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((no offense taken, and well because it has MORE land freed from russia then 3? korea being annexed into japan is not particularly silly uruguay losing some land is, same with the guyana thing.)
(( :S so much random stuff happens in 3 that just is completely implausible. Japan takes half the Chinese concessions, Brazil takes random Uruguay coast, Syria goes independent while Britain takes Jordan and Palestine, Italy takes Tunisia but not savoy...plus the random lines in French Indochina. If you think the brest-litovsk treaty being enacted is weird that's fine, but again, to say that is more silly than the multitude of weirdness in 3...))
((you are indeed correct which simply mean both are sillier than number one in deep levels (even sillier in my view than a communist rebellion in 1910) Anyway i do not want to cluster the Thread with my complaints as i quitted the game, good luck to all and have fun!)
I enjoy complaints made without even reading the reason for the occurrence of such events.
The Years 1904 – 1910 in Review
The Americas
The United States saw President Roosevelt elected to a hitherto unprecedented third term as president, running on the platform of continued growth and prosperity for the country. This platform combined with Roosevelt’s progressivism earned him a commanding share of the Electoral College. One of the first acts of Roosevelt’s third term was to appoint William Taft as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The island nation of Cuba suffers an intense period of civil war, during which the liberals and conservatives fought over the control of the county. After three years, and exhausted, both sides agreed to a ceasefire, with control of the government returning to the United States of America. These good feelings with towards the United States would lead to the birth of a strong movement in Cuba for annexation as an American state.
Further south, the Republic of Panama was formed under the auspices of the United States. The new republic would soon transfer control of the Canal Zone to the United States. Over the years, much progress was made on the canal though completion remained a few years off.
In Mexico, the Revolution began as the different factions sought to control the Mexican Republic. This period would see the rise of such notables as Pacho Villa.
In Chile, the nitrate mines grow massively as a result of the war in Europe and the demand for gunpowder increased exponentially. However, a fundamental problem remained in the unfair and exploitive conditions of these mines leading to massive revolts amongst the miners. This would lead to what be called the Santa Maria School Massacre, where government troops slaughtered thousands of protesting miners. The miners demanded such things as the right to paid in currency and not tokens and general safety precautions (such as installing grates over vats to prevent workers from falling in, unfortunately, a not to all uncommon occurrence.
In Argentina, the relative peace and prosperity that returned to the nation following the conclusion of the war with Brazil. Furthermore, many fled to South America as a direct result of the European War resulting in Argentina possessing the world’s seventh largest economy in terms of GDP per capita.
In contrast, Brazil’s economy stagnates as people withdraw most forms of investment from the nation, though the rubber plantations do continue to expand.
In Canada, the territories of Alberta and Saskatchewan become full-fledged provinces in the Dominion, while continuing to grow sharply mirroring the United States’ growth. The demands of both the Great War and the Second Boer War see increased demands for greater autonomy for the Dominion for their services and sacrifices.
Overall however, the Americas see strong economic growth as a direct result of the Great War as they supplies to the belligerents.
The Americas
The United States saw President Roosevelt elected to a hitherto unprecedented third term as president, running on the platform of continued growth and prosperity for the country. This platform combined with Roosevelt’s progressivism earned him a commanding share of the Electoral College. One of the first acts of Roosevelt’s third term was to appoint William Taft as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
The island nation of Cuba suffers an intense period of civil war, during which the liberals and conservatives fought over the control of the county. After three years, and exhausted, both sides agreed to a ceasefire, with control of the government returning to the United States of America. These good feelings with towards the United States would lead to the birth of a strong movement in Cuba for annexation as an American state.
Further south, the Republic of Panama was formed under the auspices of the United States. The new republic would soon transfer control of the Canal Zone to the United States. Over the years, much progress was made on the canal though completion remained a few years off.
In Mexico, the Revolution began as the different factions sought to control the Mexican Republic. This period would see the rise of such notables as Pacho Villa.
