Clockwise from top: Trenches in the Mexican Front; British Mk. II tank retreating over abandoned British trenches; USS Virginia sinking after being hit by an artillery volley from French battleships; Spanish soldiers operating a Maxim-Mondragón Gun in the Spanish front; German Albatross biplanes.
This article belongs to the Napoleon´s America timeline.
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| Belligerents | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Allied Powers Mexico British Empire United States Soviet Russia Spain |
League of Steel German Empire Austrian Empire Ottoman Empire Balkan Confederation French Empire | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
Allies Mexico: 9,4456,000 British Empire: 8,841,541 United States: 5,743,826 Soviet Russia: 14,000,000 Spain: 4,000,000 Total: 42,041,367 |
League of Steel German Empire: 13,250,000 Austrian Empire: 8,800,000 Ottoman Empire: 3,998,321 Balkan Confederation: 2,200,000 French Empire: 8,660,000 Total: 36,908,321 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Military dead:
8,525,000 Military wounded: 15,831,500 Military missing: 4,121,000 Total: 28,477,500 KIA, WIA or MIA |
Military dead:
9,386,000 Military wounded: 16,388,000 Military missing: 4,629,000 Total: 30,430,000 KIA, WIA or MIA | ||||||
Causes[]
World War I was primarily caused by the Russian Revolution. European countries were afraid that the communist ideals of the Bolsheviks would flow to the west and effectively toppled down their empires.
As the nations that didn't accept the creation of Soviet Russia united to form the League of Steel, they placed trade sanctions and embargoes on Soviet Russia. Germany and Austria also started strengthening their border emplacements and intimidating the new Russia. Soviet Russia, not allowing itself to be threatened and intimidated dismissed the trade sanctions as cowardly and stated that goods from the League of Steel weren't needed or wanted.
As war started to look more and more likely, France sent half a million troops to reinforce Quebec-Louisiana from Mexico and the USA (both of whom would´ve entered the war against France because of treaties). This was frowned upon by Mexico and the USA, who bordered Louisiana. Both these countries massed their forces at the border and prepared for war in a manner similar to European countries.
In Europe, France wasn't the only nation to realize that war was imminent, All European powers started conscripting men into their armed forces and massively increasing their weapons production. This wasn't looked to kindly upon by enemy nations and they started doing the same thing. By late 1908, war was on the doorstep.
Armed forces overview[]
Allied Powers[]
The Allied Powers were fighting due to a wide array of reasons. The European powers were fighting to defend the creation of communist Russia and because they spited the French Empire after half a century of living under fear. The British were allied with Soviet Russia mostly out of traditional rivalry with France, and so was Spain. In the Americas, Mexico and the USA fought agains France because they were bound by agreements to aid nations in war (namely England and Spain).
Mexico[]
Mexico had probably the second most advanced and third largest armed forces in the world at the start of the war. Their troops, alongside the US and French ones, were the best equipped and the best trained.
Their Navy, however, wasn't as powerful as the Army. They were behind the British, French, and Balkan navies in terms of numbers, but alongside the Americans, they had one of the most advanced warships of the era, Battleships.
A Mexican Aguila triplane.
Mexico's Air Force was probably on par with every other power´s air force, except the German Empire, which had a large and effective air force. Mexico's Air Force consisted mostly of Aguila fighters.
A regular Mexican Infantry Soldier carried:
- Mondragón Rifle 05
- Pistola Obregón
- Combat Knife (doubled as bayonet)
- Machete
- Granada de Palo x2 (stick grenade)
Being equipped with large, light, and sharp machetes, Mexican troops were terribly effective in the confined spaces of trenches. Their rifles proved to be somewhat susceptible to jamming in the mud, but were extremely accurate and easy to field strip. The Obregón pistol gained a reputation to never jam, although there were some complains about its accuracy. The combat knife bayonet was rarely used as a weapon, since machetes were more effective and bayonets tended to get stuck in the ribcages of enemies, they were mostly used as tools or last resort weapons.
In addition to the standarized weapons, infantry also used.
- Maxim-Mondragón Gun
- NWI Shotgun 00
- Villa submachine gun (later in the war)
- NWI Sniper 04
The Mexican Army also had a large supply of artillery pieces, since the battles of Monterrey and San Antonio had required of cannons to bomb out the defenders. Since then, the Mexican Armed Forces had renewed their artillery pieces.
The Mexican Navy was only as large as it was mostly not to be left behind by the large US Navy. The Mexican Navy consisted mostly of cruisers and frigates, although it had some ten Dreadnought-type warships and they were already developing a Battleship. The Navy was well trained and equipped, only lacking experience at the beginning of the war.
United States of America[]
Before the war started, the United States of America had a small army, but soon boosted their numbers with their conscription program. In terms of technology, the US Armed Forces were on par with the Spanish Armed Forces and the Balkanian Armed Forces, ranking around 6th most powerful before the war started. The US Navy was one of the most advanced but was still relatively small in numbers compared with nations with small coastlines like Britain and the Austrian Empire.
The Air Force consisted mostly of biplanes with semi-automatic rifles with drum magazines mounted in the aircraft.
