WW1 Revisited - An Ash and Will AAR - Entente

[Will95]

You don't have to fight to the death in Serbia; you can take your Serb HQs and men and withdraw into Greece and Albania and continue the fight there after Serbia surrenders...as long as you make sure they are all outside Serb borders at the moment of capitulation.

Good tip! I'm still learning this scenario's quirks. It might be too late to save my Serbian friends, sadly

But I may be able to retain a couple of corps and the HQs. As an aside, I don't suppose Serbian HQ's are good for anything but commanding Serbian troops?

[lettowvorbeck]

No, but they're very useful for supply!

[Will95]

Turn 17

The fighting in the north of Russia is slow as usual. And our worst fears that the Germans had reached a new level of infantry warfare was realised. Not all troops have been issued new weaponry but this is nevertheless a huge blow for the Russians, who still languish with inferior weapons.

Warsaw was shored up with additional reinforcements. No other activity to report.

The southern fighting against the Austrians remains the most promising front- we lost yet another corps, and once again destroyed one of theirs. However this time, we managed to go one further- we broke through their lines and destroyed a 20% strength cavalry unit which was resting. We now have a straight shot against the Austrian HQ. For now I am ignoring the other fortress, as trying to take it without upgraded artillery is suicide. However, by whittling down the support surrounding the fortress, I believe things are slowly tipping my way...

Of course this might all change when Serbia collapses, which will happen surely next turn. We evacuated the last HQ's and a single corps while the remainder were ordered to stand and fight.

In Italy things are looking positive; we took quite a beating to get it, but Gorz finally fell. Next stop, Trieste!

The Middle East saw action for the first time in a while. The entrenched and upgraded Ottomans are tough to crack, but ultimately we lost just 7 units of strength to destroy 6 of theirs- not a bad trade off in an assault. A cavalry unit which wasn't doing much was sent to Gaza, where it will continue to capture towns. The Force D detachment has been making good ground there but I'm afraid to advance too far lest I be outflanked and lose Gaza.

This turn Russia got a lucky break on entrenchment tech (level 3) which will be an enormous help against the approaching upgraded Prussian forces. The French also finally reached a new level in infantry weapons, so in 2 turns time, the Western front will become a hotbed of action. I'm sure that Ash has noticed my build up there by now but hopefully it shouldn't matter, as he's now so invested in the East that to react to my build up would remove his current tech advantage against the Russians.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Gaza ? You mean Basra ? Because Gaza seems to be firmly in OE hands... Maybe poor Hamilton had too much brandy celebrating his victo... vigorous assault .

- Well done at Gallipoli ! Should force Turks to burn some MPPs answering the threat. By the way any news from Caucasus ?

- German inf tech 1 is bad news, how bad will depend on how long Russians and Frenchies will trail behind. I suppose it will also delay any action against Metz...

- It's always an interesting debate about the "no man's land strategy" (having a row of empty hexes between enemy lines in the West). It let Germans upgrade freely a lot of units in one turn but gives some more breathing room. Keeping the two lines adjacent means more risks but also a lot of trouble to upgrade units (including entrenchment levels lost).

- Italians have enough forces to replace Serbians in the backstabbing role so Austrians will be kept on their heels but will the Tsar keep ordering bloodbathes in Galicia with Prussians growing stronger and stronger in the north ?

[Will95]

- Gaza ? You mean Basra ? Because Gaza seems to be firmly in OE hands... Maybe poor Hamilton had too much brandy celebrating his victo... vigorous assault .

They didn't send Hamilton into the desert and away from the 'real' fighting for nothing...haha

- Well done at Gallipoli ! Should force Turks to burn some MPPs answering the threat. By the way any news from Caucasus ?

No news from there. I really hate the Caucasus because it's just a nightmare moving around those mountains I've operated a lot of the force out of there just leaving a real skeleton crew to guard to border, but I'm hopping that the OE is stretched enough not to do anything about it.

- German inf tech 1 is bad news, how bad will depend on how long Russians and Frenchies will trail behind. I suppose it will also delay any action against Metz...

Russians should get it in 3-4 turns time and the French have already got it (reached the tech at end of last turn). So there'll be one more turn to upgrade, then the Metz assault. I hope to break it quickly then solidify my position by winter time.

