The Great War at Sea ... Take 13

[Some Bloke]

Seriously. Good to see this back.

 

[Some Bloke]

Wait, France doesn't even get Alsace or Lorraine?

 

[Palantir]

Wow! It has really become a "push your allies under the bus" contest (by proping up the former ennemies). And the UK is winning single handedly, with the US learning fast.

Edit :

Wait, France doesn't even get Alsace or Lorraine?

I think they don't, hence this contest.

 

[Augenis]

The final act to solidify the new nation was the inclusion of Lithuania in the new [Polish] republic, which along with removing the potential of a direct Russian threat on Prussia, allowed the new nation unfettered access to the Baltic.

The Lithuanians would not accept this.

And in addition, Lithuania at the time hardly had a coastline. 10 kilometers or something at Palanga, which weren't even in the Kaunas Governorate, they belonged to the Latvians.

 

[Battleshiplover]

Glad to see this back. Great update for one of the best WW1 time lines out there.

 

[Perky50]

Don't fret people ... This is not the treaty ... Or the final bits of the assenbly of a precision machine ... Think of the world as a puzzle ... And using a hammer when the pieces don't quite fit ...
.
The next post will deal with the actual treaty and its results ...

 

[Perky50]

Hi Palantir,
While events give the look of somewhat of a mega-British wank at this point, things are not completely as they would appear. Even for the Americans, there will be profound issues to deal with.

Great Britain is in a position that its two main allies have, or will be shortly, 'going south', while their foremost business partner is being distracted by events elsewhere on the globe that involves a third ally ... and I haven't begun on Ireland or India yet ...

As to the Dominions, there was a query from Donald Reaver regarding Canada, and not having it's defining moment because there was no Vimy Ridge. In the case of this timeline, the Canadian Corps defining moment will have been in the initial attack of 'The Great June Offensive' ... a defining moment shared both with the ANZAC Corps and an Indian Corps, placing both the Dominions and India on a new path ...

In my humble opinion, one of Canada's most important acts as a nation, one with as much importance as Vimy, was when during the Chanak Crisis in September, 1922, Canadian Prime Minster McKenzie King, refused to provide Canadian troops to Great Britain for use in the Turkish uprisings of the day. While a comparable event has not happened yet, in all likelihood it may well eventually manifest.

Great Britain does have some advantages, however as events unfold, these advantages might well erode into something of a much lesser value. While not properly understood at this point, her best advantages are centered in the Dominions and the Commonwealth, however these will only deliver good result if Great Britain transforms from the stern Father figure into one with more of a resemblance to a favorite Grandfather.

As to the rest of the world, Great Britain will have its friends and allies, however there will be those that will be cautious after seeing how Great Britain, on first appearances, moved away from the Entente.

 

[lukedalton]

Ok, seem that while the war has been shorter and less widespread than OTL meaning a lot less death and destruction; the diplomatic side has been a total disaster, it's like the delegation of US and UK had drunk a battleship-sized cup of lead before start their work.
The USA act like an entitled bully, one that had not spill blood in the war and it's better note that the entire ITTL Entente is not in debt like OTL Entente (the white winning the civil war in Russia mean that there will be less possibility of refusing to honor the loan done by the Uk and especially by France, making their situation a little more stable compared to OTL) so while influential the US presence is not towering like OTL Versailles and everything they are done now will mean that the medium to long term relations with the rest of the world will be...problematic.
The UK instead seem so focused in the balance of power that, consciusly or not, treat an ally worse than an enemy; basically France will swap role with Italy regarding the feeling of ' Mutilated Victory' and we know all well ended for the italian goverment...in short the French Third Repubblic is over and everyone in Paris know that and also understand that they can thank the British for this situation.
At least Russia seem stable...in the long run at least.

As a note, without the deployment of the American Expeditionary corps and the early war end, there is the good change that the Spanish Flu Pandemic can be avoided or at least greatly diminised, creating a megafleet of butterflys.

 

[Spartan-G257]

France would regain Alsace and Lorraine, however their demands for conditions on Saarland, as well as severe reparation demands in natural resources and industrial materials would be denied. The French took this as a rebuff when comparing the result to what had been forced on them after the Franco-Prussian War.

