A Different Great War, after-effects

[Romulus Augustulus]

PART 1: Prussia Humbled, Chapter 1:
Early Russian victories—German forces enveloped, destroyed—East Prussia overrun by Russian forces
East Prussia, August 17th, 1914—August 29th, 1914: The main Russian target for the fall of 1914 is German territories in East Prussia. The Russian plan towards this end involves a two-pronged advance into German territory. The Russian 1st Army, under the command of General Paul von Rennenkampf, is to invade the north-eastern portion of East Prussia, while the 2nd Army, under General Alexander Samsonov, is to advance from the south, into southwestern East Prussia. The two armies are then to link up and destroy the main German force in East Prussia, the German 8th Army, under the command of General Maximillian von Prittwitz.
August 17th, 1914: The aggressive General Hermann von Francois conducts an attack using the 1st Corps of the 8th Army against the Russians near Stalluponen. General von Francois launches a frontal attack against the 1st Army. His aggressive attack catches the Russians off balance and he manages to force a temporary retreat, capturing 3,000 Russian prisoners in the process. However, General Maximillian von Prittwitz is concerned that the gains General von Francois has made are untenable, considering the small size of the 1st Corps as compared to the 1st Army. Since he doesn’t want to lose an entire army corps to the Russians due to the hotheadedness of one crazy general, Prittwitz orders the 1st Corps back to Gumbinnen. von Francois complies, and the 8th Army prepares for action as the Russian 1st Army advances westwards.
August 20th, 1914: The first major action of the war in the area of East Prussia is the Battle of Gumbinnen. General Prittwitz, knowing that the Russian 2nd Army under General Samsonov is working its way north, decides to attack the 1st Army while he has the advantage and then attack the 2nd Army, so that he doesn’t have to face the two enormous forces at once. After he detaches one corps to guard the 8th Army’s rear areas (don’t snicker) he takes his remaining three corps and dispatches them to a line south of Gumbinnen, about 40 kilometers inside the border. The Russians are advancing along a 55 kilometer wide front and the Germans along one 40 kilometers wide. Hoping to press his attack while he has the initiative, General Prittwitz rather stupidly orders an attack at dawn. Two of his three corps—General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps in the centre of the line and General von Below’s 1st Reserve Corps in the south—aren’t ready to conduct an attack. Nonetheless, the 1st Corps of General Hermann von Francois initiates the attack at 4 am on the morning of August 20th, 1914. Rennenkampf’s troops fight hard and well, but von Francois manages to force his way through the Russian right flank, which is forced to retreat 8 kilometers during the middle of the day after running short of shells. At 8 am, General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps conducts its own attack, and the 1st Reserve Corps is on the offensive by the middle of the day. The Russians react by using their previously deployed heavy artillery on the German centre and right. The 17th Corps and the 1st Reserve Corps are soon forced to retreat in disarray. Seeing an opportunity, General Rennenkampf orders his army to advance, his right flank counterattacking against the 1st Corps and his centre and left flank pursuing the retreating 17th and 1st Reserve Corps. In the course of the retreat of the 1st Reserve Corps and 17th Corps, the Russians manage to pick up 6,000 German prisoners. In the north, meanwhile, the German 1st Corps under General Hermann von Francois is barely holding on. General von Francois finally authorizes a retreat at 1 pm, but by then it is too late. The Russian corps in the centre break off their pursuit of the German 17th Corps and turn north. The 1st Corps is enveloped and cut off from the rest of the 8th Army, and General von Francois is forced to surrender. General von Prittwitz, alarmed at the success of the Russian counterattack and fearful of being further enveloped, orders a retreat westwards, deciding to evacuate East Prussia. He plans to retreat to the Vistula, hoping to evade the 1st Army and avoid being attacked from the rear by the 2nd Army. General Rennenkampf, emboldened by his success, decides to ask General Samsonov of the 2nd Army to advance northwards as quickly as he can and attack the fleeing 8th Army, so that the 1st and 2nd Armies may attack the 8th Army simultaneously. Samsonov, seeing an opportunity for glory, decides to put aside his personal distrust of General Rennenkampf and cooperate, for the time being at least. In Berlin, Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke learns of the defeat and the retreat westwards, and decides to sack General von Prittwitz and replace him with the more aggressive, more competent Paul von Hindenburg, who he decides to call out of retirement. Unfortunately for the German war effort, Hindenburg suffers a fatal heart attack after hearing the news, and von Moltke changes his mind, deciding to keep Prittwitz in charge for the time being for the sake of an orderly retreat.
August 22nd, 1914: The 1st Army, which has been marching non-stop for almost two whole days, finally catches up with the 8th Army, as the 2nd Army approaches from the south. The engagement occurs in the vicinity of Braunsberg, and it is a spectacular victory for the Russians. The 2nd Army has advanced to the northwest rather quickly, and by the 22nd has deployed in a semi-circle around the vicinity of Braunsberg, with the corps arrayed in an arc around the town. At the same time, the 1st Army has pursued the German 8th Army, defeating the reserve corps Prittwitz left in the rear in a small action near Muldsien on the 21st, all while aggressively pursuing the retreating German force. Everything falls into place on the 22nd, as the 8th Army is attacked from all sides simultaneously by the combined forces of the 1st and 2nd Russian Armies. The two German corps, reduced to around 90,000 men, face four or five times as many Russian troops. The Russians lose around 15,000 men killed, while the Germans suffer 30,000 casualties, the remaining 60,000 or so being captured by the Russians. It is an unprecedented catastrophe for the Germans, who have lost an eighth of their military strength in the field, in addition to the German speaking area of East Prussia.
August 24th, 1914: Two detached corps of the Russian 1st Army surround Konigsberg. The commander of the Konigsberg garrison decides to surrender, judging resistance to be futile. He then retires to a hotel room as the Russian forces enter the city, and shoots himself.
August 29th, 1914: At this point, the entirety of East Prussia, everything between the pre-war border and the Vistula River, is securely in Russian hands, as German garrisons in the area have thrown down their arms and surrendered to the Russians.

