WW1 Revisited – An Ash & Will AAR – Central Powers

[AshesFall]

Turn 38 – January 27th, 1917 – And 1916 summary

@vonlettovvorbeek; Nothing particularly exciting unfortunately. Scouting has not revealed brits in the Sound, I suspect that the protests are simply due to continued British raiding of the Norway convoy close to Denmark itself.

No screenshots this turn, as nothing much really happened. For all intents and purposes, the war stood still. A corps was lost on the western front, in the east the ring closed around the trapped Russians. An Austrian corps was driven back near Kiev, and the desert Pasha was forced into shameful retreat to attempt a recovery of both manpower and morale. Business as usual, then.

I’ll also forego the usual number crunching, not much new there either. The entente is ahead by a total of 6000 mpp’s, even Italy has a higher research spent than Austria, and the entente is ahead in that department by roughly 1000mpps. Looking at the diplomacy spent, it would surprise me very much if every entente chip was not invested, probably in the Netherlands. Another depressing fact is that the Germans have now lost nearly as much mpps worth in units as the Russians.

As gray faced men with more white in both beard and hair than the year previous gather in Vienna, it is a truly somber affair. Many well-known faces are missing, both those robbed of life, and those retired into disgrace. The topic of the summit, then, is one of survival.

It is clear that the war will be won or lost in Germany or, ideally, in France. Despite the absolute focus on Germany, each of the central major powers is integral to this end.

The burning question is one of morale, both that of the people and of the army. To this end, there are several burning points that must be addressed.

First and foremost, every effort to preserve German national morale must be made. This includes declining to send Lenin, as I simply cannot afford the extra morale loss incurred by his use.

One of my long term plans may still be viable. Originally, I fought hard to keep Romania out of the war to declare war on it when Russia was on the cusp of collapsing, to then pressure it into peace and reap the NM benefits. This plan has partly been foiled, but not entirely. Looking at this as a disaster or an opportunity is a matter of perspective. If I can cut the Romanian supply between army and Capital, the slaughter of its units might provide Austria with valuable morale boosts and pressure Russias morale further. As this is a Russian minor, each loss will hurt them. If I destroy the army completely and then decline to conquer the capital, the plan might still work.

There is unfortunately nothing I can do about the Netherlands, this is down entirely to luck. The entente seems to enjoy a three chit advantage total over the central powers, and as all of mine is already invested here, if theirs are, I can simply wait and hope for the best. With the fall of Russia, four of these chits will be lost. If the random number gods are with me, I might then have a chance of preventing the NM loss of the Netherlands ceasing grain supplies.

This is also where the two tertiary major powers come into play. I’ve fought hard to preserve the Ottomans, and will continue to do so. I need their chits, and I must prevent the NM loss their fall would incur on Austria, whose fall in turn would spell the absolute end for Germany.

There are many possibilities once Russia falls. One is of course the course espoused by some in this thread, an all-out head on attack on France. This is certainly in the cards, there are large forces in the east which will become available. However, there is an additional opportunity to gain NM for Germany in Italy. A small German force here supported by a large Austrian one might give me the opportunity to repeat the cavalry parade squadron shenanigans of the past.

One plan that was in the script, but scrapped due to lacking resources and unexpectedly high losses in crushing the Russian fleet, was the building and outfitting of a large and highly upgraded U-boat fleet to unleash on the British. Should opportunity and funds arise (unlikely) this might still happen.

Nothing can happen until Russia falls however, and this then must be our primary objective.

Enter the endgame.

[AshesFall]

Turn 39 – March 24th, 1917

If winter was quiet, spring most certainly is not.

The western Front

Barely have the soldiers in the trenches had time to breathe before the misery of wet and trenchfoot, and new slaughter sets in. The western Entente advance on a broad front, no doubt hoping to secure a line in the “dead mans land”. Furious shelling from numerous German guns and numerous attacks bring no less than three corps low along the front. More reinforcements arrive.

The Eastern Front

Here, a great tragedy in the disguise of great victory. Ruszki and Brusilov perish in the great slaughter of an entire Russian army. Events here, with men desperately crawling through mud filled beneath the shallow muck with corpses will be the scene of many dramas and debates in years to come. Was it right of Hutier to accept no surrender? To order exterminatus and shoot every wounded Russian calling for help? Was his actions understandable in the context of the terrible conditions of the Eastern Front? We shall never know.

Austria

Dreadful weather prevents successful attack, and Straussenburg settles in for now. Artillery arrive on the Kiev line, and the Romanians find themselves cut off deep in Bulgarian territory.

Near East

The ring around Gallipoli finally closes, and Sanders now prepares to assault the city.

General Staff

Germany reorganizes production for higher efficiency (lvl 3 production), and Austria has completed several modern industrial complexes (lvl 2 industry).

[AshesFall]

Turn 40 – April 21, 1917

The only particularly interesting events occurred around Austria, and of course on the western front.

The western Front

The Western entente counterattack was suitably brutal. Destroying the defender of Namur, and surging into Von Klucks headquarters from which the man escaped with only half his staff. Many valuable plans and papers were lost, and we expect Kluck to be less effective for quite some time. As he escaped, a massive counter attack took the city back, but the trenches are filled with dirt and rubble, and not as deep as we would like. It is painfully evident that the exhausted Germans have trouble fighting the high spirit of the French.

