Well...I have my own personal thoughts and opinions on Japan's chances (and while not exactly "OMG ROFFLESTOMP!" they're certainly more favorable than what happened to CP Japan last game.)
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The initial German campaign could have gone either way, although the Germans needed a lot to break right of course. Who knows what happens if a more aggressive (ie stupid) general than Lanrezac is in charge of the Fifth Army. And of course there's the eternal debate about whether the extra troops sent east would have made a difference at the Marne. And maybe the Marne turns out differently if you replay if a few different times. A lot of ifs ands and buts, but I'd wouldn't say the CP hardly had a chance pre-Marne since they were so close to victory.
By 1918 every side is on their last legs and basically bled dry. So obviously US material aid is very helpful to the Allies. Sure, the US still had a relatively small amount of troops on the field by 1918, but does Germany completely collapse without the looming specter of increased American involvement once the Spring 1918 offensive failed? Maybe, but I think probably not. You also have to factor in the morale boost that fresh American troops gave to Britain and France that they desperately needed. There are also other what-ifs such as what if Ludendorff doesn't bother with an all-put offensive in 1918 knowing that time is not against them and the Allies are on their last legs while Germany just received reinforcements from the east to augment their defensive positions. In this scenario it is unlikely that France and Britain make any meaningful push while German troops are secure in their defensive positions and not outstretched and overexposed like after the spring offensive. A lot of hypotheticals of course, but I think it is unlikely the Allies achieve a decisive victory and Germany completely collapses without American involvement.
By 1918 every side is on their last legs and basically bled dry. So obviously US material aid is very helpful to the Allies. Sure, the US still had a relatively small amount of troops on the field by 1918, but does Germany completely collapse without the looming specter of increased American involvement once the Spring 1918 offensive failed? Maybe, but I think probably not. You also have to factor in the morale boost that fresh American troops gave to Britain and France that they desperately needed. There are also other what-ifs such as what if Ludendorff doesn't bother with an all-put offensive in 1918 knowing that time is not against them and the Allies are on their last legs while Germany just received reinforcements from the east to augment their defensive positions. In this scenario it is unlikely that France and Britain make any meaningful push while German troops are secure in their defensive positions and not outstretched and overexposed like after the spring offensive. A lot of hypotheticals of course, but I think it is unlikely the Allies achieve a decisive victory and Germany completely collapses without American involvement.
After the Marne there was definitely no chance. I do agree that it would probably have lasted into 1919 or even 1920 without the US, but the result was hardly in doubt. The average German was eating 1000 calories per day by 1918, so an even longer war was hardly to the CPs benefit since revolution in AH or Germany was always going to happen before England or France
German POWs were literally amazed at how good conditions were in England compared to Germany. The Entente could practically wage war indefinitely
I still see the US entry as similar to the Bomb in ww2. Sure, Japan could have extended the war until 1946/7, so it certainly shortened it, but I don't see you making the case that Germany could have actually won without the US being involved.
German POWs were literally amazed at how good conditions were in England compared to Germany. The Entente could practically wage war indefinitely
I still see the US entry as similar to the Bomb in ww2. Sure, Japan could have extended the war until 1946/7, so it certainly shortened it, but I don't see you making the case that Germany could have actually won without the US being involved.
Question would be how many more casualties the Entente would be willing to suffer without the intervention of the US. This isn't a purely mathematical calculation, it's a lot about morale, too.
True, but new tank and artillery tactics means Germany couldn't simply defend endlessly, plus morale wasn't good on the German side either. Bulgaria and Ottomans dropping out of the war, food shortages on the home front, etc.
I guess if we are saying that our alternative timeline is march 1918, without any prospect of US entry then I still think the spring offensive is a sensible German strategy. Simply waiting and hoping for the entente to collapse or entering into a Verdun meat grinder doesn't seem more likely to succeed. How do people think the CPs win the war from this point?
After the Marne, I think a decisive German victory is unlikely. But I still think a limited German victory (even a white peace is really a victory for Germany since they get to keep A-L and they already got the B-L territory) is possible because France was also in terrible shape.
