Registered: Apr 2001
Location: University Park
Posts: 268

How exactly would a military force actually go about conquering an entire planet, assuming it wanted minimal damage on the infrastructure? Let's say that they wanted take over the planet, and if possible keep most of the population alive for slave labor or conversion or something. You can't just use nukes or mass drivers obviously. On a planet equivalent to Earth in size and resources, how would a force manage to fully occupy the entire planet and subdue it?

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: University Park
Posts: 268

How exactly would a military force actually go about conquering an entire planet, assuming it wanted minimal damage on the infrastructure? Let's say that they wanted take over the planet, and if possible keep most of the population alive for slave labor or conversion or something. You can't just use nukes or mass drivers obviously. On a planet equivalent to Earth in size and resources, how would a force manage to fully occupy the entire planet and subdue it?

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Registered: May 2002
Location: Starship Thor Heyerdahl, 1 tousand billion lightyears from Gaia (Earth).
Posts: 70

Have your read Footfall and War of the Worlds?
Both of them are great books.

If you want to get an entire planet, you should first render all its power suplies worthless, as well as attacking city's or other centers to clean the way for the next step:
land on it with troopers and eredicate the enemy.



It is a strategy that should work, if the enemy dont eredicate you first, that is...

I fail to see what this has to do with B5 tough.
Oh well, a little OT cant hurt anyone.


Stargazer.

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Registered: May 2002
Location: Starship Thor Heyerdahl, 1 tousand billion lightyears from Gaia (Earth).
Posts: 70

Have your read Footfall and War of the Worlds?
Both of them are great books.

If you want to get an entire planet, you should first render all its power suplies worthless, as well as attacking city's or other centers to clean the way for the next step:
land on it with troopers and eredicate the enemy.



It is a strategy that should work, if the enemy dont eredicate you first, that is...

I fail to see what this has to do with B5 tough.
Oh well, a little OT cant hurt anyone.


Stargazer.

__________________
"We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean.
We are ready to set sail towards the stars" --- Carl Sagan, Cosmos.
----
Member of the Noctis IV and Orbiter communities;
[url=http://members.designheaven.com/~44/noctis.html]Visit Noctis[/url]
[url=www.orbitersim.com]Visit Orbiter[/url]

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

A blockade could work. IF the enemy was dependent on trade. IF the enemy didn't have a fleet to blow yours away. IF you could handle a LOOOOOOOG siege.

Otherwise just use particle beams to level their military assets leaving the populace panicked and defenseless.

What does this have to do with B5? Narn-Centauri war, Matok, Mars and the Empheeli. (or howerev the hell that's spelled)

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

A blockade could work. IF the enemy was dependent on trade. IF the enemy didn't have a fleet to blow yours away. IF you could handle a LOOOOOOOG siege.

Otherwise just use particle beams to level their military assets leaving the populace panicked and defenseless.

What does this have to do with B5? Narn-Centauri war, Matok, Mars and the Empheeli. (or howerev the hell that's spelled)

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: University Park
Posts: 268

Well I guess I was kinda asking under B5 era tech, etc. One problem that I wonder about is rebellions. Even if you eradicate an entire planet's defending military, there will probably always be some people willing to fight back, IE the Narn resistance fighters. With the Centauri subjugation of Narn, there was way too much damage done to the planet to make it worth much. The Minbari would have probably just wiped everything off of Earth's surface if they hadn't surrendered.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: University Park
Posts: 268

Well I guess I was kinda asking under B5 era tech, etc. One problem that I wonder about is rebellions. Even if you eradicate an entire planet's defending military, there will probably always be some people willing to fight back, IE the Narn resistance fighters. With the Centauri subjugation of Narn, there was way too much damage done to the planet to make it worth much. The Minbari would have probably just wiped everything off of Earth's surface if they hadn't surrendered.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

A further complication is that military bases, and population centers are often rather close to one another.

The thing with the Centauri was that they were not after a military victory. If they were, as soon as the Narn fleet was destroyed they could have just blockaded the Narn Homeworld and let all of them starve. But they were going at it from the perspective of showing that they were "better" and making sure everyone knew it. They wanted a return to the "glory days" when everyone trembled at the might of the Centauri. In short it was a different kind of war. One over ideology, and race, not military position.

The problem with the question, is that in a war your objectives are as follows:
1)Ensure your own survival
2)Kill more of them, than they can of you. Decency takes second place to survival.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

A further complication is that military bases, and population centers are often rather close to one another.

The thing with the Centauri was that they were not after a military victory. If they were, as soon as the Narn fleet was destroyed they could have just blockaded the Narn Homeworld and let all of them starve. But they were going at it from the perspective of showing that they were "better" and making sure everyone knew it. They wanted a return to the "glory days" when everyone trembled at the might of the Centauri. In short it was a different kind of war. One over ideology, and race, not military position.

