I guess that means that the Germans win in the end. Though you're right tbh, even if they pull out a victory, it doesn't seem a wank. It's pretty balanced and plausible as far as I can tell.
31 to the Somme: A WWI TL
- Thread starter C.Z.A.R
- Start date
To elaborate further,
The German 1st, 2nd, 3rd and Ersatztruppen were absolutely devastated. If you think the Marne was bad OTL, think about the Battle of Paris ITL.
The Entente specifically focused on dividing up German troops basically everywhere, the Russians were only a couple miles from Berlin and several hundred thousands of trained (and somewhat experienced) German troops had died. The Entente concentrated most of their strength on offensives when the Germans were frankly unable to once again secure numerical superiority. When outnumbered 3:1 with nearly half of your men dead or wounded, and with Moltke rerouting your reserves 100 miles across the continent, retreating in order is not a bad feat.
Ooh I like to hear that! I wonder if it will be the same Kaiser or a republic
TBH It seems to me that the Germans are performing massively worse than OTL...and when I say massively, I mean It.
I doubt they can win this
I doubt they can win this
They are indeed performing worse... but they have map-painted a sizeable portion of Europe!
They did that in OTL with better success.
Btw your TL, your story, and I will follow It gladly.
Just tell me (in pvt chat, maybe) if this is going republican Germany, because I have huuuge (totally personal, let's be clear) problems with German, Austrian and British monarchies falling
Call It a matter of style, but it's just that, to me, german speaking countries look that more super cool when ruled by someone having a "von" before their surname.
PS anyway this TL confirms my deeply entrenched feeling that von Moltke jr. was a total idiot
Von Moltke is no idiot, the only problem is that he was under the (somewhat) right assumption that man for man, Germany was superior. And with superior numbers, he expected the French to lose cohesion and collapse (which they initially did at the Ardennes and Namur), but the resolve of his enemy completely baffled him. No wargame could've told him this result. It is not his fault, nor Schlieffens, but simply a basic fallacy of their planning.
Funnily enough, Nicholas II is absolutely raging right now, he will be taking command in 1916 (and possibly ordering a Constantinople Operation).
Well it seem Bulgaria and Italy are still neutral, the first is a good news for Serbia and the second for A-H on the other hand with more time to prepare and with Germany on a worse position to support the Austrian as they have half a million more death than OTL once/if the italians enter the war it will be worse fo them (unless the military situation persuade Wien on giving concession to the italians for keeping their neutrality)
Well, to say two things:
Austria will not be conceding anything.
The Russians want a Jugoslav state and do not want to give up Albania or Dalmatia.
Also, a teaser for something that'll happen in the 1920s:
Alfonso Caesar Augustus I.
I've drafted 1916-1925, and, seeing how the story will go, it seems best for everyone to speculate what happens next. It is quite unique compared to OTL and WWII and interwar could develop with massive butterflies. However, I must announce that:
31 to the Somme will end in 1925.
If I ever make another TL, it will certainly **all** be pre-written and done.
Expect 1916/7/8 this week.
Interwar next week.
Finale next week or the week after.
31 to the Somme will end in 1925.
If I ever make another TL, it will certainly **all** be pre-written and done.
Expect 1916/7/8 this week.
Interwar next week.
Finale next week or the week after.
Chapter XI: 1916.
1916.
Prelude & Planning:
1915 hit everyone with a realization. War is hell, and hell seemed to go on for eternity. The public opinion of all nations, besides for France, has gone down. Many things would change in 1916, and although the lethality during this phase would not be that high, it would be the turning point in the war. The British & French had pushed miles up the French coast across impossible odds, denying the Germans valuable coastal positions. The German frontline in the west as turned into a bulge as German lines thin. Moltke has remained in-charge of German armies despite outcry from the people. The Kingdom of Italy, Tsardom of Bulgaria and Kingdom of Greece have patiently watched the developments abroad. The landings in Alexandretta and Gallipoli have been of particular interest to Bulgaria & Greece, motivating them to join. On Feb 9th, 1916, Bulgaria would declare war on the Ottoman Empire. Greece would declare war on the 20th. Serbia would be saved. (Romania would remain immobile.)
