Peace Without Victors
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Asami
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((R-R-Rewrite!))
Chapter 1: The Kaiserschlacht (Spring 1918)
The Great War is never fondly remembered, even at the centennial commemorations in Eastern France, where the worst of the fighting took place, especially during the closing days of the war, now termed by historians as Kaiserschlacht. This offensive mounted in the face of the impending arrival of American forces, was perhaps the bloodiest of the entire war, despite being at the very end of the war.
Germany was very much a nation exhausted by the start of 1918. Despite winning a victory against the beleaguered and collapsed Russian Empire in the east, she was still fighting a war tooth and nail in the west, staring across no man's land at the Entente Powers -- France and Great Britain. It was no guess that Germany, subjected to embargoes by the Royal Navy, and a continuing war in the west, was growing weaker by the day, with some of the most basic human needs, or even military needs, drying up like the Sahara Desert, as well as the unstable political situation as anti-war groups gaining influence amongst the sailors and soldiers; becoming almost dangerous. There was also the factor of the Kaiser's sidelining by the OHL (Hindenburg), which chafed many loyalists against the leadership currently in power.
In 1917, the United States, fed up with Germany's pushing of unrestricted submarine warfare, and the audacity to offer the Mexicans control of a large part of the Southwestern United States, joined the war -- which gave to the German High Command the necessity to launch an immediate operation against the Entente Powers before American reinforcements arrived on the Western Front. Another major development of 1917 that gave way to the Kaiserschlacht, was the "retirement" of General von Ludendorff in November 1917 after frequently clashing with General von Hindenburg and the Kaiser, although the official report was that his "health had declined". Ludendorff was reassigned to command German forces to help put down Bolshevik cells in the Ukraine instead.
His replacement was appointed a week later, Max Hoffman, who became the primary commander of the offensive.
Generalfeldmarschall Max Hoffman
A major key point of the offensive was to press the Allies back and capture key tactical and strategic targets, such as Paris, promised to fall in one hundred days by the Schlieffen Plan, Dunkirk, Amiens, and other French cities on the frontline. Another major goal was to flank and shatter the British army entrenched at the Somme.
Many believe that if the British would have had preliminary awareness of the offensive, the Allies could have organized sufficient defenses and halted the offensive, or at least, delay it before the Americans arrived, so they could reinforce the line. However, with a lack of awareness and preparedness, the German offensive took the Allies well by surprise, unbelieving the sheer coordination and organization demonstrated by the Germans.
In the first five hours of the offensive, well over a million shells rained down on Allied positions on the front, with the German Army launching their numerous cooperative operations. In the initial days of Operation: Michael, the Germans broke open the Allied lines as they drove the British Fifth Army into massive retreat. They followed up this victory to further press the Third Army's flank, which also retreated at the German onslaught.
The Germans having a good advantage of a surprise attack lead to a massive push during Operation Michael. By the dawn of the 22nd, German forces had already taken the city of Peronne, forcing the Entente back across the River Somme. German forces in the southern part of the front of the offensive pushed with moderate resistance through Ham and Cugny.
The Germans crossed the Somme with heavy resistance, leading to a halt in the offensive for 24 hours to reorganize. The Entente took the time to reorganize their defenses, but the offensive began again on midday, March 23. The offensive pushed hard against the Allies as greater offensives mounted elsewhere on the front, forcing Allied manpower to spread thin.
The Germans advanced rapidly against the British as Entente organization was sapped severely by the seemingly renewed vigor of the Germans. By the beginning of the 24th, the Germans had advanced to Hamel and Cachy, providing them the means to converge on Amiens. The Battle of Amiens that ensued, lasting from March 24 to April 3, was expensive for the Germans and Entente alike, however, on April 3rd, the Entente retreated, allowing for the city's capture by German forces. The following day, Arras, which had held out against German encirclement, finally surrendered, this placed in Germany's hand, significant tactical gains, which even further boosted German morale in the face of an ever grim situation.
The end of Michael gave way to the start of Operation: George, which was to capture the city of Ypres and further weaken the British position in France. The German offensive initially met fierce resistance, but in much the same air as Amiens, the German offensive pressed hard on the thinly spread Allied manpower, giving way to the mass retreat of the Allies, abandoning the city of Ypres after 22 days of fighting. The Allies refused to halt their resistance however, and held the line just outside Ypres.
