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Well, this is my first attempt at a TL, so any criticisms or advice will be much appreciated. Hopefully the premise hasn't been done to death already; I know there are a number of timelines with similar PODs, but here goes, anyway...


Im Siegerkranz

Introduction

The night of Christmas Eve that year was by all accounts no different from that of any other December day. Smoke rose from the dark buildings of Berlin as families settled in for the night, and the outside air was cold and crisp. The dome of the Berliner Stadtschloß stood black against the dimming lights of the city. Inside its baroque façade, the German Emperor lay in his bed, pondering the future of his realm as he looked through the windows at the deep, clouded sky.

1911, indeed, had been no uneventful year. The events of the Panthersprung still burned clear in his mind, as they did for many of the bureaucrats and generals who looked - with varying confidence - toward the future, formulating and reformulating the tactics and strategies which would surely bring the Reich the glory it deserved, not to mention themselves. There were a hundred thousand miniature Bismarcks, all wishing to leave their own legacy in the building of the Empire.

In those July days, Germany had set a challenge to France - with some success. Though the British had made clear that peace would be preserved not at any cost, but with sober national dignity in mind, Germany had still won for itself the Treaty of Fez, freshly brought into action in November, and had secured another step toward its destined "place in the sun". But the widening rift with Britain could not be ignored...

Thoughts drifted through Wilhelm's mind, fading into the tranquility of sleep.

But it was not a sleep from which he would wake.

*

Kaiser Wilhelm II (27 January 1859 - 25 December 1911; reigned 1888 - 1911), was the third German Emperor, succeeding the short reign of his father Friedrich on 15 June, 1888. He is principally remembered for his break with the "Iron Chancellor", Otto Fürst von Bismarck, and his attempts to initiate a bellicose new foreign policy. The perceived aggression of his government fostered the growing alienation of the other European powers from Germany and an increasingly tense international situation, while the internal politics of the Empire drifted ever further toward the popular preponderance of socialism. He was succeeded by his son, crowned Kaiser Wilhelm III.

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Deutsches Tageblatt
January 13, 1912

... Emperor Wilhelm III has issued a proclamation to the German people on his accession to the throne, declaring that his loyalty lies with Germany and with God, and that his reign depends upon the trust and good will of all Germans. Separate notices have been issued to the army and navy, underlining the Emperor's personal commitment to the military and its central role in the glory of the Empire. The Emperor also exchanged frank words with the British ambassador ...

*



Kaiser Wilhelm III acceded to the throne after
his father's death in 1911, inaugurating another era
in the history of the Reich.

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