Universal Calendar 800,
Neue Reich Calendar 2, May 1st:
received an urgent message
The Imperial military's main forces
while en route to the Iserlohn Corridor.
Your Majesty, I apologize for troubling you.
According to information we have just received,
vanguard fleets
Admirals Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit's
fierce combat with the enemy.
are already engaged in
without waiting for Our arrival?!
Why would they open hostilities
so eager to flaunt their valor
Were Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit
that they would make light of Our strategy?!
some scheme to lure them into battle,
We know that Yang Wen-li must have used
in order to fragment Our forces, but still...
Kaiser Reinhard hastened his advance to Iserlohn,
Fahrenheit Fleets had lost by then,
but the Schwarz Lanzenreiter and
having suffered major casualties.
and had retreated out of the corridor
to Iserlohn Fortress for the time being.
Meanwhile, Yang had also retreated
Number of attack craft lost: 86.
sank one ship and returned alive and well.
Apparently Petty Officer Katerose von Kreutzer
Cheers to the tomboy!
finally joined Kaiser Reinhard's main force.
On May 2nd, the cluster of defeated survivors
had lost 6,220 of 15,900 ships,
The Schwarz Lanzenreiter Fleet
with 695,700 casualties out of 1,908,000 soldiers.
lost 8,490 of 15,200 ships,
Meanwhile, the Fahrenheit Fleet had
with 1,095,400 casualties out of 1,857,600 soldiers.
Above all,
on the battlefield for the very first time.
the Lohengramm Dynasty had lost a senior admiral
So, Fahrenheit is dead.
Bittenfeld!
Sire!
This is exactly the kind of blunder you would make.
You expected a trap, yet went in regardless,
attempted to tear your way out and failed.
yet Caesar was still not great."
"What thousands died,
and lost many of Your Majesty's soldiers.
I let a fellow officer die in vain,
I have proved myself incompetent,
you may sentence me to.
and I will not begrudge any punishment
This is not a reprimand.
you had failed acting out of character.
We consider this far better than if
for your losses in your usual manner.
From here on, We expect you to make up
to have wished that as well.
Marshal Fahrenheit is sure
than ever before in facing Yang Wen-li.
We also plan to be more resolute
We trust you to lend Us a hand.
Sire!
Victory or death, is it, Mein Kaiser?
No, it is not victory or death.
It is victory, or more complete victory.
Galactic Empire's military headquarters
On behalf of Kaiser Reinhard, the
death in action and his promotion to Marshal.
announced Adalbert von Fahrenheit's
Word of this reached the Yang Fleet,
war council as being in mourning.
and Merkatz excused himself from the
participated with a mourning badge on his chest.
Schneider, who sat in on his behalf also
attire looks undeniably attractive.
You have to admit, a woman in mourning
I have returned.
Sorry for the trouble. So, how did it go?
with five million mines, according to plan.
We blocked the entrance to the corridor
working without sleep or rest.
You must be tired from
hypnosleep in a tank bed?
Why don't you go get some
No, I'm fine.
I'm young, after all.
when he's gearing up for a brawl, you know.
The only time this guy's diligent is
Hey!
Our forces did secure the first victory,
Imperial military's basic strategy?
but do you think it will have any effect on the
No, not much of an effect.
This battle isn't like Amritsar or Vermilion.
I've stubbornly holed myself up in here,
manipulate the battlefield to his liking.
so even the kaiser won't be able to
overwhelming numbers is crucial
Having a large force with
to gaining the upper hand on a strategic level.
But that's not necessarily true at a tactical level.
to the layout of the battlefield,
Particularly in regards
it can even become a factor leading to defeat.
This is the Iserlohn Corridor we're talking about.
to keep idle troops to a minimum.
Our main challenge will be
to block the corridor entrance.
The enemy seems to have laid mines
Why would they do that?
I thought Yang saw pulling us into the corridor
as a tactical means of survival.
