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SirCliveWolfe

Misthios
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Apr 11, 2005
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The Great Power Struggle -​
Change & Conflict in the 20thC







Introduction

THIS is a book about national and international power in the modern, 20thC onwards, period. It seeks to trace the lineage of today’s world and explain how the architects who wrought its creation viewed their own world and challenges. We shall cover in our journey all the pertinent events of the Great Powers, all nine of them, seeing some rise quickly only to be extinguished. Although this book will cover, in depth, the major wars between the ‘Great Power Coalitions’ in the time period, this tome should not be viewed as strictly a military history.




Editor’s note

LAIDIES and gentlemen, welcome to my new AAR.

This is my humble tale of a seeming insignificant change to Edwardian Britain, they will have major ramifications upon the future of the world. Now the ‘prologue’ goes all the way back to the turn of the 19thC, and you may notice that a lot of things go ‘right’ for the Empire in the time period up to 1935 (yup I’ve altered the start date). There is a reason for this, firstly I want to show how close the British Empire was to being in a very strong position by the start of the game and secondly what is planned to happen in the future is going to be an even sterner test than actually happened.

This AAR should not be viewed as a game-play AAR, although I am going to stick as close as possible to what happens in the game (silly things like a Japanese invasion of Ireland in 1935 will be hastily papered over) I won’t be discussing game mechanics or posting many (if any) screen shots.

You should also note that I am writing this AAR as ‘exerts’ from a book written by a quite opinionated gentleman, so I apologise if it offends anyone (the character is not that offensive, but may be a little condescending to your nation/ideology) – basically this is to highlight changes. So if say X doesn’t do Y (as historically) this ‘snide’ attitude will highlight this. Basically you will have to imagine a huge book that I have omitted chapters from as they go ‘the way they did historically’, so each update (until 1935ish) will only show what has changed. So if there is no post dealing with say August 1914, presume that the Arch-Duke was killed and war ensued.

Lastly you should not look upon this AAR as a ‘procession to British greatness’ as I said I will be sticking to the realistic outcomes of the game. I have run ‘test games’ and I can tell you that it is a close run thing.





 
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Pretty interesting idea, I will be following this one.
When should we expect an update?
Thanks, and welcome :) ... funny you should ask about an update;
 
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Chapter I – The misguided Genius of Arthur Balfour








Chapter I – The misguided Genius of Arthur Balfour
In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced nor cried aloud.



THERE is a view of history espoused within some quarters that states that every episode that occurred within British history was ultimately another successful step along the way to the glorious Imperial future, that while the actual episode itself may have been less than successful, something positive always came to the fore. So that while Cromwell’s reign is not in itself to be considered a success, it did lay a foundation of modern Britain, the establishment of Parliamentary power to be above Royal power. If this is truly the case then, Arthur James Balfour must be looked upon as a man of extreme importance.

The 1st Earl of Balfour, is a man whom has much been maligned by history, Winston Churchill once said of him "The difference between Balfour and Asquith is that Arthur is wicked and moral, while Asquith is good and immoral". There are many personal reasons for history’s dislike of the Conservative MP, the man was pilloried for his manner, personality and self-obsession, but we should not focus upon these for the reason we look into his tenure as Prime Minister, as it is for very pertinent reasons pertaining to the future of the Empire.



A Punch cartoon about Chamberlain & tariff reform


The first is the somewhat controversial, in that while he oversaw the monumental event that was the creation of Entente Cordiale, how much credit or blame he should take is an interesting aside. The process of coming to an understanding with those across the channel was a complicated and drawn out affair, and your point of view as to if it is credit or blame that should be apportioned will largely come down to your either being a Francophobe or a Francophile. The one thing that can be reliably assured is that this dramatic change in Imperial foreign policy was a milestone along the journey to World War One, it may be seen as a cause or effect of the journey, but its significance is not diminished.

