A short history of the Fourth War

*Please note that the following is a dramatization, and should be taken with a grain of salt. Imagine the writer as a Warden historian attempting objectivity, but sorta not really achieving it.*

*"The Opening of Glen"*

The initial moments of the Fourth War were chaotic and gruesome. In a very short timespan, dozens marched to their deaths, the battlefield was molded and key locations were taken. It can be argued that the whole war was decided within twenty minutes of its beginning, for better or worse.

Although little is known about either side's true strategic goals and exact plans, what tiny pieces are understood hint that the Brine Glen was a centerpiece of both faction's plans and decisions. Both the Wardens and the Colonials immediately recognized the importance of production value, strategic placement and vicinity to key positions that would allow them to avoid the stalemate that plagued the Third War altogether if captured. Most of the high-ups agreed that Brine Glen would be key to the war's outcome - and in a sense, they were correct, although in a completely different manner than they imagined.

The Wardens were first to arrive, crossing the bridge and taking up defensive perimeter around the scattered buildings, attempting to seize the initiative and gather what momentum they could. It was a direct effort, a simple necessity to their plan - But no plan survives contact with the enemy.

Mere minutes after the Glen was seized by Warden troops, the Colonials arrived in force and with the element of surprise at their side. They charged the Warden's left flank, and the combined effect of panic and bullets whizzing past their heads sent them on a spiraling retreat. This was hardly the end of the Warden's brave efforts, of course, but the proximity of Brine Glen mines turned out to be exactly the kind of kick necessary to finally establish Colonial dominance over the area for the rest of the war. What was supposed to be a smash and grab attack turned into a sluggish retreat under fire, as the Wardens refused to give up the bridge, hoping they could at least control the damage Colonials were inflicting upon their plans. The battle raged on for almost a whole day, but ultimately died down as Wardens focused their efforts elsewhere and the Colonials established a stable perimeter.

*"The Charge of Krazy's Kreigers"*

Heroes tend to arise at the least likely of times. The Wardens learned this the hard way, through a test by fire.

With the Brine Glen under enemy control, and the Warden plans rendered useless, a single officer arose to command a small group of soldiers to change the tide of battle. Most originated from the 82nd Death Korps and were still recovering and regrouping from the early defeat, now without a plan, reduced to a contingency they had not prepared for. This fate-blessed commander was KrazyFlyinChicken, and he proceeded to alter the course of battle with only a handful of troops and a vision. The nickname "Krazy" was given to him by the soldiers he led, most definitely as a testament to his seemingly impulsive decisions and the fact it worked almost every time.

Realizing the Colonials pushed heavily and in numbers to secure Brine Glen, he led a small group, later nicknamed "Krazy's Kriegers", to rush straight across the battlefield, correctly identifying a hole in enemy defenses and avoiding engagement with a massive enemy patrol. His exemplary performance earned the Warden side Sun's Hollow deep behind the main Colonial line, only secured after a short but bloody battle between two elite units from the Kriegers and to this day unidentified Colonial special forces. The victory was costly, however it came so soon and so unexpectedly it caught Krazy's opponents off-guard. During the attack that shattered the organization of Colonial forces in the area, another unit, notably less elite and led by two eager corporals, Lagger and Whiskers, managed to follow suit to the Kriegers and arrived just after they finished setting up the first two foxholes. The combined might of these two squads proceeded to secure the area.

The Kriegers then attempted an impossible feat: A commando assault at the remaining Colonial base. It is largely unknown what exactly had transpired, but the Colonial witnesses to the attack later stated that once the smoke cleared, and all Warden attackers lay dead, the final satchel charge necessary to blow up their target was in the cold hands of the last man, mere meters away from the FOB and their defeat.

This victory, however, also had its cost. With Krazy and most of the Kriegers leading the Sun's Hollow efforts, the rest of the Warden forces stood on their own when the captured mines at Brine Glen finally started showing their might, and throwing rank upon rank of Colonials at the Callahan's Gate Forward Operations Base. Although Sun's Hollows became the Hammer, The Gate had in turn become the Anvil.

*"The massacre at Sun's Hollow"*

At first it seemed after the horrendous push, the Colonials would give Krazy and the newfound Sun's Hollow garrison a bit of a breather. It later became apparent the lack of any early counterattacks was simply a result of the losses they suffered, and the time it took them to reorganize. This would ultimately prove to be their downfall, and solidified the Warden's hold of the area.

The first organized attacks came in the form of small squads trying to break through, testing and probing the defenses. Immediately, resources were mined and put straight into fortifying the critical location. Walls were erected, foxholes dug, pillboxes placed and sandbags littered the ground. Under heavy fire that at one point came very close to destroying the Warden outpost before it could even become fully functional, defenses were constructed and attackers repelled. Miraculously, more reinforcements made their way through Liberty point and reinforced the tiny garrison, replacing losses.

The battle raged on for a time, brought to staggered halt that only gave Wardens more time to establish the stationary defenses. In a desperate, last-ditch attack attempt, the Colonials pushed as one, only to meet the Warden line spitting fire at them.

In a matter of two minutes, the Colonials lost fifteen well-equipped troops to a counterattack spearheaded by Whiskers, while the Wardens paid a relatively low cost of one foxhole and two soldiers. This would be the final defeat that discouraged further assaults, and the feat was quickly named "The massacre at Sun's Hollow". Whiskers received much praise for leading the counterattack with brutal efficiency and laser precision. Among other things, the Colonial weapons looted from the troops who died in the attack served Wardens all the way to the Pits of Death.

