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Which country would you rule if you were to be able to choose a country in the 1900s. We don't need another world war thread so yeah.

And how about every decade after that? And what would you do different if you were in any particular leader's position at the time?

I'd take Germany. The UK looks good, but unless it has a change of goverment I can't accomplish what I want. Same for America.

I would cut naval construction way back. Germany can't hpe to match the UK, and attempting to do so fataly weakened the German Army. My fleet would be designed to defeat Russia and keep the French off my back. I would also seek better relations with the UK. Last thing I need is the BEF in France. Employing hindsight I would use some of my extra funding to triple artillery ammunition stocks and to obtain more 105 and 150mm weapons for my divisions. A few extra corps of troops would be raised using my manpower surpluse

Then come 1913-15 I go to war, destroy France in weeks, then turn east, recapture Prussia and take down Russia in months.

Pretty much the same as Sea Skimmer for the same reasons, there's a lot of potential for Germany and the people will let me in if they let Hitler in.

America and Britain while one growing and the other having an empire, are still too stable to really have world domination plans of my calibre come in.

Sea Skimmer wrote:Then come 1913-15 I go to war, destroy France in weeks, then turn east, recapture Prussia and take down Russia in months.

As long as you dont touch Belgium and the Netherlands, you'd be fine.

I too would take germany. I would increase development of aircraft. and take France using air superiority. I would use U-boats to stop brittish trade dead in its tracks, should they ally with france. I would use trench warefare purley to hold my own lines, then use my aircraft and artillery to butcher those in enemy trenches

Saudia Arbia
Why?
Because they did not know about all that Oil yet.....
Time to give those folks and myself a helping hand

Well, Bean, I was curious as to whether someone was going to say Iraq, but that works, too.

Ted wrote:

Sea Skimmer wrote:Then come 1913-15 I go to war, destroy France in weeks, then turn east, recapture Prussia and take down Russia in months.

As long as you dont touch Belgium and the Netherlands, you'd be fine.

I fully intend to march though Belgium. The Netherlands lived with the limited infractions they suffered, and they will be only for a few weeks this time around.

Once I have Paris and the Channel ports the BEF, which has no reason to be larger then historicall. Doesnt matter. The French will reguest it leaves as part of my peace deal. If it doesnt, six divisions will be easily dealt with. Belgium will be evacuated once I've secured several forts providing passage directly to Germany.

If the UK attempts to engage in a long term blockade, so be it.

IIRC, going through Belgium is how Germany got France in both world wars.

Alyrium Denryle wrote:I too would take germany. I would increase development of aircraft. and take France using air superiority. I would use U-boats to stop brittish trade dead in its tracks, should they ally with france. I would use trench warefare purley to hold my own lines, then use my aircraft and artillery to butcher those in enemy trenches

Air power will not be decisive for several decades, and you can't put off war that long. France hates your guts, lets try to keep this thread within the bounds of reality. U-boats failed historically and they only come close because of massive stupidity on the part of the Allies.

You've committed to a trench war of attrition. Great idea, worked out very well historically.

verilon wrote:IIRC, going through Belgium is how Germany got France in both world wars.

Yup. In both wars France had heavy fortifications along its boarder with Germany. In both wars it was possibul to reduce them. But it meant slowing down and channeling any attack. And the French could beat that. It was what they planned for and expected.

Attacking through Belgium took the French away from there chosen ground and allowed for maneuver. It was the key to winning in 1914. However the drain of resources to the navy and to the east meant to vast encirclement of Paris couldn't be conducted. That cost Germany the war.

The reason trench warefare failed is because both sides exhausted their troops with pointless attacks on the trenches. I would allow the french to pour out of their trenches without counterattacking. My casualties will be minimal, and then you take into account straffingruns by fighters, and artillery shelling....History may change

Well, Bean, I was curious as to whether someone was going to say Iraq, but that works, too.