By the start of May 1918, the Germans had achieved several operational victories in the war. Discontent was growing in the French ranks as American soldiers had yet to arrive in France. Part of the reason of operational failure in March and April 1918 had been the complete lack of operational unity, however, with the failures on the Western Front, the Allied commanders began to bicker over how to proceed. Attempts by the French leaders to offer Ferdinand Foch as a united commander of the Entente troops were rebuffed by the British, who had suffered less losses in the long-run of the Kaiserschlacht Offensive in comparison to the French.
Continued offensives in May and June 1918 weakened the Allied position as German casualties topped no more than 65,000 soldiers, however, Allied casualties were much higher, in excess of 150,000 by the start of July 1918. The resistance of the individual Allied forces was hardening as the offensive continued, but alas, so was discontent. Allied soldiers were becoming frustrated by the lack of progress, as were domestic groups on all sides.
The final offensive of the First World War was undertaken in early July 1918, with the German army, in a final push before resigning to exhaustion and possibly defeat, stormed towards Rheims. The offensive caused a massive headache for both sides, but eventually culminated with the Allied retreat on July 20, 1918. Initial Allied hopes had pertained to a US-backed offensive, however, the US forces had still not yet shown up in France, with Wilson giving them a time-table such as September or October before the first Americans saw the front. They saw no joy in prolonging this bloody war any further, and so, two days later, with a war-devastated Europe, and a headache for everyone, as well as the stability of the French and German regimes on the brink, an armistice was proposed by the Entente Powers.
The Germans wasted no time in accepting, and a ceasefire was ordered on July 21, 1918. The Great War was over, and the process of working out a peace agreement for both sides was in the cards for the coming weeks.
Peace Without Victors
Chapter 1: The Kaiserschlacht (Spring 1918)
The Great War is never fondly remembered, even at the centennial commemorations in Eastern France, where the worst of the fighting took place, especially during the closing days of the war, now termed by historians as Kaiserschlacht. This offensive mounted in the face of the impending arrival of American forces, was perhaps the bloodiest of the entire war, despite being at the very end of the war.
Germany was very much a nation exhausted by the start of 1918. Despite winning a victory against the beleaguered and collapsed Russian Empire in the east, she was still fighting a war tooth and nail in the west, staring across no man's land at the Entente Powers -- France and Great Britain. It was no guess that Germany, subjected to embargoes by the Royal Navy, and a continuing war in the west, was growing weaker by the day, with some of the most basic human needs, or even military needs, drying up like the Sahara Desert, as well as the unstable political situation as anti-war groups gaining influence amongst the sailors and soldiers; becoming almost dangerous. There was also the factor of the Kaiser's sidelining by the OHL (Hindenburg), which chafed many loyalists against the leadership currently in power.
In 1917, the United States, fed up with Germany's pushing of unrestricted submarine warfare, and the audacity to offer the Mexicans control of a large part of the Southwestern United States, joined the war -- which gave to the German High Command the necessity to launch an immediate operation against the Entente Powers before American reinforcements arrived on the Western Front. Another major development of 1917 that gave way to the Kaiserschlacht, was the "retirement" of General von Ludendorff in November 1917 after frequently clashing with General von Hindenburg and the Kaiser, although the official report was that his "health had declined". Ludendorff was reassigned to command German forces to help put down Bolshevik cells in the Ukraine instead.
His replacement was appointed a week later, Max Hoffman, who became the primary commander of the offensive.
Generalfeldmarschall Max Hoffman
A major key point of the offensive was to press the Allies back and capture key tactical and strategic targets, such as Paris, promised to fall in one hundred days by the Schlieffen Plan, Dunkirk, Amiens, and other French cities on the frontline. Another major goal was to flank and shatter the British army entrenched at the Somme.
Many believe that if the British would have had preliminary awareness of the offensive, the Allies could have organized sufficient defenses and halted the offensive, or at least, delay it before the Americans arrived, so they could reinforce the line. However, with a lack of awareness and preparedness, the German offensive took the Allies well by surprise, unbelieving the sheer coordination and organization demonstrated by the Germans.
In the first five hours of the offensive, well over a million shells rained down on Allied positions on the front, with the German Army launching their numerous cooperative operations. In the initial days of Operation: Michael, the Germans broke open the Allied lines as they drove the British Fifth Army into massive retreat. They followed up this victory to further press the Third Army's flank, which also retreated at the German onslaught.
The Germans having a good advantage of a surprise attack lead to a massive push during Operation Michael. By the dawn of the 22nd, German forces had already taken the city of Peronne, forcing the Entente back across the River Somme. German forces in the southern part of the front of the offensive pushed with moderate resistance through Ham and Cugny.