- It's always an interesting debate about the "no man's land strategy" (having a row of empty hexes between enemy lines in the West). It let Germans upgrade freely a lot of units in one turn but gives some more breathing room. Keeping the two lines adjacent means more risks but also a lot of trouble to upgrade units (including entrenchment levels lost).

Indeed, although by the time you get to 1915 it feels like advancing would just end up costing you a huge amount of MPPs in lost units.

- Italians have enough forces to replace Serbians in the backstabbing role so Austrians will be kept on their heels but will the Tsar keep ordering bloodbathes in Galicia with Prussians growing stronger and stronger in the north ?

With the new and improved Russian trenches, and not much German artillery to speak of, I think I should be able to hold my current line _just_ about until the snow arrives. I'm gonna start stocking up MPPs until then so I can order in a ton of units starting around November-December to replace the year's losses. I'm gonna keep pressing Galicia for the simple reason that if I don't, then Ash might be tempted to turn and face Italy...And they're quite isolated, you only have to lose a few miles of ground before NM objectives like Venice go down

stuff and things

[Will95]

Turn 18

The Eastern Front was static this turn- a rare occurence. Very little movement. However I now have my sights set on the town of Stanislaw. It's isolated and the troops guarding it are low on morale- easy prey.

So almost exactly a year after the war began, Serbia fell under a combined German-Austrian-Bulgarian offensive. They took many soldiers with them, but it's a regrettable loss at any rate. The remenants of the army retreats into the mountains.

In the Middle East, we rested. Progress is frustratingly slow without upgraded artillery.

And finally, a look at the build up for the Metz offensive.

France, at long last, can now upgrade their artillery too.

[Will95]

Turn 19

Well the stalemate on the Eastern Front sure didn't last long. German forces blew apart my carefully laid defenses at Warsaw like wet tissue paper. Damned artillery, ruining my fun. The Russians were deeply saddened at the city's loss and the defenders that remain retreat. The central front prays for snow!

Down in the south, we began to upgrade Russian forces ahead of a hail mary attack to occur at some point just shy of winter, or in 1916. We now have the technology to upgrade our cannons, so taking the fortress of Przmystl is definitely viable.

In Italy, upgraded weapons have now reached almost all Entente forces. Even with Serbia crushed, I see no sign of a significant build up of Austrian forces, and if all goes to plan, I will make an assault on Trieste next turn. The upgraded Italians ought to give Ash decent cause for concern when he sees them.

In the western front, high command is growing concerned. I have no doubt in my mind that Ash is well aware of my plans to make a central thrust at this point, and I'm going to be facing two lines of strong upgraded and well dug in troops. I have artillery superiority, but any attack I make will be seriously bloody for the Entente, especially as the damned Frenchies just dont want to get in high spirits. They haven't fired a shot so far in this war and yet they remain on low morale and readiness- WHY?!

At any rate, I now have two choices- make an attack before the year is over and just bear the brunt of the force. This will be good as it will relieve some of the pressure on Russia, but it will no doubt lead to countless losses.

The alternative is to wait until snow arrives, then advance with the bad weather where we can't take any serious casualties. This will be more efficient, but could mean that Russia continues to take a hammering with no pressure being relieved and ultimately mean having to fall back from the very favourable position against the Austrians. Choices, choices...

Oh, and one last thing. The British have been up to mischief again...

[Will95]

Turn 20

Events are quickly going south in Russia. The long time taken to replace lost units means that Russian forces in the center are now outgunned and seriously outnumbered. We fall back to the Brest fortress and operate in reinforcements from across the continent in a desperate bid to hold territory. One of the Russian HQ's (only a level 5 thankfully) has been damaged and will no doubt be destroyed. The artillery was saved though, and operated south to face the Austrian fort line.

In Montenegro a brave detachment is holding the capital city to the death. But...what's this? Belgians? No, your eyes do not decieve you. The Belgian force of 2 corps and King Albert himself have been sent to turn the mountainous regions of southern Europe into a quagmire for the Austrians. With a bit of luck, Ash will have already operated most of his Serbian occuption force to face the Russians or Italians, leaving only a skeleton force to defend against a very angry, and upgraded Belgian force. I was originally planning to use the Belgians as a wedge to drive an opening into Gallipolli, but I felt they could be of more use here.

In the Middle East, the deadlock was finally broken in proud fashion by the British forces. (Although the French fleet will forever insist that they were the deciding factor) We destroyed a 'corner' of the Ottoman trench line and now prepare to advance towards the cities of the OE. Our little landing raid has surely disrupted activities for the CP who seem to have drawn back a HQ and corps to deal with the threat.

