Heart of Dixie: A Timeline

[Witch0Winter]

So what exactly has been going on with the Ottoman Empire in the lead up to war? With the Russians in the Quadruple Alliance its doubtful the Ottomans will join. Might they stay out of the Great War altogether as the League of Armed Neutrality seems poised to do? After all aligning with France doesn't have many tangible benefits. France/AH v The Quadruple Alliance while the other Great Powers selectively send aid to either side seems like a interesting conflict in the making, but I digress. Whatever does end up happening im sure it will be superb

The unfortunate part about writing AH is that I can't ever cover quite everyone that should be covered. I've definitely noticed my own lack of anything related to the British Empire, for example. Anyway, I might have mentioned it, but if not I'll go into more detail that France supported the Ottomans against Russia during the various conflicts in the Balkans as well as Ottoman claims in
the Caucasus. Essentially, allying with France is seen by the Ottomans as a way to get back land they lost in the Balkans and Caucasus as well as get revenge against the Russians. Which also has the added benefit of giving the failing government the prestige it needs to keep the empire together. I'll cover everyone's main reasons for war in the next update.

 

[theINQUISITOR]

The unfortunate part about writing AH is that I can't ever cover quite everyone that should be covered. I've definitely noticed my own lack of anything related to the British Empire, for example. Anyway, I might have mentioned it, but if not I'll go into more detail that France supported the Ottomans against Russia during the various conflicts in the Balkans as well as Ottoman claims in
the Caucasus. Essentially, allying with France is seen by the Ottomans as a way to get back land they lost in the Balkans and Caucasus as well as get revenge against the Russians. Which also has the added benefit of giving the failing government the prestige it needs to keep the empire together. I'll cover everyone's main reasons for war in the next update.

First time poster here, and PlatoonSgt I've got to say, in my short time on AH.com your TL has quickly become my favorite.
Quick question though, did the Balkans develop more or less the same as they did in OTL late 1800's? Did Bulgaria still declare independence and merge with Eastern Rumelia? Did the may coup still happen in Serbia? I'm assuming the Balkan League and ensuing wars got butterflied. And nothing against your fine work, but I have to say that I'm a little disappointed that you didn't make the Ottomans and Austrians enemies. While I guess the Ottomans aligning with Russia would be extremely unlikely, the chaos that would create in the Balkans would be incredibly fun. It's your TL though, and I trust that it will continue to be well researched and informative, as always.

 

[Witch0Winter]

First time poster here, and PlatoonSgt I've got to say, in my short time on AH.com your TL has quickly become my favorite.
Quick question though, did the Balkans develop more or less the same as they did in OTL late 1800's? Did Bulgaria still declare independence and merge with Eastern Rumelia? Did the may coup still happen in Serbia? I'm assuming the Balkan League and ensuing wars got butterflied. And nothing against your fine work, but I have to say that I'm a little disappointed that you didn't make the Ottomans and Austrians enemies. While I guess the Ottomans aligning with Russia would be extremely unlikely, the chaos that would create in the Balkans would be incredibly fun. It's your TL though, and I trust that it will continue to be well researched and informative, as always.

Welcome to the board, and thank you very much for the kind words! I regret that I haven't had the time to cover every part of the world, especially the Balkans since there is a bit of a mixup there. Bulgaria does indeed merge with Eastern Rumelia around the same time as OTL, but Bulgaria itself declared independence much sooner than OTL due to Russian influence. Serbia did as well, though the May Coup and Balkan League did not happen as OTL, thus letting the Ottomans keep southern Serbia and more of Greece than just the area around Istanbul as OTL. I do admit it would have been nice to see the Ottomans allied against Austria, but ITTL with Russia helping Serbia and Bulgaria win independence much sooner and Austria supporting Ottoman claims in the Balkans, it wouldn't have made sense for the Ottomans to ally with Russia. There will still be plenty of craziness in the Balkans, though, don't worry.

 

[FleetMac]

While I'm thinking about it, what happens during the upcoming war in Southeast Asia? Specifically, Indochina and German Philippines...if it's a plot point and/or a surprise, ignore please .

 

[Witch0Winter]

While I'm thinking about it, what happens during the upcoming war in Southeast Asia? Specifically, Indochina and German Philippines...if it's a plot point and/or a surprise, ignore please .

There will be either an entire update or large sections of each update dedicated to the war in the Pacific.

 

[Witch0Winter]

Hey people! Yeah, sorry for another apology post (I swear I'm gonna stop there)! Right as I got on track for updates, my laptop fracked out on me, which also cost me the entire update that I had nearly finished! So now I'm on my desktop and am coming close to finishing the next update. It would have been finished, but I ended up adding in more background detail to flesh it out, which I hope you all don't mind. Anyway, update coming soon and if this computer doesn't fry itself I should be back on a weekly schedule.

 

[Witch0Winter]

You know, I really need to learn how to write shorter updates. Oh well, I guess you all will have to deal with detail. Many thanks for waiting, and here at last I catch up to my posts in the map thread.