I don't get this. In fact the Only way I see this happening is because the author willed it. I am pointing this out because I know the feeling. but what you must realise is that France and Britain very much wanted Germany to pay SEVERE reperations. these are the two main countries and with Britain having won the sea war in such a heavily lopsided way as it did it would have massive advantages, advantages that it would only have seen after Trafalgar. And then with the US it is a case of they should stop butting in where they do not belong. BECAUSE THEY DON'T. if they sacrificed so little as they did by this point then you have to understand that their contibution to this treaty will be next too nothing.
And without the Uncle Sam sticking his isolationist nose in Versaille would mean that the Treaty would be so sever as to possibly even split up the German states.
Another thing with the US acting so aggressively the British would Strengthen their alliance with the Japanese. These are not the Japanese of WW2 or even of 1930, this is a people on their way to being democratic in time, and a British pawn to tip the balance to their favour in the Pacific.
also historically before the end or even before 1941 the British were never very trusting of the Americans. Hell during the Washington Naval Treaty talks the British were just as worried about going to war with the US as they were with the Japanese, even more so. at the time of it many thought it would be the British and Japanese against the Americans, not the other way around. though the British were more than starting to look at the Japanese with wary eyes.

The final break would occur over a clause in the treaty, brought forward by Japan, that all races would henceforth be considered as equals, which was quashed by the United States. With that Japan would recall its negotiators, after stating it would seek out a separate peace with Germany. Shortly after, Japan would once again begin its efforts to force its way into China as well, and through these actions, as other areas of the world were settling back to a semblance of normal, the Pacific and Far East would become a region of rising tensions.

This would push Britain to take the side of Japan, you would be putting the powder keg beneath the Americans. because this is going to blow up in their face by having WW2 (probably in the 1920's-30's) be the BE and JE against the USA, Because NO ONE is going to trust the US when they suggest the Washington Naval Treaty they will look at them with untrusting hateful eyes, the next great Naval/Battleship Armsrace will be a threeway between Britain, Japan, and the States, and Britain and Japan will look at each other as allies to combat the growing American Navy.

I'm sorry if I am coming across as overly Critical but I talk it as I see it.

 

[Spartan-G257]

My point perky is that the Americans have other than gold and resources have committed Nothing to this war and are deserving of nothing in return. it is not their place to ask for anything except minor stuff like a small amount of reperations, instead what they are asking for is as if it had been World War 2 and they had saved Everybody bar Britain and the USSR.
this is not their treaty to dictate, this is for the British, French, Russians and to a smaller degree Japan.
also you think by lowering the debt that Europe would be better off. No it wouldn't, because for one thing at this point there is no single Europe. There are a ton of nation states all at each others throats. in a situation like this the countries are going to do as they have for Centuries, as they planned to OTL until essentially the USA came in. Britain to a lesser extent wanted it slightly lessened, but even then they knew that Germany needed Harsh sanctions put upon them so they couldn't do it again, but this was mostly to stave off Red Russia. without a Red Russia you have Germany being beaten into the ground until they have no industry, no army, no navy. till they have the same strength as Estonia, or not even them. Even a couple of Germans felt that the Versaille was far too light on them OTL, in this timeline they are going to look at it and go, oh is that it well then lets try again in 5 years after we have rebuilt our forces to be stronger.
This is Prussian Germany after all, and Prussian Germany was warlike far more than the Nazis, in fact it was because of the Prussians that the Nazis were as warlike as they were. The Prussians culture was to every extent War. and the only way to have stopped them was to destroy Germany as a power, and to do that you need to be so harsh on them as to take everything not nailed down, and if it is nailed down take the nails as well.

(the finest branch of the US armed forces - sorry, I have a relative from the States, He was a Marine, and he brainwashed me at a young age)

Damn right he did.
than again I may be so Biased myself. Mothers side of the family have had a lot of men in the Army.

Will the British be more wary of the Americans? Yes they will. On top of everything else, the British are really going to be uncomfortable with being told what to do ... they are not at all used to that at that point in history. The British will make certain efforts, but things will only go so far.

