Bill101

The Kaiser is packing his bags and booking his train to take him to Holland. Although the German army is still fighting hard, our positions in the west are crumbling as the French have achieved a breakthrough in Alsace-Lorraine, and their lead elements further north are not far from the Rhine at Coblenz. Our Ottomans have been very badly mauled by the British and their Arab allies in the desert. It turns out that T.E. Lawrence has been a better leader than we'd thought, and our survivors are retreating back into Mesopotamia.

Ja, der Krieg ist verloren, aber ich will kampfen wieder mit Dan.

Tough fighting continues in Serbia and Turkey. The Entente's landing at Smyrna certainly opens up a new threat to the Ottomans, but fortunately some fresh troops deploy this turn so we should be able to contain their bridgehead. Radom in Poland falls to a pincer attack launched by German and Austro-Hungarian forces, leaving one Russian Corps cut off and without supply. Konigsberg is still holding out ok. French and British forces are continuing their advance into Germany, and a counterattack we launched against a French Cavalry Corps failed this turn due to the strong support they were given by their artillery. Germany's National Morale is now very low, but we will fight on until the end. Our armies in the west are attempting to hold their positions so as to slow the enemies advance, and we've just deployed a fresh artillery unit near Aachen which should help.

Hammering the Russians in Poland continues, and we hope to soon be advancing on Brest-Litovsk. Some Serbian forces are still carrying on the fight in the Balkans, though one unit defending Uzice takes a pounding, and the Belgian Detachment serving near Uskub is destroyed. In the west, French units have crossed the Rhine! Mulhouse has fallen and Strasbourg is threatened. The situation is looking grave and Ludendorff is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Hi SirKid Thanks for the feedback. Taking a look at this area is on my agenda so it is quite possible that some amendments will be made. In your games, had Russia surrendered in both and was Germany receiving grain supplies from the Ukraine? Bill

I agree that it's all about the definition, and I think we're on similar lines too. In 1915 Serbia saw that they were losing and made a conscious decision to evacuate as many soldiers and civilians as possible, thus enabling them to continue the fight from exile. If their escape route had been blocked, or their army destroyed in battle, then their subsequent contribution to the war would have been much less noticeable. I think that the game as it currently stands does replicate this to a large degree, because even after Serbia has surrendered there can be uprisings in both Belgrade and Pristina (Pristina was the focal point for a rising during the war). Plus if the Entente player has thought ahead, they can evacuate Serbian armed forces before their last capital falls, thus ensuring that the Serbs will still have a presence in the war later on. In my game with Dan, he did this with his Belgian forces defending Antwerp, because rather than see them surrender when I captured Antwerp, he evacuated them by sea so that they could fight on from exile. Russia will also have the option to form a Serbian Volunteer Corps after Serbia's surrender, representing the large numbers of Serbs, many of them prisoners of war that were captured serving in Austro-Hungarian units, who wanted to continue the fight. Thus Serbia's internal resistance, and the possibility to carry on the fight from exile, are already there in the game, with the surrender in the game representing the collapse of any Serbian armed forces still in the country when their last capital is taken, and the securing of their resources by their occupier.

T.E. Lawrence's Arabs take a drubbing in the desert, and are destroyed. But we currently have no troops in southern Turkey capable of stopping the enemy's advance, so we can only hope that their logistical problems prevent them from advancing too far before our reinforcements arrive. Uskub falls to Bulgarian forces, which is great news at long last, but I do not feel that our campaign in Serbia is really over. The Entente won't give up that easily and now that Romania has entered the war, this area is going to see a lot more fighting yet! Romania may already be regretting her decision to enter the war, as our Zeppelins are bombing Bucharest and the Ploesti oilfields. Prince Rupprecht marches into Lodz at the head of his victorious troops. It's good to see success on this front too! Given the grave situation facing Germany, we've decided not to send out some commerce raiders to attack British shipping in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The war will probably not last that much longer, so their expedition wouldn't be worthwhile. Although Germany has many units currently in training, the people are losing the will to continue the war and we are facing growing amounts of industrial unrest. Finally, here's an image of the Caucasian front, showing Russian attacks in red. I've just withdrawn two Corps from near the Russian border, as things are not looking good for the Ottoman Empire.

From the thread 1914 Call to Arms AAR - Bill v Dan, I thought it would be better to discuss this in a separate thread. Hi Whether or not Belgium or Romania would have surrendered had they been totally overrun is an interesting question. Given that Albert of Belgium was negotiating with Germany during the war even though some territory remained in Entente hands, it may well be that he would have come to terms with the Germans if the German had conquered all of his country and advanced deeper into France. All the countries you've mentioned can already have units that carry on the fight from exile, as we've seen in this game with Dan's use of his Belgians. But your post has got me thinking about this subject. Whether a change can be made that will satisfy all requirements and not cause any issues in turn is the big question. I'll think on. As to countries surrendering, I wonder how different Serbia's march into exile in WWI is to Poland's withdrawal into Hungary and Romania in WWII?

