Coalition of the Strong: Nietsche's Revenge

For a long time, now, I've been wanting to do a timeline about an alternative >1910 Europe in which everything seems to go "our" way, but...

It's my first attempt, though, so please be gentle
;). I WILL change several key characters and events so -for example- Erwin Rommel may or may not choose to join the Panzers. I will see. Comments are always welcome, though.

BTW, my nick is nijntjepluis (a little girl bunny rabbit from Dick Bruna's books - I believe she's called 'Miffy' in English, look her up on Google) but if wou want to address me, 'nijn' will do perfectly - that's what my wife calls me too.


And now...


A Teaser.



Bandeville, South-west of Paris, France - October 15th 1921

The morning was foggy but the fog was yellow and the trees were dead.

Germans strewn around a trench - some moaning, some silent. Operation Michael had succeeded and a German victory seemed certain. The Landser of List regiment felt they were being slaughtered for no reason whatsoever. The Russians were no longer a factor and the French, well, in Paris they still resisted fiercely but most were either dead or in Algeria.

On this day, Hanni, Rudolf and [CENSORED} (well, let's just call him Karl, then. -ed)


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%252527Stormtroops_Advancing_Under_Gas%252527%25252C_etching_and_aquatint_by_Otto_Dix%25252C_1924.jpg

“Stormtroops Advancing Under Gas”, Otto Dix, 1924

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So, again. Hanni, Rudolf and Karl were sitting in a trench. The stocks of French wine were gone and so were the women - at least the Parisiennes had had something to trade for their passage to safety. The war was nearly at an end, everybody knew that, they were going to go home and **** every German girl too. A lone Gefreiter, though, just sat in a corner with his head in his hands.

They never noticed the shell that was hurtling towards them.

Gefreiter Adolf Schicklgruber jumped up to deliver a few lines of rhetoric about the Heimat and doing their duty for the emperor when the shell landed and tore them all to shreds.
 
OOO! This seems so cool already my friend! But, if I may ask in 'this' WW1 which seemingly lasts into the 1920s, does The Netherlands eventually get involved?

-Your favorite and everybody's 14 year old French-Mexican.
 
ND4, Vnix: Well, since I'm only 1/4th Dutch (2/4 Belgian, 1/4 German = Reserve-Nederlander) this will -at first- not involve the Netherlands. The war only lasts for two years anyway :D so not much chance for that.

After that, though... I'd like to write from a first-person view, the person being either from Breda or Antwerpen. Both, maybe ;)
 
Prologue I: Franz-Josephgasse, Sarajevo, Serbia - June 28th 1914

So I'm shopping, shopping for blood
Oh I'm shopping, shopping for...

It's leather for leisure and velcro for sport
It's a first appearance and a new suit for court
Franz Ferdinand, "Shopping for blood"


"General" Milan Obrenović arched his back, standing in the crowd. He never liked being among so many people. His eye was on someone special, though.

The General was a member of the even more secretive White Hand society. In fact, he *was* the society. He had never liked violence against or among civilians; violence was for the battlefield, for military men. And his wife, his wife! Now she was no more. Her memory haunted his soul. She had been Austrian, slightly haughty, well-read, a former ballet dancer. She had insisted force was never a solution. And now this young upstart in front of him intended to drag the country, his country, into a war against his beloved's homeland.

graf-stift.jpg

Franz Ferdinand's Gräf&Stift

He awoke from his slumbers: the crown price's Gräf & Stift drove by, in reverse. Suddenly, the upstart drew a pistol and started towards the open car but Milan was faster. He whacked the young Serbian over the head with his reinforced walking stick and they both went down.
 
Prologue II: A letter to cousin Nicky

Yacht Loreley, Ibiza, March 12th 1916

Dearest Nicky,

During my stay at Ibiza I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of your gospadin Pokrovskyn. I found in him a most agreeable diplomat, a man with a very clear head. An energetic character, in all, what one calls a powerful man. I congratulate you on such an excellent choice. We had a long conversation, and of course his opinion about European matters was of the greatest value to me, it was a pleasure to listen to him.

The conversation also turned to Poland and to the new railheads you’re building there. The source from which this news springs was doubtless not a clear one, for I am certain that it is not your intention to move against us. I venture to suppose that intrigues of a certain meddlesome Power have had something to do with us receiving news on your activities in a less than a favourable light.

Unfortunately, the responsibility for the safety of my empire forces preventive measures of defense upon me. In this moment it still lies in your power to avert conflict. Nobody is threatening the honour or power of Russia, who can well afford to expand elsewhere. My friendship for you and your empire, transmitted to me by my grandfather on his deathbed has always been sacred to me and I have honestly often backed up Russia when she was in serious trouble - especially in her last war. The peace of Europe may still be maintained by you, if Russia will agree to stop any expansionist & military measures which must threaten Germany.

I beg your pardon for intruding like this in your time and repose, but the situation is too serious, the interests at stake are too manifold, and I should not wish to see Russia lose her fine position she still now has retained here; all hoping eyes are turned to the great Emperor of the East; will he bring the hoped for solution?