In Chile, the nitrate mines grow massively as a result of the war in Europe and the demand for gunpowder increased exponentially. However, a fundamental problem remained in the unfair and exploitive conditions of these mines leading to massive revolts amongst the miners. This would lead to what be called the Santa Maria School Massacre, where government troops slaughtered thousands of protesting miners. The miners demanded such things as the right to paid in currency and not tokens and general safety precautions (such as installing grates over vats to prevent workers from falling in, unfortunately, a not to all uncommon occurrence.
In Argentina, the relative peace and prosperity that returned to the nation following the conclusion of the war with Brazil. Furthermore, many fled to South America as a direct result of the European War resulting in Argentina possessing the world’s seventh largest economy in terms of GDP per capita.
In contrast, Brazil’s economy stagnates as people withdraw most forms of investment from the nation, though the rubber plantations do continue to expand.
In Canada, the territories of Alberta and Saskatchewan become full-fledged provinces in the Dominion, while continuing to grow sharply mirroring the United States’ growth. The demands of both the Great War and the Second Boer War see increased demands for greater autonomy for the Dominion for their services and sacrifices.
Overall however, the Americas see strong economic growth as a direct result of the Great War as they supplies to the belligerents.
The Great War
-1904-
The Geneva Conference began in earnest on the Third of March, 1904, with the principle powers of Europe, as well as Belgium, Spain, and Portugal, all intent on creating some peaceful resolution between the German-Spanish alliance and the French Republic; it soon became apparent that neither of the two belligerents had any such intentions, as the French refused to accept the notion of German compensation out of hand, and Chancellor von Bülow, despite his earlier support for a more moderate agreement (indeed, his doubts regarding the Kaiser’s initial demand, and even his mental state, became something of a common topic of hushed whispers in Geneva), ultimately toed the line set before him by Marshall von Moltke and his Emperor. When it became apparent that neither nation’s leadership would, could, or even wanted to, make amends, the serpentine web of alliances that now tied the whole of Europe quickly began to be tugged and tested; the French and Russians, much like their German and Austro-Hungarian counterparts, were quick to affirm their ties to one another; Belgium, more concerned with the maintenance of its sovereignty (and the protection of her colonial possessions) was quick to return to neutrality, whilst the United Kingdom and Italy, both considered to be the two key players (the former due to its obvious economic and naval power, and the latter due to its unique position), both chose to withdraw to their respective borders as well, with watchful eyes leering warily across the Channel and over the Alps, respectively. Spain, for its own part, seemed to also favour such a course; however, as effigies of Marianne (amongst other French symbols) were burnt in fury, the King ultimately determined that siding with Germany would likely prove more fortuitous.
It was on the Ninth of March when the German army, already mobilised and well-prepared for the attack, began its invasion of France; initial plans had called for the Wehrmacht to march through Belgium to conduct the invasion, but the boon of German-designed forts in France led to a quick change in strategy; the Crossing of the Moselle, as the first skirmishes were called, showed in spades the might of the German War Machine and the fatal flaws in the French defensive strategy; despite a heroic effort by Charles Lanrezac and his men, Karl von Bülow’s Second Army blasted ruthlessly through the faulty fortifications, and after a mere day of fighting, France was forced to concede the battle. Three days later, near the town of Briey, Lanrezac was again forced to retreat against the Second Army (only after the sudden arrival of an attachment from the Third Army threatened to encircle the French.
General Ferdinand Foch, tasked with commanding the relief forces, managed to surprise the First Army at Longuyon (17-18 March) and won France her first victory; despite this brief respite, the French were once again forced back as the Wehrmacht continued its unstoppable advance. At Marville, Damvillier, Spincourt, Stenay, even as far as Buzancy, the Germans triumphed despite suffering exorbitantly high casualities (particularly at the lattermost two). Further to the south, the Fifth and Sixth Armies marched successfully to Saint-Mihiel and Haudainville, whilst the French beaten battle after battle, could do little else but continue their ignominious retreat.
