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Chapter 3: The Mediterranean Begins to Boil
It was well known by the Allied military leadership that the end of major German activity on the Eastern Front could seriously upset the balance of the Western Front if they were to be transferred to France and Belgium in large numbers. At the moment Allied forces outnumbered the Central Powers in France and Belgium by a considerable margin, and they wanted to keep it that way. The question was how to make the Germans continue fighting in the east.
The answer? They would strike much harder at tiny Bulgaria and the sick man of Europe, the Ottomans. The idea of forcing the Ottomans to surrender via the Balkan route was met with extreme opposition, given the evacuation of the disaster at Gallipoli just a little over a year prior. But the proponents of the plan won out, for this time they had a large foothold in the Balkans already through Greece and German troops attempting a return would hopefully be recalled if the southern flank of the alliance was collapsing, as Austria’s backside would be left wide open. Not to mention that the Royal Navy could find extensive use in this operation, which many in the navy-oriented British military found alluring. If all went accordingly, the Allies would finally be able to squeeze out a attritional victory over the German Empire, it’s people facing serious food shortages by this point.
As for the Central Powers, plans were being concocted as well. For them the war was indeed on a clock, as the Allies had the means to outlast them using their control of the seas. That pressure for now was manageable however, as no large reinforcements would be reaching the Allies in the west. Therefore their scheme to come out of this war on top involved, rather than continue to bother with banging their head against the western wall, opting for an offensive against the less potent Italy. Aside from being an easier target, a major breakthrough on the Italian front would leave the southern French territory open, requiring France to send precious troops down from the very costly fighting along its northern frontier, perhaps opening up the chance for a drive to Paris down the line.
The recent series of events have greatly changed the upcoming war plans of both sides. Current strategy will cause the Mediterranean to heat up dramatically in the near future. The question of who wins now will come down to how the Italian and Balkan theaters play out and if both alliance's militaries can successfully adapt to any new situations that present themselves.