The other was his government’s reaction to the recently concluded Boer war, what surprised so many was the man’s staunch defence of the conduct of the war. It was a surprise to many that a man, so uninvolved in the wars prosecution, would so vehemently defend it as it could not possibly harm him, or so it was assumed. The source of Belfour’s determination was soon discovered, it was the fact that Nobel Enterprises, a company specialising in the production of cordite, had made an astonishing 908% of extra profit during the war. Most damming of all, however, was that one of the principle shareholders was none other than Gerald Balfour, the Prime Minister’s brother. The furore culminated in three Royal commissions [1] as Belfour hoped to kick the matter into the ‘long grass’.



The "up and coming" Austen Chamberlain with the "wicked & moral" Belfour


The man’s procrastination did little to help either his own position or that of his party, his brother had to resign from his posting as President of the Board of Trade and the Conservative party started to slip in popularity. It came as some relief to Belfour that his new appointee to his brother’s old post, Joseph Chamberlain, was to propose a plan to both help pay the costs of the war and win votes. Chamberlain had slowly come to the conclusion that if the Empire was to survive in the future against the expected dominance of the United States, Germany and Russia, it would have to be consolidated into a single entity. He organised positive feelings toward this aim at the Imperial Conference, while the dominions did not agree to his idea for an Imperial Council, they did agree and, perhaps more pertinently passed a resolution in favour of, Imperial Preference. The simple idea was that trade with the ‘colonies’ would be allowed to continue with little or no tariffs, but that ‘foreign’ imports would be priced at a disadvantaged by a slight raise in tariffs. The major financial benefit of the scheme, following the refilling of the Exchequer’s coffers post war, was to be a system of old-age pensions and other social improvements.

It should be noted that while the cabinet were in favour of this outline, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Charles Thomson Ritchie, heavily influenced by major economists such as Sir William Ashley, was much opposed, so much so that Chamberlain declined the chance to tour South Africa and instead stayed at home to ensure cabinet support. Consequently Ritchie delivered a budget on the 23rd April 1903, which he was opposed to and shortly thereafter resigned from the cabinet, it was a mark of the increasing popularity of Chamberlain that he was able to acquire the prestigious post of Chancellor for himself and convince Belfour to bring his son, Austen Chamberlain, into the Board of Trade. [2]



Joseph Chamberlain, De facto leader of the Tories & Campbell-Bannerman, of the Liberal party


The Election of 1905 is somewhat ironic for numerous reasons, not least of which was that the most popular political leader of the day, ended up on the losing side. In the short timeframe since Chamberlain took control of the Exchequer the issue of free trade verses Imperial preference had come to ahead, while the policy had threatened to endanger, not just the Conservative’s coalition with their Liberal Unionist partners, but the integrity of the party itself. It will amaze almost no-one to find out that while there was much excitement in an around Westminster on the position of free trade, the fevered machinations of politicians was quite out of touch with the voting populace. For the Liberal party the political issue was seen as a boon, firstly because the majority of Liberal Unionists left the government’s benches as soon as Parliament was dissolved and the two Liberal parties were subsumed into one again and secondly because it gave the party the ideal ammunition, or so it was thought, to sink the unpopular Belfour.

It was quite unnerving to Henry Campbell-Bannerman, leader of the Liberal party, when in the first stages of the general election his much vaunted ‘free trade broadside’ fell short of its target. The ‘quite revolution’ [3] in the attitude of Great Britain’s electorate toward trade policy had begun almost as soon as the 1903 budget had been announced, as while many would grumble about the price of an ‘Imperial Loaf’ they had become quite attached to the embryonic wealthfare state that Chamberlain had introduced. Thus one of the biggest ironies of the campaign became the Liberal’s ignoring trade policy directly and attacking Balfour and his brother personally. This lead to the pushing forward of the ever popular Chamberlain as the De facto Leader of the Conservative party [4] , while only having become a member in the very recent past. Such came the incredulous result of the ballot, with the Conservative party and its very popular ‘leader’ being defeated by a newly conjoined Liberal party that was quietly backtracking upon the catalyst of its reunification.






[1] This is where our butterfly starts, the company made no such profit and Balfour's brother had nothing to do with them, so two Royal Commissions become three and history is changed.