[Thande]

I considered something like this a while ago, but not in such detail.

Carry on!

[MarkA]

Excellent and very plausible. One small quibble, I don't think Hindenburg needs to die of a heart attack. If the Russian armies had different commanders or if they cooperated they would probably have been victorious no matter who the German general facing them was.

Of course, if they had used even simple codes in their communications, the Germans would not know exactly where they were, their armies' strengths or their plans. If Hindenburg did not know their intentions, then they could have overwhealmed him with sheer numbers by attacking according to the original plan of the pincer movement you outlined.

[Thande]

This might actually be an early Allied Great War victory which are few and far between: everyone and their brother has an early Central Powers victory, but no matter how utopian others may believe that to be, it's no consolation for those of us who would have had our arses handed to us.

[Romulus Augustulus]

German offensives in West bog down--French counterattacks in Belgium, Alsace-Lorraine--Large-scale Russian mobilization

August 29th, 1914--September 1st, 1914: August through September of 1914 sees large scale action in Belgium and northeastern France between French and German forces ('the Battle of the Frontiers.') The bloody confusion results from the simultaneous execution of the German Schlieffen Plan, which calls for an offensive through Belgium and a quick victory against France through the capture of Paris, or so it is hoped, and the French Plan XVII, which calls for an offensive into Alsace and Lorraine.
August 7th, 1914: The first French attack of the war occurs on the 7th, and is directed against the town of Mulhouse, intended to secure the capture of Alsace, to serve as a springboard for the conquest of Lorraine. Unlike in OTL, it consists of the OTL force, plus a reserve division, which General Joffre, in a rare moment of competence, may come in useful when it comes time to hold the territory. General Bonneau, commanding a detachment of the 1st Army, three infantry divisions and one cavalry division, takes a number of small towns in the course of the day, then the town of Mulhouse. This initial victory sparks wild celebrations throughout most of France.
August 9th, 1914: The Germans launch a counter-offensive against the town, but are unable to evict the French forces from the area. Both sides suffer heavy losses in the fighting. Emboldened by the success so far, Joffre adds a further four divisions to the new Army of Alsace, which begins an offensive into the rest of Alsace and Lorraine.
August 14th-16th, 1914: The French conduct an invasion of the area of Lorraine. The French 1st and 2nd Armies capture the town of Morhange-Sarrebourg. Crown Prince Rupperecht retreats in the face of the French attack, at which point the French high command has another rare moment of confidence, ordering French forces further to the north (see August 9th) move to the German rear areas. The 1st and 2nd Armies are surrounded by the French, and the Battle of Lorraine is the first major large action of the war in the area. The battle sees the French 1st, 2nd, and Alsatian Armies pitted against the German 1st and 2nd Armies. The forces rapidly move into poisition and attack the Germans from all sides. The Germans are surrounded, and after two days of vicious fighting, are forced to surrender. The battle has taught both sides a lesson about the effectiveness of machine guns...
August 20th, 1914: The Battle of the Ardennes occurs in the Ardennes Forest. It is inconclusive, both sides suffering heavy losses and finding themselves incapable of following up. The Germans are forced to redirect a few corps to the east to face the Russians, who have won victories in East Prussia and are threatening to make further gains, and the French have decided to attack the German flank areas in Belgium while advancing east from Alsace-Lorraine. The fighting is bloody and inconclusive. However, gains made by the French and the logistical problems encountered by the Germans, combined with surprisingly stiff resistance by the Belgians, forces the German advance to a standstill, and a stalemate is reached along the prewar Franco-Belgian border.

[Romulus Augustulus]

That last post was a joke that is only funny to my sense of humor, by the way. I don't think anyone else will come even remotely close to getting it.

[Pax Britannia]

I like this timeline. All it needs to be perfect is for the HSF to be utterly destroyed

[Romulus Augustulus]

HSF? WTF? DTCL!!

[FederationX]

I like it Romulus, carry on.

