Editing Fall of Reach

{{Era|HCW}}

{{Battle

|image=[[File:Fall_of_Reach_1.jpg|315px]]

|prev=[[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]]

|conc=[[Battle of Tribute]], [[First Battle of Sword Base]] [[Operation: UPPER CUT‎]], [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]], [[Siege of New Alexandria]], [[Battle of Asźod]]

|conflict=[[Human-Covenant War]]

|date=[[2552#July|July 25, 2552]] - [[2552#August|August 30, 2552]]<ref name="H3R">[[:File:ONI Plaque Right.jpg|''Halo 3: ODST'', Reference of Reach event]]</ref><ref group="note">While the time stamps in ''Halo Reach'' use Reach's local time, the dates given are based on the UNSC military calendar. This is supported by the entries in [[Dr. Halsey's personal journal]].</ref> <br/>

*Isolated skirmishes on July 23 and 24; final skirmish on [[2552#September|September 7]]

|place=[[Epsilon Eridani system]], planet [[Reach]]  

|result=

'''Major Tactical Covenant victory'''<br>

*Reach [[Glassing|glassed]]

*Heavy casualties incurred on both sides

*[[Noble Team]] successfully delivered the fragment of [[Cortana]] to [[Jacob Keyes|Captain Keyes]], allowing the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} to escape to [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]].

|side1=[[UNSC Armed Forces]]

|side2=[[Covenant]]

*[[Admiral]] [[Roland Freemont]]†

*[[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]]†

*[[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]]

*[[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]]

*[[Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]]

*[[Unidentified Sangheili Shipmaster (Righteous Vigilance)|Unidentified Shipmaster]]

*[[Shipmaster]] [[Kantar 'Utaralee]]  

*[[Shipmaster]] [[Ardo 'Moretumee]]

***152 warships {{C|August 30}}<ref name="TFoR 343"/>

****[[UNSC Trafalgar|One]] [[Punic-class supercarrier|supercarrier]]

****[[UNSC Valiant|One]] [[Valiant-class super-heavy cruiser|super-heavy cruiser]]

****At least two [[Halcyon-class light cruiser|light cruisers]]

****Several dozen [[UNSC destroyer|destroyers]]

****Numerous [[UNSC frigate|frigates]]

****Numerous [[UNSC corvette|corvettes]]

****Twenty [[orbital defense platform]]s

**58,485 land assets<ref name="factbook"/>

***26 [[Spartan-IIs]]<ref name="Drops"/><ref name="Wars">''[[Halo Wars]]'', [[Halowars.com/Timeline|Timeline]]</ref><ref name="FS Adjunct">''Halo: First Strike'' (2010), Adjunct</ref><ref name="DttE">[http://www.youtube.com/user/HaloWaypoint#p/a/DF8EE7CCE045CAA0/0/jh7Q3fjIIwc ''Halo Waypoint'' - Defiant to the End]</ref><ref name="Library">''[[Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary]]'', [[Library (feature)|Library]] - Pelican</ref><!-- This figure includes the 25 NAVSPECWEAP Spartan-IIs recalled to Reach (as stated in the listed sources) as well as Jorge.-->

***[[Noble Team]]

***[[UNSC Marine Corps]]

****[[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]]

***[[Reach militia]]

**11,050 air assets<ref name="factbook"/>

**[[Long Night of Solace|One]] {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}

**One {{Class|ORS|heavy cruiser}}

**Two {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}s

**At least 6 {{Class|SDV|heavy corvette}}s

**At least 3 {{Class|CAS|assault carrier}}s<ref name="lnos"/>

**At least 10 {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}}s<ref name="lnos"/>

**At least 4 {{Class|SDV|heavy corvette}}s<ref name="exodus"/>

*Around 315 ships {{C|August 30}}<ref name="TFoR 343">''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 343 (Definitive Edition): "I am presently tracking three hundred fourteen Covenant ships." Taking into account the carrier that the ''Pillar of Autumn'' had destroyed only moments before results in a count of 315 ships.</ref><ref name="tfor296">''Halo: The Fall of Reach (2001)'', p. 296</ref><ref group="note">During the opening cutscene of the ''[[Halo 2]]'' level "[[Cairo Station (level)|Cairo Station]]", [[Fleet Admiral]] [[Terrence Hood]] states that the fleet that destroyed Reach was "fifty times" larger than the fifteen-ship fleet attacking Earth; taken at face value, it would seem that Hood is speaking in hyperbole. The 2010 reissue of ''Halo: The Fall of Reach'' took this statement literally and changed the number of ships at Reach from around 300 to "over 750"; however, this change was made in only one instance, with all other statements regarding the fleet's size remaining consistent with prior versions of the novel. While the 2011 ''Definitive Edition'' removed this change, it is repeated in the comic book adaption, ''[[Halo: Fall of Reach - Invasion]]''.</ref>

