Dominion War

The Dominion War was a conflict fought between the Federation Alliance and the Dominion in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants from 2373 to 2375. The war was fought by the Dominion to extend the will of the Founders over the two quadrants, while the alliance battled to remain free from Dominion influence.

Prelude
After a three year campaign to weaken the major Alpha quadrant powers the Dominion managed to gain a significant foothold in the quadrant after striking a deal with Gul Dukat that resulted in the Cardassian Union joining the Dominion. With a base of operations in the Alpha Quadrant the Dominion started to send large convoys of warships and troops to secure their new dominion and prepare for the inevitable war against the Federation and Klingon Empire. 

In an effort to halt the build up of Dominion forces the Federation took drastic measures. With approval from Starfleet Command Captain Benjamin Sisko mined the Alpha Quadrant side of the Bajoran wormhole cutting the vital supply line between the Dominion's presence in the Cardassian union and its industrial base in the Gamma Quadrant. 

The Dominion war begins
The opening battle occurred at Deep Space 9 when the Dominion fleet attacked the Federation run starbase to stop the completion of the minefield. At the same time a joint Starfleet-Klingon Defense Force task force crossed into the union and attacked the shipyards at Torros III. The results were a victory for each attacking side, however the Federation come out better in the two engagements with the minefield completed and a larger number of Dominion vessels destroyed. (: "Deployment")

The Dominion went immediately onto the offensive extending their borders. At the same time Starfleet continued to reinforce its positions to defend against the Dominion. (: "Deployment", "The Front")

The opening months of the war were not positive for the Federation and Klingons. While they won several minor engagements the bulk of the larger engagements resulted in Dominion victories. The Dominion's aggressive tactics and its willingness to throw everything into its engagements with little concern for the loss of life (including that of civilians) managed to push the Federation and Klingon forces further back into their own territories. (: "The Front", "Regression", "Over the Horizon", "The Big E")

Three months into the war the morale for the Federation and Klingons was low with the constant retreats and high losses such as those suffered by the Seventh Fleet at the Battle of Tyra. (: "Pressure Points")

This low morale would finally be turned around with Operation Return. In a crucial victory for the allies they not only routed a numerically superior Dominion fleet but they regained Deep Space 9 and effectively ended any hopes of Gamma Quadrant reinforcements for the Dominion forces for the rest of the war. (: "Rode the 600")

The war entered a brief lull as the Dominion reorganised after losing Deep Space 9. During this time the Dominion approached the Federation for a diplomatic settlement to the war, which would prove to be a ploy. After the negotiations failed the tempo of the war increased. (: "No Rest for the Wicked")

The Dominion fleet won a crucial victory in the Battle of Betazed late in 2374. This victory was a big loss to the Federation as well as placing several important core worlds at risk to Dominion invasion. In a desperate move Starfleet sanctioned a plan to lure the Romulan Star Empire into the war on the Federation's side. In an operation spearheaded by Captain Sisko with the help of former Obsidian Order agent, Elim Garek it was a success and the Romulans broke their treaty with the Dominion and entered the war. 

With a third front opened the newly formed Federation Alliance gained the advantage over the Dominion. The Dominion's forces now spread out gave it the opportunity to take the war into the Cardassian's backyard. Captain Sisko was again given the task of planning the operation and chose the Chin'toka system. In a brief but somewhat costly battle for the alliance, they captured the system. (: "Into the Fire")



Aftermath
All the powers involved suffered significant losses during the war. In particular the Cardassian Union, which suffered huge casualties both militarily and to its civilian population and was occupied by the Federation Alliance. The military forces of the alliance suffered heavily, the Klingon Defense Force would need decades to replace its losses. 

Other battles

 * Attack on Avenal VII
 * Attack on Carrier Alpha-26
 * Battle of Rashanar
 * Battle of Rondac III
 * Breen Attack on Earth
 * Liberation of Nthony C
 * Sabotage of Vuldok Nor
 * Siege of AR-558

Associated Events

 * Cardassian Rebellion of 2375