AAR - "1914: Call to Arms" (Entente) - Battle of the Newbies!

[Will95]

So as you can see from the opposing thread (as per title but Central Powers in parenthesis) my friend AshFall and I have decided to wage war with the full blown Call to Arms campaign!

We have decided to do a dual AAR, and you can find the backstory to our time with StratCom so far in his thread (I assume anyway, as we have a gentleman's agreement not to read the other's AAR, but it should make for entertaining reading when the war is over! ).

So feel free to find that one in the forum and read through it as we go along, we're doing PbE (because A] this game is way too much fun and we'd just sit here for hours and B] it's a bit more efficient).

Without much further ado, let's get started! Feel free to leave general critique and comments but for the sake of competetiveness please don't give us too much help or the war may start to turn due to outside factors!

Turn 1

(I'll apologise in advance; we started this scenario originally as a Network game but after a couple of turns reconsidered and decided to go with PbE, and these pictures are from the first game. However, the first moves haven't really changed from what we did originally, but again please go over and check out AshFall's AAR for a more up-to-date graphic of the situation after his turn 1.)

The most pressing concern is the defence of France. With quite a few troops and strong fortress positions the Germans should have a pretty hard time cracking this entrenched line. Currently I have no real plans to go on the offensive; I'm going to let the German corps bloody their nose a bit trying to fight across the many rivers and trench lines before I go on the counter.

Meanwhile, an aggressive advance on Belgium is leaving me a little shaken- I don't see it being held for long enough for French or eventual British support to arrive in time.

On the positive side, a full blockade across the North Sea is now in effect; a National Morale hit is most certainly welcome.

Over on the eastern front, things are looking very positive. Early cavalry scouting has shown just a single detachment in defense of Breslau, which will be the first target for the huge Russian offensive I am planning. The current plan is to take significant cities along the front without probing too hard, before rolling up the flank to isolate and destroy the more sizable corps staring off in the north. A little further down, I am mustering the Russian divisions for a hefty strike at Austria-Hungary, in particular the mines and oil fields I've spotted there. It won't be easy though, as although I have quite a few units, the AH presence is not slight.

Further down, Serbia is in for a very rough ride. Wildly outnumbered by AH corps, I don't expect it to last long. Fortunately the terrain ought to make for slow progress, but that will be little consolation if the capital is taken. No pictures for this one I'm afraid.

Overall, the first counter-turn has been interesting. While some of the minor nations look suitably perilous, both France and particularly Russia seem well suited for effective strikes to the German core. We shall see what the future brings.

[Will95]

Turn 2

It appears the Germans have launched a rather sizeable offensive on the Western Front towards Belgium. The corps at Brussels stood heroically taking many enemy with them, but regrettably the city was lost and captured by a cavalry division. I have pulled back the remaining corps to behind the river, where I hope to mount a more effective defense, forcing the Germans to either attack on the move at their expense across a river, or wait an extra turn by which time I hope to be entrenched.

Elsewhere down the line, French forces continue to muster excellently, and a weak spot has been spotted near Epinal, which may allow for a strike at Strasbourg.

The first British army has arrived, and bolstered with a HQ and elite reinforcements, should be a sturdy stumbling block for any CP forces trying anything funny in the far north.

A German u-boat has also been spotted in the Atlantic after a bungled attempt one one of my raiding cruisers. It was damaged by nearby destroyers, but not eliminated. No doubt it will go hiding and return to bother me in the future.

The Eastern Front is mixed. Recon bombers spotted a significant military detachment in the north, meaning some forces destined for the central thrust have been rerouted for defensive duties. However, said forces may not be required anyway as it appears Breslau is indeed guarded by a single detachment. Cavalry have been sent to scout ahead but encountered no resistance.

Down at the AH-Serb front, the Central Powers forces are amassing for what will likely be a large a brutal offensive next turn. An additional HQ has been dispatched to assist the Montenegrin further south (not shown).

Research, where affordable, has been invested into trench warfare, although next turn I hope to bring the Russian infantry up to par with some investment into infantry warfare too.

Overall, the first two weeks have been fairly bloodless with just some minor nation losses. However, I believe the heavy blows will come shortly in the form of a push on the Serbian capital, and an equally large push from me towards Breslau, and who knows- maybe even Berlin.

[Strategiclayabout]

Soon, Russians' advance will force Hilter to commit suicide in the ruins of Berlin and... ooops sorry, got caught in Tsar's troops wild offensive . Better not forget we're in 1914 and not 1944 hehe. Thanks for your dual AAR !

[Will95]

Soon, Russians' advance will force Hilter to commit suicide in the ruins of Berlin and... ooops sorry, got caught in Tsar's troops wild offensive . Better not forget we're in 1914 and not 1944 hehe. Thanks for your dual AAR !

Hehe, thanks, hope it makes for entertaining reading!

Turn 3

Things are beginning to get interesting!

The most surprising developments happened on the Western Front. My forward cavarly were brutalised - although survived- by a sizeable advancing German army in the north- a sensible move by my opponent given my ready and dug-in troops further south. However, over eager German corps ran straight into my 11 strength British detachment + HQ and recieved a swift hiding for their hubris; hopefully this lesson will teach my adversary to slow down his approach towards the French coast and allow me to dig in another line of French troops.

