One Year War
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The One Year War is a fictional conflict from the Universal Century timeline of the anime Gundam metaseries.
The One-Year War (Ichinen Sensô), also known as the Zeon War of Independence to the soldiers of the Principality of Zeon, is the first major war of the Universal Century (UC) and is the setting of many stories in the series. The One-Year War is analogous to World War II, where almost all nations choose one of the sides, and only very few neutral factions remained on the sidelines. The analogy is made more clear in later renditions of events during the war, specifically those shown in Gundam 0080 and Gundam 0083, with the 'nazification' of the Zeons.
The One-Year War began on January 3rd of 0079 of the UC calendar and technically ended on January 14th, UC0080, although hostilities ended on January 1st of the same year.
[edit] Introduction
After the Earth Federation forced the emigration of the major part of humanity to the space colonies, tensions between the colonists and the Earth-elite were common and ubiquitous.
The Republic of Zeon, at Side 3, started pushing for a peaceful independence. The Earth Federation considered this to be a threat to the Earth Sphere, so they applied economic pressure in an effort to force them back into the Federation. This plan failed, and in UC0068 Zeon Zum Deikun, founder of the Republic, unexpectedly died. The independent Republic of Zeon became the Principality of Zeon when Degwin Sodo Zabi seized control of it. When Degwin Zabi took over, he rapidly expanded the size of the Zeon National Guard, elevating it to the status of a full fledged army. The Mobile Suit and the majority of the Zeon space navy was formed during this time period, as was the Flanagan Institute.
Alarmed at the sudden build-up of arms at Side 3, the Earth Federation launched the Year 60 Armament Reinforcement Plan and the Year 70 Armament Reinforcement Plan, both aimed at building up the strength of the Earth Federal Space Force. Federation engineers converted Luna II into a major military base and launched the Salamis and Magellan class ships during this time period.
[edit] The One Year War
In October of UC0078 the Principality of Zeon officially announced mobilization orders, and split the army into the space attack force and the mobile assault force. The Federation, anticipating a ship-to-ship type war, began reshuffling its fleets and issued a general alert to all of its forces.
[edit] The One-Week War
The opening to the One-Year War was originally referred to as the One-Week War.
The Principality launched a surprise attack against the Federation's garrisons at the space colonies located in the Zahn province of Side 1 (Lagrangian point 5), Hatte Province in Side 2 (L4) and Mua Province in Side 4 (L5). Nuclear weapons were used indiscriminately, while the Zeon nerve gas (used to suppress the garrisons from mobilizing) killed the civilians it was supposed to protect. Over 2.8 billion people were killed during one day of fighting.
[edit] Operation British
The One-Week War culminated in Operation British, supposedly named after the American Revolution against British rule in the 1770s. Operation British's goal was to destroy the Federation's military central command at Jaburo in South America, a facility hardened against nuclear assault. The plan called for the use of a recently depopulated colony cylinder. During the opening battles of the One-Week War, Zeon troops launched a gas attack on Island Iffish, a colony in the Hatte province of Side 2. They employed a highly-toxic nerve gas known as GG, which was able to enter even into the gas shelters via the colony's ventilation system. (An upgraded version, G3, of this nerve gas was used in 0085 by the Titans to put down a rebellion in the 30 Bunch colony cluster of Side 1). After the gas attack had concluded, Zeon forces then prepared the colony by covering it with heat resistant tape, before initiating the second phase of Operation British. The Federation's space forces mobilized as the Principality set the colony on a slingshot course around the moon. However, the colony fell short of its intended target of Jaburo, instead shattering into large fragments due to the heat of reentry over the Indian Ocean. The largest piece, comprising most of the main colony cylinder itself, fell on the heavily-populated city of Sydney, Australia, obliterating the city outright. The strike caused a 60,000 Megaton blast (or estimated to be 3 million times the power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima) and created a 500-kilometer crater along Australia's coastline. The immediate effect was of a Magnitude 9.5 earthquake at the impact point and Magnitude 9 earthquake over a third of Australia, a 200 m/s shock wave being detected in Melbourne; it destroyed 16% of the continent.
[edit] The Battle of Loum
The Battle of Loum, which took place on January 15, UC 0079, was one of the most devastating battles during the war and one of the deadliest in all of mankind's history.
