Ivanov

The German advance towards the heart of France continues, with important developments taking place on the central front. Quite suprisingly, the enemy didn't try to create a strong, defensive line around the fortress of Toul and only one division has been left there to die. The city is now completely cut off by our 1st Army, with the heavy artillery unit in position, ready to pulverize the French fortifications. An assault is expected to follow soon. More importantly, thanks to the daring and inititive of the local divisional level commandres, the town of Commercy on the river Meuse has been captured by the 5th Bavarian Division! With the Toul in our hands and the Commercy bridgehead secured, the shortest way to Paris will be opened! Other than that, there have been some bloody skirmishes in the vicinity of Verdun. In Alsace our forces have been regrouping and reinforcing before the final push against Belfort. The main question right now, is if the capture of Commercy by the Bavarians will prove to be a turing point of this campaign? Nancy and Toul have been the main, initial objectives of the 1st Army, and gen von Kluck is very close of capturing the later. There is still a long way from there to Paris, but the terrain will be better ( with the exception of few rivers on the way ), with a lot more space for the maneuver, what always favours the German army! Will Commercy prove to be the Sedan of this campaign? If you know what I mean...

I didn't even know that such a thing existed and only found out after seeing an episode of a TV series Boardwalk Empire, where an American veteran is carring the captured German sniper mask as a trophy: "An original German “Sappenpanzer Gesichtsmaske” armoured faceplate as issued to snipers and machine-gunners in static positions on the Western Front, by far the rarest of all pieces of German trench-armour. A very heavy item made of hardened-steel and strapped to the head by a cage, it was developed in response to the high number of facial-injuries suffered by snipers and machine-gunners in the trenches during the First World War. Due to its weight it could only be used by personnel in fixed positions but would protect the face and head from rifle-rounds and shrapnel shards at all but point-blank range". It's just another example, that the late WWI personal equipment was evolving into some bizzare mixture of what was modern at that time and stuff that looked like it was taken from the Middle Ages. I also like it, because the German military gear had always some sinister quality attached to it :eek:

I think this campaign is balanced very well in this sense, that if the German player decides to attack as in the history, then the outcome would be most probably historical. From the other hand, it's difficult to balance the ahistorical variants. Having said this, I am very far from being overconfident in this one...

Admittedly I ran few test games vs the Ai prior to this AAR and came to a conclusion that... this campaign simulates the historical conditions too well, for the original German plan to succeed. There are the two main reasons for this: a) The Belgians cannot be defeated fast enough The French are able to divert quickly their units to the North, so the Germans would eventually meet the impenetrable wall, somewhere near the Franco-Belgian border, just as in the reality. A the same time, they would be overstretched an vulnerable to the counter attack in the South. The benefits from keeping Britain out of the war are obvious. So attacking France directly is beneficial in many ways, mostly because it allows the Germans to maintain the favorable force ratio. On the downside, such a strategy forces the attacker to advance in a difficult terrain and meeting the French head on, which inevitably leads to high casualties on both sides. I am well aware, that it is going to be a tough match and just hope that this strategy will eventually pay off.

More German units are arriving in the vicinity of Verdun. So far the fighting take place on the approaches to the fortress and one of the new enemy divisions has been destoyed there: On the central front the 1st Army has been improving it's positions in front of St. Mihiel and Commercy. Another two French divisions have been wiped out around the fortress of Toul, while our only precious artillery unit has been finally reinforced to the full strenght after the battle for Nancy: In Alsace a newly arrived enemy unit has been destroyed near Belfort but the attacking German troops suffered around 50% casualties and all of the four divisions need to be reinforced before they will be able to commence their assault. All in all, Der Kaiser hasn't been too gracious this last turn and another four French divisions have been destroyed. While the German HQ is aware that more fresh enemy units arrive to the front each turn, this casualty ratio is barely sustainable in the long term. The French make around 180 MPP per turn while the cost of one division destroyed with the full supply is around 110 MPP. Also, estimated 30% of the German units are still marching towards the front, so our superiority is likely to increase. The bad news is that the terrain on the border area is rather a difficult one. There are numerous rivers, hills and worst of all, strategically located fortresses, such as Verdun that guard the shortes approaches to Paris, which is our ultimate objective.

