pc: Landings at Constantinople in WW1

Treaty of Brest Litovsk

After the decree asking for peace between Russia and the Central Powers was signed, Trotsky was appointed Commissar Of Foreign Affairs in the new Bolshevik Government to ask for an armistice. In preparation for the important conference between Russia and the Central Powers, Trotsky's best friend, Adolph Joffe, was appointed as Russia's representative. The official armistice was concluded on 10 November and signed the next day, with hostilities ceasing in effect on 15 November. That day, the last naval action saw a Russian destroyer damaged by an explosion, but it was suspected to be by a mine and peace negotiations were not affected.
Germany was represented by Foreign Secretary Richard Von Kuhlmann and chief of staff for Eastern Front armies Max Hoffmann, Austria-Hungary by Foreign Mister Ottokar Czernin and Turkey by one of the "three Pashas", Talaat Pasha himself. The Russian representatives were all radicals and supporters of world revolution. They were led by Joffe, a veteran Red agitator, and included Anastasia Bizenko, who had assassinated a high Imperial official.
At the start of the negotiations, the two sides were far apart.
German plans for Eastern Europe included annexing most of Russian Poland, with Austria to receive a smaller piece. A rump Polish state would be established to act as a buffer between Germany and Russia. In addition, Ukraine would be detached as an independent state under German protection, while the Baltic states were to be annexed directly into Germany and ruled by German princes. The Bolsheviks, however, declared that they sought a peace without any indemnities or territorial concessions. The Germans decided that they could leave the Ukraine alone when news of the Italian defeat at Caporetto and a convoy slipped through the British blockade when the cruisers were destroyed by a battlecruiser raid into the North Atlantic.
After a week of negotiations, the Central Powers delegation withdrew from the conference on November 28 to consider the Bolshevik peace proposals. Over December of 1917, the Central Powers released a declaration stating that they were in favor of the separate peace with all the Allies without indemnities and without annexations, provided the peace was immediate and all belligerents took part in the negotiations. But this did not supersede the demand for the "independence" of Poland and Lithuania. Reassurances from the German side that Berlin wished only for a peaceful, equitable resolution to the conflict met with an angry reply from Joffe, "Then why do you wish to tear eighteen provinces from us!?".
Lenin was in favor of signing this agreement immediately. He thought that only an immediate peace would allow the young Bolshevik government to consolidate power in Russia. However, he was virtually alone in this opinion among the Bolsheviks on the Central Committee.
For the second round of negotiations, Trotsky replaced Joffe as the head of the Soviet delegation. Meanwhile, Count Czernin announced that if negotiations between Berlin and Petrograd failed, then Austria would seek a separate peace with the latter. Kuhlmann then told the ambassador that such an action would result in Germany withdrawing all its divisions from the Austrian frontier, so Czernin promptly dropped that offer. He also asked General Hindenburg why exactly he sought the annexation of the Baltic states and was told, "To secure my left flank for when the next war happens and to ensure that our pride wouldn't be diminished".
The Bolsheviks had long espoused the right of national peoples to self-determination as a part of the anti-imperialist struggle.
However, while Lenin wanted peace immediately, others from the Bolshevik Central Committee were ambivalent or disagreed. The "Left Communists" faction of Nikolai Bukharin and Karl Radek wanted to continue the war until final victory or communist revolution and surrender of at least one of the Central Powers.
Von Kuhlman and Hoffmann now proposed independence for the Baltic states, Poland, and Ukraine, as in accordance with the Soviets' own national self-determination doctrine. Indeed, the Germans were already negotiating with a separatist government in Ukraine. On January 9, 1918, Germany recognized that government and signed a treaty with it, the first Treaty of Brest Litovsk. Frustrated with continued German demands for cessions of territory, Trotsky on January 10 announced a new policy. Russia unilaterally declared an end of hostilities against the Central Powers, and Russia withdrew from peace negotiations with the Central Powers - a position summed up as "no war — no peace". Other Bolshevik leaders denounced Trotsky for exceeding his instructions and exposing Soviet Russia to the threat of invasion. Trotsky subsequently defended his action on the grounds that the Bolshevik leaders had originally entered the peace talks in the hope of exposing their enemies' territorial ambitions and rousing the workers of central Europe to revolution in defense of Russia's new workers' state.