[Romulus Augustulus]

PART 1: Prussia Humbled, Chapter 1:
Early German victories—German offensive bogs down—Allied counterattack
Northeastern France and Belgium, August 5th, 1914—September 1st, 1914: This phase of the war in the west sees extensive maneuver warfare as German forces overrun Belgium and then conduct an offensive against France in accordance with the French half of the Schlieffen Plan, which is as the French put their war plan into action, resulting in a major breakdown in both plans and vicious fighting in the area.
August 5th, 1914—August 12th, 1914: The Battle of Liege is the first major land battle of the war and the first major battle in the Western Front, as German forces cross into Belgium in accordance to the Schlieffen Plan and surround and besiege the city of Liege. Field Marshal Karl von Bulow is charged with capturing the strategically important “gateway to Belgium” using the 350,000 man strong German 2nd Army, a task delegated to the formidable General Erich Ludendorff. Liege is strategically important because it is between a stretch of border between the Netherlands and Luxembourg, the neutrality of which the Germans wish to respect, and the Ardennes Forest, the best entrance to Belgium and areas beyond. Guarding the city are Belgian forces under General Gerard Leman’s command, numbering 75,000 in total. The small size of the defending Belgian force is somewhat offset by the heavy fortifications surrounding Liege. Built in the 1880s, they are comprised of 12 heavily armed forts, armed with a total of 400 guns and arranged in a ring around the city. The forts are anywhere 3 to 5 kilometers apart from each other and are around 6 to 10 kilometers away from the city of Liege. The Germans attack on August the 5th, as 30,000 men under General Emmich attack the city, suffering very heavy losses and making no gains or progress. Rather than continue to attack the forts, Ludendorff decides to conduct heavy bombardment while attacking the gaps between the forts, leading the 14th Brigade through one such gap. The 14th Brigade, however, is similarly repulsed after the Belgian forts direct artillery fire against them while a contingent of the defenders sally out and attack, forcing a retreat. Ludendorff himself is killed in the fiasco. Rankled, General von Bulow orders the 2nd Army to attack all at once, beginning with an enormous artillery barrage. Despite enormous casualties (the Germans lose nearly 120,000 men taking Liege) the Belgian force is nearly completely annihilated, and by August 12th, Liege has been captured and the German offensive continues. At the same time, the Battle of the Frontiers, a series of engagements between Franco-British and German forces in the border areas between France and Germany, gets underway.
August 7th--8th, 1914: The Battle of the Frontiers begins with a French attack on Mulhouse at 5:00 AM. The seizure of Mulhouse forms an important part of the prewar French Plan XVII…the main contingency plan regarding a general European war and the French counterpart of the Schlieffen Plan, which called for an advance into Germany to retake Alsace and Lorraine, which had been lost in “the injustice of 1871” and then a further offensive into German territory. In command of the operation is General Bonneau. At his disposal is a detachment of the First Army, along with one cavalry division and two infantry divisions. Facing him is the German Seventh Army under the command of General Josias von Heeringen. On the morning of August 7th, French forces take the town of Alktritch with a bayonet charge. Bonneau, fearing a German trap, proceeds slowly and cautiously, but then proceeds more quickly after he is ordered to reach the Rhine the next day, taking Mulhouse after it is vacated by a German garrison. At this point, General Joffre, in a rare moment of competence, fears that keeping the areas now under French control may be more difficult than gaining them without German resistance, and sends two additional infantry divisions to help secure the town.
August 9th, 1914: The Germans begin a counteroffensive in the vicinity of Mulhouse by sending reinforcements from Strasbourg at nearby Cemay, hoping to dislodge what they perceive to be a weak French force, not having had gotten information about the newly reinforced state of the French in the area. General Bonneau, ordered to attack, launches a two-pronged attack on Cemay, leading the forces immediately available to him against the town from the German rear while ordering his reserves, the two infantry divisions, to attack from the opposite direction. In the short, violent battle that follows, French forces manage to defeat the German attack and retain their position in Alsace. General Joffre, emboldened by the success, sends four more divisions to General Bonneau, who is placed in command of the Army of Alsace. Bonneau is ordered to begin preparing for an invasion of Alsace. Nothing less than redeeming the honor and glory of the French nation is within reach! There’s also the opportunity to sleep with the grateful women of Alsace and Lorraine, but that’s for later.
August 14th --16th, 1914: The French 1st and 2nd Armies begin the invasion of Lorraine. Combined with General Bonneau’s earlier victories, it promises further French success in the persecution of the war. The French 1st and 2nd Armies begin the offensive intending to capture the two fortified towns of Morhange and Sarrebourg, which are important to the German defense in the area. The 1st Army, under General Auguste Debail, is tasked with capturing Morhange, while the 2nd Army, under General Noel de Castelnau, is tasked with capturing Sarrebourg. Facing the French is Crown Prince Rupprecht, who has overall command of the German 6th and 7th Armies. Crown Prince Rupprecht decides to settle on a strategy of launching a clever feint, allowing the French to come forward and then luring them into a trap. However, this plan doesn’t work exactly according to plan. General Josias von Heeringen’s 7th Army is somewhat weakened and has been hurriedly redeployed. The French 1st Army breaks through at Sarrebourg, splitting the 6th and 7th Armies, and circles around and attacks Morhange from the rear in conjunction with the French 2nd Army, capturing the town. The French 1st and 2nd Armies regroup at Morhange and begin preparing to invade Lorraine.
August 17th--20th, 1914: General Bonneau’s Army of Alsace invades Alsace, the northern flank of the army capturing Colmar and reaching the Rhine, the southern flank moving north to Colmar and joining the northern flank at noon. The Army then proceeds northwards along the Rhine, with Strasbourg as its eventual target. Strasbourg is reached by the Army of Alsace on the 19th, which is defended by General Josias von Heeringen’s 7th Army. Once more, the Army of Alsace splits in half, one half assaulting Strasbourg from the northwest, one from the southeast. The French surround the weakened, depleted 7th Army in Strasbourg, and General von Heeringen deems it prudent to surrender.
August 20th --August 21st, 1914: The French continue with their invasion of Lorraine, pushing northwards against the German 6th Army. The French 1st and 2nd Armies encounter the 6th Army at St. Avold, and attack the town from northeast and northwest simultaneously. The Germans are evicted from the town and the 6th Army disintegrates, the main body of it under the Crown Prince surrendering to the French, about a third of it escaping to the north. At the same time, the Army of Alsace advances northwards, slowly wheeling to the west, bringing large tracts of Alsace under French control again.
August 21st, 1914: The French 5th Army, under General Charles Lanrezac fights a bloody, indecisive engagement against the German 2nd Army under General Karl von Bulow at Charleroi. The French attack the mid-sized industrial town, the aggressive Joffre overruling Lanrezac. Nonetheless, the Germans don’t expect an attack, and the French manage to establish a number of beachheads across the river, which they hold, albeit with heavy losses, against German attack. By the end of the day, both sides are exhausted and retire from battle.
August 21st—23rd, 1914: The Battle of the Ardennes occurs as the German 5th and 6th Armies begin an attempt to break out of what is rapidly becoming a pocket by attacking to the south, east and west. However, their attempt is foiled by the heroic redeployment of the 1st and 2nd French Armies to the east of their positions in the Ardennes, and the main part of the battle begins on the 22nd, as the German 4th Army, under the command of Duke Albrecht of Wurttemberg and the German 5th Army, under the command of Crown Prince Wilhelm, faces off against the French 1st Army under General Auguste Debail, the 2nd Army under General Noel de Castelnau, the 3rd Army under General Pierre Ruffey, and the 4th Army under General Fernand de Langle de Cary attack the 4th and 5th armies from the southeast and northwest. In the confused fighting, both sides take heavy casualties, and the German 4th and 5th Armies retreat to the northwest, linking up with the 3rd Army under General Max Klemens von Hausen.