A regular United States Infantry soldier carried:
- WSAR (Winchester Semi-Automatic Rifle)
- Colt 93 Pistol
- Trench Knife Mk. II
- Bayonet
- Mk. I Grenade. x2
The US troops were very effective at repelling charges because of the reliability of their WSARs, which were said to never jam (that is false, there were reports of WSARs jamming). The Colt 93, also rarely jammed and was powerful enough to take down an enemy with a single shot. The Trench Knife was almost as effective as the Mexican machetes, since it had spiked brass knuckles and a sharp point to go through helmets. The bayonet had the same problems as all others and was mostly used as a last resort weapon. The Mk. I grenade had many problems since it had a complicated igniting mechanism, and thrown grenades were often returned by enemy troops.
The US Armed Forces also used:
- Maxim-Mondragón gun
- Trench Gun
- Springfield rifle (sniper rifle)
- Thompson submachine gun (later in the war)
The most powerful branch of the US Armed Forces before and during the war was the Navy. Their navy was extremely advanced technologically and had a lot of experience due to frequent training exercises and war games before the war started.
British Empire[]
The British Empire had a very well-trained and experienced army due to attempted invasions in the recent past. The army had served a lot less than the navy had in the past 50 years, they had repelled a few small-scale invasions in the southern coasts, but the Royal Navy took the credit for maintaining England´s sovereignty. Before the war, England had the most powerful navy in the whole world, they had to lest they would be defeated by an ambitious France. Their navy was extremely experienced and numerous, it would have to deal with the combined threats of French and German navies. The Royal Air Force was relatively small compared to their large army and navy, the air-force consisted mostly of spy planes and a few Sopwith Camels.
A regular British Infantry Soldier carried:
- C99 (Carbine Model 99)
- Webley Mk. VI revolver
- M. 04 Bayonet
- Mills Grenade x4
Due to lack of an effective close-quarters weapon (bayonets suffering the same cons as the previous ones) the British Infantry resorted to homemade weapons through most of the war. Entrenchment tools, maces, and small sledgehammers were used.
Also used were:
- Maxim Gun
- Lee-Enfield rifle (sniper rifle)
- Sten Gun (later in the war)
Due to the important nature of their war, the British Army had to fight to protect their homeland in their own home-front. British troops were reputed for their bravery and their "never fall back" policy. Although they were pioneers in the creation of tanks, they didn't count on the Germans creating their own model so soon and distributing it to their forces in England. When their Navy was defeated and France succeeded in establishing a large invasion force in the counties of East Sussex and Kent, the Royal Navy had to fall back and ships that had a small enough displacement were sailed to London to serve as artillery emplacements to defend the capital city. The Air-Force served mostly as scouts and sometimes as harassers to the invading forces, but they were mostly outdone by the German Luftwaffe.
Soviet Russia[]
The Soviets definitely had the largest armed forces for the duration of the war, but they also had the worst equipped armed forces for at least the first half of the war. Having an Army of several million meant that not all of them could be equipped with state of the art technology. Their Navy had many powerful ships but was very small in size, since most of the military budget went to the Army. The Navy had around 14 Dreadnoughts and 1 Battleship at the beginning of the war, but lacked in support vessels such as cruisers and frigates. SInce Soviet Russia has a very small coastline that isn't frozen for the whole year, their Navy was the smallest of all powers during WWI.
The Soviet Air Force was quite large but consisted of mostly obsolete planes, and with them facing off against the greatest air power of the time (Germany), they had to keep updating and replacing their obsolete aircraft.
A regular Soviet Infantry Soldier carried:
- Tokarev SVT 07
- Tokarev TT 06
- Bayonet
- Wire-Cutter Knife
- Grenade x4
The Soviet Russian forces had been equipped with outdated weapons up until 1905, when they started their modernization program. Most of the weapons were designed and built right before the war broke out, which didn't give the Soviets a lot of time to distribute the new weapons to their large armed forces. The weapons, however, were known for they rugged reliability and there were absolutely no reported jams in the Tokarev rifle and pistols for the duration of the war. With their bayonet being shorter than average and their troops being extremely disciplined and trained in its use, it made for an effective weapon and no other CQC weapon was needed. The wire-cutter knife was used for what its name implies and was also a superb CQC weapon, with it being so short and easily concealed. The Soviet grenades were based on the German design and proved to be as effective.
The Soviet Russian forces also used:
- Mosin-Nagant rifle (sniper rifle)
- PPSh submachine gun (later in the war)
Soviet-Russian T-1 tank in late 1914.
Soviet Russian troops were known for their quasi-suicidal charges across no-man´s-land. Their large numbers enabled them to sacrifice quite a lot of troops to accomplish their objectives and still retain numeric superiority. The Air-Force was practically destroyed at the beginning of the war and the remaining planes were used mostly as spotters for the deadly-accurate artillery strikes. Although the Soviet Russian Army didn't have a tank after most of the other nations had theirs, the wait was worth it, since their design, the T-1, was the most effective tank of the whole war.
