From Anglo-American strugles to a earlier WWI

PoD: The US and British Empire go to war in 1901 eventually leading to a Dogger Bank incident in Indonesia where Dutch ships were fired upon.

1901
The USA is an emerging power in the world after it won the Spanish-American War four years earlier. It all started in April when a US ship loaded with dynamite was impounded by Britain in Cape Town Harbor believing it was supplies for the Boer resistance still fighting. This was the first outrage. Tension continued to boil between the US and Britain when on April 13th British and US ships in the Caribbean dueled against one another. The US and Britain began staking arms. All dominion forces mobilized from Britain to New Zealand, Maine to the Philippines.

President Roosevelt went to Congress to issue a draft to "confront British aggression." The US was amassing four main armies for an invasion of Canada. The British and Canadians were building defenses. On April 2nd several US soldiers were killed by a bear in Vermont near the Canadian border. Roosevelt twisted the story to make it believe the soldiers were butchered by Canadian scouts making way for an invasion. On May 6th Congress voted, and the US declared war on Britain.

Early in the morning of May 7th US Marines crossed Lake Erie while American cruisers pounded Toronto. The American 2nd Army crossed Lake St. Clare from Detroit. American forces also pushed into Quebec and New Brunswick. The American 1st Army was tasked with taking Winnipeg which they did due to the surprise nature of the assault on Canada. The US did have one problem though, the Krag-Jorgensen rifle was terrible but it was all America had at the time. US losses from Lee Enfield's and Maxim MGs was huge. US machine guns were old Gatling guns and "potato grinder" machine guns.

In the Pacific the ANZAC fleet had gathered and was sailing up north to the Philippines while an army was being put on boats in Darwin. ANZAC ships were traveling through the Banda Sea when they spotted warships steaming west. Under the impression these were Yankee vessels Australian Captain William Creswell ordered the ANZAC ships to fire on the unknown warships. By the time they reached the burning wrecks of several destroyers and a cruiser they saw Dutch flags being flown and Captain Creswell had made a huge mistake.

The Dutch government was outraged by the incident. Not even ANZAC ships helping the crews they had just shot at didn't help. Holland's Parliament stated, "a direct attack on any Dutch ship especially a military vessel is an attack on Holland." To this the Netherlands declared war on Britain. This seemed to spark a chain event of declaration of war in Europe. Germany backing Holland declared war on Britain, France joined in because of Alsace-Lorraine and Austria backing Germany to relieve pressure from Russia. Meanwhile armed with Austrian weapons the Balkans exploded into revolt against the Ottomans.

The Boer Wars were changed forever. With Holland declaring war on Britain and German Southwest Africa to the northeast the Boers retreated from a guerrilla war and came out to attack British forces. In the meantime, the German garrison in Namibia launched an invasion to capture the main British supply port at Cape Town. Eventually in early June German troops capture Cape Town. German and Dutch ambassadors meet in Cologne to decide how to divide up South Africa after the war. It is decided Cape of Good Hope goes to Germany while Drakensburg, Orange Free State, and Transvaal go to Holland.

Russia had A LOT of problems. As the announcement of war was made in the cities, Bolshevik leaders Leon Trotsky and Vladimir Lenin begin to organize anti-Czar dissent. The Czar (because there is no Duma now) sends his secret police to quash this dissent. When the police show up at the Bolsheviks homes they didn't find them, the Bolsheviks had gone underground.

The only fighting in Europe is in Alsace-Lorraine due to the immediate threat of France to Germany. Fighting would drag on throughout summer as a bloodbath. Light artillery plays a huge role as infantry decimators. French casualties by September already mount to 200,000. Germany retreats into trench warfare. Germany and France issue out steel helmets to somewhat protect a soldier. Britain slowly begins building up forces and diverting troops meant for South Africa for France. Lorraine however doesn't fall as fast to French forces as Alsace. The terrain is reduced to craters (similar to the area around Vimy Ridge in WWI). When the French attempt to cross the Rhine the Germans turn it red with machine guns. Into fall and winter French generals push their forces north to Cologne while stalemating the German army on the Rhine.

In the American theater the Marine landings at Toronto fail while the Anglo-Canadian forces push the US 2nd army back into Michigan. The US 3rd Army also failed at crossing the St. Lawrence but the US 4th Army was successful at securing all Canadian territory south of the St. Lawrence River. Both sides would be stalemated and limited to artillery barrages and probing attacks.