This is neither an accusation nor a confession, and least of all an adventure, for death is not an adventure to those who stand face to face with it. It will try simply to tell of a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war.
-Erich Maria Remarque​

War Pigs: The World Set Free 1911​

Generals Gathered In Their Masses: The Beginning 1911

As the clocks struck midnight to herald the coming of January 1, 1911, the world stood on the brink of war, even if it did not know of its imminent peril quite yet. Despite the system of alliances that had bound the world into three camps, two of which were hostile, few people believed that a war on any large scale was possible. Even the people of Belgium and France hardly believed their own governments’ warnings of German aggression. There was a general animosity, of course, but the intellectuals of Paris respected their colleagues in Berlin, and vice-versa. To much of Europe, the only conflict that might come was between Austria and Germany, the two nations who had never quite been able to settle their differences.

The general clashes between Austria and Germany, as well as the Reich’s ally, Russia, had even driven together the Ottoman Empire and Austria into an unlikely alliance, partly out of sheer need. Russia had steadily been encroaching upon Ottoman territory in the Caucasus and creating allies in the Balkans out of Serbia and Bulgaria, who had achieved independence in 1889 and 1895, respectively. France and Austria, meanwhile, had continued to recognize Ottoman claims on the territories and refused to accept the independence of the Balkan states. Thus, the impetus for war had been created, though the powers that be didn’t quite see it at the time. To Germany, the Balkans were a series of petty disputes anyway, hardly worth recognition.

In 1911, Germany and its allies were much more focused on the happenings an entire world away, in the nations in the Pacific. In 1908, Japan had invaded and annexed the Korean Empire, much to the shock of Europe. Most disconcerting was the Empire of Japan’s use of modern tactics and weaponry in the war, easily outclassing the best the Koreans had. Though it was news to the world, to Japan it was only showing off what they already had. Dai Nippon Teikoku, or Great Imperial State of Japan as it was officially known, had been formed under Emperor Meiji after Meiji successfully abolished feudalism in Japan in 1871 and united all the shogunates together into a British-styled empire. Since then, a period of rapid industrialization had followed to better allow Japan to compete on the world stage since it had been forcibly removed from isolation by Commodore Perry. The attitude that Japan should be expanded outward was a consequence of this, and resulted in the First Sino-Japanese War, in which Japan annexed the island of Formosa from Qing China, and in the Korean War, after which Korea was annexed by Japan. While the members of the Triple Alliance (rechristened the Quadruple Alliance in 1910) looked at it as a bald act of aggression, especially nearby Russia, the Triple Entente viewed Japan’s actions with interest. France in particular had sought a way to project its power further in East Asia from its territory in Indochina, and began formulating an alliance with Japan, promising it Chinese and Russian land should war ever come to fruition. For the expanding Japanese, the deal was perfect, and they agreed right away. Of course, they did not tell the French that they planned on a war with Russia whether the Triple Entente wanted it or not.

Japanese warships bombarding Incheon, Korea.​

While the aging Emperor Meiji sat comfortably on his throne, the Qing Emperor Yixuan was getting thrown off of his. A large number of agitations in China including commercial restrictions, the Qing allowing foreigners to claim land in China, and losing to Japan in the First Sino-Japanese War as well as numerous civil rights abuses from the ruling Qing had set thousands of Chinese, especially in the areas south of the North China Plain into a frenzy against the government. Emotions peaked with clashes between soldiers and civilians in the city of Chongqing, resulting in hundreds dead. The civil unrest grew into rebellion, and the Chongqing Uprising was born. The largest point of the uprising in which it still could have been quelled was a battle at the heart of Chongqing, in Yuzhong, known as the Battle of Yuzhong. Qing soldiers fought against revolutionaries led by their leader, Tan Zhen. Despite superior numbers, the Qing troops were poorly led and made up of men from outside the province, giving Tan Zhen’s soldiers the distinct advantage of knowing their terrain. The battle turned into a route for the revolutionaries.

Following the Battle of Yuzhong on March 10, 1908, revolutionary fervor spread throughout all of China, reaching the cities of Nanking and Tianjin by the summer. The areas under European control nominally supported the republican revolutionaries, and with outside help from the British Empire, the United States, and Germany, Tan Zhen’s Nationalist Army took control of Peking (today known as Beijing) on April 24, 1909. The Qing Empire fell soon after, and the Republic of China was declared on May 5, 1909. President Tan Zhen became the first leader, and set about to recuperate from the war and rebuild what had been destroyed, as well as making plans for large-scale industrialization with money that had been promised by Germany and the United States. Relations were strong between the Empire of Germany and Republic of China, as Germany had sought to bolster the republic as an opponent to France and Japan in the region, and to assist Russia if war should ever come. China was initially reluctant to be bossed around by Germany, but millions of German marks persuaded them to begin settling in with Russia, despite territorial claims on Russian land.

These relations came to a head in 1911 when, on February 15, China signed a treaty to join the Quadruple Alliance, formally creating a gap between it and the Empire of Japan. Though France regarded the alliance between the two as “a pact between Huns and Mongols,” in reality French military leaders in Asia grew worried with 400 million more enemies on their border. Because of this, France began to come to terms with the idea that, if something was not done to correct the current situation soon, the rapidly-industrializing China would be able to take down any French territory or ally in Asia.

