Battle of Actium

"Let no one here question our place in human history. That we are here right now is not coincidence or accident. It is our fate. And this war, our birthright — our legacy. Our generation was born to fight the Covenant, and you, my fellow soldiers - were born for this very day. Today the enemy will hear the roar of humanity. And they will fear us."

- Colonel Akono Menteith's address to the 53rd Armored Division

The Battle of Actium was a key military engagement during the Human-Covenant War, occurring between United Nations Space Command and Covenant forces during May 2545 on the human Inner Colony planet of Actium in the Erem system.

The battle
In May 2545, a Covenant fleet invaded Actium. By May 10, Colonel Akono Menteith, whom had assumed command of the UNSC Army's 53rd Armored Division, gave a rousing speech to the roughly twelve-thousand surviving UNSC soldiers. Later that month, the 53rd Armored Division carried out targeted strikes on the Covenant's leadership cadres and then marched deep into Covenant-held territory in order to destroy three of the largest Covenant staging areas on record; the 53rd did so with the aid of a pair of HAVOK tactical nuclear weapons, though they suffered heavy attrition. Within the month, the 53rd Armored Division was annihilated.

The Covenant later returned en force and glassed much of Actium's surface. The marshal of the Sangheili state of Varo was involved in this battle, and ultimately killed in the conflict.

Aftermath
Colonel Menteith's speech to the 53rd Armored Division became legendary throughout the colonies as a symbol of human resistance against the Covenant. The tactics used by the 53rd Armored Division during the Battle of Actium later informed the United Nations Space Command's other late-war military strategies, including Operation: RED FLAG in 2552.

During the battle, the 34th Armored Division recovered a Type-33 needler from the Covenant that was later displayed at Outpost Discovery, an exploratory initiative launched by the United Nations Space Command.

Production notes
The battle shares its name with a real-world engagement that occurred in 31 BC. The historical Battle of Actium is often considered a crucial step in the transition of the Roman Republic into the Empire.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Divine Wind