The Royal Navy has also been dispatched, with some success, to take the wind out of the sails of the German advance. Numerous bombardments have left several corps feeling more than a little sorry for themselves, and while they are so far away from familiar territory and undersupplied, should be forced to fall back for a few turns. It's all I can do to try and slow down the great brown turd which has swept away Belgium with a single fart in its general direction.

Recon bombers found little in the way of sizeable German resistance near the border at Belfort, however, and a weak spot opened up: a low morale reserve corps, recently moved without even the time to dig in. I damaged it down to a single strength, and deciding that fortune favours the brave sent a corps to pursue and finished it off. There was no waiting ambush and I believe this could be the beginning of a larger crack developing in the understrength south.

Down at the Austria-Serb front, things are going better than expected. A single detachment was able to hold the city against 3 separate attacks, and was sent back for some R&R. A full strength corps has taken its place. I'm still worried about Serbia though, it feels weak and a hail mary attack would probably wipe out most of what is left- but fortunately I don't think my opponent knows that yet.

More generally in the east, it looks like the Russians and AH forces are squaring off. However a chink in the armour has developed in the south of the line where I am trying to break through to roll up the flank. It's a bit of a narrow corridor with a lot of mountains behind, which should prevent reinforcements arriving too quickly.

Up in the north, some surprising developments. The far northern armies which appeared to be preparing for a good old fashioned camping holiday has packed up and left, presumably because they couldn't hack the old country hospitality. Russian forces have moved in to occupy, taking Memel, Tilsit and Gumbinnen without any sign of a real German force. Something odd is up.

Further south there's quite a larger German force and a long line of entrenchments by the river leading down from Danzig. If I'm going to crack it, I'm going to need to come from behind or suffer considerable losses.

In more general news, I was surprised to run into our friend the German u-boat once again in the North sea. The bastard dived and hasn't been seen since.

Lord Kitchener's army is under preparation and I have ordered some further Indian detachments to be dispached to France immediately. While I'm aware that war in the Middle East and Africa will break out fairly shortly due to mounting tensions with the Ottomans, I'm not sure I can face the German flag flying from the Eiffel Tower and I'm going to do everything to prevent it.

[Will95]

Turn 4

The last Central Powers turn brought the first round of major bloodshed to the War. On the Russo-German front, CP troops sallied out of Hindenburg in a deep attack. This has forced me to draw back some troops I might have liked to continue the assault on Breslau, where my scouts have spotted some reinforcements a few miles behind. The Hindenburg troops are the primary concern, although I cannot see them doing any major damage while so far from supply. Next turn I will also have the ability to operate several full strength corps from central Russia to the front which will allow my to severely overpower the German forces in this area and facilitate an assualt on Danzig.

In the East, the first line of Serbian defense was finally broken and Belgrade was lost. I have fallen back to the river at Nish, but not before doing some serious damage to the advancing Austrian corps. Nish may only be a matter of time but I should be able to make the final assault a costly one.

On the main Austrian-Russian front I am mobilizing the forces for a big flanking attack from the south. I don't want to do a frontal assault, particularly in the heavily entrenched fortresses. I intend to cut off their supply with my cavalry and gradually choke their morale before simply mopping up the pieces.

The Western front has seen various skirmishes in the north but no serious losses. The German advance has slowed and has allowed me to prepare a more serious defence at the coast. I believe the situation to be potentially dangerous but secure, at least for now, and declined the opportunity to bring in reserves from the Royal Navy. I have, however, embarked a strong corps from London to be transported across the Channel to lend a hand in the northern defence.

Further south, the corps that probed the line a little deeply last turn was regrettably destroyed- by my calculations I reckoned they should have survived with a single strength in the worst case scenario but it looks like things rolled against me. It is not a major problem, however, as I have punched another hole in the weak single line. The road to Strasbourg is open with one defending corps destroyed and another seriously weakened. Strasbourg will almost certainly be captured next turn and my opponent will have to face relinquishing progress in the north to aid in the southern defense, or face a devastating attack that I plan to come more or less from behind, and roll up the flank. It will be a calculated risk- if he has sizeable reinforcements coming from central Prussia then I could be in trouble. However judging by the huge show of force in the north, I believe he has all his main attack reserves committed there.

There were some regrettable naval losses in the North Sea- a scouting cruiser stumbled upon several battleships which led to its prompt sinking. In other news, entrenchment tech 1 has been reached for the Brits. When Kitchener's army arrives, it will no doubt prove invaluable!

[Bill101]

I wrote this in the other thread, but I guess you're not reading that thread so I'll paste it here too:

Excellent, I'm very happy to see this AAR you're both providing as I have been thinking that it would be great to see another Call to Arms one. Thanks for this!

[Will95]

I wrote this in the other thread, but I guess you're not reading that thread so I'll paste it here too:

Excellent, I'm very happy to see this AAR you're both providing as I have been thinking that it would be great to see another Call to Arms one. Thanks for this!

Hopefully this is a nice bit of research for you vet's to see how a couple of newbies play SC

Turn 5

Phew, what a turn. There wasn't much blood spilled but a lot of crucial maneuvering happened this turn.

