Deleted member 1487
What if Italy joins the war for the Entente in 1914? The POD being that Libya is not invaded in 1911, which allows the army to maintain its readiness for war up through 1914. So assuming Italy gets a sweetheart deal from the Entente, similar to the OTL promises in 1915, plus continues to stoke its hatred for AH during the period that OTL Italy was at war with Libya, what effect would it have on the war?
My theory is that the AHs would actually do better in the long run, as it would prevent the AHs from attacking both Serbia and Russia at the same time. Romania sits out 1914 for the same reason it did OTL: its dying Monarch was a German noble who refused to go to war with his own people.
The AHs remain on the defensive on all fronts and waits for the Germans to come to their aid.
Italy is weaker than OTL 1915 even with not having gone to war in 1911, as they still don't have enough artillery, even less heavy artillery, and next to no modernized equipment.
AH sitting on the defensive and utilizing their fortifications and engineer-built field works would allow them very early on to preserve their prewar army and expand on it like they were never able to do OTL. Their opponents expend their strength on serious defenses/terrain (Alps for Italy, Danube for Serbia, and the San-Dniester for Russia).
Initially Germany is not effected much, as AH still holds down the same number of troops as OTL, with the possible exception of one small Russian army, but gains an much more effective ally that hasn't spent all its strength in stupid offensives they could not afford. Come 1915 the Central Powers are much better positioned to take the offensive than OTL.
What does everyone else think?
My theory is that the AHs would actually do better in the long run, as it would prevent the AHs from attacking both Serbia and Russia at the same time. Romania sits out 1914 for the same reason it did OTL: its dying Monarch was a German noble who refused to go to war with his own people.
The AHs remain on the defensive on all fronts and waits for the Germans to come to their aid.
Italy is weaker than OTL 1915 even with not having gone to war in 1911, as they still don't have enough artillery, even less heavy artillery, and next to no modernized equipment.
AH sitting on the defensive and utilizing their fortifications and engineer-built field works would allow them very early on to preserve their prewar army and expand on it like they were never able to do OTL. Their opponents expend their strength on serious defenses/terrain (Alps for Italy, Danube for Serbia, and the San-Dniester for Russia).
Initially Germany is not effected much, as AH still holds down the same number of troops as OTL, with the possible exception of one small Russian army, but gains an much more effective ally that hasn't spent all its strength in stupid offensives they could not afford. Come 1915 the Central Powers are much better positioned to take the offensive than OTL.
What does everyone else think?