CP Victory TL, as Detailed by Newspaper Articles

Kick this off. The CP win. Several PoDs, the Austrians manage to make several crushing defeats against the Serbs, prodding the Bulgarians to enter much quicker, and breaking the Serbian flank. Italy stays CP or neutral, since it was the Austrian defeats early on that made them think the whole Austrian military establishment was a rotten structure. The Bulgarian entry early on allows a greater number of troops to aid along the Eastern Front, and a greater number of Austro-Hungarian troops as well. Rumania stays neutral. No sinking of the Lusitania, no Zimmerman Telegram. The Germans manage to pin the BEF agains the coast, and threaten Paris. There is no Arab Revolt, the Ottomans manage to make headway in the Caucasus and Persia, Mesopotamia is a stalemate and the Russians collapse as per OTL.

Get the show on the road. Everybody posts an article (doesnt have to be in order) about anything in a CP Victory World. Ive got several articels coming.
 
I found another TL with the same premise, but that one died off, and some of the articles were a bit too wankish. Participants rampantly made articles that derailed the whole timeline. Another stab at it. Also, it holds the same premise as the previous thread. This is to be a tightly controlled collaborative TL. If something is too wankish and contrary to the previous contributions, it will be igored.


The idea is very nifty and I'll follow the thread with great interest, but IMO the end of the war in late 1918 just as in OTL is really too late, given the PoD. A CP Italy and a neutral America indeed all but ensures the final victory of the CPs but also significantly accelerates the collapse of Russia and France. You really should consider anticipating the end of the war to late 1917.

We also need a little more details about the course of the war: I assume Germany still goes Schliffen (otherwise no Entente Britain) and Italy does not enter the war immediately (otherwise France collapses in 1914). Therefore I assume Italy enters the war at the next optimal window in late Spring 1915, after negotiations to ensure her entry for the CPs are successful. The PoD most likey means that Germany is able to persuade A-H to cede Trento, Gorizia, and Trieste to Italy, and also that Italy has been promised pretty much all her claims against France (Nice, Savoy, Corsica, Tunisia, Djibouti, possibly even more French colonies). I also assume that Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria still enter the war for the CPs in pretty muuch as in OTL and the bloody fiasco of Gallipoli is already well underway when Italy attacks.

Main effects of the PoD: Italy will send an expeditionary force in Albania and Montenegro to backstab Serbia. The latter is encircled when Bulgaria attacks too and its Army is completely annihilated. This means no Entente expedition to Salonika and no split of Greece between pro-CP and pro-Entente governments. Greece is surrounded by CP powers so at the very least it stays an CP-friendly neutral. The Ottoman Empire is free to deliver more troops against the Russians and the British on other fronts. As a result, the OE fare better in the Caucasus and the Arab revolt either does not occur or is greately hampered. Once Serbia is killed, A-H is free to deliver the whole of their armies against Russia and Germany does not need to send as many troops to reinforce her, which may instead by used against France or better Russia (let's assume the latter since the CPs won). This significantly accelerates the schedule of Russian collapse by 6-12 months at the very least.

Moreover, a stronger CPs on the Eastern front and the Balkans might well mean that Romania does not enters for the Entente (if it does, it shall be crushed even more quickly than OTL) and either stays neutral or enters for the CPs. The latter would throw open the Ukraine front for the CPs and accelerate the Russian collapse by another season or so. So what does Romania do ITTL ?

Sweden too might choose to enter the war for the CPs as Russia seems losing if the CPs are able to play the "liberation of Finland" propaganda-diplomatic card well and promise Sweden substantial influence in post-war Finland. The intervention of CP Sweden too does accelerate the collapse of Russia by a season or so. Do they intervent ITTL ? Morevoer, there is a little known PoD you might easily use, besides CP Italy, to justify the CP victory ITTL. At the start of the war, the gung-ho Commander of the Russian Fleet sailed to deliver an ultimatum to the Swedish Fleet to vacate their bases on his own initative. Had not he be called back to the last minute, it is almost sure that a naval battle between Sweden and Russia would have resulted, and an enraged Sweden would have declared war on Russia. Neutral Sweden attacked by aggressive Russia would balance the propaganda and diplomatic effects of the "rape of Belgium" to a great degree among neutrals (esp. the USA).

