The Battle of Foless was a major battle fought over control of the urban Colonies planet Foless during the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems. In 21 BBY, Separatist Marshal General Yosip Zagoonga attacked Foless in an attempt to gain Confederate territory closer to the Core Worlds. The Foless Security Force along with substantial Republic Army and Navy forces resisted the invasion.
This led to the battle lasting a few weeks, with close-quarters urban combat inflicting high casualties on both sides. Confederate reinforcements were eventually cut off, leading to a Republic victory. The Battle of Foless had significantly depleted Zagoonga's forces, and the Republic took advantage of this by launching Operation Armbreaker shortly after the battle, a major offensive in the southern regions of the galaxy.
Prelude[]
Gaining control over Foless will be an excellent achievement for the Confederacy. We'll keep striking at the heart of the Republic until they finally give up and recognize our independence.
—Yosip Zagoonga
Foless was an ecumenopolis world situated in the Colonies region. It was located along the Corellian Trade Spine, one of the most important hyperlanes in the galaxy, as well as the Shipwrights' Trace. The planet remained firmly under the control of the Galactic Republic at the beginning of the Clone Wars.
In the first half of the war, Marshal General Yosip Zagoonga, who led the 39th Region Army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems, scored a number of number of victories, including the Battle of Jakol in 21 BBY. Jakol was located very close to Foless, and Zagoonga eventually decided to attempt an ambitious invasion of the planet. He knew it would be a high-risk move, but if successful, the Separatists would gain control over a major hyperlane intersection near the Core of the Republic. This would allow them to launch numerous attacks on other Republic systems, which Zagoonga believed would pressure the Republic into ending the war by giving the CIS independence.
However, the Republic anticipated such an attack, warning the Foless Security Force prepare. The FSF was a very powerful planetary defense force, but it was not expected that it would be able to fight off an entire Confederate fleet. Thus, Battle Group Iota-4 led by Admiral Enrit Falor was sent to defend in case of an attack.
The battle[]
Space battle and landing[]
Marshal General Zagoonga arrived at the Foless system with the entirety of Task Group Xeron, which had reached its peak size of around 150 capital ships. A massive space battle began, but the Republic soon pulled back once it became clear they were outgunned and outmatched. CIS forces were subsequently sent down in landing craft, protected by swarms of droid starfighters, to the surface of Foless.
Urban combat[]
The 96th Legion led by Jedi General Jon Ternath, Jedi Commander Jedaana Lokka, and Clone Commander CC-3527 was the first clone trooper unit on the ground, defending the planet alongside members of the Foless Security Force. Evacuation efforts were organized to get civilians out of combat areas. Several other Grand Army of the Republic legions soon arrived as reinforcements, while millions of battle droids were deployed as well in successive waves.
The urban environment of Foless and the immense scale of the battle inflicted heavy casualties on both sides and caused massive destruction to the cityscape. The tactics used by the Republic proved to be more successful, as they frequently carried out ambushes that crippled droid forces.
Changing tide[]
Concurrent to the Battle of Foless, Coruscant's power grid was bombed by demolition droids, causing the Galactic Senate to reject the peace initiative and pursue a more focused war against the Separatists. Additionally, Yosip Zagoonga's wife Varazoti Sazookla was killed by the Republic during an ambush after she went on a diplomatic mission.
These events led to increased aggression from both sides at the Battle of Foless. Zagoonga sent all hisHyena bombers to bomb targets indiscriminately, leading to high civilian casualties and the devastation of much of the planet. He also ordered his forces to use more belligerent tactics, although this ultimately failed as only more droids were lost.
Although the situation in space remained a stalemate for a few weeks, the Republic Navy was able to disrupt Confederate supply lines to Foless, putting Zagoonga's forces at a severe disadvantage. More Republic reinforcements began arriving as well, including the 87th Sentinel Corps which specialized in urban warfare.
Confederate retreat[]
Weeks into the battle, Admiral Falor's battle group launched an all-out assault on Task Group Xeron from multiple directions. At the same time, the Republic closed in on the last Separatist holdings on the ground. Realizing that the battle was lost, Zagoonga decided to order a retreat. Only about 10% of CIS forces on the surface managed to survive and get back to the capital ships they originally came from.
The Republic Navy destroyed half of the entire Confederate fleet present in the Foless system by the time all of Zagoonga's ships had jumped into hyperspace. With this, the Republic had achieved a costly but major victory.
Aftermath[]
Many legions of clone troopers along with local security forces fought valiantly to keep Foless free from the Separatist Alliance. Many lives were lost to the wrath of General Four-Arms, but with their sacrifice, the Republic will unite and push forward to destroy the forces of evil and restore peace to the galaxy!
—Republic HoloNet report after the battle
Marshal General Zagoonga and his forces never completely recovered from the Battle of Foless, and had to go on the defensive for the first time. The Republic meanwhile received billions of additional clone troopers and a significant increase in military spending, causing the tide of the war to gradually shift in the Republic's favor.
Now having the upper hand, multiple Republic Sector Armies in the southern regions of the galaxy coordinated to launch Operation Armbreaker, aimed at pushing the Confederacy into the Outer Rim Territories. A year later, all territorial gains made by the 39th Region Army earlier in the Clone Wars were undone, and the Outer Rim Sieges began.