Twilight of the Gods
TWILIGHT OF THE GODS
Ever since 1804 when Napoleon I became Emperor, the Nations of Europe united to defeat Bonaparte and his revolution. They fought ever since the Revolution, 6 wars to defeat the French, 2 of them against the Revolutionaries and 4 against Bonaparte. The wars were thought to be over in Vienna, but that was a false idea: The traditional European houses and monarchies would never accept to call those upstart Corsicans as equals, but the force of arms of the French Empire forced them to do so. No nation could challenge the French supremacy until the rise of the German Kaiserreich, a nation founded on the same nationalist ideals of France, their equal in population, in industry, in the military. Germany was born for this fight, to lead a 7th coalition and take down the Bonapartes once and for all. And the final showdown of the Bonapartes and the European Monarchies started in 1912 and lasted for 3 years, until it finally came to a close in 1915. The French Empire was standing alone in Europe, fighting against it's enemies, after knocking out the minor members of the coalition surrounding them, Napoleon V led millions of troops of the largest army the world had ever seen into a final war, to decide the fate of Europe: Another Century of French rule awaited in the victory, and a Century of German rule awaited in defeat.
On the 18th of January, the day before the peace of Prague, French troops launched a full offensive from the front and flanks to take Essen, Dortmound, and Bonn, the 3 main industrial centers of Western Germany. The attack was met with fierce German resistance, the Germans forced the French to pay for every building, every inch, in blood. The Brutal "Auerstedt Offensive" (named after the twin battle with Jena) lasted until the 3rd of March with the French capturing the 3 cities, but the cost was so great that Napoleon failed to keep a push into Westphalia. Meanwhile on the west, Amsterdam was being supplied by sea, the British navy keeping the city strong and fed. Napoleon V finally snapped against the British (similarly to what he did with the Catalans), and reactivated the Unrestricted Swordfish Warfare.
Tons of shipments of food and supplies going into the British islands were going to the bottom of the sea. The British islands would suffer the wrath of Napoleon, that planned to starve them into submission. But he had made the mistake of sinking American ships. Public opinion in America was swinging into Anti-French sentiment, especially thanks for the large German descended population in America and Wilson's personal admiration of the Kaiserreich. Finally, on the 6th of March, the Casus belli arrived: A assassin stuck President Wilson, identified as an agent of the French government with the intention of preventing Wilson from joining the War. Wilson survived, and on the 8th of March, using the outrage of the people, he declared war on the French Empire.
Meanwhile, Ireland finally fell, Dublin was taken by British troops, finding a city of starving citizens. The blockade finally forced the Kingdom to surrender to London. Seeing the writing in the Wall and wanting to leave before the Coalition wrath fell on them, the Brazilians and Phillipinos made a generous deal with Britain, promising to retreat from the occupied territory in return of the dismissal of the foreign debt. They would be followed by the Boers and the Natives, that negotiated changes in autonomy and treatment by the British in Africa. Romania and Greece also capitulated after the fall of Russia. By the 1st of May of 1915, France was alone.
And while their last allies fell one by one. Napoleon V decided to play one last gamble: Hoping to strike the Germans before the eastern reinforcements and the US troops arrived, an offensive attacked Westphalia and Northern Netherlands. Taking the city of Zwolle on the 23rd of March, French troops marched to Münster when the German Eastern troops finally arrived. The battle of Münster would decide the fate of the War. On the sea, the French fleet focused all their assets for a decisive engagement, against the Anglo-German fleet off the Coast of Holland. The Battle would become the largest naval battle of the War: 178 French ships against 203 combined Coalition ships. The Battle would last for 3 days, until the French fleet retreated back to Dunkirk, losing over 86 ships, with the Coalition also retreating and losing 94 ships. It was a tactical draw, but strategic Coalition victory, as the French navy would never leave the ports again during the war, and the Amsterdam supply lines were secured.
