Thanks one more time for your superb proposals - let's see what I managed to do with that
The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire
Chapter Four: 1917
Part XXVI: The last steps
Tak gromche, muzyka
Igrai pobedu!
My pobedili!
I vrag bezhit, bezhit, bezhit!
Tak za Tsarya!
Za Rodinu!
Za Veru!
My gryanem gromkoe: Ura! Ura! Ura!
Music, play louder
Play for our victory!
We have won!
And the enemy runs, runs, runs!
So for the Tsar!
For Motherland!
For Faith!
We shout loudly: Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
Russian offensive against the Germans and the Austrians continued with great success. On 29 of May Krakow surrendered.
Victory at Krakow
Austrian POWs in Krakow
On 1 of June Iasi was in Russian hands. Romania started showing teeth and fought together with Russian army. Austrian group of armies was still strong, but only in paper - really these corps couldn't compete with the Imperial army anymore.
Romanian front, 1 of June
On 4 of June Russian troops triumphantly entered Frankfurt-on-Oder. Kaiser ordered to save Berlin, but there were simply no loyal troops to defend the capital, rich people started evacuation from Berlin, all HQs and ministries left the city two days before. The mood of Berliners was panic - they were shocked and terribly afraid of "hungry Asian hordes from the Urals" - that's how German propaganda showed Russian army. But the Russians didn't worry about their image in German press - they marched.
"The Last Step" - to Berlin! 5 of June
BERLIN IS CAPTURED - 05.06.1917
On 6 of June Berlin was fully controlled by the Russian troops. General Shuvaev was the first one to enter the city on the horseback. Germans had about 14 divisions in Neuruppin, but they couldn't do anything. German government started preparations for capitulation of their Empire...
We're in their capital!
Shuvaev, the conqueror of Berlin
After only five days German Kaiser sent a diplomat to Russian HQ in captured Berlin. They asked for armistice and proposed peace treaty. German Empire lost the war, her industry, economy, army, fleet, aviation and prestige were ruined. Their Kaiser became hated by his own people. Their flag became a symbol of infamy. The great dream of "the place under the Sun" crushed in the swaps of Poland. Eastern front became a disaster for Germany. Russia simply killed her.
German capitulation, 11 of June
Germany left the bloc, but Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire decided to continue fighting. The war wasn't finished yet, and the Russian army had a job to do. German capitulation was celebrated with a brief parade in German capital together with the French and British troops - and then the armies went back to war. Nicholas II, George V and French President personally visited the Parade.
Diplomatic map of Europe after the Armistice of Berlin
Joint Russo-Franco-British parade in Berlin
Emperor Nicholas II and his victorious army, Parade in Berlin
On 30 of June, after two weeks of German capitulation, Austria-Hungary surrendered, too. She couldn't survive the fall of Nowy Sacz, and this empire, created by the mighty Habsburgs, fell.
One more enemy down
The last foe to beat was the Ottoman empire. To finally crush the Turks, Stavka launched a heavy 4-directional offensive to defeat the Sultan's army and force him to capitulate.
"General offensive in Anatolia"
Meanwhile, when the war continued in Turkey, Austro-Hungarian national tragedy began. The old empire started to collapce, and everything started with the manifesto of Emperor Karl's abdication. Emperor Nicholas didn't want to make Austria or Germany republics, but their governments were too unpolular amongst the citizens...
Karl is no more Emperor
On 7 of July Austria finally became a republic, and on 8 of July Hungary was independent. Galizia became Russian territory.
The death of the Empire
But Hungary wasn't the last country to be liberated. Russian diplomats forced weak Republican government to grant independence to Serbia and Albania, who were occupied during the war. Serbia united with Montenegro and got a lot of Austrian territories as a compensation, so Serbian king Peter I decided to make his country "The kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes" - the kingdom of Southern Slavs.
Dissolve of Austria-Hungary
Bulgaria didn't want to have the same fate as Austria, and they signed the peace treaty on 12 of July.
Bulgaria ends fighting
Peace treaty with Germany. Versailles palace.
Firstly, Germany liberated Luxembourg and Danzig.
Point one of the treaty
Secondly, Austria had to liberate Czechoslovakia (which became Russian protectorate - note the same color on the map).
Point two of the treaty
Thirdly, all lands of German and Austrian Poland (except Eastern Prussia and Danzig) were given to the Russian Empire, as well as Alsace-Lorrain to France.
Point three of the treaty
The war will finish soon
In the next chapter: End of war with Turkey, post-war diplomatic measures, new geopolitical strategy of Russia
Waiting for your comments
Next update: December, 4