The Germans crossed the Somme with heavy resistance, leading to a halt in the offensive for 24 hours to reorganize. The Entente took the time to reorganize their defenses, but the offensive began again on midday, March 23. The offensive pushed hard against the Allies as greater offensives mounted elsewhere on the front, forcing Allied manpower to spread thin.
The Germans advanced rapidly against the British as Entente organization was sapped severely by the seemingly renewed vigor of the Germans. By the beginning of the 24th, the Germans had advanced to Hamel and Cachy, providing them the means to converge on Amiens. The Battle of Amiens that ensued, lasting from March 24 to April 3, was expensive for the Germans and Entente alike, however, on April 3rd, the Entente retreated, allowing for the city's capture by German forces. The following day, Arras, which had held out against German encirclement, finally surrendered, this placed in Germany's hand, significant tactical gains, which even further boosted German morale in the face of an ever grim situation.
The end of Michael gave way to the start of Operation: George, which was to capture the city of Ypres and further weaken the British position in France. The German offensive initially met fierce resistance, but in much the same air as Amiens, the German offensive pressed hard on the thinly spread Allied manpower, giving way to the mass retreat of the Allies, abandoning the city of Ypres after 22 days of fighting. The Allies refused to halt their resistance however, and held the line just outside Ypres.
By the start of May 1918, the Germans had achieved several operational victories in the war. Discontent was growing in the French ranks as American soldiers had yet to arrive in France. Part of the reason of operational failure in March and April 1918 had been the complete lack of operational unity, however, with the failures on the Western Front, the Allied commanders began to bicker over how to proceed. Attempts by the French leaders to offer Ferdinand Foch as a united commander of the Entente troops were rebuffed by the British, who had suffered less losses in the long-run of the Kaiserschlacht Offensive in comparison to the French.
Continued offensives in May and June 1918 weakened the Allied position as German casualties topped no more than 65,000 soldiers, however, Allied casualties were much higher, in excess of 150,000 by the start of July 1918. The resistance of the individual Allied forces was hardening as the offensive continued, but alas, so was discontent. Allied soldiers were becoming frustrated by the lack of progress, as were domestic groups on all sides.
The final offensive of the First World War was undertaken in early July 1918, with the German army, in a final push before resigning to exhaustion and possibly defeat, stormed towards Rheims. The offensive caused a massive headache for both sides, but eventually culminated with the Allied retreat on July 20, 1918. Initial Allied hopes had pertained to a US-backed offensive, however, the US forces had still not yet shown up in France, with Wilson giving them a time-table such as September or October before the first Americans saw the front. They saw no joy in prolonging this bloody war any further, and so, two days later, with a war-devastated Europe, and a headache for everyone, as well as the stability of the French and German regimes on the brink, an armistice was proposed by the Entente Powers.
The Germans wasted no time in accepting, and a ceasefire was ordered on July 21, 1918. The Great War was over, and the process of working out a peace agreement for both sides was in the cards for the coming weeks.
Asami
Banned
Peace Without Victors
Chapter 2: Winning the Peace
It must be remarked that the United States' failure to deliver a quick entry to the war was not entirely a problem on the part of transportation. After the US formally declared war in April 1917, there was a lengthy period running into the height of the Kaiserschlacht where many anti-war groups in the United States Congress were impeding attempts to send soldiers. To make matters worse, labour protests were making conscription and other means of getting soldiers in the army difficult. By the time the US was capable of scrounging together an Expeditionary Force, numbering approx. 20,000 men, the war had come to an end.
The Treaty of Dresden was a treaty that left many unsatisfied, to say the least. It only dealt with the French front of the Great War, as Italians and Austrians continued to bleed themselves white in their own front. The negotiations were dominated by German and French diplomats attempting their hardest to extort each other. Germany, despite exhausting their last resources on an offensive that gave them practical victory, insisted on their gains, while France insisted on a total white peace, with all nations involved returning to their status quo, 1914 borders, and France regaining Alsace-Lorraine.
The Germans were not inclined to play France's game, and rejected such means. The "Winter Negotiations" continued until February 1919, when, unhappy with the lack of progress, the United States sent a team of diplomats to Dresden to further negotiations. It was Wilson's hope that in doing so, he would be able to establish a peace favorable to all parties involved.
