Fearless Leader
Donor
Quick idea...
Let's say that Kitchener's plan wins out over Churchill's to attack Alexandretta, the hub of the Ottoman Rail network instead of Gallipoli in 1915. Let's also say for the sake of argument, that the attack succeeds and the Entente take the city and it's environs.
Now the Ottomans are facing a big problem, without their rail hub, their peripheral territories of Mesopotamia and Palestine are impossible to reinforce, leaving them wide open to future British attacks. Furthermore their positions in Eastern Anatolia are also vulnerable from a renewed Allied attack from Alexandretta.
Now let's say that someone gets wise and decides that dismantling the Ottoman Empire isn't worth losing the rest of the war. Peace overtures are made giving generous terms to the Ottomans. I was thinking
1) Hand over the Goeben and Breslau (for UK ships?) and intern all CP troops on Ottoman Soil.
2)Open the straits to Allied convoys to Russia.
3)Small territorial concessions (Sinai to UK as a DMZ?)
4) Join the war effort against the CP
In exchange the Entente agrees to recognize the Ottoman Empire's new borders and guarantee it's territorial sovereignty. The Ottomans decide to take it, jumping ship in late 1915. With the straits open to Allied shipping Russia is buoyed and in short order, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy all join the Entente to gang up against Austria-Hungary.
Thoughts?
Let's say that Kitchener's plan wins out over Churchill's to attack Alexandretta, the hub of the Ottoman Rail network instead of Gallipoli in 1915. Let's also say for the sake of argument, that the attack succeeds and the Entente take the city and it's environs.
Now the Ottomans are facing a big problem, without their rail hub, their peripheral territories of Mesopotamia and Palestine are impossible to reinforce, leaving them wide open to future British attacks. Furthermore their positions in Eastern Anatolia are also vulnerable from a renewed Allied attack from Alexandretta.
Now let's say that someone gets wise and decides that dismantling the Ottoman Empire isn't worth losing the rest of the war. Peace overtures are made giving generous terms to the Ottomans. I was thinking
1) Hand over the Goeben and Breslau (for UK ships?) and intern all CP troops on Ottoman Soil.
2)Open the straits to Allied convoys to Russia.
3)Small territorial concessions (Sinai to UK as a DMZ?)
4) Join the war effort against the CP
In exchange the Entente agrees to recognize the Ottoman Empire's new borders and guarantee it's territorial sovereignty. The Ottomans decide to take it, jumping ship in late 1915. With the straits open to Allied shipping Russia is buoyed and in short order, Bulgaria, Romania, and Italy all join the Entente to gang up against Austria-Hungary.
Thoughts?