However, at Vouziers, nearly in sight of Rheims, the French waited; as it became apparent that the German advance would not be stopped at the Moselle, or even deeper in the interior, the French High Command, dishevelled and disorganised as it was, concluded that they must prevent the fall of Rheims, lest the road to Paris be left wide open; from the 13th of March onwards, the French pooled all their available resources into creating a desperate, near last-ditch, line of fortifications and trenches to stop the Hunnic Advance. On the 27th, their efforts were at last put to the test. The First, Second, Third, and Fourth Armies, some two million men, were pitted against the French Armies (of roughly equal size); for eight days the Germans attacked, and for eight days the French rebuffed them. On the Fourth of April, despite being pushed back almost a full mile from the initial battle line, the French held firm and reinforcements began to stream in. Marshal von Moltke, realising that the unyielding attacks were no longer granting Germany the decisive victories needed, quickly made use of the occupied French trenches, and ordered them expanded. By the Ninth, both sides had dug in near Rheims, and by the end of the month, save for some peripheral fights (particularly where the German forces approached the Atlantic, Saint-Dizier, and Chaumont), the lines had been drawn.
For the next two months, aside from the occasional skirmish, the two sides devoted their time to improving their defences and devising of some means by which the other could be outmanoeuvred or otherwise quashed. Throughout July, von Moltke, more confident in his numbers (having recently brought soldiers from the now dangerously undermanned, but still victorious, Eastern Front to France), began his second proper attack to take Rheims, which also coincided with attacks on both Chaumont and Saint-Dizier; the July Offensive carried on, in brutal fashion, for several months; the Battle of Rheims itself began on 14th of July and would continue until November of the same year, with several million soldiers involved by the end of it, and the fields between Vouziers (which finally fell in mid-August) and Rheims (which, despite several artillery barrages striking close to the city, with even a few shells destroying several homes and businesses, remained quite securely in French hands) littered with bodies, unexploded shells, and reduced to little more than an ocean of mud and blood. In December, the last vestiges of the offensive finally petered out, and the Germans, having more or less breached Chaumont and severely weakening the defences near Saint-Dizier, felt that a Springtime offensive could bring the Empire its decisive victory.
In what would soon be the Eastern Front, the German Army, hoping to stay within the scope of the Schlieffen Plan, left its eastern front unguarded but for a few soldiers; the Eighth Army, under the command of Paul von Hindenburg (with Erich Ludendorff and Maximilian von Prittwitz as his chief subordinates), was tasked to defend the entirety of East Prussia with little to no support. The Russians saw in this light defence opportunity, and marched the First, Second, and Tenth Armies into Prussia. The first two engagements, at Stallupönen and Gumbinnen, saw the Russians take roughly equivocal casualties as the Germans (and considering the three-to-one margin of their numbers, General Rennenkampf and Samsonov were both confident that the Germans in the East, unlike the West, would be easily beaten). Two battles changed all that. On the 30th of March, the Eighth Army (specifically, Colonel Max Hoffmann) took advantage of the well-known disdain the two senior Russian commanders held for one another; early in the dawn of the 29th, at Allenstein, the Germans halted the general retreat to the fortifications at Königsberg and used their superior infrastructure and training to outmanoeuvre Samsonov and launched a vicious attack. Rennenkampf, unperturbed by his rival’s problems, continued his own attack; after a week of attacking Samsonov, the Second Army was completely destroyed, whilst the Germans achieved only token casualties in comparison; rather than report the crushing defeat to the Tsar, Samsonov committed suicide.
The Battle of Tannenburg, as the Germans referred to it, immediately set the stage for the battle at the Masurian Lakes; a week after Tannenburg, Rennenkampf suffered a similar crushing defeat, and the Russians, disorganized and weakened from this Prussian fiasco, quickly fell back to the Motherland, licking their wounds and planning their next move.
