In preparing to wargame the Magyar campaign of the Solomani Rim War, we have to determine what naval forces might have been available to Admirals Kemper and Coglan, and how these forces would have been organized. Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation helpfully describes the ten sector fleets fielded by the Confederation Navy at the start of the Rim War, and provides very specific details on the composition of the task forces used for the invasion of Diaspora sector in 990. This information can be used to infer and extrapolate the Confederation assets commanded by Coglan.
The T20 Fighting Ships supplement does not provide quite the same level of granularity for the Imperial Navy circa 990. One canonical source is Classic Traveller Alien Module 6 - Solomani:
In response to [Imperial success], the Confederation embarked on a desperate gamble, consolidating its remaining forces into a single Grand Fleet under their ablest admiral, Ivan Wolfe.
Wolfe analyzed the nature of the dual Imperial advance. The Imperial 17th Fleet was advancing along the line Lagash-Nusku-Agidda, towards Terra; the 1st Fleet was striking from Vega toward Dingir and its industrial and political strength. . . . Wolfe caught the advanced guard of the 17th Fleet at Agidda and inflicted a major defeat. He then shifted his forces to Dingir, hoping that he could also defeat the 1st Fleet. The fatal miscalculation was in figuring reorganization time: the 17th Fleet was able to rally its ships in a matter of weeks and effect a pursuit of Wolfe’s Grand Fleet. In the Battle of Dingir (early 1002), Wolfe was caught by surprise as lmperial reinforcements turned the tide against him (11).
In the context of the Rim War, just what were the 1st and 17th fleets? The MegaTraveller Rebellion Sourcebook’s map of “Fleets of the Imperium” shows that, circa 1116, the 17th Subsector Fleet is stationed at Ikhnaton, subsector A of Ley, while the 1st, naturally enough, defends Core subsector of Core sector. But it doesn’t seem likely to me that the 1st and 17th fleets that fought at Dingir were these subsector fleets.
Traveller sources are somewhat inconsistent in their description of the Imperial navy, but the most recent canonical source is Mongoose Traveller: Sector Fleet. Although set in the “Golden Era” of 1105, much of this information seems broadly applicable to the Rim War period. Sector Fleet contends that the Imperial Navy’s numbered subsector fleets are different in composition and mission from the named sector fleets. The Sector Fleets “are responsible for large-scale military action, most importantly warfighting,” while the Subsector Fleets “are responsible for defending their subsector and maintaining its security” (38). Sector Fleet explains that “In the Imperial Navy, the term ‘Fleet’ has three specific but very different meanings. The term can refer to a ‘Numbered Fleet,’ which is a grouping of several squadrons, to a ‘Named Fleet,’ which is an assembly of two or more Numbered Fleets. It can also refer to a force created for a specific task, e.g. a Battle Fleet sent across the border to attack an enemy [emphasis added]” (38).
A little later on, Sector Fleet explains that “In the event of a major war, other Sector Fleets away from the immediate battle area will be ordered to provide a number of ships and squadrons to serve in one or more Special Fleets or to reinforce the Sector Fleets of the embattled region. Most commonly this means that up to half the sector’s heavy cruiser and capital ship strength may be drawn off to create one or more Battle Fleets to take the war to the enemy. The usual model for such a conflict is that the Sector Fleets defend their territory and resist the enemy advance, perhaps counterattacking if there is an opportunity, and then battle fleets are moved up from elsewhere to take the offensive” (41–42).
So in this context, the 1st and 17th were probably Battle Fleets especially assembled from elements of the Sector Fleets of the coreward Imperial sectors. Their specific mission was the invasion of the Solomani Rim. After the Armistice they were likely disbanded and the constituent assets returned.
Estimating the Fleets of the Imperium and the Confederation
If we imagine a full Sector Fleet as a standard unit of measurement we can then assess the relative strengths of the Imperial and Confederate fleets.
Returning to Fighting Ships of the Solomani Confederation, we can estimate the strength of the Confederation navy. Some of these are understrength: for example, the rimward sectors do not face hostile polities and therefore can be smaller and focused on piracy and internal conflicts. Some are understrength simply because the Confederation controls only part of a sector.
| Sector Fleet | Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Daibei | 0.5 |
| Diaspora | 0.5 |
| Old Expanses | 0.5 |
| Dark Nebula | 0.5 |
| Magyar | 1 |
| Solomani Rim | 2 |
| Alpha Crucis | 1 |
| Canopus | 0.5 |
| Aldebaran | 0.5 |
| Neworld | 0.5 |
“Equivalent” is the size of each fleet in comparison to a standard Sector Fleet. All told, in 990 the Confederation had about the equivalent of 7.5 sector fleets in naval assets.
