Micro-Timeline: Archduchess Sophie dies in chilbirth

The Roosevelt Strategy: America regains the initative


Roosevelt knew that after losing controll of the Atlantic and its most important ally, the US could no longer defeat the Allies. He was now aiming for a white peace without territorial loses and, even more important, without trade restrictions imposed on America.
Roosevelts first priority was to secure the Americas against possible Allied landings. Important beaches and harbours were fortified or at least guarded and the Atlantic was permanently scouted by seaplanes. Four Reserve Corps were dispatched to Canada, Panama, Cuba and Guayana to counter possible attacks there.


At the same time Roosevelt and his chief military adviser General Wood planned to use the Veterans of the AEF as well as newly raised conscript divisions for their „Big Punch“ against the Allies. They planned to occupy the European possesions in the Pacific and by taking Australia (after the lose of Canada the „Bread Basket of Britain“) and Indonesia (Europe's main supplier of rubber) force the Allies to the negotaition table.


In late 1918 the American invasion force was ready, while the Allies were still reorganizing their troops after the Russian and West African campaigns.
Most still combat ready units of the Atlantic fleet had been transfered to the Pacific to provide to the necessary naval support.



General Wood was to comand the American Invasion of South East Asia:

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abc123

Banned
The TL sounds cool so far.

I just have a question about the German-Croation border.
Why did you give Istria Croatia? IIRC it was part of Küstenland so it's likely for Germany to keep it and I think Istria doesn't even had a Croatian majority back then.

It had, but I concurr it should be a part of German Empire.
;)
 
Who, I didn't think that someone is still looking.

I lack the time at the moment, but I maybe I will finish it between Christmas and New Years Eve.
 
The Battle for Sidney
5th Company prepared for the assault. They had to cross 300 m of open ground before reaching the enemy lines. But they might still make it; they were attacking with an entire Regiment against some poorly trained homeguard units. Sergeant Harris looked up, were blue Australian sky could be seen over the brink of the trench.
Suddenly a hulking figure blocked the sun. The Lieutenant was back from the Briefing. The Sergeant had never really understood Lieutenant Hemingway: One of the highest decorated soldiers in the army, but he was not chiefly motivated by patriotism but by something else: machoism, masochism, narcism? He seemed to enjoy not only danger and bloodsheed but even injuries.
With his barking voice he explained the orders to the NCOs.


American forces on their way to Melbourne:

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In Australia the American troops took almost the entire East Coast and even reached the desert city of Alice Springs. But Australian Home Guards fought of the Marine detachement that tried to take Perth for more than two weeks and thereby saved Australia for the British Empire. Over the next months the harbour of Perth saw an continued influx of Indian troops and soon the American troops were outnumbered almost 2:1 and had to switch to defensive tactics.
On the other Asian theaters American success was mixed: Java was secured and held for the remainder of the war but an attack on Sumatra failed. In Vietnam General MacArthurs troops withdrew into Hanoi when the dry season set in.

The transfer of almost the entire American Fleet into the Pacific left the Atlantic open for Allied Convois. In bloody battles German and French troops stormed Puerto Rico and Hispaniola thereby aquiring staging areas for landings on Cuba or even the American mainland. The Europeans did not dare to attack the heaviliy fortified Panama and Niceragua canals directly but blockaded them.

The American troops in Africa were cut of from supply and reenforcments and had no choice but to either switch to guerilla strategy or surrender.

Around new years eve 1919 several smaller nations jumped on the apparent winners bandwagon and declared war on the USA.

On the 17.02.1919 an French-Spanish force landed on Cuba. American troops and Cuban volunteers (who feared that Spain might reannex the island) where slowly pushed back westward, but the invaders payed a huge prize in blood.

Allied Squadron of the Coast of Cuba:

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German Marineluftschiff shoot down by American interceptors during a air-raid on Boston.

While these attacks had little practical effect they created an widespread feeling of insecurity and fear among the urban population of the East Coast.

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