The World War or Great War was first called the AAAA War as it was thought to be a refight of the Canada War between the United States and Great Britain. Before it was over millions were dead and nearly every nation in the world had taken part.
It starts when the American fleet, under Roosevelt's orders, sails into Pearl Harbor and claims American sovereignty of Hawaii on March 15. The UK cannot tolerate further American aggression and declares war on the United States on March 20, 1897; the US reciprocates two days later.
American forces quickly consilidate the Hawaiian Islands. British forces bases in Seattle march south and attack the US Second Army based in Fort Columbia. The Siege of Fort Columbia begins in April. From bases near the Puget Sound, the Royal Navy begins taking the Admiralty Islands in Alaska's panhandle.
From bases in the Yucatan, Bahamas and various former French Islands, Americans take British Carribean islands. The US Carribean Fleet outnumbers the British Carribean Squadron and soon only Jamaica remains British. The use of wireless allows American admirals to concentrate their forces more effectively so that almost every battle is an American victory. The Fourth Army lands on Jamaica near Portland Point in November 1897 and lead by the so-called "Rough Riders" regiment. Despite being cut off from supply lines, Jamaica holds out until Kingston is captured in July 1898, completing the American control of the Carribean. These actions were made possible by the US Atlantic Fleet taking Bermuda on a surprise attack on March 23. After securing Bermuda, the Atlantic Fleet attempted to blockade both Halifax and the St. Laurence with mixed success. St. Pierre & Miquelon were lost quickly to the British.
On land, the reserves were quickly mobilized. From bases in Maine, the US Fourth and Thirteenth Armies attack up the St. John valley taking St. John, NB in June 1897. The Sixth Army attacks Montreal in May and begins a siege. The Eleventh Army storms Sherbooke and defeats the British forces there in June. Meanwhile the US Seventeenth Army crosses into Canada at Saute Ste. Marie and begins to take the undefended Lakehead area and from Toronto the US Twelveth Army moves into the Georgian Bay area.
In the West the British take Fort Columbia in June 1897 and begins to ravage the Williamette valley while a column heads up to Walla Walla to defeat a detachment of the US Second Army. The US Pacific Fleet, trying to protect both Alaska, California and Hawaii looses the key Battle of Kodiak Island which leaves the British in control of the routes to Alaska. Elsewhere using their wireless sets, the American ships are able to concentrate their inferior force in pockets enough to defeat the British in key Battle off of Califonia. The US Fifteenth Army leaves Sacramento for Oregon in June. Also in June half of the US Asiatic Fleet is ordered to sail to Hawaii at top speed.
The war become international in July. On July 7, 1897 a Japanese force attacks the British fleet at its anchorages in Hong Kong and Singapore by a very risky division of forces and immbolizes the entire Royal Navy in the area. Soon thereafter Russia declares war on Japan. Japanese forces encircle Manila Bay and Spain enters the war with Russia & Britain. After this the CSA citing "being a good neighbor" declares war on Spain, Britain and Russia and soon mounts and invastion of Cuba from Florida. The UK activates its alliance with Portugal and from the Cape Verde Islands and tries to blockade Liberia from American reenforcements. Much to the dismay of its allies, France joins the British side hoping to reverse the loses of the French-American War.
With the combined forces of the American Army and the Confederate Expeditionary Force, Canada falls fast and hard. The British & Candian Forces are pushed back to Halifax and Quebec. The only major battle is at Moncton but Moncton falls after being attacked with a half million troops. There are many smaller battle s as the two forces meet each other. Winter stops the advance but both Halifax and Quebec are completely surrounded by land and forced to be supplied by sea by April 1898.
On the second front, British & allied forces have managed to push down the Williamette Valley after crushing an American force at Portland in August 1898. However, British Columbia lacks industry and the lines of supply are long coming either via Australia or Cape Horn.
In the Carribean, Spanish forces soon surrender in Puerto Rico in 1898 but the natives form an equally fortable enemy. In Cuba, the Confederate Army finds that it is part of a three-way war with the Spanish Army and Cuban rebels. As the former is isolated from Spain it grows weaker while the former grows latter.
