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The Tau Empire came into contact with the Imperium in the middle of the 41st millennium. A Tau colony ship entered the Devlan system. System defence ships detected the arrival of an alien vessel which didn’t halt at the designated checkpoints, and immediately attacked. The alien vessel fled but was unable to make good it’s escape as Imperial Navy vessels summoned by the Planetary governor engaged the ship at the system’s edge and destroyed it. Adeptus Mechanicus Genetors discovered the genetic samples taken from the corpses matched those of the primitive xenos discovered six thousand years ago by Lands Vision.
At the same time, Rogue Traders made contact with several outlying Tau sept worlds, and began trade between these worlds and Imperial settlements on the Eastern Fringe. Alarmed by the rapid development of this xenos race and the threat of alien contamination, Cardinal Esau Gurney of Brimlock called for a crusade to be dispatched to purge the xenos, launching the Damocles Gulf Crusade almost a century later.

The Damocles Gulf Crusade

This Crusade was a military action typical of the Eastern Fringe before the arrival of the Tyranid Hive Fleets.
The Crusade was based around a dozen capital ships, five provisional companies of space marines made up of contingents from a dozen chapters, and nineteen regiments of Imperial Guard, seven of them from Brimlock.
The first move was towards the Timbra sub-sector where human colonists had co-existed with the aliens. The Crusade first reasserted Imperial rule in the Garrus and Kleist colonies before moving on into the uninhabited Hydrass system.

First Contact:
Fleet Action In The Hydrass System.

Seven Tau warships of approximately cruiser displacement were detected on the edge of the system. The Crusade fleet attacked immediately, but found the Tau ships to be capable of launching powerful torpedo salvoes at extremely long range, breaking up the Imperial formation. A Space Marine Strike Cruiser supported by a squadron of Sword class frigates made the decisive attack. Getting inside the Tau formation, they inflicted heavy damage and discovered Tau ships lacked substantial broadside firepower.
The Tau launched more escorts as a screen while they disengaged. One Tau ship was unable to withdraw and exploded while the crew was in the process of abandoning the craft.

Ground War:
The Landing on Sy’L’Kell

The Sy’l’kell system contained an apparently fertile agri-world with a population estimated at seven million Tau. It was defended by an orbital station, a number of system ships and the remnants of the Tau fleet encountered at Hydrass. The Crusader council of war appointed Captain Rumann of the Iron Hands to take overall command of the Planetary assault. The Imperial fleet closed quickly, pounding the orbital station as they approached. It’s armaments were not as extensive as had been feared, and the Iron Hands boarded it. The Tau fleet disengaged almost immediately and was not seriously damaged. It was conjectured that they were evacuating key personnel from the planet rather then defending it. The Iron Hands quickly overwhelmed the orbital station’s defenders and dutifully cleansed it with flame. It was to serve as Imperial headquarters for the ground assault.

Space Marines from the Scythes of the Emperor established a landing zone and the 17th Brimlock Dragoons were landed to provide heavy support. The Tau response was swift and consisted of an extremely well-equipped mechanised infantry formation with armoured support. The Tau grav-tank, designated as the Hammerhead, appeared to be a close match for the Leman Russ, and the Tau proved most adept at supporting their armour with infantry. The dragoons suffered heavy losses when enemy infantry wearing heavy jump armour ambushed them in rolling ground. Only swift intervention from the 4th Stormtrooper Company and the Scythes of the Emperor averted a massacre.

While the crusade pushed ever nearer Sy’l’kell’s population centres, the Tau evacuated the most qualified workers and dismantled any advanced technology. When the 9th Brimlock Fusiliers were landed, the Tau resistance crumbled and all objectives were quickly attained. The planet was duly cleansed.

The Purging Of Viss’el

While arrangements were made to cross the Damocles Gulf to the Imperial designated sub-sector of Kendral, an expeditionary force was sent to deal with the Tau presence in the Viss’el system. Early reconnaissance had revealed the sixth planet to be an ice covered water world on which the Tau had established fishery colonies. As no great strategic benefit was evident to controlling the planet, it was subjected to orbital bombardment, melting the ice around the main colonies and destroying them.