The most interesting moves happened on the border between the bulk of Austria-Hungary's forces and Russia on the eastern front. I had some tough choices to make this turn- my opponent is well dug in, but I could have chosen to hit one of the end units hard with up to 5 separate attacks. However, I decided the cost wasn't worth it- yet. Notice how my two cavalry units have cut off all supply to the troops in this pocket. He will now be forced to send front line troops to deal with them, or sit in his trenches while I encircle him with my corps.

Further up the line, enemy cavalry had similarly cut supply from my beseiging troops at Breslau. The unit was destroyed and fresh troops were bussed to the front to reinforce. The loss of the Breslau HQ was regrettable and this line will have to make do with a single HQ for now.

Given the losses the German forces at Hindenburg have taken thus far, it may be prudent to turn my attention from Breslau to a more direct strike at Danzig.

The North Sea has seen it's first major naval warfare in the last two turns. Two friendly ships were sunk, but I have hit back at the expense of maintaining the blockade. More ships in the south are being reinforced for deployment to the sea. A big win here for either side will have a dramatic impact on the war.

The Western front is looking very promising at the end of this turn. Strasbourg mounted a hasty defense but it was just enough to prevent its capture. I have surrounded it now and all troops are being kept in good supply with no chance of a cut-off move from my opponent, so I expect to be hoisting the French flag from the Cathedral in no time at all. The middle line remains relatively unmoved, although I spotted the opportunity to make a free strike against a weakly supplied unit closer to the north. A British regiment from India has arrived to push the advantage in the South and the Corps from England have been reinforced and mobilized in the defense of Caen and the northern ports. The German troops here are extremely low on both supply and morale, and coastal bombardments were effective in excacerbating this. A counter-attack will soon be in order.

A bit more investment into trench and infantry research across the board completed my turn, although during the winter I intend to divert some resources to diplomacy. German morale is suffering due to heavy losses and key captures on the Eastern Front, and soon will take a tumble with the loss of Strasbourg. British, French and Russian morale remains high.

Pretty soon the bad weather will no doubt set in across the continent and make any big attacks redundant so now is the time to make the big gains before bunkering down. We shall see how things go, I am told that 1915 is the year in which many a war has been won or lost!

[Will95]

Turn 6

Choo choo goes the war machine train as it chugs through Europe.

A good summary of my opponent's last turn and mine would be land war = good, sea war = bad.

First, to the big ol' stalemate on the Russian-AH front.

The front lines still refuse to budge. As we both have entrenchment level 2 now, not to mention the fortresses dotted down the line, an attack would seem foolish without artillery. However, in an attempt to break the deadlock I have taken a HQ and 4 fresh corps to swing around the south. Together with the two cavalry from last turn, a total encirclement of the Austrian pocket will soon be in effect. My opponent has neither the manpower to spare in a hail mary attack on my front line, nor the reserves to deal with my behind-the-lines shenanigans, and I hope to simply starve him out of morale.

Further south, we have the Serbian front, which, despite my earlier musings that it would fall in a matter of weeks, is still standing strong in the defence of Nish as we reach mid-November. As the Austrians appear to have neither the willingness nor the resources to mount a strong attack on my heavily entrenched Montenegrin attachment, the corps have been redirected, along with the Albanian detachment, to aid the defense of Serbia. The front line has been worryingly static from Austria which leads me to think this might be a clever bait into making me go on the offensive, but for now I'm content to sit in my level 2 trenches (courtesy of the Russians). I even sent a sneaky detachment to steal Sarajevo and cause a bit of frustration to my opponent.

Further north on the Russian front, things are going swimmingly. I have let off the pressure on Breslau because the enemy has entrenched so heavily and the rivers there are making it a nightmare to launch an attack without overstretching myself. Instead, I am letting the Russian troops fall like a tidal wave over the German lines. My opponent has been forced into an all out retreat and his battered troops are being whipped as they run for the hills. The only anchovy on this otherwise delicious pizza is that I'm having to supply all my advancing troops with a single HQ due to the careless loss of one last turn.

The western front is where the truly big fighting is about to happen. The Germans overstretched themselves- readiness and morale plummeted, and I was only too happy for my French corps to take advantage. The German defense at Rouen was wiped out and the city recaptured. Finally, we can advance the lines in the north once again.

The south is rather more frustrating. Having prophesied the fall of Strasbourg some two turns ago, for it to be still standing is more than a little annoying. Fresh corps keep appearing to defend the city and it may not be possible to capture it this side of Christmas. However, such desperation to defend the city has left gaps in other parts of the line. The pressure piles on, and the lines advance; things are looking swell!

In other news, the Ottomans finally entered the war. I have responded by deploying a British HQ to Cairo, who will soon be reinforced by more corps. I had the option to send ANZAC troops either to Europe or Egypt; as things are going so well in Europe, and Kitchener's New Army only months away, I felt it safer to deploy them to an as yet unknown front. Hopefully some big gains can be made in the Middle East.

Also, the North Sea navies battle on, although I was unable to sink a strength 1 cruiser. Most of my battleships have taken quite a beating and have been retired to port until they can be refitted with the latest in wooden sail technology.

No resources to spend on technology this turn- it seems Russia is the only country getting a decent MPP income, and most of that is going on operating its reserves to the front.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Entente discovers the joy of counter-attack on the Marne, sorry the Seine ^^ .

