The Union Forever: A TL

Reader mode
A.M. Turtle

A.M. Turtle

250px-Arthur_MacArthur_Jr.jpg


Arthur MacArthur Jr.

-Medal of Honor winner (that is if the butterflies haven't got rid of those)
-Famous soldier
-Long time Republican (makes policy with Lincoln administration easier)
-For @#!*% and giggles I think it would be funny to see an young Pershing chewed out by a MacArthur
-Mostly likely did not meet his OTL wife (no Douglas which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your opinion)
-Overall I think he would be a good commander for the AEF but would most likely not fully understand trench warfare causing several bloodbaths (then again look at OTL)
 

Alternatehistoryguy47

It would be interesting to see Alfred von Schlieffen as the chief of the Prussian General Staff.



He was one heck of a strategist and he did serve as the chief of the general staff up until 1906 in OTL. Unless he was butterflied away (idk if he was or not), perhaps his retirement was postponed following the increasing hostilities in Europe and, considering the war started in 1907, he should be able to do some good for Prussia. With the situation that Prussia is facing, it will need every advantage it can get.
 

Alternatehistoryguy47

Inquisitor Tolkien said:
Least this time, he isn't recommending a strike through Belgium.:p
Click to expand...

agreed... although it would have been interesting to see Prussia try it anyway. if it worked, the Prussians might have decapitated France before it could really begin to fight. i don't know if it had any real chance of working, but it would have been interesting to see nonetheless; especially since von Schlieffen would have actually lived to oversee the implementation of his plan personally.
 

Inquisitor Tolkien

kevvy2010 said:
agreed... although it would have been interesting to see Prussia try it anyway. if it worked, the Prussians might have decapitated France before it could really begin to fight. i don't know if it had any real chance of working, but it would have been interesting to see nonetheless; especially since von Schlieffen would have actually lived to oversee the implementation of his plan personally.
Click to expand...
Ah yes, the Schlieffen Plan. One of the silliest gambles in all of history (almost up there with Pearl Harbor). If it didn't work in OTL, despite Germany being in a stronger relative position than Prussia is here, why would it work now? The logistic complications ruined it in 1914 (to say nothing of 1907), and the strategic situation is even more unfavorable and incompatible. The purpose of the Schlieffen Plan was to knock out France, the perceived weaker of the two Entente powers, in the opening stages of the war quickly, to prevent the war from dragging on. To do so, they sacrificed their long-term strategic viability immediately (as economically, the Entente, primarily British, blockade ruined them).

Belgium's neutrality at present is guaranteed by all major European powers (under the London Treaty), and violating that neutrality makes it much more difficult for Germany to draw Great Britain and America into the war. In OTL, the Schlieffen Plan was a horrid idea, as it ruined Germany's diplomatic image (and handed Great Britain a casus belli on a silver platter). ITTL, its an even worse idea, as it acts as a roadblock to British and American entry into the war (not to mention that France is most definitely stronger, and has the initiative).

Its nice to speculate, but the best Prussia can do in this scenario is sit on the defensive for a time (at most, try an offensive against Austria-Hungary in an effort to keep the Balkan powers from being gobbled up outright, as seems to be their likely future).
 

Seraph

Question: Does the United State still get Wake Island and Guam?
US was the first to claim Wake while Guam was acquired after the Spanish American War OTL wise.

Guam would likely serve as a major naval base along with Samoa for the Pacific I believe.
 

Mac Gregor

(Hey everyone sorry for the delay, having problems with my account so I will be using this one for the time being, cheers!)




Italy Capitulates ​



Italian_troops_at_Isonzo_river.jpg

Italian troops defending Novara
December, 1907​


November, 1907 – January 1908

The Battle of Novara

After the fall of Turin, Italian forces began fortifying in earnest the northern Italian city of Novara in a last ditch effort to prevent the advancing French from reaching the important industrial city of Milan. The Battle of Novara began on a high note for the Italians when an overconfident French infantry battalion was ambushed at the edge of the city’s defenses on November 4, 1907. Over the following weeks however the invading French increasingly encircled the besieged Italians expanding their works to the north and south of the city. Italian efforts to reinforce Novara were hampered as Austro-Hungarian forces made repeated attempts to cross the Isonzo River in order to move on Venice. This forced the Italians to siphon off tens of thousands of troops and much need supplies from the Piedmont Front in the west. The Italians put up a valiant defense, inflicting surprisingly high casualties on the French attackers. The French however, had a clear superiority in artillery and aircraft which began to take its toll on the beleaguered Italians.

On December 19, 1907 the French completed their encirclement of Novara. General Luigi Cadorna commander of Italian forces on the Piedmont Front heroically held the city until January 3rd, 1908 when the exhaustion of the garrison’s ammunition supply forced him to surrender to the French. Altogether 102,000 Italian soldier were captured in the Novara pocket. The French however paid dearly for their success suffering an estimated 105,000 killed and wounded since the start of the Italian Campaign. With the capture of Novara the road to Milan was now open. On January 15th after short but brutal street fighting Milan fell to the French.

Assassination of King Umberto I


umberto_i_king_of_italy2.jpg

Umberto I
King of Italy
3 March 1878-19 January 1908​

On January 19th, less than a week after the defeat at Novara, the King of Italy Umberto I was assassinated by a socialist radical named Giancarlo Rossetto while returning from a meeting with the Pope. Umberto I’s murder threw the Italian government into chaos. The dead king’s only child, the unpopular 37 year old Princess Lucia, was installed as Queen. Unlike her father, Queen Lucia heeded the advice of her defeatist ministers and within days of taking the thrown requested an armistice with the Entente Powers. At noon on January 28, 1908 the Kingdom of Italy officially withdrew from the Great War.

