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The following is a first hand account of the battle of Louisiana written by DoD War Correspondent Ludo

LOUISIANA, July 10, 2013 - The rain comes falling down, pelting the exterior of my tent as I collect my thoughts after the events of the day. After all we gave to free Texas, it could not hold for long. Thankfully we were able to raise the ol' star and stripes over another state today.


After the victory in Texas a few days back, our forces were given just a few hours of R&R before they were humping it across the border into Louisiana. Word had it the Serbs were on the warpath to reclaim Texas. While we knew we couldn't hold them back, the thinking was that we could catch them off guard by attacking another state while their eyes were on the Lone Star State.





The target was New Orleans. We knew the Serbs would be there in force, but with their focus elsewhere and the aid of darkness, we hoped to catch them off guard.


Dismounting from our vehicles on the outskirts of town, it was evident that we were worn down. Looking from soldier to soldier, I could see the haze of fatigue and exhaustion in their eyes. Sensing this, US Marine Colin Lantrip, a god damned eUS hero already, stepped up onto the hood of a nearby humvee to motivate the troops. While most of it sounded like the hoots and hollers of a deranged ape, his message sank in with the men and women surrounding me and you could almost sense the spark take hold as they prepped to enter the city.





In the dark of night we slid undetected into New Orleans. Initially we had small units out ahead to find and mark the ideal routes into town. These men and women were chosen for their skill at more covert warfare. Crouched near a wall, I watched as a team approached a Serbian checkpoint. Working in tandem, merc CaseyJ and EZC badass BritSeelowe each dispatched their mark with a quick tug of the knife across the throat. There were probably clean ways to kill, but for most in our military, this had become personal long ago.


Suddenly, the unit I was attached to froze as gunfire rang out across the darkened streets. As quickly and quietly as possible, we moved towards the gunfire, emerging into a park to find a full fledged firefight. I'd learn later that a Serbian patrol came upon some of our forces out in the open. Rather than attempt to slip away, Airborne legend Leroy Combs chucked a grenade and ordered his men to take the fight to the enemy, laying down a crippling fire that successfully pinned them down. Now aware of our presence, light had begun flickering on across the New Orleans skyline as the Serbian occupiers awoke to greet the eUS forces. The element of surprise had been lost.


Receiving word of a pinned down unit nearby, Cannon Cocker Haselrig rounded up a group of soldiers and without hesitation set off through the streets to provide assistance. Actions like this had become common place by this point, small feats of bravery in an army full of heroes. Men and women from all different backgrounds and ideologies, bound together in common cause.





Having lost the cover of night and the element of surprise, HQ had some humvees sent up, trading stealth for speed in our advance. Taking the lead, John Largo, a hard as nails Marine with an affinity for Georgia Tech, stood tall in his .50 cal turret as we blazed through the New Orleans streets. Even when a bullet found its mark, tearing into Largo's arm, he laughed and just kept on firing.


Instructed to keep my head down during our race through the streets, I still managed to catch a glimpse of a crack Ultramarine squad, headed up by Pearlswine, taking out a Serbian machine gun position with precision fire and liberal use of grenades.


A few hours into the attack and we had made significant progress towards the heart of the city, where the bulk of the Serbian forces were rumored to be staging. While losses had been substantial, nowhere had the Serbs stopped us cold. Remembering Texas, our leaders erred on the side of caution. Even as our lead units shot through the streets on humvees, follow up forces were sweeping the buildings and alleyways for hidden Serbs. This time we wanted no surprises.





They got us from the air. Lacking sophisticated means of gathering intel, leadership had operated under the assumption that Serbian air forces would be committed to the skies above Texas during the window of the attack. Initial confusion at the sound of helicopters turned into a cold panic as they appeared in the skies above us, unloading their payloads of rockets into the buildings and streets around us.


Thrown off guard and taking heavy losses, our forces recoiled and stopped dead in their tracks. Crouching inside buildings and behind cars, the advance had effectively ground to a halt.


The radio crackled to life, "When you see the signal, fall back." No more was said. As the soldiers looked around in confusion at this cryptic order, Josh Frost was in motion. After Texas, President Proteus had tried to order him back home, he had not so respectfully refused. Racing to the top of a nearby building, Frost popped the emergency flare he carried, waving it above his head. A flaming, smoking beacon for the attack helicopters, Frost led them on a merry chase as he dashed across the rooftops, bullets kicking up debris at his feet. Focused in on this one crazy man, they failed to notice as MCSH, a new member of the ZDF, stepped out into the open in the street below and with a shoulder-mounted rocket, took down one of the helicopters.





Taking this to be the signal (Frost would later confirm it was), the eUS forces regrouped, falling back about a mile to more defensible positions. Here they settled in for the Serbian counterattack, fighting off wave after wave. Wreaking havoc on our forces, the Serb helos were eventually dealt with by a squadron of fighters sent by US-AIM. Working with limited resources and unsure of their flight capabilities after years in storage, those brave pilots went up anyways and literally saved dozens of lives, if not more.


Finally the Serb attacks began to slacken, finally we had a moment to breathe. This moment did not last long however. Seizing the initiative, an advance was ordered, hoping to catch the Serbs off guard.


Separated from my assigned unit, I fell in with a mixed squad of SHIELD and UM soldiers. Under the leadership of New Azazel and Wild Owl, these warriors moved through the streets quickly, dispatching any Serbs that appeared, no prisoners.


Word came down that we had surrounded the remaining Serbian forces and they were offering surrender. Remembering all the states that had fallen, all the lives lost, one can't blame our leaders from firmly rejecting their offer.


They didn't go down without a fight. Backs against the wall, they came out with everything they had, inflicting heavy casualties on our forces. It wasn't until Colin Lantrip and Wild Owl each crept up and tossed grenades into key Serbian positions that their defense fell apart, dissolving into scattered pockets of resistance.





No one said this war would be easy. Even when we score a victory, events like what happened in Texas remind us that they are often short-lived. Thankfully, this is a cause worth fighting for. This is a war worthy of our best effort and these are battles that will set us on the path to ultimate victory. We may not win them, and we may not hold each region we take; but we will fight. We will fight and carry on and our will and conviction will sustain us even when it seems hopeless.