September 1914.
The World is at war, and Europe is in flames. Paris had just fallen to the German forces of Kaiser Wilhelm, and the Entente forces are reeling back in disarray. With the fall of Paris, France is in dire straits, and General Joffre, its commander-in-chief, is relieved of command. The two allies meet in London to see how the war can be prosecuted from that point.
The Anglo-British forces thus entrench on a line from the border in the east, pivoting at Verdun and then all the way in a straight line south of Paris through Versailles and to the Atlantic Ocean. The entire north of the country and the channel ports lay open to German attack, and the OHL makes plans to seize the important cities of Cherbourg, Brest, and Le Havre, and there is not be much the French can do about it.
With the fall of Paris and the potential possession of the French Atlantic ports, the Kaiserliche Marine sees an opportunity to break out into the open and sever the blockade the British are imposing on Germany in the North Sea. Naval action is sure to ensue as the High Sea Fleet will attempt to sail and fight toward them.
In the Mediterranean, the Italians, still official members of the Triple Alliance with Germany and Austro-Hungary, consider their options. Wanting to be on the winning side, they start to lean heavily toward Germany, which would be a disaster for the Entente. The combined naval power of the Austrians and the Italians would be able to contend with the Franco-British navies and wrest control of the sea from the Entente. With the powerful Ottoman Navy based in Constantinople, the Central Powers could get control of all of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, as the Turks are the only ones with dreadnought battleships in the theater.
On the Eastern Front, things are looking brighter for the Allies. The Russians are on the offensive everywhere, and they now control vast swaths of East Prussia and Galicia. Nicolas II's force need to be stopped, or Berlin will fall, and the Austro-Hungarians won't be able to resist for long in Hungary. In Serbia, Marshal Holdendorf, the overall commander of the Habsburg Army, is contemplating a third offensive into Serbia to finally conquer Belgrade.
In the Pacific, the Germans resist the Japanese in Tsingtao, and the Imperial Navy, under formerly retired, now returned to active duty Admiral Togo Heihachiro will have to surpass himself to dislodge Admiral Graf Spee from the city.
This is the story of the First World War that might have been.