Luxemburg fell to the Brits, and one of the forward batteries badly mauled. Advanced entente metal barrels, called “tanks” sow fear and desperation among the men. How can these monstrosities be defeated?

The Eastern Front

Cleaning up and repositioning. Bringing forces back up to strength.

Austria

Von Straussenburg orders an all out assault on the Romanian border line, hoping to destroy a corps and force them to reman the line with corps from the back. Unfortunately, bad weather and incompetence foiled the plan.

The Bulgarians move in on their end, mauling the corps occupying the border city severely.

Italy

Another city soon to fall at Italian hands, this time a german detachment will be their victim.

Near East

The British impolitely decline to be caught in a killing ground, ceding Gallipoli to the ottomans who move in to occupy. Artillery follows. Oddly enough, ottoman troop morale plunges immediately on retaking the city, perhaps due to realizing they are now faced with two hardened British corps (the Gallipoli under siege event hit immediately. Perhaps that ought to be disabled once the entente has taken it once).

Elsewhere, we continue the logistic dance and resupply.

General Staff

Ottomans grow a fondness of deep holes (trenches lvl 4) and the Austrians at long last adapt their infantry tactics (at 100%... after an age. The ottoman isn’t far behind, and will hopefully develop soon).

[AshesFall]

Turn 41 – May 19th, 1917

The western Front

The west front. Every bit as bad as the East ever was. Simmer has gone to a boil. The Germans are reeling, Entente metal monsters crush any opposition, and Von Kluck scrambles to find hit footing and form a stable line. We have decisively failed to prevent the advance of the entente around Belgium and Luzemburg, but near Strasbourg Prince Rupperecht manages to strike back, giving the French grief and cause to strike another corps off their roster.

The Eastern Front

In the East, Hutier is organizing his army to move to the West, while Mackensen and Hindenburg himself reorganize and rest their own armies to keep pushing the Rus. Even though Russia is crumbling it isn’t doing so fas enough, and it needs a push or two to topple.

Austria

Action intensifies for the Austrians, as Straussenburg makes final preparations for a more determined push. The Rus is looking to get a little feisty in the east, so Von Korbatin (having quietly replaced his incompetent predecessor) readies forces to both defend and attack if necessary.

A Bulgarian corps is caught by Von Ermollis cut into the centre of Romania, and surrounded by Bulgarians who declined to defeat them in favor of making sure they are completely wiped out. Any such victory must be prioritized to make news on the home front.

Italy

Italians quiet after taking the small city north of the Italian border.

Near East

German guns shell the British with surplus ammunition, and Von Sanders army refits and replenishes. The Belgians finally succumb.

In the middle east the game of logistical musical chairs continue, and the British are finding it more difficult than they can believe to make gains.

General Staff

The Ottomans receive shipments of improved Austrian weapons, and can finally join the ranks of the decently equipped. New arms will be distributed.

[AshesFall]

Turn 42 – June 16, 1917

The western Front

The slaughter continues unabated as spring slowly turns to summer. German guns glow hot, and shell stores are nearly completely empty. However, the French have been pushing hard and many of their corps are damaged near the line. As Hutier arrives and takes overall command from Von Kluck, he immediately coordinates a fierce offensive to bring no less than three French corps down. If the western entente thought they would have an easy stroll into Germany, they are sadly mistaken.

Von Hutiers army takes up positions behind the lines, strengthening the weak points.

The Eastern Front

Mackensen meanwhile moves his army towards Dvinsk, artillery is brought up to break the flank and move onto riga from the side while Hindenburg attacks from the front. This last push will hopefully be enough to topple the Rus. Cavalry squadrons now exploit the open lands of Russia, operating on the principle that the area is too vast to be defended everywhere.

Austria

Von Krobatin likewise contributes to the push, bombadrding and destroying a forward Russian corps, unfortunately Straussenburg fails to assault the Romanians, and Von Ermollis cut into the centre also fails to bring the supply of the isolated corps low enough to ensure its total destruction. A new attempt is undertaken. Every effort to bleed the Russians and their allies is being made.

Italy

Quiet.

Near East

To Von Sanders slightly apprehensive surprise the British evacuate the peninsula, leaving a corps behind at Sedd El Bahr. Von Sanders Pursues, leaving the invader no Respite. The artillery and two other corps reposition to railway depots. Now we have to wonder where the imperialist dogs will turn up next…

Amman finally fell to the British, and Medina is sure to follow shortly. Plans are in the works to stem this bleeding, we shall see what occurs.

General Staff

Germany attains peak efficiency in shell production (lvl 3), and Austria now attempts to find an answer to the Ententes metal fiends…

[AshesFall]

Turn 43 – July 7th, 1917

As summer breaks and warmth returns to Europe, the Germans suffer greatly.

Norway has long protested the Ententes reckless raiding along her coasts, and it seems they are now directing successful diplomacy towards their government to assuage the situation. They have yet to stop trading with us, but we fear that is only a matter of time.

The western Front

Von Hutier finds himself in the unaccustomed and altogether unpleasant situation of being forced to solely defend. As the Entente makes another devastating push, German forces cannot strike back at any point. Desperate, Hutier telegraphs to Hindenburg, asking for aid and more men.