August 24th, 1914: The French 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Armies, now in the vicinity of Charleroi, attack the town all once. The Germans, outnumbered and surrounded, retreat before they are completely destroyed, and the French, detecting an opportunity, decide to drive as hard as they can to the north, hoping to cut off the Germans in Belgium. The remaining German forces in the north, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies, begin a retreat to the northeast, hoping to avoid encirclement and annihilation. On the same day, the Belgian forces remaining in the north break out, destroying the German force facing them, and drive south. It is confused and violent. Despite French victories in Alsace and Lorraine, the bulk of the German force is in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies, and any engagement in the future will be decisive should it be in favor of either side. After a month of hard fighting, neither side is prepared or willing to really fight, and the Germans decide to retreat and rethink their strategy. The Allies send the BEF and the French 5th Army to the west to assist the Army of Alsace, which has advanced very, very far into German territory.
September 1st, 1914: The escaping German forces are met by the Allies at Brussels. The engagement there proves indecisive, allowing German forces in Belgium to survive after resisting the capture of the city, while keeping lines of communication open to the west. The three German armies under the command of Alexander von Kluck, Karl von Bulow, and Max Klemens von Hausen, having had repulsed attacks from the British and French at heavy cost to both sides, retreat to the east, abandoning Belgium but preserving a sizeable portion of their strength.
Early Russian victories—German forces enveloped, destroyed—East Prussia overrun by Russian forces
East Prussia, August 17th, 1914—August 29th, 1914: The main Russian target for the fall of 1914 is German territories in East Prussia. The Russian plan towards this end involves a two-pronged advance into German territory. The Russian 1st Army, under the command of General Paul von Rennenkampf, is to invade the north-eastern portion of East Prussia, while the 2nd Army, under General Alexander Samsonov, is to advance from the south, into southwestern East Prussia. The two armies are then to link up and destroy the main German force in East Prussia, the German 8th Army, under the command of General Maximillian von Prittwitz.
August 17th, 1914: The aggressive General Hermann von Francois conducts an attack using the 1st Corps of the 8th Army against the Russians near Stalluponen. General von Francois launches a frontal attack against the 1st Army. His aggressive attack catches the Russians off balance and he manages to force a temporary retreat, capturing 3,000 Russian prisoners in the process. However, General Maximillian von Prittwitz is concerned that the gains General von Francois has made are untenable, considering the small size of the 1st Corps as compared to the 1st Army. Since he doesn’t want to lose an entire army corps to the Russians due to the hotheadedness of one crazy general, Prittwitz orders the 1st Corps back to Gumbinnen. von Francois complies, and the 8th Army prepares for action as the Russian 1st Army advances westwards.
August 20th, 1914: The first major action of the war in the area of East Prussia is the Battle of Gumbinnen. General Prittwitz, knowing that the Russian 2nd Army under General Samsonov is working its way north, decides to attack the 1st Army while he has the advantage and then attack the 2nd Army, so that he doesn’t have to face the two enormous forces at once. After he detaches one corps to guard the 8th Army’s rear areas (don’t snicker) he takes his remaining three corps and dispatches them to a line south of Gumbinnen, about 40 kilometers inside the border. The Russians are advancing along a 55 kilometer wide front and the Germans along one 40 kilometers wide. Hoping to press his attack while he has the initiative, General Prittwitz rather stupidly orders an attack at dawn. Two of his three corps—General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps in the centre of the line and General von Below’s 1st Reserve Corps in the south—aren’t ready to conduct an attack. Nonetheless, the 1st Corps of General Hermann von Francois initiates the attack at 4 am on the morning of August 20th, 1914. Rennenkampf’s troops fight hard and well, but von Francois manages to force his way through the Russian right flank, which is forced to retreat 8 kilometers during the middle of the day after running short of shells. At 8 am, General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps conducts its own attack, and the 1st Reserve Corps is on the offensive by the middle of the day. The Russians react by using their previously deployed heavy artillery on the German centre and right. The 17th Corps and the 1st Reserve Corps are soon forced to retreat in disarray. Seeing an opportunity, General Rennenkampf orders his army to advance, his right flank counterattacking against the 1st Corps and his centre and left flank pursuing the retreating 17th and 1st Reserve Corps. In the course of the retreat of the 1st Reserve Corps and 17th Corps, the Russians manage to pick up 6,000 German prisoners. In the north, meanwhile, the German 1st Corps under General Hermann von Francois is barely holding on. General von Francois finally authorizes a retreat at 1 pm, but by then it is too late. The Russian corps in the centre break off their pursuit of the German 17th Corps and turn north. The 1st Corps is enveloped and cut off from the rest of the 8th Army, and General von Francois is forced to surrender. General von Prittwitz, alarmed at the success of the Russian counterattack and fearful of being further enveloped, orders a retreat westwards, deciding to evacuate East Prussia. He plans to retreat to the Vistula, hoping to evade the 1st Army and avoid being attacked from the rear by the 2nd Army. General Rennenkampf, emboldened by his success, decides to ask General Samsonov of the 2nd Army to advance northwards as quickly as he can and attack the fleeing 8th Army, so that the 1st and 2nd Armies may attack the 8th Army simultaneously. Samsonov, seeing an opportunity for glory, decides to put aside his personal distrust of General Rennenkampf and cooperate, for the time being at least. In Berlin, Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke learns of the defeat and the retreat westwards, and decides to sack General von Prittwitz and replace him with the more aggressive, more competent Paul von Hindenburg, who he decides to call out of retirement. Unfortunately for the German war effort, Hindenburg suffers a fatal heart attack after hearing the news, and von Moltke changes his mind, deciding to keep Prittwitz in charge for the time being for the sake of an orderly retreat.
August 22nd, 1914: The 1st Army, which has been marching non-stop for almost two whole days, finally catches up with the 8th Army, as the 2nd Army approaches from the south. The engagement occurs in the vicinity of Braunsberg, and it is a spectacular victory for the Russians. The 2nd Army has advanced to the northwest rather quickly, and by the 22nd has deployed in a semi-circle around the vicinity of Braunsberg, with the corps arrayed in an arc around the town. At the same time, the 1st Army has pursued the German 8th Army, defeating the reserve corps Prittwitz left in the rear in a small action near Muldsien on the 21st, all while aggressively pursuing the retreating German force. Everything falls into place on the 22nd, as the 8th Army is attacked from all sides simultaneously by the combined forces of the 1st and 2nd Russian Armies. The two German corps, reduced to around 90,000 men, face four or five times as many Russian troops. The Russians lose around 15,000 men killed, while the Germans suffer 30,000 casualties, the remaining 60,000 or so being captured by the Russians. It is an unprecedented catastrophe for the Germans, who have lost an eighth of their military strength in the field, in addition to the German speaking area of East Prussia.
August 24th, 1914: Two detached corps of the Russian 1st Army surround Konigsberg. The commander of the Konigsberg garrison decides to surrender, judging resistance to be futile. He then retires to a hotel room as the Russian forces enter the city, and shoots himself.
August 29th, 1914: At this point, the entirety of East Prussia, everything between the pre-war border and the Vistula River, is securely in Russian hands, as German garrisons in the area have thrown down their arms and surrendered to the Russians.