Wary oh they won't be wary, They'll be Angry. this is the Largest Empire the World has ever seen, has essentially just won a tremendously large war, with concerted efforts from France and Russia. and the USA comes in and tells everyone what to do. the US would be for lack of a better term. At the Childrens table with Serbia and the like. and you barely heard from them at Versaille

The big stick that the Americans carry at this point is the debt they hold on various Entente members, Great Britain in particular. While this debt load will seem to be stupendous for the time in this new time line, it's nowhere near as bad as otl. While the British and others in this TL will not be able to compare to otl, it will still be a more manageable sum, and with all nations being afflicted with lower debts, there will be by default less default, so debts will be brought down quicker ... and one money source that will be paid back quickly will be America. The less you owe them, the less you have to listen to what they say.

A big stick that if they attempt to use will be a massive mistake, one they didn't use OTL till around the 1920's if they use it Versaille then they start having not small problems but massive problems, it's not a stick they can use in a treaty like this if they haven't even fought in this war of ours. or even barely so. if they have lost under 200,000 men the rest of the nations will look at them in disgust and will not trust them in any way shape or form for a long time. and that Will come back to bite them in the arse.

So now, as somewhat cooler heads start to put together the realities, things calm down a tad. There's still a naval race going on to a point, however given the situation, both America and Japan are not likely going to be getting the latest info out of John Bull. America can comfortably out build anyone on the planet

No they can't
Britain until the mid 1920sish built 90% of the worlds Vessels. it wasn't until the mid 1920s that america could compete with Britain in shipbuilding. and that was mostly because britain had been in a shipping holiday (A term used when they stop building Large warships) since around 1916, this can absolutely cripple the Shipbuilding industry and it crippled Britains badly.

So things start to settle back a bit ... Great Britain sits back and wonders just what the hell has happened to the kids across the pond, and just how in hell did they get so bossy and belligerent?

Damn right they do, they would then tell the Yanks to turn around and pull the other one, It has bells on it.

Then other events come into play ... the infamous Missouri Flu epidemic cuts a horrendous swath of death across the US and portions of Canada for nearly three years. Tight boundary controls limit its spread further. The United States takes a break from worrying about Japan. Japan breaths a quiet sigh of relief, and continues its push on China.
... until the Great Kanto Earthquake strikes, and the Japanese settle back as they turn to domestic issues.

You are once again to a certain degree mixing 1930s Japan with 1910s-1920s Japan. Japan wasn't anywhere near as agressive until Hirohito got unto the throne, and then started listening to his military like a fool. that changed later on in life (Read after 2 bombs) but whilst his predecessors were on the throne, whom with the influence of the British were relatively calm collected and well regarded.

 

[King Augeas]

I'm reading Tooze's The Deluge at the moment. Versaillies and the immediate postwar world seem to have been hideously complicated, so I don't envy you trying to make a sensible alternative version of it!

 

[lukedalton]

Let's see the USA seem to go for some very short term benefit against middle and long terms; as others pointed out they have fought just lent diplomatic and monetary help so their attempt to 'force' their interest and Pow in everybody else mean that they are burning a lot of bridges expecially with the european powers much less in debt with them then OTL...and even this financial 'sword of Damocles' will not last long, expecially with the mentioned Missouri Flu Epidemic as many countries around the world will put strict control over what will come from North America, slowing the commerce between the United States and the rest of the world
Military the USA will be much worse off than OTL, while an industrial giant the situation of the american armed forces were not good at the time and even the Navy with his modern ships was not on par of the British or others due to the (bad) training of the sailors; the army will remain a force more apt to launch raid on Mexico than something of more modern without all the operational experiences gained in Europe (plus all the new toys)...it's very probable that everyone else will see the american armed forces as the zenith of the 'Small name, big ego' trope.
Socially, well it will be very different from OTL, without the Wilsonian 'Red Scare' (much more harder to justify similar actions in this situation) the socialist will be stronger or at least will remain alive as a political party; hell the world will be very very different without a succesfull Bolshevick revolution or a fascist takeover of Italy (they can try but it will be very difficult that they will succeed in this situation)...but France and Germany will be both in turmoil and something of similar can happen in both.

