Eastrern Front WW1 ATL

Before I start, I would like to introduce myself as Tres, and this is my first TL.

I would also like to thank Anaxagoras for his Rule Britannia TL, which was the inspiration for my own Eastern Front TL, which I present below.

August 1914

World War 1 has begun. The German Army sweeps into Belgium and France, occupying most of Belgium within days. Austro-Hungarian soldiers invade Serbia, prompting Russia to intervene. Germany waits for Russian attacks against East Prussia. Attacks that will never come.

POD Russian Army division allocations:
10 infantry and 4 cavalry for defense of Baltic Sea and Poland
60 infantry and 20 cavalry for attacks against Austria-Hungary and against Balkan enemies
20 infantry and 5 cavalry to be transported from Siberia to create reserves for offensive armies.
(source: Wikipedia for OTL allocations)
(With this POD, the Tsar gambles that Germany will follow the Schlieffen Plan to the letter and that France and Britain hold, allowing for Russia to concentrate against Austria-Hungary and Silesia)

Eastern Front - 1914
Russia opens up the Eastern Front by a massive invasion against Austria-Hungary in Galicia and against Germany in Silesia, while Austria-Hungary attacks Serbia. Russia quickly occupies most of Galicia north of the Carpathian Mountains. The southern portion of Silesia is also taken, allowing for encirclement of Krakow. Krakow falls to Russian forces in September as the German army counterattacks in Silesia, retaking most of its land. Events on the Western Front however, demand that units of the 8th Army be redirected against the French and British to continue the invasion and hopefully take Paris. The Carpathian Mountains are crossed (with a heavy loss of life, as the Austro-Hungarian army has them well fortified) in October, but the Russians cannot sustain an attack into Hungary, so they are content with holding Galicia and parts of Czechoslovakia for now. The Russians dig in for the winter, the front stretching from the Romanian border to southern Silesia. Trench warfare dominates the Eastern Front for the winter.

Western Front - 1914
On August 4, the German Army, in accordance with the Schleiffen Plan, send most of their army into Belgium and France. By September, Belgium has almost completely fallen and half of France northeast of Paris is occupied by Germany. The German advance toward Paris is stopped at the Battle of the Marne. Both Germany and France begin the Race to the Sea, reaching the sea at Nieuport. In September, the German Army, strengthened by divisions from East Prussia, are assembled in Flanders to make a breakthrough against the British at Ypres. The assault begins on October 1. The Battle of Ypres is a success for the Germans, who push the front back about 15 miles on the coast. All remaining land in Belgium is taken. Dunkirk is briefly taken, but recaptured by the Royal Navy and fresh British troops. The Western front stabilizes. The front would remain almost unchanged through the winter of 1914-1915.

1914-1915 - Europe Prepares for the Long Haul
The war in Europe has ground to a halt by November, and all the fighting nations in Europe beef up their supply lines, communication networks, and, most importantly, their army and navy sizes. Germany holds a line in France from just east of Dunkirk to the Swiss border, and Russia holds a line just south of the Carpathian Mountains from Bohemia to the Romanian border in Bukhovina. Over 10 million young men are drafted into European armies during the winter, with Russia and Germany conscripting the most men. Russia and Britain begin to bring troops from the farthest reaches of their empires, with hundreds of thousands of Siberian soldiers manning trenches in Galicia and British, Canadian and ANZAC soldiers readying for an attack against the Ottoman Empire for the spring of 1915. Germany begins its naval policy of unrestricted submarine warfare, and Britain begins a blockade of Germany and sends ships into the Mediterranean. The Balkan nations of Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Albania profess neutrality, but they know that neutrality can only last if Russia and AH remain locked in a stalemate. Russia also prepares an army in the Caucasus (of mostly conscripted men and Siberians) to march against the Ottoman Empire in a double attack against the Ottomans with the British who will attack Gallipoli to take Constantinople. The slaughter of 1915 is ready to begin

Will continue to edit soon.... Thanks Wiking!
 