Rather than reply in this thread I've started a new one on this subject.

Hi The distant blockade is worth 10 points per trigger point per turn, whereas the close blockade is worth 25 per trigger point per turn. Bill

Warsaw Captured! Great news from Poland: Warsaw is ours at last. Russian morale falls, and Lodz should soon be ours too! In Serbia we nearly captured Uskub this turn, but hopefully we'll have better luck next turn as our Austro-Hungarian artillery will be able to provide a significant amount of fire support then. In the Middle East, Arab partisans trying to enter Mesopotamia are beaten back, and they flee in disorder. Our chances of holding Belgium for long are very slim, though more reinforcements are due next turn, it's best that our Headquarters move back into Germany leaving just some infantry behind to slow the enemy's advance.

Good to hear it, and one very important thing to note is that HQs are the most important units in the game. Even though they cannot attack, it's their supply and combat bonuses that make the units under their command successful. Keep them close to the front, but also keep them safe.

The last remnants of our Ottoman army in Syria are now encircled at Beirut. Better news is that our troops are starting to arrive from Mesopotamia via forced marches, and our Heavy Artillery have somehow survived the enemy's onslaught. The enemy's position in Serbia is falling apart and our forces are advancing on Uskub, but the Entente haven't given up hope and we are here facing a ragged mixture of Serbian, Montenegrin, Greek, Albanian, Italian and amazingly, even Belgian units!! So far von Hutier is having a much better campaign in Poland than Hindenburg had, as Warsaw is now virtually surrounded, while further south Lublin is captured by Austro-Hungarian forces, and the Russian cavalry that had been hovering around Krakow are driven off. Thousands of German reinforcements arrive in the west, and some in the east too. The British and French didn't pursue us as hard as I'd expected into Belgium last turn, so we've got time to build up some defensive positions near Brussels. Reconnaissance flights show that the enemy have no artillery units near the German border, so they are probably planning on continuing their thrusts into Belgium for the near future. Our Zeppelins have just been upgraded, and Austria-Hungary is stepping up shell production. If it weren't for the German people going hungry and our forces being chased out of northern France, the Kaiser would be feeling much more optimistic!

Serbia loses their capital at Nish, so now they will have to hold Uskub or they will surrender. We really need this front to close down asap because everywhere else is just a little too hot at the moment, and Romania will probably soon enter the war against us too. In Poland our Tanks destroy a Russian Corps, and further south the Austro-Hungarians have a similar success near Lemberg. Our advances have now cut off central Poland's rail routes to and from Russia. The French lose a Corps to a swift counter attack just north of the Chemin des Dames, but until our reserves arrive this success will hardly make any difference to the speed of the Entente's advance.

The British in Mespotamia have now been destroyed so our forces there are rushing at top speed to the north. The Serbian capital of Nish has now been totally cut off from outside help, and their capital so badly damaged that the defenders are running very short of food and ammunition. The Fortress of Novo-Georgeviesk to the north of Warsaw is captured as our Tanks go into action for the first time! Although we have a lot of units preparing for deployment on the western front, certainly enough to stop the enemy's advances, they won't be ready for another turn or two. Hence I've reluctantly had to order a withdrawal from the Somme region into Belgium. While most of our U-Boats are now returning to German ports from their campaign against British shipping, some more are setting sail out into the North Sea. National Morale stands at: UK 85% France 67% Italy 95% Russia 80% Germany 31% Austria-Hungary 63% Ottoman Empire 43% Heavy German casualties and the strongly enforced blockade, both by the Entente navies and also through diplomatic pressure, largely account for the low German morale.

I'd suggest playing around in Hotseat, testing out your invasions of various countries and seeing how the enemy (because you'll be playing them too) can possibly counter your moves.

That is correct. China will benefit from the income.

While the situation in Palestine is bad, we have better news from Mesopotamia where the remnants of Britain's Force D attempt to flee from Qurna out into the desert. Their destruction next turn is assured, and then we'll have to force march our forces back to help defend the rest of the Empire. The situation in Poland is also turning in our favor as our Bombers, Rail Guns and artillery continue to disrupt the enemy's supply. Lodz is now cut off, and our Tanks have arrived for the assault on Warsaw. Things are going even better in Serbia where the enemy have vacated Kragujevac, and we're really close to being able to attack Nish: The French lose 3 Corps in furious fighting on the western front, including one that attempted to run away, with a fourth being reduced to strength 1. If we had the reserves, we'd have been able to attack their artillery! German income is down to 530 a turn, and National Morale is at a shocking 35%. The Kaiser is starting to think that he'd better practice his Dutch.