As for income, I think I won't spoil the game by saying events' costs can kill your MPPs if you let them piling up without paying attention .

- Seems Russians have averted the Hindenburg crisis in Poland. Losing that HQ has hurt the Tsar's pride and the troops are pushed forward for vengeance ! Curious to see how that giant encirclement plan in Galicia will work out...

[Will95]

- Entente discovers the joy of counter-attack on the Marne, sorry the Seine ^^ .

As for income, I think I won't spoil the game by saying events' costs can kill your MPPs if you let them piling up without paying attention .

- Seems Russians have averted the Hindenburg crisis in Poland. Losing that HQ has hurt the Tsar's pride and the troops are pushed forward for vengeance ! Curious to see how that giant encirclement plan in Galicia will work out...

I think counter-attack is making it sound more planned than it actually was! I'm not really planning to try and get a momentum going in the north there because I can just feel his reserves swelling behind the first line of unstrength and low morale corps. The south though....ooooh yes!

Damn right about the vengeance for the loss of the HQ though. I think I'm going to be making big gains in that area, even if it takes until 1915 to crack Danzig and Breslau.

As for the encirclement I've got two potential plans:

- Cut off supply to the Austrian pocket and try to choke them out (I'm not sure if the HQ's alone will keep them in enough supply though)

- Send the 4 corps + HQ down south in an audacious Serbian relief operation

...still not decided, but time and/or weather may force my hand either way!

Hope you're enjoying reading out AARs, so far it's turning into a very interesting war

[Will95]

Turn 7

Some major losses were taken this turn, but I can give as good as I get.

On the western front, it took 4 separate attacks to reduce 2 French corps to...well, they're gone, anyway. Strasbourg remains, as predicted, very well defended. However, the silver lining is that so much has be redirected in its continuing defense that I have a clear shot to advance down the middle straight towards some very flammable airships and a HQ. The fort at Metz also appears to be more or less isolated, and as the line advances, in lieu of any heavy artillery, I plan to simply siege him out.

The line has advanced in the north too, and another British corps has landed. Some elite cavalry left behind in the German retreat were severely damaged but it may yet escape. Turns out saying 'Yes' to all the lovely armies I was offered in the first few turns is beginning to have adverse effects on my French income though I'm struggling to reinforce all my backline units, and the poor troops at Belfort have been sitting around licking their wounds for close to a month now.

Over at the Russo-Austrian main front, the encirclement continues to bite. As expected, my opponent does not have the resources to effectively track down and eliminate my pesky cavalry which, although close to death, continue to be a PITA for his supply I'm sure. I saw just a single detachment defending the town of Klausenberg; the town was liberated and the defenders eliminated with just a single strength loss from my side.

Down at the Serbian end of things, events have quickly become _very_ interesting indeed. My opponent suddenly surged forward from Belgrade, but did not attack. I could see the artillery sitting behind and the plan was abundantly clear- he was going to hit me with the (numerous, no doubt) shells from his battery before cracking my weak lines with relative ease. Knowing that my troops wouldn't hold under sustained bombardment, I decided the best form of defense is attack- and I hit back at his de-entrenched troops with my full strength corps. One unit was sent retreating with scarcely enough men to keep the Austrian flag waving while another was hit hard on the left flank. I took a lot of defensive battery fire, but at least it was spread across multiple units instead of being used in the next turn to hammer me at my weakest point. My Russian flank further north isn't so far away any more- I may yet mount that relief operation.

Up in the north, the Germans appear to be suffering from a little stress. Due to my stupendously massive numerical advantage of sheer manpower, I'd imagine. Anyway, they have beat a hasty retreat back to the trench line at Danzig, leaving behind one lonely detachment at Konisberg. It's pretty heavily entrenched but it's only a matter of time before I take it. Detachments and reserve corps are now filling the front line trenches here in the north; can anyone say 'on the ropes'?

In other news, there's been a lot of smaller naval engagements around the place, including a rather large battle in the North Sea which saw the sinking of some German warships. The Peter The Great battleship was sadly lost due to some smart manouvering by my opponent. Tech-wise, a lot of technology rolled in at the end of my turn- at long last, my Frenchies can dig in a little deeper which is giving me some nicer peace of mind as we head into winter. Production was given a boost in the UK and Intelligence took a boost for Russia. The bad weather that winter brings is now setting in- time to get down to diplomacy, and a bit of R&R for my war-weary troops.

[Will95]

Turn 8

Witnessing the destruction of yet another 2 French corps on the western front was not a great way to begin this turn. Fortunately, we more than balanced out the losses. To it!

On the western front despite those losses two important enemy units were wiped out, and their cities captured. First, the less interesting but nonetheless important elite cavalry unit at Le Havre was finally destroyed. Much more interestingly, the fortress at Metz was captured. It seems that in my opponent's desire to finish off a corps in the south of the line, he had to replace the garrison at Metz with a weak-willed reserve division. Without the safety of the well-worn level 5 entrenchment, sustained attacks destroyed the division and a cavalry advance stole the fortress. The line continues to cautiously advance around Strasbourg. My line is getting a little thin though, due to the heavy losses being taken- as we're now well into winter, it might be time to start reforming some of those corps.

