Battle of Ephyra

The Battle of Ephyra was the only major offensive of the GAR-COG war. Infamously caused by a misunderstanding between COG forces and a small squad of ARC troopers sent on recon, it quickly devolved to a hostage situation when the COG arrested the ARC troopers, forcing the clones to intervene. After heavy casualties, the GAR reclaimed the men and promptly abandoned the planet, deciding it to be overly hostile. 
==First Contact==
Retreating from a massive droid attack, a small fleet of GAR ships found themselves above the planet of Sera. Realizing the tactical importance of knowing where they were, the commander in charge of the fleet sent down a squad of ARC troopers, who were under orders of recon. After brief investigation, the ARC troops stumbled upon a platoon of COG troops. Attempting to make contact, they were unexpectedly attacked by them instead, believing them to be UIR forces in disguise. All but two of the ARC troopers were killed before they were overwhelmed and captured, but not before they could send out a message requesting backup. Outraged by the offensive, the fleet mobilized the troops it had left after the droid assault for an attack. 
==Initial GAR Offensive==
All but 90% of the attack force was deployed straight for Ephyra, the city where the ARC troopers were being interrogated. The initial bombing run of gunships eliminated much of the available air force of the city, and clone raids on the city destroyed morale as more and more Gears were killed with few Clone deaths. After 4 days of offensives, the COG barely pushed GAR troops out of the city, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The city was able to recieve some reinforcements from nearby areas.
==Final GAR assault==
After several more small and unsuccessful attacks on the city, the GAR prepared a full offensive, with the larger of the two forces attacking from the front at full force, drawing away much of the Gears, which in turn enabled the smaller force to attack the city from behind, catching the remaining troops from behind. Despite harsh resistance, the Gears were forced into the center of the city and were butchered en masse due to their inferior weaponry and armor. With the remaining force utterly surrounded, the COG gave up the ARC trooper prisoners, and the GAR promptly left the planet, threatening to return with reinforcements should the COG ever act out again. 
==Aftermath==
The city of Ephyra was utterly devastated by the battle, taking three decades to rebuild. The battle itself is rarely mentioned by the COG due to the utter humiliation of the defeat, and very few people who actually witnessed the battle are still alive to tell the tale. The fleet of troops gave an extensive report to its superiors on how the hostility and low-tech weaponry of the planet, and recommended that it be ignored unless the CIS made an effort towards capturing it.
Category:Battles