In March, the Western Front launched a counteroffensive under Ferdinand Foch's strong will.
While Pétain's side still wanted to gather more supplies and troops, Foch had different ideas.
"Our goal is not just to recapture the Marne! Beyond the Marne, we will retake Amiens and finally reach Belgium and Alsace-Lorraine!"
From his perspective, what the Allied forces needed wasn't more troops but a single victory to turn the front around, and that victory lay at the Marne.
Opinions were divided, but regardless, Ferdinand Foch had taken control of the Allied Supre Command.
They mobilized 60 divisions to attack the Marne.
Seeing how they went all out from the start, it seed France no longer cared about the post-war situation.
anwhile, the atmosphere was quite different in Russia's theaters.
"The Czechoslovak Legion?"
"Though it's a mix of two ethnicities, over 90% are Czech. According to what we've confird so far, they number over 100,000 and are cooperating with us for their holand's independence."
"That's not a small number. Does the General Staff plan to use them?"
"Though they're still growing in number, unfortunately it's just at the level of cooperation."
The birth of that famous legion of madn.
The army that, during the Russian Civil War, would occupy the Trans-Siberian Railway from Eastern Europe to Siberia, walk to Vladivostok in the Far East, and then return to Europe by ship from Asia.
The Czechs, unable to endure Austria's tyranny, joined hands with the Slovaks and rose up.
"At this rate, Vienna's fall is just a matter of ti. With Hötzendorf's resistance already ended, they have no ans to stop us. However, we won't advance for now."
"There's no real reason to enter Austrian territory anyway."
Though it had effectively been decided as Russia's victory, we were satisfied with just 'maintaining' the front.
"Once the south is finished, those Western bastards will ask us to expand the Eastern Front."
"Then there's no reason to finish the southern front."
"Right. We're still fighting Germany and the Dual Monarchy alone."
"Hmm, indeed."
Though General Kuropatkin tries hard to hide his wickedness, this relaxed atmosphere says it all.
Russia's war was already close to being a fake war.
While enjoying such peace in the spring of 1918.
"Armistice, we wish to propose an armistice!"
Even Austria threw in the white flag.
Originally, they would have lost the will to fight in early winter this year and finally proposed an armistice to the Allied forces.
"The terms are substantial. They'll abandon all occupied territories and colonies, and expel German forces within 15 days."
"Kuropatkin, you know what I want?"
"...I'll try to delay the armistice as much as possible."
Just when Allied Commander Foch was attempting to turn things around at the Marne, they talk of armistice.
If the war ends too early here, the Allies' expectations for the Eastern Front will only increase.
However, soone couldn't stand Russia's salary theft and peaceful dereliction of duty.
[Padua Armistice, Concluded.]
[The Long Battle of Isonzo, Cos to an End.]
Italy struck first.
The Central Powers had collapsed.
==
How did the Soviet Union conclude an armistice with the Central Powers?
The reason the Soviet Union could stop the war with the Dual Monarchy while starting the Civil War in '18 was quite simple.
The Soviet Union gave up everything.
Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Caucasus, and so on.
The Red Army's enemy wasn't Austria-Hungary but the White Army. Since their ultimate goal was overthrowing the state, they could give up a third of the empire's population and half of its industrial zones.
That's how the Soviet Union was born.
By giving up not just post-war expansion but even spitting out everything the empire originally held.
'In fact, if the Red Army had maintained the front for just another half year, it ans they would have beco a country that didn't lose all of that.'
A Soviet Union that fully inherited the empire from the start - perhaps it's fair to say this six-month gap overturned history.
However, history has changed now.
Six months.
This ti, the opponent knelt first.
Since Italy had already negotiated with them, we couldn't really drag things out either.
"Italian forces are taking possession of the Austrian coast and South Tyrol. Though they're being criticized for acting alone..."
"They won't listen. Tsk, perhaps it's ti we stop cooking and start eating."
This Austro-Hungarian Empire was torn apart.
The Czechs turned away, Slovakia called for independence, and even Austria and Hungary separated.
The proof is that the Padua Armistice was conditional on applying only to the Austrian army.
The southern front that has now truly ended.
I was given choices.
I could demand billions of rubles in reparations they couldn't afford.
I could forcibly annex occupied territories, plunder them, or conclude a treaty covered in all sorts of unequal provisions.
However.
"Your Majesty, based on the principle of national self-determination, I will support the independence of Slovakia, Czechia, and Hungary."
"Yes, since we fought this front alone, we can do as we please."
I had no intention of dismantling those Central Powers into component parts to use for maintaining the empire.
We mustn't forget our true purpose by getting caught up in taking a few more bites.
We started this war already well-fed. Anything more would be excessive greed.
"Pri Minister, let's fill the treaty with peaceful and gentle conditions."
"The world will praise Your Majesty's benevolence."
"Don't say such ridiculous things. It'll be fortunate if they don't curse us."
We will extend a hand to the defeated, embrace them, and simply draw lines to keep them from straying down wrong paths again.
Then, can those Western Europeans do the sa?
"First try recovering your lost territory."
For them, that would be a matter of surviving to talk about.
==
Ferdinand Foch.
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He could pride himself on not having lived a single day carelessly since taking command of the Allied forces.
"We must block those islanders from making useless moves. They're desperate to fight Russia."
"They're all under surveillance. This ti, agitation will be difficult."
"Check two, three tis."
He strived to stitch together this ragtag bunch that constantly suffered internal divisions, trying to form a proper 'Allied force'.
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