English Canada/French Carolina: A Timeline
- Thread starter Gabingston
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Part 70: Second Global War, The Prelude
On the 30th of April, 1911, a shootout between Venetian and Illyrian forces broke out near the border town of Metković. The leaders of both countries were outraged, and quickly declared war on each other. Cisalpina soon also declared war on Venice, citing their land claims mentioned in the previous update. This dragged France (plus the French allies of Spain and Naples) into the war on the side of Cisalpina. Not wanting the French to steamroll Europe, both of the German states threw their support behind Venice. Albania, seeing themselves as next in line for Illyrian and Greek aggression joins the Central Powers (yeah, I'm using OTL's WW1 names), while Greece promptly joins the Entente. The Ottomans, viewing this as a chance for revenge on Greece joins the CP, while Hungary and Romania go to war over Transylvania. The Russian Bear awakens and joins the war on the side of the Entente. Britain, not wanting Franco-Russian dominance of Europe joins the Central Powers. Mobilization takes place across Europe and their colonial empires, and just like that, the world is back at war.
Second Global War
Entente: Illyria, Cisalpina, France, Spain, Naples, Russia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania
Central Powers: Venice, Austro-Bavaria, Prussia, Rhineland, Ottomans, Albania, Hungary and Britain
I've got a question for you guys:
Will the war be fought in North America?
On the one hand, the Commonwealth of America still cooperates with the British, and La Floride and New Spain are still French and Spanish colonies respectively. On the other hand, considering the ass-whooping the latter two took at the hands of the former in the previous war, the Floridians and New Spanish would be extremely hesitant to fight the Commonwealth again. Now, it could be balanced out a bit by New Granada and Peru being able to send troops to North America (La Plata would be preoccupied with fighting Patagonia again), but I'm sure that The Commonwealth (and Patagonia) could beat the rest of the new world (Brazil included) in a head to head conflict, they may be even in population, but The Commonwealth would have an overwhelming industrial advantage, and this war is being fought without Brazil, so The Commonwealth would also have a population advantage. I'm torn, so here's a poll.
www.strawpoll.me
Will the war be fought in North America?
On the one hand, the Commonwealth of America still cooperates with the British, and La Floride and New Spain are still French and Spanish colonies respectively. On the other hand, considering the ass-whooping the latter two took at the hands of the former in the previous war, the Floridians and New Spanish would be extremely hesitant to fight the Commonwealth again. Now, it could be balanced out a bit by New Granada and Peru being able to send troops to North America (La Plata would be preoccupied with fighting Patagonia again), but I'm sure that The Commonwealth (and Patagonia) could beat the rest of the new world (Brazil included) in a head to head conflict, they may be even in population, but The Commonwealth would have an overwhelming industrial advantage, and this war is being fought without Brazil, so The Commonwealth would also have a population advantage. I'm torn, so here's a poll.
Is the 2nd Global War fought in The New World?
Vote Now! [Yes] [No, but New World troops fight in other theaters of the war]
www.strawpoll.me
Second Global War Polls
Who wins the Second Global War in Europe?
www.strawpoll.me
Who wins the Second Global War in India?
Who wins the Second Global War in The Americas?
www.strawpoll.me
Who wins the Second Global War in Europe?
Vote Now! [Entente (Illyria, Cisalpina, France, Spain, Naples, Russia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania)]
www.strawpoll.me
Who wins the Second Global War in The Americas?
Vote Now! [Britain/Commonwealth of America] [France/Spain]
www.strawpoll.me
Part 71: The American War
Part 71: The American War
After the Battle of Metković on April 30th, 1911, the French (and Spanish by extension) and British took opposite sides in the conflict. Naturally, this boiled over to their New World colonies and dominions as well, and by the fall of 1911, North America was in a state of all-out war.
Even with three out of eight Commonwealth troops going to Europe, the 6:1 population disparity between The Commonwealth and La Floride meant that the odds would still be significantly skewed in the Anglo-American’s favor. It would take some damn good luck for the French to stand a chance in this coming war.
However, something that set aside the second war from the first was the fact that Portugal, and thus Brazil, was neutral in this war. Thus, with the exception of La Plata (who’d fight Patagonia), the Spanish colonies in the New World could turn their full attention towards the war in North America. Also, the Floridians were in better shape to fight than the last time, as they had some limited industry (especially around the steel mills of Mons), albeit nowhere near as much as the Commonwealth did. It was also assumed by the Floridians that the prime American objective in the war would be to seize control over the Mississippi River valley, and that turned out to be exactly the case. It was only 300 miles between the southernmost point of Commonwealth land (the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers) and the Gulf of Mexico, so it would probably be only a matter of time before the Americans cut La Floride in half if the Floridians and New Spanish didn’t put up a large enough resistance.
