WI: Grosser Ostaufmarsch

Which Plan do you choose

  • Grosser Ostaufmarsch (Great Eastern Deployment)

    Votes: 32 80.0%

  • Schlieffen Plan (not revised edition)

    Votes: 8 20.0%
  • Total voters
    40
Dorozhand

Dorozhand

Banned
I choose the Schleiffen Plan as it was, with one caveat:
I would dedicate all possible efforts towards getting Italy on Germany's side.

This could probably be achieved by using the money that was IOTL used to bribe the Ottomans to join the CP instead to bribe the Austro-Hungarians into ceding South Tyrol to Italy.

The reasoning behind this is simple.

No matter how badly the Italian Army does on the front, she will take up entente resources that could be used in the north.
This is the straw that breaks France's back.
When the race to the channel starts, Germany will have the advantage, and might break through the front.
This will greatly demoralize French troops, and a large enough mutiny could very well result in complete collapse of French lines.
A breakthrough in the north could lead to the BEF abandoning France, so that if France is able to get its act together, it will likely be too late anyway.

Also, Italy will need to be blockaded. This should be relatively easy for the Royal Navy, but maybe not for the French Navy (which was essentially in charge of the Mediterranean), especially when you take into account the Austro-Hungarian Navy and the Ottoman Navy if it does choose to join.

This means the Royal Navy is held up in the Mediterranean battling Italian and Austro-Hungarian fleets, and won't have as big a presence in the North Sea.

This means that the High Seas Fleet may have an upper hand at a Jutland equivalent. A decisive defeat of the Royal Navy will both really demoralize the British people and also break the blockade of Germany.
 

zert

Well for a chance to keep the British Empire as a (hostile) Neutral and zap out most of the Russian Armies first, then I say strike East. If you avoid the invasion of Belgium then all the better. In the long run you may still have the Allies beat the Central Powers but who knows. I would not mind a thread based on this. If one has already been written, please post me a link. :)
 
LHB

LHB

Russia first, let the French run Plan XIV and beat their heads against a lead wall for a while. Once they're good and bled white, Britain is still out of the war due to lack of causus belli, and the Russians are somewhere very far to the east of the Vistula River and no threat to Germany or Austria-Hungary it's a good time to smash through what's left of the French Army a la Verdun.
 

Enigmajones

Just let the forces go through the Netherlands and Belgium, get the French mired in German territory and capture Paris to some fanfare, don't send needless troops to support any already fine force in the East. Provided that the Russian military needed serious reform, the Germans were going to probably get a battle like Tannenberg. The Germans didn't need the reinforcements in OTL, and Im not sure that the assurance of reinforcements really fits into the Prussian mindset of battle.

That being fair, I am rather partial to this option. I know the Belgians will put up a fight, but as long as they give the French the false confidence as planned, I think the Germans could pull off quite the little victory in 1914. Now whether the British would simply stand for this grand continental power shift is a whole nother matter. But if for instance Paris fell, it's possible we could see Italy seize Tunisia.
 

Riain

Banned
I can't for the life of me work out what these eastern offensives are supposed to achieve. There is nothing in the east worthy of the rapid mobilisation offensive of multiple German WW1 tech armies.
 
Olligarchy

Olligarchy

Grosser Ostaufmarsch is pretty much how I figure a more positive ending for my reign could be accomplished. Lets go with that!
 

zert

Of course the smartest thing Germany could do would be to sit on their hands and tell Austria it was on their own. This would not happen, but would have stopped the whole mess.

Until the next flashpoint. :rolleyes:
 

hasdrubal barca

zert said:
Well for a chance to keep the British Empire as a (hostile) Neutral and zap out most of the Russian Armies first, then I say strike East. If you avoid the invasion of Belgium then all the better. In the long run you may still have the Allies beat the Central Powers but who knows. I would not mind a thread based on this. If one has already been written, please post me a link. :)
Click to expand...

I haven't found one, yet. Perhaps if i have time i'll write one up;)
 
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