The Central Powers
Moltke was not superior to his enemy. He saw nothing but grueling campaigns with even worse losses. He had painted a sizeable empire in Europe but failed to do anything. This war of attrition could not be won. So, he set his sights upon Russia, the only nation he saw as collapsing. Moltke had begun an offensive and was met by a retreat into the interior by Russian forces, but now, the railway gauges were changed and German forces were prepared. Nearly 1,300,000 Austro-German infantrymen would be on the frontline and although their logistics were strained, it was tenable. Their goals were as follows:
• The capture of Brest-Litovsk
• The establishment of a line Tallinn-Crimea
• The collapse of the Russian Empire
• Massive increases in submarine warfare
• Construction of several defensive lines in the west.
Entente
The British & French had accomplished most of their goals, but ended the year with an unsuccessful offensive into Flanders. They wanted to regroup their strength and instead focus on asymmetrical options against Germany. Most notably, the Ottomans & Kiel. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire would free up men, and with Greek & Bulgarian entry, an invasion of Austria-Hungary could be launched from Serbia. Italy remained stubborn, declining to join the war even with Entente promises of the entire inner Adriatic. Nicholas II, upset with the retreats into the interior and burning of villages, demanded an immediate counter-offensive headed by Aleksandr Brusilov. He also ordered an Armenian invasion to link up with French forces in Alexandretta. The collective goals of the Russians were as follows:
• The collapse of the Ottoman Empire
• The capture of the Kiel Canal and establishment of a direct supply-line to Russia
• The 'Danubian Campaign' from Serbia into Austria-Hungary
• Continuation of the blockade on Germany
• The rallying of American public opinion against Germany
• Destruction of German forces in Poland
Nikola Zhekov, head of the 'Danubian Campaign' and advisor to the 'Battle of Thrace' (known OTL as the Gallipoli Campaign)
The Western Front, 1916.
Failed offensives. Nothing much...
The Ottoman Theater, 1916.
The Ottoman Theater would be the most eventful, arguably only topped by the Eastern Front. The amount of chaos happening in this front would be unseen since the Battles of Paris. British forces engaged at Gallipoli, known as the Thracian Campaign, had seen sluggish progress. They had forced their way up. The frontline on the eve of 1916 had been extensively entrenched by both sides. However, in February, when Bulgaria entered the war, the British attacked once again. Massing nearly all of their land & naval capabilities, they were successful in breaking through Ottoman lines. Sadly for them, deficiencies throughout their offensive, most notably their logistical situation, made it impossible for them to actually make use of their breakthroughs.
The subsequent Bulgarian offensive into Thrace bore amazing results, Tens of thousands of Bulgarians swept through Thrace, as Greek soldiers began flooding into the Dardanelles and landed on Ottoman cities on the Aegean. The fighting would soon stabilize as the Ottomans mobilized every (muslim) man and woman to fight against the Entente. It was not until July that Constantinople would finally be directly under-siege, with a massive million men participating in the siege. Constantinople would fall in December, at the same time that the entirety of southern Irak and the Levant would also surrender. The Ottomans would flee into deeper Anatolia, but on conventional military terms, they were no longer a substantial military threat. Greece would exit the war soon after, signing a separate peace with Germany & Austria, much to the dismay of the Entente. The successes in this campaign would lead to the cancellation of the Baltic Operation and a supply line through the Bosphorus being made to Russia.
The Danubian Operation, 1916.
During all this fighting in the Near East, Serbia was torn. It had survived against continuous assaults by Austria for nearly a year and a half. This was a miracle, and with Bulgarian entry, the Entente could finally send sufficient amounts of aid. Bulgarian soldiers flooded into Macedonia (the last remaining Serbian resistance) and Entente forces would help them. Nearly 700,000 men would be engaged in the campaign, successfully repulsing Austrian forces at the battles of Pirot and Nis. Serbia would be mostly liberated, but success would stall as supply would become terrible. The war would become nearly entirely continental, with three fronts. The Danubian, Eastern and Western Fronts.
Situational Map of the Western Front, end of 1916.
British forces in Thrace
The Eastern Front, 1916.
By order of the Russian High Command, against the wishes of the soldiers, a counter-offensive began. The Russian command was rushing the advance without proper strategic reconsiderations, with the assault being poorly planned. It had been estimated that the Germans would break under the pressure, unable to hold against insurmountable odds. This advance would contain nearly 2 million men from all across the Russian Empire. Nicholas expected a brilliant encirclement of German positions, to break the German lines and secure Warsaw as Russian once again.
