Franz Ferdinand Had a Much Better Day: a TL
- Thread starter Hobelhouse
- Start date
Well, finals are mostly over and I now have a long weekend - so you know what that means - UPDATES!
Well, one of the posters on *AH.com was named Fightin' Floyd, if that means anything to you...
im in ur univers, messin with ur history
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From Harder than Diamond: German Modernism and the Rise of Integralism by David C. Turrents [1978 Harvard University Press]
Chapter 3: The Continental War
.....now of course, one question that needs answering to deal with the origins of international right-wing thought is why, specifically, Germany and her allies won the Continental War. I think in light of everything we know today we can dismiss, for a start, the answers that come from the German propaganda machine. The official German answer lies in the 'natural valor inherent in German culture' and the 'decadent weakness of liberalism', but neither of those explanations hold much weight considering the course of the World War. Nevertheless something other than sheer weight of numbers and industry allowed the Central Powers to win the Continental War. By any reasonable measure the Entente armies outnumbered the CP's even when adjusting for the quality of, say, Russian troops. Their combined navies were certainly far superior. They had the CP surrounded on multiple fronts and while precise numbers are difficult to calculate, their arms industries were probably slightly superior. So with these advantages, how did they lose?
Most would agree that the victory of the CP came through some superior tactics, some fortunate timing, and the incompetence of some its enemies. To wit:
1) The willingness of French command to charge headlong into Alsace-Lorraine and therefore become trapped by the German offensive, as they had planned;
2) The failure of Britain to intervene in the war in a timely fashion, largely due to Ireland, thus dooming France;
3) Thus leading to the collapse of France, eliminating a front and allowing Germany to focus solely on the East;
4) The revolving door of leadership for the Hungarian rebels, who might have actually accomplished something if they could have agreed on anything;
5) The defeat of Russia, whose military leaders were of questionable competence [1], effectively ending the war.
Examining this one can see that the main reason for the Entente defeat was their own cascade of mistakes and structural failures. The German strategy was very risky, and could have ended in failure given, say, stronger Belgian resistance, or earlier British entry; but this did not stop the German establishment from concluding that, in fact, the German military machine was inherently better than all others, that triumph was the natural state of affairs, and that with such a defeat, no-one could ever effectually threaten Germany again. Germany had, to wit, contracted victory disease, and a nearly fatal dose of it in fact....
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December 5, 1915
We don't know what's happening anywhere anymore, not for certain - the Brits have most everything sealed up outside of Connacht and they're advancing further every day. I hope, I pray something can be done - a German victory on the Continent, a miracle in Mayo, whatever - but I fear that we have dark days ahead. Some of my colleagues want to flee - to Germany, some, or the United States, if either will take them, but I will not. I chose my course and I will stick to it. If we cannot fight in the open anymore then we shall retreat fully to the shadows, and we can make Britain pay dearly every second they tread on our soil. I am Prime Minister but if I must also be guerilla leader, then I eagerly
-From the journal of John Dillon. The text ends on this page, the last few pages are smeared and illegible. The very last written page has a blood stain on it.
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[1] The Russian generals TTL are better than OTL, but better is not the same as good.
So how does this version of the Great War effect us folks in Minnesota?
Well, one of the posters on *AH.com was named Fightin' Floyd, if that means anything to you...
Hey, Hobel? Can I haz timeline?
im in ur univers, messin with ur history
-----
From Harder than Diamond: German Modernism and the Rise of Integralism by David C. Turrents [1978 Harvard University Press]
Chapter 3: The Continental War
.....now of course, one question that needs answering to deal with the origins of international right-wing thought is why, specifically, Germany and her allies won the Continental War. I think in light of everything we know today we can dismiss, for a start, the answers that come from the German propaganda machine. The official German answer lies in the 'natural valor inherent in German culture' and the 'decadent weakness of liberalism', but neither of those explanations hold much weight considering the course of the World War. Nevertheless something other than sheer weight of numbers and industry allowed the Central Powers to win the Continental War. By any reasonable measure the Entente armies outnumbered the CP's even when adjusting for the quality of, say, Russian troops. Their combined navies were certainly far superior. They had the CP surrounded on multiple fronts and while precise numbers are difficult to calculate, their arms industries were probably slightly superior. So with these advantages, how did they lose?
