Operation Hound

Operation Hound
Part of the Khalistan campaign, Pan-Septentrion War
Date 21-22 September 1944 Location Strait of Portcullia Result Tactical Anglian victory Strategic Menghean victory
Belligerents
New Tyran	Greater Menghean Empire
Commanders and leaders
Charles Norton	Cho Sŭng-chŏl
Strength
2 battleships 1 aircraft carrier 1 heavy cruiser 3 light cruisers 8 destroyers	1 battleship 1 heavy cruiser 8 destroyers Multiple troop transports
Casualties and losses
1 light cruiser sunk 1 battleship damaged 1 heavy cruiser heavily damaged	1 battleship sunk 2 destroyers sunk 1 heavy cruiser sunk (undetermined)

Operation Hound was an Allied operation conducted by the Royal Navy during the Pan-Septentrion War, as part of the Khalistan campaign, that occured on 21 September 1944. The Royal Navy task force Force R led by Admiral Charles Norton, which included the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable, targetted Menghean transports leaving Khalistan. While the operation is largely considered a failure as only a small number of transports were actually destroyed, the Imperial Menghean Navy would lose the battleship Chŏngdo with Admiral Cho Sŭng-chŏl going down with the ship.

The operation included what was one of the last engagements between battleships in Septentrion.

Background

After the Imperial Menghean Navy suffered defeat at the Battle of Frederick's Point in May 1941, at the hands of the HCN, the Royal Navy saw an opportunity to fully liberate the Acheron Islands and use it to stage more sorties against the Imperial Menghean Navy, just as Admiral Charles Norton had done previously in mid 1938 until early 1940, when the ad-hoc task force based there was forced to withdraw to New Tyran after Menghean naval infantry launched an amphibious attack on the islands to shut down the naval and air base there.

In September 1941, a combined Crown Army and Royal Marine force reinforced the besieged garrison and after a four month campaign regained full control of the island chain. From there the Royal Navy could better protect its incoming convoys from IMN and IDN raids, helping tip the balance in the Khalistan and Naseristan campaigns.

In the middle of 1944, when the 14th Army under Field Marshall Richard Knight, began to push the Axis forces out of Khalistan, the IMA and IDA started to evacuate its forces that weren't trapped in encirclements. Admiral Charles Norton sortied from Acheron to try and prevent the evacuation from succeeding.