Second Battle of Maastricht

The Second Battle of Masstricht was a battle between the Royal Manticoran Navy and the Republic of Haven Navy in the opening days of the Second Havenite-Manticoran War as part of Operation Thunderbolt.
== Order of battle ==
=== Royal Manticoran Navy ===
Maastricht System Defense Command, CO Rear Admiral Ronald Maitland:
* a battle division
* HMS Incubus
** LAC Wing 5A group according to HH10. No more than 7 squadrons., COLAC Captain Fulbright
* a battlecruiser squadronAccording to Havenite intelligence.
* a cruiser element
* a destroyer elementIncluding HMS Starcrest.
=== Republic of Haven Navy ===
Task force of the First Fleet, CO Admiral Wilson Kirkegard:
* a battle squadron
* a battlecruiser elementa squadron very likely
==Course of battle==
In reponse to the arrival of the Havenite force, the Manticoran defenders launched HMS Incubus's understrength LAC group for the initial intercept. However, the Manticoran defense plan collapsed when the Havenites revealed the presence of their own SD(P)s by launching well outside their estimated missile range. Rear Admiral Maitland immediately ordered the launch of his pod-based missiles to prevent their destruction by proximity kills and responded with the shipboard launchers of the two pre-pod superdreadnoughts he had that had had their launchers modified to handle MDMs.
In the exchange, the Havenites demonstrated improved ECM and inertial compensator rates. Outnumbered with no possibility of escape before destruction, Admiral Maitland ordered Case Omega, instructing the three service and support ships in his command to destroy the system infrastructure to prevent its capture by the Havenites before attempting to flee themselves. In case none of the service and support ships escaped, Maitland detached one of his destroyers to act as a courier to the Admiralty with news of the attack. HMS Starcrest was assigned the duty, and evacuated the system immediately. ()
==Aftermath==
The battle ended in the complete destruction of the Manticoran picket and the reconquest of the system by the Republic of Haven. ()
==References==
Maastricht
Maastricht