Second Landing Operation

Second Landing Operation
Second Landing Operation (第二次降下作戦)
Data
Part of	One Year War
Beginning	March 11, 0079 U.C.
Location	North America
Belligerents
Principality of Zeon
Earth Federation Forces
Miscellaneous
OVA	IGLOO 2: TGF

The Second Landing Operation, also known as the Second Earth Landing Operation, was a Principality of Zeon military operation during the One Year War. It was the largest of Zeon's Earth drop operations during the war.

The Battle

On March 11, U.C. 0079, Zeon's 2nd and 3rd Terrestrial Mobile Divisions, elements of the aviation corps and the navy, as well as the Earth Attack Force high command descended onto Earth as part of the Second Landing Operation. The drop zones for this operation were the east and west coast of North America. The goal of this operation was to secure military and industrial facilities, as well as food supplies.

For this operation, Zeon specifically selected areas most affected by Operation British as landing points. In these areas, the Earth Federation Forces were mostly deployed to affected areas. As such, Zeon forces was barely attacked by the EFF. However, the operation still met stiff resistance. During the battle for the city of New Yark, Zeon forces carpet-bombed the city with Gaw attack carriers, severely damaging it.

Battle for California Base

A key objective for the Second Landing Operation was California Base, a major Federation military facility. Located on the west coast of North America, this base was a collection of twenty military facilities, including a naval port, an air base, a space port, various weapons devlopment facilities and testing fields, and an underground submarine production facility with dozens of functional submarines. Being a space-based nation, Zeon's submarine building technology was inadequate. As such, the capture of Federation submarines and their production facility was considered vital for their continued operation on Earth.

However, Zeon forces encountered stiff resistance at California Base's final defense line, which was defended by numerous pillboxes and anti-air emplacements at key locations. With Zeon unable to deploy air support due to the presence of the AA emplacements, the EFF inflicted heavy casualties on Zeon using attack helicopters.

With his main force occupied with eradicating EFF remnants in New Yark, Garma Zabi deployed the Midnight Fenrir Corps to break the stalemate. The Midnight Fenrir Corps successfully broke through the line and destroyed the pillboxes from the rear, allowing the Zeon attack force to break through.

During the breakthrough, Zeon discovered a hidden passage, which was apparently a dried up water vein that led to the underground cave where California Base's submarine dock was located. While the main force focused on the California Base's surface facilities, the Midnight Fenrir Corps infiltrated the submarine dock through the passage and took over the facility undamaged before Federation Forces could escape with the submarines, causing all of the submarines at the dock to fall into Zeon hands.

Aftermath

Following the takeover of the California Base, which was mostly undamaged during the battle, Zeon spent around two weeks repairing its various facilities. It then became the largest base of the Earth Attack Force, serving as a hub of weapons development and production, as well as a logistics center for Zeon forces worldwide.

On Kycilia Zabi's order, the Federation submarines at the base would be converted to mobile suit carriers and intelligence gathering vessels, forming the Zeon Strategic Naval Espionage Fleet.

Appearances

OVAs and ONAs

• Mobile Suit Gundam MS IGLOO 2: The Gravity Front
  • Episode 1, Take Out That Angel of Death!
    • First Appearance

References

Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 53 (1)

Gundam Perfect Files, Issue 53 (2)