Hindenburg lost, this is a catastrophe! :eek: Still, Hindenburg's not exactly shined in this game, whereas fortunately for us von Hutier arrived for service in East Prussia last turn, so he will have to do his best to resurrect our fortunes in the east. Austria-Hungary destroys a Russian Corps north of Krakow and then advances to Lodz, surrounding the city. Warsaw is being pounded and this battle is far from decided yet. The destruction of Serbia continues as the enemy forces holding Kragujevac flee for their lives. Unfortunately our men were too exhausted by their exertions to move into the town. In Palestine, our HQ has to run the gauntlet of the enemy forces in a dash for freedom. Alas, our guns have had to be left behind! In the west, a British and a French Corps are destroyed on the Somme. But the battle continues! Our people are now starting to go hungry as the Entente have cut off our food imports from Holland. It's time to tighten our belts and prepare for even rougher times ahead.

Syedlets and Kutno are both captured in Poland, and we should hopefully be able to hold these towns as they will give us good bases from which to attack Warsaw from the east and west respectively. Our airforce and artillery have been doing great work to reduce the enemy's supply level here. A Russian unit that breached our lines at Konigsberg is destroyed, and the Serbs are taking a hammering. In Palestine, our commander Djemal Pasha is caught on the wrong side of the British breakthrough, as is our newly arrived artillery unit. This is going to be tough. The British and French have been trying hard to break our front lines on the Somme, but this turn they over extended themselves and we've destroyed two French Corps, and shattered a British one. Germany has 11 Corps in the Production Queue. We've built all the extra units we'd planned, like Bombers, Rail Guns and even a Tank unit which will be arriving shortly. We can replace our losses quickly and easily. But the problem we face is that our nation is losing the will to fight and industrial unrest is increasing.

We're in a real pickle in Palestine now, so we need to step up our offensive against Serbia so that we'll then be able to send reinforcements to help out the Sultan. Bulgarian artillery and Zeppelins pound the Serbian capital at Nish, while further north Austro-Hungarian infantry, under a grand barrage of shells, destroy the defenders of Kragujevac. Operations to encircle Warsaw continue, though we've had to transfer Prince Rupprecht from the Western Front as our supply levels in Poland are very low. Austria-Hungary is helping out by launching an encircling attack on weak Russian positions near Krakow. We're really struggling to hold our lines on the Somme, so one of our Heavy Artillery units is transferred to that area from East Prussia.

Dan really has caught me out with his surprise offensive in Palestine! Our lines have crumbled and we're scrounging around for replacements wherever they can be found. Losing the Goeben/Yavuz Sultan Selim in the Black Sea was also a shock. Better news comes from Eastern Europe where we liberate Debrezin, and in Poland where we capture Syedlets and continue to isolate Warsaw from the rest of Russian territory. Our U-Boats have not been having a good time trying to break through a picket of enemy Destroyers and other vessels to the north west of Scotland. Although we've badly damaged a British Battleship, we'd much rather be sailing home in clear waters with no enemy in sight! The turn ends on a positive note as Germany develops level 4 in Trench Warfare. We've been really hard pushed to maintain our positions in France I really hope this helps.

Hi Colin Capturing resources in France or Russia is normally the best way. Especially in Russia as there are more to take. Capturing Paris would give an extra special boost, in addition to the per turn value of holding the capital. Using unrestricted warfare against the British also helps, and the Ottomans joining also boosts NM. There's quite a large section on this in the Strategy Guide which you might find useful. Bill

Our U-Boats clash with British Destroyers near Rockall, nearly sinking one of the enemy's ships. It got lucky! Our offensive into Poland continues, and we are attempting to isolate Warsaw. More troops and guns are deploying in East Prussia to support this offensive, and the outcome of the whole war could well hinge on its fate. Bad news on the diplomatic front as Sweden seems to have ceased trading with us.

It is now the 1st January 1916 so Happy New Year to all our readers! Rather than focus on operations this turn, now seems like a good opportunity to provide a brief assessment of the current situation, along with our hopes for the future. The Kaiser is pleased with our advance into Poland, as the enemy will have to react or risk losing Brest-Litovsk, which is currently ungarrisoned. Our income is good, Germany is collecting more than 600 MPPs a turn. Austria-Hungary is collecting nearly 250, and the Ottomans just under 150 a turn. Our Heavy Artillery are deploying in greater strength with more shells than before. We have developed the Ground Attack capabilities of our Recon Bombers, and we are also developing Zeppelins and Gotha bombers for use against strategic targets. National Morale is a concern, as due to our heavy casualties, Germany's is down to 62%. Austria-Hungary is on 76% and the Ottoman Empire on 70%. By contrast, the two most important enemy powers, France and Russia, are on 77% and 87% respectively. This situation must be changed in the coming year. In 1916 our priorities must therefore be to: Finish off Serbia. Maintain our position in France. Conquer Poland. This should relieve the pressure on both Konigsberg and Austria-Hungary. Bolster up the Ottoman forces in Palestine and the Caucasus.I look forward to seeing where we are in a year's time!