The Eastern Front

The ailing Russians now seem confused and leaderless. Individual corps act on their own initiative, one attempting a lone assault against our artillery, less than successful. Such gifts are welcome, as the destruction of the raiders bring welcome news home. Mackensen now remains active alone in the east, as Hindenburg moves his staff to train depots along with the remains of his army. The man himself immediately leaves for the western front by aircraft, to take command of the situation.

Austria

Von Krobatin achieves some success, holding against a coordinated Russian offensive and striking back to destroy one corps. Russian marines, running along deep into the hinterlands, find themselves without supplies or suitable targets of opportunity.

As Von Straussenberg has failed to assault the Romanians once again, he awaits reinforcements and refitting before making one last attempt.

On the other side of Bucharest, Austrians and Bulgarians settle in. Somehow the corps in Piesti is still in adequate supply. Hopefully that will now no longer be the case.

Italy

Quiet.

Near East

The Ottomans allow themselves one brief moment of celebration, the last of the British have been driven from the shores of the Peninsula. Raiding Romanian cavalry that dug in on the Adrianople railway has been destroyed, and much of von Sanders home defense army has now boarded trains for the middle east…

German forces move towards Amman in response to British successes in the area. The imperialists must be driven from the spine, or the eastern central power will surely collapse. The former home defense army along with a local corps from Damascus, previously from the Caucasus, now takes up the line. The Germans keep out of sight, and unless the British are observant they may find a nasty surprise here.

The Desert Pasha finally moves under cover of a sandstorm after months of refitting and resting. We shall now see whether the ottomans can harry the Brits from Basra and into the sea.

General Staff

Unexpected news as the Dutch swing our way once more… if the Russians can be persuaded to collapse soon, this may prove important.

[AshesFall]

Turn 44 – July 21, 1917

The French continue to pressure the Norweigans, and while they yet remain annoyed with the western entente and leaning our way, they will not do so for long if this continues (now at 8 or so %)

The western Front

An unexpected and welcome pause in the Entente assault, their attacks only grievously decimate a corps and the forward cavalry squadron, gives the newly arrived chief of staff time to reorganize and recover. As rumors of “the old mans” personal presence on the front spreads, German spirit begins to rise. The guns thunder, and several assaults destroy forward enemy corps, opening holes in the lines once more.

Hindenburgs eastern army arrives, taking up the lacking second line behind Strasbourg.

The East Front

Libau falls to attacking detachments, who begin the sinking of the Russian U-boats at port. Mackensen assaults Dvinsk, and crushes the Russian defenders.

Austria

Fighting flares hot as always around Austria, with Krobatin savaging and sending one severely decimated Russian corps reeling. Meanwhile, Straussenburg finally breaks the Romanian line, and the Bulgarians starve out the Romanian defenders of Priesti. Fierce attacks by Von Ermolli and the forward Bulgarians nearly win the oil fields of Ploesti, but the defenders tenaciously remain.

Near East

Von Der Marwitz trap springs as the British move upon Amman, and the forward British corps is routed, scattering beyond recovery. The British move hard upon the Gaza Bersheeba line, but the ottomans hold, if barely. Von Sanders and overstocked German artillery arrives to stiffen their resistance.

The desert Pasha of Mesopotamia reaches Basra, settling in to start hammering the weak link in the British lines.

General Staff

The dutch, evidently seriously displeased with Entente diplomatic methods, again swings our way. This is very welcome, as the added income brings German war production back over 600.

The Serba rise in rebellion, and partisans retake a city. (I entirely forgot about the partisan marker here in the heat of everything else, chucks)

[AshesFall]

Turn 45 – August 4th, 1917

A third consecutive push on the Norwegians topple them from our favor. They now lean towards the entente, no doubt pathetically grateful for their table scraps. However, the Emperor has dismissed this as inconsequential, as our trade with them has not actually reached our shores in years and any dismay caused by its loss has long since lost its sting. Good riddance.

The western Front

Bitter fighting, day out and day in. Guns beat the ground without cease, any day might as well be one of thunderstorms. The Entente continues to push, often reaching the pickets of our guns through the lines as fighting decimates our forces. German counter pushes punish advances, retaking ground that has switched hands many times before. Death is the only constant.

The Eastern Front

Inconclusive skirmishing along the lines as the Russians leave their trenches. In truth, any offensive undertaken by the Rus is welcome, weakening their will to fight with every loss.

Austria

The better part of the fighting is still in the southeast. Krobatin mauls a forward corps, striving still to reach Kiev. Straussenburg swings around and flattens the adventurous Russian marines to the ground. Austrians and Bulgarians now break through to destroy retreating Romanians, and strike aircraft behind the lines.

Italy

A sizable and well equipped Italian force appears near the German trench line in north Italy. We can only hope that the defenders hold out until Russia falls.

Near East

While the west and east have been carnage as usual, the middle east has taken a turn for the worse. At the very moment the Germans left the lines, a British force a great deal larger and amply supported by artillery than anticipated appeared. Double misfortune, that one of Von Der Marwitz corps fall to the imperialist advance. Von Sanders orders an attack, hoping to weaken the British and buy time to stabilize. Unfortunately, despite all efforts, the British remain. Now we can only hope that their weakened line will not be able to break through immediately. Marwitz receives more forces, as the British presence along the spine is a priority before the threat to Jerusalem can be dealt with. The doctrine of “united we stand, or divided we fall” adopted during the summit in action.

The line near Basra has been established, the fighting will soon begin.

General Staff

Austria develops gas/shell production lvl 2.

