Q&A · 4:53:27-4:58:49

Greece and Italy join the Central Powers

Italian and Greek alignment expands the Mediterranean naval war without fixing the Central Powers' coalition and coordination problems.

Question

What if Greece and Italy joined Germany in World War I after Austrian territorial concessions?

Short answer

The war probably ends similarly, but the Mediterranean sees a much larger naval contest between Britain and France and a difficult Austro-Italian coalition.

Notes

The Royal Navy and French Navy would face a much larger Mediterranean contest, probably requiring a British battle squadron and additional wartime capital-ship construction. Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces would retain competing priorities and cooperation problems. Greece and Italy also have conflicting territorial interests, including the Dodecanese. Their alignment could instead pull the Ottoman Empire toward the Allies, improving access through the straits to Russia. Allied control of Suez and possible seizures of Aegean islands add further complications for the enlarged Central Powers coalition. The participants expect the wider war to end similarly, while allowing that the naval campaign would change substantially.