[Romulus Augustulus]

Well? Further thoughts?

[Wyboy26]

Hi Romulus

Really enjoyed your time line, what is the Role of the BEF in this, since with the French Colonial Corp, it was one of the best formations in the allied forces.

For the battle of Leige, what happened to the Austrian 305mm Howizitters which the germans used to sub-due the forts, I have always wondered what might of happened if these guns had failed to arrive for the battle, mayby being ambushed by partizans or not being released by the Austians because of the need to sub-due the Sebian border forts.

With the Belguims lasting alot longer. Would the British Naval Division last longer when the landed at Antwep, maybe being re-inforced by the 5th and 6th British Divisions which were held back in reserve in England. If this force could dig in and hold a large permitter, if there is a race to the sea, this British and Belguim enclave would be a thorn in the German line of communications, it would be easy to supply this force from the UK, and could be Britians focus point during the early part of the war.

Also these formations could be rotated out of the Thearte once the remaining British Battalions are brought back from the Empire to form new Divisions and also the Terrorital and Indian Divisions when they start coming on line.

This force could play havoc with the German lines of commications in the early part of the war before Trench warfare started, with regular Cavarly or even Armoured Cars raids on supply routes. We may even see South African Irregulars used, or at least British Mounted Infantry, esp if Kitchner plays more of a role earlier on, or competant General from the Boer War era, like General Wilson, as this would be seen as a side show, with the main effort in France being under the operational Command of French and Haig.

