Years 1991-1992: War
Ever since 1986, when the Faunus War began, Vacuo had issued a policy designed to combat arms smuggling to Menagerie: Any aircraft or ship in or above Menagerie territory that didn't display a Vacuouan registry number or display a Vacuouan flag would be attacked on sight. This would ultimately be their downfall.
In 1988, just 4 days after the war with Stadia began, a Stadian cargo ship that had inadvertently crossed into the territorial waters of Menagerie was attacked by carrier-based aircraft from Vacuo, sinking the ship with all 47 hands. The rest of the world condemned Vacuo for the "brazen and callous" attack.
In 1989, there were 2 incidents where general aviation aircraft from Mistral were shot down, leading to the deaths of 6 people. Mistral, as a result, cut off all contact with Vacuo and placed a trade embargo on them.
In December 1990, a plane from Meridia International Air Transport, the flag carrier of the Meridian Republic, a small nation next to Mistral, was intercepted and shot down by RVAF aircraft, killing all 187 people aboard, after it crossed into Menagerie airspace by accident on its way to Vale. To make matters worse, the crash site was then strafed and bombed. Meridia, a small nation of 22 million including 1 million faunus, was furious and declared war on Vacuo on December 21, 1990.
Gris Manchette said, "If the other kingdoms wish to sacrifice another generation to save an insignificant nation from destruction, let them. They will be the losers anyways." He then ordered a force of 350,000 soldiers to descend upon Meridia and "flatten it."
By February 18, 1991, Meridia was crushed and conquered. Mistral was furious about the event, but until now, was not willing to go to war. Then, on February 22, 1991, an event happened that would force the hand of Mistral to act.
On that day, a Mistralian cruise ship was torpedoed by a Vacuouan submarine, killing 1,032 of the 3,723 occupants, for allegedly crossing into Meridian waters. As it turns out, the incident took place in international waters. On March 1, 1991, Mistral declared war on Vacuo and Hachure, forcing the hand of Vale to automatically declare war as per an alliance agreement the next day. On March 4, as per an agreement with Vale, the small, 16-million strong Grand Duchy of North Dragonica declared war. On March 5, Atlas declared war as per an agreement it had with North Dragonica. On March 15, an Authoritarianist rebellion broke out in the Lindwurm-based Principality of Volos, pitting the Princess of Volos and an army of 450,000 against an 85,000-strong rebel force aided by Hachurian and Vacuouan troops.
For the first time since the 1930s, the entire world was at war.
On May 1, 1991, Vacuo invaded Mistral and Vale simultaneously. For the next 6 weeks, they steamrolled their way into both countries. Then, in the Battle of Thermopylae Lake in Vale and the Battle of Sanctum in Mistral, Vacuo was defeated and their advances were stopped.
Even so, Vacuo was still able to crush Volos. On August 17, Authoritarianist rebels stormed the capital of Volos. Luckily, the young 24-year-old Princess of Volos was able to escape to Atlas, who had sent troops to assist Volos and North Dragonica. Having risen to the post in February after her father, the former Prince was forced to abdicate due to cancer, she was scared for her life but determined to free her country. She joined the Free Velos Army and often fought right on the front lines, exposing herself to enemy fire. In one instance, her entire unit wrote the words, "Ich bien Malene," Atlesian for "I'm Malene," on their uniforms in large letters to distract the enemy and show solidarity with Princess Malene II.
On March 12, 1992, Valeanian and Mistralian naval forces intercepted a large strike group of Vacuouan naval ships, including 5 of Vacuo's 8 aircraft carriers and 8 of their 13 battleships, about 62 miles off the coast of Menagerie. By this point, with the fighting on the Vacuouan front, Mistralian front, and Lindwurm front turning into a trench warfare stalemate, things seemed hopeless. Then, from March 12 to March 24, the RVN was crushed by Allied ships, losing 4 aircraft carriers and 6 battleships alongside an assortment of 32 other ships and submarines to a barrage of naval bombardment, missiles, aircraft, and torpedoes at the cost of 2 Allied aircraft carriers and 4 Allied battleships alongside an assortment of 13 other Allied ships.
This victory was widely celebrated, and showed that the Vacuouan military was not invincible. Gris Manchette was, once again, extremely furious. He wrote in his journal, "My navy, my precious navy, was destroyed by those damn Allied powers! It was my pride and joy to have a navy so powerful, and now it has lost half of its strength!"
Meanwhile, on the island of Menagerie, faunus rebels had been enjoying a shower of weapons and money from the Allied powers. They also began stepping up their efforts to attack Vacuouan troops in preparation for Operation Downfall, the Allied invasion of Menagerie, which was to take place in January of 1993.