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Operation British was a Principality of Zeon military operation in the early stage of the One Year War. It was intended to destroy the Earth Federation Forces headquarters at Jaburo by dropping a space colony onto it. Though the colony did not hit its intended target, it still resulted in massive casualties on Earth.
Background[]
Knowing that its national strength was overwhelmingly weak compared to the Federation, the Principality of Zeon military conceived a plan to ensure its victory: dropping a space colony onto Jaburo, the Earth Federation military headquarters. Constructed in an underground cavern in South America, Jaburo was a massive facility protected by thick bedrock that could withstand direct nuclear strikes. However, the impact force of a colony was estimated to be the equivalent of 3 million Hiroshima bombs, capable of destroying any man-made structure.[1]
Both Supreme Commander Gihren Zabi and Sovereign Degwin Sodo Zabi believed that destroying Jaburo would deal a massive military and morale blow to the Federation, allowing Zeon to sign a favorable peace treaty. After running numerous simulations, the Zeon military approved the plan. It was codenamed "Operation British", after the fact that the British Empire collapsed due to decolonization.[1]
History[]
A Zaku I firing a G3 gas round into a colony
On January 3, U.C. 0079, at 0720 hours, the Principality of Zeon declared war on the Earth Federation. Three seconds later, Zeon fleets began attacking Side 1, Side 2, and Side 4. These attacks were intended both as a show of force and to destroy the Federation's space garrisons. Zeon forces made liberal use of thermonuclear weapons and G3 nerve gas, slaughtering billions of colony residents.[1]
During this battle, Zeon forces secured the 8-Banchi of Side 2, Island Iffish. On January 4, at 2130 hours, Zeon mobile suits and worker pods finished reinforcing Island Iffish and installing nuclear pulse engines onto it. As the nuclear pulse engines activated, the colony began decelerating before being pulled in by Earth's gravity and entering free fall.[1]
A Federation warship firing on the colony while it was entering the atmosphere
On January 5, at 1200 hours, the Federation's remaining ships began launching an attack on the colony and the defending Zeon fleet. Meanwhile, having deduced that Jaburo was the target, Luna II immediately deployed a fleet carrying nuclear missiles to intercept the colony. The commander of the gathered Federation fleets was Vice Admiral Tianem, then an officer of Luna II. The Federation interception fleet battled the Zeon defending fleet several times between January 6 and January 8. During this period, Island Iffish was hit by several nuclear missiles. However, having being reinforced, the colony maintained its shape despite its outer walls being breached.[1]
On January 8, at 1315 hours, the Federation fleet launched an attack on the Zeon fleet, deciding to first destroy the colony's defenders. This marked the first actual fleet battle in the war. However, despite having the numerical advantage, the Federation fleet was beaten back by Zeon's mobile suits.[1]
The colony impacting Sydney
At this point, the success of Operation British seemed certain. On January 9, the Federation fleet ceased its attacks on the colony. Attacks from ground-based nuclear missiles also ceased. Presumably, this was due to fear that continued attacks would cause the colony to break apart, causing damage on an even larger scale. On January 10, at 0250 hours, countless transport planes were launched from Jaburo as the base finally began its evacuation.[1]
Tidal wave hitting Sydney
At 0827 hours, the colony entered the atmosphere. It was expected that it would impact Jaburo at around 0905 hours. However, something unexpected happened. At 0835 hours, due to the damage it sustained during the battle in space, the colony broke apart over the Arabian Peninsula. At 0841 hours, the front of the colony impacted Sydney, Australia, obliterating the city. The rest of the colony broke into pieces and rained down on North America and the Pacific Ocean.[1]
At 0900 hours, the shockwave caused the first wave of damage, followed by secondary damage caused by tsunamis and other disasters. After confirming the failure of the operation, the Zeon escort fleet retreated.[1]
Aftermath[]
Australia in the immediate aftermath of Operation British
Sydney Bay, the largest impact site of Operation British
Though Jaburo was saved by the sudden collapse of the colony, Earth as a whole suffered severe consequences from the attack. Australia took massive damage, with 16% of the continent being flooded.[1] The section of the colony that fell on Sydney impacted with a force of 60,000 megatons, creating a 500 km wide crater known as Sydney Bay, the largest man-made hole in history.[2]
Tsunamis and tidal waves caused by the shockwave occurred along the Pacific Coast. Smoke from the impact reached the stratosphere. Storms that exceeded typhoon level raged for around a week. Abnormal weather phenomena would continue for the next six years. The impact of the colony even slightly accelerated the rotation of Earth.[1]
Zeon took heavy losses to its defense fleet, two Chivvay-class heavy cruisers were sunk while three were damaged, four Musai-class cruisers were sunk, five were heavily damaged, and six were moderately damaged. Around 140 mobile suits were lost during the battle. Furthermore, Vice Admiral Killing J. Dunnigan, the commander of the defense fleet, committed suicide with a pistol upon learning that the attack on Jaburo failed.[1]
Following the failure of Operation British, the Principality of Zeon military regrouped its fleets and decided to launch a second Operation British using a colony from Side 5, leading to the Battle of Loum.[3]
Gallery[]
Anime[]
Illustrations & Artwork[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Operation British was first shown in the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam. At the time, the location of the colony drop was unspecified, with the storyboard only noting that it was "somewhere that looks like New York".[4] Details of the colony drop, including its impact site being Sydney and the name "Operation British", were first established in the 1981 sourcebook Gundam Century and later mentioned in the Mobile Suit Variation sourcebooks published in 1983.
In the fourth episode of Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, released in 1989, Bernard Wiseman mentioned how it was snowing in Sydney while posing as a Federation soldier. As details of Operation British had not been firmly established as canon at the time, the Federation guard he talked to saw through his disguise because it was summer in Sydney and not because Sydney had been destroyed.
In the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, released in 1991, Operation British was mentioned and shown in a flashback, marking its official debut in animated media. The same episode also showed the Sydney Bay, the crater left behind by the colony's impact.
Later media showing flashbacks to Operation British, such as Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, showed landmarks and geographical features that much more clearly identified the impact site as Sydney.
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Episode 1, Gundam Rising
- First Appearance
- Episode 1, Gundam Rising
- OVAs and ONAs
- Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War
- Episode 1, The Vanishing Serpent of Loum
- Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn
- Episode 4, At the Bottom of the Gravity Well
- In Flashback
- Episode 4, At the Bottom of the Gravity Well
- Movies
- Mobile Suit Gundam I
- Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
- In Flashback
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.40-47
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory Episode 1, Gundamjack
- ↑ Entertainment Bible 39 - Mobile Suit Gundam - Big Book of Tactics and Strategy (1991), p.48-55
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam Complete Records Vol.1 (1979), p.171
| One Year War Conflicts and Events | |
| January, 0079 UC | |
|---|---|
| One Week Battle (Operation British) | Battle of Loum | |
| March, 0079 UC | |
| Earth Drop Operations (First Landing Operation | Second Landing Operation | Third Landing Operation) | |
| September, 0079 UC | |
| Attack on Side 7 | |
| November, 0079 UC | |
| Operation Odessa | Battle of Jaburo | |
| December, 0079 UC | |
| Attack on the Arctic Base | Operation Rubicon | Operation Christmas | Operation Cemballo (Battle of Solomon) | Operation Star One (Battle of A Baoa Qu) | |