In Serbia, the Austrians have had to pull back to regroup. It seems my 'last stand' attack has worked- at least for now. The lines have shifted to be more vertical than before, and things are poised for my Russian splinter cell to hit them in the rear, hard (visible just at the top right).

Speaking of that naughty Russian army group, I misstepped with them a little this turn and took them off the beaten track- not nice for their supply. However the loss of my flanking cavalry have removed my eyes and ears from the rear of the main Austrian line I was hoping to crack and I'm wary of going there in a big encirclement now, as my plan must be painfully obvious to my opponent who is probably mustering reserves. The plan is now to follow the road south, and sandwich the Austrian forces besieging the Serbs with some heavier firepower. The Austrians were expecting a knife fight down there, and I'm bringing the rocket launcher.

In the north, not much news to report. One low morale German corps was destroyed at some not-inconsiderable cost and Konigsberg has been besieged. It will fall next turn and deal a heavy blow to German NM.

In the middle east, I'm being aggressive with what forces I have in the hope I can make some easy gains with the towns close to the border. Definitely going to play this one safe as I don't really know what I'm getting in to.

In the North Sea, the German Navy appears to have pulled back to repair- I can't find them anywhere. I was able to reinstate some of the blockade and start putting on the NM pressure once again- and I might finally be able to go and deal with the pesky u-boat in the north with the help of some French + English destroyers.

Finally some of the tax on my MPP income for accepting all those shiny armies in the first few turns is beginning to relax. Some tech was afforded this turn and Britain reached some intel tech advancements. On the diplomacy front, I took a bit of the Russian surplus and invested it in keeping Bulgaria out of the war for as long as possible, with some success. As they're already at about 70% mobilization, I really don't want to have to deal with them coming out of the woodwork and ruining my lovely plans on the Russian/Serb front.

[Will95]

Turn 9

Not many pictures this time as there isn't much to report; snow has bogged down offensives in Europe.

I'll include the obligitory picture of the Western Front as the British and French forces gather their strength. The cavalry at Metz was swapped out for a sturdier corps, just in case my opponent decides to retake it at all costs. Further north there is now a sizeable British presence, including two units that I decided to bestow some elite reinforcements to aid in the Spring offensive to come.

Also, high command finally issued us some French guns. Took them a damned while, but here we are. They are being calibrated for a precision strike at Strasbourg- once we've found some shells. I'm sure I saw them somewhere around here...

The Russian front essentially remains static. My tech-saavy opponent deepens his trenches yet further on the Austrian front with level 3 entrenchment. Luckily, the Tsar has finally given us the means to fight back- some big guns of our own. I believe my opponent to be mostly distracted from that front, so in a few turns time when we have enough shells I plan to smash open his front line. These forces have been out of action for long enough.

The Serbian front is quite interesting though. My opponent made sporadic attacks last turn which were largely innefectual in achieving anything tangible, and any weak units were simply reinforced and further dug in. It is quite possible that Nish will fall next turn on account of the poorly-looking detachment defending it, but it is not a major concern- notice the sneaky Russian army, hopefully mostly unbeknownst to my opponent, is creeping. As long as they can recover their supply, they should hopefully appear in my opponents lines, crushing them between Serbian corps and Russian troops.

There was various naval maneuvering which sunk a few German warships. Down in the MidEast, my HQ and Corps bit off a little more than they could chew. I decided to bombard the coastal Ottomans before snatching a few strength from him in a hit-and-run before taking to the hills, back the way we came. I will need more troops before an offensive there is on the cards.

[Will95]

Turn 10

No pictures this time, sorry.

The Russian flank on the Serbian front has been a disaster (should make sense if you read the last couple of turns). They ran into a reserve Austrian army and while they are still, for now, intact, they won't be for long. I'm going to beat a hasty retreat up the way I came while I still can, perhaps leaving one weak Russian corps as a speedbump. In war sometimes tough decisions need to be made.

On the Western front I let rip with a bombardment on one of the coastal infantry divisions in the north in front of Le Havre and advanced the allied line, but my attack odds still look glum. On the plus side, if the Germans try to repel my advances before I can entrench then they're going to have an equally tough time with my elite british infantry.

Russians around Konisberg took a beating and fell back. I _will_ take Konisberg if it's the last thing I do. I have drawn more forces away from Breslau and am planning a devastating flank in the north.

Various naval victories added a bit of spice to an otherwise underwhelming turn.

[Strategiclayabout]

Noooo I want my pictures !

- Sorry for the long silence but since I follow the other AAR too I was afraid to say something that would ruin the austrian plan. I had to watch the ongoing tragedy quietly. Now another exciting adventure begins: escape the jaws of death !

- Taking Metz at the end of 1914 is a big move for Western Allies, it endangers german supply lines in all of Belgium and northern France while threatening to advance into the heart of german industrial lands. In my mind it balances your carpathian "difficulties".

- Still Serbians seem close to collapse, how long will they manage to survive ? Will a brutal offensive in the West with "75" guns save them or will relief come from the polish front ? Stay tuned for the next episode of "Guns of Thrones" .

- Taking Koenisgberg while threatening Berlin will undoubtedly shake the Kaiser, especially if you manage to attack in the West at the same time, will look forward to it ! Naval battles in the Baltic seem deadly, I wonder what's the plan behind it...