Spain[]
Spain had probably the weakest armed forces of the all the allies. After 30 years of independence, the Spaniards still couldn't rebuild their once-great nation. They had an average sized army, but it was mostly equipped with foreign weapons and during the war the countries that sold weapons to Spain couldn't afford to loose those weapons. This is one of the reasons why Spain was armed with ripoffs of other nations´ rifles at the beginning of the war. The Spanish Navy lacked capital ships such as dreadnoughts and battleships, but had a large number of cruisers and frigates. In addition to these the Spanish Navy had a very large fleet of gunboats (300+) at the beginning of the war. The Spanish Air Force consisted of a few bought Sopwith Camels and indigenously manufactured CR.22 fighters. The Spanish Armed Forces only made it through the war because of regular shipments from Mexico and the USA.
A regular Spanish Infantry Soldier carried:
- RM 98
- PM 96
- PM 98 bayonet
- Combat Knife
- Granada de Palo (Exact copy of the German Stielhandgranate)
Spanish soldiers were outdone on almost every aspect by their French counterparts. They had a smaller army, navy, and air force and their weapons were outdated compared to the ones the nations in the League of Steel used. The most effective branch of the Spanish Armed forces was the Navy. Dozens of gunboats were sent to fight or stall dreadnoughts and cruisers. They swarmed the larger ships and their speed and small size allowed them to avoid shelling and enabled them to get within close range of the enemy ships. The Spanish Navy prevented the invasion of mainland Spain, but couldn't avoid loosing the Balearic Islands.
League of Steel[]
The League of Steel was originally a political alliance of European nations that had empires. Germany, Austria, France, and the Balkan Confederation opposed the creation of a communist Russia because they feared that communist ideals would spread to their population and they´d soon have to deal with their very own revolutions. As a series of escalating events and incidents lead to war, the League of Steel became a military alliance instead of a political one.
German Empire[]
The German Empire had the second largest armed forces before the war (almost as large as the Soviet Russian Armed Forces). They also had by far the best strategies and most advanced tactics at the time. The German Army was well equipped with semi-automatic rifles, steel helmets, and tunics. The German Navy was the third largest in Europe (after the Royal Navy and the French Navy), but it was also very close in technological prowess to the Royal Navy and it had a large number of Battleships for the time. The German Luftwaffe was by far the best air-force of WWI, it had fighter, scout, spotter, and bomber corps, as well as armored zeppelins for ground attack and support purposes. It was also the largest and most advanced air force of the time.
A regular German Infantry Soldier was equipped with:
- Gewehr 01
- Luger P07
- Bayonet
- Stielhandgranate x4
The German Army was the third best before the war. They had superb training, and equipment. Their infantry troops were very effective at holding trenches because of their semi-automatic weapons and helmets. The German helmets were very effective because they were made out of steel and had a spike on top that prevented over-the-head stabbings. German troops were terribly effective because they worked in combination with artillery, tanks, and airplane support.
A German helmet worn by infantrymen during most of WWI. It was later replaced by the Stahlhelm.
The individual infantry weapons were very effective, but were prone to jamming in the muddy trenches. The Luger was a great pistol but often jammed with certain cartridges. The German Army faced trouble in CQC because their serrated bayonets often jammed when attacking an enemy, which would make a rifle-less soldier a very easy target. This forced German troops to use their shovels as weapons and sometimes the ornamental spike on top of their helmets was sharpened to be used in head-butting. Their grenade was terribly effective and had a larger range then most others before the war, that's why the design was copied by many nations.
A Luftwaffe Focker Dr. 1, the most symbolic plane of the Luftwaffe during World War I.
The Luftwaffe was the most effective and feared air force of the war, it was even the deadliest as the allies closed in on Berlin. The airplanes that the Luftwaffe used were the most advanced and they worked perfectly with bombers or as escorts. German pilots received extensive training before being allowed to fly a plane. The Luftwaffe was considered an elite force during WWI.
French Empire[]
When the war started, the French Empire (consisting of IRL France, Italy, Netherlands and Switzerland) had the most powerful armed forces of the world. They had a very large an effective Army, the second largest navy of the world, which was also very effective, and their Air/Force, based on the German Luftwaffe, was also top/notch. Before WWI broke out, France was the richest country in the world. Its Army was well equipped and supplied and were very advanced for the time.
The Navy was almost as powerful as the Royal Navy, but not quite, since it could never achieve superiority before the war. The French Navy consisted of large numbers of Dreadnoughts and Cruisers, with it having a capital ship ratio of 1:5. It was experienced and the armament in the capital ships was deadly and accurate.
The French Air Force wasn't as effective as the Luftwaffe, but it did not lag to far behind. It had large numbers of fighters and quite a few bombers. The Quebec-Louisiana branch of the French Armed Forces was comparatively less powerful than the Mainland French forces, but by itself they would've still ranked 9th most powerful armed forces before the war.
