Chapter 242: Looking Back on the First Year of the Great War
Belgium's entry into the war made matters more complicated for the allies. Initially, this war was seen by many in the world as a tragic response of Austro-Hungarian aggression into Serbia. The late Serbian King Peter I had made it seem like their requests would violate his sovereignty as an independent ruler.
However, as more and more hidden secrets were revealed, Serbia and its royal family started becoming the villains from the perspective of those neutral nations which sat by and watched as Europe burned in the background.
In addition to this, France's violations of Luxembourgish and Belgian neutrality was seen as a flagrant and aggressive violation done without any potential just cause. At least the Austro- Hungarians had a valid casus belli to declare war on the Serbians.
But the French invasions of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg represented an era long since believed to have been diminished in the Western world, and an era where might was right, and one could invade their neighbors simply because they had the means to do so. Post enlightenment, of which France claimed to be the originator of in at least some capacity, such invasions were seldom to be found, at least among the European powers who believed themselves more civilized than the rest of the world. And to some extent, outside of Asia, that is, this was partially true.
Even so, France had violated these international norms, and had done so after repeated defeats at the hands of the Germans when the French Army tried to advance through their eastern neighbors' borders.
This only made their invasions of Belgium and Luxembourg more fiendish in the eyes of the neutral powers, because it was seen as a desperate attempt, done after repeated humiliating defeats. Had it been a matter of Grand Strategy enacted on day 1 of the war, it could be seen as Jess reprehensible.
After all Germany had done this in their past life, and though much of the world seemed to believe this was an unwarranted act of aggression, there were many others which this did not stop their entry into the war on behalf of the Central Powers.
But the dynamic of the aggressors and the defenders had completely swapped in this life, with Germany holding its own ground, and only advance into Luxembourg and Belgium when called upon for aid by the two nations.
Instead, France had been the invader, marching into lands that were not their own, suffering from their own inadequacy against a heavily entrenched, and technologically superior foe. One which resulted in their continuous and bloody losses.
Belgium was no exception to this pattern, as the German Army advanced much like they had in Luxembourg, rapidly on the back of armored cars, and with their artillery being pulled by trucks behind them. Allowing for the rapid transportation of men, materials, and munitions to support the Royal Belgian Army, who were just about to be overrun.