He must be buying time for a chance to rest.
but to fight with all of its troops.
The enemy has no choice
keep fighting without rest.
Given that, they can't afford to
to deny them that chance!
Then we should attack them relentlessly
A mine blockade is hardly a problem!
Why else do we have directed Seffle particles?
Just as we did during the Battle of Amritsar,
open a path in the minefield.
we can use them to simply
But the situation is different from Amritsar.
The Iserlohn Corridor is narrow enough as it is.
Now that they've corked the entrance with mines,
that will inevitably restrict our movements even more.
Then all we need is to open up a hole in that cork!
to open up a hole in the minefield,
Say we do use Seffle particles
and will concentrate their fire there.
the Yang Fleet will be lying in wait,
We will be targeted as we emerge from the hole,
the chance of a counterattack.
and be struck down without even
your entire suggestion.
Although we need not write off
Reuentahl came up with his own plan,
After deliberation,
and proposed it to the kaiser.
We approve of your plan.
Once We manage to invade the corridor,
that of the enemies.
Our forces are seven to eight times
to annihilate Yang Wen-li's faction.
That should be enough
I wish to go ahead with this plan.
With Your Majesty's consent,
I shall revise it.
Though if you notice anything amiss,
No, this is fine.
even with this plan of yours,
If we fail to achieve victory
a way to confront Yang.
We Ourselves will reassess
You did well.
I put all of my effort into that, Mittermeier.
How bizarre...
Am I hoping for the kaiser to win in the end or not?
I don't see anything to correct in it either.
from the Sturm Wolf.
I'm honored to receive approval
a low-end staff officer in the space armada.
It appears I could at least serve as
No, that won't do.
You couldn't serve on my staff.
of overly able subordinates.
Unlike the kaiser, I tend to get jealous
The Sturm Wolf is being modest.
military strategists that could best me
In this entire universe, the only
Merkatz, and yourself.
are Mein Kaiser, Yang Wen-li,
fight against two of the four.
I'm lucky I don't have to
Based on your logic,
alive today are on our side.
more than half of the five finest strategists
victory will undoubtedly be ours.
If we cooperate towards a common goal,
Enough, Reuentahl.
Why should our conversation be so contrived?
I don't understand at all.
We had no need for this until just recently.
You're entirely right.
I'd rather enjoy it with some good wine.
It's such a fine evening.
What do you say?
but I have a nice white from 446.
It's not even close to a 410 vintage,
The following day on May 3rd, at 0630,
their invasion of the Iserlohn Corridor
the Galactic Imperial Military commenced
under the direct command of Kaiser Reinhard.
was the fleet led by Rolf Otto Brauhitch
The Imperial military vanguard
the mines as they advanced.
whose minesweepers removed
a path through the minefield.
They spent roughly half a day to open up
managed to enter the corridor
At 2100 the same day, the Brauhitch Fleet
Yang Fleet which was lying in wait.
and fired the first shot at the
Feuer!
Stay calm!
to keep the enemy from concentrating their fire!
Disperse into small units of a hundred ships each
Don't fall back! You'll run into the mines!
Your Excellency!
Hold your ground! This is part of the plan!
Entering stage two.
Release the directed Seffle particles.
Ignite!
Five locations at once, huh?
Having already deployed its 20,000 ships,
five entry points at once.
the Yang Fleet had no way of blocking
would be evenly matched in terms of numbers,
Even if the narrow entryways meant that they
from fatigue became increasingly evident.
the difference in the time it took for them to recover
those five locations were merely diversions.
What was more,
spanned roughly two hours,
After a fierce battle that
the Imperial military's main force
first pathway opened up by Brauhitch,
succeeded in invading the corridor via the
a bridgehead within the corridor.
and established something of
Ship sighted!
It's the enemy flagship Brünhild!
That will be the kaiser.
You all got your bouquets ready?
Yes, sir!
Fire!
Damn, a little too effective.
Regroup!
much more shaken than us.