[2] As Joseph steps up a notch, he will keep his political career, and Austen is promoted right on cue

[3] This is possible I think, the reason that Imperial Preference was unpopular was because of the price rise that would come, but once they are on the receiving end of wealthfare... I think that it would become more popular. IOTL Ritchie got the cabinet to change its mind so the people never got their 'wealthfare'

[4] Yes Chamberlain is the Leader of the Conservatives :)



 
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Much better! Thanks.
Good, not sure what the problem was, but its gone.

I like your style, the story looks quite interesting.
Thank you very much, I hope you will enjoy it.

Do you plan to use pictures? Walls of text can be intimidating for potential readers.
I think I'm going to have to start paying you to be my editor ;) In all seriousness, thanks for the catch, I had forgotten to put the pics in, More speed, less haste in future I think :)
 
A great read. I look forward to the next update with anticipation.
 
Interesting concept, subscribed.
 
Midge: Thank you sir for the kind words, I can only hope that the next installment continues to interest you :)

BenjaminGrey: Many thanks to you also :) not sure if the Liberal government will last tho, oh and I'll be in the Carlton Club if you need me :p

Saithis: Your words are too kind :) welcome aboard and I hope my writing will live up to the concept.
 
Chapter II - The overripe fruits of reform








Chapter II - The overripe fruits of reform
I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul.



THE new Liberal government found itself in something of a bind shortly after coming to power in 1906. The party’s manifesto, something that was actually seen as important then, was mainly about the repeal of Imperial Preference and a return to free trade, this was something that Campbell-Bannerman and his cabinet were to push to one side as the electoral prospects were not good. They had something of a ‘blank-cheque’ as they had gained a substantial majority not upon policies that they espoused, but upon the unpopularity of the previous Prime Minister. The election had also caused the ‘Liberal Imperialist’ faction [1] to gain strong traction within the party, as although they had begun by supporting free trade, the growing consensus was that the populace was turning evermore imperialist.

This opportunity, coupled with the additional income that Imperial Preference provided, was greedily seized upon by the party to turn from their classic ‘laissez-faire’ Gladstonian Liberalism toward the more modern and ‘collectivist’ progressive liberalism [2]. Building upon the work started by Chamberlain, the new administration increased the provision of ‘wealthfare’ into the areas of free school meals, sickness and unemployment pay and a system of free medical care for wage earners. The ‘Great Liberal Reforms’ of the early 20th Century also included the relaxation of trade union laws and the introduction of Probation as an alternate to incarceration for young offenders [3].



The 'Grandfather' of Liberalism, Gladstone would have been turning in his grave


The fruits of Belfour’s procrastination were to mature under the new government, one of the Royal Commissions was to be accepted in almost its entirety, while an additional was quietly forgotten and another introduced only half-heartedly. The first, the Esher report, called for the reorganisation of the British armed forces, with provision for the creation of the British Expeditionary Force, the Territorial Force, the Officer Training Corps and the Special Reserve. The reports impact can hardly be over inflated and its smooth implementation by the Secretary of State for War, Richard Haldane, should also be praised. On the other hand the Norfolk Commission, which called for mandatory National Service, or conscription, was quickly rejected and pushed to one-side, much to the annoyance of its creator, but no one else. The third report, prepared by Walter Long [4], had been focused upon the economic threats that had become apparent during the Boer War, which would become critical if another ‘Great Power’, especially a naval one, had become involved.

At the time of its publication, many were shocked by the scope and range of the report and many more thought that Long had clearly gone in excess of the bounds of his stated commission. In hindsight it is often looked upon by scholars as an exemplary report and should be studied by those looking to write such reports. This, however, is something of a red hearing as the report was highly political and while many of its conclusions proved to be correct, it should not be forgotten that Long authored it mainly to support Imperial Preference. In essence it argued the case of what would have happened if another power, to all intents and purposes Germany, but obviously never named, had become involved mid-war. The main thrust was economic and an extension of the argument for Imperial preference, but to his credit, Long did include some other points on Naval strategy that would show there worth in the coming conflict. A summary of the Long Report follows bellow;

• Capital flow controls during war time
• Food and Raw Materials price control through rationing
• Increasing peace-time orders for merchant shipping
• Re-introduction of the Napoleonic ‘convoy system’ during war-time against a naval power
• Creation of shadow munitions factories, in the UK and Dominions, to be activated upon outbreak of war
• Introduction of a ‘war-profiteering’ tax, meaning the 90% taxation of above peacetime profits

Lastly we should also look at one of the most interesting changes that the Liberal period would bring about, the introduction of the ‘Imperial Wireless Chain’. The great irony of this situation is that it was a measure supported upon all sides of the political spectrum, both benches understood the need for an Empire-wide communications network, and so it should be as intriguing as to why it caused so much trouble [5].



