation fleet.

Beyond that, the Enyo Engagement is occasionally referred to in early Wing Commander material -- Claw Marks and the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide. For example, Knight's bio in Claw Marks includes the story of how he got his callsign during an attack on an enemy transport at the Enyo Engagement. The WC1/2USG says that Lt. Col. Raymond Blakely (one of Blair's instructor's at the Academy) was responsible for planning and leading the Raptor mission.

As for ships in 2639, here's a rough list:

Terran Confederation Fighters:
Broadsword class Heavy Bomber
Corsair class Space Interceptor
Falcon class Heavy Fighter-Bomber
Ferret class Patrol Fighter
Gladiator class Bomber
Gotha class Surface-to-Space Interceptor
Hawk class Surface Interceptor
Hummer class Light Reconnaissance and Strike Plane
Hurricane class Space to Surface Fighter Escort
Merlin class Fighter
Minotaur class Unknown
Rapier class Medium Fighter
Raptor Heavy Fighter
Scimitar Medium Fighter
Thor class Bomber
Trident class Heavy Bomber
Wildcat class Space Interceptor
Wildcat class Space Interceptor

Terran Confederation Support Ships:
Odysseus class Exploratory Vessel/Fleet Support Transport/Exploratory-Research Vessel
Pelican class Shuttle
Sheridan class Marine Landing Craft
Tern class Shuttle
Wasp class Personnel Transport

Terran Confederation Capital Ships:
Bengal class Strike Carrier
Concordia class Carrier
Concordia class SuperCruiser
Coral Sea class Heavy Carrier
Ranger class Carrier
Unknown Battleship (TCS Belarus)
Unknown Cruiser (TCS Ajax)
Unknown Destroyer (TCS Coventry)
Unknown Frigate (TCS Masada)
Unknown Patrol Carrier (TCS Horus)
Unknown Picket Ship (TCS Java)
Unknown Training Ship (TCS Schweinfurt)
Valiant class Destroyer


Kilrathi Fighters:
Asjaka class Three-Seater Bomber
Dralthi class Medium Fighter
Gamora class Heavy Strike Bomber
Kala class Fighter
Krant class Medium Fighter/Bomber
Salthi class Light Fighter
Vak class Fighter

Kilrathi Support Ships:
B'ru'k class Light Freighter
Tugar class Light Transport

Kilathi Capital Ships:
Butha class Cruiser
Fralthi class Cruiser
Gamorgin class Battleship
Ralari class Destroyer
Targu class Frigate
Snakeir class Superdreadnaught
Yar class Battleship

 

[Mjr. Whoopass]

Nice exhaustive list, thanks LOAF! So a second McAuliffe engagement did or did not happen at the same time as Enyo? I was hoping to include some potential Kilrathi high command strategies for the dual attack and it might be less interesting if it's yet another failed Kilrathi invasion on a solitary system... I was hoping they took and held some Confed ground at some point.

Any idea why Knight was given the nickname or who Maria Alvarez was and her role in Enyo?

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Nice exhaustive list, thanks LOAF! So a second McAuliffe engagement did or did not happen at the same time as Enyo? I was hoping to include some potential Kilrathi high command strategies for the dual attack and it might be less interesting if it's yet another failed Kilrathi invasion on a solitary system... I was hoping they took and held some Confed ground at some point.

My favorite explanation is that the Kilrathi attacked both systems at once...

They don't hold any territory here, though, but they do five years earlier -- the Kilrathi occupy a large portion of the frontier at the end of Action Stations (2634)... if you need a setting for an occupation story.

Edit -- just to be clear, Kilrathi troops do land on Enyo (/McAuliffe?)... but they're only there for a week.

Any idea why Knight was given the nickname or who Maria Alvarez was and her role in Enyo?

Here's what Knight says in Claw Marks: "I got my nickname in the Enyo Engagement. The Kilrathi were swarming like flies. I was a second looie assigned as wingman to Captain Maria 'la Doña' Alvarez. We were hugging the deck of this transport and strafing it, did a tight turn going from its back to its belly, and ran right through a swarm of fighters headed the other way. And defensive maneuvering in those quarters would've cut me off from la Donña, so I just fired as fast as I could, and got lucky: I was an ace coming out of that pack, and had picked off a couple of fighters going after my wingleader. La Doña put on her thickest accent and said, 'Ooh, eet's my White Knight,' and the name stuck."

 

[Mjr. Whoopass]

just to be clear, Kilrathi troops do land on Enyo (/McAuliffe?)... but they're only there for a week.

Do they (or could they) take home a lot of slave labor? (would like to know for the story).

As for ships in 2639, here's a rough list:


Terran Confederation Fighters:
...Broadsword class Heavy Bomber
Ferret class Patrol Fighter
Rapier class Medium Fighter
Raptor Heavy Fighter
Scimitar Medium Fighter...

Terran Confederation Capital Ships:

...Bengal class Strike Carrier...

