The Second Spring Offensive
The entrance of the Arcadian Union into the war meant only one thing for the Quadruple Alliance; that unless the League was defeated in one swoop now, they were doomed. Thus began the second spring offensive. However, unlike the last, this one was prepared for. The principal focus was to take out everyone in one fell swoop. Thus the alliance pushed on all sides.
In Italy the line barely moved. The Italians and Venetians were not going to let the Anglois take ground again. In fact they began a slow push back against their offensive. While in Burgundy things were much shakier. The Germans and Anglois were able to capture more of the Netherlands; though Amsterdam remained under Burgundian control. However, they pushed further south and their eyes were set on capturing Anvers. Yet the Venetian support and Burgundian resilience to hold on prevented the city from falling.
In the lands of the commonwealth though, the story was different. The German and Russians were intent on removing the commonwealth as soon as possible. However they were stalled at Warsaw itself. There inches from collapse the Balkan nations, the largest being Hungary, came to the aid of the Polish and Lithuanians fighting for survival. The Victory at Warsaw, sometimes termed the Miracle at Warsaw, allowed the Polish-Lithuanians to remain in the fight if only barely.
When it came to Bohemia, the Alliance decided to push onto Prague as fast as they could. Unfortunately this was accepted by the League. While the Germans did take much of Bohemia itself during the Offensive they could not take the capital. The southern part of Bohemia was able to stay in Bohemia's hands.
As the Spring ended and Summer began, though they had taken plenty territory in Burgundy, the Commonwealth and Bohemia, none of them surrendered. They were willing to fight to the bitter end and thus the Alliance decided that they would make them understand the price of refusing to surrender. The Alliance believed that if they just took the capitals victory would be theres. Though more and more were beginning to suspect that the end was coming.
The liberation of Scotland
[Scottish forces fighting the Anglois in Scotland]
While fighting was going on in the mainland, the Venetians and Scandinavians began to put into motion the plans to liberate Scotland. Scotland was being used as a base to harass the supply lines going into Scandinavia not to mention the Anglois were working to turn the people against the House of Stuart and Scandinavia.
The first and principal move was to take control of the coasts of Scotland and then move onto the Capital of the region, Edinburgh. It was the regional capital of the Scotland and taking it would help rally the people to fight against the Anglois. After months of planning on June 5th, the combined forces of Venice and Scandinavia made landing in the areas outside of Edinburgh and fought their way to control the region and take the capital. It would take about two weeks but control was established in Edinburgh. The flags of Scandinavia flew over Edinburgh Castle. Then began the move to drive the Anglois out of Scotland, as well as the rest of the british isles.
While the invasion had a successful start, there was a great deal of concern among the Riksdag that the Scottish would try and seek to become independent following the war. This concern was not false for as the years drew on the Scottish Nationalists were gaining strength. There was concern among the Scottish citizenry that the Scandinavians were not going to return. There was a planned uprising in Edinburgh that was meant to occur on June 10th. The uprising would declare Scotland free from the Anglois and the Scandinavians. However, the landing of the Venetian and Scandinavian forces destroyed that plan. While some wanted to go with the plan, they realized that all their delays cost them independence.
This changed with the capture of Edinburgh, and the coup-de-grace to stop any potential uprising in Scotland was the personal visit by the Scandinavian King, Alexander the 5th, himself. He decided that he would make a radio broadcast from Edinburgh to show the people that he and his kingdom were not afraid of the Dual-Monarchy and to rally the Scottish people to his banner and away from any independence talk. This broadcast made even some Scottish Republicans shout: God Save the King along with the rest throughout Scotland.
The Arcadian Front Collapses
While the European war was going as best as it could, in Arcadia things were far worse for the alliance. The Attempt to retake Andagoya by the Spanish in the Spring offensive was turned back by the venetian forces. This allowed in April 5th 1933 for the republic of Venice and Andagoya to officially declare the Andagoya Canal complete.
While the Spanish were routed in Andagoya the Arcadians came pouring in from the North. The Spanish put up a brave front against the Arcadians; even capturing a few cities along the border. However the full might of the Arcadian Union came barreling down upon the Spanish. When that occurred the Arcadian Front collapsed.
It was here that the Arcadian Union began making plans with the Republic of Venice for the shape of things to come. It was agreed by both that neither would take territory in the peace treaty but break up the Spanish empire in Arcadia and Amergia. Spain would be left with nothing. This of course conveniently left out the area around the Andagoya as land already ceded to Venice. Simon Bolivar and Francisco de Miranda's dream of an Independent Arcadia and Ameriga looked to finally be coming true even if it took several centuries to fulfill it.
The Occitanian Breakthrough
The change in fortunes for the League came in the fall, near the end of October. The slow grinding that characterized the conflict changed in October as the Venetians won several victories in the south near the Mediterranean coast. This forced the Anglois to have to split up their troops to deal with the Italians and Venetians.
This thus gave the Italians the chance they were looking forward to push the front into Occitania, into the lands that the Dual-Monarchy owned for the first time in the war. The Italians and Venetians were deciding to push forward as hard as they could, giving the Anglois little time to recover.
It is this break through that prevented Burgundy from surrendering to the Alliance for the Anglois were forced to call off troops from the northern front dealing with them to deal with the Venetians and the Italians. This gave the Burgundians, and the few Venetians that were there time to recover from the onslaught by the Anglois and Germans.
The election of 1933
[Venetian nurses voting out in the front voting during the war]
The year of 1933 turned out to be an election year, and with the war in full swing that complicated things. When this was announced, this made the Anglois and the Germans hopeful. They knew that the Venetians were growing tired of the war as it was public news. If one of the more peace demanding parties could win, then the Venetians would be out of the game.
Both the Conservative Liga Veneta and the Liberal Liga Veneta Republica agreed to form an alliance. Both agreed that the war should continue and that Venice can bring peace to the world. Thus a coalition was struck up between the two in order to work together for the time being.
However, it was the Socialist and Communist parties that were the most vocal in demanding peace. Calling it a war to just prop up imperialist powers. It was them that the Alliance put their money in to win the war for them. They saw no benefit for Venice in continuing the war. However, their strength was sapped following crackdowns after the Amsterdam Commune event. The Council of Ten was authorized to root out any communist or Socialists that would be plotting something similar throughout the Republic.
In the end though, the Coalition between the Conservatives and Liberals won the election. Their promise of not abandoning the League and their people to die, and finishing the war won the day. What changed everyone though was the victories in Occitania that changed the war and seemed to prove to everyone that war could be ended in a year. Everyone wanted peace though and as the Great Council came into power in December. Thus the plan came for the League to do their own spring Offensive.
Planning for the End
1933 came to an end and yet the Great War dragged on more. The second Spring Offensive's goal of ending the war in a single stroke failed. Their reach escaped their grasp. Though they had victories in the Commonwealth, Bohemia, and Burgundy it just wasn't enough. It was the victories in Scotland, Arcadia, and most notably in Occitania that changed the war decisively in the favor the League for the first time since the War began.
The League though wanted the war to end as much as the Quadruple Alliance did. Thus began their own plan. They needed to end the war and they wanted it done in 1934. The war was dragging out for far too long. The plan that the League settled on would be ambitious but if done then the war could end. They were going to capture Paris and Frankfurt.