Upon their arrival, the American arbitrators were met coldly in France, as many Frenchmen were angry at the United States for failing to arrive on time, and causing the events that had lead to France practically giving up on the war. German soldiers remained on the front-lines, always prepared for the war to restart at a moment's notice, even several months after the armistice.
The negotiations continued at a snail's pace. The only concrete action achieved was that Germany's eastern conquests would remain as-is, meaning German hegemony in the east was, for now, despite the growing Soviet momentum, secure.
The primary source of argument between Germany and France derived from the Alsace-Lorraine issue, Germany's demand for concessions, and Belgium. Germany had wanted to take parts of Belgium as well as her colonies, while this action was nominally opposed by most of the Entente.
Britain's goals were to force Germany to massively downscale her navy so she could no longer compete with Britain. The American diplomatic corps proposed the issue not be mentioned in the Treaty, and be resolved by a later conference under an international arbitration organization.
That proposal was agreeable by the various powers that be, and they agreed to hold a conference on the matter later. Into Spring of 1919, the Germans and French were getting closer to settlement. Belgium had been theoretically thrown to the dogs, so to speak, as had Luxembourg. The small little country, firmly under German control, was annexed to the Reich as a principality of Prussia. Belgium lost a small chunk of it's territory that was German majority, and became all but in name, a German puppet regime. The Belgian question was a great gain for Germany, who relaxed her stance on Alsace-Lorraine.
General Hoffmann had spoken with the Kaiser in Berlin about the issue and suggested that Alsace-Lorraine was truly, more trouble than it was worth. He pointed out that the Francophone population resented being ruled from Berlin, and that the territory itself wasn't exactly integrated into the German Empire.
This lead to the agreement to hold a referendum in all of Alsace-Lorraine to see which parts wished to stay in Germany, or go back to France in a retrocession. France and Germany as well agreed to pay each other partial recompense for their losses in the war. It would not be an excessive amount, but enough to cover a chunk of the losses without inflicting worse losses on either side.
In September 1919, the Treaty of Dresden was signed by the powers that be. It outlined the reparations both sides would pay to each other, it outlined the foundation of the League of Nations, and it also outlined the territorial concessions on both sides, as well as the Alsace-Lorraine Referendum, which was to take place by the end of 1921, pending organization by the League, Germany, and France.
In the following months, by December 1919, the rest of the Central Powers and Entente signed peace treaties, formally ending the Great War in earnest. Out of the war, there were truly no victors, in historical context. The Ottoman Empire was a lost cause, rapidly decaying as Arabs grew even more rebellious, and Austria-Hungary was barely clinging to itself.
The Dual Monarchy had beaten Serbia in 1915, and the occupational government continued, however, under diplomatic pressure, the Dual Monarchy withdrew from Serbia in 1919. Bulgaria maintained it's control over Southern Serbia, and the rest of it was turned into a rump, independent state under Austrian "influence". Montenegro was annexed into the K.u.K, and with luck, the Habsburgs and their governing body had avoided total collapse, however narrowly... a problem which would rise again in the future.
However, as the days of 1919, and the World War, came to a close, Europe was changed significantly, and there was almost nobody happy about the situation. Not the Entente, nor the Central Powers.
Germany in 1919 was not a happy place, and 1920 was not a happy one either, as trouble reared it's head with the end of the war, and with it, the need for a military government, as well as the rising power of the Bolsheviks in the East, and the need to keep several puppet regimes in line, there was trouble ahead.
Europe after Treaty of Dresden, 1920
Last edited:
Tyr Anazasi
Banned
If Luxemburg joined it would be a full Bundesstaat and no part of Prussia. Also likely the Belgian parts of Luxemburg would have been traded over to the German state of Luxemburg.
Nice to see this back. I read it a long time ago and always thought it was a shame it ended.
It is hardly a peace without victors.
while Germany gain much in the east the loss of the colonies without even a token payment would have been too big a loss of face.
strange that the liberal / conservative side of politics have made no gains they were strongly supported by the junkers.
and as for the USA they seized a lot of German economic assets these would have had to be returned in situation where Germany didn't lose.
one product asprin went on to make billions for it new owner.
as america did nothing in the war these assets would have had to be returned or compensated for and the US government probably couldn't afford either as the war loans were going bad
this heads into another point GB and France owe a hell of a lot of money to the americans there wars were financed externally unlike Germany with were internal.
There is no way france could service these loans and GB is doubtful.
and there is also the irish question that GB would have trouble explaining to the americans
more please