The Central Powers denounced the treaty and continued their advance from Estonia on 25 January. In a week's time, they were in reach of Petrograd. The Central Powers then sent new peace terms, demanding not only the occupation of the Baltic states and Poland, but also Ukraine. With a threatened Petrograd, the Bolsheviks conceded to the German requests and the final peace treaty was signed on 8 February 1918. With the terms to be agreed to within 48 hours or their capture of Petrograd, the Bolsheviks hastily agreed. The Russian Army also disbanded itself and a final peace treaty was signed on 12 February with recently independent Ukraine. The treaty finally marked Russia's withdrawal from World War 1 as an enemy of the Central Powers in a humiliating manner. A quarter of Russia's population was gone, along with many coal mines.
As to territorial amendments, Russia relinquished control and claims over Finland, the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland. The treaty stated that "Germany and Austria-Hungary intend to determine the future fate of these territories in agreement with their populations." Most of these territories were in effect ceded to Germany, which intended to have them become economic and political dependencies. The many ethnic German residents (volksdeutsch) would be the ruling elite in these German puppet states. Two new monarchies were created: in Lithuania, and Latvia and Estonia, with German aristocrats as rulers. At the insistance of Talaat Pasha, former Ottoman provinces lost in the Russian Turkish War of 1877-78 were returned, especially Ardahan; Kars and Batumi. In the wake of Russian repudiation of Tsarist bonds, nationalisation of foreign-owned property and confiscation of foreign assets, Russia and Germany signed an additional agreement on August 27, 1918. Russia agreed to pay six billion marks to compensate for German losses.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_papiermark
For the Western Allies, the terms which Germany imposed on Russia in this treaty were considered a sign of what to expect if Germany and the other Central Powers won the war, at least with Paris and/or Calais in German hands. Between Brest-Litovsk and the point when the German military situation in the west became critical in 1919, some officials in the German government and high command began to favor offering more lenient terms to the Entente in exchange for their recognition of German gains in the east.
 
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Deposition of Entente and Central Powers' battleships after the battle [January 1917]

Entente:
United Kingdom
Battleships:
Grand Fleet
HMS Dreadnought: Sunk by Konig Albert on 19 August 1916 action.
Dreadnought classes: All existing ships annihilated at Jutland, except for Audacious which was mined on 27 October 1914. [Thread is follow up to Jutland Version II].
HMS Resolution [to be completed in October 1916]
pre dreadnoughts
Lord Nelson class: Sunk in battle of 19 August
Swifture class: One sunk at Gallipoli, another in East Africa.
King Edward VII class: One sunk by minefield, 5 sunk in action on 19 August by dreadnought gunfire, 2 serving in Home Fleet.
Duncan class; One pre-war loss, one sunk by minefield, one sunk in action on 19 August, remainders in Home Fleet service.
Formidable class: One sunk by explosion in 1914 and two sunk in 1915. Others serving in the Adriatic.
Canopus class: Depositions similar to reality except without East African service.
Majestic class and older: decommissioned or placed in reserve.
Battlecruisers: All sunk at Jutland, except for HMAS Australia [sunk in 19 August action].
[Note that 18-19 August 1916 naval action would be explained in detail later. And, pre dreadnoughts don't stand a chance against a 1910 or later dreadnought unless the dreadnought is massively outnumbered.]
France:
Dreadnoughts:
Bretagne class: Proceeding to the Home Fleet for reinforcements.
Courbet class: In Mediterranean pending orders from commander.
Semi Dreadnoughts:
Danton class: Serving in the Central Mediterranean, based off Brindisi
pre dreadnoughts:
Liberte and Republique classes: Central Mediterranean, watching the Austrian fleet
Charlemagne class: All sunk in the Dardenelles straits on 5 September 1916 [one mined, one sunk from progressive flooding induced by gunfire and another sunk by explosion].