- The OE fronts can be interesting, there will probably be some unexpected moves there since you're not familiar with the area...

[Will95]

The war effort grinds on! The French generals on the western front we feeling a little elated after the fall of Metz and decided to go skinny dipping in the Seine with Commander French and they all contracted flu, hence the few days since the last update.

My saavy opponent unfortunately took advantage of the hubris felt amongst the Entende generals by striking back rather firmly on the eastern front across the board.

At the Serbian end of things, events are quickly spiralling out of control. I thought my corps were going to be able to hold a strong front line but the fall of Nish allowed a sneaky Austrian army to sneak through towards the secondary capital of Uskub. Luckily, I was able to send back two corps who actually forced the rogue Austrians to fall back. Still, it's a race back to the capital before we get totally surrounded. The plan now is to hold Uskub at the chokepoint between the mountains and entrench heavily. Artillery will eventually break them but there's more to be done.

Even more tragically, the Russian flank has been totally shut down. There's Austrians in front and Austrians behind, but this isn't a Bratwurst sandwich. I've left one weak corps behind as a speedbump while I try and extract the HQ and the two remaining corps down the road.

The upside to all this is that a considerable amount of the Austrian force that once held the main Russian line has been thinned out, and now that the big guns and bombers have finally arrived it's time to assault the fortresses.

Further north I've now pulled back from Breslau entirely. With the heavy enemy entrenchment and a river in the way an attack there just isn't practical. Instead I have a view to pulling off an encirclement of my own, by pushing my forces up along the Danzig trench line and cutting off the forces that were attacking my siege operation at Konisberg (which has now, at long last, fallen).

Over on the Western front, besides moving up and entrenching the Brits in the north, there's little activity. However, I am planning two separate assaults at either end of the line in a few turns. The first will hit the coastal corps. Battleships will provide the preceding artillery before my elite corps move in to mop up the pieces. Down in the south it will be much the same, but the target will be Strasbourg and I'll be using field guns instead of warships.

I also learned some rather important lessons recently. The hard way.

1. I could've saved 300 MPPs transporting my troops rather than amphibiously transporting them

2. Generals are actually pretty important, and I sent my best Russian general on the Serbian suicide mission

3. Generals don't affect those from other countres (so I've taken the India/British force off the front line in the south of the western front and replaced them with a frenchie)

[Will95]

Turn 12 (the turn of forgetting to take screenies again, apologies!)

Things remained relatively static once again. As both Entente and Central Powers forces tech up their entrenchment levels it seems making attacks requires ever more preparation and planning- one misstep at this point would be fatal.

On the Eastern front the Serbs held onto to their secondary capital of Uskub for another turn while falling back with the corps. The Austrians continue to advance and with the artillery support things will soon become very painful for the Serbs. If nothing else, my little Russian expedition distracted things for long enough to allow them to survive a little longer and continue to be a drain on Austrian resources.

Speaking of the Russian expedition, my opponent is doing everything he can to keep them locked in the mountains. However in doing so he is sending out under strength and badly supplied units which I am able to damage without taking significant losses. The Russian artillery and heavy bombers continue to mobilize northwards- a fortress has been spotted being held with just a single detachment, rather than a corps. Next turn I plan to open up with the heavy guns, and hopefully steal it.

In the north my Russian troops are enjoying the lazy life in Koninsberg while reinforcing and digging in. I need to settle the line before things get too unstable. A cavalry unit trying to sneak behind the lines was isolated and will be destroyed next turn.

Back in the West I have the feeling this is the calm before the storm. Germans are massing at Metz in some seriously scary numbers, supported with heavy artillery. I do have a full strength, well supplied and high morale corps in there with level 6 entrenchment but even they may not survive a continuous bombardment. As a precautionary measure, I have had all the troops behind Metz dig in facing the fortress- even if the battlements fall, the line will hold.

[Will95]

Turn 13

This, as they say, is the calm before the storm.

Here is how the front lines currently look:

You will notice that a new front has opened up- the Italian front. Their troops don't measure up to the Germans or Austrians man for man, but they have the element of surprise and quite a sizeable navy. I'm wasting no time in making aggressive moves into the north and east. The aim is to grab a few easy towns and cities before digging in and weathering the German storm- sucking away as many resources from the 'real' front lines as possible.

The heavy batteries continue to move into position to strike against the fortresses on the Austrian-Russian front. I invested in some heavy artillery tech and I will wait for that to kick in before attacking so I can actually reduce the entrenchment value of said fortresses.

I am moving to squeeze the Germans pressuring Konigsberg in the north. However, it appears my opponent has begun upgrading his infantry. The Russians are already inferior and this will only make the difference more noticeable. Regrettably these last few turns may be the beginning of the end for the good days on the eastern front.

On the western front however, I am now getting into a good position to start pushing once again. In the north the British army grows and is supported by offshore firepower. In the south french guns train their sights on Strasbourg, although I have moved the guns in such a way as to provide some defensive fire against a possible assault on Metz. He is definitely going to try something, but it will really come down to whether his artillery hits the target or not.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Seems like you'll have to be veeery cautious against Germans in the East from now on, but perhaps you'll get infantry tech quickly thanks to some spies or prisoners ^^ .