A regular French Infantry Soldier sported:
- MAS rifle
- MAB pistol
- Bayonet
- Combat knife
- Grenade x2
The French rifle was very accurate but prone to misfirings in the muddy and dusty trenches, the MAB pistol, suffered this same problems but it was worse. It was an effective killer but required to be cleaned before use so it wouldn't jam. The standard-issue bayonet was to long and unwieldy for trench CQC and in turn was mostly never used or sometimes shortened to make it easier to use. The French Kukri-style knife was very effective but still a little short, and since it required the user to slash instead of stab, it often left the user´s torso uncovered. French troops were mostly known for their artillery strikes, which were always accurate and dead-on. Troops were also known for being gentlemen and never striking down wounded soldiers or mistreating POW's.
The French Navy was very effective a harassing British and Spanish coastal towns, as well as preventing the US and Mexican navies from gaining supremacy in the Gulf of Mexico. The Quebec-Louisiana branch held the Mexican and American armies for so long only because of the refusal of the French troops and citizens to surrender, they feared that their culture would be destroyed by the occupying forces and their legacy forgotten. The Q-L branch was very effective in air warfare as well as slowly falling back while inflicting maximum number of casualties. The Navy was also impressive in its effort of slowing down the inevitable sea supremacy that the US and Mexican navies would eventually get.
Austrian Empire[]
The Austrian Empire Armed Forces wouldn't have made an impression on anyone who compared them to the large Soviet Russian forces, the impressive French Armed Forces, or even the German Armed Forces. Nevertheless, the Austrian forces were very powerful as they sported similar technology to France, and the same tactics that Germany used. They also had an extremely large army and their navy was very powerful as well. The Austrian Army was well equipped and trained and so was their navy. Both were world-class forces before the war started and during its duration. The Austrian Air Force, however, was quite small and consisted of obsolete planes. Even the Soviet Russian Air Force outdid them.
A regular Austrian Infantry Soldier carried:
- Steyr 03 rifle
- Roth Steyr 07 pistol
- Bayonet
- Grenade x2
Austrian forces were very effective at working with their southern and northern allies. They were brave, disciplined, and well-trained troops. They were known primarily for adapting to various situations (from fighting in the Russian winter, to the Ottoman desert). Although they didn't have a specific melee weapon, their bayonet more than made for it since it was smooth-edged and small enough to double as a combat knife. The Austrian Army didn't develop a grenade of their own, but they bought the rights to the German Stielhandgranate and used it effectively.
The Austrian Navy worked in sync with the French Navy and helped the Ottoman Navy fight the Russian Navy in the Battles of the Black Sea and Constantinople.
Ottoman Empire[]
The Ottoman Empire probably had the weakest forces of all League of Steel countries before the war. It really didn't have much to do with European politics since it was located mostly in the Middle East. The reason it opted to join the pact of steel was because it was an Empire, and like all other European empires, it feared that the ideas of communism would incite a revolution in their country. The Ottoman Navy wasn't powerful or effective compared to other European navies, and the air force was small and was made up mostly of small French fighters. The Ottoman Army mostly served in defending the short border with Soviet Russia and as additional support troops to their allies.
A regular Ottoman Infantry Soldier carried:
- Gewehr 01
- Roth Steyr 07 pistol
- Bayonet
- War-hammer
- Stielhandgranate x2
The Ottoman soldiers were reputedly the worst fighters of the whole war. They lacked training and equipment and were not glad about fighting a war that apparently didn't need to be fought. The Ottoman Army, however, was very well known for its charges, comparable to those of the Russians, they were also very effective in CQC because their bayonets were short and smooth edged. Ottoman soldiers were issued small war-hammers as personal weapons, these were very effective since one blow was all it took to neutralize an enemy. A blow to the head was almost always a certain kill, and if the blow reached a limb, it would almost certainly break a bone.
The Ottoman Empire Armed Forces were equipped mostly with foreign technology because they didn't have an arms industry of their own, however, most of their weapons they got cheap from their allies. The Ottoman Navy was relatively small compared to all other powers' navies, but it was large enough to prevent a large-scale Soviet invasion through the Black Sea. The Ottoman Navy consisted mostly of mid-sized frigates and cruisers. It also sported a large gunboat fleet. The Ottoman Air Force had no important roles during the war, they mostly strafed enemy charges and dropped grenades into enemy trenches.
Balkan Confederation[]
The Balkan Confederation had the smallest of all armed forces during WWI. At roughly 2,000,000 men, it would seem that they'd have the weakest armed forces. This wasn't the case, however, as the Balkan Armed Forces were very well trained and sported modern equipment and weapons. They had their own weapons industry and their soldiers were well equipped and could be quickly mobilized. They had a small artillery force that proved to be very effective at firing accurately behind enemy lines. The Balkan Navy was quite modern but it lacked strength in numbers. It had quite a few dreadnoughts and two battleships. The navy didn't get an opportunity to shine however, since is mostly aided the Ottomans in raiding Russian towns. The Balkan Air Force was quite large and had strategic bombers, spotters, and fighters. It was mostly used to bomb Russian and sometimes Spanish positions.
A regular Balkan Infantry Soldier sported:
- SAM 05 rifle
- P 06 pistol
- Bayonet
- Stielhandgranate x2
Painting of an infamous Balkan bayonet charge.