The American War officially kicked off on September 14th, 1911, when the Commonwealth launched its initial offensive on the Floridian border town of Pinède. After a few days of intense fighting, the town was seized, as was the case with most border towns in La Floride. The east bank of the Mississippi was quickly taken as well, and by the winter the Americans had advanced far enough to capture the river town of Rosalie. The Commonwealth forces also advanced along the coastal plain to around Chatoca. On the western front between Britain/America and Spain/New Spain, the British took the territory north of the Colorado River and the New Spanish part of the Central Valley, but were blocked by the rough terrain from advancing any more in 1911.
After these initial months, however, the French and Spanish resistance became a fair deal more stiff. For one, they had the home field advantage once the Americans advanced far enough into their territory. As mentioned at the end of the last paragraph, the terrain in New Spain (rhyme not intended) was more often than not mountainous, meaning that the Spanish could simply hold down a few key mountain passes to keep the Americans from advancing into the heartland. While Floridian terrain wasn’t quite as rough, there were still more than a few hilly and/or heavily wooded areas that were perfect for a defensive war, and not just from the military. In both La Floride and New Spain, guerilla warfare was common, with armed partisans quickly emerging out of the woods to harass American troops, only to disappear just as fast. However, the Americans’ sheer industrial might and manpower advantage still meant that the French and Spanish were fighting a losing battle, as the American Army captured Villeroyale in July of 1913 and captured New Orleans in February of 1914, after which the Colonial Government of La Floride called for a ceasefire (insert joke about the French surrendering). It wasn’t the quick and easy victory the Anglo-American force had hoped for, but the Floridians didn’t stand much of a chance.
In New Spain, the Americans captured San Diego in November of 1913 and landed naval forces further south in New Spain at Veracruz on the Gulf (they’d already captured Havana, so there wasn’t much of an obstacle) and Acapulco on the Pacific, both of which were key ports to Mexico City. However, Mexico City is situated high on a plateau with steep mountains between it and the coast, so it was going to be a long grind to capture Mexico City. As with further north, the New Spanish forces could simply lock down some mountain passes to keep the Americans from entering New Spain’s heartland, while the local civilians also fought in the defense of their homeland. While it didn’t take long for The American force to reach Cordoba and Xalapa, it took almost half a year to work their way up the Sierra Madre Oriental, but alas, by the beginning of 1915, the American army was closing in on Mexico City when the New Spanish government, seeing the writing on the wall, threw up the white flag as well, officially ending the Second Global War in North America.
As for the fight between La Plata and Patagonia, it was pretty evenly matched, so not a whole lot happened there, although the British did bombard Buenos Aires. The British, as per usual, ruled the waves. Overall, it was a solid, although not overwhelming Anglo/American victory.
One could say that the terrain in New Spain was mainly non-plains.
One could say that the terrain in New Spain was mainly non-plains.
Part 72: War Overseas
Part 72: War Overseas
By the beginning of 1912, the world was embroiled in another global conflict, spanning every continent. I’ve already covered The Americas, and I’m saving Europe for last, so in this update, I will be going over the Second Global War in Africa, Asia and Oceania.
First up, Africa. European powers from both sides had colonies and client states in Africa, so naturally there was going to be a conflict there. Most of the fighting in Sub-Saharan Africa was carried out by native Africans, while in North Africa it was mainly carried out by Europeans. The main flashpoint in this theater was, to no one’s surprise, the Suez Canal, which was owned by France. The French and Spanish dominated in the Mediterranean, so the British invaded the Canal from the south, capturing the French naval base of Djibouti in the process. French troops then came in from the north, turning the Suez Canal into a war zone. In the end, the French were able to successfully hold onto the Suez Canal, at least for the time being.
Next, we have Oceania. Listen, there was no competition down here, the British Australian forces marched into French Terre Bourbon with very little opposition. Some Australian politicians even proposed annexing Terre Bourbon (effectively making it like OTL’s Quebec), although that was ultimately rejected.
Finally, the main overseas front was in Asia, specifically India. The Indian Subcontinent had gradually come to be split between the British in the North and the French in the south, although other countries such as Portugal, Denmark and The Netherlands did hold some territory. British India had a higher population than French India, but the French had better relations with their Indian subjects than the British did, so it would all balance out to a pretty evenly matched theater. The preexisting border mainly followed the course of the Mahanadi River, so much of the fighting was done in and around there. Both the British and the French promised more autonomy to their Indian subjects after the war, as demands for independence were rising and both sides knew that they couldn’t hold onto India forever.
However, that’s the future, this is the present (or at least as of the Early-Mid 1910s), and at this point, the two Indian colonies are at war. While most officers and generals were European, the vast majority of the soldiers were native Indians. Because of the river border for most of the country, much of the fighting was done in the little bit of the border in the west that wasn’t on a river, but rather along the Western Ghats. The French objective was to break through the British lines and capture the cities of Bombay, Nashik and Surat before turning north, while the British wanted to go over the hills and onto the Deccan Plateau.