The Austro-Hungarian Armies initially struggled against the Russian invasion; at Galicia (28 March) and Vistula (5 April, defeating a joint German-Austrian Army), the Russians continued unabated, whilst the siege of Przemyśl, a long and relatively quiet affair, showed that the Russians were not wont for patience. However, at Łódź and Limanowa, the Russian advance was more or less halted, thought the German and Austro-Hungarian Armies could not quite dislodge their adversary.
The Empire of Japan, however, watched the Russian defeats with great interest and began silently transferring more soldiers into Korea (as well as constructing a set of railways running the length of the peninsula to ensure faster troop movement, alongside with coercing the Korean government to cede control of its roadways and telegraph lines.) To further expand their goals, the Japanese further increased their efforts to spy on the Russian Army (which dated back as far as, at least, 1892); knowing that the Russians would soon be compelled to transfer troops from the east to the west, Japan needed only to wait for the opportunity.
-1905-
The Winter months of early 1905 were spent by both Armies in both trenches recuperating from the July Offensive; Germany, having raised several million more men, was now increasingly dependent on imports from the United States to finance their war effort, whilst France was equally dependent on the Americans, with the added bonus of the British; both nations seemed more than content to maintain their neutrality and finance the increasingly brutal conflict. With more supplies and men, the German Empire opened the Spring of 1905 with yet another offensive, once again focusing the lion’s share of its impressive arsenal upon Rheims; Ferdinand Foch, increasingly held as the chief architect behind the thus far brilliant Rheims defense, was soon harder pressed than before to hold the city; twice the entire French line threatened to break and cave in on itself, in April alone, and by mid-May, the distance from the innermost trench and Rheims proper was less than five kilometres; French morale was severely struck when Chaumont at last fell on the Fifteenth of May, which immediately opened the path to Dijon and Troyes and consequently forced soldiers away from Rheims. By the end of the Spring Offensive in early June, Rheims was truly a city under siege, and fears of German encirclement grew increasingly real.
The German Navy had, for the most part, been cautious during the war, largely out of fear of alienating the British, who still clung fervently to its neutrality; however, the High Command determined that so long as the French could continue to receive aid from Britain and the Americas, Germany would be hard-pressed to achieve decisive victory. Starting in early April, the German Navy began a policy of glorified piracy, as well as a destructive campaign across the French Channel Coast (particularly Dunkirk, which continued to resist German advances via land). The aggressive submarining policy of the Navy, and its relentless, though often unintentional, attacks on neutral vessels, quickly turned British and American public opinion against the German Empire, though both powers officially remained neutral (and many American businesses continued to fund the German war effort quite happily, if with more tact and subtlety. It was, however, with the sinking of the RMS Carminia, a British passenger ship (rumored to be shipping munitions and other military supplies to France) in October 1905 that won the ire and scorn of the British people, who demanded something be done about the Reich’s predation of British ships; on the Seventh of November, the British Government demanded an immediately cease and desist from the German Navy against any and all British merchant vessels, which the Kaiser agreed to immediately; for the remainder of the year, the German Navy acted with a great deal more caution, though with more time devoted to the French coast, Germany still managed to quite effectively cut off French trade with the outside world, at least until December of that year, when the French Mediterranean Fleet, having successfully weakened the Austro-Hungarian Navy (so much so that the fleet remained in port for several months due to repairs) and, in collusion with the Atlantic Fleet, managed to fight the German Navy to a draw.
