Zwei Sonnen: The 20th Century (Part I - The Great War)

It is a very good read, but how are the events linked?
French attacks, so Hitler is captured OK.
How does that link to events in Sweden and Bosnia/Serbia?
 
Some thoughts:

First snippet (August 4th): the German offensive into Belgium gets called off, formations instead get hastily re-assigned to counter a French offensive into Elsass-Lothringen.
This would indicate that there was a big POD that completely changed the mobilization timing of the two great powers. Historically, Germany declared war and attacked first with its modified Schlieffen plan starting on August 4th, with the French Plan XVII offensive against Alsace not beginning until August 7th, at which point the German armies were long since busy sieging Liege.
Here, on August 4th the French not only already started their offensive but have apparently made enough progress for the German high command to panic already and call off their own offensive. There must have been a huge divergence from the historical performance of Plan XVII.
So.. did the Germans gamble and have fewer armies in the west than historically? Have the French made some big pre-war innovations ITTL? How many days earlier did they attack? Did they preempt the German war declaration from August 3rd if they're already causing reinforcements to be thrown into Alsace on August 4th?
 
The Germans gambled by boosting their numbers for the Schlieffen plan and guarding the East a little more heavily leaving a much smaller contingent in Alsace. At the same time, the French gambled by throwing most of their weight at the relatively unprotected region and striking preemptively (August 2-3). Although they would take the region and dig in rather quickly, this proved to be in Germany's favor as they were able to avoid getting Britain involved, and they were able to better control the narrative thus garnering more support in Europe.

Furthermore, with Serbia and Russia acting as the aggressors in Bosnia and Sweden respectively, the Central Powers maintain a higher moral standing than in OTL.

In the next few sections, these story lines will tie together a little better.
 
ITTL the Anti-Serbian riots and violence were a little more brutal following the assassination in Sarajevo. That, compounded with the Serban Generals' hubris led them to launch the offensive into Bosnia as described in the last section.
 
V. We Are The Vikings
August 11, 1914
Åbo (Turku), Finland, Russian Empire

The vikings raided these lands centuries ago, taking what was theirs. We are the Vikings now.

Vicekorpral Tomas Dahlqvist came from a long line of farmers, fishermen, and peasants, but as far as he was concerned, he had Viking blood in his veins. The same that flowed through Ragnar Lodbrok, Erik the Red, Ivar the Boneless. It was for this reason Tomas had a viking seax stashed away in his gear as he and four whole armies landed on the islands of Åbo.

It was a glorious sight. As far as the eye could see, Swedish troops were marching into the city. The Second Army was driving north to Raisio, the Fourth south to Piispanristi, while we the First along with the German Tenth Army who joined us in Gotland got to claim the prize of Åbo herself. The Ruskies only had about a division waiting for us. Of this much, we were sure. We just had to clear them out and establish a foothold in Finland before the Russian First Army could race up along the Baltic.

What we never expected was that word of our arrival had reached Åbo before we could. You can't very well move four armies without at least attracting some attention.

Instead of meeting a Russian division, we were greeted like conquering heroes. Finnish flags were waving and the evidence of a battle that had already taken place were all around. As we approached the cathedral, the Turun Tuomiokirkko, we were met by a ragged looking bunch calling themselves the Ilmarinen brigade, the builders of a free Finland. They were armed with captured Russian rifles, antiquated rifles from wars generations ago and hunting rifles. Those not lucky enough to have guns carried swords, axes, knives, and bloodied clubs. These thousand men had inflicted over ten thousand casualties and made things a hell of a lot easier on us.

We enjoyed our time in Åbo. We ate, drank, and met some local ladies, but in the morning, 400,000 men would be leaving Åbo for our real goal: Helsingfors.

The work in Helsingfors wouldn't be as easy.
 
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Shouldn't it be Åbo and Helsingfors in that era, especially for a Swede?

They should be, especially for one that sees himself as a Viking.

As to update V. in general - this kind of a Swedish invasion seems more than unlikely. Update II. makes it seem it is your standard "Admiral von Essen POD" in play here - Russia drawing Sweden into the war by an aggressive attack against a neutral in early August 1914. But if that really is the POD, then 400,000 Swedish soldiers landing in Finland in a few days after the Russian attack is impossible. Even with several PODs and knock-on effects in between 1900-1914, it would be unlikely to get a Swedish invasion exactly like this.

