Operation: Angel Down (エンジェルダウン作戦) is a conflict of the Second Alliance-PLANT War, featured in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny.
Prelude[]
Following the Battle of Berlin[1], PLANT Chairman, Gilbert Durandal, formally announced the existence of Logos[2], an extremist anti-Coordinator organization that was pulling the strings beneath the Atlantic Federation and unleashed the GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam on the allied but moderate Eurasian Federation as well as stealthily omitting clips of third-party forces to show a purely ZAFT effort to stop the crisis. As he and ZAFT's higher-ups were deliberating over the decisive battle against Logos, the Archangel, a warship that had continuously interfered with recent battles[3], including Berlin, was marked as a potential threat to their operations. Because of this, it was decided to eliminate this issue immediately before they could confidently strike against the Atlantic Federation, hence the birth of the Operation: Angel Down.
In contrast, however, the Archangel was actually heading back to the Orb Union through the neutral Kingdom of Scandinavia due to its intentions to restore Cagalli Yula Athha back to power and was not looking to engage the ZAFT forces. Nonetheless, when the ZAFT forces ambushed them during their journey, they were forced to defend themselves.
The Battle[]
While ZAFT deployed several aerial units alongside the ground-running TFA-4DE GAZuOOT & TMF/A-802 BuCUE for a simultaneous assault, Captain Murrue Ramius ordered the Archangel to only focus on defensive fire and used as little of its powerful "Gottfried Mk.71" dual high-energy beam cannons for fear of their actions being designated as an aggressive attack against ZAFT. Additionally, Kira Yamato forbade all other pilots of the ship from sortieing out with their MVF-M11C Murasame as he wished to honor Cagalli's wish to bring them all back to Orb safely. The ship hoped to evade ZAFT's attacks long enough to submerge and successfully escape.
In spite of the heavy assault as well as heavily handicapping themselves, the Archangel and ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam successfully but barely held their advance to the sea, just as the ship was ambushed in one of the mountains by the Minerva. In contrast to her orders to destroy the vessel immediately, Captain Talia Gladys contacted the Archangel and offered an avenue of surrender, but this request was rejected by Murrue, and Gladys sent out Shinn Asuka's ZGMF-X56S Impulse Gundam which quickly engaged the Freedom in a dogfight; preventing any attempt for it to rejoin the Archangel. Thanks to Shinn (with Rey's help) properly researching Kira's habit of initially avoiding fatal attacks and focusing on main cameras, thrusters, or weapons, Shinn was able to fight evenly, grazing the Freedom's shoulder with a beam shot that ricocheted from the Impulse's discarded shield. When Kira was able to smash the Impulse's head, Shinn responded immediately by detaching his damaged Chest Flyer and sending it straight to the Freedom before subsequently destroying the Chest Flyer and causing the Freedom to freefall towards the ground.
Meanwhile, the Archangel, without the Freedom's protection, began to suffer damage from the Minerva's attacks. Though the Minerva was almost able to sandwich the Archangel in a valley, Arnold Neumann was able to barrel roll the Archangel over the Minerva. At the same time, the Freedom lost its beam rifle, but Kira attempted to retaliate against Shinn's attacks by cutting through the Impulse's torso, but Shinn countered by detaching his Leg Flyer and detonating it behind the Freedom, damaging its left wings. Once the Archangel was nearing the sea, Gladys finally ordered for the Minerva's "Tannhäuser" positron blaster cannon to be fired. At the same time, Kira was taking his badly-damaged Freedom towards the Archangel, but Shinn was able to cut him off with one of the Sword Silhouette's beam boomerangs.
Concurrently, "Tannhäuser" finally fired, hitting the Archangel directly on its rear, and this surprise allowed Shinn to take one of the Sword Silhouette's "Excalibur" anti-ship sword and drive it through the Freedom's shield and abdomen.[4] Before the final strike, Kira managed to shut off the Freedom's nuclear reactor to prevent a nuclear explosion.[5]
Despite the heavy damage to its engines, the Archangel had still managed to submerge, and Ramius ordered for some of the ship's engines to be detached entirely to give the illusion of complete destruction. Additionally, Cagalli departed with the MBF-02 Strike Rouge underwater to retrieve Kira from the surviving Freedom's torso.[5]
Aftermath[]
Following the battle, ZAFT sent out several of its air and aquatic reconnaissance units to survey the area, finding the remains of the Freedom and the abandoned engines of the Archangel, but no sign remaining of the latter. While the Archangel managed to escape beneath ZAFT's nose, they were nonetheless able to destroy the Freedom and conclusively end any possible interjection to their battle with Logos.