Heavy fighting continues on 6th of August and after an artillery bombardment, Nancy falls to the troops of gen. von Kluck! Another two French divisions get destroyed on the central front. Bloodbath like this always makes us feel a little melancholic. A certain weltschmerz has englfed the German HQ. In moments like this, we wonder about the nature of war and help ourselves with red wine. More divisions arrive to the front: forward to die! In Alsace an important counter attack has taken place. An enemy division has been destroyed and our troops are now at the gates of Belfort. This poses an interesting dilema for the future. Shall we take an advantage of the weakness of the French forces here and try to capture the fortress? It’s an interesting option because the enemy seems to be very weak here. From the other hand an infantry assault against a strong fortress without an adequate artillery support is never a good idea... More heave fighting and bloodshed are expected to follow. Both sides have suffered nearly equal casualties so far and if the rates of attrition will continue to be like this, the French are the ones who will most likely falter first. Enthusiastic recruits arrive to the front:

As expected, the fiery gen. Joffre ordered an immediate counter attack against our advancing armies. Unfortunately, this aggressiveness hasn’t paid off because two French divisions have been obliterated in the process. The red pants of the Poilus look just too well in the sights of our machine guns: Well known for their resoluteness and élan, German soldiers counter attacked and advanced further! More divisions arrive to the central front, reading for a decisive battle: In Alsace, the French revanchists have entered a territory which is rightfully German. Unfortunately for them, our army has been prepared for this move and one French division has been shot up to pieces: It looks for now, that gen. Joffre is eager to engage our armies in an open, decisive battle, practically on the Franco-German border. This is actually not a bad news, because the German numerical superiority should eventually prevail. So far, the French are alone and it will be interesting to see, if they will be able to cope with the overwhelming might of German assault!

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE The main objective of this campaign for the advancing German army, is the French capital – Paris. Many historians argue that historically it was practically impossible to defeat the French in 1914 due to the force ratio between the belligerents in the theatre of operations, unexpectedly quick mobilization of the Russian army and flaws in the so called Schlieffen Plan ( so called because it probably never existed per se ). The most important idea behind the German plan was to to outmaneuver the French but attacking with the strong right wing, effectively violating the neutrality of Belgium. One of the most important reasons why the plan didn’t work, was the unexpectedly strong resistance of the Belgian army. BELGIUM IS LIKE LIFE – YOU HAVE TO WALK THROUG IT??? If capturing of Paris was impossible historically, can it be done in the game? To be honest I’ve tested various strategies and came to the conclusion that... Belgium shouldn't be attacked at all! As in the history, the country would be a very hard nut to crack. A fast advance towards the channel coast wouldn’t be possible, due to the presence of strong fortresses such as Liege, Namur or Antwerp. Capturing them would be time consuming and would engage disproportionate portion of the attacking army, while giving the French time to regroup and maybe even to strike back somewhere in the South, against the weakened German front . Another important advantage of not invading Belgium is that such a course of action delays the British DOW on Germany. In this way, the French will be left alone for some time, face to face with the numerically superior Hun invader! The chart suggests that initially, without the Belgian units the French have 48 land units versus 74 German ones, which gives the attackers a roughly 30% numerical advantage. So a violent and ruthless advance towards the French capital has some chances of a success. If it comes to the victory conditions, only the set that includes the channel ports, needs to be excluded. Basically I will go for no less than a Decisive Victory! THIS IS WAR! So here it goes, the first turn! Contrary to the inital plan of the HQ, the First Army of gen. Von Kluck deploys not against Belgium, but in front of Nancy. North of it the elements of Sixth Army start to arrive in the vicinity of Metz. In the mean time, the German Fourth Army enters Luxembourg and approaches the mighty fortress of Verdun from the East: On other fronts, the units deployed initially against Belgium, start a massive and rapid movements south, in order join the Schwerpunkt of the offensive. In Alsace the soldiers in Pickelhauben, take defensive positions, because the HQ is well aware, that the French may attack there. And knowing the aggressive nature of our enemies, such a course of action is quite possible indeed...

