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The Siege of Augustgrad was one of the most important battles between the Dominion and the United Earth Directorate, which ended with the collapse of the Terran Dominion in its own throne world, Korhal IV.
History
Background
- See also: Battle of Korhal (Assault on Korhal)
After losing a major battle against UED forces near Augustgrad's outskirts, the Dominion not only lost a significant portion of its military arsenal and equipment on the planet, but also the defenses of its capital city were exposed to further attack. Moreover, with Dominion outlying garrisons engaged in battles elsewhere and the bulk of the UED fleet present in the siege of Korhal, the Dominion High Command was unable to bring up any reinforcements in time for the upcoming assault on the Emperor's palace. Still, Dominion deployed defenses and strength in the capital was still substantial, and UED officials recommended its ground commanders to advance with caution.
The Battle
After UED forces had established a forward operating base on the outskirts of the city, the Dominion attempted a limited counterattack with whatever remaining resources it still possessed. However, while initially impressive in scope, the Dominion strike was ultimately unable to prevent the arrival of even more UED reinforcements to the area. UED forces weathered the counterattack and made their advance to the capital city of Korhal.
Although the UED forces were outnumbered, the skills and forces of a UED captain overcame the most powerful Dominion defenses. After a heated and intense battle, UED forces reached the Emperor's palace's perimeter and destroyed it. Desperate, Mengsk tried to flee in his flagship, the Norad III, when he was intercepted by DuGalle's own flagship, the Aleksander. Mengsk prepared to surrender in exchange for his life, but DuGalle affirmed he would arrest and publicly execute Mengsk and his ranking officers.
However, before the UED could proceed to the arrest, a small protoss fleet led by the rebel battlecruiser Hyperion appeared and intercepted the UED flotilla. Jim Raynor contacted Mengsk, who was shocked by this sudden turn of events. Raynor assured Mengsk that he still wants revenge against him, but at the moment, he was to be brought to a mutual acquaintance of both of them. The protoss warped Raynor and Mengsk out of the reach of the UED.
Aftermath
The successful assault on Augustgrad resulted in the (at least temporarily) collapse of the Terran Dominion after a swift campaign, with the UED achieving a major tactical victory and establishing its base of operations on the former Dominion throne world. However, Mengsk's escape meant that the UED failed in its primary strategic objective of capturing the Dominion Emperor, who was still free and thus still posed a threat to UED schemes.
Notes
In StarCraft: Brood War, there are two versions of the mission: "Ground Zero" and "Birds of War", depending on the how the previous mission was completed. If the nuclear capabilities were destroyed, the Dominion uses battlecruisers in this mission; if the physics labs were destroyed, nuclear missiles are used instead.
In "Ground Zero", DuGalle comments that Augustgrad is "easily the most heavily fortified city in all of Dominion space". This comment is omitted for "Birds of War".
Also in "Ground Zero", DuGalle ends the briefing with "By the day's end, the Dominion will be nothing more than a bad memory." In "Birds of War" it's Stukov who ends the briefing with "Show this Emperor what the UED thinks of his rule."
Using the cheats "power overwhelming", "operation cwal", and "show me the money" inserts invincible burrowed zerg onto the map in "Ground Zero"; this is an easter egg.[citation needed]
References
- StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Fall (Birds of War) (in English). 1998.
- StarCraft: Brood War. Vivendi Games. Mission: Emperor's Fall (Ground Zero) (in English). 1998.