Following the failure of Operation British just days earlier, the Principality of Zeon still believed it could succeed in ending the war with colony drops, so it attempted to hijack and utilize colonies at Side 5 (however, it is rumored that this was false information leaked to the Federal forces to draw them away from Luna II), also known as Loum Province. As the nuclear engines were being put into place, the Earth Federation's space fleet arrived and the two forces clashed. During the battle, nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons were used indiscriminantly, resulting in massive military and civilian casualties. During the battle almost every space colony in Side 5 was destroyed, killing their inhabitants, resulting in over 2.5 billion dead. Another combined 500 million combatants were killed in action.
Several of Zeon's most famous aces earned their wings in the battle. Char Aznable scuttled five of the Federation's top of the line Magellan battleships and earned his nickname the "Red Comet". "Crimson Lightning" Johnny Ridden destroyed three, and "White Wolf" Shin Matsunaga sank six. The Black Tri-Stars team earned their fame capturing Earth Federal Space Forces' General Revil, the highest ranking general in the Federation, from the flagship Ananke.
With the capture of the general, the battle was tactically won by the Principality of Zeon. However, many of the original mobile suit training cadets were killed, leaving very few trainers. This caused repercussions for the Principality for the remainder of the war.
In the end, the EFSF lost approximately 1/3 of its entire fleet. Military casualties numbered in the millions, and 2.5 billion civilian casualties resulted from the complete destruction of Side 5. Only the heavily-damaged Texas Colony survived, and the debris from Side 5's remains formed what became known as the Shoal Zone.
[edit] The Antarctic Treaty
With the capture of General Revil, the aborted colony drop and heavy losses on both sides, the Federation and Principality of Zeon agree to a truce. While negotiating the conditions of the Federation's surrender, General Revil escaped from Zeon with help from federal sympathizers within the principality and made a speech to the Federation Assembly, revealing that "Zeon is exhausted!". The Federation rejected the conditions of surrender, but agreed to a treaty prohibiting the use of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, colony drops, and attacks on the Jupiter Energy fleets, whilst recognizing the neutrality of the space colonies at Side 6 (L4), and determining the rules of war. The Antarctic Treaty was signed on January 31st, UC0079.
[edit] The Earth Drop Operations
With the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, the rules of engagement went in favor of the Principality of Zeon, who was at the advantage in close-combat range, thanks to their mobile suits. The ban on nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and colony drops, dashed the Zeon's hope for a quick conclusion to the war, forcing them to invade Earth territories to provide mining resources, scarce on the colonies.
The Zeons began mobilizing for the invasion of Earth. A new unit was quickly formed, the Earth Attack Force, and staged its first drop operation, on March 1st, UC 0079. The drop operation quickly captured the EFF's Baiknour launch facilities and then moved onto the resource center of Odessa.
A second drop operation occurred in North America, with two divisions being dropped on both coasts and moving inward. One division captured the strategically important California Base, a series of massive manufacturing plants and ports along the West Coast. Along with this, much of the Earth Federation's naval fleet was captured and later pressed into service under the Zeon flag.
A third drop was directed at the destabilized region of Australia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
The fourth drop operation commenced on April 4th, and landed on the Red Sea and in the Persian Gulf.
For the next five months, the battlefronts expanded and then solidified in a stalemate. At this point, the Zeons had control of over two-thirds of the Earth's landmass.
[edit] Gundam Rising
On September 18th, in a space colony at Side 7 (L3), an incident changed the entire course of the war. While transferring components of a Federation secret project, members of a Zeon recon went against orders and began attacking the colony. In the confusion, civilian Amuro Ray came across the result of the secret project, the Gundam RX-78-2. Unaccustomed to battle, but possessing a high degree of technical aptitude, Amuro managed to get the Gundam to rise up from its trailer and successfully destroyed two of the recon team's Zakus with ease. This was the first mobile suit battle ever fought inside of a space colony. Unfortunately, the colony was heavily damaged. Amuro's father, Tem Ray (who was the team leader of Project V), was missing, and heavy civilian casualties were reported. The survivors embarked as refugees onboard the new Pegasus-class ship, the White Base, which served as the Mobile Suit's support carrier.
The White Base, with its precious prototype Mobile Suits, began a perilious return to the Earth Federation headquarters at Jaburo (Also called Jabrow) in South America, being incessantly pursued by Char Aznable. During atmospheric reentry, the White Base was again attacked and veered off of its projected course to Jaburo and, instead landed deep in enemy territory in North America.