Shinn was subsequently promoted to FAITH for the accomplishment of defeating the Freedom, but Athrun Zala, Kira's childhood bestfriend, a former war hero from the First Alliance-PLANT War, and formerly a close ally to the Archangel from their time in the Three Ships Alliance, questioned the necessity of attacking the ship despite it never targeting ZAFT specifically. Durandal, believing these doubts would only fester and cause issues, framed Athrun for treason and opted to eliminate him.[6]
The Archangel ultimately limped its way through Scandinavia before successfully reaching Orb in secret, where it was eventually fully repaired.
Gallery[]
.png "Compton-Class Front 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep34).png (3.86 MB)")
.png "Archangel vs Minerva 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep34).png (3.17 MB)")
.png "Force Impulse Gundam Mid-Battle Seperation 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep34).png (2.4 MB)")
.png "Freedom Gundam Defeated 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep34).png (3.71 MB)")
.png "Force Impulse Gundam Damaged 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep35).png (3.54 MB)")
.png "Freedom Gundam Emergency Reactor Cut Off Button 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep35).png (4.96 MB)")
.png "Strike Rouge Gundam Recovers Freedom Gundam 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep35).png (2.87 MB)")
.png "AWACS DINN Searching 01 (SEED Destiny HD Ep35).png (3.58 MB)")
Notes & Trivia[]
- The battle is featured in Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn as part of the Cosmic Era's story, where the player takes the perspective of Shinn as he hunts down the Freedom. In contrast to the actual battle, several Murasame and Astray are sent out to impede Shinn during his search for Kira.
- This battle is also famously recreated in Super Robot Wars Z. Prior to the incident, both the Minerva and Archangel were part of the same team, ZEUTH, along with other Gundam-related teams the Anti Earth Union Group and Vulture plus other groups. The group splits up to handle two different threats and the villains are able to make it seem like the other have turned traitor, leading to the two to believe they have gone bad and confront each other. Similar to the anime, Shinn strikes down Kira and the Minerva seemingly destroys the Archangel, though the heroes learn the truth thanks to Banjo Haran, pilot of the super robot Daitarn 3.
Appearances[]
- Television Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny
- PHASE-34, Nightmare
- First Appearance
- PHASE-35, Eve of Chaos
- Conclusion
- PHASE-39, Kira of the Skies
- Flashback(s) Only
- PHASE-34, Nightmare
References[]
.jpg "Operation Angel Down File 01 (Gundam Perfect Files 165-19).jpg (513 KB)")
.jpg "Operation Angel Down File 02 (Gundam Perfect Files 165-20).jpg (183 KB)")
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-32, Stella
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-33, The World Revealed
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-23, The Shadows of War
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-34, Nightmare
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-35, Eve of Chaos
- ↑ Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny PHASE-36, Athrun on the Run
Please read the linked project page before editing this article.
Project Leader: User:CD298
| Cosmic Era Conflicts and Events | |
| C.E. 15 | |
|---|---|
| Coordinator Revelation | Jupiter Exploration Mission | |
| C.E. 30’s - C.E. 50 | |
| Coordinator Boom | |
| C.E. 50’s - C.E. 60’s | |
| Assassination of George Glenn | Flaga Estate Burning | Blue Cosmos Attack on Mendel | |
| C.E. 60’s - C.E. 69 | |
| Mandelbrot Incident | Attack on the Junius Colonies | Mendel Accident | |
| C.E. 70 | |
| First Alliance-PLANT War Tragedy of Copernicus | Bloody Valentine Incident | Invasion of South America | Battle of Yggdrasil | First Battle of Victoria | Operation Uroboros | Battle of Carpentaria | Battle of Coral Sea | First Battle of Jachin Due | Grimaldi Front (Battle of Endymion Crater) | First Battle of Casablanca | Battle of El Alamein | Battle of Nova | First Nova Recapture Operation | October Talks | |
