Are there any circumstances in which Japan could be awarded German New Guinea as part of the peace settlement of WWI? Or would Britain consider this too much of a potential threat to Australia/New Zealand? Would a particular alternate course of WWI make this outcome more likely?
 
A million Japanese infantry on the western front (even a second Gallipolli with Japanese land forces and Japanese dreadnought forcing the straits) might make Britain agree to it.

Not sure the Japanese would mind you.

An other option could see America staying out and Britain having an asb level of bad luck at sea and a Japanese battlesquadron reinforcing the home fleet.
 

cpip

Gone Fishin'
Well, if Japan was the one who seized GNG, that might help too. After all, the Japanese got to keep all the things they seized from the Germans -- but it was Dominion troops who took New Guinea.
 
1914: German Tsingtao squadron remains in Pacific: AC Sharnhorst and AC Geisenau defeat BC Australia, Germans thus defeat sea born invasion of Rabaul. Japanese then do it later and also seize Lae afterwords.

1917: A more successful Caparetto means Italy knocked out of war, Japanese navy commits a major squadron to Suez and 2 divisions to Greece to make up for the Italians being forced to quit Albania. Awkwardly the Japanese are occupying Albania at the end of the war (war lasts into 1919), sort of holding a bargaining chip.

Versailles gives the Japanese GNG after the war. (Albania is divided between Greece and Yugoslavia at end of war)
 

Driftless

Donor
1914: German Tsingtao squadron remains in Pacific: AC Sharnhorst and AC Geisenau defeat BC Australia, Germans thus defeat sea born invasion of Rabaul. Japanese then do it later and also seize Lae afterwords.

1917: A more successful Caparetto means Italy knocked out of war, Japanese navy commits a major squadron to Suez and 2 divisions to Greece to make up for the Italians being forced to quit Albania. Awkwardly the Japanese are occupying Albania at the end of the war (war lasts into 1919), sort of holding a bargaining chip.

Versailles gives the Japanese Albania after the war - they're on the scene in a chaotic situation. (Oh, I know that was never going to happen; but what irony.... An Asian colony in Europe)
 
Top