America does not enter the war most likely because the stronger CP see victory at hand earlier (Russia collapses by 1916) so they never engage in unrestricted submarine warfare nor send the Zimmerman Telegram and the hand of the USA is never forced. Again, a CP Italy helps here and CP Sweden helps even more, esp. if you use the early PoD. Since Russia collapses earlier, do the Germans send Lenin to Russia or not, ITTL ? The lack of Lenin only delays Russia's military collapse by some months (the Russian Army had entered a death spiral of mutinies well before the Octrober Revolution) but radically changes the course of the Russian Revolution ITTL.

Italy's belligerance means they engage France in a mountain warfare on the Maritime Alps in late Spring 1915. Since Italian army is much better relatively to the French one in WWI than in WWII, they surely see initial limited success but fail to achieve a strategic breakthrough. France is in serious long-term trouble, however, as it is forced to deploy a substantial amount of Anglo-French troops on the Alps (the French Alps were nowhere as fortified as the Austrian Dolomites in 1915, so the Entente needs much more troops to stop the Italians than A-H OTL) and has a front stretching all the way from the English Channel to the Mediterranean, with only a pause on the Swiss border. Not good for limited French manpower reserves, especially when German and Italian High Commands start to syncronize their offensives on the Western front. Moreover, there are old standing Triple Alliance protocols to send part of the Italian Army to reinforce the German Army against France, which are reactivated now. This might ensure that any German offensive on the Western front (Verdun, anyone ?) sees much more success. Of course, such Italian troops could instead be used on the Belgian front or against Russia.

The Anglo-French could either go on the defensive on the Western Front (likely), which gives them a reprieve until Russia collapse, even if coordinated Italo-German offensives still consume much of their manpower, or try some big offensive a la Somme against the Germans or the Italians, which is a costly failure and comsumes their reserves even more. It is possible (but not really likely, after Gallipoli) that they try a landing against Italy in Sardinia or Sicily. The former might well succeed, but it does not seriously tack Italy's figthing ability. The latter is a costly failure rivaling Gallipoli. If the Entente still chooses to go on the offensive on the Western front, the French Mutinies still occur ITTL and are even more widespread, as France has suffered even more attrition thanks to Italy. Therefore, suppressing them without Germany and Italy noticing and going on the offensive becomes even more unlikely. Such an attack is a sure strategic breakthough for the CPs.

On the naval side, Italy's belligerance means that the Austrian/Italian/Ottoman fleets will eventually combine and make a worthy opponent for the Anglo-French fleets in the Mediterranean, which becomes an hotly contested area. This might or might not force the British to redeploy some ships to the Mediterranean, giving better chances to the HSF, ro they might concede it to a large degree (they almost surely do in the Eastern Med, owning to the pro-CP Greece). Depending on the precise balance of forces here, this may mean the French conquering Libya or the Italians getting Tunisa and making heavy inroads into Algeria.

Anyway, even assuming France somehow manages to hold out till after the collapse of Russia (which likely means Britain is forced to throw more and more of her own manpower in the French meatgrinder, hampering her ability to fight in other theaters, as against the Ottomans), the situation grows truly desperates after Russia goes Brest-Litovsk and the vast majority of the CPs armies are redeployed on the Western Front. Without the help of America, France by now is scraping the barrel of her manpower reserves and barely holding out thanks to the ever-greater committment of British manpower. The first coordinated Italo-German offensive sees a German strategic breakthorugh towards the Seine and a secondary Italian one towards the Rhone. The precise timetable of France's surrender is open to variations, but once they lose any of Paris, Lyon, and Marseilles, they are toast. Britain sees the writing on the wall and pleads for a compromise peace soon after the surrender of France. So does Japan.

Hence, Russia collapses by 1916 and France collapses by 1917. The Ottomans manage to snatch Baku, Kars, Adahan and Batum are returned. Ottomans gain control of Kuwait and Arabia, and a significant zone of influence in Persia.

Russia is most likely a chaotic revolutionary mess anyway, with civil war well underway. What really matters here is whether the victorious CPs have the fighting spirit still to wage a large scale intervention in the RCW and ensure the victory of a puppet Czarist regime. Since the war is shorter by about a year, they might well, or might not. Also, the possible absence of Lenin means that the Bolsheviks fail to seize power in Russian heartland and eventually trigger an insurgency in a much more patchwork feashion under the leadership of Trotzky, which means the defeat in the Civil War more likely.