The Battle of Münster was a bloody affair, the bloodiest battle of the War, lasting from the 4th of April until the 29th of May, the city was destroyed and over 1 million men were lost. It was a battle between General Petain and General Hitler, with the latter winning. The German victory turned the tide of the War as the Germans slowly but surely reconquered their territory. Between the 29th of May and the 18th of August, French forces were pushed all the way back to the Rhine, but Hitler, Lundendorff, and Hindenburg didn't want a stalemate again. That's when the news arrived: British Commonwealth and American experditionaries landed in Brest.
It was an old plan, devised during the 1880s, the Coalition plan was always to overwhelm the French from all fronts, and the British weren't to be restricted at sea. They would be responsible to take the fight to the French after their frontlines began to fall apart. And on the 6th of August, The First Lord of Admiralty Winston Churchill, gave green light to "Operation Wellington", the name of the only General that was said to be capable of defeating Napoleon in all Britain. Over 120,000 men, supported by 186 ships and the first mass Campaign of plane bombardment in history, along with the first 20,000 Americans to fight in Europe, invaded the Beaches of Britanny, capturing the city of Brest: The Largest Port in the region and only place capable of supplying the invasion. The British troops went down the peninsula like a wave until Napoleon sent reinforcements to stop them, but the damage was done: It forced Napoleon to split his forces.
((Frontlines in Britanny))
Napoleon V saw his Empire falling apart, Ottoman troops renewed their offensive and took Jerusalem, Coalition forces overwhelmed colonial forces and were pushing in Sudan and Cote d'ivory, with Morocco and Algeria threatened by the Spanish. The Blockade finally revealed its power as Napoleon V went back to Paris, seeing a starving population begging for peace and food in the streets. Napoleon believed in a Final victory, using the army to defend better positions like the Alps and the Pyrenees while focusing all their reserves and conscripts to halt the Germans that were already in Wallonia. But his General Staff was certain that he was insane, moving nonexistent armies across a map. Some generals like Nivelle could see the writing in the wall from the moment that Petrograd was gone, others were in denial and supported Napoleon, but deep down all but Bonaparte could see that the war was over. On the 19th of November, German troops were approaching Verdun when the last French offensive was organized, planning to create a Bulge and split the German army in two. The underequipped French troops got some success in the first days until the Germans brought in reinforcements, surrounding Verdun and capturing over 670,000 troops in the surroundings of the city.
In desperation, the Empress decided to send their children away, fearing what the Germans would do to them. Napoleon's 3 children: Charles Bonaparte (12), Sophie Bonaparte (9), and Jean Bonaparte (7). With their tutor: Louis de Charleroi, to Brazil, in the court of the Royal Family. Napoleon V discovered it and considered his wife a conspirator, banishing her from France. He became extremely Paranoid, believing all their generals and family disobeyed him and were already engaging with the enemy. Paris was put under siege on the 7th of December, Napoleon V believing that he was destined to lead the French in their greatest victory. He remained in Paris as the city was bombarded into submission, the Eiffel Tower, a construction made by his Grandfather in 1882 that was the tallest tower of the world at the time, was hit by Weiss and Krupp artillery, making the construction collapse into the Seine river. Napoleon conscripted every man of the city, forcing women to enter factories and halt all production of consumer goods, instead producing guns and ammunition, even children weren't safe as those above 12 were sent to the army and those between 6 and 12 sent to factories. The siege of Paris had begun.
While Paris starved and burned, the rest of France was collapsing, the 3 secondary fronts collapsed and Enemy troops poured in, most of the troops not even resisting and commanders opening cities to the Coalition. While British troops were more civilized, Italians and especially Iberians were brutal, with rape and pillaging being common incidents. German troops were civilized only for those that spoke a Germanic language, a French accent was enough to make you regret your life, the city of Verdun was pillaged and burned to the ground for example.
On the 12th of January, the French finally gave up, a revolt started inside of Paris, soldiers and civilians alike stormed the Imperial Palace and in response Napoleon V committed suicide with his staff. General Petain declared the surrender of Paris and France to the Entente. The war was finally over.
((German troops Marching on Paris))