Last edited:

Deleted member 1487

There are several issues here I'll discuss below. I'm not trying to criticize, rather, I'm trying to educate you about what was going on politically that would make this unfeasible scenario as described. Its not unworkable, but it requires some more knowledge to make it plausible.

First, if the German 8th army wasn't attacked immediately in 1914, which is impossible because Russia was treaty bound to hit Germany as soon as hostilities started, Germany could not have sent troops West from Prussia to fight, as Germany was treaty bound to aid AH! These troops would fight in Poland at a different location. Also intelligence services would have picked up these different deployments and which would have adjusted Central Powers' deployments accordingly.
Eastern Front - 1914
In July, before the war starts, Russian diplomats are sent to the Romanian government in Bucharest to form an alliance. The Romanians are hesitant, but when offered Russian military protection and Transylvania from Austria-Hungary, the Romanians secretly accept, giving Russia a pathway to Serbia and an ally to fight with it against Austria-Hungary. Russian troops defend Serbia and attack Galicia, making significant gains against the Austrian Army. Russia approaches Greece (who was pro-Central Powers at the time) and, in exchange for military aid, offers them Constantinople and land in Bulgaria (mostly Thrace). Upon hearing of Russian treaties with its surrounding countries, Bulgaria allies with the Ottoman Empire in September (which allies Bulgaria with the Central Powers) and stations troops on the Danube river and the Romanian border. Greece professes neutrality, but secretly accepts Russia's offer.
First of all Romania requires the King to sign off on such deals. OTL that King was German and already had a secret deal to stay out of the war, one that he was intent on honoring. His son was the one that was open to such deals, but didn't become king until mid-1915 and required the Brusilov offensive to work before he would risk war. Romania, regardless of which King is in power, will not betray AH prewar, nor hop in at the beginning either due to the old King not being interested or his son being too timid.

Greece also would not make such an alliance thanks to their King being pro-German and married to Kaiser's Wilhelm's sister. Politically the populace and parliament support neutrality and is pro-German slightly until the Entente put boots on the ground at Salonika, which allowed the pro-Entente PM to overthrow the government, but even then only with French help. Even ITTL there is absolutely no reason for Greece to want to get involved in the war or make any alliances against Germany or AH. Also there is no way that Greece would trust or believe Russia; historically Britain was Greece's patron and even with offers made by the Entente OTL it required an overthrow of the government that involved Entente troops to make Greece even become somewhat favorably neutral to the Entente (i.e. even after the coup Greece stayed neutral OTL!)

Bulgaria OTL required a whole slew of factors to join the war on the side of the Central Powers, none of which will happen ITTL by the POD that seems them ally with the Ottomans, who were BTW their most recent enemy that they hated with a passion and required major bribes to consider allying with OTL. So by the scenario you've laid out Bulgaria very most certainly would NOT be allying with anyone!

Also Russia has nothing against Bulgaria and actually sees itself as a supporter of all Slavs, so wouldn't want to form alliances against her unless Bulgaria declared war on Russia first.
And if all of what you're suggesting were so easy, why didn't it happen historically? Because there were mitigating factors that prevented any of this from happening.

Eastern Front - 1914
As the Russian Army continues to attack Galicia while improving its communications and logistical infrastructure in Southern Russia, the Romanian and Greek armies (with some aid from Russia) prepare for an invasion of Bulgaria. Romania attacks from the border at the Black Sea coast in an attempt to capture the southern bank of the Danube while Greece waits to stab Bulgaria in the back with an invasion of Thrace. On October 10, Greece invades Thrace. The Ottoman Empire increases border defenses and strengthens the garrison of its capital, Constantinople. The Bulgarian Army is slowly bled white, and loses ground to Greece while holding defenses against Romania. Any hope of Bulgarian victory is cut short by a Serbian attack against western Bulgaria on October 24, which although light, requires the Bulgarians to send troops to protect Sofia. The Bulgarian defenses collapse, and the Greeks and Romanians meet halfway between Sofia and the sea, dividing Bulgaria.