Artillery Support could be provided by the British Pre-Dreadnought, even though they would be out classed in a Navel engagement, 4 x 12" Guns on Each ship, are still 12" Guns. These can be used to help stall any German Attack Or even draw out a small part of the High Seas Fleet, to disrupt the Battleships, forcing a naval engagement in the confines of English Channel, a perfect use of the under used large French Torpeodo Boat force, or even the Grand Fleet.

Just a few Ideas anyway

Simon

[Tom_B]

This should be a TL where there is essentially a FrancoRussian defeat of the CP and the British Empire's contribution is rather small frustrating postwar British military historians no end. Ottomans will definitely not enter on the side of the CP so throiwing in a successful Gallipoli is nonsensicial. They may try to enter on the side of the Entente but by the time they declare war things are already winding down. Italy is likely to be a similar situation.

Long term effects:

1] Russian will get a chunk of Galicia and East Prussia. Serbia will get most of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

2] France willl get Alsace Lorraine plus Togoland and 2 AH DN's.

3] Japan will get Germany's Pacific colonies

4] Britain will get a portion (< 1/2) of the HSF, Heligoland and lovely SW Afrika

5] Belgium will get Rwanda-Burundi

5] Reparations will be imposed on Germany (split 20% Britain, 20% Belgium,.20% Russia, 40% France) and Austria-Hungary (70% Russia, 30% Sebia)

Postwar Germany is unhappy on both the Right and Left. Kaiser's powers are reduced but not to pure figurehead.

In Russia we have Tsarist triumphalism and Panslavism.

In ProtoYugoslavia we have ethnic cleansing.

France is very smug and complacent

America scratches its head and worries about Japan.

Britain gets worried about Russia again. Great Game resumes. A naval treaty is worked out with Germany which gives it a 1/3 RN strength. By 1920 Britian and Germany are allies.

Austria-Hungary has internal disputes. If there is electoral reform in Hungary it may survive and even do well in the 1920's.






.

[Melvin Loh]

Yeah I fully agree with Thande re the lack of early Allied victory TLs so far. Remember OTL the Germans in East Prussia suffered a significant reverse at Gumbinnen in Aug 1914, when von Prittwitz panicked, which was why von Moltke decided to detach 2 corps IIRC from von Kluck's 2nd Army which was intending to encircle Paris, and thereby weakened his army's ability to achieve this overall strategic aim of the Schlieffen plan.

1 thing to remember though- what about the chronic logistical and equipment shortages which the Russian army suffered from ? Though I do suppose that you could remedy this if Russian mobilisation had proceeded at a slower and more discriminate pace instead of wholesale mass mobilisation of every man capable of firing a rifle, including ppl involved in the transport infrastructure and farm and industrial labourers. Can you get the Russian steamroller better equipped in this 1914 ?

[Romulus Augustulus]

German invasion of Belgium—French invasion of Alsace-Lorraine—Battle of the Frontiers