Sino-German Unity.​

The strength of China was actually far overestimated by the French and their allies, a fact which Germany was well aware of. Propaganda spread by the Imperial German government in conjunction with the Chinese government assisted this view, and kept France on its toes. Despite this fear, however, France still spread its influence throughout southern China, including the valuable port of Guangzhou and the island of Hainan. With China throwing its influence around, France tightened its control over these areas from trade route control to influencing the local governments and, effectively, creating a French Chinese colony. This rising tension threatened to boil over and create a bloodbath in the Far East. Germany moved the bulk of its Africa Fleet to the Philippines to bolster the ships already there. Elements of the German Army’s Fifth Army, the V Corps’ 9th and 10th Infantry Divisions, were moved to bases around Manila to oppose a mixed force from France’s 3rd Army Corps, which was mostly contained within Indochina but operated as far north as Zunyi near the Sichuan Basin.

While the conflicts in the Far East continued to boil, a domestic dispute in Europe was setting the entire continent on edge. Since Bosnia had freed itself from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century, it had existed in a legal gray area. The Ottoman Empire did not recognize its independence, and neither did Austria and France. Germany and Russia, meanwhile, recognized Bosnian independence, and threatened action if the Ottomans attempted to reabsorb Bosnia into its territory. However, Austria was not happy to have what was essentially a rogue state on its border and immediately set about look for a way to control it. Initially Emperor Franz Joseph was more than willing to influence the Bosnian government, and held a status quo for five years this way. But in 1911 Bosnian nationalists attempted a coup against their Austrian-backed government in an attempt to establish complete sovereignty. The nationalists were aided by the Serbians and, covertly, the Russians. The coup failed, but led to a small civil war, primarily focused in and around Sarajevo. Though the civil war mostly remained concentrated in the capital, and small at that, it gave Austria an excuse to intervene. In May of 1911, Austrian troops crossed the border into Bosnia as “peacekeeping” forces to stabilize the government. In reality, of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Approaching Sarajevo from the north and west, Austrian troops neutralized nationalist elements in three heavy days of fighting in the Bosnian capital, then quickly forced themselves onto the government loyalists. Through a series of polite talks given at gunpoint, Austria effectively absorbed Bosnia into itself on June 1, 1911.

International outrage was sparked by the act, with Germany and Russia protesting vehemently against the act. The pressures came to such a head, in fact, that throughout the summer Austria worked to prove that they were merely providing reliable government until the Bosnians could manage themselves effectively. This seemed to work for most of the summer, or at least keep the Germans and Russians at bay. France entered heavy negotiations with the Austrians as well, and not in support. While their Ottoman allies applauded Franz Joseph for his bold move, French President Georges Clemenceau chastised Austria for upsetting the tentative status quo in Europe and bringing up the potential conflict of the Triple Entente against the Quadruple Alliance. For a time, it appeared the France might pull out of the conflict entirely, or even renounce its membership in the Triple Entente. Though France was not entirely against the idea of a colonial war in East Asia, war in Europe was not on their list of priorities. It was only the efforts of Abdul Hamid II of the Ottoman Empire that successfully negotiated President Clemenceau to stay, through the reasoning that Germany had already been stepping up for war in East Asia, and that there was little reason for the war to stay there. He argued that France and Austria were Germany’s last remaining major enemies on the continent, and knocking them both out would leave Germany in control of Europe. France, of course, did not wish to see that happen.

French anti-war newspaper parodying the Ottomans' contentment for Austria taking Bosnia and Herzegovina.​

Under the threat of German boots marching through the fields of France, President Clemenceau agreed to continue to support Austria’s control of Bosnia while discreetly beginning to mobilize its reserves. Germany noticed, however, and started to mobilize itself, as well as preparing for military-wide maneuvers in central Germany in late August to coordinate forces better. The Confederate States also began preparing itself, and several Central Asian divisions in Russia were diverted to Europe. The world teemed and pulsed with anger and fear over Bosnia and, to a lesser extent, East Asia. Negotiations were held to attempt to give Bosnia greater autonomy, and in mid August it seemed like Austria might let the small nation go.

Things might have turned out better, had Austria intercepted secret German cables to their consulate in Sarajevo. The messages were to be given to the remains of Bosnian nationalists, informing them that the Russians were willing to send them weapons and supplies if the Austrians did not grant them some sort of autonomy. The Austrians, naturally, were mortified and immediately demanded an apology. Germany, on the other hand, demanded that Austria pull out of Bosnia immediately. It was a gamble, but the Germans assumed that France would pressure Austria to agree. However, France saw the German demands as an attempt for Germany to choose Europe’s path in any way they wanted, just as the Austrians and Ottomans had warned. Even better, France was aware that the majority of Germany’s armies were out for maneuvers in order to, ironically enough, provide better coordination against a French attack.

Germany gave Austria a deadline of September 15 to begin removing itself from Bosnia, and Russia backed up the claim. Italy, with some reluctance under King Luigi Filiberto, supported the other members of the Quadruple Alliance, though did not expect war. Italy had been a reluctant member of the alliance for some time by 1911, and Germany worried about their wavering loyalty. France had been the nation to give Italy its independence in the first place, and some higher minds in Berlin feared that Italy might return to its roots.

