Airboy's Central Powers AAR

[airboy]

Verdun Falls!

June 19, 1915.

I have the start and end of the turn.

Western Front:

Verdun Falls!

I had kept weakening the Verdun unit. I then hit it with a hurricane barrage of heavy artillery. It fell like a rotten French grape!

Belmont is my next target. But it will take a couple of turns to move my heavy artillery into range.

Multiple counter-attacks failed to destroy the ANZAC corps, but it is down to 2 steps.

Serbian Front:

I launched multiple attacks on the capital of Belgrade. It has been weakened to 6 steps and the morale took a big hit.

Turkey:

Still trying to get my troops into position. You cannot operational move units from Anatolia to the Jordan/Sinai. Don't know why, but you just can't do it. This makes troop movements very slow.

Eastern Front:

Baltic Area - moved several additional corps and another HQ. I now can actually supply and motivate all of my troops. Although the force ratio is only slightly in my favor, the 2 HQ units will probably be decisive.

Central Area north of the marshes - The Russians tried to hold some cities with unsupported heavy artillery units. They were destroyed. I have surrounded the fortress of Brest-Litovsk. Lutsk is also surrounded.

Central Area South of the great marshes - The Austrians are moving against multiple Russian HQ units with almost no infantry support. Things are progressing smoothly.

Baltic Sea:

Russia brought up a heavy cruiser to shell my troops. I moved multiple units to attack. In the naval battle I lost 1 destroyer unit but sunk the Russian cruiser. This has caused me to rethink my naval strategy. My subs in the Atlantic get discovered and driven off on a regular basis. The Brits have developed anti submarine warfare technology. But the Russians don't have the technology! I'm going to start transferring my sub units after they get prepared from their routine pounding in the Atlantic to the Northern Baltic to sink Russian capital ships. This will take a couple of months to accomplish, but I think I can sink the Russian Baltic fleet at a minimal cost.

Losses to date:

UK 4 corps (1 cavalry), 1 detachment and 1 capital ship

France: 9 corps (1 cavalry)

Russia: 35 corps (4 cavalry), 1 HQ, 2 Heavy Artillery units, 4 detachments & a cruiser.

Germany: 1 corps, 1 detachment & 1 destroyer

Austria: 1 corps

Turkey: 0

[airboy]

July 10, 1915

Atlantic:

3 subs on UK supply lines. The rest are damaged and being repaired in port or are moving to the Baltic ports for repair.

Baltic Sea:

2 Battleships and three cruisers have moved to the Russian side of the Baltic Sea around Konigsberg. The Russians have been committing naval units to shell Memel ineffectively.

Western Front:

Belgium has finally been stabilized. This is the first time this front seems totally secure.

The headline news is the French right flank anchored on the Swiss Border has been totally shattered. Only scattered units remain. The fortress and national morale city of Belfort is surrounded. My heavy artillery and rail gun have been moved into attack position. But it will take several turns to accumulate enough shells to launch an attack. WWI had severe artillery shell shortages for most of the war.

Serbia:

Austria purchased a heavy artillery unit which has been moved into range of the Serbian capital of Belgrade.

Turkish Front:

No changes.

Eastern Front:

Russia continues to lose cities to Germany and Austria.

[airboy]

July 24, 1915

Start of Turn

Atlantic:

One sub is surrounded and down to 2 steps. It is doomed to destruction next turn. Several damaged subs are moving back to the Baltic for repairs.

Western Front:

Heavy Entente counter-attacks in Belgium and France have been repulsed with little damage and no loss of units.

Russia:

Russia is being slowly eaten up at the pace of marching feet and horse drawn supplies & artillery. Hopefully the Kaiser will be more careful of his supplies than Napoleon was.

The fortress of Brest-Litovsk has fallen along with the city of Grodno.

National Morale:

UK 94; France 83; Russia 57; Germany 91; Austria 58; Turkey 89.

Russian national morale will soon slip below 50%.

Losses to date:

UK: 5 corps (1 cavalry), 1 detachment and 1 capital ship.

France: 10 corps (1 cavalry)

Russia 40 corps (5 cavalry), 1 HQ, 2 Heavy Artillery, 4 detachments and 2 cruisers

Germany: 1 corps, 1 detachment and 2 destroyers

Austria 1 corps

Turkey, no unit losses.