****''[[Seeker of Truth]]''

*c. 700,000,000 military and civilian casualties

**Over 130 ships

***Unknown number of Spartan-IIs and at least seventeen [[SPARTAN-IIIs]]

*Over 210 ships<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 358</ref>

The '''Fall of Reach''',<ref>''[[Halo Encyclopedia]]'', p. 198</ref><ref>[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/abouthalo/timeline ''Waypoint'': Halo Official Timeline]</ref> also known as the '''Battle of Reach''',<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=30646 ''Bungie.net:'' Defiant Map Pack]</ref> was one of the largest and bloodiest engagements in the [[Human-Covenant War]]. It was fought on and around the human colony world of [[Reach]] in the Epsilon Eridani system, between the [[United Nations Space Command]] and the [[Covenant]] from [[2552|July 25 to August 30, 2552]].<ref name="H3R"/>

Initial skirmishes began on July 23, 2552, when a small Covenant task force led by the [[CSO-class supercarrier|supercarrier]] ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'' covertly established a foothold on Reach. The Covenant began to solidify their hold and began searching for Forerunner relics as the UNSC counter-attacked, attempting to drive the Covenant off the surface before reinforcements arrived. Ultimately, the UNSC was unsuccessful, and substantial Covenant reinforcements under Thel 'Vadamee arrived in the system. After hard fighting, the Covenant breached the orbital defense grid and overran the UNSC's planetside forces. After overwhelming the defenders, the Covenant [[Glassing|glassed]] the planet. Isolated skirmishes between UNSC remnants and the Covenant forces continued until their recovery by a small rescue party led by [[John-117]].

Though the battle was a clear defeat for the UNSC, [[Noble Team]] preventing the Cortana fragment from falling into enemy hands subsequently led the ''Pillar of Autumn'' to [[Halo Array|Halo]] [[Installation 04]], where they [[Battle of Installation 04|engaged the Covenant in a decisive battle]]. The experience gleaned on Installation 04, and the subsequent political schism within the Covenant, would be invaluable to the ultimate defeat of the Covenant.

==Prelude==

At some point before July 19, 2552, the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] ran a series of calculations that predicted the future movement of the Covenant force sweeping throughout [[Milky Way|the galaxy]]. Based on these calculations, ONI determined that there was an 87% probability that the Epsilon Eridani system would be discovered by the Covenant within five months. [[Admiral]] [[Margaret Parangosky]], the head of ONI, debated with [[Vice Admiral]] [[Michael Stanforth]] about using Reach as the stage for the planned [[Operation: RED FLAG]]; the pair considered that the presence of large-scale [[Forerunner]] artifacts on the planet would be a source of Covenant interest in the planet. The rest of the UNSC, however, was given no warning of the predicted attack.<ref name="Drops">''[[Data Drop]]''</ref>

ONI's prediction came true less than a month after Admiral Parangosky sent her message. Despite suffering a severe defeat at the [[Battle of Sigma Octanus IV]], the Covenant managed to place a tracking device on the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}} with the intent of using it to find human colony worlds. When the ''Iroquois'' returned to [[Reach]], the human presence - and its extent - was revealed to the Covenant. However, the location of Reach itself was already known to the Covenant; a Forerunner artifact that the Covenant had recovered from [[Sigma Octanus IV]] indicated that Reach held another artifact, proving Parangosky's and Stanforth's suspicions correct.

Before dispatching a full-scale force, the Covenant sent the [[Fleet of Valiant Prudence]], consisting of several {{Class|SDV|heavy corvette}}s and a {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}, ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', to Reach to serve as a pre-invasion force; after arriving at Reach, the fleet clandestinely deployed a large ground force to the [[Viery Territory]]. This invasion force was cloaked from UNSC sensors by sophisticated [[stealth pylon]]s deployed around it. The Covenant also sent a small [[Sangheili Zealot]] strike team led by a [[Sangheili Field Marshal|Field Marshal]] to recover a Forerunner artifact from an excavation site near the [[Visegrád Relay|Visegrád communications outpost]].

