Human-Covenant War

The Human-Covenant War, also known as The Great War, was a major intergalactic conflict between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant during the mid-26th century.

The conflict was closely connected with, and the cause of, the Covenant Civil War; both of which proved instrumental in the final defeat of the Covenant and Flood on March 3, 2553.

United Nations Space Command
Leaders: HIGHCOM

Homeworld: Earth (intact at the end of the war)

Military Forces: Exact numbers are unknown.

The Covenant
Leaders: The High Council

Homeworld: multiple worlds

Capital City: High Charity (destroyed by the Master Chief after being turned into a Flood Hive and crashing on the Ark)

Military Forces: Exact numbers are unknown.

Confirmed Casualties
The following is a short list of confirmed losses for both the Humans and the Covenant. These numbers are pulled from the battles that took place and are only an estimation; the true numbers while unknown, are probably a lot higher for both sides.

Covenant
Ships: Over 880

Military, Civilian, Etc.: At least 500.6 million.

The Unyielding Hierophant

High Charity

Joyous Exultation

Malhiem

Human
Ships: Over 180.

Worlds glassed: A minimum of 210 worlds.

Military, Civilians, Etc.: Over 1.006 billion.

2525

 * The Prophet of Truth discovers humanity's relation to the Forerunners, and instead of risking a bloody civil war that this knowledge could cause, he immediately demands the annihilation of all humanity.
 * The UNSC makes first contact with the Covenant at the UNSC colony world Harvest. The Covenant destroy the colony without warning or provocation.

2530

 * The Covenant destroys the UNSC colony world of Eridanus II.

2531

 * Battle of Harvest. The UNSC and Covenant meet in ship-to-ship combat for the first time; the Covenant are outnumbered and outgunned, nevertheless the battle is a close victory for the Humans.

2535

 * The Covenant destroys the UNSC colony world of Jericho VII in the Battle of Jericho VII.
 * In the course of four short years, UNSC forces have been hammered, despite excellent leadership and tactical brilliance. It is simply a matter of being outgunned; Covenant kill ratios tend to top three to one in ship-to-ship combat. By 2535, virtually all of the Outer Colony worlds have been glassed by the Covenant.

2536

 * Covenant forces begin to swarm into the Inner Colonies. For several years the war falls into a pattern: humans win isolated battles, typically during ground operations, but at a horrible cost. In space combat, the humans are losing at a precipitous rate, and one by one, the colonies fall.

2537

 * The Battle of New Harmony
 * The Battle of New Constantinople
 * The Siege of the Atlas Moons
 * Operation: PROMETHEUS: Spartan-III Alpha Company is killed by Covenant forces

2544

 * The Battle of Miridem

2545

 * Operation: TORPEDO: All but 2 of Spartan-III Beta Company is killed by Covenant forces

2549

 * The Siege of Paris IV

July

 * Battle of Sigma Octanus IV in the Sigma Octanus System. It is the UNSC's single greatest victory since Harvest. The Covenant, however, gain what they are looking for: the location of Installation 04. They also determine the location of Reach.

August

 * Battle of Reach. In the largest naval battle yet in the war, 314 Covenant ships destroy 152 UNSC ships and 20 MAC gun platforms around Reach, and win a major victory, destroying a great UNSC' military stronghold, although at a horrible cost to themselves; at least 2/3's of their fleet is destroyed.

September

 * The Battle of Installation 04. A single UNSC ship, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn escapes to Installation 04. After four days of hard fighting, the Covenant discover the Flood organism and Forerunner constructs, hampering their efforts to control the installation. The melee ends with Installation 04 destroyed with only a handful of survivors.
 * Operation: FIRST STRIKE. Six SPARTAN-II supersoldiers are able to rout and destroy a fleet of 500 Covenant starships preparing to jump to Earth. This is the single greatest victory for the humans during the entire war and the single greatest loss to the Covenant.

October

 * The First Battle of Earth. Though a relatively small and lopsided battle; 15 Covenant ships fighting 75 UNSC vessels and 300 MAC platforms, the event is significant in that the Covenant discover the location of Earth. The UNSC wins the fight.
 * The Battle of Installation 05. A single Covenant ship survives the battle of Earth and retreats to Installation 05. It is pursued by a single UNSC frigate, the UNSC In Amber Clad. Again, a massive fight ensues between the UNSC, Covenant, Flood, and Forerunner Constructs. The Flood appear to take control of the Installation. The Prophet of Regret is assassinated by Spartan-117.
 * The Civil War of the Covenant begins. Covenant forces are thoroughly divided between the Elites and the Brutes. Every race in the Covenant takes sides. The Prophet of Mercy is later killed by a Flood Infection Form.
 * The Second Battle of Earth. The Brute faction of the Covenant returns to Earth in force, apparently conquering Africa. Later, during the next months the Marines, with help of the Separatists, pushed back the loyalist invaders.

November

 * The Battle of Onyx. The destruction of Installation 04 triggered Onyx sentinels to appear. The Covenant followed their stolen destroyer called Bloodied Spirit, which a group of SPARTAN-IIs(Blue Team) were ordered to take to Onyx by Lord Hood in order to aid Dr. Halsey and the other Spartans. The battle ends in the same way the Battle of Installation 04 did; all Covenant and Human vessels are destroyed (with exception of the UNSC Dusk).
 * Covenant Civil War - The battle continues.
 * The Second Battle of Earth - The battle continues.
 * Battle of Installation 00
 * All Loyalist vessels destroyed over the Ark by the Seperatist Fleet
 * The final Covenant religious leader, the Prophet of Truth, is executed by The Arbiter with help from the Flood. The Master Chief stops the Ark from firing the Halos
 * High Charity is destroyed by the Master Chief after he blasts the city's main reactors causing them to go critical.
 * The Second Battle of Installation 04. This battle was the shortest but most crucial battle in the Great War. Though the Covenant were defeated the Flood still posed a major threat. During the battle the Monitor and the new Alpha Halo’s sentinels turned on the Master Chief, Johnson, the Arbiter, and the Elites. The Master Chief and the Arbiter managed to defeat the Monitor and activate the ring. The activation eradicated all Flood in the vicinity, doing a "number on the Ark," as Cortana put it, and destroyed the ring itself. This ended The Great War.

March 3

 * The war ends in a UNSC-Covenant Separatist victory. The victors erect a monument on a hillside near the Ark's Gateway to commemorate those fallen.