Eastern France, Belgium, August 5th, 1914—September 1st, 1914: The main German goal for the early conduct of the war is a swift victory against France, followed by a rapid redeployment of forces to the Eastern Front and victory over the Russians. To this end, the Germans have developed the Schlieffen Plan, which calls for an attack on France that is to be accomplished by moving through Belgium, keeping a narrow screening force in Alsace-Lorraine to draw off the French, then flanking the French armies, destroying them, and capturing Paris in the six weeks the Germans estimate they will have to redeploy against the Russians. The French Plan XVII, on the other hand, calls for a French invasion of Alsace-Lorraine, and then a quick strike north, through Germany.
The mutual confusion and chaos caused by these two plans being executed at once are behind the similar confusion and violence of the fighting.
August 5th—12th, 1914: The Battle of Liege is the first major land battle of the war, as German forces invade Belgium and besiege the strategic city of Liege, which lies between the stretch of border the Germans are moving through and the Ardennes Forest, the entrance to the rest of Belgium and later Northern France. This importance has been recognized, and Liege is correspondingly fortified, surrounded by twelve forts, built in the 1880s to defend the city. They are around 3 to 5 kilometers apart and 6 to 10 kilometers from the city itself, forming a very rough circle. These forts are very heavily built and armed with a total of 400 artillery pieces between the lot of them. They and the city of Liege are defended by a force of 70,000 Belgians under the command of General Leman. Against them is the German 2nd Army, composed of 350,000 men under the overall command of Field Marshal Karl Bulow. On August 5th, a German force of 30,000 men under General Emmich attacks the city, and is duly repulsed. Erich Ludendorff is then ordered to take the city by his superior, which he attempts to do, trying to lead the 14th Brigade in personally through the gap between the forts. However, the Belgians sortie against the attack and bombard it mercilessly. The attack breaks down and Ludendorff himself is killed in the debacle. Irked, Bulow sends his entire army at the fortress on the 8th, and takes the city by the 12th, despite enormous losses on both sides.
August 7th—August 10th, 1914: The French invade Alsace, conducting an attack on the strategically important city of Mulhouse, the capture of which is an important feature of the French warplan. In command of the operation is General Bonneau, who has at his disposal elements of the French 1st Army, one cavalry division, and one infantry division. Defending the area is the German 2nd Army under General Josias von Heeringen. The attack begins on 5:00 AM on August 7th, the French crossing the frontier, then seizing the town of Altkirch with a bayonet charge. At this point, Bonneau is somewhat hesitant about advancing further, but he is overruled by Chief of Staff Joseph Joffre, who decides to send him reinforcements in order to assist in holding the territory he will take. Emboldened, Bonneau takes Mulhouse on August the 8th after the Germans have left the city. On August 9th, the Germans sortie from Strasbourg and conduct an attack on nearby Cemay, overrunning French positions. Bolstered by the reinforcements, Bonneau manages to hold the town on August 10th, the Germans retiring after a heavy day’s fighting. Chief of Staff Joseph Joffre, pleased at the successes so far, assigns a further four divisions to Bonneau’s force, which becomes the Army of Alsace, tasked with extending and protecting French control in the area.
August 10th—August 15th, 1914: The new Army of Alsace, having had concentrated itself in the vicinity of Mulhouse, begins an offensive up the Rhine, towards Strasbourg, so as to make the invasion of Alsace, scheduled to begin on the 14th, easier by tying up the German 7th Army in Alsace. The French advance relatively quickly, capturing Colmar on the 11th, and reaching the vicinity of Strasbourg on the 12th, engaging the Seventh Army in battle on the 13th. The battle, which continues until the 15th, sees the French attack and besiege the city from two directions, repulsing German counterattacks, and forcing the Germans out of the city. It is even more important because it helps to facilitate the French invasion of Lorraine by tying up the 7th Army, leaving the 6th Army to defend Lorraine on its own.
August 14th—August 20th, 1914: The French 1st and 2nd Armies, under the command of General Auguste Dubail and General Noel de Castelnau, respectively, invade Lorraine, their targets being the fortified towns of Morhange and Sarrebourg. Defending the town is Crown Prince Ruppercht, commander of the German 6th Army and heir to the throne of Bavaria. His task is made more difficult by the success of the French in Alsace. The French attack the positions of the Germans en masse, the 1st Army going for Sarrebourg and the 2nd Army going for Morhange. Conducting an envelopment attack, the French manage to force the Germans to slowly cede ground, but due to the nature of the area they are fighting in, casualties are very heavy, and the French cannot break through. The Germans conduct a feint as the French attack, but the Germans manning the line are outnumbered by the French more than two to one. Bringing in heavy artillery bombardment and digging trenches of their own, the French manage to break through the German line, and have taken both the towns by the 20th.
August 21st—August 25th, 1914: The Battle of the Ardennes occurs as French forces in the Ardennes Forest, consisting initially of the 3rd and 4th Armies under General Pierre Ruffey and General Ferdnand de Langle de Cary respectively. The French are fighting the German 4th and 5th Armies, under Duke Albrecht of Württemberg and Crown Prince Wilhelm respectively. They form the center of the German advance as per the Schlieffen Plan. The French will also be reinforced by the 1st and 2nd Armies as the battle progresses. The battle itself occurs as the French bump into the German advance into the Ardennes Forest, as minor skirmishes and semi-major battles break out all over the place. Casualties are heavy on both sides, especially for the French, who are badly outnumbered. In the confusion, however, the French manage to hold the line. The situation in the Ardennes soon degenerates into a bloody stalemate as the 1st and 2nd Armies are hastily redeployed from Lorraine. This leads to even more confused fighting in the woods, in which the French prevail. Ultimately, the Germans retreat from the Ardennes, and the French dig in, realizing that they will have to stand their ground. With French advances in Alsace and Lorraine troubling, and with the advance in Belgium proving somewhat difficult, the Germans decide to push forwards at all costs, simply bypassing the French positions.
August 27th—September 1st, 1914: As every German army unit is scraped up and thrown towards the south in an attempt to break through the French defensive line in Eastern France, the French scramble to prevent the Germans from pulling a southern jab, which would involve them bypassing French lines in the north and striking south, outflanking French lines in Alsace and Lorraine and attacking them from the rear. The French defense, which consists of everything they can muster, is hastily thrown together at Hirson on the 26th, and the battle drags on from the 27th to the 1st of September. It is an enormous, bloody affair, as the French and the Germans throw everything they have into the outcome of the battle. It ends with a very narrow French victory, as the Germans, who have been very badly bled (but so have the French) retreat to the north. Both sides are exhausted and incapable of fighting, and when news of the horrible bloodshed reaches the United States, President Woodrow Wilson will offer diplomatic mediation.

Early Russian victories—German forces enveloped, destroyed—East Prussia overrun by Russian forces

