What if the US allied with the Central Powers during WWI?

[CJvR]

The Entente would have to mobilize their societies much more to compensate the economic loss of US loans and trade. This could cause civil unrest that the western powers were relatively spared from.Depending on when the US entered the war atlantic trade with Germany could reduce the strain on the German home front. One thing that could have soured relations was the illegal Entente blockade, unfortunately for Germany USW soured relations even more. The Canadians would have to stay home and probably need to recive reinforcements as well draining the western, med and african campaigns of British troops. An early US intervention would have intresting implications for Italy as well, beligerent rumblings from Washington might well dampen the enthusiasm of the Italian war prostitutes of jumping into bed with the Entente.

The USN was the third navy in the world but it was mainly a coastal defence force with a horrible force mix to go up against the RN as well as poorer crew quality and some questionable artillery material. The USN later WWI ships were more formidable but then so was their RN couterparts. Still the GF would not be powerful enough to take on both the HSF and the USN with overwhelming force and they probably wouldn't need to. The HSF would have problems forcing a decisive battle and the USN would be insane to seek one (until they build up the fleet a bit more) but it would still drain a battlesquadron with screening elements from the Grand fleet.

Needless to say it would be a clear win for the Alliance, Germany alone almost matched the industrial might of the Entente and the US outproduced either alliance on it's own. If the war drags on the US will drown the Entente in ships and guns. To make matters worse Canada is almost impossible to defend properly making it a lost cause from the very start but also a battle I doubt the British can avoid to fight. I don't think Canada can stay out of the fight, the US simply can't allow that and the US terms for keeping Canada out will likely be terms Canada can't accept.

[Frank Hipper]

Britain was not even really factored into the plan (probably expecting the whole thing to be over so quickly that the British would still be scratching their arses by the time they think to join the fray).

Britain was never factored into the plan due partly to the informal nature of the Franco-British entente of 1904.
German policy was to deter war with Britain.

[CJvR]

Jesus, I knew the Russian Army was badly led, but I didn't know it was THAT badly led. Seriously, whoever suggested, "Let's attack the Austro-Hungarian Empire to liberate our Serbian brothers!

Actually it was even worse than that! The Russians were about to cave in and accept the diciplining of Serbia when the Russian chief of the General staff, Janusjkevitj, promised Sazonov, the foreign minister, a partial mobilization against Habsburg - despite that no such plan existed and could not be improvised. This led to Russian support of Serbia, that hours before the Habsburg ultimatum ran out had been willing to give in but now decided to fight. This monumental incompetence led to the total Russian mobilization a few days later after a threatening note from Berlin and with that the German mobilization which automaticaly started the war without further political involvement.

[Lonestar]

<snip>

The USN was the third navy in the world but it was mainly a coastal defence force with a horrible force mix to go up against the RN as well as poorer crew quality and some questionable artillery material. The USN later WWI ships were more formidable but then so was their RN couterparts. Still the GF would not be powerful enough to take on both the HSF and the USN with overwhelming force and they probably wouldn't need to. The HSF would have problems forcing a decisive battle and the USN would be insane to seek one (until they build up the fleet a bit more) but it would still drain a battlesquadron with screening elements from the Grand fleet.
<snip>

You sure? I seem to recall that the USN was heavily criticized for being a Line-heavy fleet.

[Sidewinder]

However, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary would probably survive a bit longer before being torn apart by nationalism - but since it wouldn't be nationalism enforced by outside arbitrators and conquerors, there probably would be a shift in perceptions of the end.

I believe historically, a Jihad could only be declared by a Sultan. I'm curious if the Ottoman Empire survived thanks to US and German aid, we wouldn't be having so many problems with Muslim terrorists in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries.

[Pablo Sanchez]

I'm fairly certain the UK in the Great War was a net financier to other nations.