Vicount Haldane, along with Esher, 'Father' of the modern British army


Before we look into the reasons why such an innocuous and, in fact, successful scheme was to almost bring the Liberal party to its knees, we should look at the 1910 general election. Chamberlain had been a more than effective leader during his tenure with the Conservative party and his attacks over the limited implementation of the Long Report hit home with an electorate afraid of the rising Germany threat. This was almost balanced, however, by the popularity of the ‘Great Liberal Reforms’ and there were, in the end, enough to see the Liberal’s return to office for a second term, that would be far longer than anyone could have foreseen. With their return to power there was a shift away from the leadership of Campbell-Bannerman, with his failing health, and further towards the Imperialists within the body. The battle for primacy during the campaign had been between Asquith and Edward Grey, the latter had resided in the Foreign Office for the duration of the Liberal government and he used its prestige from the recently signed Anglo-Russian Entente as well as his well-honed diplomatic skills to engineer a pact with the leader of the ‘Social Liberal’ [6] faction of the party, David Lloyd George, to ensure that he succeeded Campbell-Bannerman, on the understanding that Lloyd George would be next in line for the leadership.

The major event at the beginning of the re-elected Liberal administration was undoubtedly Lloyd George’s ‘People’s Budget’. Which lead with the below preamble;

David Lloyd-George said:
“This is a war Budget. It is for raising money to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness. I cannot help hoping and believing that before this generation has passed away, we shall have advanced a great step towards that good time, when poverty, and the wretchedness and human degradation which always follows in its camp, will be as remote to the people of this country as the wolves which once infested its forests"

This was a major event in the history of the United Kingdom, it enshrined within statute the young, but already popular and growing, ‘wealthfare’ system that had first been introduced by Chamberlain. The budget that was announced on the 29th April, 1911 [7], had come straight from the pages of the Liberal manifesto, but the issue of funding the ambitious programme was the most controversial matter, one that had split Grey’s cabinet. In essence the generosity of the new system engendered the raising of new revenues, the source of which was the primary question. Lloyd George and his ‘Social’ clique reasoned that the important part of the budget was to re-allocate wealth from the rich, primarily landowners, to the poorer members of society. This lead to the proposing of funding via the introduction of a land tax inspired by the American, Henry George, which would be very unpopular with the majority of the House of Lords [8]. The ‘Imperial’ faction wanted to press ahead with funding coming from increased tariffs and, therefore, Imperial Preference. The debate was long and gruelling, but in the end the Imperial faction won out as the Prime Minister, supposedly neutral, came down upon his factions own side and so the budget that was raised was once again against the will of its Chancellor [9].



The disgraced Lloyd George, pictured here ironically with the radio technology that finished him


The fallout from the discussions, at any other time, may well have caused a split in the Liberal party with its Imperial and Social factions competing for supremacy. That this was not the case here was due to firstly the diplomatic skills of its leader, Grey, and secondly, and surely more importantly, it was when Lord Northcliffe’s Daily Mail broke the most sensational piece of scandal since that which had shattered the Belfour family over the Nobel Affair. The piece entitled ‘Marconi Scandal: People’s Chancellor Implicated’ was an incendiary one, it claimed to have, and subsequently printed, evidence that within hours of the cabinet’s decision to award the ‘Imperial Wireless Chain’ contract to Marconi the Chancellor, had purchased a substantial amount of shares within the company’s American subsidiary [10]. The knives were drawn and behind the scenes, at the Reform Club [11], Lloyd George was ruthlessly cut down along with a large part of his support in the ‘social’ faction. The ‘Night of the Long Knives’ [12], as newspaper wags coined, was executed perfectly and with the leadership of the faction guillotined the body quickly drifted towards the ‘Imperial’ faction or out the door and would stand in the next election for the Labour party.