The start of next turn will mark the 1 year point of the Great War. General Airboy will give the Kaiser a detailed review of how the strategic war plan has worked. General Airboy will also lay out his strategy for the next year and the eventual destruction of the Entente.

[Bossy57322]

This is a great read. Sounds like you really have France on the ropes.

[airboy]

Report to the Kaiser

August 7, 1915

by General Airboy

TOP SECRET!

Kaiser:

A year ago the Serbs murdered the heir to the Austrian Hungarian Empire. The Russians then immorally declared war on Austria and Germany in defense of this Serbian outrage.

This briefing will provide:

a] an overview of the strategic war plan

b] an assessment of the progress on all aspects of the strategic war plan

c] an overview of the General Staff's plan for the next year.

I. Overview of the Strategic War Plan

Moltke the Younger's flawed plan was dropped on the eve of the conflict as he was forced into retirement.

Moltke's plan envisioned a powerful blow through Belgium to crush France. Minimal troops would be committed against Russia.

The Airboy plan was to:

- Transfer more than half of the German army from the Belgian border to East Prussia

- For the East Prussian forces to delay the Russian army until reinforcements arrived.

- To keep the German Surface Navy intact in a defensive posture to prevent the British from taking the Baltic or to land troops on the Atlantic or Baltic coasts.

- Use German Submarines to attack the UK Supply lines. These attacks would be done in a manner to avoid conflict with the USA.

- Commit the bulk of the Austrian Army to defend Austria against Russia

- Diplomatic goals were to avoid opening other fronts in the war such as Italy and to avoid a US entry into the war. Turkey was to be wooed into entering the war to force Russia to defend another front.

In sum, the Airboy plan is designed to knock Russia out of the war while minimizing losses to Germany and Austria. Opening other fronts or taking actions which could encourage a US entry were to be avoided at all costs until Russia was crushed.

An Assessment of Progress on Strategic War Goals

1] Overall Allied Losses:

German, Austrian and Turkish losses have been minimal. Although replacements have been needed for many corps to replace war losses, very few units have been lost.

German Losses: 1 corps, 1 detachment, 2 destroyers, 1 submarine.

Austrian Losses: 1 corps

Turkish Losses: 0

Assessment: Strategic Goal to minimize troop and ship losses has been an outstanding success.

2] Overall Enemy Losses:

Russia: 36 Infantry corps, 6 Cavalry corps, 1 HQ, 4 Infantry Detachments, 2 Heavy Artillery Units, 2 Heavy Cruisers.

French: 10 Infantry corps and 2 Calvary corps.

UK: 5 Infantry corps, 1 Cavalry corps, 1 Infantry Detachment, 1 Seaplane Carrier

Assessment: Russia has lost so many troops that they cannot cover their defensive front. Their manpower reserves are drained. They no longer have the ability to transfer troops from their other border regions. France and UK losses have been extensive compared to German losses. Serbian losses have been minimal. Overall, the loss ratio has been an outstanding success.

3] German/Russian Front:

Russia has lost the cities of Kovno, Grodno, Baranovich, Bialystok, Brest-Litovsk, Syediets, Warsaw, Novo Georgievsk, Jutno, Lodz, Ivangorod, Radom, Lublin, Kovel, Lutsk, Rovno, Proskurov and Vinnitsa. This represents a loss of significant manufacturing and raw materials.

The Russians have been expelled from East Prussia. The Russian front for the German Army is on a line from Minsk to the Baltic. The Russian Army comprised of 9 infantry corps, 1 cavalry corps, 1 HQ and 1 detachment is all that stands between the German Army and St. Petersburg and Moscow. The German army consists of 20 Infantry Corps, 4 HQs, 4 Cavalry Corps and various detachments in garrison duty.

The German Army has a better than 2:1 force ratio. The German/Russian front is too wide for the Russian Army to defend. Better yet, there are no major natural barriers which could stop the German Army. Although the Russian winter will be brutal, our troops are more numerous, better equipped and better supplied than their Russian opponents.

4] Russian/Austrian Front

Russia has been expelled from all Austrian territory. The Austrian Army has broken through and is heading towards the Black Sea and other parts of Southern Russia.

Visible Russian opposition appears to be 2 Infantry Corps, 1 Infantry Detachment and 4 HQs.

The Austrian Army numbers 13 Infantry Corps, 3 Cavalry Corps, 3 HQs and 1 Heavy Artillery unit.