{{Quote|ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, NOBLE One.|[[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]]<ref name="actual">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Noble Actual]]</ref>}}

On the night of July 23, 2552, two days before the invasion began, the Covenant dispatched a small strike force, forces from the Fleet of Valiant Prudence disable the [[Visegrád Relay|communications array]] at [[Visegrád]], leaving Reach isolated from the rest of the UNSC.<ref>''[[Remember Reach]]'', [[Patrol]]</ref> This operation, however, went unnoticed by the UNSC and it was surmised by the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] that the local [[insurrectionist]] organization, an ultra-radical cell of the [[People's Occupation]],<ref>[[Data Drop/DDR2]]</ref> was responsible for the loss of contact with the facility.<ref name="actual"/> In response, several [[UNSC Army|Army]] fireteams were sent to investigate the matter. Contact with these fireteams was lost shortly thereafter.<ref name="actual"/>

{{Quote|Colonel, this is NOBLE One. There are no rebels. The Covenant are on Reach.|[[Carter-A259]]<ref name="winter">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Winter Contingency (level)|Winter Contingency]]</ref>}}

The day after the Visegrád Relay was disabled, [[SPARTAN Program|Spartan]] [[NOBLE Team]] was sent to investigate the disturbance in lieu of the missing Army fireteams. Upon landing in Visegrád and scouting the surrounding countryside, NOBLE Team quickly discovered that insurrectionists were not responsible for the attack; a small Covenant advance force had found Reach and landed at Visegrád, with the intent of disabling Reach's communications with other UNSC colonies.<ref name="winter"/> After wiping out the advance force, NOBLE Team proceeded to the relay station, where they were ambushed by a group of [[Sangheili Zealot]]s, a team sent to hunt down vital data on a [[Forerunner]] artifact. [[WINTER CONTINGENCY]] was then declared on Reach.<ref name="EDGE">[http://www.edge-online.com/ ''EDGE Magazine'', February 2010]</ref><ref name="GI">[http://gameinformer.com/mag/haloreach.aspx ''GameInformer'', February 2010]</ref>

==The battle==

Operating using cloaking technology and stealth tactics, the Covenant had created a fortified landing zone on Reach, with anti-air guns around the perimeter of their staging area in the [[Viery Territory]] where they had covertly inserted a large amount of forces, including several corvettes.

{{Main|First Battle of Sword Base}}

Two days after the skirmish at Visegrád, the Covenant attacked [[SWORD Base]] in an attempt to overrun the ONI facility and access the [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|Forerunner structures]] there.<ref name="sword">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[ONI: Sword Base]]</ref> However, these forces were repulsed after NOBLE Team reinforced the base and brought its [[M71 Anti-Aircraft Gun]]s and communications back online. The Covenant [[SDV-class heavy corvette|corvette]] attacking it was forced to retreat and was destroyed by an [[orbital defense platform]]'s [[Magnetic Accelerator Cannon]].<ref name="sword"/>

{{Main|Battle at Szurdok Ridge}}

{{Quote|We are now under attack across the Viery territory, including orbital defenses. As per the WINTER CONTINGENCY, we are countering on every front.|[[Auntie Dot]]<ref name="tots">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Tip of the Spear]]</ref>}}

[[File:UNSC Attack.jpg|200px|thumb|left|UNSC ground forces charge a Covenant formation in the [[Battle at Szurdok Ridge]].]]

Over two weeks after the defense of SWORD Base, the UNSC sent reconnaissance teams into Covenant-controlled territory in preparation for a counterattack and to investigate the enemy positions and forces they would be facing. With a Covenant staging ground on Reach, the [[UNSC Army]], [[UNSC Marine Corps|Marine Corps]], and [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] launched a joint offensive in an attempt to defeat the Covenant forces before reinforcements could arrive.<ref name="tots"/> The assault was spearheaded by the Army and NOBLE Team, who attacked Covenant [[Type-38 Anti-Aircraft Cannon|anti-air weapons]] to make way for [[GA-TL1 Longsword]]s and {{Class|Paris|heavy frigate}}s to make bombing runs. The attack, though initially successful, was thwarted when a cloaked {{Class|CSO|supercarrier}}, ''[[Long Night of Solace]]'', appeared over the area, attacking the UNSC frigates and reinforcing the Covenant troops.<ref name="tots"/> Meanwhile, Covenant forces made another strike on SWORD Base, this time with much greater success. Around this time, sixty percent of the Fleet was recalled to Reach from existing deployments; these reinforcements were scheduled to arrive by August 15.<ref name="lnos"/>

{{Main|Operation: UPPER CUT}}

[[File:LNoS ends.jpg|right|thumb|''Long Night of Solace'' being destroyed.]]