[AshesFall]

Turn 46 – August 18, 1917

Norweigan leaning towards the entente for fourth consecutive time starts their trade with the Entente. May it serve them well…

The Central powers celebrate as Russia withdraws from the war. The new government forced a counter attack, and though one German corps fell, the army finally mutinied under pressure and the government collapsed. Victory on the eastern front means much to the beleaguered Germans, Austrians, and Ottomans.

The western Front

The charnel yard is well fed, as always. Three German corps crumble on the line, which is starting to look worryingly thin. Entente harassment of two of our artillery concentrations is continuous, causing disturbing losses and disrupting the effectiveness of our counter bombardments. Hindenburg sees an opportunity, and grasps it by the throat.

The entente has left their line open near the French Strasbourg artillery emplacement with an unentrenched corps holding the other side. A coordinated assault breaks through and hits the emplacement from two directions, nearly destroying it. After deliberation, and a solemn departure ceremony for men sure not to return, the severely depleted airship wings enter French territory to finish the guns. One of those wings will not be returning, the other is successful. A select few return home as heroes.

The Eastern Front

This front will now be stricken from our reports. Victory, at long last, victory.

Austria

In Romania, Austrian and Bulgarian forces continue the cut through Ploesti and Bucharest. The Romanian HQ is found and destroyed, and most of the remaining forces cut off and weakened.

The better part of the Austrian army under Krobatin, having returned from Kiev after meeting the new Ukrainian government for settlement of treaties and trade, organizes his army for transport and receives reinforcements. Von Straussenburg, likewise, anticipates the fall of Romania and reorganizes some of his army for movement by train.

Italy

The Italians have been advancing n Innsbruch, and they are both numerous and well equipped. So far, we cannot see any artillery among them, but even the Italians seem to have metal monsters. After brief deliberation in the OKH, it is decided that enough is enough. As Italian ambition now threaten the soft underbelly of Germany action must be taken. Mackensen travels to Munich with most of his army by train, ready to begin operations within the month.

(I completely forgot the very damaged Austrian corps as I spent my mpps, and realized that they needed reinforcements after they were all gone. Had to shift things around…)

Near East

The British hammer von Sanders line, and one corps falls. He struggles to keep the line steady, digging in. The German forces under Von Der Marwitz shift to outflank the British, and receive Austrian artillery.

In Mesopotamia, attacks have begun against the entrenched detachment covering the British headquarters. So far to little effect.

General Staff

To our surprise and consternation, Romania does not offer terms despite the fall of Russia…

(Any insights on this?)

A slight boon is that Germany reaches new heights in production efficiency (lvl 4) and that Holland takes a large leap towards our way of thinking (29%).

[AshesFall]

Interlude, strategy talk

(I summarize all the questions at the very end)

The dignitaries of the Central powers visit Moscow, where the new government has taken seat, to accept the formal surrender of Russia from prime minister Kerensky. While there, they also take the opportunity to plan for the future…

Right. Russia is down, that took some doing. What to do next?

The war comes down to a national morale tug-o-war between the French and the Germans.

Currently, French national morale is around 16-17000, and German 20-21000. This means that, by the numbers, we’re actually 4000 points ahead. This would seem to urge a “throw all caution to the winds” all-out assault in the west with all assets, attempting to break the French will to fight.

While this is certainly the end-goal, the all-out approach may not take all aspects of the overall situation in consideration. I’ll try to break it down, as much for my own thought process as for your enjoyment .

As far as I understand, Germany does not gain any additional national morale from any of her conquests in Poland now that Russia has surrendered (can someone confirm this?). She has made no land gains anywhere else.

Germany currently gains national morale from;

Spending mpp to raise morale: +50

If applicable, Ukranian grain: +100 (Does anyone know if this is a one time bonus, or each turn?)

Germany is currently losing national morale due to;

Loss of metz: -30

Loss of Mulhausen: -12

British blockade: around -100 up to a maximum of -274 (-200 assumed).

A small piece on the British blockade. After some hot-seat testing, it seems that each “spot” in the north sea hits for 18nm and each “spot” west of Britain hits for 10nm. There are thirteen -10 spots, and eight -18 spots. I’m not sure whether this is cumulative for all of them, or if the western zone and the north sea zone are mutually exclusive. Lets assume a pretty bad situation here, and stamp a -200nm per turn due to the blockade.

Total nm shift per turn: -166nm or -266 if the Ukraine bonus is not per turn.

Austria is in an equally bad position, having lost;

Trieste: -25

Gorz: -12

Bruneck: -12

Trento: -12

Also, getting hit by Romanian hunger scripts, since the obstinate twerps wont surrender. No idea how much that is hurting me. But let’s say around…

Total nm shift per turn: -125 (very rough estimate).

Adding to the situation is that the Italians threaten the south of Germany directly, and the ottomans are in dire straits around the peninsula. It is my thinking that the loss of the ottomans would end the game at this point, as the nm loss on Austria is bound to be huge, and then that falls Germany will take a hit that I wont recover from. I also enjoy having a 1 chit advantage in total diplomacy.

The sum of this seems to hint that I need to find other sources of national morale, while warding the ottomans and at the very least stopping the bleed on the Austrians. There are three places to do this, the western front with said frontal assault on the French, in Italy, or in the near east.