Citing their allance treaty Mexico enters the war on the American side on August 1898. and attack British Honduras freing American troops for British Columbia and Canada. Mexican troops also aid Confederate troops in Cuba.
With troops freed from Canada, American troops attack northward up the Williamette Valley in a rapid seriers of battle starting in September 1898. By the winter, it ends at the south bank of the Columbia River.
In April of 1899 British forces start to pull away from Halifax and storm Bermuda - retaking the island. The US, seeing an opportunity attacks Halifax from both land and sea, the massive Battle of Halifax takes place on April 20-25, 1899 American forces take Halifax with the help of the Confederate Expeditionary Force. The elation is abated because on April 24, British forces land and take Charleston, SC although Fort Sumter does not surrender until April 27. As Confederate milita head toward South Carolina on May 2 a massive Anglo-Russian force lands near Savannah and the city surrenders on May 4. The force soon heads towards Atlanta which is the transportation hub of the Lower South - all rails lead to Atlanta. The Confederate Army is caught in either Nova Scotia or Cuba. The force reaches Statesboro and slaughters militia there. The nearest troops are US Army "Black" and "Yellow" regiments in Washington. They are shuttled down to Columbia, SC and Atlanta as well as a token force of the Mexican Army. The US Navy sails from Halifax -fully loaded with troops - at full steam. Meanwhile some regular US Army units arrive at Norfolk. A joint US/CS Navy attack cuts off Charleston in mid-May; the British diversonary force escapes to Bermuda. The ad hoc force of US Army, USCT, CS Army, Confederate milita and Mexican Army units the meets the Anglo-Russian force at Battle of Louisville which is a major four-day battle from May 8-11, 1899. While the North American force looses more troops but they are successful in repulsing the "March from the sea." With the US Navy coming from both the north and the south the Royal Navy spends mank skirmishes keeping the lines of commuication open. On May 21 the British Army starts evacuating but refuses to take the Russian forces with them. By this time renforcements from Canada have expanded the force attempting to retake Savannah. The US Navy with Confederate help manages to cut off Savannah from the Royal Navy. On the verge of being stormed and without hope of support the 50,000 British troops and the entire force of 100,000 Russians surrenders, 75,000 British troops have managed to escape.
In the West with the British putting the the vast majority of forces in the East slowly loose to the ongoing American advance. In April 1899 one force takes Fort Columbia after having it under siege for one month. Another force comes from Walla Walla up the Yakima River Valley. In June 1899 British forces are defeated at Ellensburg.
The British evacuate Seattle in September and retreat to Victoria on Vancouver Island. In Septemebr 1899 the US Pacific Fleet with reenforcements from the Carribean defeat the British in the Battle of the San Juan Islands, this proves to be the cruicial battle on the Pacific Coast. The Royal Navy's survivors head for Alaska and the garrison at Victoria surrenders after being completely cut off. The British position in Alaska becomes undefendable and the Royal Navy with army units leaving without a fight before the winter of 1899 and the war in North America is over.
The war in Asia began with the Japanese attacks on Hong Kong and the Phillipines. In China, soon all treaty ports (except those of Germany) were taken by Japanese troops. In October of 1898 Chinese and Japanese diplomats agree to an alliance against the Europeans. The Chinese provide the land troops while Japan has the Navy. The Russian Pacific Fleet is trapped in Port Arthur and surrenders on November 11, 1898 to the Japanese Navy. Vlavidostok, now cut off is soon taken by a Japanese force, ending Russian participation in the Pacific.
Japanese and British naval forces stalemate at Singapore in April and June 1899. Meanwhile Chinese troops invaide Indochina freeing Japanese forces to consolidate the Phillipines where the Spanish garrison is quickly defeated. While the East China Sea remains solidly under Japanese control the South China Sea is under constant contention.
The campaign in Indochina is a meat grinder as the Sino-Japanese, Anglo-French and native forces all fight each other. No significant progress happens in either direction for three years as the Europeans grind up Chinese forces only to be destroyed by Vietnamese guerillas. This pattern continues for three years until 1901 when American forces, freed from North America, then the Chinese/Japanese/American force makes strides in the North.
The northern reaches of Borneo are attack by Japanese forces aided by Mexican and Confederate troops. The manage to storm several areas and establish control over 50% of the British area.