My perhaps rather rough openness may show you how great and intense my love for you is. Best love to Alix.

Your affectionate cousin and friend,
Willy
 
Prologue III: Charlottenburg, Berlin, Germany - August 16th, 1916

'Willy' was sitting behind his desk, cleaning his nails with a pen knife. Again he was reminded about the withered arm, even bothering him in such a menial task. A discreet knock on the door. Probably Moltke.

"Yes?"
"Good day, your highness."
Moltke indeed, with a younger man in tow.

"Sit down, Helmuth. Who have you brought to see me?"
"The wan I mentioned to you before. His name is Fritz Goebbels, a local bookkeeper and my sister's husband. He makes an interesting point, with (a wink to Fritz) which he's been pestering me about for the last few months. I'd urge you to hear him.", Moltke said.
"Well, what do you have to say?", growled his Highness, Kaiser Wilhelm II.

Goebbels hesitated. "Your highness, if you allow..."
"I do, I do. Continue."
"There will be a war between us and the Russian empire, soon. I'm sure of it."
"Herr Goebbels, we've been preparing for that war for years now."
"I know, your Highness. That's not the point. Since the treacherous Triple Entente agreements, we can be sure a war with Russia also involves France and possibly England. Herr Moltke here", he nodded, "tells me there are ample plans for such an eventuality."
"Correct"
"But these involve military action, preventively attacking France to avoid fighting a two-fronted war."
"Yes. Get to the point, man."
"We could lose."

The emperor grumbled. These young men we weak, flabby. A bookkeeper, nonetheless.
"What I propose, Sire, is that we force the French to declare war and attack us, on German soil. We can use "their" Alsace-Lorraine as a battleground, we will trade terrain for righteousness."
"Eh?" The Emperor of Germany sat up, angried at the suggestion.
Goebbels, though, was on a roll.
"When they attack us, sir, we can contain them with relatively few forces. They will be destroying the very land they want to regain. They may even be foolish enough to try and get at us through Belgium. The British will never stand for it, sir, it will be a repeat of Waterloo. Even If we can only keep them out of the war, the French are lost. All we need to do is let ourselves be attacked and widely proclaim our innocence. The world -and victory- will be on our side!"

"We don't need them. Against the French, we can win every day of the week."
"But the French and the British and the Russians and the Italians? And, maybe, the US - if even economically? We'll run out of money before they're all dead."
Moltke chipped in. "I believe at least in this he's right, your highness. And with the revised Schlieffen-plan..."
"Another revision?"
"Well, we renamed it "Schliefenschnitt". It envisions luring the French out and attacking their southern flanks, crushing their armies between us and the Belgians."
 

abc123

Banned
Ah, general Obrenović is a CFP.

Or, Completely Fictional Person (aka. deus ex machina)

Sorry for nitpicking, but if general Obrenović was head of Black Hand, why did he stop Princip? After all, he has sent Princip to make assasination in the first place...
 
Ah, if you re-read the piece you'll see he's part of the (just-as-fictional) WHITE hand society. Or, more correctly, the General IS the society.

I invented the whole thing to serve as a POD, completely fictional. But this is just the catalyst for this TL...
 

abc123

Banned
Ah, if you re-read the piece you'll see he's part of the (just-as-fictional) WHITE hand society. Or, more correctly, the General IS the society.

I invented the whole thing to serve as a POD, completely fictional. But this is just the catalyst for this TL...

:eek:
OK, my bad, sorry.
 
Prologue IV: "The Pan-European War"
by Niall Furgeson, 1998, Basic Books.ISBN0-465-05711-X. (excerpts)

"Current accepted history tells us that Russia and France were unequivocally "responsible" for the Pan-European war. However, economically..."

"The family ties between the houses of Hohenzollern and Windsor proved strong enough to provide a platform for mediation. The agreements between the two..."

"The assurance that Germany would focus itself on Continental Europe left the United Kingdom free to expand its colonial activities. This can be seen in the transfer of German Tanzania to the UK..."

"Had the United Kingdom chosen to intervene on France's behalf, the situation could have been entirely reversed. Germany may not have succeeded in breaking through the French lines and the war in the West may have deteriorated into a stalemate, a trench war as seen on the Austrian-Russian borders..."
 
Prologue V: Bandeville, South-west of Paris, France - October 15th 1921

The morning was foggy but the fog was yellow and the trees were dead.

Germans strewn around a trench - some moaning, some silent. Operation Michael had succeeded and a German victory seemed certain. The Landser of List regiment felt they were being slaughtered for no reason whatsoever. The Russians were no longer a factor and the French, well, in Paris they still resisted fiercely but most were either dead or in Algeria.

On this day, Hanni, Rudolf and [CENSORED} (well, let's just call him Karl, then. -ed)

So, again. Hanni, Rudolf and Karl were sitting in a trench. The stocks of French wine were gone and so were the women - at least the Parisiennes had had something to trade for their passage to safety.
The war was nearly at an end, everybody knew that, they were going to go home and **** every German girl too. A lone Gefreiter, though, just sat in a corner with his head in his hands.