The screenshots above, clearly indicate that Bill is currently working on adapting Storm Over Europe for the Breakthrough! \m/ \m/

So this is the end! Makes me wonder what would happen if the Whites really won the Civil War... Thank you everyone for following this AAR - I had a great fun and I hope that you've enjoyed it aswell. Thank you Bill for a great match. I think that we have reached here the new hights on the propaganda front and I don't feel, that the Whites outmatched the Bolsheviks on that field . I hope to meet you soon on some new battlefield!

The total defeat of the Bolsheviks is approaching very fast now. On the central front, despite a pouring rain, the main forces of gen Denikin, have punished the audacious riders of Konarmiya. In what can be described as the biggest clash of cavalry during this war, one red division has been annihilated and second one took 70% loses. More importantly thanks to a massive artillery bombardment and a visible numerical superiority, the forces of adm Kolchak have finally captured the entire Moscow! Equally momentus events have taken place in Petrograd because the North-Western Whites are already inside of the city. Only a small, isolated enclave remains still under the Bolshevik control! A quick capture of Kronstadt becomes a pressing task for the advancing troops. Gen. Yudenich is pretty convinced that Lenin and other members of his clique may try to escape the city in a specially modified mini submarine!

There is no doubt, that the strenght of the recent Bolshevik counter-attacks on the Vyazma front came as a nasty suprise to the White commanders. It's the first time during this campaign, that the enemy managed to perform such a large scale and coherent offensive operations. It seems like the threat of a total defeat inspired the troops of Red Army, because right now they seem to be more confident and aggressive than ever! Also the recent figting has proven, that their best units and commanders ( Konarmiya and Tukhachevsky ) are more than a match for the Whites! Unfortunatelly the local success on the battlefield, probably won't be enough to turn the tables of this war. A quick look at strategic map is sufficient to understand why: From the strategic point of view the Bolshevik position seems to be unattainable. Due to tha lack of Bolshevik success in the Ukraine, Poland has been mobilizaing very slowly but soon it's troops will be ready to march East. So it may be the Polish army that finally manages to break the neck of the Red Hydra... *** On the Moscow front, one Bolshevik corps has been destroyed and the advancing armored train deatchment, has attacked directly the HQ of Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who is in charge of the Red units defending the city: A BREAKING NEWS FROM PETROGRAD!!! Gen. Yudenich, who has been already declared a national hero on more than one occasion, has ordered a direct assault against the city's outer ring of the fortifications! The Southern outskirts of Petrograd are already in the hands of the White troops! A direct assaut against the city centre is expected to follow soon! Will Petrograd fall before the end of 1920 - the next few days will be decisive!

It's the end of October 1920 and the Whites on the central front have been finalizing the last preparations for the attack there. Gen Denikin literally held a mass and asked all his generals to pray for few more weeks of the good weather... Unfortunatelly the counterintelligence prohibited this time to publish any images, that would show the troops dispositions... From the other hand, adm Kolchak troops still didn't manage to capture the whole of Moscow but insted, they are slowly improving their tactical positions, before the final assault could begin. With a support of an armored train, the Bolshevik armored train detachment has been destroyed, on the south eastern outskirts of the city. There has been a lot of manouvering around Petrograd and in the Baltics. The Latvian army has besieged Poltsk and the Finninsh "volunteers" have captured Novogrod. This bold move, has effectively cut off the last rail line leading to the old capital of our beloved Russia. Unfortunatelly the city has been currently turned into the cradle of the Bolshevik serpents. Due to that, it's capture is an ultimate objective of our armies: The main army of gen. Yudenich is right on the outskirts of Petrograd. Will it manage to attack the city before the Winter sets in? This turns out to be the most crucial question of 1920 campaign...