In Italy, we have begun sieging Trieste. Still no sign of a serious enemy force. I am thoroughly confused as to where the Serbian occupation force has disappeared to. Nevertheless the Italians are posing a serious and growing threat to the no doubt war-weary Austrians, and they will have to react sooner or later.

In the West my cold feet remained. No assualt on Metz yet, although the Brits upgraded their artillery. Some more of Kitchener's army was sent across the Channel.

The British, being the stellar guys they are, decided that the Russians cannot simply be watched from afar as they are systematically destroyed by the Prussians. This turn we increased British supplies to the Tsar from 5% to the max, 20%, now worth about 40~MPPs to the Russians. I

[Will95]

Turn 21

****. **** **** ****, ****. ****.

Austrians approach from the south, bolstered by reinforcements (presumably this is where most of the Serbian force was sent). Germans attack from the north. The situation is bleak. Pray for snow. At th very least, the German forces are quite exhausted after 3 turns of non stop assault. Now that he's hit Brest, he'll be forced to take a pause, even if just a brief one. All MPPs this turn were pumped into reinforcements due to arrive early next year.

And if that wasn't bad enough:

Remember how I talked about hoping the OE wouldn't attack the Caucuses? Yeah well. ****.

Thankfully it isn't all tears and misery. The Austrians sent 2 corps to try and defend against the Italian onslaught, only to have one cut down immediately.

The Austrians continue to get pounded just south of Montenegro, with a corps destroyed while we took virtually no losses. An unlikely alliance between Belgians and Serbs is no doubt creating a bit of a headache in these tricky mountains.

In France, still no movement...

...will 1915 be remembered as the year the Western Entente stood by and watched while the world burned?

[Strategiclayabout]

Ouuuchiiiie...

- Now Russians will have to make difficult decisions to avoid a complete disaster. But at least Austrians seem to be badly overstretched. Maybe Entente should advance on Vienna instead of Metz ?

- Caucasus: always better to keep something (even detachements) in the border towns. Without artillery Turks won't be able to do much there. Well Germans can still operate artillery...

- So the NM chicken race is in full swing with the Tsar ahead at 58 followed by Austrians at 67, place your bets gentlemen ^^ !

[Will95]

Ouuuchiiiie...

- Now Russians will have to make difficult decisions to avoid a complete disaster. But at least Austrians seem to be badly overstretched. Maybe Entente should advance on Vienna instead of Metz ?

Not a bad idea. I've certainly been considering just sending the western British to start making headroom into the OE, knock them out directly at the capital, then focus on Austria, or vice versa.

[Will95]

Turn 22

The damn Germans are insufferable. I thought Brest would hold them up- clearly that was wishful thinking. Once again the Russian ramparts present little more than a speedbump to the Prussian horde. We've pulled all the way back from the Austrian front and will probably have to start dealing with an offensive from them, too. Fortunately, the snow has arrived, and we might be able to get a little breathing room. We also managed to do a single point of damage to the German HQ. Hey, it's something! A whole bunch of new corps are due for arrival over the next few turns, but we're going to have to give up a fair amount of territory in 1916...

Significant Austrian reinforcements arrived on the Italian front. We still maintain the upper hand, though, and despite the bad weather forced a unit to retreat at 60% strength.

The Bulgarians have joined the fun in the south of Europe. Engagements are fleeting and undecisive.

In the West, bored French troops were roused from their 18 month slumber...The excited young men of the Western Entente, as yet uninitiated in the brutality of industrial warfare, were ordered to walk slowly through to snow towards the fortress...of Metz. The British back them up from the rear, ready to fill the gaps that will inevitably be left by the incoming bloodshed.

The Belgian front, long forgotten since the skirmishes of early 1915, will also see a minor offensive. German troops here aren't even upgraded- easy prey.

(no pic)

Things are about to get very messy. I'll post a 1915/6 update with my war plans and strategy/thinking after next turn.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention- Holland is now neutral, huzzah!

Hope everyone lurking in the AAR (1000 views for both! ) is enjoying the game so far!

[Will95]

Turn 24

Oh my giddy aunt. I haven't played a turn this disgusting in a long, long time.