Now, I guess Sweden could mobilize 400,000-500,000 men in 1914. It would just take time, two or three months at the very least, from a cold start. And at the same time, the plans for an invasion of Finland would have to be made. Pieces put into place, the supply and logistics for it organized, etc. It is highly unlikely that Russia would not notice a Swedish mobilization on this scale, or that the Swedish state is suddenly acquiring a lot of vessels that could be used to transport troops and supplies at the same time as it mobilizes. A Swedish mobilization would immediately prompt Russia to reinforce its troops in Finland, especially around the Turku area.

And then, of course, to reach the Turku archipelago, the Swedish would have to take Russian-controlled Åland first. The Swedish, acting quickly, could seize the Ålands - sure. It was an area where the Russians did not have fortifications or troops in peace time, and they would not have time to reinforce it. But after that, the Russians would be in full alert, sending all sorts of reinforcements towards the Turku area. As the Russian Fleet knows they are now at war with Sweden, no way they would be caught with their pants down. The Russians would mine the passages to Turku, something in which they were very good and quick at the time, and Russian warships would be waiting outside Turku to meet the invasion fleet. Given that there was a rail line from St. Petersburg to Turku, they could also send infantry, artillery and cavalry to the Turku area quicker than the Swedish invasion force would move in the narrow, mined lanes in the archipelago.

Due to the above reasons, the Swedish surprising the Russians by an essentially unexpected, massive landing in the Turku area is highly unlikely in conditions very much like 1914 IOTL. If this is our 1914 with an Admiral von Essen POD, then the invasion as depicted is simply impossible. Dated "August 11th, 1915" one might be able to make a large-scale Swedish invasion possible, but then also the Russians would have had a year more to build their defences in Finland.

Also the Finnish irregulars rising up against the Russians seems unlikely unless the war has been going on for several years as well. There was no organization, ability or weapons to try this in the first year of the war, let alone in the first few days. Neither there was will for violent resistance. The Finns were, to a large extent, rather loyal subjects of the Tsar still.
 
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This is an ongoing project, and I fully intend on editing and rewriting and whatnot, so your input is greatly appreciated!

First, good call on Åbo and Helsingfors. That would make more sense. I was originally going with the names they had while occupied by Russia.

To justify the rapid mobilization, perhaps a preemptive mobilization would be needed, as would a POD that would make Sweden more paranoid. That, along with the rising resentment and disloyalty to the tsar could be explained by a 1913 riot by Finnish nationalists that was put down brutally with some collateral damage.

This along with a few minor skirmishes here anf there could lead to a stronger sense of Finnish nationalism, and would make the Swedes more wary of their long-time rivals, the Russians.

As soon as war was declared, a Swedish defense force could mobilize rather quickly while still maintaining neutrality. Plans could then be drawn up for an invasion, and kept secret until the casus belli (Von Essen being a knobhead) drew them in. The invasion would not so much be seen as getting involved in Germany and Austria-Hungary's war, as it would be a "crusade" to help their Scandinavian brothers throw off the Russian yoke.

I'll add a section with memories of the Finnish riots to tie this together better, and also to add a Finnish point of view.
 
Also, the reason for the Russian military being "distracted" from Finland will be covered in the next section. Let's just say for now that because of Von Essen, the Russians find themselves quite busy.
 
This is an ongoing project, and I fully intend on editing and rewriting and whatnot, so your input is greatly appreciated!

First, good call on Åbo and Helsingfors. That would make more sense. I was originally going with the names they had while occupied by Russia.

To justify the rapid mobilization, perhaps a preemptive mobilization would be needed, as would a POD that would make Sweden more paranoid. That, along with the rising resentment and disloyalty to the tsar could be explained by a 1913 riot by Finnish nationalists that was put down brutally with some collateral damage.

This along with a few minor skirmishes here anf there could lead to a stronger sense of Finnish nationalism, and would make the Swedes more wary of their long-time rivals, the Russians.

As soon as war was declared, a Swedish defense force could mobilize rather quickly while still maintaining neutrality. Plans could then be drawn up for an invasion, and kept secret until the casus belli (Von Essen being a knobhead) drew them in. The invasion would not so much be seen as getting involved in Germany and Austria-Hungary's war, as it would be a "crusade" to help their Scandinavian brothers throw off the Russian yoke.

I'll add a section with memories of the Finnish riots to tie this together better, and also to add a Finnish point of view.