Since these weren't stationed at McAuliffe which was a main Confederation base in 2634 or mentioned in Fleet Action (at least what I've re-read.. I read the book about a year or so ago so may have forgotton appearances in the middle and ending parts), is it safe to assume these are new fresh out of the factory fighters in 2639? It's strange that some of those fighters didn't appear in WC1, but I suppose it could be attributed to being early models or stationed at different sectors of the front.

The Rapier is an especially strange addition to the list since it's considered a hot new prototype fighter in WC1 which is 2654. The Wing Commander Encyclopedia also states that the first variant of this fighter came into service in 2654. Some of the others could be early variants just as the Hellcat V from WC3 that showed up in WC Academy could be a Hellcat I through IV. I'm also surprised if the Ferret fighter existed and there's no sign of Hornets. That sure is a lot of fresh new fighters to come along in only four years, but it could be explained as the Confederation speeding up plans for fighters which were already in the works to replace the 30+ yr. old starships. Just asking for some clarification, no prob. if a few of those weren't correct as that was a ton of info you looked up and posted in a relatively short amount of time. Thanks again!

 

[AD]

Do they (or could they) take home a lot of slave labor? (would like to know for the story).



Since these weren't stationed at McAuliffe which was a main Confederation base in 2634 or mentioned in Fleet Action (at least what I've re-read.. I read the book about a year or so ago so may have forgotton appearances in the middle and ending parts), is it safe to assume these are new fresh out of the factory fighters in 2639? It's strange that some of those fighters didn't appear in WC1, but I suppose it could be attributed to being early models or stationed at different sectors of the front.

The Rapier is an especially strange addition to the list since it's considered a hot new prototype fighter in WC1 which is 2654. The Wing Commander Encyclopedia also states that the first variant of this fighter came into service in 2654. Some of the others could be early variants just as the Hellcat V from WC3 that showed up in WC Academy could be a Hellcat I through IV. I'm also surprised if the Ferret fighter existed and there's no sign of Hornets. That sure is a lot of fresh new fighters to come along in only four years, but it could be explained as the Confederation speeding up plans for fighters which were already in the works to replace the 30+ yr. old starships. Just asking for some clarification, no prob. if a few of those weren't correct as that was a ton of info you looked up and posted in a relatively short amount of time. Thanks again!

Per their designation, the movie rapier is a different earlier fighter line that is being replaced about the time of the movie and is a completely different fighter entirely than the WC1 rapiers (they don't even have the same manufacturer). So Rapiers in 2639 are probably movie rapiers.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Since these weren't stationed at McAuliffe which was a main Confederation base in 2634 or mentioned in Fleet Action (at least what I've re-read.. I read the book about a year or so ago so may have forgotton appearances in the middle and ending parts), is it safe to assume these are new fresh out of the factory fighters in 2639? It's strange that some of those fighters didn't appear in WC1, but I suppose it could be attributed to being early models or stationed at different sectors of the front.

Not seeing something in one particular story doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I can't go to any single Air Force base in the country and get an accurate view of every piece of military hardware the United States has... and I certainly can't do that from reading someones novel about visiting an Air Force base.

Heck, just in Action Stations the list of fighters Tolwyn mentions seeing doesn't happen in a single scene... they come out slowly across multiple visits to the base. The Kilrathi don't have any single unified ship types, either -- you see Vaks on the frontier, Gamoras with the fleet, Asjakas testing torpedoes... and they never appear together. I would argue that there isn't enough data there to say that there aren't Broadsword squadrons fighting in that specific battle.

Every ship has a unique backstory, created through dozens of references over the years... but these are retroactive, not planned in advanced - no one sat down in 1990 and said "okay, we need Broadswords here"... they hadn't been invented yet, from a development perspective. Again, though, it works the same way: flying four fighters in WC1 isn't the same thing as flying every ship in the arsenal. Armada and WCIII take place at the same time, but they only share one ship - the Arrow. Doesn't mean that the Thunderbolt, Hellcat, Longbow, Gladius, Phantom, Wraith and Banshee shouldn't exist because they aren't on the Lexington or Victory... different complements for different carriers.

The Rapier is an especially strange addition to the list since it's considered a hot new prototype fighter in WC1 which is 2654. The Wing Commander Encyclopedia also states that the first variant of this fighter came into service in 2654. Some of the others could be early variants just as the Hellcat V from WC3 that showed up in WC Academy could be a Hellcat I through IV. I'm also surprised if the Ferret fighter existed and there's no sign of Hornets. That sure is a lot of fresh new fighters to come along in only four years, but it could be explained as the Confederation speeding up plans for fighters which were already in the works to replace the 30+ yr. old starships. Just asking for some clarification, no prob. if a few of those weren't correct as that was a ton of info you looked up and posted in a relatively short amount of time. Thanks again!

A Roman numeral designates an entirely different spacecraft design - the Hellcat IV would have nothing in common with the Hellcat V (think of the P-47 Thunderbolt and the A-10 Thunderbolt II in modern history). The Hellcats in Academy would have some different variant -- F-40A Hellcat V versus F-40E Hellcat V or somesuch (note to future designation-seekers - these are entirely made up for the purpose of example, there is no canon Hellcat designation yet).