The Balkan Infantry were known for their fire discipline and for following orders, they waited until enemies were almost in their faces and only then did they open fire. Much like German troops, they lacked an effective CQC weapon, and instead used shovels or homemade maces as weapons. Balkan troops were reputedly merciless on their enemies. They apparently bayoneted wounded enemies and rarely took prisoners. There were many reports of executions of captured Russians at the beginning of the war.
The Balkan Navy wasn't used to its full potentials since they were mostly confined to the Mediterranean as backup instead of being used in the Siege of Britain or as aid to the French Navy in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Balkan Air Force was mostly used to bomb ammunition factories, railways, troops camps, and trenches in Russian territory. Fighters were mostly used as escorts.
Order of Events[]
The World War is considered to have started the moment Austria declared war on Soviet Russia. As soon as this was done, all countries were dragged into war by alliances. The German and Ottoman empires quickly declared war on Soviet Russia, with the Balkan Confederation and the French doing so minutes later.
Following these events, Britain declared war on Austria, Germany, the Ottoman Empire, the Balkan Confederation, and the French Empire in that order. Later that day, France declared war on Spain and all League of Steel countries declared war on Britain and Spain.
As soon as news reached the American continent, Mexico and the USA declared war on France and the League of Steel.
Fronts[]
Being the first World War in the true sense of the word, there was fighting in Europe, Asia, and America, as well as small engagements in other parts of the world. The European fronts were mostly contested by European powers until Mexico and the USA could send aid in early 1912.
American East (American/US front)[]
The Eastern front was contested by France and the USA. Most of the fighting was a slow retreat by the French Colonial Forces while the American Army tried to receive as little casualties as possible.
It was divided in two main areas, the Louisiana front, and the Quebec front. The effort of the Quebec front was to take the cities of Quebec and Montreal. In the Louisianan front, the cities of Saint Louis and Louisville (Kansas City) were the main targets.
Quebec Front[]
The war in Quebec lasted longer than everyone would've imagined. The French troops weren't as numerous and there was only a thin strip of land separating the US Army from Quebec City and Montreal. Despite the disadvantages, the French troops lasted for a good two years while being outnumbered and outmatched.
Despite there only being a few miles between the target cities and the USA, the French troops had prepared by digging a network of trenches that spanned all the territory between the US and St. Lawrence river. It took the US Army two and a half years to gain a distance of around 180 miles.
The Quebec front saw the fiercest trench warfare in America, since trenches were only 100 feet apart at times, the French troops retreated slowly after inflicting the maximum number of casualties they could without being decimated themselves. When the USA finally reached the St. Lawrence river, they easily took Quebec City and Montreal portions that were south of the river. It would take another six months before an effective assault could be effectuated and a surrender forced.
In June 1911, the US Navy was desperately trying to break through the French defenses in St. Lawrence. The Army was shelling the cities of Quebec and Montreal mercilessly for days at a time. On the day of July 1, 1911, the US Army finally established a firm grip on the northern side of Montreal and Quebec City. Even then, the french troops wouldn't give up and fierce urban combat ensued until by early November, the French troops in Montreal surrendered. Their numbers had been cut in half and there were thousands more of incapacitated soldiers. Later that month, Quebec City surrendered to avoid further casualties in an unavoidable defeat. The territory of Quebec formally surrendered to the United States in December 1, 1911.
During the War in Quebec, the US Army was criticized for not changing its tactics after loosing thousands of men to the same strategy the French kept using. The Navy was also said to be incapable since it couldn't penetrate the small French defenses in the mouth of the St. Lawrence river.
Louisiana Front[]
The War in Louisiana was a lot faster moving than the War in Quebec, since the French weren't as badly outnumbered and had the luxury of being able to loose miles of ground at a time, it was of less intense nature with only a few major battles fought. The main goal of the United States was to quickly conquer St. Louis and invade New Orleans alongside Mexican forces. The goal of winning the city of St. Louis was quickly accomplished, but the invasion of New Orleans was a whole lot more complicated.
France had a heavy naval presence in the Gulf of Mexico, and most of those ships were commanded by officers who had seen combat in the attempted invasions of Britain twenty years ago. The French Colonial Navy was well trained and very experienced, it faced off against the combined forces of the US Navy and the Mexican Navy repeatedly and managed to stall them for two years before the loss of men and ships were to much.
The infamous French "first charge" of the Winter Offensive of 1911.
Once the US Army had taken St. Louis they quickly advanced towards Louisville in an attempt to capture the capital city of Louisiana before the Mexican Army did. They advanced and fought the hardened French troops for the better part of a year until the Winter Offensive of 1911 forced the American troops a couple of miles back in a clever and well-executed attack by the French.
Despite loosing troops and equipment during the clever French attacks, this enabled the Mexicans to launch their own offensive and quickly taking Louisville as the French troops were celebrating their victory. Louisville was quickly taken after being besieged by the Mexican troops for the better part of 1910. When the Winter Offensive was launched, the Mexican Army attacked.
