The Great War: Difference between revisions

After July 1937, the Tripartite Coalition struggled to keep their new territorial gains. In August 1937, Norway formally enters the war on the Tripartite Coalition's side. A joint Anglo-Norwegian invasion of Tripartite-occupied Pomerania is launched on the 3rd week of August, and liberated a significant portion of western and central Pomerania. Subsequently, the British launched a naval invasion into French-controlled Niger.

After several significant losses in Africa and North Germany, Camille Laframboise of France and Stefanov Emmerich of Austria engineer a military operation aimed to shock Great Britain and Russia and distract them from the other active fronts of the war. It also aimed to close what Camille Lafamboise saw as a gap between the Tripartite's Coalition's zone of control: the Rhine and the low countries. The plan was dubbed ''Operation Vendémiaire'' (lit. "Operation Grape Harvester" in Occitan). Operation ''Vendémiaire'' was launched on September 7, 1937, and began with attacks on the neutral Netherlands and Rhineland.

Things did not go according to plan, and the French made a rapid push into the Netherlands capturing Antwerp by the end of September. Forward-placed Dutch units bled the French attackers dry providing significant resistance, and preventing the French army from moving north. Instrumental to the defence was Dutch Louw Verduijn who was vehemently anti-French, and a veteran of the Corean expedition and many other wars. As December came closer and closer the war came to a stalemate, with British reinforcements, Dutch firepower and heavy resistance the Dutch were able to force the French to halt their advance. In the Rhineland, the Australians were able to capture Ertfurt and Goettingen but were forced to retreat, after a series of battles in the south and heavy fighting in the mountains. Key to this was the Battle of Alsfield where a Rhenish, Dutch, Anglo force (8th army) was able to push the Austrians back.

During the Great War, the [[Illyria|Kingdom of Illyria]] (then known as the ''Tsardom of Illyria'') was initially neutral. The Austria and Ottoman Empires recognized Illyria's usefulness as a buffer state between them, and as such, tried to prevent Illyria from sliding towards the influence of the Cordial League. Britain, on the other hand, tried to coerce Illyria into joining, promising a vast territory should they win. However, the tsar remained steadfastly neutral.

France would not be reunited until 1944 (five years later after the war), with a liberal democracy installed and heavily audited by Britain.

** [[Hungary|Magyaria]]: A national republic for the Magyars (Hungarians). It was originally established as the National Republic of Hungary, but later renamed themselves ''Magyaria'' (land of the Magyars) in 1941.

* Poland: The monarchy of Poland, although at war with the Tripartite Coalition at first, willfully surrendered and collaborated with the Tripartite Coalition. After the war, Poland was divided by Russia as a punitive measure. The Ruthenian parts of Poland were ceded to Russia, and were incorporated in the Russian National Republic, while some of their eastern territory was ceded to the German states. Initially, the new Polish state was supposed to be landlocked, but Polish National Republicans protested this and were able to negotiate a Baltic coast. Post-war Poland was run by a National Republican government.