[edit] Operation Odessa
Shortly after the arrival of the White Base on Earth, the ships crew engaged and destroyed a Zeon Gaw fleet, killing Captain Garma Zabi, who was the youngest son of Sovereign Zabi, the leader of the Principality of Zeon. Seizing the opportunity to strike while the Zeon were regrouping, the Earth Federation amassed one third of its terrestrial forces along eastern Europe for possibly the largest land battle in the UC history. Codenamed Operation Odessa, its aim was to recapture the Odessa mining facilities and break the Zeon hold on resources. The campaign began on November 7th. Over the next two days, the Federal Forces staged a blitzkrieg attack on the Zeon's defensive lines, breaking through and overwhelming them. On November 9th, the Federal Forces broke through the last of the Zeon Occupation Force's defensive lines, triggering an ultimatum from Colonel M'Quve. M'Quve demanded that the Federal Forces withdraw or else he will be forced to use nuclear weapons, in violation of the Antarctic Treaty. It is said that General Revil signaled to his communications officers not to respond. Fleeing the battlefield in the Zanzibar-class mobile cruiser Madagascar with other top officials, M'Quve launched a single nuclear missile, but it was destroyed by Amuro Ray in the Gundam. Zeon's commanding officers escaped the base just before the Federation forces broke through. Several Zeon units remained isolated on Earth and eventually surrendered. Some found their way to other bases where they could escape into space, such as Rear Admiral Yuri from 08th MS Team.
[edit] Operation Rainbow Valley
Exploiting the discord within the Zeon forces after the fall of Odessa, the Federation began Operation Rainbow Valley, with the objective of recapturing Australia, on November 23rd. The operation was spearheaded by Master P. Rayer and his 'White Dingo' team. The team captured Alice Springs on November 25th, Simpson's Gap on December 1st, repulsed a Zeon counterattack at the EFF base at Torrington on December 26th, and captured one of the last remaining Zeon Heavy Lift facilities at Hughenden on January 2nd, 0080.
[edit] Operation Velvet
Following the completion of Operation Odessa, the Federation launched an offensive into Lepanto region of North Africa. The campaign began on November 18th and completed its objectives on November 28th.
[edit] The Jaburo Drop Operation
After a spy managed to infiltrate the White Base, Char Aznable discovered the precise location of the vast Earth Federation's fortress of Jaburo. On November 30th, after gathering mobile suit squads from California Base and with massive air and naval support, he launched an assault on Jaburo. Amphibious mobile suit and commando teams lead by Char himself made numerous probes and raids into the heart of the base, but were unable to take the base or destroy the mobile suit factory. The Jaburo attack failed and the Principality forces retreated on the same day. The combined losses at Odessa and Jaburo broke the Zeon Earth-bound armies, making it easy for the Federation to begin launching offensives against other holdings in Africa and North America. Over the month of December, the Zeon ground forces were in full retreat, abandoning bases and trying to escape into space. The Cape Canaveral base was liberated on December 5th, at a cost of 34 fighters, 71 tanks, and 2 mobile suits, due to the ace pilot Ian Greydon. The California Base was successfully recaptured on December 15th.
[edit] Operation Rubicon
Operation Rubicon was a secret Zeon commando operation performed by Steiner Hardy's Cyclops Commandos. The mission was to steal or destroy a prototype Gundam designed for Newtypes. The mission is narrated in the OVA series Gundam 0080.
[edit] Battle of Solomon—Operation Cembalo
With the battle on Earth grinding to a close, the Federation began a plot to retake space. The high command's plan had two parts:
- The White Base was deployed as the 13th Autonomous Mobile Squadron and given the mission to go to the neutral colony group of Side 6. Since the Zeons paid close attention to the Gundam and the White Base, the Federation wanted to cause them to think that the White Base will be a vanguard for an invasion of the Zeon lunar base of Granada.
- The rest of the Federation fleet was launched as Jaburo began staging an attack on the Zeon space base of Solomon, located in L4, around the remains of Side 1.
After distracting the Zeons' attention with a battle outside the neutral space of Side 6, in which Amuro Ray and the Gundam destroyed 9 of the latest frontline mobile suits, the MS-09R Rick Dom, in the span of three minutes, the White Base rendezvoused with the Federation fleet to assault the Zeon space fortress Solomon, on December 24th. The battle was the first in which the RGM-79 GM, the mass-production mobile suits derived from the Gundam RX-78-2, were used in numbers. The GM had only seen limited, squad-level engagements during its test phase and on Earth prior to Solomon.