- At least you're heavy enough on the back of Austrians to keep the southern part of the front quiet on the opposite side . And now with italian navy on your side, austrian ships will keep a low profile in Adriatic !

- Germans look stretched thin in the West, maybe enough forces to take a shot at Metz but I wonder if there are any reserves behind the lines...

- If possible can you put a screenshot of the units table to see relative numbers for all armies now that most Majors have joined the brawl ? Thanks .

[Will95]

Huzzah!

Finally a good turn of events for the Entente. Listen closely as I regale you with stories of front line successes....

First, to the western front.

Strasbourg, the object of my desires since 1914, has finally fallen. Viva la France! I opened up the battery with a 6 shell barrage followed by an onslaught of corps charges. We lost 11 steps of strength in exchange for the destruction of a 10 strength vetted corps and stole the city; a good trade. The breakthrough troops didn't run into any unexpected resistance, and the two corps either side of the city aren't going to be enough to break it alone. Even better, this might put a stall in the siegeworks around Metz- the artillery there is looking very evil indeed, and the troops are expecting the charges to come any day now. Further up in the north rain put a stop to any aerial activity, but next turn the British guns will release a rain of terror too. Finally a better commander has arrived by sea so we no longer have to deal with French and his miserable 4 rating. The Canadian Corps are en route but will be some time due to my foolishness of putting them in amphib transports.

On the Italian front, troops have bravely thrown themselves at the detachment holding the town in the north- it will fall next turn. In the Adriatic the combined forces of the Italian and French navies are putting immense pressure on the Austrian navy there.

On the Serbian front, most of the activity is in the sea. Two wounded Austrian ships are resting in port, and I'm waiting them out (how the hell do you kill in-port ships?). A bit of manouvering of Serbian corps and entrenching but otherwise no action.

On the Russian-Austrian front, I am preparing for an assault on the fortress at Przemysl as soon as I can get the guns in range. That will probably take another two turns, by which point we should have 8 shells stored up. With a bit of luck we might even have the artillery tech necessary to start dismantling the battlements themselves. There really isn't a great Austrian force here- the Russians outnumber them greatly- but they are very heavily dug in which is why it has taken so long. Hopefully this front will start becoming a hotbed of activity once again.

On the north of the front the Russians are falling back to the geographical lines to dig in. The Austrian-German forces here are both numerous and powerful, with level 1 infantry for most of them. Offensive activities in this area will have to wait for now.

Overall, most of the big wins happened at sea this turn. Some 4 naval units were sunk, and with the taking of Strasbourg, Central Powers NM has taken a heck of a pounding this turn. I am now redirecting spare naval units into the Med where we're going to tighten the noose on the Austrian navy. As far as I can tell there isn't much of an Ottoman navy if it indeed exists, and if I can establish complete control of the seas here it will strangle national morale.

Russians reach infantry tech 1 this turn, yay! I invested a lot into research this turn, particularly entrenchments for the French and Russians to allow the latter to survive the coming storm and the former to secure their recent gains at Metz and Strasbourg. Artillery tech is also being researched across the board so we can start putting a dent into these pesky German trenches.

[Strategiclayabout]

- Good timing for liberating Strasbourg ! We'll see if the Kaiser has some reserves at hand or if forces will be diverted from the Metz assault !

- Maybe Russian Carpathian adventures will prove a decisive move years after when analyzing the conflict ^^ : saving Serbians long enough to have Italy join and stretching Austria very thin.

- Nice to have infantry lvl 1 coming so close after the german one, you won't have to suffer the tech gap for long. That will also help a lot with those pinned austrian corps around the fortresses .

- To sink ships in ports: attacking them by land (amphibious moves or port capture) or by air (not very effective without tech upgrades but it can help). Teched subs can also do the job or even regular ships if enemy units are very weak (but you'll take more casualties with no certain result).

[Will95]

Things are really hotting up now!

The German navy is in the channel! Sound the home guard! (30 years too early I know )

Submarines arrived in force and the British fleet, for a long time happy to merrily plug away at any German infantry foolish enough to come close to the coast, has been dealt a heavy blow. Most of the blockade has been mustered in a huge call to arms. However, although we lost a battleship and more cruisers than I care to remember, this could equally be my opponent's downfall. I have a huge British navy coming to bite him in the rear of the channel; meanwhile a fleet of cruisers and destroyers, mostly French, approach from the west. Unless my opponent extricates himself from the Channel as quickly as he arrived, I should be able to trap most of his navy in the tight corridor and wipe it out.

In France Strasbourg was lost, but as expected, it required the Metz assault force to be diverted to take it back. For now at least, I can relax at Metz and continue to probe the German lines along this front which are generally quite thin. I'm going to need some infantry upgrades before long, though, as my opponent is beginning to tech up and my attack odds are beginning to plumment.

The huge commitment to the Channel also means that my Russian navy has been able to have its way with the weak ships resting in the Baltic and a cruiser was destroyed. Meanwhile on land, we were finally able to start upgrading the Russian infantry on a huge scale. Regrettably, this just means we are in the same position as in 1914, and the Germans are still superior man for man, but at least the odds are a little more balanced.