With Italy’s allegiance shaky, Germany and Russia agreed to not be the ones to start war, and rather only go to war if attacked or if an ally was attacked. Unfortunately, they thought that a public announcement of this nature would be a sign of weakness, and so France and Austria had no idea that this was the case. Rather, both nations saw the deadline as an open act of aggression by Germany. Worse, with the cables from Berlin to Sarajevo already leaked, it seemed evident to the Triple Entente that Germany would not stop until it had both France and Austria under its heel.

Austrian anti-German propaganda distributed shortly before the war.​

The days leading up to the deadline was a time of anxiety in France. They knew that they could either try for a quick fight, a short war not to overrun Germany but to put them in their place, or they could let Germany get her way until she got fed up and went to war for the sake of conquest. It was a flawed perspective, but one brought on by the fear of the millions of Germans and Russians that France and Austria feared were waiting to break their defenses and take what was not theirs. Another factor in the rush toward action was that Germany’s military maneuvers ended on the 15th, to prepare for an Austrian refusal. If France waited that long, Germany’s borders would be secure and any attempted attack would get thrown back. If they were to strike, it was now or never.

Even still, Emperor Franz Joseph refused to attack, and only agreed to take military action if France was the first. As much as Austria hated the Germans, Franz Joseph himself had seen what war had done to his beloved nation in the Austro-Prussian War, and wanted to keep the peace as long as possible. He also feared greatly for his son, Rudolph, who, as Crown Prince, would serve as in the front lines if war came. Still, he did also not wish to abandon his nation to the will of the Germans, and so he vowed that if war came, Austria would be ready. Since they did not wish to upset the Germans, Austrian troops were not moved before the outbreak of war, but instead given strict orders of what to do in the case of war, and Austria’s planners estimated that they would only need 4-5 days to have their defenses at full strength.

Finally, on the night of September 8, President Georges Clemenceau gives the order: French troops are to cross the border into Germany in the morning and invade through to the Main, with Belgian troops serving as as back up. War had come to Europe at last, 39 years after the last great peace.

As The War Machine Keeps Turning: War On The Western Front 1911-1912

At 0600 on the morning of September 9, 1911, forces from the Third French Republic crossed the border into Germany in a massive surprise attack aimed at crippling the nation before it could react. The attack came on a dreary Saturday morning, a time when many border soldiers were on leave or slacking off. Most knew of the impending deadline, but few actually expected an attack, especially not from the French. Under this pretense, the border towns of Klarenthal, Ludweiler, Güdingen, and Bübingen were taken with very little effort. Large numbers of soldiers were so surprised that they surrendered without a shot when they saw thousands of French pouring into Germany.

In all, close to 100,000 French soldiers marched straight into Germany that day, with thousands more being called up to be sent to fight, and all divisions across France readied for invasion. Belgium contributed sizable numbers of soldiers of their own. However, French command remained split on how to use them, so roughly half supported the French attack while the rest attacked Germany farther north. However, while the French met little resistance at first, the city of Aachen across the border had retained the majority of its military presence, and with forces called in from the countryside managed to hold the Belgian attack. The Saarland would not be so lucky.

The main effort of the French army fell hard onto Saarbrücken, one of Germany’s biggest hubs in the Saarland and a town of full of industry and life. The people there had heard of the French attack already, and rushed to evacuate. This spread the soldiers defending the city out, as they were forced to assist in the evacuations as well as hold the line. There was no time to dig trenches, and with the city largely defenseless it became a bitter house-to-house struggle between French and German soldiers. Thousands of young boys clashed in the streets of the city, fighting with rifle, bayonet, and grenade. The French machine guns that they had been armed with found use here, as entire blocks could be sprayed with bullets for great effect.

Men died in droves, and their screams rang out across the city. Blood soaked into the streets and the walls of houses, and the innards of men covered boots and uniforms of men on both sides. While the cities taken early in the morning had largely been bloodless affairs, it was in Saarbrücken that the first civilian casualties occurred. Families unable to evacuate in time were caught in the crossfire. Fathers, sons, daughters, and mothers died as their homes were torn apart by bullets. The diary of a French corporal recovered after the war (today archived in the Nation War Museum in Paris), described the fighting as, “The first signs of modern warfare.”

The first of many.​

By late afternoon, Saarbrücken had fell to the advancing French, and German survivors fled in disorganized chaos. Karlsruhe, Mitte, and Strasbourg fell by nightfall, and Freiburg was in danger of being overrun. Command of military forces in the Saarland fell to the German Third Army under the command of Generaloberst Otto d’Elsa. The XI and XII Corps and the XII Reserve Corps had been on exercises outside of Frankfurt, and rushed to support all reserve and mustered troops in the Saarland. Army headquarters were moved to Mannheim, relatively far from the front, while the majority of troops were dug in around Speyer to the south and Kaiserslautern to the west. The XIX Corps and mortar battalion of the Third Army, still in Saxony, were immediately recalled.

Along with this development, all German Army Groups in central Germany were rushed to train stations to be moved to the front. All civilian trains not carrying war materials, and since the war had just begun few weren’t, were forced to a standstill while military trains passed toward the French front. Helmuth Von Moltke, German Chief of the General Staff, immediately began mobilizing troops for war. In total, The German First, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Armies were mobilized to the French front, with the majority of reserve divisions to be pressed into service there as well. The Second Army would be moved to the Belgian front, the most steady front, while the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Armies were to move to the Austrian front and prepare to attack at once. Von Moltke was criticized heavily for his decision to leave so many men out of the fight with the French when they were on German soil, but the General insisted, telling them that he could not win a war on the defensive.