[1] A real faction headed by Haldane, Asquith and Grey. They formed a pact to get rid of Campbell-Bannerman, but didn’t pull it off

[2] This actually happened IOTL, it is just funded now by Imperial Preference and not taxes, social liberal sounds a little ‘modern’ for my ears, but I’m not sure of a better term. Also collectivism does not equal communist ;)

[3] All of this is taken from OTL apart from the fact that pensions are now just extended, while IOTL they were introduced here… how needs Labour & the Socialists eh?

[4] Not sure if Walter Long is the right author (seems a little young/inexperienced) but I found a Hansard* passage by him backing Imperial Preference at a later date. If anyone’s got a better candidate please speak up. (*btw Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.)

[5] The project is brought forward due to more funds and ‘random butterflies’… not too important, it will have only a negligible effect on the war, so small it won’t be covered.

[6] Not a ‘real’ faction but there were (a majority IOTL) who supported Lloyd George, there are less ITL so they have factionalised

[7] Delayed until after the election as Campbell-Bannerman stays in power a little longer and Asquith is Chancellor for longer

[8] This is what actually happened here, the bill was vetoed in the Lords and a constitutional crisis ensued, eventually taking away the Lord’s veto…

[9] …Not here though, I had not thought of this but one of the ‘unintended’ butterflies of getting a better ‘financial’ WWI for the UK is Imperial Preference thus there is still a Lords veto?... weird

[10] Well the Marconi scandal did happen, and if the truth did come out about Lloyd George then he would have been disgraced… as I don’t like the man and was looking to get rid of him (didn’t want him as war leader) you can imagine how happy I was when I read about this

[11] Just in case you didn’t know the Reform Club was a private members club where the Whig (later Liberal) party held its meetings

[12] The original term ‘Night of the Long Knives’ is the name Geoffrey of Monmouth gave to the (possibly apocryphal) treacherous killing of native British chieftains by Anglo-Saxon mercenaries on Salisbury Plain in the 5th century… the fact that the author uses it here may be because such an event does not happen in Germany?... maybe…



 
Oooh... iterestng, who will take over as PM if Grey falls as Asquith did I wonder?

The 'Long Report' looks good too, maybe Britain will have a better war?

While is automatically flinch at the words "Conservative Party", in this day and age they are closest to my actual Clasical Liberalism...
 
I like the update. It's interesting how the Whigs (Liberals) were part of British politics for centuries yet they don't exist anymore, although the somewhat increased influence of the Liberal Democrats as of late is an interesting development. The Imperial Faction seems a bit Tory-like.

I'm wondering how the WWI will look like in your AAR ;).
 
I like the update. It's interesting how the Whigs (Liberals) were part of British politics for centuries yet they don't exist anymore, although the somewhat increased influence of the Liberal Democrats as of late is an interesting development. The Imperial Faction seems a bit Tory-like.

I'm wondering how the WWI will look like in your AAR ;).
Yeah the fall of the liberal party is really interesting, the more I read about the imperil faction the more interesting things get. Basically the liberals split between asquith and Lloyd George - LG and his faction were the father's of socialist-liberalism that is today embodied in the liberal democrats. While asquith and his following were more libertarian so their asendency will make things interesting if they can see off Labour.

As far as wwi is concerned, I'm just as interested as you. The tiny little butterflies are having much bigger effects than I had thought! The more research i do the more interesting it becomes and the more opportunities come up that really would have made a difference. It was not my intention, but it looks like there will be big changes during the war.
 
Very interesting stuff. Top updates. :)
 
BenjaminGrey: Sorry sir, I seemed to have missed your comment the first time, the question will be if Grey falls really... and well done for voting for the correct side :D

Sir Humphrey: Ah Sir Humphrey, it is indeed a deep honor and privilege to have you along, hope I can keep it up :)
 







Chapter III – No More Nelson’s? The Early Naval War
If you can dream—and not make dreams your master



The Royal Navy was the pinnacle of Imperial arms, it was the most British of institutions and Nelson’s coup de grâce at Trafalgar in 1815 had ensured that by the time of The Great War Britannia had indeed ruled the waves for over a century. In this time nothing had stopped that great body of men from great acts such as anti-piracy patrols and the surrender of Zanzibar after only 45 minutes of bombardment, earning the title of The Shortest War in History. The senior service was based around tradition, risk taking and the inspirational leadership of great admiral such as Effingham, Blake, Anson and, of course, Nelson. It was the most powerful tool of the Empire, but under the rosy surface the twin perils of hubris and lack of engagement.

