Battle of Legnica
From Gineipaedia, the Legend of Galactic Heroes wiki
The Battle of Legnica (Japanese: 惑星レグニッツァ上空の戦い) was a battle in the Alliance–Imperial War in 795 UC (486 IC / 3595 CE) in which the Free Planets Alliance's 2nd Fleet engaged the Lohengramm Fleet of the Galactic Empire in the atmosphere of the gaseous planet Legnica. The battle turned after the Imperial fleet rapidly ascended for no apparent reason. However, because the air temperature had been raised by the fleets discharging their weapons at each other, supercooled upper atmospheric air rushed in and mixed with the now heated hydrogen and helium causing 6,000 kmph winds that pinned down the Alliance fleet. In order to escape the ferocious winds the 2nd Fleet's commander, Vice Admiral Paetta, ordered that they escape out of the updraft declining to ascend as Yang Wen-li suggested, thinking this would expose the fleet to Imperial fire. The battle ended in a decisive Imperial victory when Reinhard von Müsel launched a nuclear fusion missile into the planet directly beneath the 2nd Fleet. Massive damage was inflicted on the 2nd Fleet once the resulting explosion ignited the atmosphere. After having narrowly escaped destruction and now at a disadvantage Paetta ordered a retreat, an action that Yang would regard as the first good order he had given.
This battle is notable for being the first time that Reinhard and Yang were directly engaged against one another and also as the first battle of the soon to be famous Imperial Flagship Brünhild.
Notes
It should be of note that this was not the first time that Yang and Reinhard had participated in the same battle. In the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn Yang set a trap for Reinhard, only known as the new talented Imperial commander then, which nearly succeeded in ensnaring Reinhard. They both also fought in the Fifth Battle of Iserlohn and the Battle of Van-Fleet although their units were never engaged with one another.