In the East, the German High Command, seeing that a decisive win in the West was looking more and more unlikely, began to funnel ever more supplies to fund Hindenburg and his subordinates; in May, the Germans launched the Great Polish Offensive which, in rapid order, pushed the Russian Army back to Kaunas and Minsk (Kaunas fell to siege in mid-September, and Minsk three weeks later); to the South, Przemyśl, having only just fallen to the Russians in early April, was quickly liberated as the Austro-Hungarian forces launched their own counter-offensive; meeting with sterner resistance (largely due to the Russian Armies here being more or less intact), the progress was much slower; even so, a combined Austro-German Army captured Lviv in early-August, whilst the Austro-Hungarian forces began a siege in Odessa at the end of the year. At the same time, the Kaiser could celebrate the fall of Riga.
-1906-
Japan, seeing sensing now was the time to strike, quickly moved to receive assurances of neutrality from the United Kingdom and France (the former was, quite surprisingly indifferent, whilst the latter quickly made an agreement of support against Germany); immediately thereafter, Japan launched a critical attack on Port Arthur (from both land and sea) and crossed the Yalu River in quick succession; the following day, Russia finally received the Japanese declaration of war. The Russians, unable to divvy the resources or men to the East, were left to watch in horror as Manchuria was overrun and Port Arthur was besieged.
Meanwhile in the West, Germany continued its advance into Russia, besieging Tallinn and Smolensk before a desperate Russian counteroffensive, commanded by Lt General Alecksei Brusilov, suddenly gave Russia the slightest glimmer of hope against the Austro-German forces; however, discontent in the ranks, poor supplies, and the overall lack of quality in the Russian Army, led to the attack finally faltering just twenty kilometres from Minsk in July; the Brusilov Offensive, despite its shocking victories over the Germans (most notably at Vitebsk, where Brusilov himself outmaneuvered Ludendorff’s Corps and decisively routed the heretofore undefeated commander; unfortunately against Ludendorff and now General Hoffmann at Minsk, the weaknesses of the Russian Army became all too apparent, most visibly in the factionalism within the upper ranks). The German counter-counter-offensive, though not nearly as effective and speedy as its previous advance, nonetheless regained Smolensk, secured Tallinn and Riga (and their supplies in general); with this, the Russian war effort seemed lost and, as German troops began the approach to Petrograd, Nicky sent one last telegraph to Willy, asking for an armistice; two days later, it was agreed to, and after a month’s negotiation, the Brest-Litovsk Agreement was signed; several high ranking officials, including Marshal von Moltke, were highly displeased that the Kaiser did not push for further gains or reparations; some would later argue that the “generous” terms were more out of familial bond that anything else, whilst others argue that it was a pragmatic choice to help prop up the Russian state in a weakened, but manageable form. Whatever the case, the Russians were out of the Great War and soon sent the Black Sea Fleet south, first towards the Suez Canal and when denied there, across the Dark Continent to contain the Japanese threat; similarly the Trans-Siberian Railroad was forced to its logistical limits in moving munitions and soldiers to the east; the predominantly single-track construction soon showed its flaws.
In the West, the conflict continued much as it had before, more or less as an inconclusive slog that saw Germany gradually gain a mile of land for tens of thousands of dead; Rheims remained strong, whilst the southern campaign finally petered out, allowing the French a moment’s respite, and the chance to launch the first successful counter-attack under Philippe Petain, who won high renown for the successful Dijon offensive, as well as his impeccable defense of the south for the past two years (the offensive briefly liberated both Besancon and Vesoul, though the latter fell after two months, and the former two weeks after that. By the end of 1906, France was in increasingly dire straits, as German and Austro-Hungarian forces from the East began to arrive. The year also saw the passing of Kaiser Franz-Josef, from the pneumonia that he contracted while touring with the imperial gardens with the King of Bavaria. This would lead to his nephew Franz-Ferdinand becoming the Kaiser of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and immediately promoting a new federal construction to the Empire, under the principles of Austro-Slavism.