They never noticed the shell that was hurtling towards them.

Gefreiter Adolf Schicklgruber jumped up to deliver a few lines of rhetoric about the Heimat and doing their duty for the emperor when the shell landed and tore them all to shreds.
 
Prologue VI: the Second Treaty of Frankfurt
(from TTL wikipedia)

The Second Treaty of Frankfurt (French: Le deuxième traité de Francfort; German: Zweite Friede von Frankfurt) was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 2 August 1922, at the end of the Pan-European War.

Summary

The treaty did the following:


  • Established a new frontier between the French Republic and the German Empire, giving the latter control over the area from roughly Lausanne to Le Havre,
  • Confirmed Belgium's status as a sovereign nation under Germany's protection,
  • Regulated the payment of France's war indemnity of thirteen billion Reichsmark (due within twenty years),
  • Transfer of former French colonies to the British in return for their neutrality
The treaty also established the terms for the following:

  • The relocation of the French gouvernment to Nantes at Château des ducs de Bretagne,
  • Trade between the two countries
  • The return of prisoners of war
...

Legacy

This treaty firmy established Germany as the leading Continental power while also reinforcing ties between the German and British empires. The reparations to be paid by France were waived when the French gouvernment by 1928 showed interest in joining the Zollverein, soon to be awkwardly renamed the Vereinte Europäische Nationen or United European Nations (UEN). This was ofcourse the forerunner of the current United States of Europe.

It must not be forgotten that the lenient treatment of the French by the German Empire paved the way for the possibility of peace between the two nations and indeed the entire Continent.

Notes


  1. ^ Hawthorne, 217
  2. ^ Hawthorne, 248

References


  • Hawthorne, John (Jan, 1961). "The Franco-German Boundary of 1922", World Politics, pp. 209-250.
  • Eckhardt, Charles (May, 1923). "The French Question", The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 6, No. 5, pp. 431-443.
 

abc123

Banned
Prologue VI: the Second Treaty of Frankfurt
(from TTL wikipedia)

The Second Treaty of Frankfurt (French: Le deuxième traité de Francfort; German: Zweite Friede von Frankfurt) was a peace treaty signed in Frankfurt on 2 August 1922, at the end of the Pan-European War.

Summary

The treaty did the following:


  • Established a new frontier between the French Republic and the German Empire, giving the latter control over the area from roughly Lausanne to Le Havre,


I don't really see that Germany would want such area with millions of French people, maybe some area around Briey ( and annexation of Luxembourg ) but not such big annexation of France.
OTOH, a LARGE demilitarised zone streching from Abbevile-Reims-Besancon line to the border is definitly a possibility.

And why transfer of French Government in some remote castle in Bretagne?
 
I don't really see that Germany would want such area with millions of French people, maybe some area around Briey ( and annexation of Luxembourg ) but not such big annexation of France.
OTOH, a LARGE demilitarised zone streching from Abbevile-Reims-Besancon line to the border is definitly a possibility.

And why transfer of French Government in some remote castle in Bretagne?

The Germans want nor need this area, indeed. Their reasoning is economical mainly, though - they now have something Big to trade with. The German concept of a Zollverein is quite old, at least pre-dating this TL's Great War.

By giving it back, they can demonstrate their humanity and good will - and in the mean time force France to join. Remember, the Germans now have a Goebbels man doing their PR.

Also, they feel France was in a large part responsible for the war and taking the area is simply punishment - quite equivalent to the French feelings post-OTL-WW1. They always intended to give it back, though.


As for the gouvernment, well, Nantes has some historical significance and the castle is just that - a big, old castle, lending them at least some dignity and regard.

Remember, unlike OTL-Versailles, the Germans are planning to unite Europe and it won't do to p*** off future allies too much. So they take a big bite first and then start applying the friendship sauce.
 
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Prologue VI: Stalin's datsje, Sotsji, Russia, june 12th 1938

Ordzjonikidze shifted in his seat. "But there are socialists in their parliament! Many of them!", he saind. He stood up and walked towards the window. "Koba, you know, sometimes I even think we can peacefully convert them."
Stalin was sitting behind him in a large, red armchair. "Sergo, those capitalists' lapdogs cannot be counted upon. They have sold out to capitalism, enjoy their petty luxuries too much to risk them. They're soft."
The Great leader was sometimes disappointed in his old friend. They had seen much over the years and he had come to like the man. But he, too, was too soft. Too soft for the people's revolution. And then Kirov, what was he doing? His speeches always attracted much applause - the audience took care not to clap for too long - and was always objecting. Almost questioning his authority. As if called, Kirov spoke up.
"That does not mean we need to attack them. We all know what happened last time."
Was he doubting the ability of the glorious Soviet forces? Was he doubting his ability? Inside, Iosif Vissarionovitsj Dzjoegasjvili, the old shoemaker's son, was furious. On the outside, though, he was like a rock. An iceberg. They'd have to go.
 
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