The Dal’yth Campaign

Stage 1:
Near Disaster At Pra’yen

After a five month journey across the Gulf, the Crusade arrived in the Dal'yth system within the Kendral sub-sector. The outermost planet, Pra'yen, was protected by an orbital station and was clearly intended to provide the first line of system defence. The fleet approach was too casual, assuming the station to be no more dangerous then that already encountered. It proved to be much more formidable, mounting an array of heavy railguns whose first volley crippled the Honour of Damlass. The fleet broke formation just as eleven Tau ships emerged from behind Pra’yen. The fleet escorts attacked the orbital station while the main fleet swung towards the Tau ships. The Tau fleet concentrated its Torpedo salvoes against the Regent Lakshimbai, a Dauntless class light cruiser, which resisted superbly until a lucky shot caused a massive bulkhead collapse which in turn triggered a plasma drive overload, destroying the ship with all hands. Arriving piecemeal, the Imperial ships gradually won the advantage, although on this occasion the Tau fought on despite taking horrendous punishment.

The escorts suffered heavy losses fighting the Tau orbital station. As soon as they were closely engaged, though, the last piece of the Tau trap was put into place.
Appearing from nowhere after suddenly powering up, a kroot warsphere steered directly for the Imperial transports. The flotilla had no choice but to scatter. Fortunately the huge Kroot hulk was slow and its guns short-ranged, but its sheer size seemed certain to eradicate the crusade.

Salvation came in the form of Admiral Jallaque’s flagship, the Blade Of Woe, a retribution class battleship. Leaving the rest of the fleet to finish off the Tau warships, the Admiral had turned about, planning to help the escorts when the warsphere arrived.
Accelerating to maximum power, the great ship overtook the lumbering warsphere and turned across its path. From the first exchange it was clear that the Blade Of Woe carried the greater weight and its salvoes systematically ripped the warsphere apart.

The crusading fleet had won a truly pyrrhic victory. Although the warsphere, Tau fleet and orbital station were destroyed, it was at a cost of four capital ships and fourteen escorts. The Tau ambush had come very close to succeeding and brought a new respect for the Tau to the Imperial fleet.

Stage 2:
Stalemate At Dal’yth Prime

Although some amongst the crusade’s command advocated turning back, the lure of a major Tau world lying ahead was too tempting. Dal'yth prime was protected by three orbital stations and, after recent experience, these were approached very cautiously. None proved to be heavily gunned though, and were destroyed at leisure.

Expecting a new Tau fleet at any time, the ground assault quickly commenced. The eastern seaboard of the largest continent was selected as the target. Protected to the north by mountains and to the east by the sea, a short advance south-west put the invasion force before the first number of cities forming a conurbation along the coastline.

The drop was contested by large numbers of Tau flyers but was eventually successful. The full force of the crusade was finally deployed and the invasion began.
The local road network was excellent and the advance neared the Tau city of Gel’bryn before a defensive line was formed.

With Titans and armoured formations as the spearhead, the crusade ploughed relentlessly toward the city. As they advanced though, enemy missiles, fired from beyond hills and woods, started to inflict heavy losses. Units were detached to drive back the Tau spotters, but these were in turn engaged by Tau jump troops equipped with cloaking fields. Gradually the coherency of the attacking wedge was broken up until, by the time they reached the outskirts of Gel’bryn, there were three spearheads pushing forward ahead of the main force. One of these was made up of Titans of the Legio Thanataris. This was countered by Tau Manta Missile Destroyers, the same craft that had been launched in the earlier space battles from Tau warships. The second spearhead was predominantly veteran light infantry of the Rakarshan Rifles, whose intelligent use of cover had thus far kept them out of harms way. They were countered by the emergence of a host of Kroot warriors on the rooftops and within the buildings of Gel’bryn. The third was a detachment of crusading Space Marines consisting of brethren from the Iron Hands, the Ultramarines and the Scythes of the Emperor. These the Tau countered with their own finest – their heavy jump troops. The timely Tau counter-attacks stalled the momentum of the Imperial advance and the front stabilised on the line of a broad river some twenty miles north of Gel’bryn.