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{{sidebar military conflict
The '''Second Battle of Chin'toka''' marked the entry of the [[Breen Confederacy]] into the [[Dominion War]] in late [[2375]], in an attack against the [[Chin'toka system]], a territory of the [[Cardassian Union]] held by the forces of the [[Federation]], the [[Klingon Empire]], and the [[Romulan Star Empire]]. The battle was a major tactical defeat for the allies — and perhaps one of the most lopsided victories of the entire war, thanks to the use of the devastating and previously-unknown Breen [[energy dampening weapon]]. ([[DS9]]: "[[The Changing Face of Evil]]")
 
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| conflict name = Second Battle of Chin'toka
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| part of = the [[Dominion War]]
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| image = Dominion fleet at Chintoka.jpg
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| date = [[2375]]
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| location = [[Chin'toka system]]
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| result = Decisive [[Dominion]] victory<br />Chin'toka system retaken by Dominion
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<!-- combatant 1 -->
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| combatant1 = '''[[Federation Alliance]]'''
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:[[File:United Federation of Planets logo.svg|22px]] {{Federation}}<br />[[File:Klingon Empire logo.png|22px]] [[Klingon Empire]]<br />[[File:Romulan Star Empire logo.svg|22px]] [[Romulan Star Empire]]
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| commander1 = [[General]] [[Martok]]<br />{{Captain}} [[Benjamin Sisko]]
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| strength1 = 312 ships
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&ge;1 {{class|Defiant}} starship<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|Nebula}} starships<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|Steamrunner}} starships<br />
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&ge;1 {{class|Saber}} starship<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|Excelsior}} starships<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|Akira}} starships<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|Miranda}} starships<br />
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&ge;10 squadrons of [[Federation attack fighter]]s<br />
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&ge;5 {{class|D'deridex}} warbirds<br />
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&ge;4 {{class|Vor'cha}} attack cruisers<br />
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&ge;2 {{class|K't'inga}} battle cruisers<br />
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&ge;5 [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey|Klingon Birds-of-Prey]]<br />
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| losses1 = 311 ships destroyed or damaged beyond repair<br />Chin'toka system lost to Dominion
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| combatant2 = '''[[Breen-Dominion Alliance]]'''
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:[[File:Dominion logo.png|22px]] [[Dominion]]<br />[[File:Cardassian Union logo.png|18px]] [[Cardassian Union]]<br />[[File:Breen Confederacy logo.png|22px]] [[Breen Confederacy]]
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| commander2 = [[Weyoun 7|Weyoun]]<br />[[Thot]] [[Gor]]
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| strength2 = Unknown
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| losses2 = Unknown, very light, at least 4-5 Breen warships destroyed
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}}
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{{aquote|A step in the right direction.|[[Female Changeling]]|2375|The Changing Face of Evil}}
 
The '''Second Battle of Chin'toka''' marked the entry of the [[Breen Confederacy]] into the [[Dominion War]] in late-[[2375]], in a counter-attack against the [[Chin'toka system]], a territory of the [[Cardassian Union]] held by the forces of the [[Federation Alliance]].
   
  +
Aided by the energy-dampening weapon of the Breen warships, the Dominion inflicted the worst major tactical defeat upon the Federation Alliance; all but one of the 312 allied ships were destroyed in a rapid, but vicious engagement.
==Prelude==
 
Although the Federation had previous contact with the [[Breen]], for at least the last decade, very little solid information was known about them. Isolated behind their full-body [[refrigeration suit]]s, they remained shrouded in mystery, a mystery that was only enhanced by their isolationist policies. As a result, the Federation and its allies considered the Breen to be little more than a minor regional power.
 
   
  +
Though the defeat stunned the Federation Alliance, the Dominion could not follow up on their victory, as the [[Cardassian Rebellion]] occurred shortly thereafter, diverting vital Dominion resources from the front-lines.
[[Image:Second battle of chintoka.jpg |thumb|The combined enemy fleet.]]
 