Henri IV: Sunk on 10 September 1916, after mine damage caused the bow's detachment and it was abandoned after being deemed incapable of reaching port.
Suffren: Damaged by mine on 21 October 1916, under temporary repairs, later sunk by u boat on 27 December the same year.
Iena: Lost to explosion prewar.
Massena: Scuttled in the Dardenelles.
Jaureguiberry: Placed in reserve after battle damage and undergoing refit.
Charles Martel and Carnot: Sunk by U52 enroute to the Mediterranean, 26 November 1916.
Brennus: Decommissioned
Italy [All in the Mediterranean]:
Dreadnoughts:
Dante Alighieri, Conte di Cavour, Andrea Doria: All at Taranto [except for Leonardo Da Vinci, which was sunk by a magazine explosion.]
pre dreadnoughts:
Regina Elena and Ammiraglio di San Bon classes: [Battleships of the Regina Elena class were sunk, one by explosion and another to mining by 1916].
Ironclad battleships: All placed in reserve, coastal defence duties or scrapped.
Russia:
None in Baltic Sea, one total loss in dockyards and multitudes of decommissioned ships in the Black Sea Fleet, 4 sold by Japan and transferred to the Arctic Flotilla.
Japan: Similar depositions to reality.
Central Powers:
Germany [all in High Seas Fleet]:
Dreadnoughts:
Nassau, Helgoland, Konig and Kaiser classes [all annihilated at Jutland except for Nassau, which was sunk at Riga, and Konig Albert, which was sunk on 19 August 1916 by gunfire induced progressive flooding].
Bayern class: Bayern sunk at Jutland, Baden running sea trials, Saschen and Wurttemburg under construction until late 1917.
Vulcan class: Confiscated Greek dreadnought expected to be finished in late 1917.
Battlecruisers:
Derrflinger class: Sunk at Jutland, except for Hindenburg, which would undergo sea trials.
Seydlitz: Heavily damaged at Jutland, undergoing reconstruction.
Moltke class: Moltke under repair from damage by submarine torpedo on 5 November, Goeben serving under Ottoman control.
Von Der Tann: Sunk in action of 19 August 1916.
Blucher: Sunk at Dogger Bank [noted as an armoured cruiser in most sources].
Pre Dreadnoughts:
Deutschland class: 2 sunk at Jutland, one sunk by mines on 8 August, 2 sunk in the Battle of the Gulf of Riga.
Preussen class: One torpedoed at Jutland, one sunk on 8 August and others sunk in Gulf of Riga battle.
Braunschweig and Kaiser Friedrich III class: All sunk at Riga or decommissioned after battle.
Siegfried class coastal defence ships: Placed in reserve for existing ships, later used in Baltic operations and transferred to Finland.
Austria Hungary [All in the Adriatic]:
Dreadnoughts:
Viribus Unitis class
Pre dreadnoughts:
Habsburg, Erhezhog Karl and Radetzky classes
Coastal defence ships: Monarch class
Ottoman Empire:
Dreadnoughts:
None [ships ordered by empire taken over by Britain and sunk at Jutland].
Battlecruisers:
Goeben [under repair and refit, scheduled for Black Sea service in the year and later, would breakout into the Mediterranean.]
Pre dreadnoughts
Turgut Reis class: One sunk by submarine in the Dardenelles, another defending the straits from French or British pre dreadnought attacks after heavy gunfire damage.
Coastal Defence ships:
Mesudiye [Sunk by submarine on 13 December 1914.]
 
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Battle of 18/19 August 1916

After the mutually destructive battle of Jutland, the British and Germans prepared for the next decisive battle. For Britain, the results of Jutland were even more severe because it was the fleet which suffered heavily and it was their pride. After the battle, a reorganization was done, which made Rear Admiral Evan Thomas immediate vice admiral, and he was to command the Grand Fleet.