Let's start small and work our way up. The eastern front finally settled down as the winter gave me a little breathing room to entrench in the snow. It won't last forever, but it's something. We are definitely at a low point for the Russians though, but fortunately the next few months will provide us with significant reinforcements.

It should be noted however, that our single corps guarding the Caucuses will soon be overrun.

The Italians had a major breakthrough. Taking advantage of the 'switching out' of the detachment guarding Trieste in favour of a more meatier corps, the Italian High Command sent every living soul to capture the city. They delivered. Trieste is now ours.

Down in the Middle East, there were two major developments. The British line opened fire on an Ottoman corps and while taking almost no losses, reduced it to 20% strength. I could have chased it to finish it off, but I didn't bother in this instance. Now that the British have upgraded their artillery, it's easier and more cost efficient to just wear him down without exposing myself too much. At the end of the turn, a new ANZAC corp arrived too!

I mentioned two major developments, and here's the second. We always knew the Turks were a quirky bunch but we didn't think it would extend to this- the Baghdad corps apparently went rogue, sallying out from the city and attempting to halt our cavalry, which has been systematically 'liberating' every city in the region. Our cavalry simply evaded the thick-witted foe and took the city itself!

But now, for the moment we've all been waiting for. Those following the AAR will know that my cold feet in 1915 about a Western Entente assault on the west German lines cost the Russians dearly. However, I intend to make it all worthwhile. Noting that although bad weather persisted, the snow cleared, and the Metz assault, long awaited, was finally ordered. The heavy guns opened up first, reducing the walls to little more than rubble. A combined Anglo-French infantry attack did lethal damage while taking very little losses, and we were finally able to storm the fortress and occupy it. The German people mourned the loss of their front line stronghold dearly.

But that's not all; in the north I promised a Belgian offensive, and here it is. A less grandiose affair than the Metz Assault but nonetheless successful, French troops with the support of a gun battery wiped out an enemy corps, once again to very few losses. We advanced to forward positions where we are exposed, but naval spotting has revealed a very thin line guarding Belgium, and a serious lack of morale among the troops here.

I also had some very interesting decision events this turn:

1. I was given the chance to introduce conscription to further squeeze the last remaining troops out of Britain. I said yes. However you may have noticed that the British forces are a bit anemic as far as leadership goes- 3 HQ's, 2 of which are in the Middle East and 1 in France. To remedy this, and support the conscription measure, I ordered a new HQ last turn. He should arrive shortly, and I will have to decide whether to send him to Basra to secure our position there and hit the Ottomans from another front, or push our position in France.

2. Italians had the option of forming another Detachment in Africa. I said yes.

3. The British had the choice of sending the new ANZAC corps to the MidEast or France. I chose Africa, because it is ironically the Ottomans who pose possible the greatest threat right now- in the Caucuses of Russia. I must do everything I can to distract the Turk from his incessant longing for my Russian resources.

1916 war plan/summary incoming.

[Will95]

1915 Summary - 1916 War Plan

Right men. Settle down, settle down. The leaders of the Entente have called a meeting to discuss all matter related to the Great War- past, present and future.

I'll break down the different fronts and give my opinion of where they score in terms of activity (how much fighting there was), the level of tactical success (the efficiency of our corps vs corps fighting ie did we kill more men than we lost) and the strategic level of success (did we achieve our objectives).

The War Thus Far

Western Front

Activity: 4/10

Tactical success: 7/10

Strategic success: 7/10

The Western front saw two main bouts of fighting between 1914 and the end of 1915. There was the initial Schlieffen, which led to some French losses and a single British (corps) loss, but I feel we easily made up for that, and then some. The entire Belgian army escaped relatively unscathed. The subsequent April 1915 offensive to retake Ypres was equally successful although we took some losses for our troubles. We achieved little strategic success- the Prussian were quick to reinforce their weak line and soon we were facing strong willed, dug in troops without the artillery necessary to do anything about it.

In early 1916 however we experienced good strategic success with the taking of Metz and further pressing the line in Belgium, so the score gets bumped up a fair bit just based on that.

Italian Front (and Adriatic)

Activity: 7/10

Tactical success: 9/10

Strategic success: 10/10

The Italians are the dark horse of this war. Their army is strong and has so far outclassed the Austrians in just about every engagement. The taking of Triest, and to a lesser extent Gorz, were significant successes- I really couldn't have expected the Italians to do much more than they did in this period.