Nope, the only net creditors after WWI were the USA and Japan. The UK started as a financial creditor before WWI, but the cost of the war was so great that it consumed the entire surplus and put them deep into debt. If you look at how much each nation spent on the war, only Germany spent more than the UK (supporting as it did the entire Central Powers alliance on it's lonesome), and per capita, I believe the UK spent more, though I might be misremembering.

[Lord Woodlouse]

I'm fairly certain the UK in the Great War was a net financier to other nations.

Nope, the only net creditors after WWI were the USA and Japan. The UK started as a financial creditor before WWI, but the cost of the war was so great that it consumed the entire surplus and put them deep into debt. If you look at how much each nation spent on the war, only Germany spent more than the UK (supporting as it did the entire Central Powers alliance on it's lonesome), and per capita, I believe the UK spent more, though I might be misremembering.

Out of interest I'd be like to see a source for that (I'm fairly certain we were still a net creditor, but I can't find a source of my own so I'm happy to concede the point).

[Stuart Mackey]

You sure? I seem to recall that the USN was heavily criticized for being a Line-heavy fleet.

But it was a small 'line'. There is also the large fleet of British Pre-Dreadnoughts to consider.
The biggest issues for the British is food, U-Boats and money. I would expect a surprise naval strike on the USN to cripple any offensive capability once the US declares war, and quickly sueing for peace; because there is no way the Brits could face a long war against Germany and the US.

[CJvR]

You sure? I seem to recall that the USN was heavily criticized for being a Line-heavy fleet.

Oh it was. It had many DNs but hardly anything else. It had a questionable DD force and no modern cruisers at all. The USN could pound any invasion or other fixed target but would be extremely limited in most other operations due to the non-existant scouting forces.

[Big Orange]

With America siding with the Central Powers instead of the Entente, then the British Empire is economically and militarily fucked. Canada would either be annexed with relatively little hassle or be a simpering neutral, Mexico would throw it's lot in with the Central Powers as well and Britain would be much more isolated (and vulnerable ). The Royal Navy, although superior to both Germany and America's own fleets, would eventually be spread thin throughout the Atlantic and then slowly get ground down into paste. France would rattle apart without America or Britain backing it up and Russia would still be fucked.

[Pablo Sanchez]

Out of interest I'd be like to see a source for that (I'm fairly certain we were still a net creditor, but I can't find a source of my own so I'm happy to concede the point).

I was working from Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of the Great Powers; but it's not a sure thing that you'd have a copy to hand to check on, so I'll just google-fu and cite the BBC.

Here. The relevant section, near the middle:

And while the UK dutifully pays off its World War II debts, those from World War I remain resolutely unpaid. And are by no means trifling. In 1934, Britain owed the US $4.4bn of World War I debt (about £866m at 1934 exchange rates). Adjusted by the Retail Price Index, a typical measure of inflation, £866m would equate to £40bn now, and if adjusted by the growth of GDP, to about £225bn.

[Lord Woodlouse]

Out of interest I'd be like to see a source for that (I'm fairly certain we were still a net creditor, but I can't find a source of my own so I'm happy to concede the point).

I was working from Paul Kennedy's Rise and Fall of the Great Powers; but it's not a sure thing that you'd have a copy to hand to check on, so I'll just google-fu and cite the BBC.

Here. The relevant section, near the middle:

And while the UK dutifully pays off its World War II debts, those from World War I remain resolutely unpaid. And are by no means trifling. In 1934, Britain owed the US $4.4bn of World War I debt (about £866m at 1934 exchange rates). Adjusted by the Retail Price Index, a typical measure of inflation, £866m would equate to £40bn now, and if adjusted by the growth of GDP, to about £225bn.

Oh, aye, I'm certain that's right. Just if I remember rightly Britain gave it's own loans out during the Great War to nations like France and Russia, of greater value. We just never saw them again, or ever felt likely to see them again.

I've done a quick google for information but it's a bit of a quagmire. As I say, it's mostly an inkling of something I'm fairly certain I heard before. The net result is still a financial crisis for the allies if they decide to continue fighting, whichever way you look at it.