{{Quote|no=five|Air Control (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|ATC 2 (COM)|Colonel Holland (COM)|AI Auntie Dot (COM)|q1=They're everywhere!|q2=Slipspace rupture detected.|q3=Oh no, this can't be happening!|q4=Must be the whole damn Covenant fleet!|q5=Slipspace rupture detected.|The UNSC panics in horror followed by screams on the communications channel as a massive combined Covenant fleet arrives<ref name="lnos"/>}}

The arrival of the supercarrier led to [[Operation: UPPER CUT]], in which NOBLE Team used [[YSS-1000 Sabre]]s and the corvette ''[[Ardent Prayer]]'' to deliver an improvised [[Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine#Atypical uses|slipspace drive "bomb"]] to the supercarrier and destroy it.<ref name="lnos">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace]]</ref> [[SPARTAN-B312]], [[Jorge-052]], and a team of [[UNSC Air Force|Air Force]] pilots, with the aid of the frigate ''Savannah'', boarded the ''Ardent Prayer'' and took control of it.<ref name="lnos"/> Noble Five then sacrificed himself to destroy ''Long Night of Solace.'' However, just as the supercarrier was destroyed, a fleet of Covenant warships exited slipspace in orbit over the planet.<ref name="lnos"/> Despite the mission's success, the destruction of the supercarrier was an inadvertent setback for [[Operation: RED FLAG]].<ref name="Drops"/>

{{Quote|Your report will have to wait, Lieutenant. The Covenant are jamming all comms to Command. [[Kat-B320|Kat]] needs your help running a counter-op.|Commander [[Carter-A259]]<ref name="alexandria">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[New Alexandria (level)|New Alexandria]]</ref>}}

Over the next week, Covenant ground forces landed on the planet and Covenant ships began [[glassing]] targeted areas. However, most of the planet's population, both civilian and military, (particularly those assigned to Operation: RED FLAG), were kept unaware of the invasion.<ref name="Drops"/><ref name="TFoR Adjunct">''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', Adjunct</ref> HIGHCOM withheld major counteroffensives on the far side of the planet in the hope that a Class-5 Covenant vessel, which was needed for the operation, would be drawn in and make itself vulnerable for capture. Millions perished as a result of this relative inaction.<ref name="Drops"/>

A battle broke out in the city of [[New Alexandria]], with large numbers of civilian evacuation transports being shot down by Covenant air and ground forces.<ref name="exodus">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[Exodus]]</ref><ref name="alexandria"/> Members of NOBLE Team assisted UNSC forces in clearing evacuation zones, succeeding in damaging a [[Covenant corvette]] in the process. Though the UNSCDF succeeded in clearing the city of Covenant troops, Covenant naval assets began to glass the city, and while retreating [[Kat-B320]] of NOBLE Team was killed by sniper fire.<ref name="alexandria"/>

Redeployed, NOBLE Team and a small force of [[Orbital Drop Shock Troopers]] were ordered to destroy the Covenant-occupied SWORD Base in a "torch-and-burn" operation.<ref name="thepackage">''Halo: Reach'', campaign level, [[The Package (level)|The Package]]</ref> Proceeding into the base, the team encountered [[Dr. Catherine Halsey]], who enlisted their help in defending her laboratory amid the ruins of a Forerunner [[Babd Catha Forerunner complex|complex]] from advancing Covenant forces. Halsey ordered Noble Six, Carter, and Emile to transport a fragment of the AI [[Cortana]] to the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, while [[Jun-A266]] escorted her to [[CASTLE Base]] elsewhere on Reach.<ref name="thepackage"/>

{{Quote|multi=more|q1=[[Gamma Station]], this is [[Fermion]] RSO. Unconfirmed reports of an in-system [[slipspace]] rupture.|Fermion Remote Sensing Outpost|q2=Impossible. Check your source.|Reach Station Gamma|q3=There's no mistake. It's them.|Fermion RSO|Conversation between Fermion and Gamma on the arrival of the Covenant armada}}