As a note, while the Austro-Hungarian Federation seem to work now, there will still be a lot of nationalist fervor, this time even German nationalism that will seek union with Germany; so it's very probable that the federation will be a shaky thing for long time and it's probable that if the ITTL equivalent of the 'great depression' will hit the world it will be the final nail in the coffin.

 

[Perky50]

PLEASE NOTE:
Some previous posts have been deleted

By the end of November, the writing was clearly on the wall for Germany, for with the arrival of a formal declaration of war by the United States, any final hopes of an eventual victory, no matter how slender, were finally and completely dashed.

Just the fact that Hughes had become President so swiftly would show America’s resolve for joining the war as quickly as possible came as a shock to Germany. Hughes succession to President had been fast tracked by Wilson, in a way that even to the present time, while in essence it was procedurally acceptable, many have debated the moral legitimacy of the action.

Due to his belief that it would be detrimental to America to delay President-Elect Hughes’ swearing in to his new elected position - which if it followed precedence, would take up to four months - Wilson had previously decided upon a course of action to expedite Hughes’ course to office in the event that he did in fact win the election.

The plan would be simple and direct in its form, and with the confirmation of Hughes’ win, Wilson would appoint him as Secretary of State. Once Hughes had been sworn in, Both Wilson and Vice-President Marshall resigned, leaving the path clear for Hughes to assume the office of the President, so that by the end of November, President Hughes had been sworn in.


As the action was seen as an expedient necessity due to the war, and for the good of the nation, President Wilson made it clear to all Democrats that a swift transfer of power was needed, a very large majority of all sitting members in both the house and senate stood by Wilson’s choice of action, and the transition would move smoothly.

The only bit of holdback was that while even as Nominee, Hughes would be demanding a declaration of war, with all his efforts to speed the transfer of power, Wilson would leave any association with the declaration for Hughes, after he assumed the mantle of the Presidency.

In his first hours in the White House, asking for that declaration of war would be the new President’s first order of business.

---000---

With the American declaration, those in power in Germany knew that there was no hope in any sort of a victorious outcome, and at best could only hope for fighting the Entente to a standstill before the coming large influx of American troops would be the disastrous finale for what had originally been seen as a winnable war.

Yet even as the first serious feelers would be put out to the Entente via contact between the respective German and British embassies in The Hague, with the assistance of the Dutch government, there would be no constructive result gained in the initial efforts.

There would be several reasons for the serious lack of initial progress, which was mainly to the fault of the German diplomatic group, which were initially under strict orders to seek out a relatively neutral settlement, whereby Germany would maintain her prewar borders. The Entente in turn was not really interested in treating at that point, as with what was known of Germany’s condition, along with the American declaration of war, the major members of the Entente were seeking out much harsher end results, results which Germany would not consider initially.

Germany had seen her allies either withdraw or collapse, and in the last weeks of fighting, had done her best to hold off the combined might of the balance of the Western World. However, in the end, with the destruction of the High Seas Fleet, followed by the failure of the U-Boat campaign and the rolling back of the Western Front, the closing act would be foisted on them.

Even though the Russian offensive in the east had been thrown back, and the French seemingly were an offensive pittance of their old selves, the Germans themselves were feeling the pinch. With food stocks low, and industry struggling to replace lost weapons and munitions, by the end of November, 1916, The German Army had well and truly shot its bolt, as far as offensive operations any time in the foreseeable future.

With no real hope to mount a serious defence, and with moral and supplies falling off, the German army moved back toward the Fatherland’s frontiers, shedding men, equipment, and supplies as they went. With their arrival to their final positions in Belgium and Luxembourg for their hoped for final defence, they had lost nearly 40% of their number, along with a large portion of their heavier equipment and weapons.

However, while the numbers were heavy, as with most withdrawals of that nature, those that had fallen out were the ones without hope, while those that remained were those with the drive and spirit to stay the course, and fight on no matter the cost.

Yet even as these stalwart men would man the partially finished defences, and prepare for the final stand, they had not the ability to mount the needed riposte to take the fight back to the enemy. That was the state of the German army by that point in time, abandoned by their allies, and hulked by heavy action, their formations were done, leaving the only hope in negotiations, and by their previous actions, their stance would hopefully give pause given pause to the advancing Entente forces, allowing for the negotiations to open. So, in the end, after the stubborn yet steady withdrawals of the summer and fall, the last of the Kaiser’s armies would attempt to deliver one last time for their Empire, when they took up positions at their final stop line, as the formal requests for armistice went out.