Iraq does not have near as much oil or Land as SA, Plus I have Mecca, always a useful chip

Alyrium Denryle wrote:Yes, i will however allow them to exhaust their troops. Never will my commanders scream "OVER THE TOP" Hmm High altitude Zepplins dropping bombs...

And your own will be worn down just as quickly. At the Somme the Germans last nearly as many men as the British and French, but they never launched more then local counter attacks. If you think you can get away without those, you're a fool and your lines will quickly be broken.

Zeppelins failed to accomplish anything with bombing. A single salvo from a heavy artillery battery had more firepower then even the most massive Zeppelins created in WW1.

A war of attrition with Germany won't work, you need to be more tactful in your plans, but with the resources Germany does have and if you play your cards right you should be able to make one hell of an empire.

Germany.
Basically same plan as Sea Skimmer, but without attacking Russia.
Instead, smuggle Lenin into Russia under the condition that he starts a revolution (hey it worked in reality ).

Mr Bean wrote:

Well, Bean, I was curious as to whether someone was going to say Iraq, but that works, too.

Iraq does not have near as much oil or Land as SA, Plus I have Mecca, always a useful chip

Iraq isn't a nation in 1900. It's controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and there quite doomed by this point in history. Iraq wasn't fully independent until around 1960.

Persia might be worthwhile, as its oil was already being developed and it was independent. But it wont be until the 1950's that Iran really started to get going towards the supersate the Shah was aiming for.

I did also say it could be moved to later time frames...

Cpt_Frank wrote:Germany.
Basically same plan as Sea Skimmer, but without attacking Russia.
Instead, smuggle Lenin into Russia under the condition that he starts a revolution (hey it worked in reality ).

But only because Russia was so weakened. Without war Russia will easily send Lenin back. And you can't avoid it anyway, France and Russia are already fairly strong allies. You chances of splitting them are slim.

Alyrium Denryle wrote: strafingruns by fighters

Attacking Belgium was the only reason, politically, that Britain went to war with Germany.

A certain treaty signed in the 19th century by Germany, Britain, France and others GUARENTEEING Belgian independance.

France was drawn into WWI because her ally Russia had declared war on Austria.

Sea Skimmer wrote:

Cpt_Frank wrote:Germany.
Basically same plan as Sea Skimmer, but without attacking Russia.
Instead, smuggle Lenin into Russia under the condition that he starts a revolution (hey it worked in reality ).

But only because Russia was so weakened. Without war Russia will easily send Lenin back. And you can't avoid it anyway, France and Russia are already fairly strong allies. You chances of splitting them are slim.

Hm but we could go to war with Russia and then insert Lenin.
Btw how 'bout if I take Austria and we ally?

Alyrium Denryle wrote:The reason trench warefare failed is because both sides exhausted their troops with pointless attacks on the trenches. I would allow the french to pour out of their trenches without counterattacking. My casualties will be minimal, and then you take into account straffingruns by fighters, and artillery shelling....History may change

Of course history will change, because France will defeat you and your inept military planning in the opening weeks of the war.

Cpt_Frank wrote:

Sea Skimmer wrote:

Cpt_Frank wrote:Germany.
Basically same plan as Sea Skimmer, but without attacking Russia.
Instead, smuggle Lenin into Russia under the condition that he starts a revolution (hey it worked in reality ).

But only because Russia was so weakened. Without war Russia will easily send Lenin back. And you can't avoid it anyway, France and Russia are already fairly strong allies. You chances of splitting them are slim.

Hm but we could go to war with Russia and then insert Lenin.
Btw how 'bout if I take Austria and we ally?

Good plan. We need war fast before you collapse and I have to put you up in some Bavarian castle. Now we need an Italy and another even more sacrificial lamb to take the Ottoman Empire.

Sea Skimmer wrote: Good plan. We need war fast before you collapse and I have to put you up in some Bavarian castle. Now we need an Italy and another even more sacrificial lamb to take the Ottoman Empire.

Hey I could have said I take GB and we ally but somehow I'd say that would have taken the fun out of it.

btw remember replacing the Pickelhaube with a steel helmet.