-1907-
It was the final fall of Rheims that changed the course of the war, perhaps; maybe it was that moment that the United Kingdom decided that Germany had expanded far too greatly, disrupted the balance too severely; and having finally successfully concluded the bloody Boer War, the entry of the United Kingdom into the war in February, 1907 brought a significant wave of hope to France, and the arrival of the BEF the following month bolstered their resolve even moreso. General Joseph Joffre, who had led the northern defensive along the Atlantic, particularly the brutal siege of Dunkirk, was said to have cried for joy when the Union Jack appeared in the pale blue-grey horizon that March morning; though initially few in number, the British quickly provided vital support in the defense of Troyes and the repulsion of the Huns at Meaux, less than sixty kilometres away from the capital. The Battle of Meaux, beginning in earnest on the Eighth of May, 1907, would become the high-water mark of the German War Effort, possibly the last moment they could have taken Paris, and certainly when their spirits reached their peak and their conquests reached their farthest. The brutal battle, the bloodiest and most vicious in the war, would cost the lives of over two million men, the opening day becoming the bloodiest day in British, French, Austrian and German histories. By the end of it, on the Seventeenth of November, 1907, the Germans at last realised that Paris was the impossible dream and, as more British soldiers landed in Dunkirk and launched the Flemish Offensive, in conjunction with the North Sea Blockade, the Second Reich was, for the first time, truly on the defensive.
Half a world over, Japan claimed the island of Karafuto for its Empire and the siege of Port Arthur, once hemmed by the naval genius of Admiral Makarov (one of the greatest losses Russia suffered in the war) continued unabated until at last, on the fifth of April, its weary soldiers surrendered; Japan now in control of the Yellow Sea, marched its armies north in Manchuria to meet the oncoming Russians, whilst the Imperial Fleet waiting, hungrily, for the arrival of the Black Sea Fleet; it was on the 27th of May that Admiral Tōgō Heihachirō, whose good fortune had won Japan many victories already, would finally decimate the dying Russian dreams of victory; Tsushima destroyed, in near totality, the Black Sea Fleet, and left the Russians with no other recourse but to sue for peace (as the land battles in central Manchuria both before and after Tsushima showed the futility of contesting the outcome); Russia agreed to the Treaty of Kyoto on the Fifth of September, conceding Port Arthur and Karafuto outright, agreeing to cede the Chinese Eastern and the South Manchurian Railways, and conceding to Japan dominance over both Korea and Manchuria. Future records showed that, despite its victories, Japan suffered significantly higher casualties on land; however, at sea, Japanese dominance was overwhelming, as Tsushima showed (the battle was later regarded by Sir George Sydenham Clarke wrote, "… by far the greatest and the most important naval event since Trafalgar.”) Within a week of the peace treaties signing, Japan (after several negotiations with the British and French) entered into the Great War against Germany.
-1908-
The Allied forces of France and the United Kingdom began a general counter-offensive in earnest, whilst secret negotiations with the Austro-Hungarian Emperor (now Franz-Ferdinand, the old Emperor’s nephew) were held to secure a quick and painless peace; the Austrians however, remained recalcitrant until the defeat of the Austro-German forces at Verdun on the Third of July, 1908; simultaneously, Japan completed its island hopping campaign and occupied the German trade ports in China. As Germany was forced further and further back, Franz-Ferdinand became increasingly certain that if the war continued any longer, the Austro-Hungarian and German Empires would be ruined; after several months of coaxing Wilhelm II, an armistice was agreed upon on the Eighth of August, 1908, and formal peace negotiations soon followed. The Treaty of Stockholm was signed by the Empire of Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Republic of France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the German Empire, the Kingdom of Spain, and the other assorted powers involved, resulting in what was referred to as “Peace with Honor,” granted one honoring the Allies a fair bit more (the United Kingdom, for acquired Tanzania and German New Guinea, whilst Japan took the German Pacific Islands and Chinese holdings; Germany was also “convinced” to reduce its influence in the new Baltic and Slavic States); some would consider Germany the biggest loser, as it lost a fair deal of colonial power and its influence declined in the east; however, France was almost certainly the most battered and weakened power, as it gained no land, lost millions, and its once green and verdant fields were pock-marked and broken, its once beautiful cities devastated, and her people poorer and angrier. The War also resulted in the considerable liberalization of the constitution of the German Empire as more power was transferred to elected authorities, as a direct consequence of the poor showing in the war and large number of dead.