Fighting in this front soon devolved into trench warfare, as happened in Western Europe. The trenches were more often that not filthy, and this became especially true in the hot, humid climate of India, where tropical diseases thrived. Eventually, the diseases escaped from the trenches and started ravaging the general public, particularly in Northern India (listen, I gotta find some way for the French to win in India again). With disease cripping both the trenches and eventually their own villages, mass mutinies began on the part of Sepoys fighting for the British, and while this did happen with native Indians fighting for the French, it was on a much smaller scale, even on a per capita level. With millions dying of disease and revolts popping up left and right, the British Raj decided to pull out of the war, thus handing the French the victory.
Yes, I had to pull all of this straight out of my ass because I needed a way to make the French, who would be outnumbered and outgunned significantly still win in India. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post, I’ll get to work on the Europe update, and I hope y’all stay safe from the coronavirus.
Second Global War In Europe
Blue = Entente
Red = Central Powers
Yes, I'm using OTL's names.
Part 73: War Comes Back To Europe
Part 73: War Comes Back To Europe
After almost 40 years, war had finally returned to Europe in the autumn of 1911. What had started as some damned foolish thing in the Balkans turned into the next great European war. While the overall setup of this war was quite similar to the last one, there was one major shift: Prussia. While Prussia had allied with France and Russia in the previous war, they switched their allegiance towards the other side in this one, thus uniting both of the German states. So, we had Venice, Austro-Bavaria, Prussia, Rhineland, Ottomans, Albania, Hungary and Britain on one side and Illyria, Cisalpina, France, Spain, Naples, Russia, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania on the other.
First, let’s talk about the Eastern Front of the war. The northern part of the front was along the Russo-Prussian border in Lithuania, with a variety of frontlines in the Balkans further south, as well as the border between Russia and The Ottomans in the Caucasus. Russia alone had more forces than the Prussians and Ottomans combined, and that’s not to add in the other Entente nations in Eastern Europe. However, Prussia happened to have quite possibly the best military in the world, to where it’s been called “an army with a state”, while Russia lagged behind technologically and tactically. The addition of Britain to the war aided the Germans greatly, as not only did they have the power of the Royal Navy, but they could also draw on the Commonwealth of America’s population of 100 Million for troops, as even ⅜ of the Commonwealth troops going to Europe meant that well over a million men crossed the Atlantic. The Eastern front became a long, hard fought grind, but the Prussian forces slowly gained the advantage, capturing Riga in September of 1912 and Minsk just a month later. Further south in the Balkans, the Austro-Bavarians, Hungarians, Albanians and Ottomans slowly converged from all directions on the Illyrians, Greeks, Romanians and Bulgarians, the Hungarians and Ottomans having cut them off from Russian support and the Venetian navy still punching well above its weight. Belgrade fell in the early months of 1913, while Athens was being closed in on by the end of the year. Hungarian forces captured the city of Lviv in the Fall of 1913, while ethnic minorities in the Russian Empire such as the Ukrainians and Central Asians grew a bit… frustrated to say the least. The war in the Caucasus was mainly a stalemate, as the rough terrain made offensive warfare difficult.
Now, on to the Western Front of the war. Here, the Rhine served as a natural border for much of the frontline, so the main area of the fighting was in the Rhineland and Northeastern France, Wallonia in particular. These two areas were both very key industrial areas, so capturing the other’s industrial heartland was a top objective for both sides. In addition, the population of Alsace-Lorraine was primarily German-speaking, so they were naturally sympathetic to the two German states. There was also a secondary front in Northern Italy, mainly fought between Venice and Austro-Bavaria on one side and Cisalpina and to a lesser extent Naples on the other. Venice wanted its old territories that it’d lost after the First Global War back, while Cisalpina wanted to fully (or at least mostly) integrate Venice into its realm.
The two sides of the war were pretty evenly matched on the western front, with the Prussian and British/Commonwealth troop totals just about equaling that from France and Spain. Combined with the short length of the frontline, and you got a perfect recipe for static trench warfare. After a quick German offensive into Wallonia and Alsace-Lorraine, the frontline stalled out, and as in parts of India, it devolved into the aforementioned trench warfare. The frontline became a meat grinder, as any attempt to cross the no man’s land to the opposing trench would likely result in mass casualties. However, there was always the option to open up another front, and that was exactly what the British did in the Spring of 1913. The British possession of the Channel Islands provided the perfect launching pad for an invasion of Northern France, and in April of 1913, the British landed two separate forces in Northern France, one of them just east of Saint-Malo, and another just north of Granville. This forced the French to draw forces away from the frontline, thus allowing the Prussian/British force over there to advance, capturing most of the important industrial centers of Wallonia and Picardy, while the British expanded from their foothold around Saint-Malo to conquer much of Normandy and Brittany. From there, the Prussians and British could push towards Paris from both the east and west.
