The Fires of Coventry

From the back cover of the Ace first edition: "The citizens of Coventry are under attack. Federation troops have stormed the planet with devastating speed, burning civilians out of their homes and leaving them to starve. Now it is time for armies of the Second Commonwealth to battle the flames and return their own fire. But even the most technologically advanced army in the galaxy may be be enough against the most primitive elemental force in the universe..."