Meanwhile, now that the border had been crossed and war declared, the French were free to move the majority of their armies to the German front, a dangerous situation for the Germans. While Italy remained a second front for France, little was feared from the Italians, and in general the French thinking was to knock Germany out of the war first.

The plan, however, was rocky in that, in order to keep the utmost secrecy involved, the French were not able to alert their Austrian allies until the attack had already started about their plans for the Germans. Because of this, the Austrians were not able to prepare an attack of their own, and by the time they had scrambled soldiers to the German fronts in Bohemia and on the Bavarian border, Germany had the forces to repel them if they tried to invade. So, the soldiers of Franz Joseph began to settle into the pre-dug trenches and other defenses to defend their homes from the Germans.

Men of the Austrian Army.​

While it might have been an opportune time to attack, priority was given to the French front by the German high command, keeping the Austrian front from being organized for five days. Though relatively short, this prevented a large assault into Austrian territory before they were prepared, and delayed a victory for either side on the front. Generaloberst Maximilian von Mackensen, commander of Eighth Army and the Eastern Front, decided to postpone an attack even further once his forces had been gathered. Unlike what the French attack into German territory, however, he did not spread out his forces. Von Mackensen instead placed guard units along the Bavarian border and concentrated the majority of his forces in Saxony along the Saxony-Bohemia line, with elements of Sixth and Seventh Army in Silesia to spread out Austrian defenses. While he spread his forces, he put out requests, which were more or less thinly-veiled orders, to the armies of Russia and Italy to prepare attacks upon Austria at the behest of Germany. Von Mackensen desired a coordinated assault by all allies directly into Austria, giving the forces of Franz Joseph, primarily concentrated in Bohemia, three fronts to fight on.

However, both allies remained reluctant to fully commit. Russia had to worry about a front that would stretch from Warsaw to Vladivostok, and three powerful empires all vying to crash upon Russia, two of whom would have to be fought largely alone. Though Germany promised help in Arabia against the Ottomans, the bulk of fighting against the “Sick Man of Europe” would be done in the Caucasus Mountains, a horrible terrain for fighting in. Out in East Asia, the fighting had not yet begun a week into the war, but Russia knew that Japan was simply biding its time and choosing the best areas to strike. They had not even declared war until five days in, due to their reluctant to commit unless in an act of total war against China and Russia. Russian troops were loaded into boxcars and sent east to Vladivostok to gather in preparation for a Japanese attack. The Russian Far East Fleet, meanwhile, was readied for an attack on Port Arthur, held by the Japanese, to secure a warm water port for the coming winter.

In North America, the CSA under President Lamar declared war on September 11, 1911, against the forces of the Triple Entente. Initially, however, there was little the nation could do but begin sending what material aid it could the long way above neutral Britain and through the German-controlled North Sea. Lamar, never one to stand idly by, prepared to change that. Though he knew that, more than likely, there was little the CSA could do in force of arms that early in the war, he set plans for the later stages. The Confederate Pacific Fleet was gathered in Mobile and moved to allied Havana, Cuba, to prepare to cross through Nicaragua and into the Pacific, where they would stop in neutral American Hawaii before continuing on toward the German Philippines. As for the army, Lamar prepared the Confederate Expeditionary Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to be shipped overseas. The CEF consisted of the 31st, 24th, and 8th Army Divisions, as well as the 12th Cavalry, and were the most ready for combat out of all the men in the CSA. The rest of the armies were sent into further training until enough ships could be made to send them all to Europe and Asia. Lamar also personally assigned the 32nd Strike Squadron of the Confederate Air Service, based out of Landrieu Field, Texas, to the BEF. The 32nd was infamous for its men, formed into the “Angels of Death” bomber squadron, “Comanche” scout squadron, and the two raider squadrons, the “Asskickers” and “Cowboys.” The 32nd was headed by a local Texan boy, Banneret (equivalent to a captain) Howard Hughes. Hughes, the eccentric founder of the Asskickers, was promoted to Third Ardian (equivalent to Lt. Colonel) to prepare for his command in Europe.

Third Ardian Howard Hughes.​

While the rest of the world prepared for war, Generaloberst d’Elsa was actively fighting it and, despite his best efforts, was losing. Mannheim had held until September 14, after which he as his armies had been forced north to Worms, where it was hoped that the arrival of First Army would be enough to hold the city. However, due to the overall failure of the Belgian front thusfar, France had consolidated its forces under Philippe Nivelle, who created the so-called Army Group Centre, which was a force consisting of close to 600,000 men, a large majority of France’s 47 divisions (770,000 men total) that existed in September 1911. Facing him were the depleted First, Third, and Fourth Armies of Germany, while the Fifth Army had been held up in Frankfurt due to a confusion in transportation and lack of supplies. d’Elsa fought warily against Nivelle, but by September 23 was forced out of Worms for a long and messy retreat to the Rhine. Chief of Staff von Moltke gave the Generaloberst specific orders that the men of France were not to cross the Rhine under any circumstances, and that he was to hold his position to the last man. To achieve this, d’Elsa chose Mainz as his holdout, a city where, in ancient times, a Roman fort had protected the west bank of the Rhine. Now, it was protecting the east bank from France.