Most would agree that the victory of the CP came through some superior tactics, some fortunate timing, and the incompetence of some its enemies. To wit:
1) The willingness of French command to charge headlong into Alsace-Lorraine and therefore become trapped by the German offensive, as they had planned;
2) The failure of Britain to intervene in the war in a timely fashion, largely due to Ireland, thus dooming France;
3) Thus leading to the collapse of France, eliminating a front and allowing Germany to focus solely on the East;
4) The revolving door of leadership for the Hungarian rebels, who might have actually accomplished something if they could have agreed on anything;
5) The defeat of Russia, whose military leaders were of questionable competence [1], effectively ending the war.
Examining this one can see that the main reason for the Entente defeat was their own cascade of mistakes and structural failures. The German strategy was very risky, and could have ended in failure given, say, stronger Belgian resistance, or earlier British entry; but this did not stop the German establishment from concluding that, in fact, the German military machine was inherently better than all others, that triumph was the natural state of affairs, and that with such a defeat, no-one could ever effectually threaten Germany again. Germany had, to wit, contracted victory disease, and a nearly fatal dose of it in fact....
----
December 5, 1915
We don't know what's happening anywhere anymore, not for certain - the Brits have most everything sealed up outside of Connacht and they're advancing further every day. I hope, I pray something can be done - a German victory on the Continent, a miracle in Mayo, whatever - but I fear that we have dark days ahead. Some of my colleagues want to flee - to Germany, some, or the United States, if either will take them, but I will not. I chose my course and I will stick to it. If we cannot fight in the open anymore then we shall retreat fully to the shadows, and we can make Britain pay dearly every second they tread on our soil. I am Prime Minister but if I must also be guerilla leader, then I eagerly
-From the journal of John Dillon. The text ends on this page, the last few pages are smeared and illegible. The very last written page has a blood stain on it.
----
[1] The Russian generals TTL are better than OTL, but better is not the same as good.
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Hooray! Here we go once again!
Turrents might have added a reason #6 to his list of why the Central Powers won the Continental War:
6. Great Britain was so focused on beating down the Irish uprising that it really didn't put as much effort as it could have into warmaking on the Continent.
I notice that the Hungarian rebels, at least the aristocratic variant, lose too. So when do the Communists pop up?
Turrents might have added a reason #6 to his list of why the Central Powers won the Continental War:
6. Great Britain was so focused on beating down the Irish uprising that it really didn't put as much effort as it could have into warmaking on the Continent.
I notice that the Hungarian rebels, at least the aristocratic variant, lose too. So when do the Communists pop up?
Here's a special 'insomnia bonus'. I'm afraid if I use this format too much Jello Biafra is going to get mad and sic Communist Americans and Britanno-trolls on me...
Here's a game we can play: spot the thinly disguised AH.commer! All are based on present or banned members, except one.
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www.alternatehistory.com
Thread title: Omnipedia hijinx thread
Here's a game we can play: spot the thinly disguised AH.commer! All are based on present or banned members, except one.
-----
www.alternatehistory.com
Thread title: Omnipedia hijinx thread
Nemesis said:
Blue Eyed Lion said:
Angle of Death said:BEL, just another reason Omnipedia should be cleansed by fire.
Enrique said:
Quentin said:
Cinic said:
UtahSpike said:
Donnerer said:Omnipedia can't ever get anything about Germany rghit, either. The article on Buendel is half Bohemo-troll propaganda. It's not like he went around cackling over ways to screqw around Slavs.
Enrique said:
UtahSpike said:
Enrique said:You mean facts and figures, like the GDP growth figures President Santini admitted were made up for propaganda purposes?]UtahSpike said:
Oh, and as for your other remark:
I. Montgomerie said:
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December 10, 1915
IRISH LEADERSHIP ANNIHILATED IN RAID
Our men in Ireland dealt the rebels a deadly blow yesterday, when a group of our soldiers under the command of Marshal French staged a raid on the hiding place of the Irish 'government'. Alerted by a patriotic informant [1], the soldiers staged a raid on the town of Furbo, where Dillon, MacNeill, and several other important leaders were reported to be temporarily hiding. It would prove to be far more than temporary for many! Reports are unclear at this time but it is is said that Dillon and others joined in the fighting and were killed in combat with our men. Dillon himself was slain, as was Healy and others unconfirmed. AIR head Eoin MacNeill was captured and is in our soldiers' custody. This raid decapitates the Irish rebel leadership and is truly a grand day for the Empire! Marshal French believes that organized resistance in Connacht, the last holdout of the rebels, will be finished by....