Battles in the Adriatic Sea were quick and decisive. We lost not a single ship while the entire Austrian fleet was wiped out. A few very weak subs rest in port but the surface fleet has gone entirely. The NM boosts provided were split fairly evenly between the Italians, British and French.

Balkans Front

Activity: 9/10

Tactical success: 2/10

Strategic success: 5/10

The Central Powers focused a lot of effort on taking out Serbia and it showed; I now find myself rather squashed up against the southern coastlines. The addition of the German artillery to the Serbian push was what really 'made' that front for the Austrian troops, although we shall have to see whether that investment pays off. We lost a lot of troops and weren't able to mount much of a fightback, but the strudy detachment in Montenegro deserve medals for the way they're holding that city.

I think sending the Belgians to shore things up a bit was a good call, although I'm now wondering if it was enough force. They're having a bit of a hard time holding the line, but at least the line HAS held since they arrived. Greece of course have joined but aren't in a position to do much of anything until and if Ash decides to invade- which will fully mobilize the army.

Eastern Front (and Baltic)

Activity: 10/10

Tactical Success: 1/10

Strategic Success: 5/10

Well, the Russians certainly made things interesting this game! They put up a great fight and although they're definitely not out of the running yet, they're on the back foot. A great offensive by the Germans and the loss of Warsaw and Brest pretty much nullify any strategic success gained by taking Lemberg. Naturally the Russians have sustained the heaviest losses and at points it seemed like their defenses just did nothing. As Russian troops are by default weaker than the Germans, to have an infantry weapon tech deficiency against the Prussians just made things so, so much worse.

However, the Russians fought a good war against the Austrian- at times it was tit for tat, but the result is a very weak and war weary Austria as we head into 1916.

The Caucus fighting was pretty much limited to a bunch of upgraded Ottoman corps stomping all over my weak defense. It's a pretty bad situation down there.

Of course, we can't forget the naval calamity that was 1914. Very early in the war much of the Russian fleet was lost, which is a shame as it grows quite a bit throughout 1915 naturally, and could have been quite threatening to use against the Germans if brought to bear now. Oh well- live and learn.

Middle East

Activity: 3/10

Tactical Success: 9/10

Strategic Success: 8/10

The Middle East didn't see a whole lot of _fighting_ per se, but I hit a lot of my key strategic targets. The big one is of course the Gallipoli landings. I haven't yet had the manpower to exploit this opening but the royal marines there remain content, and dug in, and it is highly unlikely that anything but a real concerted effort by the Ottomans will unseat them.

The actual fighting wasn't a huge success strategically- we haven't really pushed back the Ottoman line from where it first started in early 1915, although we have been systematically taking them out piece by piece. It's been slow, though, but I think I can put that down the the useless British artillery (finally upgraded).

Last turn's little Baghdad win was a nice strategic victory too, even if it doesn't last.

War Plan 1916

Western Front

For the last year and a half this has been the war that never was- thousands of troops giving each other 'the eye' over a no-mans land that spans 20 miles in most places (that is the width of a single grid right? ). The French have had a pretty rum time really, all things considered. Well, now they're about to get down and dirty just like those Russian boys they've been hearing about.

The plan for 1916 isn't fancy- we're going to smash the German line in at two points- the Metz/Luxembourg breakthrough, where we have our eyes on the two significant industrial mining complexes that lie just within Germany's borders, and the Belgian capital Brussels. It's going to get quite messy, but we have a lot of artillery and a lot of men- the Germans have neither, yet, anyway.

Eastern Front

Having been on the offensive for much of the war so far, it's time to change tactics. Research for the Russians will be pushed heavily into trench warfare and we will become very defensive, giving as much ground as is necessary while we wait for reinforcements.

Italian Front

I suspect that Ash will react violently to the loss of Trieste, possibly sending German reinforcements. If you take a look at where the troops are currently fighting, you'll see it's basically all mountains- good defensive terrain. Having taking Trieste and attracted quite a lot of attention, I am now going to switch to a more defensive playstyle here. There aren't many easy to reach objectives for the Italians now that they've taken Trieste, so notwithstanding a small excursion to sieze Pola and take out the sub resting there, there isn't much I can really do further without artillery.