In the second half of 2375, the Dominion was faced with the prospect of the war in the Alpha Quadrant dragging on for several more years their original plans projected their invasion of the Federation and the Klingon Empire to take six months at most. The [[Female Changeling]], suffering the degenerative effects of the [[morphogenic virus]], sought additional allies to swell the Dominion's numbers and bring a quicker end to the conflict. After the initial contact, the Breen very eagerly agreed to join the war on the side of the Dominion.
 
   
 
== Prelude ==
Within days, the Breen launched a massive offensive against the Federation territories. Most damaging in terms of destruction and morale was a bold attack against [[Starfleet Headquarters]] on [[Earth]] — the first time open combat had taken place on Earth in over 200 years. A short time later, the Breen launched a combined offensive with the [[Jem'Hadar]] and [[Cardassian]] forces on the Chin'toka System, the only allied foothold in Dominion territory.
 
 
The [[Federation]] had made contact with the [[Breen]] in the mid-[[2360s]], though very little solid information was known about them even a decade hence. Isolated behind their full-body [[refrigeration suit]]s, they remained shrouded in mystery, a mystery that was only enhanced by their isolationist policies. As a result, the governments of the [[Alpha Quadrant]] considered the Breen to be little more than a minor regional power.
   
 
By the second half of 2375, the [[Dominion]] was faced with the prospect of the war dragging on for several more [[year]]s &ndash; with their original plans having projected the invasion of the Federation and the [[Klingon Empire]] to only take six [[month]]s at most. The [[Female Changeling]], suffering the degenerative effects of the [[morphogenic virus]], sought additional allies to swell the Dominion's numbers and bring about a quicker end to the conflict. After their initial contact, the Breen eagerly agreed to join the war on the side of the Dominion. ({{DS9|Strange Bedfellows}})
==The Battle==
 
In their initial assault on the allied positions at Chin'toka, the Dominion forces broke through the lines in two places. As the Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen ships consolidated their position, Starfleet and its allies rallied their starships for a counterattack to drive the enemy fleet from the system, under the command of [[General]] [[Martok]] of the [[Klingon Defense Force]]s.
 
   
  +
The Chin'toka system was the chief allied foothold in Dominion territory at the time, taken during a [[First Battle of Chin'toka|previous battle]] against the [[Cardassian military|Cardassian]] and [[Jem'Hadar]] forces. But the Alliance's weakened supply line and its fragile war machine meant its hold on the system was problematic at best; Jem'Hadar forces were constantly attacking the Alliance's positions, and with the Alliance's inferior numbers, its hold on the system was tenuous. ({{DS9|Image in the Sand|The Siege of AR-558}})
[[Image:Second Battle of Chin'toka 2.jpg|thumb|left|The USS ''Defiant'' is hit by a Breen weapon.]]
 
   
  +
Within days of [[Breen-Dominion Alliance|their alliance]] with the Dominion, the Breen launched a massive offensive against Federation territories, including a [[Breen attack on Earth|bold attack]] against [[Starfleet Headquarters]] on [[Earth]] &ndash; the first time open combat had taken place on the [[planet]] in over two hundred years. ({{DS9|The Changing Face of Evil}})
Three hundred and twelve allied ships advanced on the combined Dominion fleet, and immediately opened fire in a massive volley as they entered weapons range. The Breen warships took heavy damage, and several were destroyed, but the rest launched a barrage of a totally unknown form of energy weapon. Inexplicably, nearly every allied ship was engulfed in a massive energy-draining field, drifting on emergency power only. (See: [[Energy dampening weapon]])
 
   
  +
The Dominion was resolved to re-take Chin'toka with a combined assault of Breen, Jem'Hadar, and [[Cardassian]] forces. With the bulk of the Dominion's forces already engaged on the [[Romulan]] front, the Breen would play the most important part in re-taking the system.
[[Image:Second Battle of Chin'toka 3.jpg|thumb|The wreckage of the allied fleet.]]
 