When are these attacks occurring and how is Russia getting aid to Greece? The only way was through Bulgaria or the Bosophorus, which is closed by the Ottomans. Also Russian military ships nor army units were allowed through the straights prewar by treaty with Britain. So there is no way for Russia to militarily aid Greece. Also you have both Greece and Romania attacking Bulgaria in winter and in the mountains, where the Bulgarians had forts and were very capable of taking both countries in defensive battles, just as they checked the Entente armies from 1915-1918, besting better equipped and more numerous opponents throughout the whole war. Russia invading from the Black Sea? Where are they landing? The Bulgarians have coastal artillery and would slaughter the Russian ships, especially as this is the era before purpose-built landing crafts and the Black Sea fleet wasn't appreciably large, not to mention the Ottoman fleet still needs to be dealt with.
 
There are several issues here I'll discuss below. I'm not trying to criticize, rather, I'm trying to educate you about what was going on politically that would make this unfeasible scenario as described. Its not unworkable, but it requires some more knowledge to make it plausible.

First, if the German 8th army wasn't attacked immediately in 1914, which is impossible because Russia was treaty bound to hit Germany as soon as hostilities started, Germany could not have sent troops West from Prussia to fight, as Germany was treaty bound to aid AH! These troops would fight in Poland at a different location. Also intelligence services would have picked up these different deployments and which would have adjusted Central Powers' deployments accordingly.

First of all Romania requires the King to sign off on such deals. OTL that King was German and already had a secret deal to stay out of the war, one that he was intent on honoring. His son was the one that was open to such deals, but didn't become king until mid-1915 and required the Brusilov offensive to work before he would risk war. Romania, regardless of which King is in power, will not betray AH prewar, nor hop in at the beginning either due to the old King not being interested or his son being too timid.

Greece also would not make such an alliance thanks to their King being pro-German and married to Kaiser's Wilhelm's sister. Politically the populace and parliament support neutrality and is pro-German slightly until the Entente put boots on the ground at Salonika, which allowed the pro-Entente PM to overthrow the government, but even then only with French help. Even ITTL there is absolutely no reason for Greece to want to get involved in the war or make any alliances against Germany or AH. Also there is no way that Greece would trust or believe Russia; historically Britain was Greece's patron and even with offers made by the Entente OTL it required an overthrow of the government that involved Entente troops to make Greece even become somewhat favorably neutral to the Entente (i.e. even after the coup Greece stayed neutral OTL!)

Bulgaria OTL required a whole slew of factors to join the war on the side of the Central Powers, none of which will happen ITTL by the POD that seems them ally with the Ottomans, who were BTW their most recent enemy that they hated with a passion and required major bribes to consider allying with OTL. So by the scenario you've laid out Bulgaria very most certainly would NOT be allying with anyone!

Also Russia has nothing against Bulgaria and actually sees itself as a supporter of all Slavs, so wouldn't want to form alliances against her unless Bulgaria declared war on Russia first.
And if all of what you're suggesting were so easy, why didn't it happen historically? Because there were mitigating factors that prevented any of this from happening.



When are these attacks occurring and how is Russia getting aid to Greece? The only way was through Bulgaria or the Bosophorus, which is closed by the Ottomans. Also Russian military ships nor army units were allowed through the straights prewar by treaty with Britain. So there is no way for Russia to militarily aid Greece. Also you have both Greece and Romania attacking Bulgaria in winter and in the mountains, where the Bulgarians had forts and were very capable of taking both countries in defensive battles, just as they checked the Entente armies from 1915-1918, besting better equipped and more numerous opponents throughout the whole war. Russia invading from the Black Sea? Where are they landing? The Bulgarians have coastal artillery and would slaughter the Russian ships, especially as this is the era before purpose-built landing crafts and the Black Sea fleet wasn't appreciably large, not to mention the Ottoman fleet still needs to be dealt with.
Wow. Thank you for that, I have very limited knowledge of European monarchies or other treaties at the time. Maybe this would not have worked, seeing as I wrote only from a military strategist point of view.