Even with Sweden getting geared up for war early and mobilizing already in June-July, the invasion itself as depicted would be much slower and difficult to pull off, exactly because the Russians would be expecting it. Amphibious invasions on this scale were not attempted in WWI, IMO, and the Swedish would have no experience on how to do it. They would have no real landing craft either. The Russian mines and the Russian Fleet would cause them a lot of damage and losses, and the archipelago outside Turku is very hard to navigate. Admiral von Essen, despite all the bad press he gets on this forum for his one unfortunate, overzealous decision, was one of the few Russian Navy commanders on the Baltic Sea that had both brains and initiative and who could hurt the Swedish dearly. Assuming he has not got sidelined, he would most likely take a force of one or two pre-dreadnought battleships, several cruisers and a number of destroyers and torpedo boats to meet the Swedish invasion fleet in the Archipelago Sea. It would most likely prove a brutal battle for both sides.

Even if Sweden pulls off this invasion and manages to take Turku, heavy losses in ships and equipment, as well as a lot of men lost as killed or injured would be expected.
 
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TheShekler

Banned
Even with Sweden getting geared up for war early and mobilizing already in June-July, the invasion itself as depicted would be much slower and difficult to pull off, exactly because the Russians would be expecting it. Amphibious invasions on this scale were not attempted in WWI, IMO, and the Swedish would have no experience on how to do it. They would have no real landing craft either. The Russian mines and the Russian Fleet would cause them a lot of damage and losses, and the archipelago outside Turku is very hard to navigate. Admiral von Essen, despite all the bad press he gets on this forum for his one unfortunate, overzealous decision, was one of the few Russian Navy commanders on the Baltic Sea that had both brains and initiative and who could hurt the Swedish dearly. Assuming he has not got sidelined, he would most likely take a force of one or two pre-dreadnought battleships, several cruisers and a number of destroyers and torpedo boats to meet the Swedish invasion fleet in the Archipelago Sea. It would most likely prove a brutal battle for both sides.

Even if Sweden pulls off this invasion and manages to take Turku, heavy losses in ships and equipment, as well as a lot of men lost as killed or injured would be expected.

I think you are overestimating the competency of Russia's military, they have always had a poor military and will continue to do so long in to the future.
 
I think you are overestimating the competency of Russia's military, they have always had a poor military and will continue to do so long in to the future.

If you think I am overestimating the competency of the Russian military, then remember that in 1914 the Swedish military had not fought a war in an entire century, and it had much smaller resources than the Russians. All I have stated above is based on the OTL plans, competences and actions of the Russian military to defend Finland and the approaches towards St. Petersburg in WWI. Russia is fully capable of hurting the inexperienced, ill-prepared Swedish dearly if they attempt an invasion through the very difficult sea area that is the Archipelago Sea.

Really, go look up older threads on the forum about the possibility and capabilities of Sweden invading Finland during WWI. The general consensus, as I understand it, is that it would be nothing like a walk in the park and that the Swedish would fare best just by essentially sitting back, fighting some limited naval war and forming a "threat in being" forcing Russia to keep a significant number of troops in Finland, to help release pressure for its allies fighting Russia on other fronts.
 
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Base on some of the feedback, I've decided to rewrite part V. Part VI will cover some more of the history leading up to the war, and what Operation Ægir was.

V. We Are The Vikings
August 17, 1914
Åbo (Turku), Finland, Russian Empire

The Vikings raided these lands centuries ago, taking what was theirs. We are the Vikings now.

Vicekorpral Tomas Dahlqvist came from a long line of farmers, fishermen, and peasants, but as far as he was concerned, he had Viking blood in his veins. The same that flowed through Ragnar Lodbrok, Erik the Red, Ivar the Boneless. It was for this reason Tomas had a viking seax stashed away in his gear.

The thought of a real Valhalla where the bravest warriors would feast for eternity was the only thing that calmed my nerves that morning. Landing craft around me were being hit one by one by the mines in the water or the Russian artillery ashore. We knew we would be facing brutal odds attempting an amphibious assault on these unforgiving islands and straits, but seeing our men blown to bits before they even landed turned my stomach. We had three Swedish armies with a German army assisting us, but of the 400,000 men that left Fasta Åland, only 310,000 made it ashore. 90,000 Swedish and German men were killed in only the first three hours of the invasion.

If Operation Ægir hadn't distracted the Russian navy, we would have been torn to shreds before we landed and the history books would remember Operation Mjolnir as the most catastrophic military operation yet.

