Operation: CHARLEMAGNE was a code name for a UNSC counterattack against the Insurrectionists on Eridanus II. It marked the first tactical deployment conducted by the ORION Project.[1] It was also the only occasion where an entire unit of Spartan-I's was deployed as a group.[2]
Operation
Launched in January 2496, the operation materialized as a response to a series of politically-motivated assaults conducted by local secessionists on Eridanus II in 2494 against governmental officials and civilians, which concluded in a large number of deaths and kidnappings.[1]
A large UNSC battle group was sent in to crush the rebel forces, which were defeated at the cost of four destroyers. Meanwhile, the group of ORION Project operatives (SPARTAN-Is) attacked the rebels in a swift and silent special operation that resulted in only one casualty on ORION's side, and several crippling losses on the rebels' side. The Spartans recovered a sub-orbital transit station over the planet without ever being observed.[1]
Legacy
The operation is believed to have positively marked the ONI's propaganda machine, having sparked various conspiracy theories with regard to the operation's perpetrators within civilian and rebel circles.
Trivia
- The operation was likely named after Charlemagne, the Frankish king who changed the face of Europe in the the 8th and 9th centuries CE.
- The SP42 "Cobra" MBT saw its first field use by the UNSC Marine Corps during the operation in 2497.[3]
Sources