When people talk about the Fall of Reach, I firmly believe it was the prowess of Supreme Commander Rho 'Barutamee and his Fleet of Valiant Prudence that was the pivotal reason for Reach’s eventual annihilation at the hands of the Covenant Empire. However, when people think who conquered Reach, most believe it was Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee. Sure he was the one who eventually finished off Reach, with help from other supporting Fleets as well, however, it felt more like he was just finishing off an injured animal more than a heroic victory over the humans. Due to this, I believe 'Barutamee was not properly credited for Reach’s destruction, regardless of his more than likely death at the hands of Noble Team. Interested to see the general opinion on this statement.
He didn’t get the credit from the Covenant hierarchy because he wasn’t technically supposed to be there. He was operating outside of his dictates when he found Reach.
Rho’s actions may have weakened Reach’s defenses in Eposz, but the Fleet being relocated to such a tight area due to Operation: RED FLAG preserved the majority of Reach’s fleet, as well as its orbital defense grid. So when Thel arrived with the Fleet of Particular Justice, he still had to contend with the brunt of Reach’s defenses and land troops to take the SMAC generators offline.
Thel’s fleet was much more important