re: #366 ProBosniaLiberal

Yes, they should have. They should have made an effort to keep the Ottomans neutral. And considering the losses that it took to big down the “Sick Man of Europe,” it would have been worth it. How many British Troops could have been spared if they weren’t fighting the Ottomans?

The fall of the Ottoman Empire has left us with the wreck of a region we have today. Even an Ottoman Empire that would have held just what they had in 1914 would have resulted in a major rebound for the Empire. Hell, go back to “What if Murad V had held on” and you are likely talking of an Ottoman Empire still present in the Balkans.

The British were right to seize those two BBs, IMO. Simply put, they were not able to worry about what Turkey entering the war would do in the Balkans too much; the maintenance of the superiority of the Royal navy in home waters was of paramount importance. Even though Adm (retired) Charles Bereford and Adm (retired but soon to be reactivated) John ‘Jacky’ Fisher hated each other, on that matter even they were in absolute agreement. To have risked Germany’s High Seas Fleet being reinforced was utterly unacceptable to the UK.