Great European War.
Europe had utterly descended into chaos. The slaughter of thousands now lay before her as the Third Schleswig War evolved into the Great European War. Propaganda machines in all nations were hard at work selling the war, blaming the other side for starting it. In the Entente the popular motto “Denmark is our Friend” became a popular header for posters, whilst the Triple Alliance favoured the “Lies of the French started this”. In the back rooms of the political machine that had dragged Europe into the war it was clear what had caused the war. Appeasement attempts between Germany and France, almost made public by Germany had Entente presses not been banned from publishing, had gone south over Denmark. Now Europe stood to tear itself apart. The Ottoman Empire’s peace conference had not even begun before it was called off over the sudden and bloody escalation of events.
Russia’s entry into the war on the 7th August 1914 marked the starting of events that German high command had feared. Germany now faced a war on three fronts. Russia’s allies, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece and Serbia, were swift to follow her into the war. As par the Treaty of Sevastopol their entry into the war was bound to Russia’s declaration. Not long after on the 9th the Kingdom of Italy finally chose to defend her ally and declared war upon the Entente. Her entry into the war had not been easy. The Parliament in Roman had been almost perfectly split between those wishing to join the Entente and those wishing to defend Germany. Public opinion was also very split and a number of protests and strike broke out soon after the declaration. The final member of the triple alliance, who appeared set to watch matters unfold, showed his colours as an Austro-Hungarian Submarine, SM U-3, sank the Teakwood, a British merchant vessel, as it made its way past Cyprus. As the protocols of war the Submarine had surfaced in order to bring the vessel to a halt and let the crew disembark before sinking it, giving away the Sub’s nationality.
In the United Kingdom the Government had been given a stirn wake up call by the sinking of the HMS Drake and Goldfinch and lately the beginning of sinking of merchant vessels in the Mediterranean, such as the Teakwood, by Austria-Hungary and Italy, the public cry for war was deafening. Volunteers flooded enlistment stations in their thousands. Britain was stirring herself from her slumber to answer France and Belgium’s calls. When Spain attempted to start controlling ship movement through straits of Gibraltar all it took was a simple warning for Spain to back off without hesitation. It was to be in Berlin however, that one of the greatest shocks in Europe was unfolding.