My western line is looking pretty thin, and even if I deploy all the Germans from the other front there, I don’t think it will be thick enough to push through the French into any national morale objectives worth taking. The bleed from lost German holdings is also the minor part of German nm loss.

On the flip side of that coin is the relatively minor commitments in Italy and the Near east. If I can give the Italians a well-deserved thrashing, or drive the Brits out of the peninsula, opportunities for Nm objectives present themselves. This serves the dual purpose of warding the other central major powers.

German economy is very healthy, clocking about 670mpp per turn, and with production lvl 4 everything is 20% cheaper. I should be able to build a real army to push with come spring of 1918, and bleed the French on the defense as previously.

I also need to decide whether to remove chits from Holland, as they might join us if progress continues. In hotseat testing, I’ve seen that the hunger from lacking their grain sets in even if they join the CP through diplomacy.

I’ll gather up all my questions here at the end, as I need these answered before I can continue with my turn;

1. Is the nm loss from blockading the western “points” and the north sea “points” all cumulative?

2. Why wont Romania surrender with the treaty of Bucharest? Their 20mpps and 50nm per turn would go some ways.

3. Is the 100nm from the Ukrainian grain per turn, or a one time deal?

4. Is there any way to stop the grain nm loss from Holland if they join?

With the grain coming in from the Ukraine, the loss of their trade shouldn’t be so bad one would think.

5. Does Germany or Austria now gain any nm per turn from their Russian conquests?

6. How does the per turn nm shift actually work, does it shift both at the end of my turn, and at the end of Wills? (essentially doubling all losses).

Thanks for reading!

[Strategiclayabout]

Hi Ash ,

- Quite a good review of your situation except one thing: each country also lose NM for EACH step lost. The bonus for destroying units in low supply is just that (a bonus) so it comes on top of the rest. So basically if you trade steps with France there is a chance they will reach 0 NM before you do as they don't have that much extra NM locations.

- Another thing is there are some unknown NM bonuses: at start when Germany attack Belgium they get +15NM turn after invading even if there is no NM location in Belgium . There are probably other, bug or not so it's hard to have an accurate NM/turn picture.

- Your questions:

1. Is the nm loss from blockading the western “points” and the north sea “points” all cumulative?

Yes. I think it's 5 NM for the first north sea tile then 20 by tile and 10 by tile for western ones.

2. Why wont Romania surrender with the treaty of Bucharest? Their 20mpps and 50nm per turn would go some ways.

Not sure but it's possible you have to wait a bit before they surrender after the fall of Russia since they're active and control their capital.

3. Is the 100nm from the Ukrainian grain per turn, or a one time deal?

Yes. As grain deliveries will not be a one turn thing.

4. Is there any way to stop the grain nm loss from Holland if they join?

With the grain coming in from the Ukraine, the loss of their trade shouldn’t be so bad one would think.

No. If Holland joins CP it won't be neutral anymore and will be blockaded by Entente so no grain import. It's up to you to decide if the extra corps you'll get when they join are decisive or not to break France.

5. Does Germany or Austria now gain any nm per turn from their Russian conquests?

No. As they are national territory but you still get the MPPs.

6. How does the per turn nm shift actually work, does it shift both at the end of my turn, and at the end of Wills? (essentially doubling all losses).

Both. As situation can change between them.

[Bill101]

Hi

Strategiclayabout is right in most things, though for the naval blockade the NM cost per turn per tile blockaded is: 20 for the Northern Blockade near Norway, and 10 for the Distant Blockade north west of Scotland.

So the more tiles that the blockaders occupy, the more effective the blockade. This historically was a real killer to Germany. Defeating the Entente navies, or making them move away from the blockade to deal with submarines and raiders could help here.

The penalties from Holland vary according to its diplomatic status, as even if it has a pro-Entente leaning but remains neutral, some food is being imported to Germany via it. But if it joins the Entente, then imports completely end and the per turn penalty doubles from 50 to 100 NM points.

If you conquer Holland, then the per turn penalty reduces to 75 NM points, so were Holland to actually join the Entente, then invading and conquering it would be a wise move.

Bill

[AshesFall]

Thanks to the both of you, some followup;

@strategiclayabout

You're right about the steps lost of course, I notice now I forgot to tie up the reasoning . I'm thinking that the losses have been roughly equal in the west, and given that, the extra drain on Germany and the presence of the Brits lead to the fact that I cant make an all out assault just yet, the disparity would mean that I would lose. I need to get other sources of NM first, or meanwhile.

DE 629 - Germany: Sign the Treaty of Bucharest?

- Event fires: When Austria-Hungary is in the war, Russia has withdrawn from the war, and Romania is in the war on the Entente side.

- Cost of accepting: Nothing.

- Yes: Romania will leave the war. Germany will receive 20 MPPs and 50 National Morale points per turn, providing Romania remains neutral and Austria-Hungary is still in the war. Bulgaria will receive some Romanian territory.

- No: Romania will remain in the war and will need to be conquered.

As far as I can see, all of the conditions are fulfilled. If I have to conquer the capital it's a de facto conquest... but you think there might be a random chance per turn or something?

Ouch, the fact that the bleed hits double makes it even worse, that's a disparity of around 300nm per turn, and if unit losses arent grossly in my faovur...

