God Save Us All..Rewriting History in Blood

Corbett: Yes, sir. This isn't your weak, squabbling lil' France you've read about in the History Books. ATL(Alternate Time Line) France is one of the top two powers in the world, not simply a Great Power like it was in OTL(Our Time Line), but a superpower.

Haha, yes, I figured I'd throw the Dutch a bone. Who doesn't want a huge mass of arid Desert? Keep reading!

Vincent Julien: I won't give any of the story away, but...

Wilhelm II is King of Prussia, yes.

Update Forthcoming.

[Note: Short update, but it has some important parts. It's really just an overview.]



December 3rd, 1906

Sensing that the Austrian flanks were dangerously weak, Marshal Putnik launches a wheeling attack on the left flank of the Austrian Army near the Kolubara River with the entire Serbian Army. Serbia is in a bloody grapple for it’s survival, and Putnik hopes to keep the Austrians at bay long enough for the Russians to come to the rescue.

The attack hits Austrian General Potiorek completely by surprise. He hastily sends reserves to his flank to turn back the Serbians.


December 5th 1906

The Battle of Kolubara is now three days old and Potiorek is panicking. Although the Serbians do not have nearly enough men to completely break through his lines, they had crashed into his flank, fighting with everything they had. He decides to quickly retreat back across the Sava River, leaving behind any and all gains the Balkan Army Group had made in Serbia, including Belgrade.

Almost 45,000 Austrians had been captured, along with almost 80,000 other casualties. The Serbians hadn’t suffered as much, but in terms of percentage of its army, the battle had done a great number on them.

December 15th, 1906

The Austrian 5th Army, the last Austrian unit in Serbia, abandones Belgrade and crosses the Sava back into Austria-Hungary.

The Battle of Kolubara and retreat of the Austrian Army is a big victory for the Serbs, but one that doesn’t mean much in the long run. Serbia’s Army has been devestated. More than 200,000 of it’s numbers are dead, which is about the size of Serbia’s pre-war army. More losses are to come, because a Typus epidemic is sweeping across Serbia, with the army being hit the hardest.

In Vienna, General Potiorek has been called in front of the General Staff. He is stripped of his command of the Balkan Army Group. He has been incompetant from the start, and only got the command because he felt guilty about the Archduke’s assination in Sarajevo, where he had been Governor of Bosnia.

He is replaced by Archduke Eugen. He is a very intelligent, and talented, and well-liked by the men he commanded.

Austria has also been trying as hard as it can to get Bulgaria involved in the war on the Germanic Powers side. The Emperor himself personally promises King Ferdinand I that if Bulgaria enters on the Germanic side, Macedonia will be given to her at the conclusion of the war.

December 23th, 1906

A meeting is held between the Chiefs of the Austrian General Staff and their Saxe-Bavarian counterparts. Here, Conrad von Hötzendorf discusses his strategy for the war with Prince Leopold of Bavaria, Chief of the Saxe-Bavarian General Staff. They collectivly decided that, while Russia is the main threat, they cannot fully concentrate on her without conquering Serbia first.

Prince Leopold agrees to send the Fourth Army, commanded by General Albrecht, the Duke of Württemberg, to the Balkan front to help the Austrians there. The pressure on Bulgaria to join in the war is also turned up.

The date for a new offensive in Serbia that will, hopefully, finally, crush the Serbs is set for April 10th of 1907.

December 25th, 1906

The first Christmas of The Great Eastern War, as many newspapers both in the West and the East have started calling the war, is spent rather peacefully. On both the Balkan and Galician fronts, there is very little movement. The Germanic forces have developed the strategy of “Trench Raids” where a small group of infantry would infiltrate a section of Russian Trench and take a few prisoners for questioning.

While the rest of the world celebrates the birth of Christ in peace and with full stomachs, this is not the case in Russia. All of Russia’s limited industrial capacity has been put to use fueling the war. Many, many men have been thrust into service. The factories that once made farm tools are now turning out rifles. The farmer that once used these tools to feed his family and Russia is now in a trench in the Carpathian Mountains, freezing and hungry.


January 1st, 1907

1907 dawns with two major sides locked in a grapple. Russia had a chance to overrun Austria and end the war by winter, but was thwarted by the arrival of Saxe-Bavarian troops. They now sit idle, facing each other in trenches in the hills and forests of the Carpathian Mountains, each side choosing to wait for the other to strike.

