Q&A ยท 2:30:11-2:31:35

Could Anglo-French intervention have divided Ottoman territory earlier?

Intervention after Ottoman commerce raiding could have brought an earlier territorial division, with consequences for Russian supply and a battlecruiser's refuge during World War I.

Question

If Britain or France had joined the war because of commerce raiding, could the Ottoman Empire have been split up earlier?

Short answer

Yes, that is a strong possibility if Britain and France judged intervention necessary. Greek and Bulgarian control of the straits could then have changed supply routes and naval operations in World War I.

Notes

An earlier division of Ottoman territory is a strong possibility in a scenario where commerce raiding brings Britain and France into the war and they judge intervention necessary. If Greece then held the Dardanelles and Bulgaria held Constantinople through World War I, there would be a secure route through the Black Sea to supply Russia. A battlecruiser escaping into the remaining Ottoman territory would face a different problem. In an eastern Mediterranean port, the Royal Navy could besiege her by waiting outside. If she entered the Black Sea, British ships could probably track her down and pursue her without the same fortifications holding them back. These outcomes depend on the Greek and Bulgarian territorial gains being retained into World War I.