1902
No one was eager to fight as 1902 began. The huge casualties, endless slaughter, and defining sound of artillery. In the American theater every male citizen of Canada not in US occupied territory eligible to fight was drafted. The US intercepted a British bombardment fleet off of Maine and the fleet under William Sims then sailed to Halifax destroying the city and wrecking port facility's. Europe faced more problems though as the Russian giant prepared for a spring offensive which would push to Berlin. The BEF also entered France and the majority of the Dutch army had been sent down into the North Rhine front.

President Roosevelt and Count Bernsdorf met in Wheeling, West Virginia to discuss US support for Germany and vice versa. Roosevelt during the time of traveling also begins planning the US's "Great White Fleet". In South Africa the British attempt to take Cape Town is thwarted by stiff German resistance. Boer forces in Transvaal also come out of hiding and attack the British garrison at Pretoria. The British invasion of German East Africa also takes place during the winter. Cameroon and Togoland also are being prepared for occupation.

Spring 1902 saw the Russia army on the move. The amount of 700,000 men aimed directly at Berlin posed a serious threat to Germany, so the Germans played dirty. They counterattacked with their most elite troops under General Lettow-Vorkbeck while diplomats attempt to get Sweden into the war. Germany promised a Swedish Scandinavia and Swedish rule of whatever part of Russia they occupied. In the meantime the Germans resisted with surprisingly few casualties due to the surprise of the assault.

In Europe the Germans and Dutch were preparing a despicable plan which could end the war against France. The Schleifen Plan.

In America the Canadians attack American lines to retake Winnipeg. The US evacuated the city. The Marines attempt another landing near Toronto which is set north of the city to draw away more forces from the Detroit front. The US 2nd Army advances farther into Ontario with casualties but not as great as last year. The US 3rd Army is directed to attack from Syracuse into Ontario.

German resilience in the East payed off by the anniversary of the war, they had held long enough for Austrian and now Swedish forces to make moves on Russia. Launching attacks from the Transylvanian Alps Austrian forces marched into Ukraine to draw Russian forces out of Germany. Swedish forces attacked into Finland and toward Murmansk. The Swedish and German navies bombarded Petrograd destroying most of the city and the Winter Palace. The Czar fled to Moscow.

The Bolsheviks began coming out, allied with brutal anarchists to do the dirty work they started Guerrilla campaigns in the Caucasus (led by Joseph Stalin) and the Novgorod area (led by Trotsky). With Russian defeats in Germany, Ukraine, and Finland the Czars power was waning. Russia's fight got worse when Swedish troops landed in Estonia. The whole of the Russian army was in Germany and Poland. Swedish forces in Finland poured down into Russia.

In the Rhineland, French and British forces finally take Lorraine. British strategy for taking on Holland was a naval blockade. The ANZAC troops meant for the Philippines were directed to invade Central Powers East Indies. German North Papua and the Dutch East Indies were invaded. The British also began arming themselves with steel helmets. Nicknamed the "soup bowl", a Canadian complains that it is too heavy. However, it is better than the French helmet which was based on the French fireman's helmet.

Germany's primary goal was to resist I the west and attack the weakening Russian bear. France was finally stopped on the outskirts of Cologne. Dutch forces were mainly responsible in holding the town. French troops decide to lay siege to the city. Austrian troops were even sent to the Rhineland front.

Into summer fighting in Canada sped up. American forces had secured Toronto and Marines were already landing in Quebec. It was at this pivotal moment when Canada's pressure was lifted, by Mexico. Mexico had always yearned to retake its lost provinces. On June 1st the Mexican army crossed the US border and destroyed the three major border towns, San Diego, El Paso and Laredo. The US general staff was forced to divert troops from Canada to the southwest. President Roosevelt was confused yet still confident. The only thing putting bullets into the Mexicans was unorganized militias who formed minutemen battalions. Under newly transferred General John Pershing from Canada US soldiers and Minutemen fought back hard. any and all houses were to be booby trapped, mines were to be placed along the roads, LA, Tucson, and San Antonio were to become fortress towns. Your friendly neighborhood policemen were used as MPs and guards. Martial Law was declared across the southwest, pacifists and anti-government activists will be made as examples.

In Canada the Canadians and British counterattacked against the 1st Army routing them and occupying some territory of North Dakota, once again defended by militias. The US in a desperation act confiscated all guns, President Roosevelt assured the nation after wars end all fire arms will be returned.