Meanwhile the US Navy makes a strike on Auckland, New Zealand which while never intended for an invasion has a large psychological effect as New Zealanders (and to a lesser extent Austrailas protest against the war). In a similar attack a Japanese task forces sail via the Java strait to off Calcutta and attacks the city with Chinese-made rockets starting a citywide fire.
Leaving Indochina to the Chinese, the Americans and Japanese Fleets attack Australia in March 1902. With supply lines overstreched the invasion is a dismal failure and over 10,000 Americans and 30,000 Japanese are captured. It does however send protests from Australia to London that the war must end.
The colonies in Africa were neglected by war planners on both sides of the Atlantic since they were so underdeveloped and considered less important than areas in North America and Asia. As those two areas became a victory and stalemate respectivly
After the Carribean and Canada are lost to the Americans, the British try to kick Americans out of Africa. The Royal Navy, leaving the French to guard the Meditterian manged to blockade the South Atlantic leaving American forces in Liberia to fend for themselves and only Liberia's modest industry prevents a total disaster. In the spring of 1900 the American force storms the Cape Verde Islands, while the British-Portugese force defending the islands takes more casualties it manages to hold the islands. American diplomats in Rio de Janeiro convince Brazil to enter the war on the American side in late 1900. The first action is to take Suriname and the Guyanas without muich of a sturggle. Far more importantly this is a effective deterant against siding with the British. Even Argentina refuses after being offered the Falklands by London.
By the winter of 1901 the US and Royal Navy's had held a stalemate in the North Atlantic with the Confederate Navy keeping watch over the Carribean. Then the plan was innedted. From bases in Northern Brazil, the US fleet brook the blockade and landed in Monrovia. The American force with Brazillian troops was able to push the British back into their own territory. In the fall of 1901 an American foces takes the Niger delta in the largest amphibian operation to date. This pins the Anglo-French force between the wings of the American-led army.
Near the southern tip of Africa the Boers revolt from British rule and while officially American allies, they receive little in the way of support and managed to maintain their own independence but strikes into the Cape Province are all repeled by the end of 1902.
By the middle of 1902, the American-Japanese led alliance was taking an increasing toll on the British & French forces (Russia had dropped out of the war in 1901, writing off the Far East to the Japanese). The Four European allies -Britain, France, Spain and Portugal - proffer to their armistice terms giving Indochina, Borneo and the Phillipines to Japan and giving Canada and the Carribean to the US and CS. Africa would remain the status quo and the British would be left to deal with the Boers.
American President Theodore Roosevelt rejects this offer. Both the Confederacy and Japan favored the agreement but stand by their American ally. The offer is not disclosed to the republic. The British Prime Minister then comes up with a bold plan: in return for full support of the war effort, India will be independent by 1910.
In the fall of 1902 the Royal Navy launches HMS Dreadnought which renders all other battle ships obsolete.
Over a million Indian troops are raised and send to West Africa. Their addition turns the tide of the battle and the American forces soon find themselves in retreat.
In February 1903, the Brooklyn Bridge and uncompleted Williamsburg Bridge is blown by British agents, cutting off the Brooklyn Navy Yard with the American dreadnoughts New York and Pennsylvania from the sea.
In Southeast Asian, Indian Army units smash the Chinese near Hanoi. While a separate force starts to liberate Borneo. In May 1903, Japan and China sign an armistise with the European Alliance and forces are concentrated in Africa.
September 1903 brings the Battles of the Ivory Coast in which 30,000 Mexican troops are massacred. Mexico then withdraws from Africa. The Royal Navy wins a desicive victory in the mid-Atlantic, cutting off the US from Liberia once again.
By the spring of 1904 the United States and Confederate States had suffereded significant setbacks, and the hundred thousand Confederate troops captured in Liberia. Roosevelt refuses to give up.
On March 15, 1904 Roosevelt is accidentally killed during a military review by a stray shot. Secretary of State Matthew Borman becomes President. President Borman immediately wires London upon taking the oath of office. An armistice is signed between all parties on March 21, the World War is over.
Peace talks begin on May 15, 1904 in Rome, Italy.
Copyright 1999 John Mullervy
Last Modified January 21, 1999