This is something I've been turning over in my head for a few months now, and I thought I would throw the question open for discussion on here.
The board is often flush with discussion of how the Germans could achieve fast victory on the Western Front in the First World War, but I don't remember seeing the reverse done. Is there any possibility of the Allies achieving a quick victory (i.e. before the end of 1915 at the latest) over the Germans? I've tried to come up with scenarios were it might have happened, but I've struggled, barring a combination of unlikely outcomes, so I'd be interested in seeing if anyone else has something to suggest.
stateless_englishman
Ignoring PODs some time before the war the only way I could see it happen is that the French have a clearer idea of what modern war will be like. [Not impossible and their war plan until only a year or so ago would have made the fundamental change].
Instead of making fruitless frontal assaults against well layed out fortifications they meet the German main force about on the Franco-Belgium frontier. Preferably digging in fairly straight away but if not they will almost certainly learn to do so soon.
The Germans on the other hand will have to attack because their entire plan relies on taking out France so they can switch forces to fight the Russians. Hence they will have to attack repeatedly into heavy opposition until they realise they aren't getting anywhere. By that time they will have taken very, very heavy losses and organisation, plans and moral will be seriously dented. French losses and the BEF when it arrives will also suffer but nothing like as badly.
Especially if this draws in other German forces, which is likely as they will be desperate to make the breakthrough, you could then see a counter attack which liberates most of Belgium and might push into Germany.
If it also means that forces aren't available to be sent east, or some other factor boosts the Russians against the Germans [say better co-operation between their two armies in Prussia and/or they screen the Austrians and throw their main weight against the Germans, then you might see a crisis in Germany.
If Russian forces are advancing into say Silesia and Prussia and the western powers are hammering on the door in the west then you won't get the Ottomans joining a sinking ship and central power moral could well collapse with a major loss of confidence and they ask for an armistice.
That's the only way I can see an entente victory by Xmas 1914 with the OTL start of war conditions.
Steve
PS - All the talk about other options via the Ottomans or keeping them neutral is irrelevant to the actual question you're asking as the war will be going drastically against the central powers before Enhva Pasha can drag them in, in which case his colleagues are likely to shoot him before he could do that.