I don't think the Russians really believed we'd make it. We lost another 30,000 men to the brutal machine gun fire as we stormed the beaches, but damn it, we pressed on. The Second Army fought through the north of the city taking Raisio while the Fourth Army circled through the south to Piispanristi. By sundown, we had the city surrounded. All night we pounded away at the city from the ground, air, and sea.

The German airships and bombers were probably the most frightening to the Russians. There was no safe place for them. At about 2am, one of the airships was struck and burst into flames. The Russians who shot it down immediately regretted their decision as the flaming wreckage fell right onto them. Around 3, we got the signal to advance through the city. The Swedish First Army and German Tenth followed the Aura å and cut right into Åbo. The Russians in the city were exhausted, and in a state of utter chaos devoid of leadership. While we had been shelling the hell out of them, a group of Finnish nationalists in the city who called themselves the Ilmarinen brigade, were sniping at them and raiding their positions. The Finns smartly picked off the highest ranking officers first. By mid-morning, the highest ranking officer, a Lieutenant Colonel surrendered the city.

We lost a total of 134,000 men taking Åbo to the Russians' 83,000, but now we had a foothold in Finland, and a new target in our sights: Helsingfors.
 
VI. In Bed With An Ugly Woman
July 30, 1914
Rome, Italy

“We find ourselves in bed with an ugly woman,” said Nigel as he addressed the esteemed diplomats in the room. “And from my experience, it’s best to just close our eyes, and get it over with.” Nigel Davies was a smooth talker, perhaps one of the most prolific of our time. In fact, in 1912, Old Nige was caught with his trousers down with the neighbor’s missus. After some masterful maneuvering, not only was he off the hook, but they now play cribbage with the Williamses every other Friday. This was the man for the hardest job in the world: fixing Europe.

The diplomats assembled were some of the most influential of their day: German ambassador Prince Bernhard von Bülow, Austro-Hungarian ambassador Kajetan von Mérey, British ambassador Sir James Rennell Rodd, Ottoman General Ismail Enver Pasha, and Swedish ambassador Carl Bildt. “Britain,” Nigel continued, “is in a precarious position, in that we wish to defeat the Russians and punish the Serbs, but don’t want to be involved with France.” The British were absolutely fuming about the assassination of the Archduke, his wife, and young Prince Albert in Sarajevo. With a single car bomb, the entirety of Europe exploded.

“We were well aware of your intentions in Belgium, Prince Bernhard” said Nigel, “and we would have been forced to go to war with you as well.” “I’m glad we avoided that then” said Prince Bernhard quite gruffly. “Now we will not be involved with your shenanigans in France. That is your matter, of which we have no interest.” continued Nigel.

“Now, Ambassador Bildt, when the Helsinki uprising back in October was put down, many of your people were killed, as were some of our folks trying to offer humanitarian aid. Do try to stay out of this as long as you can. If however, the Russians try to pull something, we have a plan for you.” Nigel was referring to Operation Ægir, a multinational naval attack on Russian ports in the Baltic. When Admiral Essen attacked the base in Fårösund, he had no idea he’d be facing the combined naval might of the British Empire, Sweden, and Germany, and that he’d soon find his way to a watery grave off the coast of Latvia.

“Again, I must stress that we have no interest in your little skirmish in Alsace, Prince Bernhard, but I may have some help for you. I have personally sat down with King Victor Emmanuel and Ambassador Mérey, and we have come up with a deal that will be of some assistance to you. Austria-Hungary will cede some lands including the Trento, Bolzano and Trieste areas in exchange for some of the Italian territory in North Africa. In addition, there will be no hostilities between the Kingdom of Italy and the Austro-Hungarians. If the Italians should so choose, they can help the Germans in France, although we are officially not involved in any of this, and we never had this conversation.”

“Now the reason we invited you Enver Pasha, is that we need you to attack the Russians in the Caucasus and Black Sea with the help of us and the Italians. In exchange, all we ask for is to respect our holdings in the middle-east. Simple enough, right old chap?” There was a palpable feeling of mistrust between the Pasha and the British, but it would have to be good enough for now. “Well, if we’re all quite happy here, we have to declare war on Russia and Serbia, and I have a cribbage game to get to.”
 
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No Prince Albert was in the car and "got offed" as well. So Britain has a very real grive with Serbia. And as Russia is Serbias big protector... and France and Russia are best pals...
 
No Prince Albert was in the car and "got offed" as well. So Britain has a very real grive with Serbia. And as Russia is Serbias big protector... and France and Russia are best pals...

Again, for those keeping score, this is the Prince Albert who would become King George VI...
 
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