The turning point in the war came during the Federation’s attack on Read Gateway.
Cormac Uí Laoghire led the defence of the outpost personally, and after several days of fierce fighting, the Crimson State Group finally managed to achieve their first victory by successfully defending Read Gateway.
However, the reality is that it was more a failure on President Halsey’s part than a victory on behalf of Crimson State. The defence only succeeded due to the Federation running dangerously low on weapons for their troops.
As soon as it became apparent that the Federation was having difficulty acquiring the weapons they needed to end the war, the Crimson State Group took advantage of the military intelligence obtained during Operation Dullahan to attack Hartsfield Market.
The battle for Hartsfield Market lasted for almost 5 days, during which time the Federation managed to establish complete dominance over the skies of Lugh. Unfortunately for President Halsey, air superiority alone was not enough to win the war, a fact she soon learned when the CSG tricked her into ordering a strike against Federal refugees attempting to flee the conflict.