Middle East

I hope that things will really start shifting here soon. I'm going to continue to push the Ottoman line back with the southern British, and try and expand out of Gallipoli with my new British HQ + conscripted corps that will arrive shortly. There isn't much room to move around in this area and the corps at Gallipoli is well dug in, so taking it out will require manpower. However, if I can capture the town, it will place me _really_ close to the OE capital and Adrianople, as well as opening up the Dardanelles.

Balkans

I'm fighting a bit of a losing battle here really. However, I've decided that it doesn't really matter, either. The territory we're fighting over is fairly meaningless in terms of both NM and industrial capacity. I might get a bit more excited about this theater if Ash extends down into Greece, and this might require some additional outside support, but unless that happens, I'm going to look on the Balkans as a sideshow.

So there's the summary of the war so far. I'm pleased to note that the game is remarkably even so far, and it really could go either way yet.

[Strategiclayabout]

Interesting way to sum it up with activity/tactical/strategic .

- It sure is an interesting campaign with heavy blows dealt on both sides and the advantage swinging back and forth. Clear advantage for EN in the West, the opposite in the East (safe for the fall of Baghdad).

- Stupid question: the Belgians where UK colored starting the game but are now french blueish, how did that happen ? Maybe a new patch thing when Ypres was captured and they went under french control ?

- The best thing I see is the incredibly high morale for EN with 20+ points more than CP. A lot will depend on how the Kaiser handles Russia. It can give a lot of NM/MPPs for a while before collapsing.

- Congratulations for taking Metz in one go, seems you're becoming a fortress assault specialist, next stop Antwerp hehe ^^ . Well Germans will have a good chance to retake it quickly but can they afford the casualties without eastern troops ?

P.S.: About Italians I'm sure you'll find some vicious ways to use them .

[Will95]

Interesting way to sum it up with activity/tactical/strategic .

- It sure is an interesting campaign with heavy blows dealt on both sides and the advantage swinging back and forth. Clear advantage for EN in the West, the opposite in the East (safe for the fall of Baghdad).

Indeed, Ash has got me on the run with the Russians- but fortunately for me, that part is somewhat inevitable. CP really _should_ be able to do serious damage to the Russians if resources are really committed to it, as they have been in this game.

- Stupid question: the Belgians where UK colored starting the game but are now french blueish, how did that happen ? Maybe a new patch thing when Ypres was captured and they went under french control ?

I was surprised too by that. I think the Ypres thing is most likely (as when I 'liberated' Belgium by taking Ypres, I did so with a French unit). This has actually worked out really well for me, because otherwise they would have been much slower getting to the Balkans with fewer British MPPs to spare and a surplus for the French

- The best thing I see is the incredibly high morale for EN with 20+ points more than CP. A lot will depend on how the Kaiser handles Russia. It can give a lot of NM/MPPs for a while before collapsing.

Indeed, the NM war is definitely in my favour. As for Russia I think now that the tech parity has been restored (ie both at inf weapons 1) progress for the Germans will slow down again, particularly once my reinforcements arrive (got about 8 corps queued up to arrive by March).

- Congratulations for taking Metz in one go, seems you're becoming a fortress assault specialist, next stop Antwerp hehe ^^ . Well Germans will have a good chance to retake it quickly but can they afford the casualties without eastern troops ?

Actually I don't think Ash will be able to retake it. Certainly not this turn, and it's the turn immediately after a fortress falls when it tends to be most vulnerable due to proximity to enemy units, reduced entrenchment, weakened occupiers etc. I say that because a) his artillery expended all (I think all 10 were fired, although it might have been just 8) available shells on my advancing corps in the turn before the Metz assualt, so he won't have the shells to de-entrench my defenders and Out of the 5 enemy 'squares' surrounding Metz, only 3 of them are corps, one of them is unupgraded and the others are at 80% strength.

My British guns haven't fired a shell yet either so unless Ash retreats his front line immediately to the west of Metz guarding the mines, I should be able to take out both those corps and occupy the mines. If that happens, then Metz should be all but secured unless Ash sends massive reinforcements from the East and just launches spoiling attacks (which he isn't in a position to do given his NM slump).

P.S.: About Italians I'm sure you'll find some vicious ways to use them .

stuff and things

[Will95]

Turn 24

The Western front is where the action remains for now- in fact, the Western Entente were the only factions to fire a single shot this turn.