As the German army had been mauled, so to had the French, and while the French army would continue to attempt successful offensive action against their foe, between a lack of intelligent leadership, heavy casualties, and bad morale bordering on mutinous action, there was by the end of November of 1916, little hope of anything resembling a large-scale offensive by the French army in the immediate future.

The French would continue to lash out at the Germans in their usual semi controlled savagery, with no good coming from their action, other than the unneeded spillage of more French blood, and in the end, would be little more than a distraction to the Germans on the Western Front.

The Germans had made some attempts to begin an offensive action against the French, but found out early on that while the French offensive ability was nearly gone, they would defend their holdings with a tenacity that was as strong, if not stronger, that it had always been.

The British, along with their Belgian subordinates, the Germans found different. They had fought in their usual cold manner, all the way across Belgium, attacking into the German positions when heavily fortified, then dig in and wait for the Germans to expend themselves in their counter-attacks. If no counter attacks appeared, they would advance again.

While both the British and Belgians had taken their losses during the war so far, and the Belgian Army was in particular a much smaller version of its original self, the British army had been careful (at least in terms of French casualty lists) not to be drawn in to questionable French incompetent command actions that had chewed up the French army in the previous months of the war.

The down side of Great Britain’s choices in these matters was that the alienation between Great Britain and France – built upon the French belief that the British had allowed their army to be bled out while the British army lounged in Flanders – was becoming greater with each passing day. In the words of General Arthur Currie, Haig’s successor at the end of the war:

“That by the end of the war there was no question that the French thought very little of us. This fact was borne out by their interactions with us at every level, one that in the end would see us order all Commonwealth troops to stay out of not only French occupied areas of Germany, but France itself.

In their actions, deeds and finally statements in the weeks and months following the war, the more extremist elements in France would make known their opinion that Great Britain had chosen a strategy in the war whereby British forces were preserved at the expense of heavy French casualties.

Of course, nothing could be further from the truth, and while it is factual the everyone from Field Marshal Haig on down were strongly adamant that British troops should not be under direct tactical control of French generals, it was not to preserve them from their share of casualties, rather it was to protect them from the blatant incompetence of French leadership.

To say to the combined Commonwealth forces that we did not do our part in the Great War, is an insult to the nearly 600,000 fatalities, and over one million wounded who served in that war.”

There was an upside to the British refusal to have their troops under French command, and that would be borne out by the great Anglo-Belgian offensives in 1916, which eventually broke the back of the German army on the Western Front, and while truthfully, no one can be sure as to what the casualty lists of the British Empire might have looked like if the British High command had given in to French demands for direct control over British army units, not only would the empire casualties been significantly higher (some historians have suggested at least a half million more combined casualties), but as well, one would also wonder that the likes of Field Marshal Haig and other generals would have countenanced such needless destruction of life and limb.

One only has to look at Haig’s remarkable bond with the troops under his command - not only during the war, but after as well as seen in his tireless work on behalf of veterans and their survivors – to see that it would be inconceivable for ‘Old Pa’(as his troops called him) Haig would stand by quietly and let the men he was responsible for be butchered needlessly.

As importantly perhaps, is that if the British and Commonwealth forces fighting alongside them, had been savaged as badly as the French Army had been, the supposition has been put forth that there would not have been enough troops left over to provide both the numbers and experience for the proper successful completion of the great offenses across Belgium in 1916.

Whether such scenarios and hypothetical positions would have been true if played out, thankfully for those involved, we will never know. One fact however that is well known is that it was the skill of these Empire soldiers, well led, well trained and well supplied, that were the point of the spear that finally would seal the fate of the Kaiser’s empire.

Of particular interest was the innovative use of not only new tactics, but new weapons as well, and along with a higher level of training in the new ‘Bite and Hold’ tactics, along with the increasing numbers of both tanks and aeroplanes, The British army would set a new standard for tactical assault in breaching trench lines.