As August 30 dawned, a massive Covenant combined fleet — headed by [[Supreme Commander]] [[Thel 'Vadamee]] and his [[Fleet of Particular Justice]] — was detected exiting [[slipspace]] on the edge of the system.<ref name="THC">[http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/Universe/Detail/the-halo-conflict-1/871ebdfd-0500-49e6-b1c3-137b909aac73 ''Halo Waypoint:'' The Halo Conflict, Part 1]</ref> The fleet was first detected in slipspace by [[remote scanning outpost]] ''[[Fermion]]''. The station's commander, [[Chief Petty Officer]] [[McRobb]], sent an emergency message to [[UNSC Fleet Command|FLEETCOM]] and ordered self-destruct to prevent the station's data from falling into enemy hands. A few minutes later, 315 Covenant ships exited slipspace at the edge of the [[Epsilon Eridani system]].<ref name="TFoR 343"/> [[Admiral]] [[Roland Freemont]] issued [[UNSC Alpha Priority Transmission 04592Z-83]], ordering all ships in the Epsilon Eridani system<ref name="TFoR 343"/> to rendezvous at Reach in preparation for the coming assault. The Covenant moved in on the orbital defenses before the UNSC fleet fully consolidated. Fifty-three belated UNSC ships,<ref name="TFoR 343"/> including the {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}}, ran a gauntlet of screening Covenant warships as they attempted to link up with the main fleet. At this time, only about a hundred UNSC ships were readily available to defend Reach.<ref name="TFoR 343"/>

[[File:FoR.png|thumb|left|The Epsilon Eridani Fleet engages the Covenant fleet in orbit over Reach.]]

The main Covenant force moved in on the orbital defenses. The initial salvo of [[plasma turret|plasma torpedoes]] was mostly absorbed by the sacrifice of three refit and repair stations, allowing the defenders to return fire.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach Definitive Edition'', p. 354</ref> The [[orbital defense platform]]s and four nuclear mines combined to take down a full third of the Covenant fleet. The vaporized [[Titanium-A armor]] of the refit stations also served to block incoming plasma torpedoes. However, the next Covenant salvo significantly damaged the UNSC fleet, as the Covenant maneuvered for clear shots around the titanium dust cloud and moved in for the kill. They destroyed five of the Super MAC platforms, further crippling the UNSC orbital perimeter, before retreating out of range. A [[Unidentified Covenant warship|previously unknown warship type]], armed with a powerful [[energy projector]], revealed itself and destroyed the {{UNSCShip|Minotaur}} and four other ships before withdrawing temporarily. The rest of the Covenant fleet withdrew to regroup after deploying hundreds of dropships to the surface. The remaining UNSC fleet of 20 ships pursued the Covenant dropships, destroying some, but many still made it through and landed on Reach's northern and southern poles.

[[File:Slip.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A ''CCS''-class battlecruiser initiates a pinpoint slipspace jump over Reach.]]

{{Quote|There are thousands of them. Grunts, Jackals and their warrior Elites. They have [[Type-26 Wraith|tanks]] and [[Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft|fliers]]. Christ, they've breached the perimeter. Fall back! Fall back! If anyone can hear this: the Covenant is ground-side. Massing near the armory!|UNSC Marine<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 300</ref>}}

Thousands of Covenant landed on Reach in an attempt to destroy the [[orbital defense generator]]s, and were intercepted by Marine forces who were able to defend against the first few waves of Covenant forces while sustaining heavy casualties. The remaining [[Spartan-II]]s who were not assigned to ''Reach Station Gamma'' were sent to [[Orbital Defense Generator Facility A-331]] to assist in the defense of the station. Unfortunately, their Pelican transport, ''[[Bravo 001]]'', was shot down, resulting in the deaths of four Spartans (including [[Malcolm-059]]), and some others were wounded as well. Near their crash site, the surviving Spartans discovered the shell-shocked remnants of [[Charlie Company]].

[[File:Invasion - Red Team.jpg|thumb|left|200px|The Spartans defend the generators from a swarm of Covenant.]]

