Question?

Consider this for a moment, Give Germany three more years to fight World War One, would they still lose or would the Allies still prevail?

[mike_baram]

Three more years? The entire generation of men of fighting age would have been eradicated on both sides....
With the Bolsheviks in charge in Russia, it would have been a piece of cake for the Reds to walk over what was left in Europe. Don't forget that Russia still had untapped manpower.

I agree with Mike, and would suggest that Germany would only have been able to continue the war for closer to three more minutes rather than three years.

Let's take a look at heavy losses, Napolean, he had a hell of a lot of losses the first time, but not even five years later he was on the war path again, Germany had many more allies then what was in the war. Mike, Russia was in the beginning of a Revolution, I don't think they could have conquered a city let alone a continent. Yes a full generation of Germans were wiped out, but so did the French, America was so far from here, and had such a small army that a good blockade would have stopped us, and at the time Germany still had most of their U-boats. It is all to possible that they could have held out though guerilla warfare, if they could have held out one year Russia would have been their ally with some pleasantries in communications, if you want to look at that situation, Germany had won that part of the war. There is never a no win situation.

[Ron_F]

As i understand it, Germany had no choice. her people were starving because of the blockade. materiels and such were hard to come by. Her U boats did their job, but the British Navy held the advantage, esp after Jutland.
Russia was rebuilding, and i doubt wanted any more bloodshed.
Thats my take on it, im not too into the whole war as some, just the air war.

Ron

Mike and Michael both of you answered your own questions, as did Mark and Ron. If the war had continued, Russia would have probably taken a poke at the European Continent, but in the mean time The war would have escalated because then The Allies would have been fighting both Russia and Germany, Germany would have been fighting the allies and Russia again, and Russia would have been fighting the Allies, Germany, and they most likily would have invaded or persuaded China, and Mongolia to interfer, all that would have happened was World War II at the same time as World War One, and let's face it all of the war would still be in war if China would have entered it, and I think Ron was right Russia was to damn tired, and I'm out of breath...Whew!!!

[mike_baram]

GreyHawk,
Try decaf next time.
VBR,
Mike

Hi all,

Don't think the Hochseeflotte was of no more use after Jutland. Maybe she wasn't very active anymore, but the U-boat weapon still had to come to its highest peaks. In april 1917 alone over 620.000 BRT were sent to the bottom of the sea, by these U-boats. Aces like Otto Steinbrinck were responsable for 231.614 BRT, not to speak of someone as an Lothar von Arnauld de la Perriere ! The main reason for third Ypres was to break through German lines and to take the harbours of Zeebrugge and Ostend, which were fortified U-boat nests, responsable for the sinking of 2554 merchant vessels, about 1/3 of what German U-boats sank. We don't talk about the military ships yet ! Don't forget about the raids on Zeebrugge and Ostend in 1918, especially St George's Day, don't forget that losses of supplies etc were so terrible because of the German U-boats that Great Britain in 1917 very seriously concidered stepping out of the war.
If three more years would have changed anything is not really a question to me (but who am I just a humble personal opinion), starvation in Germany would have been perhaps worse for the population, but as they were not able to finish most of their ships such as the Wurttemberg and Sachsen (with 8 X 38 cm guns) because of not enough minerals, their role on the seas would be limited to the U-boat warfare. The evolution in this weapon was already very good in this era (compare UB III class with type VII and you wil see). However concerning tanks Germany was far behind on the Allies, a mistake they didn't make 20 years later. The airweapon was not advanced enough to make a real big difference. I really don't know if it would have made much difference for the outcome of the war. Lots more casualties, thats for sure.

VBR
Johan

The Germans lost WW1 because they did not gain the last 5 (in words: five) kilometers to the railway station of Hazebrouk.
Without this central railway knot, the British had only the choise to retreat - in mid-March 1918.