The first major trench systems of the war were dug in Mainz, as soldier and civilian alike dug in to hold off the French. Nivelle, meanwhile, pressed his attack. He himself was under orders to send the German armies into a full route and take Frankfurt for France. It was hoped that, by doing this, it would bring Germany to the negotiation table while French soldiers spilled into the Ruhr Valley and northern Germany. Thousand of soldiers prepared to die to defend their parcel of land from the other while d’Elsa and Nivelle prepared to send them into battle. While efforts were made to evacuate citizens from Mainz, constant bombardment by French artillery had destroyed many of the bridges over the river, trapping citizens in the city to become sitting ducks to further bombardment. It was a very grim affair.

While things looked lost, however, d’Elsa still had one card up his sleeve. Fifth Army had finally managed to relinquish itself from Frankfurt and was speeding toward Mainz, and d’Elsa knew that the placement of the army would mean the fate of the entire war. So, he held them in reserve and readied himself for what Nivelle could throw at him. And the French general did not disappoint. A three hour continuous bombardment of the German lines on September 28 left many dead and wounded as well as shaking up many of the soldiers who, despite the weeks of combat experience, had not been through such a barrage. The bombardment lasted from 0500 to 0800, and at 0805 the French launched their assault. Hundreds of thousands of men charged over open ground to the German lines, firing their rifles as they went. Mobile machine guns lit up the early morning fog with hundreds of rounds, while French artillery provided some measure of covering fire, though the relatively inexperienced crews were not able to make a significant impact. Machine guns and massed rifles met the French soldiers, who fell in droves. Tailors, bakers, mechanics, farmers, clerks, and students died in the dirt and the mud. Their blood stained the virgin countryside and their screams filled the air and was drowned out in the cries of the living and whistling of bullets in the air. It was chaos and carnage between the two sides before, at last, the lines met. Trench fighting is a horrible affair. Men fight with knives, bayonets, grenades, shovels, fists, and teeth. The fight turned savage as thousands of Frenchmen fell upon the German trenches and began exterminating the soldiers of the Kaiser.

The French attack Mainz.​

For an hour, it seemed that d’Elsa might be forced to retreat and the battle lost, but the crafty Generaloberst was not out of tricks yet. He had observed how Nivelle had committed all his troops to a full assault, a giant wedge meant to drive into the heart of the German lines. This had, however, left his flanks exposed, and it would be such a tragedy if something...happened to them. That something turned out to be Fifth Army, ordered north Wiesbaden where they crossed the Rhine and passed into the forests north of Mainz. After d’Elsa had judged that Nivelle had taken his wedge far enough, he ordered Fifth Army to attack. Artillery rang out from the banks of the Rhine while thousands of soldiers charged straight into the French flank. Nivelle, who had dismissed Fifth Army’s presence in a great tactical blunder, was caught by surprise and horror as he watched his attack dissolve under pressure on his left flank. The German “Miracle at Mainz” had taken the French attack and, by the end of the day, pushed the French lines completely out of the city and all the way west to Stadecken-Elsheim. Nivelle glumly dug his troops in there, and prepared for a thorough lashing by the French high command for his blunder and could only hope for reinforcements to allow another attack before the Germans had solidified their positions. In the German lines, meanwhile, Otto d’Elsa was sung as a hero and the next Hannibal as Mainz was his Cannae. Von Moltke personally sent a telegram of congratulation of the victory and claimed him to be a “Hero of the Fatherland.” In light of the victory, German boys flocked to recruitment centers in droves as war fever picked up, with their French counterparts flooded in to avenge the defeat.

Overall, the battle had claimed over 100,000 dead and wounded in just eight hours, a terrible cost for a victory that had done little but delay France. The city of Mainz was all but destroyed and the Rhine polluted with bodies and masonry from the bridges. The greatest victory of the day was in the trench systems, which had proven their worth to the Germans, and the hasty French retreat that had forced them to leave their heavier artillery behind to the German soldiers, giving d’Elsa a large advantage in guns. In the end, however, it only meant more dead soldiers would come, and more years of war.

Evil Minds That Plot Destruction: The Other Fronts 1911-1912

While Germany had found some success on the French front, their forces suffered against Austria. Franz Joseph had spent the years since the Austro-Prussian War overhauling his armies and defenses until Austria better resembled a fortress than a nation. Pre-prepared trenches were ready along the Bohemian and Silesian borders, and train tracks ran through the Carpathian mountains into Polish Austria to be ready against the Russians. Machine gun teams were well-trained and coordinated according to their own language and cultural group, making miscommunication a horror of the past. French rifle designs had upgraded Austria’s own, and the factories around Vienna and all through Bohemia churned out weapons of war. Even the population had been prepared for an eventual war, with artillery shelters in major cities and food reserves in case of famine or brutal rationing. Franz Joseph had suffered criticism from both his own people—particularly the Hungarians—and abroad from Germany and Russia who accused him of warmongering. When the war actually came, however, it was Austria who stood proud in its fortress. That is not to say that they were afraid to go on the offensive, however. Indeed, the eventual war goals for Austria included claiming Congress Poland and Silesia, as well as reclaiming Venetia from Italy and perhaps even bits of Serbia if they could swallow it. Emperor Franz Joseph saw glory, and was prepared to fight for it. The majority of Austria’s armies were placed in Bohemia, with rearguard forces near the Bavarian border. The rest of the Austrian Landwehr (ethnic Austrian army) stood against the Italians in the Etschtal Valley, while it was the Hungarians and Croats that were to go on the attack.