As it concerns the peace deal, Russia goes Brest-Litovsk and loses even more territory than OTL. Finland with whole Karelia, Baltic, White Russia with Smolensk, Ukraine with the Don basin, the whole Caucasus. Japan most likely seizes the opportunity and gobbles Outer Manchuria and possibly Eastern Siberia as well (the USA are neutral, so less likely to interfere).

Britain most likely gets a lenient compromise peace since subduing it to an harsh peace would require the CPs to spend several years building massive surface fleets to blockade the British Isles which they don't have and it's politically unlikely that they can afford the time on the internal front.

France is just as screwed as Russia, it gets a peace deal any bit as harsh as Versailles and then some. Here's my humble suggestions for the peace treaty draft:

"We the representants of the German Empire, the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Italy, the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria, [the Kingdom of Romania, and the Kingdom of Sweden], hereby defined as the Allied Powers, with the Kingdom of Netherlands concurring, in order to restore peace with the Republic of France and the Kingdom of Belgium, do propose the following treaty:

France shall cede Alsace and Lorraine, including the District of Belfort, up to the Meuse river, to Germany.

France shall cede Nice, Corsica, and Savoy to Italy.

France shall cede the arrondissement of Dunkirk to Netherlands and the rest of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais to Belgium.

Belgium shall cede Flanders (including the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, West Flanders, and East Flanders) to Netherlands, and the parts of the provinces of Liege, of Luxembourg, and of Namur, which lie east of the Meuse River, to Germany.

France is hereby forbidden to enter in political or economic union, or military alliance, with Belgium without the assent of the Allied Powers.

French territory on the borders with Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Italy shall be kept demilitarized for a depth of 100 km.

Franch armed forces will number no more than 100,000 troops, and conscription will be abolished.

Enlisted men will be retained for at least 12 years; officers to be retained for at least 25 years.

French naval forces will be limited to 15,000 men, 6 battleships (no more than 10,000 tons displacement each), 6 cruisers (no more than 6,000 tons displacement each), 12 destroyers (no more than 800 tons displacement each) and 12 torpedo boats (no more than 200 tons displacement each).

The manufacture, import, and export of weapons and poison gas in France is prohibited.

The manufacture, ownership, import, and export of tanks, submarines, military aircraft, and artillery is prohibited to France.

France shall cede the colonies of Morocco, Middle Congo, Gabon, Guinea, and Cote d' Ivoire to Germany.

France shall cede the colonies of Algeria, Tunis, Djibouti, Mauritania, and Senegal to Italy.

Belgium shall cede the colony of Congo to Germany.

Navigation on the Seine and Rhone rivers shall be internationalized. The internationalization of navigation on the Rhein is hereby revoked. The German Empire pledges to keep navigation open on the Rhein for friendly nations such as the Kingdom of Netherlands and the Swiss Federation by appropriate separate accords.

The Allied Governments affirm and France accepts the responsibility of France, Russia, and their allies for causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied Governments and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of France, Russia, and their allies.

France shall pay the Allied Powers 100 billion francs in reparations for war damages.

France shall cede any rights on her patents and copyrights to the Allied Powers."
 

Lokari

Banned
"The German government today accused the British Empire of sponsoring Polish terrorists of the so called Kingdom Of Poland.

Through the statement of Parliamentary Commission for External Affairs, led by General Kloptke and vice chairman von Hamilbach, it has been reported that well known Polish political figure Aleksander Lekowinski(accused by Germany of anti-state terrorism) has travelled to Switzerland under the disguise of a businessmen and arranged for a credit of 2,000,000 million franks from Swiss businessmen Roland Caruti. Caruti himself has been described as "well known British intelligence operative an".
The British government denies the allegations. Mister Caruti himself says he was duped by the Pole, who proposed to him a joint venture in lucrative factory enterprise, based in one of the Ober Ost expellee camps for forced labour located in the Polish Kingdom."


The Daily Yorker issue May 28, 1928.
 

Eurofed

Banned
I found another TL with the same premise, but that one died off, and some of the articles were a bit too wankish. Participants rampantly made articles that derailed the whole timeline. Another stab at it. Also, it holds the same premise as the previous thread. This is to be a tightly controlled collaborative TL. If something is too wankish and contrary to the previous contributions, it will be igored.

