1916: Year of Peace
From Alternative History
Contents |
[edit] 1914
[edit] June
28th: Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, heir to the throne, is killed in an assassination in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Hercogovina (today Slavonia) by a Serbian nationalist.
[edit] July
23th: In response on the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia. Serbia, counting on Russian support, rejects some points of the ultimatum and mobilizes.
28th: Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
31th: German Empire enjoins Russia to stop mobilizing. Russia says mobilization is against Austria-Hungary only.
[edit] August
1st: Germany declares war on Russia and mobilizes.
2nd: Germany invades the Grandduchy of Luxembourg in todays Lorraine-Luxembourg.
3rd: Germany invades the neutral kingdom of Belgium and declares war on France. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland protests for the German violation of Belgian neutrality.
4th: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland declares war on Germany.
(POD, progress goes faster because of less Belgium resistence)
12th: Germany captures the fortresses of Liège, Belgium, after a week besiege.
16th: A protest of Flemish civilians against Wallon officers in the Belgium army results in violence between civilians and the military police in Flemish cities and Brussels.
17th: German army enters Brussels and is celebrated by Flemish civilians as liberators.
18th: A leader of a group of Flemish soldiers is shot after he tried to escape the army with some of his comrades. 18th: A Russian army entering East Prussia is defeated by German forces.
19th: German army defeat a combined army of French and British soldiers.
20th: The mayor of Antwerp calls upon the Flemish soldiers to throw down their arms. 'People of Flanders, today is the day to remember the Battle of the Golden Spurs. Don't Fight side by side of the French!'
22nd: Belgian army collapses after large desertion of Flemish soldiers.
At the end of the month the German army is standing at the Gates of Antwerp, Belgium and is rapidly closing in on the capital of Paris, France.
[edit] September
1st: German diplomats start negotiations with the Flemish mayor of Antwerp, who is risen quickly in the hearts of the Flemish as the leader.
4th: German army leaves Antwerp unbesieged and turns south to attack France
6th: The mayor of Antwerp side by side of several Flemish leaders and the mayors of Brugge and Ghent, declares an independent Flemish Free State and calls the Kingdom of Belgium defunct.
7th: The Netherlands refuse to recognise an independent Flanders to eliminate the risk of being drawn into the war, but also calls upon the nations of the world to give the Flemish people the right of self determination.
12th: The German army is holding in the east against the Russians and the west is surrounding Paris.
15th: Siege of Paris starts. Germany does not attack the city, but leaves it unharmed. The Ambassador of the German Empire in London hints to the British government that peace talks about the west could have a chance.
16th: Prime minister Herbert Henry Asquith of Great Britain and Ireland orders secret back channel talks with the Germans to be started.
18th: Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg of the German Empire secretly sends Prince Maximilian of Baden to Milan in Italy to start talks with the British about a possible peace. Stanley Baldwin represents the British Empire.
24th: Tenth day of the besiege of Paris, peacetalks starts in secret in Milan. Germany holds ground in France and is gaining ground in Russia.
Positions of the German Army on September 24th
26th: Germany wins battle along the Vitula River against Russia and starts talks with Polish nationalist for establishment of a Polish nation after the war.
30th: Stanley Baldwin invites the French ambassador in Rome to the talks in 'the Milano Telegram'. 'There might be a chance of survival for the French nation. Report in Milan!'
[edit] October
1st: 'From this day on the British Empire recognises the right of self determination of the Flemish people. And we invite these people to send her representative to our nations capital!' With this statement the prime minister opens the session of the lower house. In the following debate the prime minister answers on a question of the opposition if 'We are now recognising every German puppet state to be set-up?', 'If that has to be what it takes to restore peace in our world we might consider that, but the Flemish people have clearly stated there opinion on this issue.'
5th: German troops take Warsaw.
7th: German troops besiege the city of Vilnius.
11th: A cease fire on the western and colonial front is announced. 'We have the possibility of a peace on our continent in reach, we don't ask our youth to get there life in the balance when we are talking about peace. From 11.00 hour London time the guns on both sides of the front will cease fire and we will talk like civilised nations about the possibility of peace!'
12th: Austro-Hungarian troops takes the city of Lublin
14th: Official Peace talks between Germany and Austria-Hungary on the one side and French, British and remaining Belgium representatives start in Milan.
15th: Germany, Austria-Hungary and Romania declares an unilateral cease fire on the eastern front.
16th: Belgium leaves the peace talks.
21st: King Albert of Belgium in an interview with the London Times attacks the British government: 'The cabinet of Britain is sacrificing Belgium for the sake of world peace. At this moment I'm a King without a country!'.
23rd: Peace of Milan, Peace on the Western Front.
Situation in the beginning of World War One creates a victory for Germany in the west and eventually in the east without the entrance of the US and Italy on the allied side.