Public-class assault boats neutralized the space fortress' beam cannon defenses with beam-dispersing smoke clouds, forcing Zeon mobile suits stationed there to advance beyond the base's defensive radius, making them easy targets for advancing Federation warships. The Federation also unleashed a secret weapon: a solar reflector array, known as the Solar System, utterly decimating all mobile suits and ships attempting to sortie from Solomon's primary space gate..
With casualties mounting and reinforcements being delayed by 'political complications,' Space Attack Forces and Solomon commander Dozle Zabi ordered the evacuation of the base and boarded the mobile armour known as Big-Zam. While the Big-Zam's initial deployment decimated Federal mobile suits that encountered it and allowed many of the Zeons (including his wife and daughter) to retreat from the base, it was ultimately neutralized by a daring maneuver on behalf of 13th autonomous core pilot, Slegar Law, and subsequently destroyed by Amuro and his Gundam. Solomon was quickly captured thereafter by the EFF and renamed Konpei Island.
[edit] The Ghost of Solomon
After the conclusion of primary hostilites at the Battle of Solomon, a Newtype conscripted by Char Aznable, Lalah Sune, sortied in the mobile armour Elmeth. Using the Psycommu system, the Elmeth under Lalah's control was capable of guiding independent mobile beam weapons called bits undetected into proximity of Federation ships and destroy them. This caused panic in the Federation forces during the initial Federation occupation, earning the mysterious weapon the nickname: The Ghost of Solomon. This guerilla tactic was destructive but short-lived, as the Elmeth and its pilot were destroyed in action by Amuro.
In the movie trilogy, the Elmeth's guerilla tactics proved to be much more effective, but the effort was cut short when Zeon recalled it to assist in the front line defence of A Baou Qu. When the Granada fleet attempted to blitz through the advancing federation battlegroup in order to get to Solomon, the Elmeth was sortied for what was to amount to little more than a distractionary attack on outlying ships. It was here that it met its ultimate fate at the hands of Amuro Ray.
[edit] Operation Solar Ray
Following the loss of Odessa and Solomon, the Zeon military was on the defensive. Fearing the Federation's next move would be a full-scale assault on the home colonies, Zeon's Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi ordered the construction of a massive solar powered beam projector known as the Solar Ray System. The project originally started in the Mahal colony in September, exploiting the same loophole in the Antarctic Treaty as the Federation's Solar System. Supervised by Colonel Asakura, who also developed Zeon's lethal G3 nerve gas, solar batteries from other colonies were collected and a projection array was built within the colony walls, and, on December 21st, its 6.5 million inhabitants were evacuated.
As the construction of the Solar Ray System was being completed and the Federation fleet drew near, Sovereign Degwin Zabi left on a secret mission to save what was left of the Principality of Zeon. He was to meet with General Revil at Geldolva line to negotiate the terms of surrender. His departure was noticed by Gihren Zabi, who quickly rushed the Solar Ray System into operation, limiting its design to a single shot. General Revil organized the main Federation fleet into three battle lines. At 2035GMT, Gihren Zabi gave the order to all Zeonic fleets to pull out of the firing range in front of the Solar Ray System. As this was happening, Degwin Zabi and General Revil met to discuss a peace treaty to end the war. At 2105GMT, Gihren Zabi orders the Solar Ray System to be fired at the Geldolva aiming point. General Revil, Sovereign Degwin Zabi, and about a third of the Federation's fleet were wiped out by the weapon's 6 kilometer wide beam. The IR band signature from the Solar Ray System's discharge is detected by Mobile Assault Force commander Kycilia Zabi's fleet, traveling to reinforce the Zeon's last line of defense. Additionally, Amuro Ray suffered a severe emotional attack at the moment of firing, claiming to be able to see the ships, and people inside them, as they were melted and subsequently vaporised by this horrible weapon.
[edit] Operation Star One
Following the firing of the Solar Ray System, Rear Admiral Kycilia Zabi, aware of her father's secret meeting with the Federation's General Revil, learns that his ship — the Gwazine-Class Battleship Great Degwin — was on the Geldolva line at the time of the Solar Ray System's discharge. Only she and her brother Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi know of their father's negotiations and true fate.
The disarrayed Federal forces quickly regroup, using the Pegasus-Class Assault Carrier White Base as their rally point. While the Federation reorganize, Gihren Zabi meets with the A Baoa Qu defenders and gives a speech that the Zeon are a superior race, that the Earth Federation's remaining forces are now halved thanks to the Solar Ray System, and that they will win this battle and "rise up to the future".