@Bill101

Anyway, a thought that occurs to me is; Would the loss of Dutch grain really be that bad for germany once the Ukraine grain starts coming in (historically, as a basis for the event I mean)? Perhaps this event should be significantly weaker in impact, or removed altogether once that happens. Good information in any case, I can expect to lose 50nm per hit abouts if I diplo them to join, and they have around four corps and an arty unit. The arty makes it tempting, we'll have to see!

Edit; I went into the editor and pulled the treaty of Bucharest event to see what was up with it;

#NAME= Germany: Sign the Treaty of Bucharest? (DE - 629)

#POPUP= %N%N%N%N%NChief of the General Staff %N%NNow that the war with Russia is over, we have an opportunity to make a favorable peace with Romania. %N%NWe could offer Romania terms whereby they retain their independence, but in return they cede some territory to Bulgaria, and provide us with some income from their oil wells. %N%NSigning this treaty will provide us with 20 MPPs and 50 National Morale points per turn, for as long as Romania remains neutral and our ally, Austria-Hungary, is in the war. %N%NWould you like to end the war with Romania and sign the Treaty of Bucharest?

#IMAGE=

#SOUND=

#FLAG= 1

#TYPE= 1

#AI= 0

#LEVEL= 0

;Set global variable condition to always trigger (dummy value)

#GV= 1[1,100]

;Set link value to always trigger (dummy value)

#LINK= 0[0]

#COUNTRY_ID= 6

#TRIGGER= 100 - As far as I understand, this means that it will always trigger

#DISPLAY_ORDER= 1

;Set decision value (first internally stored decision)

#DECISION= 629

;Set how many MPPs should be collected over X turns if player selects 'yes' (dummy values)

#MPP_UPDOWN= 0

#MPP_TURNS= 0

#MPP_TEXT= None

;Set AI acceptance % (AI will accept 100% of the time)

#AI_RESPONSE= 100

#AI_RESPONSE_POPUP=

#DATE= 1917/10/10 - Does this mean that the event cannot occur before 10th october 1917, regardless of the surrender date of russia? That would be... odd

#TEXT_RGB= 0,0,0

#SHADOW_RGB= 194,186,186

; Dummy alignment position

#ALIGNMENT_POSITION= 258,49 [1]

;Set National Morale Trigger (dummy value)

#NATIONAL_MORALE_TRIGGER= 0 [0]

;Set variable conditions:

; 1st Line - Romania politically aligned with the Entente and not surrendered

#VARIABLE_CONDITION= 50 [2] [100] [0]

; 2nd Line - Austria-Hungary politically aligned with the Central Powers and not surrendered

#VARIABLE_CONDITION= 7 [1] [100] [0]

; Dummy condition position (always satisfied)

#CONDITION_POSITION= 0,0 [0,0] [0,0] [0] [0]

[steel32]

Have not seen any Italian shots of late. Good job on AAR as Will and you always do a terrific job!

[AshesFall]

@Steel32

Thank you very much! Both Will and I appreciate the praise. Thank you for following the AAR! I've included an italian screenshot in this update just for you!

Turn 47 – September 1, 1917

The western Front

The entirety of the army assaulting the French line near Strasbourg is routed from the field, three corps entered in the tally of the lost. The German answer is timid, a single French cavalry squadron on the line is bombarded and smashed. Hindenburg receives plenty of replacements and two new corps, and prepares for another entente onslaught.

Austria

The butchery of Romania continues, making newspaper and propaganda material. Von Krobatin continues to strengthen his returning army, making it fit for transport. Von Bohm-Ermolli receives a different task…

Italy

The Italians turned from Innsbruck as the Germans arrived, and Mackensen now prepares his forces while receiving artillery. As soon as Romania falls, a great many Austrians will arrive. Then we will see if the Italians can handle a war where the enemy actually tries to hit them back…

Near East

The fighting is bitter along the Peninsula line, and Sanders struggle to hold. The task is made bearable by news of German successes near Maan, another British corps is beaten and the British headquarters in the area mauled. Another relief is the arrival of Von Bohm-Ermolli with a small army of Austrians, ready to form a second line of defense.

No news from Mesopotamia, no doubt the desert pasha declines to send any to cover his atrocious failures…

General Staff

Holland continues to swing towards the central powers.

[AshesFall]

Turn 49 – September 15, 1917

The western Front

The Entente seems to be preparing for another assault here, the lines are thick with Frenchmen opposite Saarbruch. Attacks fell near the Belgian border as well, routing one of our corps off the line. Counter attacks failed to destroy the French advance, merely succeeding in driving it back.

Austria

Romania continues to provide rousing newspaper headlines, and the Austrians begin the transfer of their army.

Italy

The Italians got frisky in the autumn weather, advancing on both an eastern and southern axis. Dankl had to move his headquarters to Graz temporarily, as the Austrian Galician army begins to arrive by train…

Near East

Fighting continues even under a heavy sandstorm. The Brits give no pause on the peninsula, and is given none near Amman. Insurgents are destroyed as the Germans keep moving in the British, aiming to encircle and destroy them utterly.

General Staff

Holland took a major leap to our favor once more, (29%). The situation here is now critical, and we must decide whether to entertain the idea of letting them join us, or to keep them neutral.

[Altaris]

#DATE= 1917/10/10 - Does this mean that the event cannot occur before 10th october 1917, regardless of the surrender date of russia? That would be... odd

Yes, this piece of code means the event will not fire until 10/10/1917. I agree it's odd, but since you're so close, you may want to stay on the defensive vs Romania until it fires.

