I'm new on this forum. I know these questions must have been asked a million times over but I'd like to know the opinion of other people about this subject. Here are two questions:
1. How could Germany have won WW1
2. What would the postwar world look like.
Here are my views on this:
The War
The first part of the war is similar to the real world war 1 in our TL. The Von Schlieffenplan fails and the war turns into a trenchwar. The front doesn't really move after this. In the TL I've thought up the German High Command is a lot smarter. They figure out that this trenchwar will quite likely last very long and it will be very costly. The Russians on the other hand are much weaker than originally projected. They give the order to build a defence in depth about 25 miles behind the existing frontline much like happened in 1917 ( the Hindenburgline). But in this timeline they do it in 1915. This shortens the frontline thereby freeing up a lot of troops. Those get sent to the eastern front. Remember that the Germans were already slapping the Russians silly and they weren't even trying IOTL. For most of the war the western front was more important in our TL.
Now these troops arrive two years earlier than they did in OTL. The Russians are getting their asses kicked much worse than in the real world war 1. The Russians suffer defeat after defeat. Poland, the baltic states and big chunks of the Ukraine end up in German hands. Entire Russian armies retreat in chaos. Hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers end up as POW's. The morale of the Russian people plummets to an all time low due to the endless string of defeats. To make things worse food is growing scarce. This quickly escalates into a famine. By mid 1916 the Russian Empire is on the verge of revolution. In october 1916 Czar Nicolas II signs a humiliating peace. Russia is forced to cede Finland, the baltic states, Poland, the Caucasus and Ukraine. Nicolas II uses the remainder of his army in an attempt to surpress the revolts in his country. Romania now stands alone and is run over in a few weeks. The peoples in the occupied areas (mainly in the Ukraine and the baltic countries) are very anti-Russian and very pro-German. Because of this and the chaos going on in Russia only a very small occupational force is necessary. Because of the earlier surrender of Russia in this timeline the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires don't get as much punishment.
Now the German focus switches back to the western front. The bulk of the forces that were fighting Russia and Romania get sent to France. The French and British forces haven't had much succes since 1915. All of their offensives met a slow, bloody death due to the German defence in depth. Their morale isn't exactly high. The German morale on the other hand is very high. Their string of victories against the Russians has ensured that. The Germans sit out the winter. The German troops get rest and food. In the meanwhile preparations are made for a spring offensive in 1917. Because of all those wel fed and wel rested troops from Russia the Germans get a local numerical advantage. They punch through allied lines. It is a great victory (unlike operation Michael in 1918 which was a Pyrrhic victory). The hole is getting bigger and more German troops pour through. The war is mobile again. Paris, one of the goals of the Von Schlieffen plan, comes within reach of German troops once more.
For the allies the situation isn't looking so good. Particularly the French soldiers are fed up with the war. Hundreds of thousands have perished in the offensives against the German defences in the previous two years. They died for nothing. Only very little ground has been taken at a very high price. Mutinies start breaking out and the French goverment, which has moved to Bordeaux by now, signs a peace treaty which is about just as harsh as the treaty of Versailles. Belgium and Portugal surrender shortly thereafter. Britain holds out for a few more weeks but Britain can't stop the German army on its own.
Portugal loses its colonies Angola and Mozambique. Belgium loses Congo. France loses Benin, French Congo, Tunisia, Morroco and Gabon. They also have to pay huge war reparations. A 30 mile wide demilitarized zone is created in the border areas. The German high seas fleet also gets unlimited use of French ports. The French army gets shrunk to just 130.000 men. Belgium is split up into Flanders, which become part of Holland, and an 'independent' Wallonia. Britain is treated less harshly. The Germans have driven them of the continent but they know they
can't beat the royal navy. German colonies are returned and the Germans get the right to expand their fleet as much as they want. So the situation is pretty much the same as it was before the war. Germany makes an agreement with Japan about the German colonies in the far east. Germany agrees with a financial compensation so Japan gets to keep its conquest in the far east (although the Germans are making plans for a future war against Japan). Italy loses ground to the Austrians. Venice becomes Austrian again.
Postwar world:
Germany has achieved its goals. They have their place under the sun and their colonial Empire. The areas they've taken from Russia become independent pro-German nations. They're very enthusiastic about Germany's plans for some sort of European Community. The Germans still have economical problems but not nearly as bad as in OTL. France is in a bad situation. Their are mutinies in the army and communist revolts. France barely manages to surpress these. Democracy limps on for a few more years. The Third Republic finally falls in the early twenties. France becomes either a fascist or a military dictatorship. Russia won't become communist. Lenin stays in Switzerland since the Germans have no need for him to go to Russia like in OTL. He remains a rather obscure person in history. He becomes an unknown and insignificant communist, a mere footnote in history. The Russian Empire becomes either a constitutional monarchy or a leftist republic led by Trotski. Because the war in the east ended earlier the Austro-Hungarian Empire is stronger. The Habsburgs reform a little and manage to hold on to their empire. Possibly the Austro-Hungarian Empire manages to keep on existing until the great depression hits in 1929. The Ottoman Empire isn't partitioned and manages to limp on too. Assuming that this timeline is possible I'm left with some unanswered questions: What happens after this? Will there be WW2 in this timeline? What would that be like (who vs who).
Comments please. Is this timeline even realistic? You may also post other suggestions about how the Germans could win and how a postwar world might look like.
@David S Poepoe: made some adjustments.