Contrary to the Army performance in Quebec, the way it performed in Louisiana was applauded by the American public.
American West (Mexican front)[]
A Mexican gunboat in Arkansas river during the first offensive.
The Mexican Army had an enormous border with the territory of Louisiana. Most of the time they had peaceful relationships, but after a series of border clashes and entering enemy alliances, the border was extremely fortified. The Mexican troops attacked at the same time the Americans did the same half a continent away. The first strike of the Mexican Army was very powerful as it involved airplane support, artillery, and a force of some 30 gunboats in the Arkansas river. The first attack was very effective, with the cities of Tulsa and Wichita falling to the Mexican Army within the first two months of the war. The Mexican troops sent to attack New Orleans moved slower though, as the important port was heavily defended. Once they made it to within a few miles of the city, they had to hold the line for two months before the US and Mexican navies could aid in the invasion.
A Mexican soldier bayoneting a French machine-gunner. Image is a life-size model from the WWI museum.
In the north, things were more quiet, with sporadic fire and few battles. Even then, the Mexican Army slowly moved towards their goal, Louisville. In February, they finally reached the city, but French defenses were to strong to take without heavy casualties. Instead, the Mexican Army laid siege to the city's south and west sides while they waited for the US Army to arrive so that they could attack. When the American troops arrived, they were promptly pushed back by a surprise French attack. Taking advantage of the lack of defending troops for the moment, the Mexicans attacked Louisville and quickly reached the Louisville Council building and forced the governor to surrender the town, which he did in June 16 of 1911.
The Mexican Army's job was applauded by the Allied forces and public alike. The Navy, however, was criticized for not achieving a quick victory against the smaller French Colonial Navy. The Battle of the Gulf of Mexico lasted a year instead of the few weeks that tacticians had predicted. The Navy lost much of its pre-war prestige during the War in America
European East (Russian front)[]
War started in the Russian front, the first violent actions of all the war took place here. The Eastern Front, as it if commonly called, was the series of operations and battles between Soviet Russia and the League of Steel. It was the front with the most casualties during the whole war.
As soon as war was declared, a Balkan Rapid Strike Force attacked the Ukraine and penetrated almost as far as Kiev. In the north, a German and Austrian coalition force reached as far as Minsk before a stable front was established. When the Russian forces finally reacted to the sudden and coordinated attack, they fought fiercely in the battles of Minsk and Kiev. They held out from the more advanced armies of the League of Steel for a year until they were finally defeated.
After that, it was a slow but steady road of defeat for the Russians as they retreated back to the east. Troops died by the hundreds each day.
Unlike the Western Front, the war in the east was a lot more fluid and landmarks changed hands regularly. Due to the front being ten times as wide, it was impossible for soldier concentration to be dense enough to support effective trench warfare. This was a huge advantage to the League of Steel and their rapid forces at first, and it was even easier for them when Germany developed their first tank.
A German LK tank. The defensive machine guns have been removed and replaced with armor in the case of this "heavy" tank.
The development of the tank helped the League of Steel to gain ground even quicker, and victory was within the reach as Moscow was only a few miles away. The Russians, however, familiar with the terrain and fighting in their own land, launched their first effective counter-offensive in the winter of 1911.
As German tanks advanced upon an empty stretch of land to meet Russian forces a massive artillery strike upon the advancing League of Steel forces destroyed most of the tanks and caused heavy casualties on the infantry as well. Immediately after the attacks, a charge that reputedly had 20,000 Russian soldiers in it followed. The Germans, Austrians, and Balkans retreated as what it seemed to be the whole Russian Army charging chased them. As the initial charge lost momentum, reserve troops were brought in to continue the advance. By February 1912, the Russians had regained their lost land and were knocking on the doorsteps of Germany, Austria, and the Balkans.
In 1912, the front stabilized as it wasn't as wide as it used to be. Russian troops were able to support effective trench warfare. With the war now right outside of the borders of League of Steel countries, the Russians fought fiercely to reach Berlin, Vienna, and Belgrade.
Mexico sends reinforcements to Russia. Due to the blockade of England and heavy German naval presence in the Mexican troops have no choice but to be sailed through the Pacific Ocean and then crossing Siberia to fight in the Western Front. Mexican troops land in Vladivostok to aid the Russians, from there they are transported by train to Moscow and then to the front. By May 1912, there are over 3 million Mexican soldiers in Russia, with half that being in Moscow or the front and the rest awaiting transportation. Mexican soldiers mostly fight in the southern reaches of the front due to not being used to the cols, although some serve as reserves up north.
The boosted size of the Allied Army in the western front force the League of Steel to slowly fall back. Germany and Austria have already suffered the loss of lands and the Balkan Confederation has already lost the city of Sofia to the Mexicans.
A Mexican TM-2 tank. They were designed after Soviet Russian specifications that were shared with the Mexican Army.