[AshesFall]

@Altaris; Thanks! Hoping for surrender soon then...

Turn 49 – October 6th, 1917

Entente diplomatic efforts are starting to take a toll, as they have now swayed Sweden to stop important trade with us. That is ill news…

The western Front

Hindenburg continues to stabilize his lines as autumn draws towards winter. The British have advanced, but declined to attack. Their blow will fall soon. Reinforcements continue to arrive, and as production of ammunition temporarily outstrips demand, random shelling onto the British is ordered to decent effect.

Austria

Not a single Romanian unit remains, all of Romania is occupied save the capital, which is surrounded by our forces. Surely they must sue for peace?

Italy

Italians learn that the Germans are not to be trifled with. One forward corps near Salzburg is destroyed under shelling, and a second advancing onto Munich is hit for grievous losses. As the Galician army swells on the Italian eastern border, the first arrivals coordinate an attack on forward Italians, and break them. Von Krobatin himself has now arrived, shortly to be followed by Straussenburg.

The central powers welcome Italy to the real war.

Near East

As random shelling strikes an already weakened British corps to unexpected effect, the bombardment is ordered contoninous. Emptying much of the local stores, the british are brought from 80% strength to 40%, and then destroyed by A coordinated ottoman and Austrian assault.

Von Der Marwitz, a disciple of Hindenburgs school of Maneuver warfare, continues to shift flanks and harass the British. Larwence of Arabia, wanted in all of the near east on crimes of insurgency, is caught in the foothills and captured as his command disintegrates. The attack carries onto the British command proper, and disrupts it severely. It is clear that the imperialists are outmatched…

General Staff

The loss of Swedish trade strikes morale, and strikes in Rurh complicates the situation further. The central powers withdraw most of the pressure from the Dutch.

As October nears the 20th, there is still no sign of Romanian surrender... The emperor, trying to be magnanimous, has had enough. Unless the Romanians surrender before the new year, the country will be occupied, its inhabitants slaughtered, its fields burned and salted. Let them be a lesson…

[AshesFall]

Turn 50 – November 3rd, 1917

The western Front

The blow fell, but not as heavily as Hindenburg feared. Instead the entente destroyed a single corps near the Belgian border, and nearly routed another. The French moved up on Saar and Saarbruchen. In counterpoint, Hindenburgs return blow felled four French corps, as all guns blazed until stores ran low. Not entirely depleted though…

A logistic miscalculation left no corps to replace the severely depleted front line men retreating to the back, and a detachment took up the point in front of the artillery.

Austria

The treaty of Bucharest is finally signed. The Emperors displeasure must have been heard loud and clear. Austria as a front in and of itself will not appear in these accounts unless the situation changes.

Italy

The exposed Italians in the mountains near Innsbruck are broken and taken Prisoner, and Mackensen aligns his forces with the advancing Austrians. Mackensen is no fool, the Italians so far have been isolated and ill supplied, the fight is about to get much harder…

Near East

British marines land on the shores of Iskerun, taking Adana and severing the railroad to the capital. Forces immediately respond, looking to quash the threat before it grows more serious.

The last British corps in Maan is shelled to near extinction, and broken by the German army of Von Der Marwitz. The British headquarters is escaping into the desert, and at present it is doubtful if the big man of the orient can follow.

General Staff

OKH has nearly caught up with losses, and instead focuses on procuring more artillery for the coming summers activities.

Austrians increase industrial efficiency, now lvl 3.

[Ancient Demon]

Hey, is it intentional that you're cutting off the bottom portion of the screenshots? I want to see what the national morale balance is now.

[AshesFall]

Hey, is it intentional that you're cutting off the bottom portion of the screenshots? I want to see what the national morale balance is now.

Not at all! It's a consequence of Imageshacks resizing. I'm trying to include a running count of actual morale in the top of the western front screenies, but I always seem to forget checking it before I end my turn . I'll try to do better!

[AshesFall]

@Ancient Demon: I included the count this time! Will try to remember each turn!

Turn 51 – December 1st, 1917

The western Front

Aside from minor attacks across the front, nearly destroying the unfortunate detachment and scattering damage across the line while weakening our defensive works, only the defenders of SaarBruchen fall. Massive reinforcements arrive across the front, and Saarbruchen is reoccupied, but lacking any form of defenses. Near Mannheim, the forerunners of preparations for the summer begin to arrive.

Italy

The Central Powers continue to advance across a broad front, contacting an Italian corps and wounding it severely. Von Krobatin reinforces and prepares to assault the forces near Trieste.

Near East

A massive and well coordinated attack supported by hailstorms of artillery finally broke the defensive line on the Pensinsula. Belatedly, Von Bohm-Ermolli and Von Sanders call a step back to find new footing.

Von der Marwitz catches up with the British command staff in the foothills, unfortunately the man himself barely escapes with his life… (at 1 str…)

General Staff

Our attempt to send aid to our beleaguered forces in south Africa fails due to British misinformation. More artillery is built by OKH…

[AshesFall]

Turn 52 – December 29th, 1917

The western Front

While the western Entente rests and simply moves forward in a long line under cover of winter weather, the Germans strike back. Hindenburg knows what is coming in the summer, and every loss to the French now is one he wont have to go through then. Despite heavy shelling, only two French corps are destroyed, with a third suffering minor damage. The central line uses the opportunity to dig in, and more reinforcements arrive. Two more corps are now held at reserve readiness, to be called up where needed.