Adrift and powerless, their [[deflector shields]] inactive, the allied fleet became easy targets for destruction by conventional weaponry. Ship after ship exploded under [[plasma torpedo]] attack, many with all hands aboard. The [[USS Defiant (NX-74205)|''Defiant'']] was among the ships destroyed. Strangely, as the few remaining ships managed to launch [[escape pod]]s, the Female Changeling, overseeing the battle, ordered that the survivors be allowed to flee. She pointed out that the survivors would report back the story of the complete and utter defeat and spread fear among the rest of the allied fleets.
 
   
 
== The Battle ==
The allied escape pods were picked up by emergency rescue ships dispatched from the small reserve force that had held back at the edge of the system, and the survivors quickly retreated to Federation-held space.
 
 
The Dominion forces managed to break through the Allied lines in two places at Chin'toka, outflanking allied defenses. The Dominion fleet re-took the planets in the system, as the allied fleet withdrew. The Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen ships consolidated their position while [[Starfleet]] and its allies rallied their starships for a counterattack to drive the enemy fleet from the system, under the command of [[General]] [[Martok]] of the [[Klingon Defense Force]]s. A total of 312 allied warships were rallied to take on the Dominion fleet. The Allied fleet charged into the system, resolved to destroy the enemy with brute force.
   
 
[[File:USS Defiant hit by energy dissipator.jpg|thumb|left|The {{USS|Defiant|2370}} is hit by the Breen energy dissipator]]
==Aftermath==
 
  +
As the Allied fleet entered the system, they destroyed several Breen warships. The Breen retaliated by firing a volley of a [[energy dissipator|new kind]] of energy weapon, which, to the Allies' shock, completely disabled all of their ships' primary systems. The allies were now adrift and easy targets with their [[deflector shield]]s inactive, primary computer systems offline, and their weapons disabled.
The impact of the Second Battle of Chin'toka cannot be overstated. It was a massive reversal for the allies, effectively ending all offensives against the Dominion for the next month, while engineers scrambled to develop a countermeasure. Although Klingon ships quickly developed a defense, thanks to a chance modification made to the [[IKS Ki'tang|IKS ''Ki'tang'']], a [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey]], the Federation and Romulan fleets were left vulnerable — and the Klingons were left to fight the war on their own, outnumbered twenty to one. ([[DS9]]: "[[When It Rains...]]")
 
   
  +
[[File:USS Defiant destroyed.jpg|thumb|The destruction of the USS ''Defiant'']]
It was extremely fortunate, therefore, that the [[Cardassian Rebellion]], led by [[Legate]] [[Damar]], launched its first attack on the Dominion's Vorta cloning center on [[Rondac III]] at about the same time. A majority of the energies the Dominion would have devoted towards an all-out invasion of the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan space instead had to be focused on quashing the uprising. This bought the allies precious weeks to develop an effective countermeasure and gave them a chance to organize their forces for a single, coordinated strike against the center of the Dominion in the [[Battle of Cardassia]] two months later. ([[DS9]]: "[[Tacking Into the Wind]]", "[[What You Leave Behind]]")
 
  +
The Breen ships switched to conventional weapons, and targeted the now defenseless Alliance fleet with their torpedoes. The entire allied fleet was totally vulnerable, unable to even take evasive action or fire back. Ship after ship was destroyed or rendered uninhabitable after volleys of destructive torpedo fire. Unable to retaliate, the survivors aboard the heavily damaged allied ships launched their [[escape pod]]s in a desperate bid to flee the carnage. The Dominion leadership allowed the pods to escape, believing that the survivors would spread fear throughout the Alliance with tales of the destruction at Chin'toka. With the Allied warships destroyed, the Dominion re-took the system. ({{DS9|The Changing Face of Evil|When It Rains...}})
   
 
== Aftermath ==
{{DWB}}
 
  +
The Second Battle of Chin'toka was arguably the worst defeat suffered by the Allies throughout the war. In terms of starships lost to ships engaged, it was the worst defeat since the Federation's reversal in the Tyra system, in which 98 ships were destroyed out of 112. The battle ended all allied offensives against the Dominion for the next month, while allied engineers scrambled to develop a countermeasure. The {{IKS|Ki'tang}}, a [[Klingon Bird-of-Prey]], was the only allied ship impervious to the Breen's energy dampening weapons, thanks to a chance modification made by its chief engineer.
   