Out of fears of invasions, the British recalled warships from other sectors. The Mediterranean Fleet was stripped of any modern pre dreadnought battleship, leaving only battleships of the Canopus and Formidable classes to serve. The French had to take up a heavier burden than the British, and the Russians were under bigger pressure to destroy the Goeben, leading to the disastrous Constantinople Campaign. The Germans had better hopes despite their losses, as every battlecruiser of the Royal Navy was sunk for 2 of theirs, with Seydlitz deemed unrepairable and under dockyard hands until late 1917. They hoped that before attrition and French reinforcements came up with them, they would be able to defeat Britain’s last remaining battleships and cruisers. The fleet would consist of the dreadnought Konig Albert as flagship, battlecruiser Von Der Tann, armoured cruisers Roon and Prinz Heinrich, light cruisers Hamburg, Berlin and Konigsberg, plus several of the Gazelle and Bremen classes and 20 destroyers. The British could muster HMS Dreadnought, HMAS Australia, the Harwich Force of 3 cruisers;, 8 pre dreadnoughts and 15 destroyers, 10 extra destroyers, 8 armoured cruisers and 15 more light or scouting cruisers, including recent transfers. German Zeppelins, 5 patrolling u boats and mines laid by cruiser Bremse would assist in the battle. A new action was necessary to bolster decreased morale in the heavily battered fleet by destroying the remnants of the Royal Navy and probably giving the decisive push to surrender out of loss of pride. It was planned that an artillery bombardment of an English town, Sunderland, by a battlecruiser would drive the remnants into battle and destruction. With the results of Jutland, it was believed that Zeppelins should assist the Germans in interception and reconnaissance. The fleet set sail at 9:00a.m. from Willhelmshaven to the battle.
Cecil Burney, now a full admiral, tried to get the Grand Fleet ready at sea by 17 August 1916, in response to decoded wireless intercepts from Room 40, while attending a staff meeting on the cruiser HMS Fearless. He boarded the Dreadnought at the River Humber and intercepted the German High Seas Fleet at 6:30 p.m. next day, off the Scottish coast near Rosyth. The U66 sighted the Lord Nelson and Agaemennon itself and fired three torpedoes at each battleship, leading to heavy damage and sinking after two hits each were received. Any attempts at salvage were ignored because the need to press on the fight led to the decision to evacuate and scuttle them. Submarine attacks began to take hold on approaching units, with 2 light cruisers, Sydney and Glasgow, being sunk by U52 at 6:00 p.m. that day. The loss of these warships compelled the admiral to take a temporary course north to avoid submarines, disrupting the battle sequence. Without evidence of surfaced German submarines and torpedo tracks other than what had just happened, he might be entering an unknown minefield until advice from a rear admiral proved that a submarine was the real culprit. The German force had received reassurances about Jellicoe's position, when a zeppelin had spotted the Grand Fleet heading north away from Scheer, at the time it had been avoiding the possible minefield. Unfortunately for the British, Zeppelin L7 mistook the cruisers and the flagship HMAS Australia as battleships, with sillhouettes of the dreadnoughts sunk at Jutland in the pilot's impression. These were actually Scheer's targets, so he changed course at 12.15 a.m., also to the south-east and away from the approaching British fleet. No further reports were received from zeppelins about the British fleet, but it was spotted by a U-boat just 65 miles north of Scheer.
Then, the real battle began. In foggy and poorly visible weather, Konig Albert opened fire on HMS Dreadnought and several pre dreadnoughts. The pre dreadnoughts of the King Edward VII class were no match for the dreadnought and despite close range combat, were sunk individually. The first to go was the HMS Britannia, which was sunk when a shell entered the magazines and caused a massive explosion. The British ships desperately tried to continue shelling their outnumbered, but superior German opponent and scored some 30 12 inch hits, most of which were ineffective, before a second pre dreadnought was lost to progressive flooding. This was the unlucky Albermale, the only Duncan class to participate and get sunk in the battle .It was time for another pre dreadnought to be sunk when Dominion got its guts ripped open by a lucky hit on the magazines, which exploded. HMS Dreadnought was pounced to a wreck by Konig Albert and abandoned, eventually sinking in a few hours’ time. Finally, it was time for another heavily damaged pre dreadnought, the HMS Commonwealth, to sink from damage, but it was in shallow water that it was salvaged and towed back to port, being declared a constructive total loss on return and was decommissioned.