It's hard not to agree with this analogy. I've always felt that the speed of advance is an essential factor in the White strategy. From the other hand, the Reds should focus on building their potential, because the time is on their side. Pretty much the same strategies apply for the Axis and USSR in the WWII games.

This issue will be addressed ( the armored trains aswell ). As to the rest, let's wait for Bill

It has been quiet on the central front. The White armies spent last days of September regrouping and reiforcing before the final assault against the Bolshevik held part of Moscow. Nearly all the available forces are in place and if the weather allows the hell will be unleashed very soon... Unfortunatelly for the Reds, Petrograd is under the siege again but this time the threat seems to be more serious. A new White army advancing from the Archangel area appeared near Tikhvin and the Latvian and Estonian armies are deploying new units, that will help to secure the distant approaches to Petrograd:

According to the intelligence chart, the Reds are still makig about 300 MPP per turn ( down from the peak of 420 MPP in 1919 ). This is still not too bad, given the fact, that the Whites have already captured probably 30% of the Bolshevik industrial centers. In the opposite camp, the Southern Whites make 232 MPP, the Northern 74 MPP, the Ural Whites 51 MPP and the UK 125 MPP. The UK will withdraw from the war within next few turns and it's income is currently used to build the Latvian and Estonian armies. For example the British HQ of gen. Gough ( rating 7, experience 3 ) has been very effective and helped a lot in repulsing the Red attacks around Narva crossing. But it's the only HQ to which the Latvian and Estonian units can be attached. Due to that, it's primordial to build the national HQ's of the Baltic states, because gen Gough will sail back home, along with all the remaining UK units. Building HQ's requires time and a lot of MPP and the British income has been used for this purpose ( in total over 800 MPP ). If it comes to the White factions, they make roughly 350 MPP versus the Bolshevik 300 MPP. In reality this probably means a parity, because the Red units are cheaper and unlike the Whites, they have only one tech chart to invest in. What has been decisive so far ( and will continue to be ), is the efficiency of the units on the battlefield. Up until now the Whites were able to inflict very high loses on the enemy units, so the Reds were unable to regain the numerical superiority. During the advance towards Moscow, the combat effectiveness of advancing armies has been lower, due to the supply Fortunately the main Red forces were engaged in the Baltics, while they could try to defeat the Denikin and Kolchak armies approaching the Bolshevik capital. Is this window of opportunity closed for the Reds alredy? The next few months of the campaign will definitely tell.

A RUSSIAN TRICOLOUR FLAG FLOWNS ONCE AGAIN OVER THE KREMLIN!!! Despite frantic efforts of the Bolsheviks, troops of adm. Kolchak have already captured half of the Red capital and the Kremlin is already in their hands! More reinforcements are arriving to the traingle Moscow, Vyazma, Smolesnk and the supply is finally improving. A division of Konarmiya has been severely mauled and soon the Red cavalrymen may be in trouble, because this time the numerical superiority won't be on their side: In a dramatic turn of events in the Baltics, the troops of gen. Yudenich have recaptured Luga and they are once again heading towards Petrograd! The Reds are being pushed simultaneously on every possible front and this will certainly make the management of their reserves very difficult. This time the Whites are not in a hurry and any attritional battle will certainly do more harm to the Bolsheviks than to themselves.

There hasn't been a lot of fighting at the end of August, but it's definitely a calm before the storm! It probably came as a suprise to the Bolshevik HQ, but it seems like the Urals Whites ( not the Southern ones ), are those who will have the honour of capturing Moscow. The Denikin's troops are still on the outskirts of Vyazma, fending off the counter attacks of Konarmiya. Their initial task was to march as fast as possible towards Smolensk in order attack the rear of Bolshevik forces advancing in the Baltics. Right now, their objective has changed - they have to prevent the flow of the Red reinforcements, that otherwise could be sent to Moscow: Because it is primordial press the Bolsheviks simultaneously in as many places as possible, the troops of gen. Yudenich marched once againg towards Luga, where they clashed with a weak, enemy rear guard unit. It seems that Petrograd may be under a serious threat again!