Spain, the only power whose involvement in the war was, quite truly, not worth mentioning, devoted the entirety of the war, and most of the following year, to ending its brutal Civil War; the Marxists were easily beaten, at least on paper, with its stronghold Valencia falling in mid-1905; pockets in the countryside and in the more war-torn cities, however, remained a constant thorn in the side of both the royalists and the Carlists. Whilst they were never nearly as organized as the Carlist forces, their guerrilla tactics helped elongate the war by at least several months in no small part due to their wreaking havoc on every other faction’s supply lines. The Carlists were, on the other hand, a much graver threat, as their dominance in the north was near absolute, and in 1905 after Seville revolted and installed a similarly reactionary government; the war, ultimately, degenerated into a slog quite unlike its northern counterpart, as unlike the clearly defined German and French Armies, most “generals” proved to be ruthless opportunistic, switching sides on a whim and often bringing thousands of soldiers with them; I t wasn’t until February of 1909 when the last Carlist General (to be more accurate, openly and actively Carlist) was finally beaten at Oviedo, and the movement more or less scattered; however, even as 1910 dawned, Spain was not without rebels and revolutionaries.
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((A nice update, Keld, but I do have some questions: 1) Why was von Moltke directing German war strategy? Alfred von Schlieffen didn't resign until August of 1905, so he was still Chief of the General Staff. 2) Why did Germany not sweep away the French armies in the opening months? The only reason they didn't do it OTL was because of the efforts of the BEF, and Britain didn't get involved in this war until later. 3) Why did Britain get involved? If they were worried about the blance of power than they would have joined at the start, just like they did OTL. 4) Why did Russia get involved? They had no strong ties to. france once the French government was revealed to be supporting rebels in Spain, so why would they come to their defense? 5) Why on earth did Japan join on the side of the filthy Entente? Germany and Japan had signed the Treaty of Amity and Friendship in 1899, and the treaty did not include any clauses pertaining to its renewal. Do the Japanese consider themselves above treaties? 6) Why did Germany lose? With the 1,000,000 men from the Eastern Front, how were they unable to beat the Frogs and the Brits? Surely von Hindenburg and Luddendorf were in command by now, how come they couldn't win? OTL, Operation Michael came very close to succeeding. 7) How come the German fleet was unable to beat the French? Even with the limitations to the expansion, it was still a better navy than the French. 8) Why would Austria-Hungary sue for an early oeace? OTL they only did that because Karl wanted peace, the economy was in shambles, and they were engaged in bitter fighting against the Italians. Anyway, I look forward to taking control of Germany once more, and this time destroying that horrible excuse of a nation they call France in what can only be described as poetic justice. Gott mit uns!))
((1. Bit of an oversight on my part; I suppose Keld could go around and replace the mentions of von Moltke with Schlieffen.
2. Germany did not opt to go through Belgium in this war, which also stayed Britain's hand for quite a while.
3. Same as above; once the Rheims defence faltered the UK, fearing the prospects of a triumphant Germany, at last established the resolve to go to war; the Gerry's sinking Carmania and other British-vessels in the meantime did little to help Anglo-German relations.
4. Russia wants an ascendent Germany as much as France does, so when push came to shove, they stuck with their ally.
5. Japan's run by dicks. Opportunistic ones at that.
6. The blockade on Germany, though shorter than OTL, was probably more effective and constricted German supply lines and industrial capacity; the French Army, despite being pushed back significantly, was able to inflict consistently higher casualties on Germany after the initial rush (Foch's defence at Rheims being particularly costly to the Gerrys); when Britain's armies arrived, fresh and well supplied, the German morale at home diminshed, and the costs of war grew even higher.