  +
The entire Klingon fleet made the same enhancements, making them the only allied ships resistant to the Breen's weapons. The Federation and [[Romulan military|Romulan]] fleets, however, were left vulnerable, leading to them being temporarily withdrawn from the front lines. General Martok brought 1,500 Klingon ships up to the front to fight the war while the Allies found a countermeasure; however they were pitted against no less than 30,000 Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen warships, outnumbered twenty to one. ({{DS9|When It Rains...}})
{{featured}}
 
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[[de:Zweite Schlacht von Chin'toka]]
 
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The Alliance was given precious time to develop a countermeasure due to the formation of the [[Cardassian Liberation Front]], led by [[Legate]] [[Damar]]. Its first assault on the Dominion's [[Vorta]] [[cloning facility]] on [[Rondac III]] caused the Dominion to re-focus its offensive energies to defeating the rebellion, costing them the opportunity of launching an offensive into Allied territory. This bought the allies enough time to develop a countermeasure with help from Damar's resistance cell, though the rebellion was all but annihilated when the Dominion destroyed eighteen Cardassian bases. The Allied fleets, now resistant to the main advantage the Dominion had, were able to organize their forces for a single, destructive blow to the Dominion at the [[Battle of Cardassia]] two months later. ({{DS9|Tacking Into the Wind|What You Leave Behind}})
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{{Dominion War battles}}
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==External link==
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* {{mbeta}}
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[[bg:Втора битка за Чин'тока]]
 
[[de:Dritte Schlacht von Chin'toka]]
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[[ja:第二次チントカ星系の戦い]]
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[[nl:Tweede slag om Chin'toka]]
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[[Category:Conflicts|Chin'toka, Second Battle of]]

Revision as of 10:02, 15 February 2020

"A step in the right direction."

The Second Battle of Chin'toka marked the entry of the Breen Confederacy into the Dominion War in late-2375, in a counter-attack against the Chin'toka system, a territory of the Cardassian Union held by the forces of the Federation Alliance.

Aided by the energy-dampening weapon of the Breen warships, the Dominion inflicted the worst major tactical defeat upon the Federation Alliance; all but one of the 312 allied ships were destroyed in a rapid, but vicious engagement.

Though the defeat stunned the Federation Alliance, the Dominion could not follow up on their victory, as the Cardassian Rebellion occurred shortly thereafter, diverting vital Dominion resources from the front-lines.

Prelude

The Federation had made contact with the Breen in the mid-2360s, though very little solid information was known about them even a decade hence. Isolated behind their full-body refrigeration suits, they remained shrouded in mystery, a mystery that was only enhanced by their isolationist policies. As a result, the governments of the Alpha Quadrant considered the Breen to be little more than a minor regional power.

By the second half of 2375, the Dominion was faced with the prospect of the war dragging on for several more years – with their original plans having projected the invasion of the Federation and the Klingon Empire to only take six months at most. The Female Changeling, suffering the degenerative effects of the morphogenic virus, sought additional allies to swell the Dominion's numbers and bring about a quicker end to the conflict. After their initial contact, the Breen eagerly agreed to join the war on the side of the Dominion. (DS9: "Strange Bedfellows")

The Chin'toka system was the chief allied foothold in Dominion territory at the time, taken during a previous battle against the Cardassian and Jem'Hadar forces. But the Alliance's weakened supply line and its fragile war machine meant its hold on the system was problematic at best; Jem'Hadar forces were constantly attacking the Alliance's positions, and with the Alliance's inferior numbers, its hold on the system was tenuous. (DS9: "Image in the Sand", "The Siege of AR-558")

