One of the various ironies of the Balkan Wars of the early Twentieth Century is the amount of effort and blood expended on the part of the Christian Orthodox nations of Serbia, Greece, and Bulgaria to liberate from the Muslim Ottoman Turks (among other places) the city now known as Thessaloniki (Θεσσαλονίκη)... a majority Jewish town with no complaints whatsoever against the Turks.
The obvious POD here is this, what if the local Sepharadic Jewish Community became worried enough about the possibility of them sharing the fate of the Turks that the actively rallied to the defence of the city and helped hold it until reinforcements arrived? When the cease-fire is signed there is a _heavily_ garrissoned enclave at tip of a north Aegean Bay (Bulgaria sweeps western Thrace and is on comparatively decent terms with the Sublime Porte). Obviously this does not butterfy out Balkan Wars rounds II _or_ III, but in the first one the garisson does not budge (if anything it becomes a way station and settlement point for local Muslims fleeing the 'liberation') and in the second it is a bloody sideshow but Nazim Pasha holds the line heroically until the end.
The Cease Fire leave a tolerably large enclave around Salonica in Turkish hands, but surrounded on three sides by Greece. This TL's Treaty of Sevres is as hard on Turkey as OTL, but in addition to the Straits both Mount Athos and the Salonica area is neutralized under League of Nations protection. When Greece attempts to invade Anatolia this time however, hotheads insist on taking Thessaloniki as well and a local Royal Navy commander steams in to aid the city (end result is a somewhat larger enclave and a said captain perminantly posted to Customs inspection at Salonica's port).
While the locals respect the heroism of Muphasa Kemal Ataturk, they remain aloof from attempts to woo them into joining the new Turkish republic* (in part due to the obsessive turkish nationalism of his new order) and instead is established as a Free City with both Turkish Army and Royal Navy protection. The city's and it's districts retain a solid plurality of Sepharadic Jews, with the largest minority being Greek-speaking Muslims.
(*: Indeed, this is where the last Sultan and Caliph relocate to, although they and thier family remain strictly private citizens)
Now What?
HTG
The obvious POD here is this, what if the local Sepharadic Jewish Community became worried enough about the possibility of them sharing the fate of the Turks that the actively rallied to the defence of the city and helped hold it until reinforcements arrived? When the cease-fire is signed there is a _heavily_ garrissoned enclave at tip of a north Aegean Bay (Bulgaria sweeps western Thrace and is on comparatively decent terms with the Sublime Porte). Obviously this does not butterfy out Balkan Wars rounds II _or_ III, but in the first one the garisson does not budge (if anything it becomes a way station and settlement point for local Muslims fleeing the 'liberation') and in the second it is a bloody sideshow but Nazim Pasha holds the line heroically until the end.
The Cease Fire leave a tolerably large enclave around Salonica in Turkish hands, but surrounded on three sides by Greece. This TL's Treaty of Sevres is as hard on Turkey as OTL, but in addition to the Straits both Mount Athos and the Salonica area is neutralized under League of Nations protection. When Greece attempts to invade Anatolia this time however, hotheads insist on taking Thessaloniki as well and a local Royal Navy commander steams in to aid the city (end result is a somewhat larger enclave and a said captain perminantly posted to Customs inspection at Salonica's port).
While the locals respect the heroism of Muphasa Kemal Ataturk, they remain aloof from attempts to woo them into joining the new Turkish republic* (in part due to the obsessive turkish nationalism of his new order) and instead is established as a Free City with both Turkish Army and Royal Navy protection. The city's and it's districts retain a solid plurality of Sepharadic Jews, with the largest minority being Greek-speaking Muslims.
(*: Indeed, this is where the last Sultan and Caliph relocate to, although they and thier family remain strictly private citizens)
Now What?
HTG