The Federation launches an attack on A Baoa Qu's N defense field with the second and third mobile suit battalions, while their remaining fleets use the Magellan-Class Battle ship Luzar as its flagship to penetrate the S field. The White Base spearheads an assault into the F line, A Baoa Qu's crossfire aiming point but also its weakest defense point, all the while when a small fleet rumored to be led by the assault carrier Pegasus, attempted to breach the V line, guarded by Zeon's Dolowa carrier. Gihren Zabi's counterattack plan relies heavily on his mammoth Dolos-Class Heavy Carrier Ship and the Gelgoog, Zeon's latest mass-production mobile suite that rivals the Gundam in strength and weaponry. The Federation attempts to use beam-dispersion smoke again, but Gihren Zabi launches a counterstrike of missiles, all the while keeping his mobile suit forces held back.
Kycilia Zabi's Mobile Assault Force arrives as the Federation begins to penetrate A Baoa Qu's lines. While Kycilia Zabi orders her fleet to position itself along the N field, she provides Char Aznable with the MSN-02 Zeong, a prototype mobile suit using Psycommu technology, which would allow him to pilot using his Newtype mind. The Psycommu was used originally in the Elmeth, another psychically controlled mobile armour, piloted by Char's protégé, Lalah Sune, but was destroyed after the Battle of Solomon. After Char sorties in the Zeong, Kycilia confronts Gihren with the news of their father's death, and, after hearing him confess to killing him, executes Gihren Zabi for the crime of patricide. After his death, it is discovered that Gihren miscalculated the effectiveness of his fighting force. The two Dolos carriers are destroyed, depriving their large numbers of mobile suits of fuel and munitions, and the Gelgoogs and Doms are piloted by conscripted students who have barely enough training to properly use their mobile suits. Many of Zeon's ace pilots also are killed or missing in action, such as Thomas Krutz and Johnny Ridden, hurting the Zeon's attempt to hold A Baoa Qu. Also, angered by the execution of the Supreme Commander, the Delaz fleet (a battle unit which is very loyal to Gihren Zabi, lead by Aiguille Delaz), resigned from the battle, further reducing the number of ships and mobile suits in the Zeon lines.
As A Baoa Qu's N field is overwhelmed by the Federation's mobile suit battalions and the Zeon's S field is on the verge of collapsing thanks to the Gundam, the Zeong is sent to reinforce it and keep the Federation from penetrating the S field. The fighting becomes so thick that Amuro's Gundam and Char's Zeong are soon engaged in close combat inside the fortress, and the fight continues after both pilots have destroyed the other's mobile suit. The White Base is forced to beach itself on the fortress and fight Zeon infantry in close quarters combat.
As the battle for A Baoa Qu spills into the heart of the fortress itself, Kycilia Zabi begins preparations to flee from the collapsing A Baoa Qu. Her plan is to escape to a rally point and meet up with fleets from the Zeon's Granada lunar base and the Zeon homeland and continue the war. She orders Twoning, the base commander, to wait 15 minutes after her exit before surrendering the base. She promises that Federal POWs will be exchanged for him later. However, her plan is interrupted by Char Aznable, who assassinates Kycilia before she can leave the asteroid fortress. Her Zanzibar-Class Mobile Cruiser the infamous Chimera is soon destroyed by Federal forces.
[edit] The Principality Collapses
On January 1st, 0080, Zeon's Prime Minister Darcia Bakharov, who, under the Zabi family's dictatorship was just a rubber-stamp to approve of Zabi edicts and provide the appearance of a democracy, took control of the government and sued for peace. Following preliminary negotiations in Anman, the formal signing of the end of hostilities occurred on January 14th, 0080 at the Granada lunar colony. The treaty between the Earth Federation and the newly restored Republic of Zeon was named the Treaty of Granada.
[edit] Aftermath
Many loyalists to the Zabi family, dedicated soldiers, war criminals, and others who could not integrate with the new government voluntarily left the Zeon homeland and went on an exodus to the asteroid Axis, which was previously used waystation for the Jupiter Energy Fleet. Others, such as Cima Garahau's Marines, became pirates while other Zeon soldiers fought inside Earth Sphere and on the Earth's surface in various guerilla and insurgency actions. Many of these Zeon insurgents would be attracted to the various uprisings and movements in the following years, such as the Delaz fleet's Operation Stardust, the Anti Earth-Union Group, and the Haman Kahn-led and later Char Aznable-led Neo-Zeons.
[edit] External links
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