7. The German navy made the classic error of dividing itself up to pursue different strategies (mainly coastal bombardment and glorified piracy); the French remain concentrated and were able to deal a surprising, though not hugely devastating victory; really it just struck a chord with High Command and convinced them not to sail as aggressively.
8. Franz-Ferdinand wanted peace; elements within AH were becoming quarrelsome, the economy was really starting to take a nosedive funding the conflict, the threat of Italy joining was still looming (possibly with Serbia and other Balkan states), and Germany took the lion's share of influence in the east, which miffed AH a fair bit.
Also, because Keld rolls the dice and tells me what to do. I think that should just about cover everything; if not, refer to Keld
))
2. Germany did not opt to go through Belgium in this war, which also stayed Britain's hand for quite a while.
3. Same as above; once the Rheims defence faltered the UK, fearing the prospects of a triumphant Germany, at last established the resolve to go to war; the Gerry's sinking Carmania and other British-vessels in the meantime did little to help Anglo-German relations.
4. Russia wants an ascendent Germany as much as France does, so when push came to shove, they stuck with their ally.
5. Japan's run by dicks. Opportunistic ones at that.
6. The blockade on Germany, though shorter than OTL, was probably more effective and constricted German supply lines and industrial capacity; the French Army, despite being pushed back significantly, was able to inflict consistently higher casualties on Germany after the initial rush (Foch's defence at Rheims being particularly costly to the Gerrys); when Britain's armies arrived, fresh and well supplied, the German morale at home diminshed, and the costs of war grew even higher.
7. The German navy made the classic error of dividing itself up to pursue different strategies (mainly coastal bombardment and glorified piracy); the French remain concentrated and were able to deal a surprising, though not hugely devastating victory; really it just struck a chord with High Command and convinced them not to sail as aggressively.
8. Franz-Ferdinand wanted peace; elements within AH were becoming quarrelsome, the economy was really starting to take a nosedive funding the conflict, the threat of Italy joining was still looming (possibly with Serbia and other Balkan states), and Germany took the lion's share of influence in the east, which miffed AH a fair bit.
Also, because Keld rolls the dice and tells me what to do. I think that should just about cover everything; if not, refer to Keld
))
8. Franz-Ferdinand wanted peace; elements within AH were becoming quarrelsome, the economy was really starting to take a nosedive funding the conflict, the threat of Italy joining was still looming (possibly with Serbia and other Balkan states), and Germany took the lion's share of influence in the east, which miffed AH a fair bit.
Also, because Keld rolls the dice and tells me what to do. I think that should just about cover everything; if not, refer to Keld
((Seems strange that Italy would be pining to attack Austria for dalmatia and south tirol, when they just as easily could have helped Germany and A-H beat up france easily for Savoie and Nice. I doubt that southern defensive would have been as well held up with 2 million more soldiers breathing down the alps
Plus without russian support, the balkan states surely would not have been insane enough to try and attack the central alliance when they just destroyed Russia? I mean, they are not very forgiving of each other.))
The Following players can decide if they want to keep their current nation , or choose a new nation (first round) - but named players hold right of first refusal.
USA - Terra & video
UK - Sneaky & DB
Germany - LatinKaiser
A-H - Thoctar & Jako
Denmark - Groogy
Japan - Riccardo93 Plutonium95
Italies
Greece - jacobl
Argentina - Scrapknight
Romania - Aedan
Bulgaria - Baboush
Mexico - Alex
Frymonmon
USA - Terra & video
UK - Sneaky & DB
Germany - LatinKaiser
A-H - Thoctar & Jako
Denmark - Groogy
Japan - Riccardo93 Plutonium95
Italies
Greece - jacobl
Argentina - Scrapknight
Romania - Aedan
Bulgaria - Baboush
Mexico - Alex
Frymonmon
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