Charlie Company had been assigned by [[Vice Admiral]] [[Danforth Whitcomb]] to find the prototype [[NOVA bomb]]s. They were forced to help defend the orbital defense facilities on their way to their objective. Unfortunately, as the Covenant neared the orbital defense generators, someone at [[UNSC High Command|HIGHCOM]] panicked and ordered Longswords to bomb everything within 500 meters, resulting in the destruction of the Covenant ground forces in that location, but also catastrophic friendly fire: Charlie Company was reduced to four men, and its leaders: [[Lieutenant]]s [[Jake Chapman]] and [[Buckman]] were cut off from their subordinates.  

The Spartans, after being briefed on the situation by Charlie Company, responded to a distress call from Whitcomb, who requested immediate evacuation. [[Frederic-104]], commander of the Spartans, split the remains of [[Red Team]] into four groups: [[Team Alpha]] ([[Frederic-104]], [[Kelly-087]], and [[Joshua-029]]), which was tasked with eliminating an encampment of 10,000 Covenant and their hovering [[covenant cruiser|cruiser]] (without doing anything that could damage the orbital defense generators as the EMP from a nuclear weapon would render them inoperative and accomplish the Covenant's objective for them), [[Beta-Red|Team Beta]], tasked with defense of the orbital defense generators, [[Team Gamma]] ([[Li-008]], [[Anton-044]], and [[Grace-093]]), ordered to retrieve Whitcomb, and [[Team Delta]] (the [[Charlie Company]] Marines and  six wounded Spartans which included [[William-043]], [[Isaac-039]], and [[Vinh-030]]), ordered to secure the Spartans' fallback point at [[CASTLE Base]].

Team Alpha hijacked three Banshees and approached the Covenant encampment (they were ignored by the Grunt [[Zawaz]], who assumed they were Elites on a secret mission) and used [[Fury Tactical Nuclear Weapon]]s within the shields of the Covenant ship, destroying the encampment and negating the EMP effect that would have disabled the orbital defense generators. Joshua was killed in the process by mass light weapons salvos from the 10,000 Covenant ground forces encamped around the Cruiser. The remaining Spartans of Team Alpha then fell back to CASTLE Base, blasting their way through the remaining Covenant in the area with two commandeered [[Type-26 Wraith|Wraiths]]. Team Gamma accomplished its mission and fell back to [[Camp Independence]] with Whitcomb, where they survived the partial [[glassing]] of the planet. Team Delta fell back to CASTLE Base, but in the process lost the remaining Charlie Company marines and every Spartan save for Vinh, Isaac, and William. When the remnants of Team Alpha and Team Delta arrived at CASTLE Base, they found [[Catherine Halsey]] there.

Team Beta was unable to stop the Covenant, who attacked in swarms of thousands. The orbital defense generators were compromised, and the Covenant, after eliminating the powerless, immobile ODPs in geosynchronous orbit around the planet, began the glassing of Reach. The planet, having been steadily weakened during the invasion throughout the prior weeks, had fallen with relative ease to the might of the Covenant invaders.<ref name="THC"/>

[[File:Halo Legends - Reach Assault.jpg|right|thumb|The Covenant fleet bearing down on Reach.]]

During the space battle, the [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Doppler]], controller of [[Gamma Station|Reach Station Gamma]], was unable to destroy the vital information onboard the {{UNSCShip|Circumference}}, an [[Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI]] [[UNSC prowler|Prowler]] involved in [[Operation: HYPODERMIC]]. As the Covenant deployed [[Ranger|troops]] to the station, Doppler reported this violation of the [[United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1|Cole Protocol]] to the ''Pillar of Autumn'' before self-destructing himself to keep from further violation. In response, [[Captain (Navy)|Captain]] [[Jacob Keyes]] sent [[John-117]], [[James-005]], and [[Linda-058]] to the station. They accomplished their task and destroyed the NAV database onboard Reach Station Gamma, but at the cost of James and Linda. While onboard, they rescued some Marines onboard the station: [[Staff Sergeant]] [[Avery Junior Johnson]] and [[Private]]s [[Wallace A. Jenkins|Wallace Jenkins]], [[Bisenti]], and [[O'Brien (Marine)|O'Brien]]. They were then evacuated by Pelican back to the ''Pillar of Autumn''. Linda-058 was clinically dead, but there was still a chance of saving her, so she was placed in a [[cryo chamber]]. John-117 asked [[Lieutenant]] [[Hall]] to scan for James (who had been blown into space) but they were unable to find him.