Having reviewed the previous TL you spoke of, here, I found it a most worthwhile and plausible effort up to the point of the peace treaty between Britain and the CPs. Afterwards the clash between pro-Ottoman and anti-Ottoman wankish posters started which wrecked the TL. In order not to reinvent the wheel, and make good use of previous good work, I propose to consider canonical for this new venture, the previous TL's posts up to the #322 post or so (perhaps by doing a resume).


who proposed to him a joint venture in lucrative factory enterprise, based in one of the Ober Ost expellee camps for forced labour located in the Polish Kingdom."

"Forced labor" for Polish expellees ? :eek: Somebody needs to keep his history straight between the Kaiserreich and Nazi Germany, lest this TL really starts on the wrong foot. :rolleyes:
 
OOC: While I like the article, lets try to go by date.
1917
Daressalemer Anzeiger

Victory Declared!

The Kaiser's beloved army has marched home victorious, after defeating the French. The French Instrument of surrender was signed last night, after three years of vicious fighting in the trenches of Western Europe. The Kaiser himself came out to give a rally speech, as the first of many battalions returned to the glorious nation. The French cockroach has been subdued once again, adding to the string of victories that the Germans have inflicted on their enemies. Meanwhile, victory parades in Rome, Vienna, Helsinki and Constantinople have been met with much fanfare. The terms of the French surrender are being hammered out. Several large clashes in France took place as the nation rapidly spirals into chaos.
 

Lokari

Banned
"Forced labor" for Polish expellees ? :eek: Somebody needs to keep his history straight between the Kaiserreich and Nazi Germany, lest this TL really starts on the wrong foot. :rolleyes:
Taken straight from OTL history. Forced labour was well under way in WW1.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/source/poland_prussianspeech.htm

Reproduced below is the text of a speech given by a Polish member of the Prussian legislature, M. Trompczynski, in 1917. In his speech Trompczynski lambasted the German military authorities in Poland for their policy of seizing able-bodied Polish workmen for deportation to Germany to provide labour for the German war effort.
(...)
Nor can I remain silent on the point that recently the Central Labour Office has instituted with the help of the local authorities in the Kingdom of Poland a regular hunt for people.
Thus, for instance, towards the end of November, 1916, i.e., after the Manifesto of November 5th (the Proclamation of Polish "Independence"), a free entertainment was announced in the theatre. The lights were put up in the theatre, but when the public had assembled the theatre was surrounded by soldiers, men fit for work were caught and handed over to the Central Labour Office.
Further, the Minister of the Interior has issued an order that subjects of the Kingdom of Poland can be employed only in big or middling undertakings and not in small ones. The result of this order is that the police remove hairdressers, bakers, tailors, etc., from their workshops and send them to the farmers.

The plans for expulsion are found in numerous books by several historians. If you are interested contact me by PM.
 
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Beer

Banned
Ah, Lokari agitating against Germany on the basis of ripped out of context passages and/or overblown fringe views! Again!:mad:
 
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Al-Watan
1917


Fakhri Pasah Relieved, Last Vestiges of the Hashemite Revolt Stamped out


Turkish officer Fakhri Pasha, the defender of Medina was relieved when a relief column under Col. Celil Bey decisively routed the Bedouin rabble with a peppering of British officers that had surrounded the holy city. The relief column managed to recapture Jeddah, and drive the Bedouins back into the desert. Further expeditions are being sent to finish off the scattered forces of the Hashemite clan. In other news, several expeditions were sent into the interior of the peninsula.
 
French Aircraft make appearance in Spanish War.

The Brisbane Courier, May 1937

As has been confirmed by our Reuters Corespondent in Madrid, a squadron of the newly resurgent Royal French Airforce's latest Bomber Aircraft, the Morane-Saulnier MoS 152 has arrived in Spain and is ready to begin Combat operations against Left Wing Spanish Government Forces in the Barcelona Area.

The MoS 152 is Frances all new all metal Tri Motored monoplane bomber and is capable of over 215 mph with a bomb carrying capacity of up to 4,450 lb and is a highly modified Military version of the famous MoS 150 Mail Plane, famous for winning the 1935 London - Cape Town Air Race.

It is expected that the MoS 152 will make a great contribution to the Anti - Government War Effort in Spain along with a purported Squadron of French Fighters to be making an appearance by the end of the year, should help bring about Anti - Government Air Supremacy in the conflict.
 

Germaniac

Donor
OOC: Wow... I remember the old TL. I had a pretty cool Persian thing going on but the powers that be decided that the Ottoman Empire should be all powerful and it began to fall apart then that whole German Military thing happened... It was good while it lasted, however I don't think another one will work as well or as long as the last one.
 
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