AHC: Disastrous Early Entry into WWI by the United States

raharris1973

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sloreck:

Having a large AEF in the trenches about 18 months earlier will mean much larger US casualties, no matter what sort of tactics are used. Needless to say this will have huge effects afterwards in terms of peace movements and isolationism.

What would those effects be? The intuitive answer would be stronger peace movements, greater isolationism and greater difficulty getting into a second war if there is one. But perhaps counter-intuitively the US would be more determined to keep the Germans down/contained. US losses were much greater in WWII, but the US held its international position. The USSR in the face of massive WWII losses did not go isolationist, rather it was determined to hold down a buffer zone for 44 years.
 
Your challenge: With a POD no earlier than 1910, have the United States enter the First World War earlier than they did in OTL and have it prove a disaster for them.

This idea actually stems from a conversation I had with a friend a few days back when we were discussing an earlier entry into the war and I proposed that, without the Preparedness campaign, the US might be less able to quickly mobilize. This would, in turn, give the Germans time to prepare for the additional troops and possibly go on the defensive. Finally, if the US enters in as part of the Entente and not as an independent faction, this would mean we could possibly see US troops taking part in some of the bloodier battles under the command of the British or French (and, this could, in turn, significantly chill Anglo-American relations if it comes to be seen that the King is willing to fight to the last American. Consequently, the US threatening to take its ball and go home if things got rough would likely not engender them to their French and British allies either).

Just some ideas we came up with; please feel free to take or leave them.

NOTE: your definition of disaster may vary. There is no need to turn this into a TL where the Central Powers win, despite early American entry (although, if you could ...). The US and the Entente may very well still win the war, but the United States gets significantly bloodied in the process and suffers socially and economically as a result. Also, the First World War of the ATL must significantly resemble the one that occurred in OTL. No fair having the war be between German/Britain and France/Russia :)

Italy's entry into the war went quite badly for them and Entente troops were required to 'prop them up' at one stage

Have a large part of this initial earlier AEF go to Italy instead of stripping Entente forces from the Western Front and have them get caught up in a general collapse of the Italian Army and taking terrible losses as a result as they try to hold the line to give the Italian Army time to regroup.

Perhaps around the time of the Battle of Caporetto Oct 1917 - Harsh environment and harsh discipline lack of success and heavy losses results in the Italian troops morale crumbling in many front line formations and the German entry into the front with some Elite units shatters the Italian Army at several points allowing for a general breakthrough.

2 Corps of the AEF recently arrived in the country suddenly represent the only units with the cohesion capable of blocking this sudden advance.

Lack of experience, or proper winter equipment - particularly winter clothing that makes for a horrendous experience for these green troops.

Despite the conditions and terrible casualties that ensue the Austrian assault is blunted by December and the Front lines stabilised.

However by this point word of the losses and conditions has reached the US - but the worst piece of news very nearly results in Americas withdrawl from the Entente.

At the height of the battle several US units were shattered and several US Divisions were forced to fall back very quickly to a new defensive line (in what one Observing US Journalist called "the most organised rout in history")

It was during this point where thousands of US Troops as well as Lines of Communication support troops got separated from their parent units - many of these troops were picked up by Italian Army Police and at least 67 of them were quickly processed through draconian Italian field court martial's and shot as deserters along with many hundreds of Italian soldiers quite literally on the side of the road.

It was this act by several petty minded junior Italian officers that very nearly resulted in the US withdrawing from the Entente.
 
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