Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

Phase 27 - Great War (4)

Meanwhile, in Europe, on May 23, 1915, Italy declared war exclusively against Austria, joining the Entente. With this, Austria found itself surrounded by enemies on three sides.

Italy's intention was to gain the Austrian territories known as "Unredeemed Italy." Originally, Italy had joined the Triple Alliance with the goal of recovering these territories through non-military means. However, due to the outbreak of the Great War, the situation changed, and Italy ended up aligning with the opposite camp. Therefore, Germany was not greatly shocked by this development.

As more nations joined the war on the Allied side, it didn't necessarily tip the balance of power in Europe in their favor. Italy was primarily interested in Unredeemed Italy. Furthermore, the Italian army, while advancing into the treacherous mountainous terrain of Unredeemed Italy, was accumulating losses to the extent that it couldn't engage elsewhere.

For the Entente, the situation was such that they could be satisfied as long as they could keep the Austrian army engaged. Many considered it better not to be attacked in southern France by the enemy.

On the other hand, Turkey, the other Alliance nation in Europe, was somewhat neglected by the Alliance, as they prioritized other countries. The Turkish army was fighting in the Caucasus Mountains, bordering Russia, and in Egypt, but in both areas, they were pushed back by Russian and British forces without making significant progress.

By the way, in Egypt, the primary combatants on the British side were soldiers of Japanese descent from the Oceania region, and after this battle, their presence became more noticeable in the Mediterranean.

Russia, which was being attacked from two fronts when Turkey was included, suffered heavy blows from the German army. Still, there was no sign of Russia surrendering. In previous wars, the level of damage they sustained would have led to surrender at any point, but in a war where the entire nation was mobilized, it was within their tolerance level. The Western Front and the Balkan Front were both in a complete stalemate for different reasons. The efforts of the Italian army in the Alps were in vain. In Africa and the Middle East, Britain, with massive forces mobilized from its colonies around the world, was primarily responsible for eliminating the weak forces of the Alliance. However, in the grand scheme of things, this had no significant impact.

. . .

In East Asia and the Pacific region, Japan, the only major Asian power, was facing a deteriorating strategic environment.

Initially, at the start of the war, Japan had been making progress by reclaiming various territories. However, in the summer of 1915, they faced full-scale resistance from the Entente, and they were effectively stuck. The main reason for this was the vast difference in naval power between Japan and the Entente. Moreover, Japan had practically lost control of the coastal waters near its mainland. Consequently, they had no means to counter the naval blockade imposed by the Entente navies, consisting of Britain, Yamato, Russia, and France (in terms of the number of ships). The Entente fleet was already in a position to exert naval pressure on the Qing Dynasty, a friendly nation of Japan. Japan's inability to produce enough food locally meant that they were at the mercy of this blockade, and they faced the prospect of starvation.

For the rulers, there was nothing to fear more than the prospect of their people starving. Therefore, by the spring of 1915, the Japanese government had already started calculating when they might surrender. The fear of their own people turning against them due to hunger was more terrifying than the prospect of paying massive reparations or ceding territory.

The Entente was inwardly rejoicing at Japan's offer of peace or surrender at a time when all-out warfare in Europe and North America was about to begin in earnest.