The expectation for the populace of the empire was that, once war came, The Grand Fleet under the redoubtable Jellicoe, ably supported by the dashing Beatty would sally forth to meet the impetuous Hun in the North Sea, and there blast the High Sea’s Fleet from the water. This belief was in the best traditions of the Royal Navy, everyone remembers the Trafalgar’s and the St Vincent’s, but precious few of the people understood the ‘close blockades’ or the less glamorous grift and effort that won wars as well. The feeling, therefore, when the Admiralty decided upon a ‘distant blockade’ was one of contempt at the lack of the Nelsonian attitudes that were being displayed and the only ‘action’ in the first month of the war was the paltry sinking of three Light Cruisers and some smaller craft by Beatty [1]. Worse was to come for the Admiralty and its government when the a German fleet under Admiral Hipper left the jade and proceed to the very coast of England where upon he bombarded the towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby on the 16th December 1914 [2].



Winston, was not one for a timid approach


Winston Churchill was not a man for a ponderous and conservative naval campaign and as the autumn had moved inexorably into the winter, an idea had started to form, one that was to blossom into a full naval campaign backed up by a large expeditionary force. It had been sparked by the Ottoman declaration of war in the October and while it was based upon incorrect intelligence over the dispositions of Ottoman troops the idea was pushed ahead from paper to the beginnings of an operation. Ironically enough the reason the ‘Dardanelles Campaign’ was pushed so hard, to balance the prestige loss of the raids upon the English coast, was soon to be a non-issue as within the first month of 1915, another skirmish would to be had in the North Sea.

The High Sea’s Fleet’s scouting force, both the 1st and 2nd Scouting Group’s, put to sea on the 24th January in a move designed to raid the British Dogger Patrols and fishing fleet. Unfortunately Admiral Hipper, room 40 [3] had intercepted the message and word passed to the Admiralty. At this time the High Sea’s Fleet was almost at the point of reaching parity with that of The Grand Fleet and so this was seen as an opportunity not to be turned down [4]. The British battlecruisers of the 1st Squadron, HMS Lion, Tiger and Princess Royal as well as the 2nd, HMS New Zealand and Indomitable and their escorts, 4 light cruisers and the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, were to be accompanied by The Harwich Force, 3 cruisers and the 3rd, 9th and 10th Destroyer Flotillas. As the two British forces meet the light cruiser Aurora had already engaged the Kolberg of similar designation and Hipper, believing that he had sighted The Grand Fleet, declined battle and headed for home. His ships had been moving only at 20 knots as he believed that the chasing ships were slower dreadnoughts, but with the ‘Splendid Cats’[5] steaming away at 27 knots the range soon closed to a distance that obliged the Germans to fight.



The HMS Tiger, one of the best looking ships made...


The battle began with the Lion, Beatty’s flagship, firing a salvo at the armoured cruiser Blucher in the hind of the German line. She was soon joined by her sisters, while the Germans concentrated their fire upon Beatty’s flagship. After half an hour of trading blows the Seydlitz was penetrated by a shell on one of her turrets, detonating within the working chamber it set off charges that had just arrived, causing a flash fire into the magazine. In the panic doors to the adjoining chamber were opened causing another fireball to engulf the ship. Even as the captain delivered the order to flood the magazines and the fired its last salvo, the ships suddenly lurched and in a flash the mighty battlecruiser was gone [6]. On the Lion there was to be no celebration, however. As the explosion claimed the German ship, its last shells rained down upon the bridge of the British ship sending fragments and shrapnel into the air. The effect was devastating, Captain Chatfield [7] looked about his stricken bridge marvelling at his survival, but as he looked around he saw the Admiral struggling, with a white face, clearly loosing blood at an alarming rate.