Summer fighting in Europe was brutal in the east. German troops wrecked the Russian army while the Swedes occupied more of the Baltic states. Finland was just given up to the Swedish in exchange for peace. In the west the Entente faced counterattacks by German troops determined to avenge Cologne. The Entente armies would be contained until winter. Austria continued long range raids into Ukraine and Poland. In the Balkans the Slavic peoples gained a foothold in Bosnia, Serbia and Bulgaria.

In Fall and Winter American armies were on the defensive in all territories accept Niagara and Quebec. There the US proclaimed a new Quebecois Republic. This new nation was immediately sent to war against Canada. With the St. Lawrence cut Canada's only major supply line was via the port of Churchill Manitoba. In Europe, Holland and Germany prepared an operation which could defeat France: the Schleifen Plan.

1903
In the dead of Winter the German high seas fleet sails out of port on a seemingly suicidal mission to attack London. Spain had joined the war since 1901 but was mainly fighting French forces in North Africa. Spanish forces were now gathering in the Pyrenees for an attack on France.

In Spring the Central Powers launched the Schleifen Plan. German and Dutch forces race through Belgium and Northern France. Entente Forces in the Rhineland are powerless to do anything. The Schleifen Plan was a complete surprise to the world. Holland and Germany invading a neutral country just to defeat another warring power.

On the Southwest Front soldiers under Pershing push Mexico away from Tucson while the first Mexican soldiers advance into LA. President Diaz's mad dream that he can recreate the old Mexico before the Mexican-American War. Mexico by 1903 was crumbling. Pancho Villa, a revolutionary had switched sides and formed the Provisional Democratic Mexican Government based in Santa Fe. The USA recognized this new government and with the assistance legal immigrants the Free Mexican Army was established and shipped to Texas.

In Canada US troops move up to take Ottawa. American Mountain troops advance to Banff, Alberta. The US also begins manufacturing the Springfield M1903 rifle derived from German designs. The US navy has also eliminated the thought of an ANZAC invasion of the Philippines. The US and Royal navies clash off Bermuda. US Marines under the command of John Lejeune embark on an Island hoping campaign across the Caribbean. First the marines land in Bermuda and secure it for the US navy, next they take the Bahamas and then from Guantanamo Bay Jamaica. By Summer all British territories in the Caribbean are under US control.

South Africa in spring 1903 falls to German-Boer forces. The Cape is annexed as Deutsch Sudafrika. The Boers who somewhat tolerate there knew rulers are formed into the colony of Boeria by the Dutch. German forces in France break though past Nancy and Reims. The Germans then planned to strike at Amiens. The Germans then rush past and destroy several columns on British troops in France. The Schleifen Plan seems to be succeeding. On March 22nd German artillery hit Paris. France surrendered. British troops in the Rhineland then surrendered. What was left of the BEF was sent to Canada to assist the weakening Canadians.

Germany shifted its forces to the east, Russia was slowly being pushed back. Russia then suffered defeats near Warsaw and Lodz. Soon German troops overran Poland and they soon entered the Baltic States. The Ottoman Empire, wanting to grab territory after the Russo-Turkish war invaded Russia and its Caucasus Mountains. The Ottomans were doing this not only for revenge but for territory to make up after the Balkan rebellions took most of the empires European territory away.

In Africa Ottoman forces from Libya and Palestine invade Egypt and what remains of French North Africa. Eventually by Fall Egypt fell and Ottoman forces invaded Sudan. In Summer US forces launched an assault across the Rio Grande. Mexican president Diaz went into a rage and shot his advisors. Mexico descended into a dictatorial hell as Diaz cracked down on people being suspicious of being traitors and spies. In California US forces retake San Diego. American ships start bombarding Mexico's various ports.

In Canada British and Canadian resistance finally ends when the US and Quebecois armies encircle the Anglo-Canadian army in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In Russia the Russians were pushed back into White Russia and Ukraine. The Bolsheviks with German arms successfully rout the Czar into Siberia. Japan launches a invasion of Manchuria to grab land they claimed. Russian forces in Europe continue to collapse. Into fall and Winter German and Ottoman forces finish up conquering areas of North Africa. The European Central Powers sign the treaty of Vienna dividing up Africa. French North Africa go to Germany, British Somaliland and Egypt-Sudan go to the Ottomans.

In Mexico the US Army takes Monterrey while Diaz's last grips on the USA in Arizona fall. US marines land on the Yucatan while other Marines land halfway down Baja.