The Grand War (The Maxim)

From Alternative History

[edit] Road To War

The Road to the most atrocious war in human history began in the 19th century. The imperialistic ambitions of European countries led to the colonization of much of the world. The scramble for land to conquer led to rivalry between the countries of Europe. These European Tensions led to a fierce arms race, first sparked by the development of an entirely iron battleship for the Royal Navy of Great Britain. The major powers of the day copied the idea and built their own Leviathans. The powers then formed alliances between themselves. Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire formed the Triple Alliance. Great Britain, France, and Russia form the Triple Entente. In 1872 the Monroe Doctrine was overturned by President Ulysses S. Grant, under pressure of the great powers of Europe with their bulging navies. Germany made the best of this and colonized much of South America in the Patagonian Wars. Great Britain colonized much of Central America. During the Patagonian Wars, Germany blockaded Brazilian ports(1879). Valuable shipments of material, mainly rubber, bound to Great Britain were stalled. Great Britain threatened Germany with military action if it did not lift it's blockade. Germany wisely relented. During the Russo-Japanese war in 1905, the absence of Russia's Atlantic Fleet led to Great Britain and France protecting Russia's waters. A minor naval engagement took place near the port of Memel in the Baltic Sea. Further conflict was only averted in the face of diplomatic action. In 1910, Russian dissidents, mainly communists and anarchists, led by Vladimir Lenin assassinated Czar Nicholas II of Russia. This left his eldest daughter Olga Nikolaevna in charge of the throne at the age of 16. She gave more power to the Russian Parliament, the Duma, on the advice of her advisors. Russia blamed Germany for the assassination of Nicholas since Lenin was a German citizen. Lenin was arrested and executed. Russia declared war on Germany on the 11th of November 1910. Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman empire declared war on Russia on the 12th. Great Britain and France declared war on the Triple Alliance on the 16th.

[edit] The Early War

[edit] 1910-1912

In 1910 Russia was really in no state to wage war on Germany. It's navy was still recuperating after the horrid blows dealt against it by the Japanese. Much of the highly trained troops were abroad in Manchuria, dealing with rebellions. The people were already on the brink of famine and revolution. However, the assassination of Nicholas II shocked the Russian people. It did not matter how unpopular he was, the sheer audacity of a foreign power to exterminate their own rulers outraged Russians. People signed up for the army and navy in droves. There were not even enough guns to go arm everyone. However, Germany failed to capitalize on Russia's weaknesses due to it's belief in the Schlieffen Plan. Their plan was to quickly defeat one enemy before turning it's attention to the others. Taking heed of the legendary Russian winter and it's effect on invading armies, they instead decided to concentrate on France first, often viewed as the weakest link in the Triple Entente. on the 29th of November as German troops launched a pincer attack, one from Belgium and another from the Rhineland, German naval forces went into operation to prevent British troops form reinforcing the continent. French and German troops clashed on the Belgian border. The Germans brook easily through as France's best troops were deployed at the French-German border, with only old men and half-trained soldiers holding the line near Belgium. The Germans suffered severe casualties on the French-German border and were pushed back into Germany, however the French could not press their attack as German troops were already marching on Paris by the 6th of December. The French army retreated to defend their capital. German troops crossed the border on the 4th December. Progress for both armies was slow due to terrible winter conditions. The Germans had surrounded Paris by the 20th of December. Rather than take the city by storm, the Germans hoped to make the city surrender. When the French garrison in Paris refused, believing they could stall until the army from the south had reached them and defeat the Germans. By the 24th of December, the Germans began to shell Paris's residential districts, avoiding the central city. They southern French army reached the outskirts of the German siege the next day, hotly pursued by the German army they had beaten back. On the 25th December the Battle of the Yule Tide took place. The southern French army attempted to break the German siege. However they under-estimated the strength of the invasion force, believing many Germans were fighting in Russia. During the battle the second German army arrived and attacked the French from the rear. The French army was annihilated. The death toll for the battle is estimated at 40,000 French deaths and 15,000 German deaths. Without any hope of aid, and the British cut off by the German blockade, Paris surrendered. The German General, then demanded the surrender of all of France, threatening to level the city if his comply was not met. The weak French government in Paris then surrendered the country, and agreed to disband its army. Thousands of French soldiers were herded into POW camps near major cities. However the German's near spectacular successes on land were not echoed on the sea. The German Atlantic Fleet was out gunned and outclassed when it came toe-to-toe with the Royal Navy. At the Battle of Calais, the Germans lost four battleships, eight cruisers and twenty-three auxiliary vessels, with British force sustaining one lost battleship and three cruisers. Over 11,000 seamen perishing in total. Further north in the Battle of Dogger Bank, the Germans lost two battleships and two more were damaged beyond repair. Six German cruisers were lost to four British cruisers. However the Germans scored a hit when they sank the HMS Titan, the second largest ship in the world, after the HMS Britannica. The effect to British moral was devastating. But the Germans also lost their most popular admiral, Admiral Von Braun. Elsewhere in the world troops stationed in colonies moved to capture the colonies of their enemies. Fierce fighting arose in the Congo and near South-Africa when British colonial troopers invaded German East Africa. Their garrisons were held with only skeleton crews and mostly were overcame quickly. Many Germans and German-supporting Boers fled into the brush rather than face British occupation, and also to wage a guerrilla war. In the South Atlantic a "free" French fleet attacked German supply lines coming from Patagonia. In the middle east, the Ottoman empire moved against British controlled Egypt. The old fashioned and outdated Ottoman troops were beaten back at the Suez canal by the 20th December.