Treaty of Milan

Signed in the early days of February 1908, the Treaty of Milan outlined the harsh conditions of the Kingdom of Italy’s withdraw from the Great War. First and foremost, Napoleon IV coveted northern Italy as he wanted to be able to transport troops to his Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman allies and prevent Italy from threatening France in the future. In order to due this a “zone of perpetual occupation” was established north of the Tanaro and Po Rivers. This all but officially annexed northern Italy. The regions of Piedmont, Lombardy, and the Aosta Valley went to France while Veneto and Friuli–Venezia Giulia went to Austria-Hungry. These areas included many of the most important industrial centers in the country such as Turin, Milan, and Venice. Furthermore, severe restrictions were placed on the future size of the Italian army and navy. Although severe, many modern historians believe that Italy at the time had little choice but to accept the treaty’s terms, as further fighting at the time would have lead to greater loss of territory. Importantly the treaty did not demand reparations form Italy or confiscate the Italian army’s remaining equipment.

Domestic and Foreign Reaction

Italy’s capitulation shocked the world. Although the news was softened by Prussia’s victory at the Battle of the Mosel, the remaining Alliance powers were deeply concerned by the swiftness of Italy’s collapse. Furthermore, with Italy now out of the way hundreds of thousands of Entente soldiers were now free to fight on other fronts. Emperors Napoleon IV and Maximilian I were reported to be thrilled by the news prompting Napoleon to declare “what it took my great uncle to do in a year in 1796 I have accomplished in three months!”

In Italy the Treaty of Milan had enormous consequences. Many Italians felt betrayed by the armistice citing Italian success on the Isonzo front and the heroic performance at Novara as reasons for Italy to continue the war. Now having ceded the most populace and industrial section of the country many Italians lost faith in the monarchial regime. Over the next few months the political situation in Rome became increasingly unstable with many beginning to look for an alternative to Queen Lucia.
 

Mac Gregor

Seraph said:
Question: Does the United State still get Wake Island and Guam?
US was the first to claim Wake while Guam was acquired after the Spanish American War OTL wise.

Guam would likely serve as a major naval base along with Samoa for the Pacific I believe.
Click to expand...

The United States has Wake Island. France purchased Guam from Spain in 1879 along with the Philippine Islands.
 
The Great War: Battle of the Mosel / Invasion of Luxembourg
  • Index

    • Mac Gregor

    The Battle of the Mosel
    and the
    Invasion of Luxembourg    ​



    french.04.JPG

    French troops posing for a picture in Luxembourg City
    February 24, 1908    ​

    First Battle of the Mosel

    On December 2nd, 1907 the First and Second Imperial French Armies launched a massive offensive north from the recently conquered Saarland across the Mosel River in order to invade the Prussian province of the Rhineland. The offensive was a disaster for the French from the start. Although the French preceded their attack with an enormous artillery bombardment, the River Mosel proved a formidable obstacle to their advance. For a full week the French tried in vain to expand their tiny lodgments on the north bank. On December 9th, the Prussians counterattacked regaining all of the north bank and most of the city of Trier. French losses were staggering with modern estimates around 220,000 casualties while Prussia suffered only 98,000. The French commander, the aging Marshal Anatole Philippe, was relieved of command and replaced by 56 year old Marshal Ferdinand Foch.

    Ferdinand_Foch_pre_1915.jpg

    Ferdinand Foch
    Marshal of France
    ​

    Second Battle of the Mosel

    While the Alliance Powers were celebrating their victory at the Mosel River over Christmas, Marshal Foch was developing a radical new plan to reverse French fortunes. Named Opération Hannibal in honor of the Carthaginian commander at the battle of Cannae, the audacious plan called for the First and Second Imperial French Armies to again attack north across the Mosel River to fix the Prussians while elements from the recently won Italian campaign would “traverse” neutral Luxembourg bypassing the Mosel River and flank the defending Prussians. Emperor Napoleon IV was concerned about the backlash from invading Luxembourg, a neutral nation, but decided in the end that it was worth the risk.

    On the morning of February 22nd, 1908 the second Battle of the Mosel began with the First and Second French Armies again attacking north. Surprised that the French would launch a major assault in such harsh winter weather the Prussians rushed additional troops to the river. On February 23rd a composite force of 6th Army elements and fresh units invaded Luxembourg. The Luxembourgers only managed to put up a token defense as the French moved rapidly through their tiny country. Within a matter of days the invading French made good use of armored cars and mounted infantry to smash through the lightly defender Prussia-Luxembourg border and race to the Rhine. On March 3rd, 1908 French forces reached the outskirts of Bonn on the Rhine. The Prussian commander Alfred von Schlieffen is reported to have said of the French flanking attack through Luxembourg that it was “a damn good idea.” Nearly encircled, the defending Prussian forces on the Mosel had no choice but to attempt to withdraw to the east bank of the Rhine. By March 10th the battle was over with France having scored an enormous victory at the cost of 90,000 casualties. Prussian loses were placed around 170,000 including large amounts of artillery and supplies that had to be left behind.

    lularge.gif

    Flag of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg    ​

    Foreign Reaction to the Invasion of Luxembourg

    Foreign reaction to the French invasion of Luxembourg ranged from plain shock to total outrage. Officially, Luxembourg’s independence was guaranteed by a 1869 bilateral agreement between France and Prussia. Many foreign powers like Britain therefore viewed Luxembourg’s invasion as a flagrant disregard for international law. France’s invasion of this small neutral nation also drove other smaller powers such as Belgium and the Netherlands further into the Alliance camp. In the United States the invasion turned the already Francophobic public more and more towards the Alliance.
     
    Last edited:
  • Index
    • Reader mode
    You must log in or register to reply here.
    Top
    Top