Austrians continue to gather around Stuttgart.

Italy

The Italians know now pause either, as Mackensen and Krobatin push their advantage through the winter weather. One Italian corps is forced back on the brink of destruction, and another near Trieste falls under Austrian guns and shells.

Near East

As the British advance, Von sanders immediately unleashes everything at his disposal. A massive bombardment, followed by staggered strikes from all corps on the line bring down the advancing Brits. Surely, the imperialists cannot have endless reserves in the baking deserts…

Von der Marwitz pauses briefly to rest and refit, sending a corps out to deal with reports of an insurgent squadron nearby. It is caught and wiped out.

General Staff

A final artillery piece is commissioned to arrive in may, at ruinous cost, but it must be borne if the summers endeavors are to meet with any success.

Austrians develop armored warfare further (lvl 2), fitting, as they will soon supply that component to the western front…

[AshesFall]

Turn 53 – February 23rd, 1918

The western Front

The west is shaken by Entente assaults. Though only one corps fall, our chances of counter attack are nonexistent. All we can do is dig in and wait as forces gather for the summer.

Italy

The Italians hit back, though we suffered no outright losses, an audacious attack on Von Straussenburgs HQ cripples supply lines in the Region. Forces shift to compensate, and prepare another assault.

Near East

The British move up to Sanders line, bombarding as they go. We are content to reinforce and dig in, gathering shells for a possible counter attack.

Von Der Marwitz retakes Aquaba, a stepping stone to a possible flank through the desert.

General Staff

All production is directed towards reinforcements and preparation.

1918 Strategy

Well, we’re finally here. Whew, I actually never thought I would last this long. If you would have asked me honestly at the start of 1916, I would say this was completely and irrevocably lost. I’ve always been a scrapper, and I tend to focus and play harder the more I’m behind. Against all odds, the western front has held up, and that gives me a chance.

That said, it certainly isn’t a very large chance. Astute readers will have noticed that morale was 24,421 (French) to 20,331 (Germany) as of September 1917. I wrote the wrong way around in the strategy interlude. Now, by February 1918, the gap has increased to 5000nm, despite all efforts. That is a lot.

I could, if I were inclined, keep fighting defensively and simply decline the "prolong the war" decision to effectively end this in a draw. But, that seems both boring and against the spirit of the game. I'll do the only right thing!

The Western Front

The basic strategy is straightforward and simple, I have to attack in the west. I’ve done all the buildup I can, 27 actual German corps are on the ground with four more held in reserve and not deployed. By May, no less than six artillery pieces will be present in the area, beyond any that I can transfer from other fronts if possible. To support the Germans, Seven Austrian corps with two lvl 2 tanks will be ready by May, possibly with more to arrive as they can be built or transferred from the Italian front.

The actual war plan cites Verdun and Belfort as the ultimate goals. None of the other targets nearby will hit French NM directly, and increase mine. If I’m to have any chance at all, these must fall.

The Austrian contingent, directly supported by one of the six artillery, will push hard in that direction along the Swiss border. I’ll call this sector A.

Germans from Strasbourg up to the vincinity of Saarbruchen will push straight ahead with the support of two artillery pieces. These forces will shift their weight to support either the Push for Belfort or the drive to Verdun as needed. This is sector B.

Germans in and around Saarbruchen and the Saar mines, sector C, will push straight for Verdun, also with two artillery pieces dedicated to them.

Sector D, the area Between Luxemburg and the Dutch border, will remain pure a defensive one with a single artillery piece and the least priority for new forces. Should the situation become untenable, and additional help desperately needed, I have left the Dutch at 80% to be able to quickly Diplo-Blitz them into the war. That will allow me to outflank the forces pressing from Belgium.

I have no illusions about this, with this large a difference in National morale, it is likely that I will succeed mostly in breaking myself with this push. However, should I actually reach my objectives and meet with success in other theatres of operations, I just might have a shot.

Other Concerns

The extremely rapid lean of the US worries me a lot. It has gone from virtually nothing as of October 1917, to nearly 60% by February 1918. If the US enter the war, it is over. Not due to their military, which I am not worried about, but due to the nm boost the entente will get and the hit I will take. This means that I need to invest in diplomacy on them, expensive, and very hard to do in the middle of a large offensive. Still, it cant be helped.

I debated long and hard whether to withdraw German forces and artillery from other fronts, and decided ultimately not to. Their presence there is very small in the light of the scale of west front warfare, and they do a world of difference where they are. Also, I will continue to push in both the Near East and Italy, trying to reach NM objectives that I can grab with the Germans to indirectly help out with their struggle in the west. Any British forces diverted to the Near East costs the entente both transports, and presence in the west.

That’s it. I think a fitting theme for 1918 would be “the last ride of the Valkyries”.

[Bill101]

You're right that it does seem a bit odd that the Treaty of Bucharest cannot happen before October 1917. I will have to check to see if there was a reason why I set it at that.

As to the value of Ukrainian grain, from what I recall it was a bit of a disappointment due to the situation there and the disruption caused by war and revolution. So while being useful to have it, it wouldn't fully negate the impact of not being able to trade with Holland, particularly as imports from Holland would be of a wider number of products than those from the Ukraine.