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I've made an attempt at writing an TL based on speculations in several threads about the results of a Successful Austria in the Austro-Prussian war. Nineteenth century warfare is not my area of expertise, and if I've messed anything up, I would be more than happy to fix it.


Die Wacht Am Rhein


The Prusso-Austrian War

On July 3, 1866, Austrian and Prussian troops met each other on the field of battle near the Bohemian town of Sadowa. The Prussian battle plan entailed splitting the armies up into two groups, with the second army, led by Crown Prince Frederick intended to catch the Austrians when they were unprepared. Unfortunately, the Crown Prince’s Army lost communication with the rest of the force, due to a sabotaged telegraph line, and so turned up late and in the wrong place. This, coupled with a timely Austrian Cavalry Charge on the Prussian 8th and 4th divisions, ensured that the greater Austrian numbers crushed the combined First Army, and the Army of the Elbe. An orderly retreat rapidly turned into a full rout, and over 30000 Prussian troops were captured. The Prussian 2nd army continued to wander through Bohemia, unaware of the Austrian victory. They were eventually cut off from the rest of the Prussian forces, as well as from all lines of supply and communication. Austrian forces on getting wind of their location, turned around meeting them in battle two days later day. Out-numbered 2-1, the Prussian 2nd army was decisively defeated, and forced to surrender en masse. The Prussian 1st army, unaware of the location of the 2nd army, and hoping to meet up with it near the Bohemian border, continued to retreat. However a lack of supplies ensured that hundreds more men would die by the time the army was reformed in Silesia, and it was learned that the 2nd army had been lost.

After the hugely successful defense of Bohemia, and the capture of Crown Prince Frederick, the Austrian army waited a few days for reinforcements, and commenced its invasion of Silesia. The vastly diminished Prussian forces attempted a valiant defense of Breslau, but were none-the-less defeated. Hearing of the decisive Austrian victory in the east, many of the Prussian armies in central Germany were forced to make a hasty retreat to the capital in an attempt to mount a last-ditch defense. Napoleon III, upon hearing of the Austrian victory at Sadowa, finally decided on a course of action. Deciding that the dangers of a powerful Prussia outweighed the merits of a united Italy and a humbled Austria, he declared war on Prussia (though not on Italy) on the 15th of July, and promptly occupied the Rhineland with little difficulty. In Italy, the Austrian troupes continued their string of victories winning a naval victory at Lissa, and a land victory in the Alps.

On the 31st of July, Allied troops laid siege to Berlin. Two weeks later, King Wilhelm consented to a peace conference. Otto Von Bismarck was long gone, having fled to Russia after the disaster at Sadowa.

The Conference of Berlin Lasted for three weeks, though little progress was made at first. Napoleon demanded all territories west of the Rhine, including the Bavarian Palatinate as a payment for his "efforts." Franz Joseph refused to hand over so much vital territory to a power which had done next to nothing during the war. Furthermore, he declared that as long as France occupied the Rhineland, Venetia would not be surrendered. The French and Italians eventually left the conference in a huff without signing a treaty. Napoleon formally annexed the Rhineland and Bavarian Palatinate a week later.

On the 5th of September the treaty of Berlin was signed by a very Unhappy King Wilhelm. Prussia was ruined as a great power. Westphalia (and Nominally most of the Rhineland) was split off, and put into personal union with the Duchy of Hohenzollern under the Catholic Branch of the Hohenzollern monarchy. The new Kingdom of Westphalia would be occupied by Austrian and Hanoverian forces for 10 years, and then would be allowed into the German Confederation. Silesia was annexed directly into the Austrian Empire, Saxony regained the borders it had prior to the Congress of Vienna, Bavaria was nominally awarded the Saarland (now under French control) and Hanover was allowed to annex Brunswick, Bremen, Hamburg and Oldenburg. the Principalities of Schleswig-Holstein were formed into a new Kingdom to be ruled by a the house of Oldenburg as compensation for losing their traditional lands. A host of minor Principalities were shuffled around, and Prussia was banned from the German confederation until 1886. Prussia also had to pay a large indemnity, and drastically reduce the size of its army. In return, its prisoners and Crown Prince were returned, and the Capital was vacated by the allied armies.

The German Confederation underwent some restructuring, it now included a customs union based on the now defunct Prussian Zolverein, and a full-time allied military force, known as Die Wacht Am Rhein, was created in order to defend the Rhenish Border against French aggression.
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