East Prussia, August 17th, 1914—August 29th, 1914: The main Russian target for the fall of 1914 is German territories in East Prussia. The Russian plan towards this end involves a two-pronged advance into German territory. The Russian 1st Army, under the command of General Paul von Rennenkampf, is to invade the north-eastern portion of East Prussia, while the 2nd Army, under General Alexander Samsonov, is to advance from the south, into southwestern East Prussia. The two armies are then to link up and destroy the main German force in East Prussia, the German 8th Army, under the command of General Maximillian von Prittwitz.
August 17th, 1914: The aggressive General Hermann von Francois conducts an attack using the 1st Corps of the 8th Army against the Russians near Stalluponen. General von Francois launches a frontal attack against the 1st Army. His aggressive attack catches the Russians off balance and he manages to force a temporary retreat, capturing 3,000 Russian prisoners in the process. However, General Maximillian von Prittwitz is concerned that the gains General von Francois has made are untenable, considering the small size of the 1st Corps as compared to the 1st Army. Since he doesn’t want to lose an entire army corps to the Russians due to the hotheadedness of one crazy general, Prittwitz orders the 1st Corps back to Gumbinnen. von Francois complies, and the 8th Army prepares for action as the Russian 1st Army advances westwards.
August 20th, 1914: The first major action of the war in the area of East Prussia is the Battle of Gumbinnen. General Prittwitz, knowing that the Russian 2nd Army under General Samsonov is working its way north, decides to attack the 1st Army while he has the advantage and then attack the 2nd Army, so that he doesn’t have to face the two enormous forces at once. After he detaches one corps to guard the 8th Army’s rear areas (don’t snicker) he takes his remaining three corps and dispatches them to a line south of Gumbinnen, about 40 kilometers inside the border. The Russians are advancing along a 55 kilometer wide front and the Germans along one 40 kilometers wide. Hoping to press his attack while he has the initiative, General Prittwitz rather stupidly orders an attack at dawn. Two of his three corps—General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps in the centre of the line and General von Below’s 1st Reserve Corps in the south—aren’t ready to conduct an attack. Nonetheless, the 1st Corps of General Hermann von Francois initiates the attack at 4 am on the morning of August 20th, 1914. Rennenkampf’s troops fight hard and well, but von Francois manages to force his way through the Russian right flank, which is forced to retreat 8 kilometers during the middle of the day after running short of shells. At 8 am, General Mackinsen’s 17th Corps conducts its own attack, and the 1st Reserve Corps is on the offensive by the middle of the day. The Russians react by using their previously deployed heavy artillery on the German centre and right. The 17th Corps and the 1st Reserve Corps are soon forced to retreat in disarray. Seeing an opportunity, General Rennenkampf orders his army to advance, his right flank counterattacking against the 1st Corps and his centre and left flank pursuing the retreating 17th and 1st Reserve Corps. In the course of the retreat of the 1st Reserve Corps and 17th Corps, the Russians manage to pick up 6,000 German prisoners. In the north, meanwhile, the German 1st Corps under General Hermann von Francois is barely holding on. General von Francois finally authorizes a retreat at 1 pm, but by then it is too late. The Russian corps in the centre break off their pursuit of the German 17th Corps and turn north. The 1st Corps is enveloped and cut off from the rest of the 8th Army, and General von Francois is forced to surrender. General von Prittwitz, alarmed at the success of the Russian counterattack and fearful of being further enveloped, orders a retreat westwards, deciding to evacuate East Prussia. He plans to retreat to the Vistula, hoping to evade the 1st Army and avoid being attacked from the rear by the 2nd Army. General Rennenkampf, emboldened by his success, decides to ask General Samsonov of the 2nd Army to advance northwards as quickly as he can and attack the fleeing 8th Army, so that the 1st and 2nd Armies may attack the 8th Army simultaneously. Samsonov, seeing an opportunity for glory, decides to put aside his personal distrust of General Rennenkampf and cooperate, for the time being at least. In Berlin, Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke learns of the defeat and the retreat westwards, and decides to sack General von Prittwitz and replace him with the more aggressive, more competent Paul von Hindenburg, who he decides to call out of retirement. Unfortunately for the German war effort, Hindenburg suffers a fatal heart attack after hearing the news, and von Moltke changes his mind, deciding to keep Prittwitz in charge for the time being for the sake of an orderly retreat.
August 22nd, 1914: The 1st Army, which has been marching non-stop for almost two whole days, finally catches up with the 8th Army, as the 2nd Army approaches from the south. The engagement occurs in the vicinity of Braunsberg, and it is a spectacular victory for the Russians. The 2nd Army has advanced to the northwest rather quickly, and by the 22nd has deployed in a semi-circle around the vicinity of Braunsberg, with the corps arrayed in an arc around the town. At the same time, the 1st Army has pursued the German 8th Army, defeating the reserve corps Prittwitz left in the rear in a small action near Muldsien on the 21st, all while aggressively pursuing the retreating German force. Everything falls into place on the 22nd, as the 8th Army is attacked from all sides simultaneously by the combined forces of the 1st and 2nd Russian Armies. The two German corps, reduced to around 90,000 men, face four or five times as many Russian troops. The Russians lose around 15,000 men killed, while the Germans suffer 30,000 casualties, the remaining 60,000 or so being captured by the Russians. It is an unprecedented catastrophe for the Germans, who have lost an eighth of their military strength in the field, in addition to the German speaking area of East Prussia.
August 24th, 1914: Two detached corps of the Russian 1st Army surround Konigsberg. The commander of the Konigsberg garrison decides to surrender, judging resistance to be futile. He then retires to a hotel room as the Russian forces enter the city, and shoots himself.
August 29th, 1914: At this point, the entirety of East Prussia, everything between the pre-war border and the Vistula River, is securely in Russian hands, as German garrisons in the area have thrown down their arms and surrendered to the Russians.

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I'm happy with this one. Thoughts?

[Romulus Augustulus]

Well? How about it? Thoughts, people?

[MarkA]

Tsarism triumphant! I knew there would be a down side to this ATL.

The aristocratic imbiciles who ran Europe would not be overthrown because of an early Rusian victory. Instead they would be entrenched in power. An Austro-Hungarian Empire still muddling through along with a criminally incompetent Tsarist Russia. Not a pretty prospect at all.

[Pax Britannia]

I came up with a similar scenerio a while back, although the Russians didnt do quite as well. Keep up the good work!