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Bonar Law, of course, had gotten the news before the presses had, but he read several papers anyway, and every one made him, for once, relieved.
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December 17, 1915
New York City
The SS Providence steamed slowly into New York harbor. The war was treating the city kindly. Demand was up for weapons and supplies, and the US had the supply, and no-where in the US was there more supply than New York City. Irish Minister for State Joseph Devlin - or ex-Minister for State, or ex-Irish really..... no, that was wrong, he would always be Irish, wherever he lived - leaned over the side as the boat passed the Statue of Liberty. There were a lot of Irishmen in New York, he knew, and plenty more elsewhere. Boston, especially. Maybe he would take the train north to Boston. There had to be something he could do here for the cause. Something better than what would have waited for him back home, he thought.
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December 22, 1915
Warsaw, Poland [Russia]
Private Dalap Ras hefted his gear and climbed on the train with the other men of his unit. Captain Barstowe was waiting at the door. "Come on then, come on then, chaps, we haven't all day." As he turned inside the train car he got a glimpse of the people watching them in the station. There was a small child there, pointing, and saying something in Polish. Ras knew that his was one of the first Indian units to arrive on this front, and most of the natives had never seen a Briton, let alone an Indian. There'd been that.... incident... in Sevastopol... well, some things were best not dwelt on. The train built up speed and started flying south...
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[1]Mostly in the sense that he was loyal to Greater Poundistan.
IRISH LEADERSHIP ANNIHILATED IN RAID
Our men in Ireland dealt the rebels a deadly blow yesterday, when a group of our soldiers under the command of Marshal French staged a raid on the hiding place of the Irish 'government'. Alerted by a patriotic informant [1], the soldiers staged a raid on the town of Furbo, where Dillon, MacNeill, and several other important leaders were reported to be temporarily hiding. It would prove to be far more than temporary for many! Reports are unclear at this time but it is is said that Dillon and others joined in the fighting and were killed in combat with our men. Dillon himself was slain, as was Healy and others unconfirmed. AIR head Eoin MacNeill was captured and is in our soldiers' custody. This raid decapitates the Irish rebel leadership and is truly a grand day for the Empire! Marshal French believes that organized resistance in Connacht, the last holdout of the rebels, will be finished by....
Bonar Law, of course, had gotten the news before the presses had, but he read several papers anyway, and every one made him, for once, relieved.
----
December 17, 1915
New York City
The SS Providence steamed slowly into New York harbor. The war was treating the city kindly. Demand was up for weapons and supplies, and the US had the supply, and no-where in the US was there more supply than New York City. Irish Minister for State Joseph Devlin - or ex-Minister for State, or ex-Irish really..... no, that was wrong, he would always be Irish, wherever he lived - leaned over the side as the boat passed the Statue of Liberty. There were a lot of Irishmen in New York, he knew, and plenty more elsewhere. Boston, especially. Maybe he would take the train north to Boston. There had to be something he could do here for the cause. Something better than what would have waited for him back home, he thought.
----
December 22, 1915
Warsaw, Poland [Russia]
Private Dalap Ras hefted his gear and climbed on the train with the other men of his unit. Captain Barstowe was waiting at the door. "Come on then, come on then, chaps, we haven't all day." As he turned inside the train car he got a glimpse of the people watching them in the station. There was a small child there, pointing, and saying something in Polish. Ras knew that his was one of the first Indian units to arrive on this front, and most of the natives had never seen a Briton, let alone an Indian. There'd been that.... incident... in Sevastopol... well, some things were best not dwelt on. The train built up speed and started flying south...
----
[1]Mostly in the sense that he was loyal to Greater Poundistan.
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December 23, 1915
Flagstaff, Arizona
Percival Lowell flipped the images again and again. The starfield didn't change at all. Blast. Time to try another another set. Lowell slipped another set of photographs into the blink comparator. He kept on working. After a while he noticed his wife Constance had come in with a tray. "Dear," she said, "It's almost midnight. You really should turn in."
Lowell smiled. "Just another few minutes," he said. Constance knew what 'a few minutes' meant for her husband. She put the tray down on a tale and slipped the folder full of photographs behind her back while her husband was busy drinking his tea, and walked off to the bedroom.
