AHC/WI: A Great War in 1898 along these lines...

Say a relations crises occurs between the U.S. and the U.K. just prior to the Spanish-American War...

After the latter begins in earnest, trigger a conflict between:

U.K., Germany, Austria-Hungary, Spain, and Ottomans on one side

and

U.S., France, Italy, and Russia on the other.

Peripheral powers are optional.

This challenge is inspired by Willhem II's invasion plans and various threads on the U.S. and U.K. on opposite sides of the Great War (in this case UK with the CP and U.S. with Entente), as well as on earlier threads regarding an Anglo-French conflict over the Fashoda Crisis.

Theatre Brainstorming edit:

The war in the Caribbean is nearly won by August when the Fashoda Incident erupts into war. The accidental sinking of an American ship en route to France, followed by the sinking of a Spanish vessel by France leads to tensions, but the American sinking of a British vessel shortly thereafter provokes the UK into pulling support for the US. War is declared when the UK declares support of Spain. While defensive Canadian Forces are mobilizing the RN is steaming to strategic points near the Canadian-US border, in the Caribbean, as well as to naval and shipbuilding yards on the east coast.

Kaiser Willhelm II, hoping to humiliate the US and to take colonies from the Americans and the French declares war on the U.S. and sends ships to New York City and Puerto Rico. France is busy commerce raiding and strengthening ground units on her borders with Spain and Germany, both enemies and both belligerents in the sister war with the US.

Spain can do little more than provide assistance to the Anglo-German navies and the US scrambles to buildup. Focusing its navy less in the Caribbean now and more on the eastern seaboard, and sending its ground forces to Quebec which is easily taken. The Germans land in Puerto Rico, and after a shelling of Manhattan, occupy the island with British support while the British take Albany and Seattle.

Spurred on by the Americans Argentina invades the Falklands while Russia declares war on the UK. Eager to take advantage of an ideal war situation the Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia in kind and Germany and Austria Hungary do the same shortly thereafter. The German invasion of France begins in early 1899 and in spite of British support is slow.

With the RN distracted, the navies of France, the US, and Russia launch an all out war against the Anglo-German navies which reaches stalemate status by summer. In spite of her naval dominance, the UK is fighting on multiple fronts. The US slowly takes more Canadian territory with the help of newly formed Québécois regiments while New York and then Albany are retaken by the Americans thanks in no small part to the volunteer cavalry lead by Col. Theodore Roosevelt. Ireland is in revolt and Russia is making headway in the east while the war in Africa slowly turns in favor of the French.

Eventually the tide is turned and Canada is occupied while American expeditionary forces are sent to Europe to liberate France and punish Spain, Germany, and the UK.

Thoughts?
 
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I will only respond to the things I think don't make sense. Please don't take it as a criticism; I just feel no need to post quotations from you and say 'sure' or 'OK' after each one.

Thoughts?

What about the entire theatre of the Great Game? South Asia will be full of Anglo-Russian conflicts. What about the Far East? The Russian Empire and the United Kingdom will clash there, too; Japan will probably be enlisted as a minor ally on the British side.

In regard to the sides, there will surely be a Mediterranean campaign (in which Italy is likely to be on the *Central Powers' side, not the *Entente) and France is likely to lose if it's up against Austria-Hungary and the UK at the same time.

With the RN distracted, the navies of France, the US, and Russia launch an all out war against the Anglo-German navies which reaches stalemate status by summer. In spite of her naval dominance, the UK is fighting on multiple fronts.

So is the USA, and so is Russia.

Navally speaking, the USA cannot out-build the UK and Germany together by anywhere near the degree it can out-build its enemies in most scenarios; it still has a slight industrial advantage, but not enough to offset the initial naval strength of the *Central Powers in a period of just a few years when all of them are fighting a major ground war at the same time.

The poor, poor French are stuck with the jeune école instead of much of a proper battleship fleet, which is unfortunate for them and thus for the *Entente.

The USA's attempts to project naval power, even in the Americas, will certainly not be effortless and stand a fairly high chance of outright failure. On land, of course, there's little that the British can do to stop an American invasion of Canada… but the US Army was tiny so (unlike in the ACW scenario) it would take lots of precious time to get any respectable amount of strength, time that the British could use to reinforce Canada enough to make it a slow American victory that takes considerable effort instead of an incredibly quick and easy American victory.

I'm afraid I think you greatly overestimate the naval power of the *Entente. Sorry.

The Germans land in Puerto Rico

Why would they care about Puerto Rico when they're busy fighting a major war in their own territory on the other side of the world?

and after a shelling of Manhattan, occupy the island with British support while the British take Albany and Seattle.

Given the need to defend Canada, it seems likelier for the *Central Powers to focus on that and launch any attacks from there, rather than risking amphibious invasions (which are never easy at the best of times). Given the choice between an amphibious invasion and an overland invasion, the latter is almost always the best option.

Spurred on by the Americans Argentina invades the Falklands

Argentina would be likelier to join the *Central Powers than the *Entente (though neutrality is likeliest of all); enormous economic ties to the British Empire mean that it would have been very silly to go to war against the UK at this time. Think of Canada declaring war on the USA now (I don't mean in terms of proximity or of the USA's greater military strength but of huge economic dependence) and that's roughly it.

Ireland is in revolt

Any Irish revolt will be crushed quickly and ruthlessly. Ireland is incredibly close to the main centre of British power and no-one else stands a chance at giving it any serious reinforcements.

American expeditionary forces are sent to Europe to liberate France and punish Spain, Germany, and the UK.

Amphibious invasion from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, with naval inferiority, in the era of WW1? Not a chance.

and Russia is making headway in the east

Maybe, maybe not. Why do you think so? The Great Game was a huge and complex affair.

while the war in Africa slowly turns in favor of the French.

Again, maybe, maybe not. Why do you think so?
 
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