So how about the Imperium? As Sector Fleet noted, “up to half the sector’s heavy cruiser and capital ship strength may be drawn off to create one or more Battle Fleets to take the war to the enemy” (48). The following table is a swag at the Imperial sectors and the assets they could make available to form Battle Fleets for the Rim War. I assumed the three border sectors—Daibei, Diaspora, and Old Expanses—would not be able to contribute, as they would be focused on defense; I also assumed more distant sectors would not contribute.
| Sector Fleet | Equivalent | Available |
|---|---|---|
| Daibei | 0.5 | 0 |
| Diaspora | 0.5 | 0 |
| Old Expanses | 0.5 | 0 |
| Verge | 0.31 | 0.155 |
| Ililesh | 0.75 | 0.375 |
| Zarushagar | 1 | 0.5 |
| Massilla | 1 | 0.5 |
| Delphi | 0.5 | 0.25 |
| Gushemege | 1 | 0.5 |
| Dagudashaag | 1 | 0.5 |
| Core | 2 | 1 |
| Fornast | 1 | 0.5 |
| Ley | 1 | 0.5 |
This suggests that the Imperium could call up battle fleets equivalent to a little more than 4 sector fleets.
Let’s assume that the TL advantage enjoyed by the Imperium is roughly balanced out by the advantage of the Solomanis only needing to play defense. So 1 Imperial sector fleet equivalent = 1 Solomani sector fleet equivalent. So the Confederation has a 7.5 to 4 advantage on paper. However, many of these Solomani assets cannot be brought to bear. The three border fleets—Daibei, Diaspora, and Old Expanses—can’t be moved as they are the front line. The spinward fleets—Dark Nebula and Magyar—can’t be moved either, for fear of the Aslan attacking. The Confederation could strip the rimward and coreward areas, and probably did, but those are weaker assets to begin with.
So although the Confederation has a larger number of assets than the Imperium for the Rim War, many aren’t maneuverable, making the odds a little more even. This really explains the outcome of the war pretty well: the Imperium could access enough battle fleets to credibly invade the Solomani Sphere, but not necessarily enough to take the whole thing quickly. If the Imperials had not wasted assets invading Terra, they very well could have crushed the Confederation forever.
The Magyar Campaign
Imperial Forces
There is no detailed timeline for the Rim War. We know that after a Solomani offensive into Old Expanses bogged down the lines largely stabilized in 991 and the two sides were stalemated until 998, when the Imperium began steadily advancing into the Solomani Sphere. By 1002 the Imperium had captured the Vegan District, which set the stage for the battle of Dingir and the invasion of Terra. Working backwards, I would imagine 998 was consumed by an Imperial drive into Old Expanses, with a second front opening up in Diaspora in 999. By 1000 the Imperium was ready to push into Alpha Crucis, Solomani Rim, and Magyar sectors.
Based on the map in the Imperial Encyclopedia, the Magyar campaign featured battles across the sector, which suggests a substantial force. I have assumed Admiral Kemper commanded the equivalent of a full sector fleet: 16 cruiser squadrons, 16 battle squadrons, 4 carrier squadrons, 4 tanker squadrons, 2 assault squadrons, and 1 scout squadron, divided into the 4th, 9th, and 18th Provisional Imperial Battle Fleets. Most of these squadrons would have been TL 14 and J-4, with occasional TL 13 and J-3 colonial units.
Solomani Forces
One curiosity of the Imperial Encyclopedia map is that no fighting is shown in all of Daibei sector. I have therefore assumed that the Confederation massed squadrons in Daibei to repel an invasion that never came. Instead, Kemper invaded Magyar through the Solomani Rim. In response, the Confederation abandoned most of Daibei in order to redeploy forces for the defense of Magyar.
