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Introduction:
These are my intentions, give Germany crushing but pyrrhic victories at Jutland and the Somme against Britain followed by slightly better conditions in 1917 with Romania staying neutral until events that year keep them from joining the Entente and a greater threat to St. Petersburg. The minor differences, however, keep unrestricted submarine warfare out of the picture or reduces it, preserving American neutrality. Germany fights the Western Front with better conditions in 1917 and Italy suffers a bigger defeat at Caporetto and is forced to rely more on foreign help, collapsing in 1918. 1918 is decision year in which the Germans win against Britain and France or suffer defeat as in reality and unrestricted submarine warfare is launched after the failures of 1918. In 1919, if the Entente survives the German offensives to fight with victory, they begin the counterattack, with American support in 1920. Germany finally surrenders that year after revolution, defeats and the collapse of Austria Hungary and the Ottoman Empire the previous year.
Despite the timeline's name, I'm actually continuing the 'Failure On The Somme' timeline after its closure [with the German decisive but pyrrhic victory at Jutland pod]. By the way, is it possible with less wikipedia usage and direct copying to continue this timeline since I have Calbear's permission? And, I'm now at October 1917, during the height of the Passchendaele battle. Also, note that the articles would be properly sourced [due to butterfly effects and source issues] and mass Wikipedia usage might stop after this scenario's Passchendaele [which is slightly worse for the British with less troops and American neutrality, along with better German performance in the east]. And, note the previous writing and posting of the articles on Microsoft Word over the two weeks. And, there's another thread under consideration about Cambrai instead of Passchendaele.
Summary Of The Overall Timeline As Of Now [If you haven't read the threads in my userpage]:
August 1915: With German naval assistance, Riga falls into German hands during the battle for the city or falls under greater threat. The Russians reinforce or recapture the city, but weaken the front slightly because of its importance. [First POD]
November 1915: The Russian Navy sorties in an attempt to save Riga, but is destroyed because of its ships' weaknesses. Riga falls to a siege over the winter.
21 February 1916: Assault on Verdun begins as in reality.
March 1916: The Riga and Lake Naroch Offensives fail, with several more casualties than reality because of butterflies.
31 May 1916: [First consequential and significant pod.] The German Navy under Admiral Hipper destroys the battlecruiser force in the first hour of engagement [save for the 5th Battle Squadron]. As a result, the German Navy decides to fight out for the night and inflict massive losses on the Grand Fleet, including the loss of every [dreadnought] battleship. German losses are too heavy for the fleet to exploit the victory, with 2 battlecruisers being the only capital ships surviving the battle.
4/5 June 1916: The Brusilov Offensive kicks off with initial success, but is stopped after logistical issues. On the northern flank, the Brusilov Offensive is defeated decisively for want of troops. This, along with the Jutland and Somme battles, keep Romania neutral.
1 July 1916: With heavy losses at Jutland, the British offensive on the Somme is slightly weaker than reality without the diversionary offensive. This enables the Germans to reinforce the Somme and inflict heavier casualties on the British. When the battle ends by late November 1916, the British are at a disadvantage of 50,000 casualties compared to reality. Verdun is slightly better for Germany as well.
19 August 1916: A naval battle destroys even more of the Royal Navy. As a result of the battle, unrestricted submarine warfare is postponed until the situation on the Eastern Front decides it with a prolonged stay of Falkenhayn.
Early September 1916: An attempt to destroy the Ottoman Navy to free up ships for the British Grand and Channel Fleets and knock out the Ottomans from the war fails in a disaster for the Russian Black Sea Fleet and several French ships. The Russian Caucasus Army goes on the defensive as a result.
March 1917: First ['February'] Russian Revolution weakens the internal situation in Russia and with postponed unrestricted submarine warfare, keeps America neutrality going throughout 1917.
9 April - 20 May 1917: Battle of Arras proceeds as in reality, but stronger German forces and weaker British forces result in the offensive doing slightly worse.
16 April - 22 May 1917: The Nivelle Offensive does worse with heavier mutinies as a result of the defeats.
7-14 June 1917: Messines Offensive proceeds as in reality, but is slightly better for the Germans.
31 July - November 1917: Passchendaele Offensive [or 'third battle of Ypres'] launched. [The timeline is still in this stage as of this moment.]
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