The battle would be ignited following a 12-hour barrage with most available shells by Russian forces. This would completely devastate the Germans, who were also preparing for an offensive. Russian offensives would see massive success (albeit with massive losses with them). They would breakthrough in the north, with German forces retreating on the Narew to Ostralenka. Past that point, however, the Russians would run into problems. (The Russian Army OTL needed to stop due to heavy losses and equipment shortages. However, this Russia is far more capable of sustaining massive losses, and thus, this will be even more deadly (and consequential) for Russian command. ) Having besieged Ostralenka, they would find major difficulty in the south. Attacking into the meat grinding machine guns, the Russian Army would again suffer great casualties. Artillery support would be provided, but the Russians would begin to run out of shells. Hundreds of thousands on both sides would die in a series of offensives and counter-offensives. The Russian public at home would become increasingly annoyed and violent over the major casualties on the front. Nearly 2,000,000 casualties in a campaign that won Russia only a solid 70 miles or so of land by late July of 1916.
The final Russian push would come in Galicia, hoping to seize the initiative once again. This would fail terribly. This would end up being the most lethal offensive in Europe (and possibly, militarily that is) in global history. The number of Russian forces dead would result in the most catastrophic event in Russian history to that point. Russia would fall into revolution.
The December Revolution, 1916.
Massive protests would begin across the Russian Empire. To characterize the events...
"The situation is serious. The capital alongside Moskau are in a state of anarchy. The Government is paralyzed. Transport service and the supply of food and fuel have become completely disrupted. General discontent is growing ... and many have taken up arms.
- A telegram sent to the Tsar.
It would not take long until the Tsar abdicated, and soon, Germany would begin a 'winter offensive' against Russia. With the discontent and revolution at home, this offensive effectively crushed the Russian Army.
Map of the situation on the Eastern Front, end of 1916.
Red lines: Initial Frontline
Blue Arrows: Russian offensives
Red Arrows: Subsequent German Offensives
Although not in 1916, on February 2nd, Russia would sign the treaty of Brest-Litovsk.
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Chapter XII: The Fateful Years.
The Fateful Years. 1917-1918.
Prelude & Planning:
1916 was a mixed year. The Ottoman Empire had fallen, but so had the Russian Empire. The war would now be Germany & Austria vs France & Britain. Moltke was praised following his victories but would die later on in the same year. Erich von Falkenhayn would take general control.
It was, however, no secret that the German position is crumbling. Falkenhayn began moving rapidly to reorganize the armies and industries of the nation against the encroaching might of the British & French, but such efforts have proved near futile. Armament programs bore little fruit. German command had essentially lost confidence in the sustainability of the front, though the individual soldier’s moral remains defiant. By the Kaiser's orders, the armies in the West have been ordered to maintain their position, which has been open to several infiltrations due to a lack of men. Falkenhayn was tasked with saving the German Empire and the armies of the alliance. With the Ottomans & Russians crumbling, maybe there is a chance.
On the Entente side, all had not been proceeding well. They had bet on a decisive victory against Austria, therefore forcing Germany into peace. Furthermore, winter cold was setting in soon, and that would make offensives difficult to commence in Serbia. In the west, a breakthrough was needed if the Entente wanted to be able to shift manpower and armies to other fronts and keep the initiative. The Western front’s stability remains yet in question, the balance of power in the area swinging back and forth as German reinforcements from the East arrive. The plentiful resources of the area were sent back home to Germany. The Entente had also made technological strides.
A British Mark IV Tank
The Western Front & Danubian Campaign, 1917.
1917 would see minimal amounts of actions. Commanders perhaps out of a sense of duty or knowing the consequences do not make any real attempts to attack apart from sporadic bombardments and raids. There was only one exception was the Nivelle Offensive.
The offensive would begin when Anglo-French armies under Nivelle commenced their advance upon the adequately named 'Bethune Bulge'. The first advance had seen a massive encirclement though the German forces had managed to break out back in 1914/15. This time, Nivelleintended to make no such mistake, intending to capture Bethune and pin down the Germans at Lille. If successful enough, Entente forces might even breach Douai and Lille. Nivelle's Groupe d'armées du Nord would be tasked with the attack, with the British forces remaining in reserves for unknown reasons. The army would struggle their way through the hellish German defenses, being bogged down by machine-gun fire at every twist and turn.