Our guests are bound to be
Gain the upper hand!
You're in the presence of the kaiser!
Don't you dare show any unsightly confusion!
Get back into formation!
All right, left flank, fall back!
Center and right flank, advance!
would lure the enemy front lines forward,
Mittermeier hoped that the left flank falling back
could rotate ninety degrees
then the center and right flank
to make a direct hit on the enemy's left.
dynamic stratagem worthy of the Sturm Wolf.
Had this tactic succeeded, it would have been a
to coordinate at the time.
However, the troops were unable
Communication was inadequate,
to freely maneuver their large numbers.
and there wasn't enough space
Now!
hoisted up on a pedestal
Apparently while I was being
commander-in-chief of the space armada,
with fancy titles like marshal and
I let my battle command instincts wane.
that our troops couldn't keep up with...
To think I would come up with a plan
Your Majesty...
over to his own flagship Beowulf
Mittermeier moved from the flagship Brünhild
and set out to throw himself into the front lines.
The Sturm Wolf is out on the front lines!
It's the Sturm Wolf!
Bayerlein, go!
Sir!
from the main fleet and moving towards the side.
An enemy unit of 6,000 or so ships is detaching
Do they intend to surround us on one side?
the Attenborough unit have?
How many ships does
4,600 to 4,700.
they'll be outnumbered.
So if they go head-to-head,
our fleet's best at one more time!
Okay, let's show them what
Concentrating our fire?
No!
Pretending to run.
I believe this is a trap.
their main force and close in from both sides.
They must intend to lure us between them and
won't change if we back out here.
Perhaps, but the situation
Pursue them regardless!
But...
Don't worry.
the Commander-in-Chief will come up with a plan.
If we do fall into their trap, His Excellency
all of our beams and missiles!
Shoot as if you mean to exhaust
Long range cannons, open fire.
Don't let the Mittermeier Fleet any closer.
Advance guard, move to 10 o'clock!
Damn! They'll wipe us out!
Retreat!
Toyed around with Bayerlein, did he?
That damn magician...
Still in too different a league, I see.
to send in an uninterrupted stream of troops
At this point, the only option we have left is
making them accrue damage and fatigue.
to force the Yang Fleet into continuous battle,
We'll reorganize units as we go.
We shall split the fleet into two categories:
those focused on firepower.
those focused on mobility and
Then reorganize into 1,000-ship units.
depending on how the battle progresses
We'll deploy these in succession
to maintain our battle lines.
in full operation as well
Get the supply vessels and hospital ships
between the front and the rear!
to coordinate logistics seamlessly
but the enemy lines aren't giving way, either.
Our side continues to have the advantage,
That's the Sturm Wolf for you.
This tactic isn't particularly unusual,
mediocre commander could manage.
but it's not something a
I've left some troops idle.
What a disgrace!
The battle was in a temporary deadlock.
The following day on May 6th,
to renew the attack.
Yang adopted a proposal from Merkatz
Merkatz and Attenborough,
Yang himself, along with
Imperial military's units on its left flank.
launched a series of attacks on the
the left flank only had a narrow space to begin with,
Due to the corridor's makeup,
under concentrated enemy fire.
and the ships are sitting ducks
which may lead to our entire battle line collapsing.
At this rate, they'll break us apart,
We have no choice.
We'll shift the main force over to the left.
All right, go!
The kaiser may be magnificent alive,
but we'll give him an even more magnificent death!
An enemy ambush is closing in on the Brünhild!
No! Protect the kaiser!
Commodore Marino's ambush unit
From the outset,
was far too outnumbered by the Steinmetz Fleet.
Marino had lost 40% of his units.
In just thirty minutes of battle,
Hold out just a while longer!
Push the battle lines to the right!
The enemy unit is nearly wiped out!
Don't let up on the attack!
straight at us in close formation!
Enemy main force is charging
What?!
Intercept them!
Fire!
Your Excellency...
