Battle of Granicus

The Battle of Granicus was a Imperial defensive campaign that occurred in 999.M41 and was fought against the encroaching menace of the Tyranid Hive Fleet Granicus, an offshoot of a tendril of the infamous Hive Fleet Leviathan, which was eradicated earlier at Tasis Ultra. This battle was an immense undertaking, spearheaded by the majority of the proud and fierce Ash Scorpions Space Marine Chapter which committed eight whole companies to the conflict.

History
The Hive Fleet was first identified by the telltale signs of Tyranid Activity on  Several Worlds in the Ultima Segmentum and by 999.M41, it was determined that a small but significant Hive Fleet was headed for the Granicus System. Lord Commander Corvo was given overall Command of the Imperial Forces and decided to make his stand on the agri-world of Granicus V. Granicus V was an almost perfect world to fight the Tyranids as it possesed just one major city with high walls surrounded by flat open spaces that gave the Tyranids no cover or places to hide. When the Hive Fleet appeared on the edge of the system the Imperial Navy forces were waiting and immediately engaged the Tyranids in a great void battle.

The massive hive ships were the main target and two of the three bio-ships were destroyed before the Imperial forces pulled back to enable the Hive Fleet to move further in-system. This was done because there were no worlds between it, and Granicus V, and so there was no chance for the Tyranids to recover their losses. Lord Corvo was well aware of the tactics used at Tarsis Ultra and repeated them at Granicus. The Tyranids were allowed to fire mycetic spores at the world while the orbital lasers remained silent, but allowed the torpedo silos to fire at will. With the fighting now raging on the surface, the Imperial Navy attacked again in order to draw the Hive Ships screen back into orbit, just as had been done at Tarsis Ultra, but the Tyranid Forces did not follow what had happened at Tarsis Ultra, and the screening forces remained in position, but it was a futile effort as there were just not enough Tyranid ships to defend from orbit and from the surface lasers. Finally the last hive ship was destroyed, sending the Tyranid forces into panic as their synaptic-gestalt link to the Hive Mind was severed. After that, the campaign became a simple 'mopping up' operation. With the fighting over, the study of the many corpses of Tyranid bioforms confirmed that they were indeed a part of Hive Fleet Leviathan and not a new fleet.

Adeptus Astartes

 * Ash Scorpions - (8 Companies) ~ 1 Battle Barge, 6 Strike Cruisers, 13 Escorts

Astra Militarum Regiments

 * Valhallan Ice Warriors - (2 Under-Strength Regiments - About 3,000 Men - 200 Vehicles)

Local Planetary Defence Forces

 * Planetary Defence Force - Granicus Home Guard (7 Companies - About 4000 Men)

Imperial Navy

 * Imperial Navy - 1 Mars Class Battlecruiser, 1 Front-Line Cruiser Squadron, 2 Light Cruiser Squadrons, 2 Escort Squadrons