The Five Long Years. The Soviet Russian and Mexican forces slowly advance towards the capital cities of Vienna and Berlin. In 1914, the Russians field their T-1 tank, a masterful design that enables the allies to advance even faster and complements the Mexican TM-2 tank (fielded in early 1913). The whole advance is one long battle with over 2,000,000 allied casualties and an estimated 2,500,000 League of Steel casualties. In 1915, the city of Belgrade falls to the Mexicans and the Balkan Confederation is effectively knocked out of the war. By 1917, the city of Vienna is completely surrounded by Mexican and Russian troops, and Berlin is within walking distance of the Allies.
Battles of Berlin and Vienna are fought, heavy casualties for both sides, and are almost lost by the allies after German gas attacks to advancing troops. After almost a year of urban combat, the Reichstag and the Austrian Parliament building finally fall to the Soviet and Mexican troops respectively.
The Reichstag was captured by the Russians in October 1, 1918, and the Austrian Parliament building was taken by Mexican forces in September 31, 1918.
European West (Spanish front)[]
The Spanish front was hotly contested between the Spanish and the French from 1908 to 1918, with the USA joining the fight in mid-1912.
The war started with the French Army attacking Spain and its African territories. The French surpassed the Spaniards in almost all aspect, and by 1911, three years after the war started, almost all of mainland spain except for the cities of Madrid, Sevilla, and Valladolid as well as their surrounding regions were free of French troops.
The French attacked Spain with over 4,000,000 troops. They defeated the poorly equipped Spanish easily and only faced trouble when taking a city, where the population opposed the occupation and resistance was heavy (Half of French casualties for the invasion of Spain were caused by resistance groups). The cities of Madrid, Sevilla, and Valladolid were laid siege to by the French for the duration of 1911, but were never taken.
In early 1912, the USA sent roughly 3 million soldiers to the country of Portugal. There, they massed their forces and May 1912, they attacked the French in Spain. The America troops were divided in three armies of 1,000,000 each. Each army was tasked with breaking the sieges of the remaining free cities and then to liberate the rest of Spain.
Sevilla was liberated first by the 3rd Army and Valladolid followed soon, being liberated by the 1st Army. The 2nd Army faced trouble as there was heavy French troop presence in central spain, but with the help of the 3rd Army, they succeeded in liberating Madrid and most of western Spain. By late 1912, there were no free French troops in the lands west of Madrid and in early 1914, the Spaniard Offensive was launched with US and Spanish troops fighting the French back to the Pyrenees by July 1914.
A French Char 2C super-tank.
In 1916, after American and Mexican troops had aided in the liberation of Britain, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd American Armies, as well as the Spanish Army attacked France. With the French troops facing war on two fronts, and with the threat of the Russian and Mexican forces in the Eastern Front closing in, the French were desperate. In January 1917, the French fielded their super-tank, the Char 2C, this tank could handle several American and British tanks at a time and was incredibly powerful and well armored, however, the French weren't able to deploy it in numbers large enough to change the tide of the war.
1917 was the year that the French faced defeat, after being the most powerful country in the world for over a century, they faced defeat at the hands of former colonies, territories, and enemies considered lesser. This factors were a huge morale-booster for the French troops defending their home. By March 1918, Paris was under siege, and after the fall of Berlin and the defeat of Vienna, the French government surrendered to British, Mexican, Spanish, and American troops in November 15, 1918.
Ottoman Front[]
The Ottoman front was probably the theatre of war that suffered the less casualties for the duration of the war. The Ottoman front consisted mostly of trench warfare between the Russians and Ottomans in the border and some mid-scale naval battles in the Black Sea.
In 1908, the Russians attempted to invade the Ottoman Empire, but the Ottomans responded with a strong defense just south of the border. Most of the war consisted of charges, artillery strikes and airplane dogfights. Neither side gained mayor stretches of land during the initial years. The Russians almost faced defeat when they were cut off from their reinforcements by the Austrian advancing forces, but with the winter counter offensive of 1911. The troops received support and after a clever ruse which lead the Ottoman Navy to believe they would be invaded in Samsun, the Navy and many troops were mobilized there only for the Soviet Russians to invade Istanbul and take the city within the week.
After Istanbul fell, the remaining Ottoman troops in Samsun refused to surrender and it wasn't until after early 1913 that they had suffered enough casualties from shelling from the sea and the south that they surrendered.
The Ottoman front effectively disappeared after the Ottoman Capitulation of February, when they formally surrendered to the Soviet Russian Army and left the League of Steel.
English Front[]
The War started for the British when a combined force of French and German ships attacked the Royal Navy in the English Channel. After two weeks of sea fighting, the superior numbers of the League of Steel defeated the battered Royal Navy in the First Battle of the English Channel and launched an invasion into southern England.
The British immediately resorted to trench warfare and "un-gentlemanlike" attacks in the invaders. They built a strong network of trenches and attacked the advancing invaders with gas and booby-trapped their abandoned trenches. The British fought fiercely and by 1910, they fielded their Mk. II tank for battle. The tank helped the British, but since it didn't have adequate support and the British had no tank doctrine, their full potential was never reached.
Two French SOMUA tanks preparing right before attacking a British position.
A British MAT I tank.