The other ‘Cats’ and the two Type I’s traded blows with the Germans for some time, until the two battered fleets thought discretion to be the better part of valour and disengaged. With the Seydlitz sinking underneath the murky North Sea waters and with the armoured cruiser Blucher to follow before the end of the day the battle had been won. It was far from the decisive battle that the nation craved and while only losing a light cruiser in return, all three of the navy’s best battlecruisers were in need of urgent repairs. This did not stop the British Government making great hay about it, and in this they were helped by Beatty’s final words, “The battle is won?”... “My duty done, I will rest…” [8]



Admiral Beatty, darling of the masses


In a strange response to what was a victory, the Admiralty made changes, some of which were forced. After a period of public morning and a grand state funeral for the late Admiral Beatty, such a forced move was made when Vice-Admiral Horace Hood was assigned to take the battlecruiser force, while another move was to bring all battlecruisers back to home waters to secure an advantage in ships over the Germans. Neither side were actually aware as to why the German battlecruiser had suffered such a violent end, but the Royal Navy decided to tighten up the handling of ordinance in the batteries as it was felt that while a greater rate of fire could come from laxer controls, the risk was not worth the reward. The other detail to come out of the engagement was thee worrying exposure of the ‘Splendid Cats’ to vertical hits upon their lightly armoured decks, as they were in for refit in any case, it was decided to add armour [9]. It was not a decision which stood well with Fisher at the Admiralty, but his idea that ‘speed equalled armour’ was finding itself discredited.

While the fleet would have five Queen Elizabeth class and five Revenge class battleships joining the fleet in 1915, early 1916, there was still more surplus material and industrial capacity that could be used to create a few more dreadnoughts. As Jellicoe responded to Fisher that he had enough battlewagons, the First Sea Lord, quickly seized upon the idea of two 32 knot battlecruisers, mounting for of the superlative 15” rifle and with limited armour, his ideal version of a battlecruiser. While there was agreement within the Admiralty thought an extra two rifles and armour would be of great import. Fisher also asked for 5 ‘Large Light Cruisers’ that would be very lightly armoured and fast while packing a tremendous punch with 18” guns, while some grumbled that there were just faster versions of his original battlecruiser designs, 3 of the strange beasts were started. After Dogger Bank, the heavy damage to the British battlecruisers meant a rethink on the designs and they were up-armoured to give a similar ship to that of the Queen Elizabeth class in weaponry and only a lower main belt would allow her to gain the speed of 28 knots [10]. It was also decided that there was an increasing threat from the High Seas Fleet’s Zeppelin’s and a hull was sought to test the idea of operating land based planes from a ship which could meet the twin requirements of stopping German reconnaissance while giving the fleet its own ‘over the horizon’ force [11].



'Jacky' Fisher, the Great Reformer!





[1] & [2] This is all historical

[3] Room 40 was the Royal Navy’s radio interception & decryption service, very hush, hush

[4] Now this has started in the same way as it did historically, but it will be different. Now a lot of the ideas about an alternate WWI naval war have come from the amazing thread by Perky50 on another message-board ( http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=232427 ) So all credit should go to him, although things will not be exactly the same.

[5] The ‘Splendid Cats’ gained the moniker as they were the best and newest battlecruisers, and all named after ‘big’ cats

[6] Big, big change from history, as the charred remains of the ship making it back to Germany showed exactly what happened to the Germans, and advantage they will not have here

[7] Ah Chatfield, he has a different course under Hood than his mentor Beatty, he will not become an Admiral as he is rather unfortunately paced in commend of the HMS Hampshie ;)

[8] Yes I killed him… stop looking at me like that… he needed to go as although he was a good First Sea Lord, he was not a good Admiral and with him comes Chatfield so no…

[9] This is new and increases their survivability, which is good news for the British

[10] This may remind some of a slower HMS Hood funny that, it’s almost like its planned ;)

[11] Another largish change here, although there were many naval aviation buffs in the fleet before and during the war as the converted cruisers showed in the later years, the increasing Zeppelin threat (recon) may mean carriers earlier… but do not expect Zero’s, torpedoes… or even Fairy Swordfish’s (unfortunately :( )



 
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