The force approaching from the direction of Krakow has put a huge spanner in the siege works on the Austrian fortresses. Trenches have been re-dug appropriately to face the approaching force. Things are about to get pretty ugly here.

On the Serbian front there's little movement, although I moved up the Montenegrin attachment to put the boot in on the weak battleship in port. The Med will soon be mine!

On the Italian front there's an upgraded detachment holding the same fort as last turn and once again we traded blows for its capture. He holds it- for now.

The place to watch right now is the channel, and the Austrian-Russian front. Victory or defeat there will change the flow of the years of warfare to come.

[Will95]

Turn 16

More of the same this turn, although a few victories and disappointments respectively.

First, to the Channel. The subs continued their reign of terror and sank my Canadian Corps. The amphibious transport debacle cost us not just raw MPP, but the loss of an elite corps...most disappointing. However, the aircraft carrier which I was sure would be sunk managed to survive, taking some chunks out of the enemy along with it- and just like that, the above-sea-level part of the navy vanished. I sent the British battleships along the Central Powers friendly coasts and found gold- 1 battleship sunk and another on the ropes!

On the Western front, Metz fell to a sustained artillery bombardment. Most disappointing. However, the troops around it remain heavily dug in so the line behind it hasn't budged. The British guns remain silent until we have the technology to start breaking down the Hun's defenses.

On the Italian front we are beginning to make real gains! Proper CP support does not appear to be anywhere close so now that we've got our meathook in, it's time to waggle it around a bit.

On the Russian front, a vetted German unit was heavily damaged and almost destroyed. Other upgraded Russian units took a beating however and it's all we can do to just hold the line.

On the Serbian front, we've started upgrading our troops. Some damage was dealt to German units and we forced one very weak unit to fall back. It's a bit of a risk to spend more Russian MPP down here, but it will force him to use a lot of Austrian resources to crack them. Hey, maybe the Serbs will even break out given enough time.

British reached a new level of infantry tech and we will begin rolling out upgrades across the western front next turn. The French also gained another step in entrenchment tech, which ought to at least guarantee that we hold the line, even if we can't push into German territory.

[Will95]

Turn 17 (the turn of the I'm-pretty-sure-I-took-screenshots-apparently-they-vanished)

First, the North Sea/channel/Irish sea battles. My fleet of destroyers hunted down the subs committing unrestricted naval warfare in the Irish Sea but the subs dived. However we have surrounded them and as luck would have it, anti-submarine tech level 1 for the British hit at the end of this turn. The U-boats had their fun- now it's my turn.

Across the North Sea, my battleships are hunting down the wounded German navy with bloodlust. The Russians in the Baltic joined in too, sinking a cruiser.

On the Western front we began upgrading our British infantry. Once they are all upgraded and we have our first artillery tech, we can start making serious in roads in the north of France and Belgium. Kitchener's Army continues to grow and the British army is now quite large.

The French further South are rather immovable. They got a new level of entrenchment so for now they're just sitting tight.

In Russia, it's a nightmare. An utter nightmare. The Hun is all around us and just metres from Warsaw.

Next turn will probably create significant developments on all fronts- I'll make sure to take pictures then.

[Will95]

Turn 19 (the turn of the where dafuq did my turn 18 go?)

To start with, here's a war map picture to get a general idea of the various fronts that now exist as we enter the autumn of 1915.

As this year winds down, the exciting areas to watch are the Russian and Italian fronts. First, the Russians. As you will note, things are looking decidedly messy over here.

All this upgraded German infantry is posing pretty massive problems for the Russians, who no longer have the numerical advantage. Quantity can equal quality if you have enough of it, but right now I don't. The Austrian fort line is being thinned out to strengthen the flank. Warsaw was lost, and the Russian army has essentially been split into two- the larger chunk exists in the south with the Austrians and is mostly upgraded and has the benefit of artillery and heavy bomber support, shown above.

In the north we have the much smaller army group based around Konigsberg which is heavily entrenched and upgraded but lacks indirect fire support, while the Germans pound them leading to the loss of a corps.

Down in the South it's all we can do to prevent the fall of Serbia- not long now.

Italy is where I'm planning to have some fun, however. The Austrian presence here is weak but I have decided not to push further north. The mountains are making it seriously tough going and supply lines are getting cut short just a few miles from the HQ. Instead, I have entrenched a corps in defence of the town we took last turn and I am pulling back the rest of the troops for an audacious mission- to make an amphibious crossing across the bay and land at Pula. I will aim to send about 4 of the corps and an HQ. The objective will be to destroy the remenants of the Austrian fleet resting in port, before turning north and taking out Trieste with a two pronged attack- the amphibious army from behind and the rest from the front. The lack of heavy artillery means we have to get creative when taking out these deep Austrian trenches. It's a bold move, but if it works it will mean huge morale losses for the Central Powers. We have invested a chit into amphibious warfare to support the operation.

We will call this Operation Meatball.

At the end of this turn, the USA was further pushed into war by the actions of the U-boats in the North Atlantic. Naval warfare was extremely successful this turn with U-boats and wounded cruisers being hunted down and destroyed all over the place. German NM falls to 68%, far lower than any Entente nations. The French reached their first level of artillery tech which will facilitate the taking of Strasbourg, further helped by the upgraded infantry we now field.