It's late August of 1920 and the Bolhevik invasion of the Baltics ends up in an utter failure. The sieges of Dougavpils and Pskov have been called off and the decimated Red units are leaving the area. So much for the Bolshevik "feint" there. The crack troops of Nikolai Yudenich have managed to pursue and destroy one of the retreating Red corps and their commander is repidly becoming the most popular White general of the war! The enemy forces on the Moscow front are still weak but the poor supply, difficult terrain and an awful weather have been sufficient to turn the White advance here into a painful crawl: Any spectacular coup d'etat is out of question now and the Southern and Urals Whites will need to regroup, reorganize before engaging into the battle for Moscow, which most likely will convert into a meat grinder slugfest. Well - war is a horrible thing... The first units of the Bolshevik Konarmiya have counter-attacked near Vyazma. Very well Mr Budyonny - nearly a year after your troops became available? In the mean time we've seen them as far as Latvia, wandering there without any real purpose... Those Reds are evidently not predestined for the service in such a noble formations as the cavalry! The Makhno's bandits got subdued once again and more counterinsurgency operations will follow soon in the Northern Caucasus. The order will be restored there in a due course.

Yeah, but in this case we need more balance, even if it would be ahistorical. US never plays ANY role in the WWI games, so it would be nice to have it in this one.

Good points all around. I think US should join the war in this campaign in early 1916 and boost significantly the morale of the Entente ( namely France and UK ).

Today we celebrate the 95th Anniversary of the October Revolution - one of the most important events of 20th century. It affected the lives of milions across the globe and shaped the modern world: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution I want to take this opportunity to congratulate here my Bolshevik enemies a gallant fight and wish Lenin many years of a tranquil existence as a wax mummy in the mausoleum near Kremlin. We are coming - see you soon!

An intense fighting continues through the early August in the Baltics. It can be described as an ultimate warfare of maneuver. From the tactical point of view, it's probably the most interesting episode of the whole war! After a slaughterhouse near Narva crossing, the Reds had evidently enough and decided to evacuate the bridgehead. A Finnish Volunteer Division has filled the gap in the frontline after their retreat. The Bolsheviks are obviously trying to look for some opportunity and search for gaps in the overstretched white frontline. They managed to cut off Pskov but our garrison withheld the attacks and the help is underway: On the Moscow front, the poor supply is slowing down the advance of Southern and in particular the Urals armies. The scale of their success is simply so enormous and unexpected, that the logistic services became simply overwhelmed. Especially if we consider the fact, that our troops are now deep in the territory, which is ravished by the long months of Bolshevik rule... Given the fact that the advance takes place in nearly ideal conditions ( good, summer weather and weak enemy oposition ), it makes us wonder, that it would be an extremely hard task to capture Moscow, if the Reds were better prepared for the defence here... As it can be seen from the image, the attacking forces have split and instead of a direct attack, the left wing ( Southern Whites ) decided to perform a deep encirclement operation and capture the important city of Vyazma on the western approaches to the Red capital:

The White advance towards Moscow continues and the Red propagandists are certainly spot on with one thing - right now bad food is the biggest worry of our advancing troops. The Bolshevik resistance has been light and our elite 1st Cavalry Division has managed to establish a bridgehead over the river Oka: An epic fight took place in the North. Four Bolshevik corps were trying to overcome a defensive position of the White 3rd Corps. Our troops stood the ground and managed to inflict 50% casualties on each of the attacking enemy units! Hold still boys - there can't be a step back in this fight! Other than that, there have been a secret negotiations between the Bolsheviks and the representatives of British armed forces in Russia, which resulted in the withdrawal of UK forces back to the Archangel.