In the Balkans, little Serbia still holds onto all of her land, but at a great cost. By January, the little nation that could has lost more than 220,000 men, which represents more than 50% of her army’s strength. Typhus has struck it’s population hard, but Serbia fights on.

The war, at this point, has been the bloodiest ever in such a short time. Russian records are often skewed, but it is estimated that they have lost more than 950,000 casualties so far in actions in Galicia. The Austrians haven’t fared much better, losing 700,000, 140,000 of which are prisoners. The Saxe-Bavarians have only fought for a short time and have lost 45,000.

Northern Serbia and Galicia are the definitions of a war zone. Refugees clog the roads. Shell craters litter the landscape. Unburied dead cause the smoky-sweet stench of death to fill the land.

Total War has been invented, and the state of the art will only improve.


To Be Continued....

Haha, I was just doing some modding for this, and Saxe-Bavaria makes away like bandits with their leaders. So many great German commanders were Bavarian or Saxon.

Rommel, von Leeb, von Rundstedt, Diett, Dietrich, Busch and Jodl are all Saxe-Bavarian.

Delex: I've got the start of the game set for Early Winter, 1945.

How's the war so far?

lifeless: Oh, Prussia still has some big time names. Saxe-Bavaria just doesn't seem to have any lemons!

Wenis: Eh, not a bad suggestion, but I don't think it's possible by now. Nationalism is too prevelant in all three of the major German states, and I doubt the Hungarians would like being ruled by more Germans. That would be one powerful state, though..

Delex, rcduggan, and Vincent Julien: Vincent was closest, it's the Austrian fortress of Przemysl. As the Russians rapidly advanced into Galicia, they simply bypassed the fortress, and it's garrison of 100,000, plus Austrian soldiers who had retreated. It's currently under seige, and in a sticky spot. Not the greatest situation to be in. Thank you for the map compliment, I'm rather proud of it.

I'm hoping to get an update up this weekend guys. Computer problems and general busyness have joined forces to make me get no writing done. I should have one up by sunday afternoon at the latest, though, don't worry!

January 28th, 1907

The Russians launch a limited offensive on the Galician Front aimed at retaking Munkacs after it had fallen to the Germanic armies in September. The attack is foolish and the Russians are unprepared for a winter offensive. Ivanov dies not care. The Tsar wants victory at all costs, and he is not going to be the one who cannot provide it, regardless of the cost.


January 30th, 1907

In two days of heavy fighting, the Russians have discovered the horror of trench warfare. Ivanov blundered badly when deciding to attack the Germanic line at it’s strongest point.
Field Marshal von Mackensen had been predicting a Russian offensive near that sector for a few weeks now, and had massed his best men and artillery around the city.

On the first day of the attack alone, the Russians lose close to 60,000 casualties. Bodies litter the crater pocketed soil as wave upon wave of Russian charges are mowed down by German machine gunners and light artillery.

Febuary 1st, 1907

After four days of horrible, bloody, sometimes desperate fighting, Ivanov finally stops the offensive. It ends as one of the bloodiest defeats that Russia has ever seen. Over 300,000 Russians are lost, most to lie rotting for months.

General Ivanov is dismissed by the Tsar. The new commander on the Galician Front is the 54 Year old Aleksei Brusilov, an up and coming offensive mind in the Russian army. The Tsar hopes he can produce some massive breaktrhough on the front and end the war once and for all.


Febuary 5th, 1907

Seeing some glaring weaknessses from his Russian enemies, Field Marshal von Mackensen sends a message to the Germanic High Command in Budapest, stating that:

“The Russians on this front have been severely weakened and demoralized. It is my belief that a strong push into Poland come spring will create a great advance, pushing the Slavs from the gates of Hungary.”

February 6th, 1907

In a telegram sent back to von Mackensesn’s headquarters, the combined General Staff tells him that they have considered his proposal and the Serbian offensive in April has been postponed indefinitely in order to properly handle an offensive in Galicia.

The date is set for April 4th.

February 15th, 1907

An Austrian destroyer open fire on an Italian freighter carrying war materials for the Serbs into Montenegro. Rome immediately issues an angry complaint to Vienna, but the Austrians claim that the waters around the neutral but Serbian-supporting nation to be off limits to ships carrying Serbian goods. Tensions between the two rivals are strained.