Said push would begin in March of 1914. The war in America was winding down, which allowed the Commonwealth to transfer hundreds of thousands of men across the Atlantic. The damp winters in Western Europe meant that it was advantageous to wait and regroup rather than fight through the rain and muck. However, this went both ways, as the French knew dang well that the Germans and British were heading for Paris, and they were prepared to defend the capital.
The summer of 1914 was a long grind, but the British and Germans slowly advanced through Northern France. Brest was taken by the British in late September and Nantes a month later, thus seizing all of Brittany. The Germans advanced through Picardy, capturing Amiens in November. 1915 was shaping up to be the final push towards Paris, as both sides resupplied and prepared over the winter, although some smaller battles and skirmishes did take place. Once Easter passed (Happy Easter BTW), however, the final battle began. The British had advanced as far as Caen and the Germans as far as Dieppe, but Le Havre and Rouen remained under French control. The British and Germans jointly sieged down the cities, before forcing them to capitulate by threatening to raze them. Finally, the Central Powers could advance upon Paris. In late July, the British and Germans began their final assault on the French capital. By this point, the French had lost millions of men and were quickly getting tired of war (that was true of the British and Germans, too, but they were winning), with disease spreading into the general public and the armies on the verge of desertion and/or rebellion, so after three months of fighting in Paris and the Central Powers threatening to destroy it, France officially capitulated on All Saints Day (November 1st, In Case You Didn’t Know) of 1915, thus ending the Second Global War.
So, what do you guys think the peace treaty and postwar period will look like? Territorial changes? Civil wars in the losing countries? Other ideas?
Here's what I've got for the postwar map of Europe:
France has to give up Alsace-Lorraine and Wallonia, Illyria loses territory to Venice, Austro-Bavaria and Hungary, The Ottomans reclaim a bit of the land they lost after the first war and Spain and France lose most of their North African colonies, for some examples.
I've still got to figure out what to do in Eastern Europe, suggestions would be most appreciated.
France has to give up Alsace-Lorraine and Wallonia, Illyria loses territory to Venice, Austro-Bavaria and Hungary, The Ottomans reclaim a bit of the land they lost after the first war and Spain and France lose most of their North African colonies, for some examples.
I've still got to figure out what to do in Eastern Europe, suggestions would be most appreciated.
Part 74: Treaty Of Zurich
Part 74: Treaty of Zurich
After the officially Entente surrender on All Saints’ Day of 1915, the great powers of Europe met in Zurich to decide the future of the continent… and the world. The victors wanted to reap their rewards, while the defeated wanted to maintain a balance of power. After months of discussion, debate and conflict, here is how the treaty turned out...
The Treaty of Zurich
1 May 1916
Article One: Europe and North Africa
- Alsace-Lorraine and Wallonia become independent, albeit under German influence
- Luxembourg is ceded to Rhineland
- Venice gains the disputed territory with Cisalpina and Illyria
- Hungary gains disputed territory with Illyria
- Austro-Bavaria gains the area around the city of Rijeka/Pflaum
- Albania will acquire the island of Corfu from Greece
- The Ottomans will acquire Dacian territory south of the Danube, majority Turkish areas of Bulgaria and Greek territory east of the Struma, as well as islands closer to Ottoman territory than to Greek territory
- The Suez Canal area shall become a neutral zone
- Russia will cede Polish territories it took in the First Global War back to Poland
- A new state will be formed out of Russian Galicia
- The Russian Empire will release Baltia (Latvia and Lithuania) and Estonia as independent nations
- Ukraine and Crimea are to become independent nations
- The French and Spanish colonies in North Africa are returned to Algiers and Morocco respectively, aside from a few coastal enclaves
- The Suez Canal area shall become a neutral zone
- Spain will cede the African colony of Equatorial Guinea (although Bioko will remain Spanish) and France will cede the colony of Gabon to Prussia
- France will cede Mauritania and Spain will cede Rio de Oro to Austro-Bavaria
- France will return Tunis to Tunisia
- France will cede The Comoros to Prussia
- France will cede the port of Guangzhouwan to Prussia
- British Australia will occupy Terre-Bourbon
- The remaining Spanish colonies in the Pacific will be ceded to Britain
- India will retain the pre-war status quo
- The Commonwealth of America will indefinitely occupy La Floride, New Spain, Cuba and both colonies on the island of Hispaniola
- Black serfdom in La Floride will be abolished
- The Panama Canal will be ceded to Britain
Can we have a small comet in British America, preferably somewhere near OTL New York.