*"The slugfest of Callahan's Boot"*

With the Gate under siege, the supply lines from the newly established outpost at The Spine cut off, and the Colonials holding the vital Brine Glen, only by sheer force of determination and stubborn defense did any Wardens at all survive in the hell that Callahan's Boot has turned into. At the time, the Boot was the only outpost that was actively causing trouble to the Colonial forces. The rest had resorted to fortifying and holding, waiting for the hammer to strike, while the Boot simply refused to give way and retreat. Cut off and unable to hold, the Warden troops there retreated and then retook the area at least four times, inflicting casualties equally as horrendous as those they received, pushing, pulling and tugging, diverting Colonial resources and troops, trying desperately to protect the Gate at all costs. The soldiers called the war a slugfest, a killing ground that truly had no victor on a personal level.

With the Colonials bringing their superior equipment to bear, Callahan's boot was eventually lost, and along with it fell the Gate itself. But the Sun's Hollow garrison in turn succeeded in destroying the FOB at Salt Fields, and the Colonials stood before a choice of taking the Gate and reinforcing it, or attempting to safeguard Salt Fields and destroy Sun's Hollow. This was the moment when the Colonial command structure issues truly became apparent, as, despite attempts at both, they were not able to truly accomplish either goal.

Anvil regained its power by building a new FOB once Callahan's Gate was retaken and the Colonials in full retreat. Although enemy troops were left all along the line to Brine Glen bridge, and far back into the Warden back line, still probing defenses around The Spine, no attempts at regrouping were successful and the Warden Anvil solidified its hold of the area.

*"The Salt March"*

With the Colonials depleting their momentum narrowly failing to bring down the replaced FOB at Callahan's gate and being pushed back far, towards the bridge and mountains, Warden forces organized a decisive push at the depot in Salt Fields. Resistance was met, but utterly crushed, as the Wardens gathered to lay siege and lock down the final Colonial base in Brine Glen. But the Colonials wouldn't go down without a fight.

Realizing they still had the logistics advantage for the moment, they poured every bit of resources into constructing a second outpost at Brine's Glen and fortifying the place with ever bit of concrete available. It was bristling with weapons by the time Wardens managed to knock out the FOB at Salt Fields and launch their offensive. Although they had prepared, the Colonials still took a massive moral hit when Salt Fields fell and the defenses were overtaken by Wardens. In these moments before the final battle, the Wardens truly came together as a fighting force, pouring every bit of effort into their push.

Although the Wardens expected to have more defenses to deal with in the south, it turned out the Wards have been left almost completely unused. It was a godsend to the command structure, less targets to split attention on, one clear goal remaining. The Wardens had to destroy both FOBs in Brine Glen.

*"The Pits of Death"*

Of course the Colonials wouldn't sell their skin cheap.

The battle that erupted was more akin to World War One than anything else. A disciplined effort, pushing trench to trench, pit to pit, bodies staining the ground. Towards the end, Warden troops simply ignored requisitioning gear back in Salt Fields FOB, relying on finding dead with their gas masks still on, radios strapped to their belts and unspent ammunition in their pockets. Heavy weapons weren't an uncommon sight, either. Everything was hinging, yet again, on Brine Glen.

The efforts of pushing through the pits were disorganized, as no unit could possibly stay in cohesion when fighting with limited lines of sight and enemies that could jump out anywhere, at any time. The more focused part of the push was stationed towards the right flank, where Colonial defenses were weakest and organized units with high explosives could deal the most damage. It was a brutal firing line, with many famous pictures taken of the efforts. The Kriegers were in the end the ones to break through first, but units that manned the trenches should not be forgotten, and neither should be the few troops who launched suicidal attacks at the bridge while Colonials were distracted, causing insufferable havoc among the enemy lines using their LMGs and grenades.

*"The Last Stand at Brine Glen"*

The true last stand happened after fifteen minutes of brutal trench warfare, when the first wave of attackers, spearheaded again by the Kriegers, destroyed the damaged FOB with a mortar shell.

Desperate, the Colonial defense slowly started falling apart, only to be replaced by gas grenades and heroic deeds. Solo troopers took on squads and won, commando teams launched attack after attack attempting to place the charges, men stood and held the line, and standing they too died. It was an inevitable result.

Of note are the actions of Krieger commandos under Krazy's lead, launching massive assaults and alone holding the right flank. The actions of a lone corporal by the name of Whiskers, who managed to down seven colonials whilst protecting the mortars. The actions of the 75th Reaper Regiment soldiers, leading the defense of the doomed fortress. The actions of men from the Colonial logistics division, forgetting glory in battle and keeping to work so others might hold the line. The actions an unnamed trooper who defeated an entire rifleman team with only a pistol and his wits. The actions of three Colonial privates who died meters away from the Warden outpost's outer wall. The actions of two unnamed troopers, who managed to kill half a dozen Colonials after unnoticed crossing the Brine Glen bridge, armed only with one LMG and a pistol. The actions of the few underequipped Colonials who fought pit to pit, attempting a staggered defense. Finally, the actions of the Warden logistics division, providing the high explosives that ended this bloody conflict.

Barely four hours after the war has begun, an unnamed soldier made it past the Colonial fortress, and placed a satchel charge. The following explosion destroyed the building and declared Wardens as the victors of the Fourth War.