King Victor Emmanuel II sends a plea to his French ally asking for permission to attack Austria. Napoleon IV immediately warns the King that any such action would result in withdrawal of French support to the Italian Kingdom. “War with Britain must be avoided at all costs.” He warns.

February 25th, 1907

The first class of 15 flyers graduates from the Imperial and Royal Flying School in Vienna. The Aeroplane, invented just 4 years before, is about to be introduced to the Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops to compliment its balloon corps in observation roles. The British and French air services had been using aeroplanes since 1905, and the Prussians had just started using them in late 1906.


March 10th, 1907

Germanic trench raids on the Russian lines begin to pick up in order to gather as much information on troop locations, plan, etc. before the April Offensive begins.

The increasing amounts of raids are reported to the Russian High Command, but they dismiss the reports as nothing but nervous infantry commanders.

March 18th, 1907

The Saxe-Bavarian 2nd Army arrives by train in Galicia. Saxe-Bavarian troop strength on this front now stands at about 650,000. Combined with about 1,250,000 Austro-Hungarian troops, the offensive will be on a scale not seen before in the war, or in history.

March 27th, 1907

Another attempt to gain Bulgaria on the Germanic side against Serbia is rebuffed by King Ferdinand. It seems that he is just not sure if the Germans can win the war, yet. Emperor Franz Joseph realizes that it will take a great victory to gain the Bulgarians, which would in turn mean the fall of the weakened Serbia. He puts his full support behind the April offensive.

April 4th, 1907

Thousands of guns, light and heavy suddenly shatter the silence of the spring night. Hundreds of thousands of shells begin pouring down on the Russian lined in the largest artillery bombardment of all time. It is 4 AM. The Shelling will not stop until 7 AM.


The plan calls for a sweeping attack upwards into Russian Poland. Von Mackensesn believes that the Russians will be expecting more of a frontal assault, not a sweep northwrds. Apart from the other forces, an Austrain Corps will be dispatched to relieve the Fortress of Przemysl, which had been suffering increased Russian pressure over the winter.


When the guns stop firing, almost 2 Million Germanic troops pour out of their lines and into the Russians, using a combination of massed attack, “Infiltration” tactics developed by Saxe-Bavarian trench raiders, and flanking meneuvers.

The Russians are completely shocked by the sheer scope of the offensive. Many Russians simply drop their weapons and run, or surrender. Those that choose to fight on are confused, and orders from their commanders are slow in coming, as they themselves do not know what to do.


The fighting is massive, bloody, often resulting in hand to hand combat in some Russian trenches. But the Germanic forces make fantastic progress in the first day. Some units have moved close to 15 miles, advances not seen since the Russians had the Austrians on the run in August 1906.

To Be Continued…

Phoenix Dace: Hah! Thanks for catching that. I've always got about 3 or 4 different World War I sites up at a time when I'm writing an update, and sometimes, like you said, a real-life parallel gets lost in the mix.

I never really like to give much away in terms of the future, but I've already got a basic map of History up until about March 1945 made, so this war's winners and losers have been determinded in my head. The most I can do is add or subtract things that create this outcome. For example, I never really planned on Saxe-Bavaria fighting alongside Austria-Hungary.

At this point in the war, Russian industy is even worse off than it was in 1915. To start, the war begins in 1906, not 1914, and Russia cannot rely on Britain and France for military supplies or any other major assistance. Trade is still opened, but as I've stated before, the consensus is that a strong Russia is, to Britain and France, a bad thing.

I've got a lot of twists and turns in this war planned out, don't you worry. Sit back and enjoy!

Herbert West: Not all of it...just a good portion.

soonerborn0524: What you just said is exactly what the Germanic high command thinks.

April 7th, 1907

After 2 days of heavy fighting, Krakow is taken by the Saxe-Bavarian 2nd Army. The town is a mere 10 miles from the Russian border. It is the first major city taken by the Germanic forces.

Meanwhile, the offensive keeps going according to the General Staff’s plans. The Russian commanders are still confused, some simply frozen, not knowing what to do. But the Russians have shown some semblance of a defense. The 4th Army in particular is fighting a very good fighting withdrawal.


April 9th, 1907

With the Austrians and Saxe-Bavarians getting closer and closer to Poland, Tsar Nicholas II orders General Brusilov to counterattack at once and push them back. Brusilov reasons that his men are not yet ready, but the Tsar ignores him.

