Venezula leads to an altered WWI

Inspired by the end of this thread https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=206013 when it goes on a big tangent.

After Little Mac crushes Lee at the end of the Seven Days leading to a quick US victory the US gets more cocky. It winds up at war with France due to Venezula. I am changing it a bit to make it an entirely naval war.
Now for some changes to WWI.

1) It breaks out in 1910 for some other reason. Due to butterflies Spain replaces the Ottoman Empire as a Central Power. Italy remains neutral.
2) The US has been building up its navy since its humiliating defeat in 1903. It still carries a grudge with France.
3) The US is officially neutral but is sympathetic with Germany due to anti-French sentiment.

What happens?
 
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I think swapping the Ottomans for Spain changes the war a bit in and of itself. Although not as powerful it is on France's doorstep. It can't be totally ignored and some troops on the German border will go to the Spanish one. Because of the mountains I doubt either side will accomplish much. We are talking about trench warfare in the mountains after all. :eek: The French will probably try avoiding some of them by landing on the coast near Sevillia but Spain is mountainous enough I am not sure you can avoid them all.
 
The French had pretty good mountain troops, I recall. I don't remember the name of the unit, but in the absence of much mountain warfare IOTL, they were redeployed to the trenches in northern France.
 
The French had pretty good mountain troops, I recall. I don't remember the name of the unit, but in the absence of much mountain warfare IOTL, they were redeployed to the trenches in northern France.


A few units aren't help them much. Spain can muster more than a few units and they will have the high ground and trenches.
 
Trenches are of little use in mountainous terrain. There is plenty of natural cover and concealment, and digging into the rocky slopes presents a formidable challenge. Mountain warfare on a whole is not comparable to the trench warfare of northern France and Belgium.

In addition, the Chasseurs Alpins (which consisted of nearly thirty elite battalions), outclassed the Spanish mountain warfare units in terms of both training and equipment.
 
Trenches are of little use in mountainous terrain. There is plenty of natural cover and concealment, and digging into the rocky slopes presents a formidable challenge. Mountain warfare on a whole is not comparable to the trench warfare of northern France and Belgium.

In addition, the Chasseurs Alpins (which consisted of nearly thirty elite battalions), outclassed the Spanish mountain warfare units in terms of both training and equipment.


I doubt its enough. Mountain warfare is real tough. You are talking about having to fight someone who has the high ground, cover and machine gun nests. My guess is no one gets very far, very fast. The Spanish might not have as good training but they aren't COMPLETELY STUPID.
 
If anything, the French Mediterranean fleet could make quick work of the Spanish Navy's predreadnoughts and aging battleships before pounding their coastal cities with impunity.

I agree that a campaign in the Pyrenees would come to a stand still, as there's not really any incentive for either side to tie up manpower and materiel in mounting a breakthrough.
 
If anything, the French Mediterranean fleet could make quick work of the Spanish Navy's predreadnoughts and aging battleships before pounding their coastal cities with impunity.

I agree that a campaign in the Pyrenees would come to a stand still, as there's not really any incentive for either side to tie up manpower and materiel in mounting a breakthrough.

Sure they could pound their coastal cities. But would it accomplish much? Bombing or shelling cities didn't seem to accomplish much OTL. Neither the Blitz or the bombing of Germany stopped either country from continuing the war.
 
It wouldn't achieve much from a strategic point of view, but like the Allied bombing over Germany, it would tie up a significant percentage of manpower in terms of emergency services and the like. That's the entire point.
 
More important is the German leaning US. Does it look the other way as weapons smugglers try to get weapons to Germany through neutral Italy or the Ottoman Empire? Does it try selling food to Germany which would help enormously? It would be politically difficult for the Brits to impound food bound for Italy or the Ottoman Empire.
 
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