A large Hungarian army, officially the First Army of Hungary, was to follow the Tisza River from northern Serbia south to Belgrade, their first goal being the city of Senta in northern Serbia. The city itself was lightly guarded, and the army, led by Feldmarschalleutnant Eugen Patzák, was confident in their ability to hope from Senta down the river to the Serbian capital. Patzák himself claimed that it would be the Hungarian Landwehr’s “finest hour.” Meanwhile, the majority of forces in the Croatian Landwehr (formed to better organize ethnic armies) were poised to move along the Danube over the Serbian border. Their first target would be the riverside town of Bačka Palanka just over the border, and once a staging area had been secured they would continue down the Danube to the important city of Novi Sad. It was expected that, by holding both cities, Austria would effectively take Serbia out of the war and allow the majority of their forces to commit to the other theaters. This was especially important as the Hungarian Landwehr would be tied up between fighting the Russians in Galicia and the Serbians. Austria needed a swift victory, and so the attack was launched on September 12, just a week before the full attack would come from the Germans, Italians, and Russians. Both forces, initially, met little resistance and the target cities were quickly taken.

The Serbian army fought hard, however, and were able to stall the Hungarians and Croats along their respective rivers, albeit with heavy losses. The unexpected and ferocious resistance, however, sent the two Austrian armies back a little to regroup and better plan their attacks beyond “keep driving until we hit the big city.” For a time, it seemed that Serbia might hold its own against the attacking forces long enough for the Russians to relieve them. This perception was aided by a victory against the Hungarian advance forces at the town of Ada Mol, downriver from Senta. Unfortunately for the Serbians, things were much more grim back in Belgrade. The government was split over whether they should fight on until the Russians came or whether they should attempt to appease the Austrians to spare their country from the eventual loss. The military itself was split over the issue, and after a fierce political debate shots were fired, leaving three politicians and two major generals dead. Fights between combat groups escalated as revenge against the wronged generals sowed discontent in the Serbian forces, an advantage that Feldmarschalleutnant Patzák was quick to take advantage of. His better-organized soldiers rushed down the Tisza and besieged Belgrade on October 18. The city, unprepared for a siege due to the small civil war within its own ranks, fell within a week with minimal fighting. With the addition of the Croats taking Novi Sad, Serbia was effectively knocked out of the war by October 20. News of the fall of Serbia spread to the nations of the Quadruple Alliance, who reacted with grim acceptance. Serbia had been expected to be a hellraiser and hold out against the supposedly-inferior Austrian Army, but had instead fallen along with over 150,000 Serbians at the cost of 20,000 dead or wounded on the Hungarian and Croat sides. Serbia had been dealt with, and now the armies were free to meet the oncoming German, Russian, and Italian onslaughts.

Soldiers on the Serbian front.​

Launched on September 19, Operation Spear Point was the first major operation conducted by the Quadruple Alliance against an enemy nation. Over 1 million soldiers on all fronts advanced across borders into Austria. It was one of the largest multinational attacks in European history, and with more soldiers pouring in every day, it seemed that the Austrian front would rival the French in scope and importance. However, any hope of a repeat of France’s early momentum was quickly quashed. The Italians, the first to technically invade, were soon stonewalled inside the Etschtal Valley by the numerous defenses set up by the Austrians in the narrow valley. Machine guns and rifles cut down men from Napoli and Venetia, and the fertile lands of the pass quickly became inundated with trenches and barbed wire. The inexperienced Italian armies had expected a quick victory and to meet the Germans at Bavaria, but had only found horror and death. A similar Italian attempt to besiege Nice was pushed back into Piedmont by a small but determined French force.

The German side of the attack was led by Generaloberst Oskar, Crown Prince of Bavaria. Despite claims of favoritism toward the ruling class in the decision to put him at the head of three German armies, Chief of Staff von Moltke was no fool. The Crown Prince was one of the most experienced leaders in the German military, having fought brush wars in Africa and the Philippines, as well as observing British generals in India and Burma. To lead the German soldiers on their campaign, there was no better choice. The only problem was that, no matter the skill, breaching the fortress of Austria would prove to be much easier said than done. Oskar gathered his soldiers in Dresden and, on September 19, launched his attack. The goal of the hundreds of thousands of men were the cities of Decin, Krupka, and Teplice, just over the border in Bohemia. Meeting them were thousands more Germans, only on the other side of the line. Barbed wire caught men in mid-march, and trenches filled with men opened up on the exposed soldiers. The Germans learned the hard way, like the French, that trenches were changing the nature of warfare. Generaloberst Oskar, for his part, adapted well to the setback. To take pressure off his forces, the Crown Prince had his soldiers in Silesia attack over the border, driving for the city of Liberec. The Austrians were forced to redirect their numbers to keep back the Silesian force, allowing the Bohemian lines to thin. Oskar took full advantage of this and, despite heavy casualties, successfully secured control over Decin. It was a small and costly victory, and Liberec did not fall to the Silesian group. With a heavy heart, the Crown Prince ordered his soldiers to begin digging their own trenches. The great slog had begun.