We began by shelling the unit guarding the industrial mines. The British guns did well to shake them as well as destroying a few units of strength, and after taking few losses, we occupied the mines for ourselves. Even if they are immediately taken back, the damage has been done; it will take time for them to recover back to full industrial capacity. Noticeably large amounts of reinforcements have been sent to try and plug the 'Metz gap', but a lot of them are unupgraded and lack the morale and readiness required for a fortress assault. I kept the French guns silent to recover their shells ready to hit the defenders to the south-east of Metz.

In the Balkans, the Serbs and Montenegrins breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Austrians and Bulgarians backed off, although this might well be the quiet before the storm. With only 3 proper corps here we can't exactly mount an offensive, but with the pressure relieved, it frees up the Belgians. I now have a small task force which could be feasibly sent anywhere- Gallipoli, Basra, Italy...

The dusty fighting continued in the Middle East with another Ottoman corps being knocked back at 10% strength. If I could just capture a single city, this campaign would go a lot faster...

In the Caucus and the rest of Russia, no offensive actions by the Central Powers. We used this opportunity to distribute our reinforced armies appropriately, sending many to plug the Caucus hole. I will send a HQ down there next turn to help defend against the Ottomans, however now that troops are there, I'm a little more relaxed

In Italy we just reinforced our position around Trieste, no picture needed.

A major tech breakthrough at the end of the turn- gas and shell level 2 for the French. With their 2 guns on the western front, things might start getting really bloody very soon...

Also, the French have bought their first 'tank'. The French engineers are not quite sure what impact this strange armoured vehicle will have on the battlefield, but we have invested in the appropriate technology too...

[lettowvorbeck]

build a Greek arty unit and go on the offensive!

[Will95]

Turn 25

The Western Front had a spark of the supernatural this turn, when a French corps guarding the mines inexplicably vanished, to be replaced by a rail gun. Bizarre. Didn't even count as killed. The upshot is that we destroyed the front line rail gun (lol) and another corps on Metz' flank. Metz now stands quite isolated, I just hope Ash doesn't assault it this turn before I get a chance to cement my position.

Further north, we make slower but steady progress in Belgium, taking a German corps down to 40% strength with the help of some off-shore bombardment.

In Italy, the Austrians continue to have a horrible time of things, losing yet another corps to the surprisingly powerful Italian. As I mentioned in my 1916 war plan though, the mountains in this region will make the gaining of further ground here very difficult without artillery. Solution? Build artillery. So the Italians have begun stockpiling their MPPs.

In Russia trainloads of reinforcements arrive to shore up our defenses. I'm feeling much better about the Russian situation now. Still no attack from the CP, yet.

We had a major tech breakthrough this turn- infantry weapons level 2 for the British. This changes things quite dramatically, and I have a rather audacious plan in the works which I hope will knock the CP out of this war once and for all, but more on that as it develops....

Italians also gained another level in trench warfare, always handy.

[Bill101]

I love the marking system!

[Will95]

Turn 26

@Bill

Cheers! I think it represents my thought process in regards to fronts pretty accurately- I mean, sometimes you can take your objectives ie fortresses in blood and it's a sort of pyrrhic victory, or you can just maul your opponent without really getting anywhere. I'll try and do one of those sum-ups at the end of every year in my AAR's from now on

The Western Front was once again a hotbed of activity, with the north Belgian front showing signs of collapsing completely. We stole the town of Ostend after the Germans kindly vacated it, meanwhile destroying 2 whole corps.

Further down the line we began prepping for another major offensive. The Brits began outfitting with their new kit and the French had yet another major gun battery arrive at the front. I am not going to use this 3rd French gun on the western front though- it would be overkill, we already have 2 French and 1 British guns. Instead, I'm going to send it to the Italians. Yes, the Italians...

The Germans launched their offensive on Russia this turn. The offensive pushes hard towards the north, and encircle a HQ at Grodno. This is unfortunate, but our main defensive line is a strong one, backed by upgraded artillery. The Tsar is determined not to let his forces be the pushover they were in 1915.

In Italy we reinforced, in the Balkans the Belgians marched, in the Middle East the British upgraded. A small lull in the big fighting them, but I believe attention will now switch to the eastern front...

[Will95]

Turn 27

So the Germans are good for something other than dying it seems!

This turn the German batteries had their turn, blowing away our defenders at both the mining complex and at Metz- however, evidently the German lines are thin, as they did not have the men to occupy either. At the start of the turn then, there was quite a valuable gap of 20-odd miles between the Entente and Central Powers...