Following the description of assets in Fighting Ships of the Solomani, I assumed that Magyar in 1000 had a medium-strength sector fleet, which was partly stripped to provide squadrons to Daibei and the Rim. Therefore Coglan had the following assets available to him at the start of the Magyar campaign: 2 deep strike squadrons, 3 heavy strike squadrons, 4 carrier squadrons, and 13 fleet squadrons. These would later be bolstered by an additional 3 deep strike squadrons and 4 fleet squadrons from Daibei. Most of these assets would have been TL 13 and J-3, with occasional TL 14 and J-4 assets.
The Confederation had other naval assets in the sector, but these were unavailable to Coglan for various reasons. Member-states probably wanted to maintain their own defenses, and thus would have kept their assets close to home. A large reserve fleet was maintained in the spinward subsectors, but this was largely a TL 12 force intended to deter Aslan incursions and would have been ineffective against Kemper’s TL 14 invasion force.
In addition to these regular naval assets, I used T4’s Imperial Squadrons to develop likely system defenses using my unofficial sector data for Magyar sector in the 990 Milieu. The following table details the significant system defenses for those systems in the path of the Imperial onslaught.
| System | TL | Defenses |
|---|---|---|
| Austa/Anise (2503) | 13 | 1,200 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron, 1 assault squadron |
| Guenivier/Anise (2505) | 10 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Amunet/Anise (2507) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Aequus/Anise (2602) | 11 | 120 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Volund/Anise (2607) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Pinnock/Anise (2701) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Anerin/Anise (2706) | 14 | 100 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 2 monitor squadrons |
| Sweet/Anise (2901) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Chartpay/Anise (2903) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Anise/Anise (2904) | 13 | 100 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Waldrin/Anise (2910) | 10 | 12 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Typoer/Anise (3210) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Headley/Voyager (1714) | 9 | 10 SDBs |
| Voetsak/Voyager (1815) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Pearce/Voyager (1911) | 8 | 12 SDBs |
| Tralp/Voyager (1913) | 11 | 120 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Wondagaal/Voyager (2214) | 13 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Veneet/Kline (2519) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Fornorb/Kline (2616) | 14 | 1,000 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 2 monitor squadrons, 1 assault squadron |
| Milbrath/Kline (2716) | 9 | 10 SDBs |
| Niobe/Kline (2811) | 11 | 120 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Kline/Kline (3012) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Einkamp/Kline (3020) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Metody/Kline (3114) | 10 | 12 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Rouern/Kline (3213) | 8 | 120 SDBs |
| Ethlum/Valhalla (1027) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Perrault/Valhalla (1029) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Yuehtsao/Swan (1323) | 9 | 15 SDBs |
| Uebelhor/Swan (1324) | 8 | 12 SDBs |
| Keyor/Swan (1521) | 13 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Acara/Swan (1627) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Saienz/New Mars (1824) | 14 | 100 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 2 monitor squadrons |
| Uttama/New Mars (1827) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Ramaniam/New Mars (1927) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Helm/New Mars (2029) | 8 | 10 SDBs |
| Koskiku/New Mars (2030) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Yama/New Mars (2127) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Fatagin/New Mars (2229) | 9 | 120 SDBs |
| Seker/New Mars (2529) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Iatur/New Mars (2628) | 14 | 1,000 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 2 monitor squadrons, 1 assault squadron |
| Namodi/New Mars (2729) | 12 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Asorret/New Mars (2923) | 14 | 100 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Union/New Mars (2927) | 13 | 1,000 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron, 1 assault squadron |
| Pocatlipcat/New Mars (3030) | 11 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Gjerdingen/New Mars (3123) | 10 | 120 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron |
| Beta/New Mars (3128) | 13 | 1,000 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron, 1 assault squadron |
| Beagle/New Mars (3129) | 11 | 1,200 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 1 monitor squadron, 1 assault squadron |
| Ledbetter/Cluster (2536) | 9 | 12 SDBs |
| Gerwalk/Cluster (2631) | 14 | 100 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron, 2 monitor squadrons |
| Bergvardt/Cluster (2731) | 10 | 12 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Gursky/Cluster (2940) | 11 | 10 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
| Yukikyu/Cluster (3239) | 10 | 12 SDBs, 1 patrol squadron |
With all of this information in hand, we then have a rough handle on the naval forces available to Admirals Kemper and Coglan. While Kemper begins with a much stronger force, it is also clear that she probably lacked the ships to completely conquer Magyar.
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