Victims of governmental avarice.​

The other fronts, while not as exciting, turned just as deadly. Russian soldiers advanced into Galicia, and met a mixed response. They advanced farther than any other of their allies, but the Austrians were prepared to lose land in their troublesome Polish territory to keep the Russians behind the Carpathian Mountains. The Poles there met the Russians with a mixed response as well. At first they welcomed the Russian Army as liberators, but the reaction soured when accidental clashes between soldiers and civilians formed a wedge between the two groups. The performance of the Russians, while the Austrians would never let on about it, was surprising. While it had been expected that the Russians would have numbers, it was not expected that they would be well-organized and supplied. Austrian soldiers fell back behind the expected lines in an attempt to hold Russia back as long as they could before they would use the Carpathians as a border. They knew that, if they could not hold the Russians there, they would lose the Hungarian plains and very likely the war.

The rest of the world, though not quite as pricey as Europe, fought on. From September through December, fronts opened up in Asia. The primary fronts were in the Caucasus and in Manchuria. The Ottoman Empire had pledged much of their forces to the European theater and, despite Russian disorganization on the harsh terrain, were pushed back in Armenia due to poor leadership and dissent in the local area. The Ottoman leadership had thought that the front could be ignored, but by the end of 1911 had chosen a better general and mobilized men from Palestine and Syria to send up to meet the Russians. The coming year would see the winner of the war in the Caucasus, which could either tie up the Russians in a costly front, or give them a clear shot through the Turkic homelands and toward the capital, Istanbul. Far out in East Asia, the war was much the same. The Japanese had been careful in their response, only taking Russian land in Manchuria in response to the Russians running their navy out of Vladivostok and bombarding Hokkaido briefly before retreating back to port. Manchuria became a melting pot of tension between three powers. The local Manchu had been resentful of the Chinese federal government since the Qing fell, and it was feared that they would rise up in rebellion with support from the Japanese. The Russians didn’t fear the situation as much as the Chinese, but were wary of overextending themselves with the Japanese poised to take the valuable lands of the Russian Far East as well as Manchuria. For the remaining months of 1911, the Far East theater remained unusually quiet as the Japanese bided their time, willing to let the Chinese and Russians stew as, unknown to both, they had already contacted the Manchu and were prepared for a surprise on all nations of the Quadruple Alliance in 1912.

War had come to the world in 1911. Thousands of men were dead. Millions would follow. The War of the Triple Entente was on.

War. War never changes.​

 

[Witch0Winter]

Yes, that Howard Hughes. Also, here's the world on January 1, 1912.

 

[BELFAST]

Good update
Any maps of the front lines in Europe?

 

[herricks]

cool............

 

[Witch0Winter]

Good update
Any maps of the front lines in Europe?

Ask and you shall receive. At least, I hope this is what you asked for.

 

[Blair]

Wonderful and detailed as always, not much to say except keep up the good work. It seems to be anyone's game at this point and it'll be interesting to see what role the Confederates will play.

 

[FleetMac]

Very nice work, Sarge. Other than a couple of minor typos here and there ("shop" instead of "shot", "Adrian" instead of "Ardian", etc.) I'd say it was well worth the wait! Here's hoping the next update can be as good as this one, whenever you can get around to it . Also, nice inclusion of the maps. I was gonna say the gains displayed in the European one were too small, but I keep forgetting the kind of scale in use on something like that. Also, something tells me that the fighting in Asia won't stay quite so sedate for very long...

Keep up the good work!

 

[Black Belt Jones]

I can say nothing that hasn't already been said about this timeline before, beyond spectacular, and by all means, certainly deserving of a Turtledove nomination. When the time comes, at least. Always an enticing read!

Keeping up with this epic, and I realize that it's not terribly relevant to the course of the timeline at this time, but can we see a list of Presidents of the Confederacy up until this point? Probably my inner listfreak kicking in, I'm just enjoying this a great deal.

 

[jeckl]

This is an interesting tl.

keep it coming

 

[Richter von Manthofen]

Khyber Pass?

That one is in Asia and not Austria

I would say Brenner, but thats too far from the border.

The natural ways between Austria and AH would be the Etschtal (into Südtirol and Trentino) Vally of River Tagliamneto/Kanaltal (into Carinthia) and river Isonzo (crossing into Slovenia/Istria).

 

[herricks]

Ask and you shall receive. At least, I hope this is what you asked for.

hey where you find maps like that?

 

[BELFAST]

Is the a conflict coming in Ireland about Home rule?
Are the Ulster volunteers and Irish volunteers arming them selves.

 

[EnglishCanuck]

Wonderful as usual! I can't wait to see how the war shapes up around the world! This is probably one of the greatest alternate-Great Wars yet!

 

[Unknown]

PlatoonSgt, one question: Did the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, or something like it, occur ITTL?

Good update so far.