Second Battle of Mombasa

The Second Battle of Mombasa was a bloody engagement between UNSC and Covenant Loyalist forces.

Background
It appears that the Battle of Mombasa did not end with its entire destruction. Later, during the Second Battle of Earth, Human and Covenant forces clashed again in its ruins, both forces surging forward to capture it and whatever prize or tactical value it may have held. The battle took place in the weeks immediately after the Prophet of Regret's retreat to Installation 05, lasting until John 117's return to Earth aboard Truth's Forerunner Keyship.

Elements from both the 506th Tank Regiment and the 77th Marine Regiment battled furiously for it, with snipers from both sides taking a heavy toll upon the enemy. Ultimately, the battle lasted seven days, with the UNSC forces in a desperate situation.

Regret retreats
The Prophet of Regret, having suffered heavy casualties on the ground at the hands of the Master Chief, entered Slipspace from within New Mombasa, unleashing a powerful explosion that caused great damage to the city - heavy enough to sever the cities space tether, causing its catastrophic collapse onto the Kenyan Savanna. Regret's now severed ground forces and the UNSC defense forces surged forward into the city to secure whatever prize or tactical advantage the ruins might have held. The events of Halo 3: ODST take place 6 hours after Regret's retreat.

Battle for the Landing Zone
The Second Battle of Mombasa took place in 2552. The battle began on the outskirts of the city, where UNSC and Covenant forces engaged each other in a bitter fight for control of a Landing Zone. The UNSC never gained full control of it, always being pushed back by the Covenant whenever they seemed to secure it and vice versa.

The Northern Bridge Falls
Despite a valiant defense by the Marines, there was no way they could hold the bridge for much longer. With Brute forces surging over it and hitting the Marines' vulnerable flanks, there was only one option remaining. At 14:00, the order came through to destroy the bridge, to force the enemy down into the Valley where UNSC trenches lay to slaughter the enemy with fire from elevated positions. However, this was not the case as the Covenant forces had already begun to surge down the trenches with the destruction of the Bridge.

The Hill
The most ferocious and bloody bottleneck in the battle, the UNSC forces sent to defend it took 2/3rds casualties. After the second bridge was destroyed, the trenches at the foot of here, a last ditch defensive measure, came under heavy attack, garnering heavy Marine casualties.

Snipers
Snipers from both sides battled for control, with UNSC Snipers fighting on one end of the destroyed southern bridge and Covenant Jackal snipers halting Marines outside the Landing Zone before being routed by UNSC infantry and tanks.

The 506th arrive
Tasked with securing a road to the southern bridge span, the 506th Tank Regiment plowed forward, taking heavy casualties. Though outnumbered, they took their objective, leaving a path for the second wave of UNSC infantry to follow.

The Loyalist Fleet Arrives
The Loyalist fleet, the remnant ships of the Second Fleet of Homogeneous Clarity that were seized by the Jiralhanae during the Great Schism entered the system 24 hours before Truth's dreadnought returned to Earth. After the sub-fleet of Furious Redemption scored an overwhelming victory in the Battle of Mare Erythraeum The combined Covenant invasion force (between 30 and 90 ships strong) initiated a bloody orbital battle with the home fleet of Earth.

Though weakened, the traditional 3:1 kill rate of the superior covenant technology allowed the Loyalist fleet to smash what was left of the home fleet and MAC array after the First Battle of Earth, giving the Covenant the upper hand in establishing air, ground and orbital superiority.

The Covenant, now unopposed, began orbital bombardment of areas surrounding Mombasa and used sustained energy projection to uncover the Ark Portal.

John's Return
After nearly two weeks of continuous battle, John 117 returned to Earth aboard Truth's forerunner dreadnought after the First Battle of High Charity. The remainder of the UNSC defense forces, now regrouped and liberated by the Chief's return, began to draw plans for the Battle of Voi.

Other Notable UNSC Combatants

 * Pawel Czernek- Major Pawel Czernek, who was active for 30 years in the UNSC from 2551 to 2581. He was one of the few surviving combatants who fought in The Battle of New Mombasa. Filmed in a documentary circa the turn of the 27th century at the Museum of Humanity. He related his role in the battle while examining a diorama of the battle - he manned an overturned Warthog's turret - and described the morale Master Chief engendered during the battle ("We knew Master Chief was in the fight. He gave us hope.") The elderly Maj. Czernek wears a prosthetic metal right leg. It is unclear where or when he suffered that traumatic injury.
 * Ian Callahan- A soldier who was captured by two Jackals during the Battle of New Mombasa, and saved by an unknown Marine.
 * James Dessen- Corporal James Dessen was posthumously awarded a Red Legion of Honor medal for his extraordinary bravery during the Battle of New Mombasa.
 * Thomas P. Porter- A Scorpion tank driver during the Battle of New Mombasa.
 * Thomas Chang- Sergeant Chang was a veteran of numerous battles with the Covenant, and successfully completed the task of securing a forward HQ during the Battle of New Mombasa. He was killed during a Covenant air assault.
 * Jackson Law- The sole survivor of a Warthog patrol during the Battle of New Mombasa. He sustained serious injuries when his warthog was destroyed by Covenant plasma bombardment.
 * Sian Wong- A UNSC sniper during the Battle of New Mombasa. Sustained severe burn injuries from a retaliatory Banshee strike.
 * Russel Tinnier- A UNSC marine during the Battle of New Mombasa assigned to destroy a strategic bridge.
 * Thomas C. Meyer- A UNSC marine who used his rocket launcher to destroy the bridge alongside Tinnier.
 * Emmanuel Lomax- "Emmet" Lomax encountered Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, John-117 during the Battle of New Mombasa, after receiving a precious 4 hours sleep in an abandoned building.
 * Caio Zanato- Sole survivor of his squad during the Battle of New Mombasa, promoted to the rank of Private First Class.
 * Niraj Shah was a UNSC sniper during the battle on the Hill.

Trivia

 * This battle was portrayed in the lead-up advertising campaign prior to Halo 3's release. The fashion in which it is portrayed is considered to be non-canon. It was part of Microsoft's Halo 3 Ad Campaign and not Bungie's work. Microsoft at that time had no control or idea of Halo 3's story, and therefore it is not present in said canon. Also, it does not appear in Halo 3 or Halo: Uprising.
 * It is speculated that, as the diorama was supposedly made as part of a museum display many years after the war, that it may in fact be an intentional distortion of what actually happened, in order to prevent knowledge of the Forerunner, the Halos, and the Ark from being gained by civilians. This would fit with the fact that there has been no description of such a battle in any other location. Likewise, the battle indeed may have taken place, with John-117's participation added to provide an official explanation for his disappearance.
 * There are no Elites shown in this battle, this is because their fleet, although had established an alliance with Humanity, did not officially arrive back at Earth until the battle of Voi (aside from the The Arbiter).

Related Articles

 * Human-Covenant War
 * First Battle of Earth
 * Battle of Mombasa
 * Second Battle of Earth
 * Battle of Voi