The Rapier in Wing Commander I, Wing Commander II, Wing Commander Arena, etc. is the F-44 Rapier II... the one on the list is the CF-117 Rapier. They're completely unrelated ships.

The lack of Hornets isn't necessary absolute - we simply don't *know* that they were in service at this time. The list is only those ships which we've seen before 2639 and not those which *could* exist before 2639.

 

[Mjr. Whoopass]

Per their designation, the movie rapier is a different earlier fighter line that is being replaced about the time of the movie and is a completely different fighter entirely than the WC1 rapiers (they don't even have the same manufacturer). So Rapiers in 2639 are probably movie rapiers.

I like that explanation.

Thanks again for yours LOAF.

 

[Spertallica]

Wasn't the Fralthi Cruiser introduced in 2654 during WC1? I was under the impression that Confed had never seen the class before that time per some of the mission briefings involving the Fralthi.

 

[HammerHead]

Did the WC3 Novel mentioned the designation HF-66 for the Thunderbolt VII?

Edit:
Just checked:
The novel mentions the designations:
HF-66 for the Thunderbolt (Which is supposed to be quite new anyway)
F/A-76 for the Longbow (which shows up in the WC Academy show)

but mentions none for the Arrow or the Hellcat, so I don't know how much help it is....

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Wasn't the Fralthi Cruiser introduced in 2654 during WC1? I was under the impression that Confed had never seen the class before that time per some of the mission briefings involving the Fralthi.

I think the retcon is that this was the new light carrier version.

Several stories require Fralthi cruisers to show up earlier (including the intro to SWC, the WCA episode "Expendable", the WC movie and Hobbes' backstory in Freedom Flight/SM2.)

The Confed Handbook's Joan's Fighting Ships says the cruisers have been around for a century.

Did the WC3 Novel mentioned the designation HF-66 for the Thunderbolt VII?

It did. The Prophecy Gold manual calls it the F-66.

but mentions none for the Arrow or the Hellcat, so I don't know how much help it is....

The Arrow is the F-27, per Arena!

 

[chanman]

One thing I'm trying to get around is the parallel fighter types.

It sounds like the Ferret, Arrow, Hornet, and Epee were all in use as light fighters at the same time.

I suppose you could make the case that it's no worse than the Spitfire, Typhoon, Tempest, Mustang, Thunderbolt, Warhawk all being in service at the same time, but for the niches to overlap so tightly is a bit odd.

 

[Pip]

Well, part of it might be explainable by the vast distances of the Confederation. If Confed has to rely on local factories, it's possible that they would be using locally-produced ships -- so the Ferret was built in one location, and used by local wings there, and the Arrow in another, and the Hornet in a third...?

 

[Quarto]

I suppose you could make the case that it's no worse than the Spitfire, Typhoon, Tempest, Mustang, Thunderbolt, Warhawk all being in service at the same time, but for the niches to overlap so tightly is a bit odd.

It's not so odd, if you consider that at the same time as the above planes, the Hurricane was also still in service, as was the Hawk 75 and the obsolete Gladiator. It isn't always possible to replace existing equipment, and sometimes the only sensible thing that can be done is to upgrade it as much as possible.

 

[ELTEE]

I imagine, too, that with a fleet the size of Confed's it wouldn't be uncommon for long overlaps to occur where fighters from different eras are serving together. Each fleet would probably have different schedules for redeployment and refitment. Maybe there was even a phase out process where older fighters were gradually withdrawn to distant sectors before being removed entirely.

 

[Houkiboshi]

Each fleet would probably have different schedules for redeployment and refitment. Maybe there was even a phase out process where older fighters were gradually withdrawn to distant sectors before being removed entirely.

We see that today in the US Navy with the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet

 

[RogueBanshee]

Are there any specs or weapon lists for the Corsair class Space Interceptor, Falcon class Heavy Fighter-Bomber, Merlin class Fighter, Thor class Bomber, Trident class Heavy Bomber, and/or Wildcat class Space Interceptor?

 

[Death]

For the most part, the books haven't mentioned ship performance, except when it serves as a plot point (Blair's observations regarding the cruise speed of the "pirates" he was trailing as they headed back to their ship, at the WC4 novelization coverage of the Hellespont mission set). And, really, when you get down to it, the interesting stories are about people, not the hardware.

Blair: Machines don't fly themselves, admiral.
Tolwyn: Yes, quite. Quite right. It is the men, isn't it?

 

[Pip]

We see that today in the US Navy with the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet

Well, of course, the original Hornets were never meant to replace the Tomcat, but to replace the A-7 Corsair. It's only the newer model Superbugs that replaced the the venerable Tomcat.

And, of course, the US Navy never was quite standardized, with different air wings having slightly different structures and layouts (F-14A, B, or D? F/A-18Cs or A-7s? A-6 squadron, or not to A-6 squadron?) -- imagining keeping uniformity when the distance is interstellar boggles the mind.