Towards the north, the Germans began to collapse under the pressure near St. Omar. Here, French forces would break down the German defenses, slowly capturing the stacked defenses surrounding the area. When the Germans attempted to reinforce their position, they were struck by the British reserves. The attack would be so devastating in its strike that Austro-Hungarian units would be sent. (To elaborate on Austro-Hungarian units, nearly 61 divisions that would OTL be against Italy were delegated elsewhere, and many of these divisions, nearly 45, would be sent into Galicia. However, following the collapse of the Russian Empire, 20 of these divisions would be requested by Falkenhayn.) Heavy fighting would then ensue, ending with the French dislodging the stubborn defenders south towards Lille. The collapse of the northern part of the salient caused a retreat, resulting in an Anglo-French victory.
The Danubian Front would remain active, with Belgrade being liberated but Bosnia still not being breached.
Map of the Nivelle Offensive
1918, The End of the Great War.
THE FALKENLINE, THE SPRING OFFENSIVE, FIRST HALF OF 1918:
The previous months had not seen the Germans sit idly by as the Entente took the Bethune Bulge. Instead, Generalfeldmarshall Erich von Falkenhayn had taken the time to stockpile equipment and ammunition for the upcoming attack. Stores of chlorine gas shells had been prepared and were now being deployed towards the front. To address artillery shortages from the previous months that had kept operations from being smooth, shells and ammunitions had been stocked up along the railway lines, with preparations to move forward with the attack. Heavy artillery had been moved to the west, and increasing amounts of Russian resources & guns were being shipped. Millions of more men were being conscripted.
On March 30th, the Germans made their move. Early that morning, German forces rose from their trenches and advanced upon the Entente. They would be covered by intense German artillery bombardment against the Entente positions. Their assault would be mainly against the French. The French had withdrawn the previous months to the minor river lines and hills across the front, entrenching themselves. Though fortified and possessing significant geographic advantages, the position had two key weaknesses. First was that their flank was flat, and their left-wing was where hills ended and rolling plains began. Second was that their railway connections were terrible. Any German attack would be focused on these two points and should they crack, Paris may inevitably fall.
The German barrage would be harsh and unprecedented, hitting the French defenders for two days. Almost two million shells would be fired on the same day. Initially, French forces would lack the artillery for any sort of response, resorting to their fellow British artillery to carry the day as their heavier pieces were brought forth to respond. Even so, the French & British were now suffering from shell shortages (following the costly Nivelle offensive) of which the Germans had little to no issue. German air supremacy also guaranteed that German intelligence could keep up with whatever movements the Entente. French artillery would be brought forth on the third day of fighting but would be too late as the Germans began their advance.
On April 4th, the first actions would begin near Essigny and the Oise. The German 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Armies smashed into the weak southern flank of the French & British, hitting them with Stormtrooper tactics. These tactics, unlike OTL, would be fully embraced by Falkenhayn and the man (on-the-ground) in charge of things, Ludendorff. This would be followed on the same day by attacks from the German 5th, 6th and 7th armies all across the front, specifically towards the Marne. The German 7th Army specifically would capture key southern crossroads near Reims. Towards the north, Ludendorff would begin hitting the most fortified position of the Entente defenses head on, infiltrating their lines and inflicting havoc. Initially on the Oise, the attack was a surprise and the Germans possessed nearly every advantage besides geography, but they were met by the fierce Army of the Oise. These men were veterans of the battles of Paris, and their forces had established a defense-in-depth.
Captured Mark IV's
On April 14th, the German Army made a major breakthrough near Peronne, followed by the capture of St. Quentin & Peronne by the 1st Army, both at heavy casualties. The exhausted French forces were forced into a total retreat, lacking cohesion as German forces pressed forward that same day. They were only to be driven back by a counterattack from the French 9th Army and British forces, dislodging the German gains briefly. The Germans had became exhausted, and began to run out of steam. They successfully took Soissons, Chateau Thierry and several other major points, but they could barely keep up. Just like in 1914, they were miles from Paris. And, just like 1914, the French would again counterattack, and though halting the Germans for the day, would fail to push them back. On August 21st, the German Army would begin a massive consolidation effort, bringing in fresh troops and building railway networks at unprecedented speeds.
Haig had reported to Foch, placed commander-in-chief, that German forces weren't ready to continue the advance. Believing this to be true, Foch gave the appropriate orders to his men. This would be met by a massive German offensive on August 28th, with Fresh Australian, British and French regiments, ill-prepared for such an attack, now breaking up and losing cohesion. Foch now received alarming reports, and intense German stormtrooper attacks had ripped through even the Army of the Oise. Chantilly fell and it looked like Paris would fall.