I think what a lot of people seem to be forgetting is that Austria-hungary almost certainly dies in 1918, as well as the rest of the Central Powers. This is accomplished by the Entente Powers with almost nonexistent American support. Once the Hapsburg's fall, you have the army of the Orient and the Italian armies linking up and marching into southern Germany. That's not a blow I see the Germans able to survive as they were already depleted when it came to reserve's.
America certainly helped, and her military help can't be denied, but as Dizzle said, America shortened the war, but didn't really win it.
America certainly helped, and her military help can't be denied, but as Dizzle said, America shortened the war, but didn't really win it.
Not military help, but economical help certainly did a lot to help the Entente. Take that away and you've got a very different picture.
The economic help was already there and would have stayed there seeing as how America was a capitalist economy which would have been fine feeding both sides of the war for profit, but the British blockade essentially meant that the resource hungry Entente were the only ones getting America's resources. This isn't WW2 where america gavepreproduced goods en mass, but simply gave the basic materials and let the Entente make the weapons for them.
Chapter two: Meh
Inglorious defeat! We shall resent this and slowly rebuild our strength for another go in a decade or so.
Inglorious defeat! We shall resent this and slowly rebuild our strength for another go in a decade or so.
I told them lol, it just so happens that the one time I'm France is they time they decide to listen 
Blitzkrieg
As September began, German hopes of a swift victory looked close to becoming a reality. Although British troops had valiantly defended Belgium and delayed this half of the German offensive, it soon became clear that this had been in vain, and that troops would need to pull back from everywhere on the front and make a final stand for Paris.
The Entente strategy was to hold Normandy, Brittany and the Paris region, hoping that the shorter front and better defensive lines would provide a base to repel the German attack and keep the war a two-front war. The German plan remained to push through the Loire valley and encircle Paris. The Italians had claimed a portion of Provence and were looking to help the Germans snuff out resistance in the South.:
With the battle lines drawn for the final confrontation between the two sides, the Entente hoped that the massive concentration of force in the remainder of the country would prove decisive, while Germany hoped that the superior quality and discipline of their troops would be the decisive factor.
The fighting was the fiercest seen in the war, and as the attack progressed it became clear that the German troops were beginning to win out, with the Entente forces beginning to descend into a massive disorganized mass, both retreating and attacking, all the while being mowed down by German artillery and machine guns.
As the thrust began to gain momentum, the German high command decided to launch the final assault on Paris, making the defenders decide whether to retreat from the coming encirclement, or make their stand fighting for the capital itself:
As the battle of Paris wore on and the calendar ticked over to October, the Entente powers made peace overtures. German terms were harsh, no less than the complete annexation of France and her colonies by Germany:
Remaining rumblings on other fronts... the Entente players surrendered at this point
As September began, German hopes of a swift victory looked close to becoming a reality. Although British troops had valiantly defended Belgium and delayed this half of the German offensive, it soon became clear that this had been in vain, and that troops would need to pull back from everywhere on the front and make a final stand for Paris.
The Entente strategy was to hold Normandy, Brittany and the Paris region, hoping that the shorter front and better defensive lines would provide a base to repel the German attack and keep the war a two-front war. The German plan remained to push through the Loire valley and encircle Paris. The Italians had claimed a portion of Provence and were looking to help the Germans snuff out resistance in the South.:
With the battle lines drawn for the final confrontation between the two sides, the Entente hoped that the massive concentration of force in the remainder of the country would prove decisive, while Germany hoped that the superior quality and discipline of their troops would be the decisive factor.
The fighting was the fiercest seen in the war, and as the attack progressed it became clear that the German troops were beginning to win out, with the Entente forces beginning to descend into a massive disorganized mass, both retreating and attacking, all the while being mowed down by German artillery and machine guns.
As the thrust began to gain momentum, the German high command decided to launch the final assault on Paris, making the defenders decide whether to retreat from the coming encirclement, or make their stand fighting for the capital itself:
As the battle of Paris wore on and the calendar ticked over to October, the Entente powers made peace overtures. German terms were harsh, no less than the complete annexation of France and her colonies by Germany:
Remaining rumblings on other fronts... the Entente players surrendered at this point
