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World War 1: Student Journal Great Britain

Great Britain 2 1913

I am absolutely flabbergasted by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As the president of Great Britain, I was enjoying conquering Africa and improving the welfare of my nation, but it seems that now, we have war in Europe to look forward to. It appears that Russia will come to the aid of Serbia, and due to our alliance, I am bound by honor to defend them. Who knows what other alliances are hidden in the recesses of Europe’s great nations? I fear that this will soon become a bloody battle. Nations will fall, lives will be lost…and for what? However, war seems inevitable. I pray that God will guide us in the trying days to come, so that Great Britain may be victorious with the fewest lives lost.

Great Britain 2 1914  

It is worse than I have thought– all of Europe is embroiled in war! In the span of a year, the peace we Europeans have known has collapsed. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the heathens of the Ottoman Empire have all mobilised troops. I hear rumours that the Ottoman religious leaders have declared a Holy War on us and our allies! Obviously, such an affront to God’s grace can not stand. For us British, the war plaguing Europe has become personal. 

Current intelligence implies that Austria-Hungary has moved a large amount of troops to the Russian and Serbian borders, who are quite undefended in their present state. German troops are occupying parts of Belgium– although they certainly have the troops to spare, Belgium could easily be overwhelmed by the German army. We must defend them and their sovereignty at any cost. We shall move support troops in the country of Belgium as soon as we are able. 

However, we also have our Russian allies to worry about. We must secure the Dardanelles so necessary supplies can enter the Russia country. It doesn’t seem like that will be able to happen this year due to the sheer number of troops infecting the Ottoman territory. Therefore, myself and my senior advisors have devised a plan: we will trick the heathens into abandoning the strait by positioning Russian troops near the Russian-Ottoman border. Then, using troops from Greece and hopefully Bulgaria, moved using the British Navy and our Japanese allies’ ships, we will take the Strait and defend it with our lives. Meanwhile, I will move my ships from the Atlantic Ocean zone to the North Sea Zone, in case Germany decides they want to try their luck against the glorious British Navy. Every loyal British citizen knows what would happen to the degenerate Germans if they dared an attack against us, but for their peace of mind and my own, I feel as if this move is best. 

This year, we have persuaded Portugal to join the allies, but now, there isn’t any reason to have them move their troops. It does create a peace of mind in knowing that we don’t have to worry about them joining the Central Powers, but it is worrisome seeing their president discuss matters with the Central Powers often…all of the allies will be watching Portugal closely. Great Britain approached Italy with an alliance, but they refused, citing that they wanted to see which way the war would go before joining. Italy has been very helpful this year in giving us much needed advice, as has the United States of America. I pray they will become good allies in the future! Finally, Great Britain and Greece made a secret alliance. We have so much to worry about that I don’t particularly want to come to Greece’s aid, should they get attacked– at least, I don’t want the other countries to see me as a self-serving liar if Greece got wiped out while we were somewhere else. But it would not be ideal for Greece to be occupied. 

Great Britain has become the de-facto leader of our company of allies. The weight of the civilised world is on our shoulders; here, in Europe, and in Africa. I will update this journal with the results of our actions and movements in the months to come. 

Great Britain 2 1915

This has been the worst year for the Allies in the history of the world. Under my direction, we have lost two decisive battles. I feel like such a failure! My fellow leaders look to me for guidance, and I failed them with my tactical missteps! Although we, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, made a stirring plea to ask for the world’s help in crushing the Ottoman genocide of the Armenians, no one came to our aid. Here is the address: 

We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, strongly denounce the Ottoman Empire because they are commiting genocide on the Armenian people. In 1914, the Ottoman religious authorities declared holy war on all Christian people, but on April 24th of this year, the government rounded up and executed hundreds of Armenian thinkers. Then, ordinary Armenians– no different than you and our families– have been evicted from their homes and forced to march through the deserts. We, the Prime Ministers of Great Britain, ask for the world’s aid in liberating the Armenians from their Ottoman oppressors. Now, in such times of struggle, it is more important than ever for us to unite against one common enemy: that is, the persecution and subjugation of different cultures. I propose a temporary truce between the Allies and the great nations of Austria-Hungary and Germany in order to focus on stopping this menace. Additionally, Great Britain requests aid in the form of troops, ships, and supplies of Italy, the United States, Romania, Japan, Belgium, and Bulgaria. By not taking action against the mass murder of people now, we are setting a dangerous precendent that will threaten our own ideals of freedom, justice, and the right to govern ourselves in the decades to come. If we do not stop this genocide in its tracks, any of our great nations can become both victim and perputrator. Join Great Britain in the fight for Freedom, for Armnenians and the World!

And although the Russian troops outnumbered the Ottomans 3 to 1, they were crushed. Not once, but twice! Germany has also declared war on France, and even though France managed to hold off the invaders, their troops are in dire straits. Belgium has also done the worst thing imaginable: they have let German troops march through their territory! We want to defend them and their neutrality, but how can this be seen as anything other than a declaration of German support? This is a frightful time to be a freedom-lover in Europe. Our plan is to take a majority of the troops from the British Isles and move them to France, along with having France pick up Portugal’s troops to have them augment their own. If we lose France, all is lost. 

Great Britain 2 1916

Not all is lost! This year, we have had a few fantastic victories! The morale in the Allies is high. We decided to go all out, no holds barred– we wanted a total victory of none at all. And, God be praised, we succeeded! Russia and I tried to make an alliance with the Ottomans this year, but they were having none of it, but any point of peace is no longer necessary. Russia has taken some of the Ottoman land which is very close to the Dardanelle Straits, and Serbia and Romania have destroyed Bulgaria and now occupy their land. The German and Austria-Hungary troops are spread thin and can hardly come to each other’s aid, and aid for the Ottomans is almost impossible at this point. The Germans did not take advantage of the few troops France had near their capital last year last year, and now it will be difficult for them to take it with British and Portugese troops assisting the French. I predict that by next year the Dardanelles will be ours, and that we will have driven the Germans out of Belgium. Soon, Russia will also be able to reclaim the land they lost from the Austrians and Germans. Victory is in sight!

Next year, we will continue our Allied onslaught and try for a decisive victory. God Bless the King!

Great Britain 2 1917

I feel as if I should get fired from my position as Prime Minister. This year has been an abject failure. The tenacity of these Central Powers is enough to make a person wish for death. I fear for the European mainland, but seeing as Great Britain is its own island…Europe could burn, but Great Britain will rise again. 

Italy today has fallen, Greece has no troops, we have lost our footholds in the Ottomans, and all hope seems lost. Our American brothers have joined the war, but they are almost a world away. France’s territory is almost completely undefended; the Germans could march right in! We are looking at defeat for the Allies, unless we manage something miraculous. Peace must happen soon. 

Great Britain 2 1918

Nevermind! The Allies are victorious– well, the British are, and that’s what matters. We captured the Darnadelles today, and it may be the happiest moment of my life! Russia is no longer a country– the Germans destroyed them, while the Allies were powerless to help them. But sometimes, that’s just how it goes in war. On the bright side, we regained our Italian territory that we lost, but on the downside, Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania were destroyed. However, the Central Powers and the Allies have agreed upon a peace, and the war is over. If the war were to continue, I believe that we would be able to wipe out the Germans and the Austrian-Hungarians, but the amount of lives lost would be devastating. Peace is truly the best option for Europe at the moment, so Europe can heal. But I fear these times ahead may prove to be even more trying than the war…