Months of prepared positions were now abandoned or held by bare-bones garrisons. The Germans, in terms of casualties, would suffer equally. Although Falkenhayn & Ludendorff had publicly dismissed concerns over the operation, they both knew the situation well. They could not carry enough food and ammunition to sustain themselves for long, and the army could not move in supplies and reinforcements fast enough to assist them. Paris was within miles and yet they could not take the city. Falkenhayn would soon order Ludendorff to besiege Paris, envelop the area, and force the Entente to surrender. The Entente was indeed crumbling under the immense pressure from German forces. Although both sides had seen disorder in their ranks, this would be the chance for both to decide the war through sheer tactical skill.
A German A7V Tank near Chantilly
More British and French reinforcements were now pushed forward to fill the gaps. British & French forces began developing rudimentary protections, be they repurposed defenses from 4 years prior or entirely new makeshift defenses. On May 1st, seemingly overcoming the forward defenses, the German troops entered within just 25 miles of Paris. The French Chasseurs, Colonials, Army of the Oise and British BEF arrived only just in time to launch a valiant counterattack to stall the German advance for the next six days. This failure made Falkenhayn furious. How did his men fail to break through? He gathered his forces once again, for one last strike to win the war. First attacking the Entente right flank, this being the French Chasseurs (the ones most suited for Stormtrooper combat but terribly for conventional trench warfare) on the opening day of the offensive, he initially dislodged the defending forces. However, defenders of the frontal defenses would endure an intense three-hour bombardment, including many gas shells. Under this cover, however, stormtroopers swarmed across the area in every sort of transport. Ludendorff proclaimed victory, calling himself "the master who created the pinnacle of military victory". It seemed so for many, and hundreds of thousands of Parisiens were given arms to fight against a seemingly inevitable German siege of Paris. The German failure to break through, or to destroy the Allied armies in the field within a short period of time however, allowed Ferdinand Foch, the Allied Supreme Commander, to proceed with a planned major counteroffensive on 18 May; nearly 54 French divisions, including the American 92nd and 93rd Infantry Divisions under French command, joined by 20 British divisions and nearly 450 tanks, pushed back. The Germans would not be ready for this, and would be sent flying back. Their offensive capabilities would be stalled, and their logistics made even worse. Austro-Hungarian units watching the German right flank saved them from complete envelopment.
The final nail in the coffin would come on June 1st when Falkenhayn, accepting the disastrous news, retired. The stress of war had taken its toll on both Falkenhayn and the nation itself. Yet on June 6th, Ludendorff would order a costly offensive against the Longwy salient ending in total failure. This would cost Germany of it's capacity for offensive maneuvers for the foreseeable future.
The German 'Kaiserschlacht'
Black Arrows: German Advances
Dotted Areas: German-held areas
Red Lines (not dotted): Frontline before the offensive
Black Dotted Line: The "Falkenline" (Hindenburg like-line.)
THE FALL OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE.
The failure of the Kaiserschlacht doomed the German war-effort. Successes had been made further south and Austria-Hungary was at a breaking point.
Nearly 3,000,000 French soldiers, 2,000,000 British soldiers, 2,000,000 American soldiers and 500,000 misc. soldiers prepared to launch an offensive against the German Empire. I need not explain what happens next. The Falkenline (I don't get enough credit for these names) The German Empire would surrender on the 5th of November, 1918.
The German Revolutionary Period will be the next chapter.
The Paris Peace Conference will be the following chapter.
Then, one last chapter to end it all.
WW1 Total Casualty Report
German Empire (military deaths
1914 - 368,029
1915 - 879,393
1916 - 720,439
1917 - 999,999
1918 - 2,200,068
^ [This shows the total number of dead BY THAT YEAR. So the total for Germany is 2.2m.]
British Empire (military deaths
1,150,000~
France + colonies (military deaths
1,893,392
Russian Empire (military deaths
2,051,000
3,000,000 Captured
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (military deaths
978,540
1914 - 368,029
1915 - 879,393
1916 - 720,439
1917 - 999,999
1918 - 2,200,068
^ [This shows the total number of dead BY THAT YEAR. So the total for Germany is 2.2m.]
British Empire (military deaths
1,150,000~
France + colonies (military deaths
1,893,392
Russian Empire (military deaths
2,051,000
3,000,000 Captured
Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (military deaths
978,540