{{Main|Battle of Asźod }}

The remnants of NOBLE Team, consisting of [[Carter-A259]], [[Emile-A239]], and [[SPARTAN-B312]], arrived on the outskirts of the facility. Carter sent Noble Six and Emile to deliver the package to Keyes. He then sacrificed himself to destroy a [[Type-47B Scarab|Scarab]]. Six and Emile fought their way to the shipyards, where they linked up with some surviving UNSC ground troops. Keyes then contacted the Spartans and ordered them to clear Landing Platform Delta so that he could pick up the package. Upon arriving at the platform, Emile took charge of a [[Mark 2488 Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|mass driver]] and used it to provide cover fire for the ''Autumn''. Six, meanwhile, cleared the platform of Covenant troops.

 

With the platform cleared, Captain Keyes arrived in a Pelican and personally took possession of the package from Noble Six. Just then a {{Class|CCS|battlecruiser}} appeared and started heading toward the ''Autumn''. Keyes ordered Emile to take out the cruiser before it destroyed the ''Autumn.'' Emile, however, was attacked by a pair of [[Sangheili]] [[Sangheili Zealot|Zealots]]. The Spartan killed the Zealots but was also killed, leaving the mass driver cannon unmanned. With the cruiser closing in on the ''Autumn'', Noble Six volunteered to stay behind to take charge of the gun.

Keyes returned to the ''Autumn'' with the package and prepared the ship for take off. Meanwhile, Noble Six took control of the mass driver and destroyed several Phantoms and Banshees before the Covenant cruiser came within range. As the cruiser prepared to destroy the ''Autumn'' with its [[energy projector]], Six fired directly into the ship's exposed glassing port. The resulting explosion crippled the cruiser.

With the skies cleared of hostiles, the ''Autumn'' took off and escaped Reach. Once in space, it made a slipspace jump to [[Installation 04]] (secretly arranged by Cortana). A dozen Covenant ships pursued, while the remaining vessels stayed behind to finish glassing Reach. Back at the shipyards, the stranded Noble Six continued fighting against the Covenant invaders. Eventually, the lone Spartan was overwhelmed and killed by a swarm of Sangheili warriors.

[[File:Glassed Reach.png|thumb|right|300px|Reach after its glassing.]]

{{Quote|We are not wasting a single UNSC ship to confirm what we have already seen a dozen times before: Reach is gone. Everything on it is blasted to bits, burned, glassed over, and vaporized. Everyone on Reach is dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.|[[Colonel]] [[James Ackerson]]<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', p. 104-105</ref>}}

 

The UNSC lost their second largest military-industrial complex, after the [[Sol system|Sol System]], and sustained crippling military losses at Reach, losing over a hundred ships, including irreplaceable cruisers and supercarriers such as the {{UNSCShip|Basra}}, {{UNSCShip|Trafalgar}}, and the {{UNSCShip|Musashi}}, not to mention the large numbers of civilian and military personnel killed by the invading Covenant forces. With the [[Epsilon Eridani system]] in [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] hands, there were no further major stop points before Sol. Some estimates put total defeat as a matter of weeks. The [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] believed that the location of Sol was compromised and began relocating heavy industry facilities and command centers out of the system.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=6 ''Bungie.net'', Jason Jones Interviewed By You]</ref>

At the same time, despite such a devastating defeat, the UNSC still fared better than in previous battles. Even against the militarily and technologically superior enemy, outnumbered 2:1, they still managed to inflict disproportionate losses to the Covenant, due largely to the twenty orbital defense platforms orbiting Reach. The ferocious defense was so effective that at least [[Valorous Salvation|one Covenant ship]] outright fled the battle. The [[Artificial intelligence|AI]] [[Cortana]] commandeered the fleeing {{UNSCShip|Pillar of Autumn}} to the previously undiscovered [[Installation 04|fourth]] [[Forerunner]] [[Halo Array|Halo]]. While the [[Battle of Installation 04]] was tangential to the main front, the containment of the initial [[Flood]] outbreak - and the experience gained - was just as critical to the survival of the UNSC.

While Reach was the Covenant armada's main target, the other colonies in Epsilon Eridani would also come under attack. [[Tribute]] was [[Battle of Tribute|besieged]] by Covenant forces for several months, ending only when the [[Great Schism]] caused the Jiralhanae and Sangheili to turn on each other, ignoring the human defenders. The small colony on [[Beta Gabriel]] was [[Battle of Beta Gabriel|destroyed]] when ''Valorous Salvation'' deserted the Covenant fleet and fled there; ODSTs arrived shortly thereafter and killed all the Covenant deserters without incurring losses.

