The Battle of Hosnian Prime was a major battle fought on the Core Worlds planet Hosnian Prime during the final year of the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Separatist Marshal General Yosip Zagoonga launched an assault on the heavily populated planet with the goal of intimidating the Republic into submission by striking at the Core Worlds. The Droid Army attack on the ground was stalled however, and many capital ships gathered in a standoff above Hosnian Prime.
A stalemate occurred for several days, lasting until a strike team from the 96th Legion infiltrated the Separatist command ship Queen of Independence and destroyed it from within. This loss resulted in less coordination between Separatist forces, so they suffered heavy losses on the ground and in space. Zagoonga then withdrew his remaining forces from the Hosnian system, ending the battle in a Republic victory.
Prelude[]
Hosnian Prime
During the Clone Wars fought between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, the urban planet Hosnian Prime was well protected like other Republic planets in the Core Worlds. Hosnian Prime was not of significant strategic value, but was very supportive of the Republic and had large manufacturing capabilities. Almost all Hosnians believed that a Separatist attack would never actually happen.
By 19 BBY, the Outer Rim Sieges had begun and the Republic was winning the war and had pushed the Separatists to the brink in the Outer Rim Territories. Supreme Martial Commander of the Separatist Droid Armies General Grievous launched a swift counter-offensive in the Outer Rim, so Jedi Generals and clone armies were deployed to contain the Separatist advance.
Confederate Marshal General Yosip Zagoonga was ordered by Grievous to attack Hosnian Prime while Republic forces were drawn out into the Outer Rim. Zagoonga did not expect to be able to invade and hold Hosnian Prime, but believed the point of the attack would be to scare the Republic by striking at the Core Worlds and causing as much damage as possible, ideally pushing the Galactic Senate to pursuing a treaty with the Confederacy.
Zagoonga was given hyperspace routes that were poorly secured, allowing all of Task Group Xeron to travel through Republic space undetected. To further draw away Republic attention, Admiral Dua Ningo put up significant resistance at the Third Battle of Sullust, forcing the Republic to send many ships and clone troopers to Sullust.
The battle[]
Separatist attack[]
Marshal General Zagoonga arrived with Task Group Xeron, consisting of two Lucrehulk-class Battleships including the Queen of Independence, three Providence-class Dreadnoughts, ten Recusant-class light destroyers including the Pride of Frenzan, and twelve Munificent-class star frigates. The few Republic warships guarding Hosnian Prime were destroyed or retreated, allowing General Zagoonga to begin deploying C-9979 landing craft loaded with battle droids and ground vehicles of Army Group FZM.
However, the 96th Legion, who had been fighting directly against Zagoonga for most of the war, soon arrived with multiple Venator-class Star Destroyers and Acclamator-class transgalactic military assault ships, and several thousand clone troopers were deployed to the surface. Hosnian law enforcement and civilians supported the clones.
The two fleets kept their distance, and General Zagoonga went to the surface of Hosnian Prime to lead the droid army himself, trusting his ST-series super tactical droid Porax to command the fleet.
Due to large numbers on both sides, fighting on Hosnian Prime continued for a few more days with little progress, and additional starships of the Republic Navy arrived.
Infiltration of the Queen of Independence[]
Eventually, the 96th Legion organized a strike team including Jedi Master Jon Ternath, Padawan Jedaana Lokka, Clone Commander CC-3527, and a clone commando squad to infiltrate the Queen of Independence. When the Republic fleet was reinforced by the Maelstrom-class battle cruiser Scylla, they began an assault against the Separatists, and the strike team landed in the Queen of Independence's core ship.
Porax was informed by a droid on the bridge that there were clones and Jedi in the lower levels, so he decided to deal with them in person and took a large force of battle droids with him. The tactical droid was able to delay the strike team, but he was killed by General Ternath.
The strike team planted thermal detonators around the reactor, escaped the battleship, and detonated the explosives. The thermal detonators severely damaged the reactor, causing a chain reaction that obliterated the Queen of Independence. The Scylla then destroyed the other Lucrehulk-class Battleship.
Separatist retreat[]
With both battleships destroyed, there were no more Central Control Computers to coordinate droid forces on the ground. Marshal General Zagoonga struggled to coordinate his droid forces, and many organic officers under his command were killed. Zagoonga reluctantly decided to retreat to the Recusant-class light destroyer Pride of Frenzan and pull all remaining forces out in disgrace, ending the battle in a Republic victory.
Aftermath[]
Zagoonga completely failed in his objective of causing significant damage to Hosnian Prime and the Republic Military. His actions did not result in any Republic support for making peace with the Confederacy, and only served to increase hatred against the CIS. After the battle, Zagoonga went to the Separatist fortress world of Quadan VI, where a prolonged siege began. Dooku and Grievous never intended for the Battle of Hosnian Prime to result in a CIS victory; it was only to test how the Separatists could infiltrate the Core Worlds and how the Republic would respond. This knowledge was meant to be used for the Battle of Coruscant that occurred several weeks later.