The problem with the question, is that in a war your objectives are as follows:
1)Ensure your own survival
2)Kill more of them, than they can of you. Decency takes second place to survival.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 61

One way is the one Mr. Weber invented for the HH universe - where if you seize control of the high orbital levels there is a sort of gentleman's agreement to surrender the planet or risk bombardment.

In the B5 universe, fighter sweeps to destroy communication and power satellites, kinetic bombardment of military bases, power stations, transportation hubs, food processing centers and seeding of agricultural areas with poison. If high-tech societies are anything like ours, most people have no idea what to do without processed food products magically appearing in the store. In short order, people will begin to starve, then riot and after a few months the population will have been depleted significantly, substinence farming will not give people enough energy to fight and your assault landers can descend to the planet's surface for resource collection and worker "recruitment" unimpeded.

If it is simple extermination for later resource gathering, a few kinetic impacts will throw up enough dirt to block plants from sun. In a few years everything is dead.

Remember these are ancient starfaring species involved in conquest. They have probably planned for decades and can wait a few years for conquest once they begin.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location:
Posts: 61

One way is the one Mr. Weber invented for the HH universe - where if you seize control of the high orbital levels there is a sort of gentleman's agreement to surrender the planet or risk bombardment.

In the B5 universe, fighter sweeps to destroy communication and power satellites, kinetic bombardment of military bases, power stations, transportation hubs, food processing centers and seeding of agricultural areas with poison. If high-tech societies are anything like ours, most people have no idea what to do without processed food products magically appearing in the store. In short order, people will begin to starve, then riot and after a few months the population will have been depleted significantly, substinence farming will not give people enough energy to fight and your assault landers can descend to the planet's surface for resource collection and worker "recruitment" unimpeded.

If it is simple extermination for later resource gathering, a few kinetic impacts will throw up enough dirt to block plants from sun. In a few years everything is dead.

Remember these are ancient starfaring species involved in conquest. They have probably planned for decades and can wait a few years for conquest once they begin.

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 882

I'd have to agree that the threat of nuclear winter would be a very effective weapon

Not sure that it would be realistically possible to conquer a planet, though.... I mean, I don't think anyone has managed to toally subjugate (permanantly) another country so far( in the history of Earth ).

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Registered: Jul 2001
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 882

I'd have to agree that the threat of nuclear winter would be a very effective weapon

Not sure that it would be realistically possible to conquer a planet, though.... I mean, I don't think anyone has managed to toally subjugate (permanantly) another country so far( in the history of Earth ).

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

I guess it all comes down to what your definition of "victory" is.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: THE BEST DAMN ROGUE NATION ON EARTH!!!
Posts: 735

I guess it all comes down to what your definition of "victory" is.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Kiev;New Ukraine planet;Companella star system; 20 parsecs from Sol.
Posts: 64

The plan!

Today's lesson: conquering the planet.
(I will accept two tipes of conquest: defiting a sole planet or defiting a planet included in an empire/federation/republic)

Step 1: Spying. First of all you must know the resourses/possibilities/tech level of the enemy
For examply Minbar could survive a siege or nuclear winter.
Step 2: "Sky is mine"
Our main goal is to gain air and space supiriority,if fighting an empire you should have a good fleet around in case of a counter-atack.
Step 3: "death from above"
Bombs,bombs,bombs.The most effective way is to bomb military bases, power plants and other infrastructural elements.If conquering a solo planet a siege is possible.
Step 4: "down we go!"
Invasion with the capture of key instalations.
Step 5:"We are the champions"
Brain wash to the local population, gain polilical control and influense, purchace of most rich and respected people of the local population.
End lesson.

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Registered: Apr 2002
Location: Kiev;New Ukraine planet;Companella star system; 20 parsecs from Sol.
Posts: 64

The plan!

Today's lesson: conquering the planet.
(I will accept two tipes of conquest: defiting a sole planet or defiting a planet included in an empire/federation/republic)

Step 1: Spying. First of all you must know the resourses/possibilities/tech level of the enemy
For examply Minbar could survive a siege or nuclear winter.
Step 2: "Sky is mine"
Our main goal is to gain air and space supiriority,if fighting an empire you should have a good fleet around in case of a counter-atack.
Step 3: "death from above"
Bombs,bombs,bombs.The most effective way is to bomb military bases, power plants and other infrastructural elements.If conquering a solo planet a siege is possible.
Step 4: "down we go!"
Invasion with the capture of key instalations.
Step 5:"We are the champions"
Brain wash to the local population, gain polilical control and influense, purchace of most rich and respected people of the local population.
End lesson.

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location:
Posts: 239

The last point sounds logical. To hold the planet it would be very useful, that you make the inhabitants think: "We are your friends and freed you from you babarian gouverment. Now all is better".

Last edited by -Norbert- on 06-28-2002 at 11:34 AM

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Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Vienna - Austria - Earth - Solar System - Milky Way
Posts: 120

The last point sounds logical. To hold the planet it would be very useful, that you make the inhabitants think: "We are your friends and freed you from you babarian gouverment. Now all is better".

Last edited by -Norbert- on 06-28-2002 at 11:34 AM

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