| Unrelated Conflicts First Attack on the Graveyard | |
| C.E. 71 | |
| First Alliance-PLANT War Battle of Kaohsiung | Battle of Heliopolis | Skirmish near Artemis | Battle of Artemis | Second Nova Recapture Operation | Clash at Junius Seven | Skirmish in the Debris Belt | Battle near Junius Seven | Skirmish in the North African Desert | Skirmish towards Earth | Battle of Orbit | Second Battle of Victoria | Blue Cosmos Attack on PLANT | Desert Dawn Campaign (Attack on the Archangel | Attack on Tassil | Retaliation of the Desert Dawn | Blue Cosmos Attack in Banadiya | Battle of Talbadiya) | First Equatorial Skirmish | Second Equatorial Skirmish | Skirmish on an Uninhabited Island | Strait of Malacca Breakthrough | First Battle near Orb | Orb Infiltration Mission | Second Battle near Orb | Battle of the Marshall Islands | Theft of the Freedom Gundam | Operation Spitbreak | Shoot Out at White Symphony | Mission to Recapture the Freedom Gundam | Battle of Porta Panama | Battle of Orb | Assassination of Siegel Clyne | Third Battle of Victoria | Attack on a ZAFT Fleet | Theft of the Eternal | Battle of Mendel | Second Battle of Casablanca | Operation 8.8 (Ayers Rock Landing Operation) | Operation Elvis (Battle of Boaz | Second Battle of Jachin Due) | |
| South American War for Independence Attack on South American Forces Base 12 | Duel at the South American Shore | Battle in the USSA Neutral Zone | Ambush in Low Orbit | |
| Unrelated Conflicts Campaign on the ZAFT Supply Route (Attack on a ZAFT Supply Station | Battle at ZAFT Supply Station 4) | Skirmish at Heliopolis | Pirate Attack on the H.O.M.E. | Recapture of Artemis | Skirmish at Artemis | Second Attack on the Graveyard | Actaeon Hostage Incident | Skirmish at Liteiria | Barnacle Incident | First Attack by the Gundam Astray Gold Frame | First Attack on the Lesseps | Second Attack on the Lesseps | Confrontation in the Deep Sea | Infiltration of the Lesseps | First Battle of the Giga-Float | Second Battle of the Giga-Float | Battle of Ame-No-Mihashira | Battle of the Gundam Astrays | Third Attack on the Graveyard | Find Kira Yamato Operation | Skirmish at Mendel | Raid on the Dreadnaught Gundam’s Transport | Attack on the Serpent Tail Transport | First Attack on the Re.H.O.M.E. | Attack on Supply Station 15B | Escape from Artemis | Assault on Ptolemaeus Port Seven | Attack on the Ortygia | Attack on Ame-No-Mihashira | Battle at the Abandon Colony Zone | Battle at the Mobile Suit Auction | Clash at Mendel | Second Attack on the Re.H.O.M.E. | Assault on the Sahaku Force | Erudou Breakthrough | Third Attack on the Re.H.O.M.E. | First Battle of GENESIS Alpha | First Attack on GENESIS Alpha | |
| C.E. 72 | |
| First Alliance-PLANT War Nairobi Peace Conference (Attack on the Junius Treaty Ceremony) | |
| South American War for Independence Battle for South America | |
| Unrelated Conflicts Battle of the Blue Cosmos Asteroid Factory | |
| C.E. 73 | |
| Second Alliance-PLANT War Attack on Armory One | Battle of the Debris Belt | "Break The World" Incident | Battle of Aprilius One | Operation Spear of Twilight | Ambush of the Minerva | Assassination Attempt of Lacus Clyne | Kidnapping of Orb's Chief Representative | Battle of the Indian Ocean | Attack on Lohengrin Gate | Battle of Gulnahan | Battle in Lunar Orbit | Battle of Dardanelles | Skirmish at Lodonia Lab | Lacus Clyne Shuttle Hijacking | Battle of Crete | |
| Unrelated Conflicts Second Attack on GENESIS Alpha | Third Attack on GENESIS Alpha | Second Battle of Genesis Alpha | Attack on Ed the Ripper’s Shuttle |Attack in Fortaleza | Attack on Kirgitz | Declaration of the Sky | Attack on The Clan Space Station | Assault on the Coordinator Refugee Camp | |
| C.E. 74 | |
| Second Alliance-PLANT War Minerva Breakout | Attack on the Bonaparte | Destroy Crisis (First Attack on Eurasia | Second Attack on Eurasia | Third Attack on Eurasia | Battle of Berlin) | Campaign Against Logos | Operation Angel Down | Desertion of Athrun Zala and Meyrin Hawke | Operation Ragnarök | Eternal Chase | Operation Fury | Battle of Requiem Station Gounod | Battle of Daedalus | Assassination Attempt in Copernicus City | Proclamation of the Destiny Plan | Attack on Requiem Station One | Battle of Messiah | |
| Unrelated Conflicts Attack on Toroya Station | |