Within days of their alliance with the Dominion, the Breen launched a massive offensive against Federation territories, including a bold attack against Starfleet Headquarters on Earth – the first time open combat had taken place on the planet in over two hundred years. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil")

The Dominion was resolved to re-take Chin'toka with a combined assault of Breen, Jem'Hadar, and Cardassian forces. With the bulk of the Dominion's forces already engaged on the Romulan front, the Breen would play the most important part in re-taking the system.

The Battle

The Dominion forces managed to break through the Allied lines in two places at Chin'toka, outflanking allied defenses. The Dominion fleet re-took the planets in the system, as the allied fleet withdrew. The Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen ships consolidated their position while Starfleet and its allies rallied their starships for a counterattack to drive the enemy fleet from the system, under the command of General Martok of the Klingon Defense Forces. A total of 312 allied warships were rallied to take on the Dominion fleet. The Allied fleet charged into the system, resolved to destroy the enemy with brute force.

File:USS Defiant hit by energy dissipator.jpg

The USS Defiant is hit by the Breen energy dissipator

As the Allied fleet entered the system, they destroyed several Breen warships. The Breen retaliated by firing a volley of a new kind of energy weapon, which, to the Allies' shock, completely disabled all of their ships' primary systems. The allies were now adrift and easy targets with their deflector shields inactive, primary computer systems offline, and their weapons disabled.

USS Defiant destroyed

The destruction of the USS Defiant

The Breen ships switched to conventional weapons, and targeted the now defenseless Alliance fleet with their torpedoes. The entire allied fleet was totally vulnerable, unable to even take evasive action or fire back. Ship after ship was destroyed or rendered uninhabitable after volleys of destructive torpedo fire. Unable to retaliate, the survivors aboard the heavily damaged allied ships launched their escape pods in a desperate bid to flee the carnage. The Dominion leadership allowed the pods to escape, believing that the survivors would spread fear throughout the Alliance with tales of the destruction at Chin'toka. With the Allied warships destroyed, the Dominion re-took the system. (DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains...")

Aftermath

The Second Battle of Chin'toka was arguably the worst defeat suffered by the Allies throughout the war. In terms of starships lost to ships engaged, it was the worst defeat since the Federation's reversal in the Tyra system, in which 98 ships were destroyed out of 112. The battle ended all allied offensives against the Dominion for the next month, while allied engineers scrambled to develop a countermeasure. The IKS Ki'tang, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey, was the only allied ship impervious to the Breen's energy dampening weapons, thanks to a chance modification made by its chief engineer.

The entire Klingon fleet made the same enhancements, making them the only allied ships resistant to the Breen's weapons. The Federation and Romulan fleets, however, were left vulnerable, leading to them being temporarily withdrawn from the front lines. General Martok brought 1,500 Klingon ships up to the front to fight the war while the Allies found a countermeasure; however they were pitted against no less than 30,000 Jem'Hadar, Cardassian, and Breen warships, outnumbered twenty to one. (DS9: "When It Rains...")

The Alliance was given precious time to develop a countermeasure due to the formation of the Cardassian Liberation Front, led by Legate Damar. Its first assault on the Dominion's Vorta cloning facility on Rondac III caused the Dominion to re-focus its offensive energies to defeating the rebellion, costing them the opportunity of launching an offensive into Allied territory. This bought the allies enough time to develop a countermeasure with help from Damar's resistance cell, though the rebellion was all but annihilated when the Dominion destroyed eighteen Cardassian bases. The Allied fleets, now resistant to the main advantage the Dominion had, were able to organize their forces for a single, destructive blow to the Dominion at the Battle of Cardassia two months later. (DS9: "Tacking Into the Wind", "What You Leave Behind")

External link