The Dominion and Zeelandia were shelled heavily and there was an explosion occurring from the ships. The other was heavily damaged and ran aground, before being towed back to England for heavy and uneconomical repairs, later leading to refitting and disarming. HMS Africa and Hindustan were torpedoed by cruisers, along with HMAS Australia, and were sunk, but not before sinking the 3 light cruisers involved. For the British, the issue of light cruisers available was critical because 2 of them were lost to a torpedo attack by U52 the day before as well. Although several armoured cruisers engaged the Roon and Prinz Heinrich, those with 6 inch guns quickly fell victim to the Germans, along with the Devonshire class sent to the battle. The Harwich Force, now without its light cruisers except for Centaur as the flagship, was engaged and in a fierce night action and losing destroyers at a fast rate along with its cruiser to torpedo attacks, although 5 of the attackers were sunk by gunfire. Von Der Tann also engaged several cruisers and received a torpedo on the bows for extra damage. After evacuating the battle scene, it was detected by British submarine E23, which slammed a torpedo into the flooding ship, leading to its sinking. Cruisers Roon and Prinz Heinrich were also abandoned and scuttled after the individual torpedo hits received. A minefield laid by the cruiser Bremse caught the reorganized 6th Light Cruiser Squadron unaware and 3 cruisers were lost to mines, one to gunfire damage and another to a combination of both due to progressive flooding. The German cruiser would be sunk in return. Another seaplane carrier sent in support of the crippled ships was torpedoed, probably by a destroyer, and sank. It was the HMS Campania.
Another nasty destroyer and cruiser night action would cost the Germans 10 escorting destroyers, but not before losing 10 destroyers. The British had lost another 15 in this battle and were retreating in humiliating defeat. Also, the sinking of every cruiser possible with the loss of 8 German equivalents and a mine laying version would be another issue for Britain, as defence of trade routes and the homeland would be compromised without French reinforcements.
The Royal Navy, after the battle, would declare that anywhere south of 55 degrees north of latitude would be too dangerous for a fleet sortie and the recourse was to await the German events and terminate any departures from Scapa except for emergency events, as outlined in the Meetings Of 6 October 1916. Also, the threat of destroyer and submarine torpedo attacks were a bigger concern to be addressed by the Admiralty. Surrender was considered too shameful and the consequences of the battle, along with the failure to breakthrough the Somme defences, were a contributing factor to the fatal decision by the Russian Black Sea Fleet to assault Constantinople. The completion of the Renown class battlecruisers was delayed to permit the incorporation of extra armour into the ships. British reinforcements that could be relied on were decreasing and shifting every ship to home waters would decrease British prestige.
For the Germans, the battle resulted in the keeping of the fleet at home and the shifting of resources to complete more battleships. Zeppelin cooperation was also increased in anticipation of the next battle. It was hoped that a fight with the French would be easier, and the new battleship Baden, along with Saschen and Wurttemburg, would inflict a final defeat on the British and their French allies in the battlefield. Also, capital ships were considered too valuable to be risked in action, as evidenced by the sinking of the cruiser Furst Bismarck, the temporary German flagship, to a submarine during a sortie on 18 October by two submarine torpedoes. The damage inflicted on battlecruiser Moltke by another submarine attack on 5 November that resulted in a necessary reconstruction of the bows would prove that to be true. Scheer was dissatisfied by the failure of the zeppelins to attack. Only three zeppelins had spotted anything, and from seven reports, four had been wrong. Only an attack could've sank a destroyer, if anything was sunk.
 
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