For the most part, these tactical actions were pretty straight forward, and under cover of creeping barrages and increasing numbers of tanks, theses assault troops would break in to the German positions, and after clearing them, they would wait for the counter attack, and do their utmost to keep the counter attacking Germans engaged, while their armoured cars and tanks would probe for weakness in the flanks, and then try to fix the German rear before they could get away.

For the most part, the Germans were much too wily to be caught out, and earlier on in the various advances, they would manage to get free before being snared. However, there were times that the British would gather in a battalion or even regiment, and twice on the withdrawal, they had managed much larger successes, the first in late September, when they had caught three corps just to the east of Brussels, and in the first days of November, when grabbing a bridge on the Meuse just to the north of Liege, they were able to swing south and trap the German 5th Army and supporting formations, pinning them against the Meuse. The loss of these formations, the last real reserve forces for the German Army in Belgium, was indeed the death knell for even the most extreme long hopes of turning back the advancing British armies, along with the fact that without significant reserves, it became harder and harder to break off and escape the advancing British forces.

The only thing that might have gathered in some forlorn hope of a stabilization of the line before the German frontier had been a hoped for defensible line brought about by a geographic shortening of the line brought about by a jog south in the Dutch frontier, where the remnants of the German army on the Western Front was now ensconced. For even as the German army was falling back skillfully in hopes of securing that line, even for a moderate term, Haig’s soldiers would not be denied their final victory.

In an unprecedented advance, the BEF, counting on the Germans belief that the Canadian and Anzac Corps would, as per the norm, lead any assault, would catch the Germans off the mark. The German high command had come to realize that the arrival of these Dominion Corps would be the harbinger of another offensive action, but in this final instance, the Germans would be led astray.

While the combined Canadian/ Anzac Corps would lead off as expected, it would only be long enough to draw in the attention and focus of the German defenders. By the time the Germans realized that something was amiss, it was far too late, as three days later, to the north and south of the Anzacs and Canadians, the BEF would burst through the German lines in front of them, and savagely tear the defenders asunder.

While at both ends of the line, the success of the attacking forces was unprecedented thus far in the war, it was in the south of the Anzac Corps, where the largest gains would be made by the two Corps of the Indian Army, which would scythe through the German defenders and lay open a gap in the defences, through which the bulk of three Cavalry Corps would pour into the German army’s rear areas.

Those German forces that managed to extract themselves, were either rolled back to the north, or wedged back toward the French lines around Verdun. While those moving north would try their best to remain coherent and reset a position before the Rhine would be reached, those being forced back to the south-east were simply looking to somehow survive. For these men, there was little to choose from other than making for the Fatherland as expeditiously as possible, as there was little hope in survival between the vengeful French army, and those stalwart men from the Indian sub continent.

Of particular note were the horrific stories spreading through the retiring German forces of the shadowy forms that would strike them in the night, with little regard for defences or sentries. The survivors would awake to find more of the comrades struck down by blade or other deadly means with each new sunrise.

For some, these brutal attacks would steel their resolve to stand firm to keep such terrors away from hearth and home, however for many more it simply reinforced the fact that in the choice between a surrender to the BEF under the sun’s rays, or a rather more brutal demise on the blade of a Nepalese mercenary in the employ of George V during the hours of darkness, the first option was indeed becoming more prevalent.

There was somewhat of an irony found by those who would lay down their arms and surrender, for while the Indian Corps would be noted for their savagery in combat, in accepting surrender, they would set an exemplary pattern of proper care, given the times. That would be compared to those who surrendered to the French, many of whom would face not only harsh treatment or worse, but in many cases not see Germany for many years after the war.

Even as the southern end of the German army was disintegrating, in the north, along the Dutch frontier, a less dramatic crumbling of the German line would soon be underway as well. When the German units pinned in place holding the Canadian and Anzac Corps were finally attempt to break free, those hardy Dominion troops would set upon them, and destroy any last hopes of a proper German withdrawal behind the Rhine for a last stand.

As the last of the German army was routed, survivors would flee back to the east, in hopes of safely reaching the east bank of the Rhine. Many would make that grueling trek, only to find that Empire forces would be waiting for them on either bank of the great river. Fully four out of every five men in the German army on the Western Front that dark and desperate fall of 1916, would not make it back to Germany, and those that did would be lucky to have their rifles and a few rounds of ammunition.