Could Russia have attacked both the German 8th Army and the Austrian Army in Galicia? Maybe the Russian Army would mount a minor invasion of East Prussia, similar to the French in 1939. Maybe the Balkans remain neutral until 1915 and Russia continues to advance into Galicia and Hungary through the winter, after more of Austria-Hungary is taken, other events in 1915 could fuel more Allied support in the Balkans. I really need to do some editing...

As for the attacks against Bulgaria, I meant that Russian troops would fight between the Danube and the Black sea on the border, not an amphibious assault.

OK, Southern front can wait until 1915, while Russia throws more of its men against AH.
 

Deleted member 1487

Could Russia have attacked both the German 8th Army and the Austrian Army in Galicia?
Why not? They did OTL with each half of their army. As it was the preponderance was sent south and turned out to be too much of a good thing. Logistically the Russians couldn't supply all of their troops during the invasion of Galicia and had to pull out about 2/3rds of their troops from the province and give up the invasion of Hungary until November-December, when they failed miserably thanks to AH successes and German re-enforcements.
Logistically adding more troops to Galicia or Romania was impossible because of a major lack of capacity in rail roads and rolling stock. The Russians purposely did not develop their rail connections with Galicia as a defense mechanism in case of AH invasion. This of course backfired terribly. Beyond Russia, the rail links to Romania were very primitive because Romania and Russia had nothing to trade with one another; Romania was a smaller version of Russia: a grain exporting, oil producing, underdeveloped peasant farmer society. They had no need of trade with Russia, so didn't develop the rail connections with them beyond minor ones. Plus there was the issue of Bessarabia, which kind of was a less intense version of the Transsylvanian rivalry.

Maybe the Russian Army would mount a minor invasion of East Prussia, similar to the French in 1939.
Why? They were treaty bound to attack Germany to support France with at least half of their army and Germany was the main enemy anyway. Russia had nothing but contempt for AH's military, so didn't see them as a threat. The Germans were the threat and needed to be hit while they were at their weakest in the East. Berlin was open to Russian armies in 1914, never again. Besides logistics is why they cannot use more troops in Galicia, which already was overkill.

Maybe the Balkans remain neutral until 1915 and Russia continues to advance into Galicia and Hungary through the winter, after more of Austria-Hungary is taken, other events in 1915 could fuel more Allied support in the Balkans. I really need to do some editing...
Bulgaria would ally with Russia ITTL as the CPs have no chance. Also once falling back on the Carpathinans the AHs were not going to let anyone invade Hungary...I mean OTL they caused the Russians something like 1 million casualties when they tried to breakthrough from January to April. There is a very tough mountain shield that neither the Romanians, nor Russians every broke through OTL, with the Winter being the worst time to try. The Romanians could be easily held until Winter thanks to their slow mobilization, that is even without sabotage, after which time they cannot invade again until May. The Russians cannot reach the Carpathians until winter anyway due to logistics, and OTL they attacked during this period anyway, suffering 1 million losses in 4 months in the Winter of 1915 just to try and win quickly.
Expecting the AHs to roll over neglects their very historical determination to win and successes prevent all comers from actually breaking her mountain shields.

As for the attacks against Bulgaria, I meant that Russian troops would fight between the Danube and the Black sea on the border, not an amphibious assault.
The logistics of that would be nearly impossible. As it was the rail road workers were pro-German and in 1916 sabotaged Romanian mobilization and supply, which they probably would here too. There was also the German successes with their spies blowing up the Romanian arsenal in Bucharest, which effectively wiped out their shell supply; here those agents, who obviously were keyed into the Romanian government, would be up to similar mischief, perhaps with the same success, less, or perhaps even greater!
 
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