To her surprise, Lowell didn't come back till an hour later, when she had already fallen asleep. "CONSTANCE!" he shouted, waking her suddenly. "This is it!" he said. "What's it?" she said. "I got a bit tired and misplaced the folder of photographs -" he said breathlessly " - and then I thought that I could re-examine some of the ones from last week, and I pulled out some of the ones from March by accident, and I think I have found it!"
"Found what?" she said, groggily.
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December 25, 1915
'PLANET X' DISCOVERED!
December 23, 1915
Flagstaff, Arizona
Percival Lowell flipped the images again and again. The starfield didn't change at all. Blast. Time to try another another set. Lowell slipped another set of photographs into the blink comparator. He kept on working. After a while he noticed his wife Constance had come in with a tray. "Dear," she said, "It's almost midnight. You really should turn in."
Lowell smiled. "Just another few minutes," he said. Constance knew what 'a few minutes' meant for her husband. She put the tray down on a tale and slipped the folder full of photographs behind her back while her husband was busy drinking his tea, and walked off to the bedroom.
To her surprise, Lowell didn't come back till an hour later, when she had already fallen asleep. "CONSTANCE!" he shouted, waking her suddenly. "This is it!" he said. "What's it?" she said. "I got a bit tired and misplaced the folder of photographs -" he said breathlessly " - and then I thought that I could re-examine some of the ones from last week, and I pulled out some of the ones from March by accident, and I think I have found it!"
"Found what?" she said, groggily.
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December 25, 1915
'PLANET X' DISCOVERED!
Percival Lowell and his team at Flagstaff Observatory in Arizona have tentatively announced their discovery of the hypothesized 'Planet X' lying beyond Neptune. The Greenwich Royal Observatory has already confirmed the planet's position as given by Lowell and confirmations are coming in from scientists across the globe at the time of this writing. Lowell, who described the discovery as 'the best Christmas gift he'd ever had', has, according to convention, the naming rights for the new planet, and names being floated include Minerva, Persephone, and the apparent favorite, Erebus, the Greek god of darkness and shadow, and also a name for the Underworld. The name would be fitting for such a far off world, lying more than 30 times the Earth's distance from the Sun. It is believed that from the surface of this planet the Sun would be barely brighter than any other star...
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I say Erebus.. So does this mean that Goofy's dog is gonna be named the same as the planet?
I love when people update whats going on in the wider world... keep it up. I hope we do return to the war and the politicking that ensues. please continue.
I love when people update whats going on in the wider world... keep it up. I hope we do return to the war and the politicking that ensues. please continue.
The Other Les
Banned
On January 2, one of the clerks at the Minneapolis Public Library looks at the archival copy of the Christmas Day edition of the New York Times and says. "Arne, they've messed up the margins again!"
I heard you the first time!
...in seriousness, That's me trying to get it to look newspapery.
Update tommorrow. I'm pretty much fully moved back in and settled in again in the US of A. Tex Mex, I missed you so...
In my defense, I never said which tommorrow.
I'm putting together a definitive .doc file for this timeline while this thread is still manageable. I'm already up to 32 pages, no double spacing, and I'm not even half way through yet. But it will be posted tonight, I promise.
Some pre-piosting notes: I've gone through and corrected a few things, mostly spelling errors and the like, but I've also changed von Ungern-Sternberg's story quite a bit. I've finished a biography of him (The Bloody White Baron, I reccomend it) and come to realize he was so devoted to the idea of cavalry he would never request a transfer. Instead, it will be changed to..... something else. I have a few ideas. I'll post it with the link to the .doc file. Also, the early references to the 'PRH' and 'Monism' have been removed. I don't think the TL is going in that direction anymore. There are probably other things I forgot, but that's the major ones. It should be done in an hour or so. Damn bbcode formatting!
I'm putting together a definitive .doc file for this timeline while this thread is still manageable. I'm already up to 32 pages, no double spacing, and I'm not even half way through yet. But it will be posted tonight, I promise.