April 10th, 1907

Brusilov launches a counterattack near Krakow, with the intenet of taking it back and forcing the Saxe-Bavarians from Poland. The general quickly makes it known that he is a force to be reckoned with when on the attack.

The attack was opened with a huge, yet short and very accurate artillery barrage. Brusilov had brought up as many guns as into the area as he could. The barrage hit many Germans in the open, unprepared for a Russian attack on this area. Following the barrage, the Russian Infantry lept up from the positions they had crept up to the previous evening. Some soldiers had gotten as close as 75 yards from the Saxe-Bavarian lines. This shock and speed of attack left the front line Saxe-Bavarians completely surprised, and a breakthrough was achieved in some parts.

Mackensen sees the danger that a breakthrough here could create, so he immedatly sends his 7th Army into action to plug up the line and force the Russians back.

April 11th, 1907

The Battle of Krakow rages on as fresh Saxe-Bavarians arrive just in time to avert a major breaktrhough. There they clash with Brusilov’s Russians, who enjoy a 2-1 advantage in manpower. However, the Saxe-Bavarians are still much better trained, organized, equipped, and in good spirits. Brusilov had gotten his men ready for battle, but they were still exhaused from days of defeat and movement backwards.


Regardless of the Saxe-Bavarian reinforcements, Brusilov continues his forward assault into the city. Taking advantage of this mainly forward-concentrating thrust, Mackensen counterattacks the Russian flanks, which are much thinner than the center.

This forces the Russians to move men from the attack to the defense, which is not Brusilov’s specialty.

April 12th, 1907

The Saxe-Bavarians achieve a small victory when close to 100,000 men of the Russian 12th Army simply give up and surrender. However, this is not enough to cease the Russian attack as they continue to grind forward into the outskirts of Krakow.

Field Marshal von Mackensen orders an Austrian army into battle along the center of his line. He is making preperations to turn back the Russians and end this battle once and for all. “We have their attention,” he says to his staff, “And now we will smash them!”


April 15th, 1907

With the Russians sufficently distracted by his flanking attacks, Mackensen orders his two armies in the middle, one Saxe-Bavarian and one Austrian, to attack at dawn. He uses the Russian’s own tactic, using a massive, short and accurate artillery bombardment before the infantry assault.

April 16th, 1907

After 6 straight days of fighting, the Russians finally pull themselves out of battle and away from Krakow. To the Tsar’s displeasure, the Russian troops are simply too tired from weeks of retreat, battle, little sleep, and death. General Brusilov decides it’s much better to live to fight another day than to be completely destroyed and have nothing to fight with.

The toll of the battle is devestating. The Russians lose close to 600,000 men in 6 days, with an additional 100,000 captured. The Germanic Powers don’t fare much better considering their size. Of the 4 armies engaged, the Saxe-Bavarian 3rd is almost completely decimated. A rough estimate at the end of the battle find that just under 450,000 germanic soldiers are lost, with another 55,000 prisioners. Krakow is pounded and shelled, and lit ablaze in some parts. But it is back in Austrian hands.

April 20th, 1907

Austrian forces come within 20 miles of Przemyśl, and it’s rapidly dwindling garrison. When first surrounded, the fortress held as many as 120,000 soldiers. After months of bombardment and starvation, that number has dropped below 50,000. It is one of the Austrian’s highest priorities to relieve the fortress.

April 21st, 1907

Saxe-Bavarian troops cross into Russian Poland. There they are greeted as liberators by the local population. The Poles there do not like their Russian rulers at all.

April 23rd, 1907

Austrian infantry enter Przemyśl, finally relieving it after 209 days of being surrounded and beseiged. The men there are immediately fed and sent back to rear areas in hungary, where the Emperor himself will greet them before they are sent home. Most of the remaining solders are unfit for further duty, and will be honorably discharged. General Hermann Kusmanek, commander of the garrison, has carried out the orders that Conrad von Hötzendorf last sent him back in September 1906.

April 30th, 1906

The Germanic April Offensive is starting to slow down as the Russian defense becomes more organized, and fresh troops are coming into battle. It has been a success. Not a complete success, as a good part of Galicia still is in Russian hands, but a success nonetheless. A nice chunk of Poland is in Austrian hands, Przemysl was relieved, and some of Galicia had been taken back.

It is now the Russians turn to make their move.

To Be Continued…