Your Excellency's left leg is completely crushed.
You always report with such accuracy.
That's always been a great help to me.
But I don't think it will help me now.
How badly are you injured?
Chief of Staff Bohlen!
Gretchen...
The Vonkel has been sunk.
Did Steinmetz escape?
I shall find out at once, Mein Kaiser.
death was reported by Rear Admiral Markgraf,
It was another three minutes before Steinmetz's
the sole survivor of his command staff.
Fraulein Mariendorf!
Yes, Your Majesty.
of the main headquarters staff.
We appoint you as the second inspector general
You will assist Us in Steinmetz' place.
But Your Majesty, I'm not—
Yes, We know.
never commanded a single soldier.
It's true that you have
front line who command the soldiers,
However, it is the admirals on the
and it is We who command those admirals.
All We need is for you to advise Us.
Who would dare challenge the kaiser's decision?
experiencing unexpected difficulty.
At this time, the Imperial military was
Having lost its command staff,
could not coordinate properly,
the Steinmetz Fleet in particular
the entire front was threatened with collapse.
and so confused their own chain of command
Perhaps I am to end my life here, with His Majesty.
That is certainly an option, however...
Send for Barthauser.
commanded 2,400 ships in his fleet.
Rear Admiral Alexander Barthauser
to turn the tide of battle,
When he only required a small force
Reuentahl favored sending in this unit.
fire along the enemy's right side.
The Barthauser unit will
Your Majesty should temporarily fall back.
As soon as the enemy slows its forward advance,
We have no intention of falling back.
force many times that of the enemy?
Why must We fall back when We have a
If this ship retreats,
determined to make use of their opportunity.
the enemy's main force will undoubtedly charge,
We can than lure them deep into our formation,
with our overwhelming numbers.
allowing us to surround and annihilate them
Very well.
the sluggish coordination between their units.
However, Reuentahl's hopes were betrayed by
gave the Yang Fleet the chance to charge in
The space opened up by the Brünhild's retreat
before Imperial ships could fill the gap.
The enemy fleet is charging straight at us!
What?!
Escort fleets, tighten up defense!
Attack from below!
This!
Now this is more like it!
Reuentahl!
30 degrees downward!
Concentrate your fire at 2 o'clock,
thrust your way in and break them down!
Once we open a hole in the enemy lines,
where the enemy lines were held together,
In an instant, Reinhard saw
and had his troops concentrate their attack there.
Truly deserving of praise, Mein Kaiser.
would come charging at Us.
We knew that Yang Wen-li
Just as at the Battle of Vermilion,
without direct confrontation, after all.
there is no way to defeat Us
We are—
The Yang Fleet is falling back!
At 1340 on May 6th,
to make a temporary retreat.
Kaiser Reinhard ordered his entire force
~ Kaleidoscope ~
The Battle of the Corridor (Part Two)
Tagai no jounetsu to
Yume wo butsuatte
Sukitooru namida wo nagashita ne
Ase ni kakushite
Kimi wo okuru kono toki ni
Tooi hoshi ni utsusu chikai
Hikari, yuragi, kirameki doremo ga
Mune atsui majiwari matsuri sa
Wakai kara ja nakute
Yume ni idomu koto de
Bokutachi ni wakare wa nai to iu
Hoshi wo aogeba
Bokutachi ni wakare wa nai to iu
Kokoro kayoeba
NEXT EPISODE
making use of the corridor's distinctive layout
Even the temporary advantage gained by
military's seemingly boundless reserve of troops.
gradually begins to wane under the Imperial
is also dealing with unforeseen circumstances.
But in the meantime, the Imperial military
Next time, on Legend of the Galactic Heroes,
~ The End of the Great Campaign ~
The Battle of the Corridor (Part Three)
Next Legend of the Galactic Heroes
"The Battle of the Corridor (Part Three)"
Episode 81:
"The End of the Great Campaign"
Another page turns in the history of the galaxy.