After loosing most of Western England to the French and with London slowly getting closer to the front line, navy battleships and dreadnoughts were re-comissioned from coastal defense and used as seaborne artillery from the Thames. In early 1911, the Germans fielded their LK tank design, and in mid 1911, the French did the same with their SOMUA design. The British, now faced with superior tanks were forced to declare their one year old tanks obsolete and replace them. The British replaced their tanks with the MAT I tank. This evened the playing field a little bit, but the British were still fighting a loosing battle.
The British resorted to gassing League of Steel reserves with artillery and airplanes, they also bombed troop hospitals to demoralize the invaders. Germany responded by gassing London with artillery. The British plans were halted when a large force of Luftwaffe planes was mobilized to put a stop to the bombings. The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe faced each other in vicious dogfights. By early 1912, both air forces were reduced to shadows of their former selves and forced to stop combat operations.
An American M1 LE tank.
In June 1912, a surprise attack (so secret that even the British didn't know about it) by Mexican and American forces on Western England was launched. The attack took by surprise the utterly unprepared French forces and forced them to retreat and regroup with their German allies. The Americans brought with them their M1 LE tanks. This, along with the Allied reinforcements quickly forced the invaders to retreat to Southern England. They quickly started pulling their troops back to their homelands, but by 1913, the Allies broke through their last line of defense. Over 500,000 French troops and 124,000 German troops were captured.
In 1914, after the Spaniard Offensive succeeded, the Allied forces in England, after having little over a year to replace their losses, attacked.
The American and Mexican navies, along with the remains of the Royal Navy faced off against the French Navy in the Second Battle of the English Channel. After their victory, a massive invasion force of over 7 million Mexican, American and English soldiers was launched on Normandy. The French were now defending their homeland, but with overwhelming forces on the north, and with their allies facing dire circumstances as well, the French slowly but surely started loosing the war.
In 1917, after three years of intense fighting, the French finally faced defeat, daily bombings of Paris as well as shelling of reserve troops were only some of the troubles France suffered. And after a year of bravely holding out on the Allies, the French finally surrendered when allied forces marched down the Champs-Élysées. The French government formally surrendered in November 15, 1918.
War comes to an end[]
After the capital cities of Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Istanbul, and Belgrade fell to the Allies, the League of Steel was forced to surrender and pay heavy fines.
Each country of the League of Steel received sanctions and punishment from the international community.
The German Empire Germany and was forced to pay a very heavy fine to Mexico and Soviet Russia.
The French Empire became the countries of France, Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. It was imposed the heaviest of all fines of the defeated countries and their Armed Forces size was limited to 300,000 troops at all times. There were Allied forces in France for 10 years and only after they left was France allowed to have anything bigger than a police force.
The Austrian Empire became the countries of Austria, Hungary and Bosnia. They received sanctions such as never being able to have Armed Forces or a Navy. They were, however, permitted to have a "self-defense-force."
The Balkan Confederation went relatively unscathed after the war ended and only paid fines to Soviet Russia and Mexico.
The Ottoman Empire was completely destroyed as all of its lands fought themselves over the territory. Due to the chaos of the Ottoman Civil War no fines were issued and in theory, the Ottoman Empire went unpunished.
All of this was accorded in Lisbon, Portugal in November 11, 1918.
Aftermath[]
The War left behind it a destroyed Europe. The former Empires of France and Austria were now little countries with relatively no power in the new Europe. France had to cope with the mistakes of its predecessor state and clean up a war-torn country.
The former Austrian Empire suffered a similar fate, with all successor states suffering from a poor economy, no power and alienation of their fellow European nations. Soviet Russia, however, quickly resumed trade with these new countries and bought their goods for outrageous prices and influenced their decisions for a decade before these states were able to sustain themselves without Russian help. Many of these countries remained communist after the war.
Germany suffered the least when compared to other League of Steel countries, it was allowed to keep all of its former lands, no restrictions were placed on its armed forces and they were only forced to pay a fine. Germany, however, was still a destroyed country, its people had no faith in their armed forces or even the government. The German Army had been virtually destroyed in the war, and the Luftwaffe and Navy had suffered the same fate.
Russia suffered what seemed like massive casualties, but being such a large country and having a large resource pool, it didn't affect the country much. Former battlefields were quickly populated again and agriculture flourished in former battle sites. The fines paid to them by Germany, Austria, and the Balkans were also a big help when reconstructing their country.
Spain had a bad time after the war, it had no armed forces to speak of, since most were destroyed during the war, its population had also lost faith in the government and the whole country had been a battlefield. It slowly reconstructed their economy with American help and became the power it once was.
England probably had the worst fate of all of the Allied countries. It had been invaded for the first time in centuries, the country's pride was shattered, around one fourth of the whole population had perished in the conflict, and its armed forces were almost totally destroyed. The Royal Navy had suffered the worst, only one in ten ships survived the war. The RAF was cut half in size and manpower, and the Army had suffered massive casualties. Also, the large empire they once held crumbled as colonies declared independence. Canada became a country, so did the Caribbean colonies and Australia. The colonies of Singapore and South East Asia also declared their independence. The once great superpower was reduced to needing economic aid from Mexico and the USA.