===Rescue operation===

{{Main|Raid on Reach}}

As the Covenant began glassing Reach, the surviving Spartans continued their fight. Team Gamma; a Red team splinter composed of Anton-044; Grace-093 and Li-008, had managed to survive and complete their mission to rescue Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb from HIGHCOM. Too late to reach CASTLE base, they hid in the mountains attacking Covenant units with the use of guerrilla tactics as opposed to a conventional assault. They programmed their MJOLNIR suits to transmit the "Oly Oly Oxen Free" secret code on E-Band radio, hoping that any surviving Spartans would discover it and help them.

Meanwhile underneath the ruins of CASTLE base, Dr. Halsey and five Spartans (Fred, Kelly, Will, Vinh, and Isaac) had spent five days combing the remains of a Forerunner structure and an additional five days trapped in a hallway inside the ruins by Covenant forces. They managed to retrieve a [[Forerunner crystal]] that the Covenant were seeking, but it emitted a burst of radiation which alerted the Covenant to their presence. Vinh and Isaac fell at the hands of overwhelming Covenant forces, and the others escaped by blowing the hallway down behind them.

After the survivors were recovered by ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'', a Covenant Flagship captured by [[John-117]] after the [[Battle of Installation 04]], the ship drew a group of Covenant vessels out of the system in pursuit to [[Eridanus Secundus]], leading to the [[Massacre at Eridanus Secundus|destruction of the asteroid colony]], and the destruction of the artifact and the recovery of only a small number of pieces by the Covenant. The ''Ascendant Justice'' also destroyed around sixteen Covenant warships during the escape in slipspace and at the rebel base.<ref>''Halo: First Strike'', p. 339</ref>

Officially, the Fall of Reach took place between July 25th, 2552 and August 30th, 2552.<ref name="H3R"/> However, UNSC forces actually engaged Covenant forces as early as July 24th, with Noble Team's deployment to the Visegrad area.<ref name="winter"/> UNSC fleet actions in the [[Reach Defense Coordination Zone]] also ceased several days after August 30th, on September 5th.<ref name="loot2">''[[Halo Legendary Crate]]'', [[Halo Legendary Crate/Data Drops|Data Drop #2]]</ref>  

The Fall of Reach had some of the largest deployments of personnel and materiel in the Human-Covenant war. By August 30th, there were 315 Covenant ships and 152 UNSC ships at Reach.<ref name="TFoR 343"/>

*[[McRobb|Chief Petty Officer McRobb]] compared the Fall of Reach to the Japanese [[Wikipedia:Attack on Pearl Harbor|surprise attack on Pearl Harbor]] in 1941. He noted that, like Reach, Pearl Harbor was once thought too strong to attack.<ref>''Halo: The Fall of Reach'', p. 283</ref>

*At the time of the invasion, at least one hurricane was raging on the surface of Reach.<ref name="lnos"/>

File:Reach 5016770 Full.jpg|The [[UNSC Grafton|''Grafton'']] and [[UNSC Saratoga|''Saratoga'']] engaging Covenant ground targets.

File:Noble Team Reach.jpg|Jorge-052, Jun-A266, Emile-A239 and SPARTAN-B312 watch as Kat-320 formulates a plan.

File:Reach-UNSC Savannah.png|The {{UNSCShip|Savannah}} being escorted by a formation of [[YSS-1000 Sabre|Sabres]].

File:HaloReach - Space Battle.jpg|The ''Savannah'' and a [[YSS-1000 Sabre|Sabre]] engage a [[Covenant corvette]] over Reach.

File:Reach AssaultCarriers.jpg|A Covenant fleet entering the system just after the destruction of the ''Long Night of Solace'' and ''Ardent Prayer''.

File:HaloReach - Package Intro.jpg|The ONI facilities at SWORD Base are destroyed.  

File:HaloReach - MACrusher.jpg|A planetary MAC cannon fires upon Covenant cruisers descending upon [[Asźod]] as surviving UNSC forces mount their escape.  

File:TFoR-as-concept 5.jpg|The members of Blue Team meeting up in Reach's glasslands in 2558 to remember Sam's sacrifice.

**''[[Halo 5: Guardians Limited Edition|Limited Edition]]'' {{Mo}}

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[[Category:Covenant Victories|Reach]]