With British Empire forces at, or even in some cases across the Rhine, there was nothing more to be done, and the German government would finally approach the British government through the embassy in The Hague as to the acceptance of a practical armistice, whereby an end to the conflict might be arranged.

Knowing full well Germany’s condition, and with most of the Entente forces in the west still probing deeper into Germany, The Entente simply refused the request for armistice, and set forth the articles of surrender the Entente would provisionally accept at that point. The German government would mull these over for two more days, then notify the Entente through the Dutch embassy of their acceptance of the Entente terms, and request a final directive for meetings and directives.

While the peripheral actions of what had become known as ‘The Great War’ would carry on for years, and even decades, in some cases, the main battlefields of the great Western and Eastern fronts fell silent; as the victors set about to settle the peace.

 

[Some Bloke]

Canadian Corps and ANZAC fighting together? Maybe call that unit CANZA (Canadian Australians & New Zealand Army). Given that most of the White Dominions are working together closer than OTL, how might this affect the development of the Empire/Commonwealth?

 

[Perky50]

Huis deb Bosch Palace, The Hague

January 7th, 1917

“Alone with my thoughts in that great room, I was gazing absent-mindedly at the grand selection of murals in the Orange Hall, as I wondered to myself as to what might be our nation’s fate. While flights of fancy had allowed some to assuage their fears with hopes for a renewed nation after a period of penance. However for myself and others with the access to the initial bits of commentary from the meeting rooms of our conquerors, held a quiet foreboding that the consequences of our Fatherland’s part in this ‘Great War’ would be much harsher than many might expect.

While there were those who felt we must fight on to preserve our nation, and remove the hated foe from our nation, truthfully there was little to be done with it. Our Army was in tatters, the men disarmed and confined to the barracks almost immediately with the end of the war, under the watchful eye of the newly arrived occupation troops from the entente. The generals and field marshals had been, for the most part, removed into custody in entente stockades, as had the admirals and Kapitains of the remnants of the High Seas Fleet.

That I was not with them weighed heavy on my heart, for while their detention would not be the grandest of postings, I would have rather been there with them, than here, acting as a second for my eldest brother, as the decision to his final fate was being made.

As I was about to swing about to make another round of the great hall, one of the doors on the side of the hall swung open, and the Duke entered our communal sanctuary. As he strode toward me, I turned toward him, and snapped myself to attention. As he stopped in front of me, with a quick and sharp click of a heel, I snapped off a salute, quickly followed by one of his own.

He immediately apologized for his tardiness, stating that even in times such as this, a Captain should present the first salute when meeting someone of my rank. I replied simply that the purple ribbon of my Grand Mother’s award that he wore on his chest, far out weighed the consideration of rank.

With just the slightest of hints of a stutter, Albert responded with a quiet thank you, then asked that if I would walk with him, we might address the business at hand.”

- His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Prussia

In those few moments of quiet introduction in the great hall of a Dutch palace, Germany’s Prince Henry and Great Britain’s Albert, Duke of York, both acting as Royal Seconds, would take the first steps in what was to be the final dissolution of what had been known in the recent past as the German Empire.

 

[Some Bloke]

Does this mean Germany gets split up again?

 

[Perky50]

Hi Bloke,
To a degree there might well be stronger ties between the 'white Dominions', however that is not as great in importance as is the crucial and very public part played by the two Indian Army Corps in the final push into Germany. This will be noted both at home in the sub continent, as well as around the world.

... and yes, Germany as it was, will be no more ... the times, they are a-changing ...

 

[steamboy]

Bloody superb to see this riding once more And great updates! And yes, that big, crucial part played by the Indian Army Corps will be very important, or at least it feels it.

 

[brazen]

Good to see this back again Perky. France sounds like they are not happy with anyone, which I'd imagine ends up in former Allieds clashing in the coming years.

Don't make us wait too long for the next update!

 

[Count of Crisco]

Seems like the Frenchies are just downright unhappy. Any eventual concessions they get will likely not be enough for them.
Also great that this is back up. By far the most realistic and detailed TL I have ever read.