We were quick to regarrison these key points and advanced the line fully. The German lines facing us are upgraded, and high in morale and readiness- we expect more losses to follow. To try and mitigate the losses somewhat, we allowed our batteries to switch to free-fire.

In the north the Germans have pulled way back to form a shorter line- a shrewd move given the circumstances.

The Italians, reluctant to accept help as 'they had been doing perfectly fine, thank you very much', were the begrudging recipients of a French battery piece. Of course, the French didn't trust the Italians to work it properly, so the gun crew came with. Now I can really start doing nasty things with the Italians...

In the eastern front- a tale of two cities? The German advance has stopped a few miles shy of our front line, giving us additional time to dig in. More reinforcements arrived, and another HQ was operated in to help organize the defense. The Germans still outnumber us, but the discrepancy isn't as big as it used to be.

One of our encircled corps proved that despite being well behind enemy lines and totally out of supply, they can still do damage; Hindenburg's quarters rocked with the sound of gunfire and some say we may have killed the general's secretary.

Not seen in this picture was another lucky break- a flanking cavalry unit was sent to see if Koningsberg was occupied. It was left wide open! We stole it, of course.

This turn another big break- infantry level 2 for the French. Time to turn up the heat.

[Will95]

Turn 28

All quiet on the Western Front. The Germans destroyed one of our forward corps but that was to be expected, and honestly, a lot less serious than what I was expecting (multiple corps losses + lost ground). We're in the height of fighting season now but I decided to take a break to upgrade my French troops before we assault Luxembourg.

Also, a fun pic showing the various maze of trenches and fortresses on the front line.

In Italy, the French guns proved their worth and helped the Italians knock out another corps. The Austrians have finally begun upgrading their weaponry, but he won't be able to do so on the Italian front without leaving his trenches...

In Russia, the Austrians began advancing out of the mountains in the south, with Germans from the west. This is pretty bad as most reinforcements have gone to the north, and I can't seem to operate out of this sector!!

In the north of Russia we lost another town, but the main defensive line holds steady, and is in surprisingly high spirits.

In the Middle east we pushed the line forwards wholesale, destroying an Ottoman corps. Note the German support that has now been sent here.

The Brits finally reached a new level in gas/shell production, so the push on Damascus should start going a lot quicker now. The Russians upgraded their trenches, always handy when on the defensive.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Seems you can just delay in the East while crushing everything in your way in the West. Germans need infantry lvl2 quickly to make a stand or they'll have to transfer troops from Russia.

- I think sending those 3 prussian corps in the ME is a dangerous move as they're badly needed in the West. Better give ground at the end of the world than in front of the Reich industrial heartland !

- That said one can wonder how long the Tsar will keep his people obedient after suffering defeat upon defeat. Whise nerves will tank first ? The NM chicken race is on more than ever hehe !

[Will95]

Turn 29

The Germans are not quite out of fight yet, despite displaying a tumbling desire to continue the war. They destroy 2 of our French front line troops, but are unable to advance and occupy- the mines remain ours. We fought back almost like for like, destroying the corps occupying Luxembourg and taking another to virtual destruction but again, were unable to occupy. However, the attacks left the defenders of Metz somewhat understrength, and I am very concerned that German forces will be able to occupy it next turn- depends how well supplied the CP arty is.

Up the line in Belgium, German forces have dug in across the river close to Brussels. This will make further attacks quite pricey in terms of manpower, but at this point I think it's worth it, given the declining German NM. We destroyed a corps and are now just mere miles away from the Belgian capital.

On the Italian front we continue, unchallenged, to disrupt and destroy the Austrian defensive line, taking out another corps, and destroying a detachment in low supply that attempted to sneak through the southern mountains. We used some spare Italian MPPs to upgrade our HQ's.

(forgot a picture, apologies)

In Russia, the Austrian advance enveloped Lemberg; a sad, but inevitable loss. We have pulled back while we wait for reinforcement on this front as Russian forces are seriously outnumbered.

In the Middle East, we turned our attentions south and destroyed a detachment guarding the mountain pass to the port at Aquaba. An assortment of CP forces have put up a stiff defense in front of Jerusalem and I am unwilling to throw men into a meatgrinder when I can achieve much easier gains by turning south. Taking the docks should, if I remember rightly, provide extra support to partisan activity in this region too.

The Italians upgraded their war industry this turn to further place pressure on the weakening enemy.