WWI Germany's plan for St. Petersburg

Anyone happen to know what the German WWI plans for St. Petersburg were if the German Empire had won? I would very much like this info for my own time-line I am working on.

I can only speculate that they, in the event of victory, would have had a continued military presence in this key city, since they probably would wish to close the Baltic Sea to the Russians permanently.
Maybe even chasing away and/or starving off its Russian inhabitants and encourage more loyal subjects from Germany, Finland and Estonia to move there and replace them to ensure the long-term loyalty of the city to the German Empire. Especially in case of the Russians trying to recapture the city at a later moment.

I'm not sure though if they would make the city German territory, some kind of subject city-state or maybe hand it over to the possibly newly independent nations of Finland or Estonia?

Anyone know any facts of their plans? Although speculation is of course very welcome. :)
 
Brest-Litovsk, the Germans' Carthaginian peace dream-come-true, did not include the annexation of St. Petersburg IIRC.

And I think the whole ethnic cleansing of the Russians is a bit anachronistic.
 
The only plan for St. Petersburg is that there wasn't any plan. In fact, plans for Russia varied a lot as the war progressed, to the point that the first draft of Brest-Litovsk only asked for Poland and Lithuania.
 
Thank you, nice quick answers. The Brest-Litovsk piece was interesting, I am somewhat new at this and hadn't heard of it, so thank you for the info. Maybe dealing with St Petersburg the way I describe is somewhat anachronistic, I am by no means an expert at this time period, however I am pretty sure these ethnic cleansing methods I describe for St Petersburg were hardly unique for WWII if that was your point? :)

I would still however like to hear thoughts on a possible occupation of St Petersburg by Germany even if it would require the involvement of ASBs. Just for the fun of it.
The scenario being that Germany tries to keep Russia out of the Baltic Sea, permanently.
 
Thank you, nice quick answers. The Brest-Litovsk piece was interesting, I am somewhat new at this and hadn't heard of it, so thank you for the info. Maybe dealing with St Petersburg the way I describe is somewhat anachronistic, I am by no means an expert at this time period, however I am pretty sure these ethnic cleansing methods I describe for St Petersburg were hardly unique for WWII if that was your point? :)

I would still however like to hear thoughts on a possible occupation of St Petersburg by Germany even if it would require the involvement of ASBs. Just for the fun of it.
The scenario being that Germany tries to keep Russia out of the Baltic Sea, permanently.

Lowlin

You may need to clarify for people what your asking. Would agree with the highlighted section that it would hardly unique in WWII but your initial post was about a German occupation in WWI. While the German military got pretty brutal in places, especially towards the end, that was a vastly different matter that what the Nazis got up to, let alone planned in WWII.

I don't think the Germans would be too worried about the Russians still having the city. Barring drastic changes in power they will dominate the Baltic and especially if they have control of the Baltic states and probably also Finland any Russian naval presence in the Baltic is going to be very much an hostage to fortune.

Steve
 
Anyone happen to know what the German WWI plans for St. Petersburg were if the German Empire had won? I would very much like this info for my own time-line I am working on.

I can only speculate that they, in the event of victory, would have had a continued military presence in this key city, since they probably would wish to close the Baltic Sea to the Russians permanently.
Maybe even chasing away and/or starving off its Russian inhabitants and encourage more loyal subjects from Germany, Finland and Estonia to move there and replace them to ensure the long-term loyalty of the city to the German Empire. Especially in case of the Russians trying to recapture the city at a later moment.

I'm not sure though if they would make the city German territory, some kind of subject city-state or maybe hand it over to the possibly newly independent nations of Finland or Estonia?

Anyone know any facts of their plans? Although speculation is of course very welcome. :)

I repeat what others have said: Germany never desires St.Petroleningrad and, if they were placed in control of it by ASBs, would hand over to their favourite government-of-Russia-for-the-week and let them try and clean up the mess. Germany certainly never intended to "ethnically cleanse" anywhere in Europe during the First World War. Ethnic cleansing is a specific, and large, kettle of fish. Real German attrocities don't come near it.

They also half planned, half found themselves stuck with a German-run state in Estonia and Latvia controlled a by a land-owning class even more reactionary than they were. This is not a situation designed to make the Estonians loyal to Germany...

Be aware that confusing WW1 and WW2 Germany sits between "Ignoring butterflies to an absurd degree" and "Misuse of the word "Germanic"" on the great list of offenses liable to result in you loosing your head around here.
 
In the 1918 advance in Russia, St.Peterburg was explicitly spared - the Germans feared if they conquered it they'd have to feed the population.
There never was an intention to isolate Russia from the Baltic. It was feared that that might fuel Russian revanchism.
 
Really, from what I have read the Germans did not really care about what happened to the Russians. Hence their trying to take their richest and most populace territory.
 
Really, from what I have read the Germans did not really care about what happened to the Russians. Hence their trying to take their richest and most populace territory.

Well, while the Germans certainly did not have their heartstrings tugged by the fate of Russia's people, your argument is rather incoherenent. Alsace-Lorraine, the Saar, and Upper Silesia were some of the richest and most populous territories of Germany, yet the Entente were not trying to destroy the German nation and taking a nation's "richest and most populous territories" does not by any means destroy it. And what were these territories, pray?
 
I for one would see a German occupation of St. Petersburg used as a bargaining chip in a German Deal with Russia; Germany really isn't going to hold onto it, or give it to Finland, or create a puppet out of the Russian Capital, so I think the most likely use for it is a mid-value bargaining chip in dealing with Russia.

Holding Petrograd would almost certainly mess up the Russian Civil War, and if there is a shooting war still going in the East, I suspect it is drawing to a close.

That said, I could see Petrograd getting returned to Russia in exchange for something like Byelorussia thrown into Brest-Litovsk. That would be my best guess of what happens..
 
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