Braam-Saburov Offensive

The Braam-Saburov Offensive was the penultimate UNSC assault on the Frieden-occupied Jovian Trojans and was fought from September 3 to November 22, 2169. Named for its principal planners, Vice Admirals Otto Braam and Alexei Saburov, the offensive consisted of multiple staggered incursions into both camps of the Jovian Trojans. Starting in early September 2169, UNSC battle groups aggressively sortied against Frieden positions and engaged both Frieden fleet elements and installations alike. The UNSC Navy suffered heavy casualties during these sorties but inflicted considerable damage to their opponents and gained invaluable intelligence. When the offensive was officially terminated on November 22, 2169, Frieden propagandists and major news agencies alike judged the offensive to be a catastrophic failure that only further solidified the apparent 'invincibility' of the Frieden-occupied Trojans at an enormous cost in ships and sailors. While UNSC losses were heavy, the Braam-Saburov operation laid the groundwork for the January 2170 Trojan Offensive that utterly crushed the Frieden occupation and liberated both camps in just twenty days. 
====UNSC losses====
The UNSC Navy lost forty-one warships in the Braam-Saburov Offensive: 5 carriers, 4 cruisers, 1 aviso, 10 heavy destroyers, 9 light frigates, 11 sloops, and 1 light corvette. 
*UNSC Empress of Juno, Empress of Mars-class heavy carrier (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Hurricane, Whirlwind-class assault carrier (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Dauntless, Spirit-class light carrier (destroyed)
*UNSC Principled, Spirit-class light carrier (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Celestial Valor, Celestial Radiance-class light carrier (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Bolivar, heavy cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Purpose, Accordance-class light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Song of Vengeance, Accordance-class light cruiser (destroyed)
*UNSC Archimedes, light cruiser (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Honorable, aviso (destroyed)
*UNSC Taipei, Shanghai-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Bremen, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Danube Planum, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Nuremberg, Berlin-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Djibouti, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Kirkuk, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (destroyed)
*UNSC Quezon City, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Valparaiso, Bordeaux-class heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Spitfire, heavy destroyer (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Drumbeat Summons, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Fire Bringer, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Full Measure, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Polar Storm, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Red Dragon, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Serpent, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Sky Guardian, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Unicorn, Dragoon-class light frigate (destroyed) 
*UNSC Zouave, light frigate (irreparably damaged)
*UNSC Wallcreeper, W-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Wedgebill, W-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Whooping Crane, W-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Widgeon, W-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Winter Sparrow, W-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Great Sparrow, Great Argus-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Crested Argus, C-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Crowned Eagle, C-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Bald Eagle, B-class heavy sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Magnificent, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Unflinching, Delightful-class light sloop (destroyed)
*UNSC Commando, light corvette (crippled and scuttled)
==Impact==
The Braam-Saburov Offensive concluded on November 22, 2169, and was widely condemned and criticized at the time. In the eyes of public commentators and Frieden leadership, the offensive had seemingly achieved nothing at tremendous cost in ships and soldiers and was derided and scorned as "another Gallipoli", "another Market Garden", "another Puerto Cabello." The competency of senior UNSC officers was seriously questioned, with Vice Admirals Braam and Saburov singled out for considerable ridicule. Public sentiment was summed up by a pro-Frieden commentator in an early December audio clip that quickly went viral: "All that Braam and Saburov achieved with their gloriously stupid offensive was to kill thousands of their own men, destroy dozens of their own ships, and prove the impregnability of the Trojans. After all their other failures, I think this defeat has finally taught the fleet the impossibility of taking the Jovian Trojans by force. It can't be done. And it's high time that the UNSC faced that reality. ...I have to thank those morons, really, for showing the public and the UEG that the UNSC is entirely incapable when it comes to the Trojans." 
The subsequent success of the decisive Trojan Offensive in January 2170 resulted in a total reevaluation of the Braam-Saburov Offensive. In the ensuing celebrations, Vice Admirals Otto Braam and Alexei Saburov were entirely rehabilitated and their operation was rebranded as a bloody but critically necessary first swing in a victorious one-two punch. The offensive had paid major dividends, providing critical intelligence on Frieden strengths and weaknesses throughout the Trojans and giving the Frieden Marine false confidence in their defenses. 
Category:Battles