Libria III: Alliance Ascendant (1303-1603)

Minotaurs sweep into Illum Bay defeating Praetorians and Space Wolves
Skyfall and IW take West Cartasia and link up with rebels utilising Warhound. Loyalists cut off & surrender

The initial phase of the new offensives were over by mid 03.015M42, and all sides considered what to do next. The loyalists had held their own while the crusade, despite their win in South Vale, had lost ground. 

The alliance were the first to strike. Commander Shadowstrike had joined the alliance on Libria III by now, and his forces joined the assault on the Crusade armies. Striking south the tau commander crossed the Purun sea from Cerra, outflanking the Crusade armies and forcing Vorushko to hastily redeploy her Vannaheim regiments to counter this new attack. After a grinding and attritional battle, the city of Aegon fell to the tau.

Worse for Vorushko, the eldar had once again appeared in support of the alliance. The aliens struck hard and fast and succeeded where the Iron Warriors had so far been unable. They broke the deadlock on the Heanor front, driving the Apocalypse Riders back and sweeping across the plains to Canaur. For the first time since the secession, the rebel city was now in contact with the rest of "Federal Libria III".

In West Cartasia General Launceston attempted to follow up recent gains by throwing in his reserve Lunar Guard regiments to take the important cuty of Quattria on the south coast. However the Mechanicum counter attacked, and no more than a few miles were taken before the offensive was called off. Soon after the loyalists suffered more defeats as the Minotaurs were employed once again. The astartes were thrown into the defence of Quattria, but seeing that the threat from the loyalists had passed, the Minotaurs went on the offensive. They smashed a combined Praetorian and Space Wolf force, pushing the loyalist line back towards Krichten and Ballong Bay. 

Seeing the now precarious situation the loyalist forces were in following their defeats in West Cartasia, Skyfall and the Iron Warriors acted themselves. Employing a Warhound Titan for the first time in the crusade, the tau and federal forces annihilated the Lycaon Guard on the loyalist left flank. Space Wolf units sent in to bolster the collapsing line were similarly dispatched, and by 1403.015M42 an enormous hole had appeared in Launceston's defence. Exploiting this, the tau quickly moved units into Krichten, trapping thousands of loyalist troops between their own forces and the alliance in the Broken Lands. Launceton pulled back to Ballong Bay, and much of his army in West Cartasia had no option but to surrender.