Launching from Starbase 375, the fleet would advance across the Bajoran sector and mount an assault to retake Deep Space 9 from Dominion hands. In the plan presented to Starfleet Command, Sisko proposed to assemble a task force composed of elements from the Second, Fifth, and Ninth fleets and reinforced by a large contingent of Klingon warships. In light of the situation, Captain Benjamin Sisko, commander of Deep Space 9 before its capture and then adjutant to Admiral William Ross, proposed a plan for the allies to launch a major offensive with the goals of recapturing the station, re-securing the wormhole, and forcing the Dominion to divert troops away from other theaters of action closer to the Federation homeworlds. Although Damar's team had little success in clearing the wormhole, it was considered only a matter of time before a means was found of destroying all of the mines. The Cardassians were not idle on Terok Nor during this period Glinn Damar, adjutant to Gul Dukat, was in charge of the operation to deactivate and destroy the minefield. In particular, the repetitive and unproductive succession of advances and retreats with little material gain was galling to many seasoned veterans of the Cardassian wars. Morale among both fleets was at an all-time low, presenting a serious problem for many unit commanders. In addition, the massive sabotage inflicted on DS9 as the Federation withdrew ensured that the station itself, known again under its former Cardassian name of Terok Nor, remained vulnerable to attack for several months while the Cardassians made repairs.īy the fifth month of fighting, both the Federation and Klingon fleet commanders were facing a crisis: aside from the initial victory at Torros III, ( DS9: " Call to Arms") the allies had not won a single major engagement without suffering major losses. The automated, self-replicating minefield deployed by the USS Defiant just prior to DS9's capture in 2373 remained intact and proved resistant to the Cardassians' attempts to destroy it this prevented any Jem'Hadar reinforcements from entering the Alpha Quadrant and joining the conflict. The status of Deep Space 9 and the Bajoran wormhole remained the sole positive note for the allies. The Federation and her Klingon allies were unquestionably losing the war. Out of the 112 ships in the Seventh Fleet involved in the battle, only 14 survived the fight at Tyra and made it back to Federation lines. In addition, Starfleet's few attempts to mount counteroffensives, such as the Seventh Fleet's attack on the Tyra system, were met with overwhelming losses. In the opening months of the war the Federation suffered an almost unbroken series of defeats at the hands of the Jem'Hadar, and showed little capability of stopping and turning back the Dominion's all-out offensive. – Weyoun and Dukat, 2373 (" Call to Arms") The recapture of Deep Space 9 proved to be an important victory for the Federation Alliance, enabling Starfleet to re-establish its forward operating base for operations in Cardassian space and temporarily setting back Dominion offensive operations. Though the self-replicating minefield the Starfleet crew had deployed just before abandoning the station was destroyed, reinforcements from the Gamma Quadrant vanished in the Bajoran Wormhole as a result of Prophet intervention, forcing the blindsided Terok Nor crew to retreat. Operation Return was the code-name for the combined counter-offensive of Starfleet and Klingon Defense Force fleets against Jem'Hadar and Cardassian military forces in the Bajoran sector, launched in mid- 2374, with the specific aim of recapturing Deep Space 9 and re-establishing control over the Bajoran Wormhole.ĭespite coming perilously close to defeat, the outnumbered Federation fleet was saved from destruction by a delayed task force of Klingon warships, resulting in the collapse of the Dominion lines and their subsequent withdrawal. – Captain Benjamin Sisko, 2374 (" Favor the Bold")
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