Some pre-piosting notes: I've gone through and corrected a few things, mostly spelling errors and the like, but I've also changed von Ungern-Sternberg's story quite a bit. I've finished a biography of him (The Bloody White Baron, I reccomend it) and come to realize he was so devoted to the idea of cavalry he would never request a transfer. Instead, it will be changed to..... something else. I have a few ideas. I'll post it with the link to the .doc file. Also, the early references to the 'PRH' and 'Monism' have been removed. I don't think the TL is going in that direction anymore. There are probably other things I forgot, but that's the major ones. It should be done in an hour or so. Damn bbcode formatting!
Here's the doc file. Someone please dl it and tell me if the images work or not.
Aaaaand here's a proper update. This one is inserted in around the middle of October. The Russian section dealing with Sternberg have all been changed a bit.
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from the Academy Award-winning film, SHAMBHALA
[blackness]
VOICE: Behind snow-choked peaks, somewhere to the North, lies a Mystical Kingdom, where a line of Enlightened Kings guards the eternal divine truth, waiting for the time when all truth in the outside world is lost in war and greed. Then, shall the King of Shambhala emerge with a great and terrible army, to destroy the forces of evil which sought to render truth meaningless, and bring in a new and blessed Golden Age.
[cut to the seige of Oedenburg. A Russian dragoon unit is engaging German infantry]
[cut to flash of ROMAN VON UNGERN-STERNBERG in combat]
[repeated cuts give a disjointed effect]
VON STERNBERG screams as he plunges into melee. He stabs a German soldier with his bayonet and kills two more with shots. An incoming shell is heard.... it explodes. VON STERNBERG sits up, dazed, with a gash on his temple. He crawls over to the body of a fallen comrade.
VON STERNBERG: Major? Major?
the MAJOR is dead, gorily.
VON STERNBERG: [surveying the men around him] Who's still alive? [various men get to their feet]
VON STERNBERG: [kicking a straggler] GET UP! The major's dead! I'm in charge now!
[the German unit seems to have retreated]
RUSSIAN SOLDIER: What do we do, sir?
VON STERNBERG: ....yes...
SOLDIER: What?
VON STERNBERG: [raising his voice, capturing the attention of the survivors] Listen, men! The Germans know our flanking group is here now. And since they do, we are dead. They're going to come for us, expecting us to retreat back to the city. And if they do we will die. We're all dead men, and the Germans have graves lined up for us. But men... if we will fight like demons... we can RECLAIM our LIVES!
[Germans begin another assault]
We will carry out our mission! GO! [he leaps into the fray]
[cut to black]
Aaaaand here's a proper update. This one is inserted in around the middle of October. The Russian section dealing with Sternberg have all been changed a bit.
-----
from the Academy Award-winning film, SHAMBHALA
[blackness]
VOICE: Behind snow-choked peaks, somewhere to the North, lies a Mystical Kingdom, where a line of Enlightened Kings guards the eternal divine truth, waiting for the time when all truth in the outside world is lost in war and greed. Then, shall the King of Shambhala emerge with a great and terrible army, to destroy the forces of evil which sought to render truth meaningless, and bring in a new and blessed Golden Age.
[cut to the seige of Oedenburg. A Russian dragoon unit is engaging German infantry]
[cut to flash of ROMAN VON UNGERN-STERNBERG in combat]
[repeated cuts give a disjointed effect]
VON STERNBERG screams as he plunges into melee. He stabs a German soldier with his bayonet and kills two more with shots. An incoming shell is heard.... it explodes. VON STERNBERG sits up, dazed, with a gash on his temple. He crawls over to the body of a fallen comrade.
VON STERNBERG: Major? Major?
the MAJOR is dead, gorily.
VON STERNBERG: [surveying the men around him] Who's still alive? [various men get to their feet]
VON STERNBERG: [kicking a straggler] GET UP! The major's dead! I'm in charge now!
[the German unit seems to have retreated]
RUSSIAN SOLDIER: What do we do, sir?
VON STERNBERG: ....yes...
SOLDIER: What?
VON STERNBERG: [raising his voice, capturing the attention of the survivors] Listen, men! The Germans know our flanking group is here now. And since they do, we are dead. They're going to come for us, expecting us to retreat back to the city. And if they do we will die. We're all dead men, and the Germans have graves lined up for us. But men... if we will fight like demons... we can RECLAIM our LIVES!
[Germans begin another assault]
We will carry out our mission! GO! [he leaps into the fray]
[cut to black]
I don't see any images (MS Word 2003) And I see a lot of HTML code
By the way... Great TL, slow but great