Assessment: The Russians appear to be weaker in the South than they do in the North. The Austrian Army is in severe need of a refit and resupply with many units down to 67% of their strength. But this refit and resupply is planned for the winter months.

5] Russian/Turkish Front:

Initial Russian attacks into Turkey were repulsed. No Russian troops are within Turkish borders. The Russians have a roughly equilivant number of troops to the Turks. Although the front is static, tying down these Russian units meets the strategic goal.

6] Overall Assessment of Russia:

The strategic plan is working well. We are on schedule. The General Staff predicts that there is a 70% chance of a Russian surrender by August, 1916 and a 95% chance of a Russian surrender by May, 1917. Russian morale has dropped significantly (52%). Our spies report that the Czar is losing his grip on the outlying provinces, especially Finland. Labor unrest is increasing. The Russian will to fight is being drained and is close to a irreversable downward spiral.

7] Belgian Front:

France and the UK declared war on Belgium in December, 1914. The General Staff is mystified at the timing of the declaration of war by the Entente and the poor follow-up on the attack.

Only a small sliver of Belgium on the Atlantic coast is under enemy occupation. All Belgian cities and natural resources are under our control. Near constant French and UK attacks on our Belgian allies and our German units have achieved little. Our Belgian lines have stabilized despite the commitment by France and the UK of all bombers, heavy artillery, and significant numbers of troops to this front.

Assessment: It was an unexpected bonus to have the small, but capable Belgian Army ally with Germany. The Belgian manufacturing and raw materials production have been integrated into the overall war effort. The force ratio favors the Entente, but our defensive lines are strong and the front is stable. Overall, the Belgian front is doing far better than even the wildest dreams of the most junior staff officer.

8] French Front:

The French General Staff must be thinking of their mistresses, wine and poodle dogs instead of the war. The French unexpectedly left the German front weak. By concentrating all of our heavy artillery and rail guns, the German Army has managed to systematically take the French cities of Maubeuge, Sedan, Verdun, and Nancy. The fortress of Belford is surrounded and will fall before the end of the year. The French have wasted the cream of their army in futile attacks on our heavily entrenched units in Sedan.

The German Army has numeric and artillery superiority on the French front between Sedan and the Swiss Border. In the Spring and Summer of 1916 the French right flank was in total shambles. But with the bulk of the German army committed to Russia the General Staff was unable to fully capitalize on this unexpected opportunity. Still, French morale has dropped sharply from the beginning of the war (82) and their last border fortress is under siege.

Overall assessment: Progress on the French front is beyond our wildest expectations. We were hoping for a stable border and to prevent French incursions into Southern Germany. Instead, many French cities have fallen and we have tactical advantage on the front.

9] Turkish Front:

The Turkish army was in even worse shape than the General Staff projected. The Turks quickly lost Basra and the Abadan Oilfields on the Persian Gulf. The Turks have slowly been moving their forces to the Jordan, Israel, Arabian areas.

Assessment: Turkish morale is lower than at the start of the war (89). The Turks are currently incapable of offensive action on the Russian or Egyptian fronts. However, the Turkish entry into the war is tying up significant military assets of the UK and Russia. The Turkish Navy has been able to bottle up the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

Overall, Turkish efforts have disappointed the German General Staff. Still, from a strategic perspective we are far better off with Turkey as are active military ally.

10] Serbian Front

No Serbian troops are in Austria. Austria took the Serbian city of Valejvo. Because Austria committed the bulk of their forces against Russia, there has been little progress on the Serbian front. An Austrian heavy artillery unit has recently reached the Serbian front.

Assessment: Belgrade will probably fall in the next six month. But until Russia is defeated and the bulk of the Austrian army can be transferred to the Balkans, it is unlikely that there will be much movement on the Serbian Front. Overall, the Serbian front has met but not exceeded general staff expectations.

11] Naval War

The German surface Navy has succeeded in preventing the British from entering the Baltic or attacking our Atlantic coast. We have had greater success than anticipated against the Russian Baltic Fleet.

Kaiser, our submarine attacks on UK supply lines have had far less effect than the General Staff anticipated before the start of the war. Both the UK and France have developed effective anti-submarine counter measures. We are trying to slip a couple of subs into the English Channel in an attempt to reverse our Atlantic setbacks.

The General Staff is disappointed in our submarine campaign. We are reassessing our strategy. Overall, this has not been a strategic loss or a strategic gain.

12] An Assessment of our Austrian Allies:

The Austrian Army has fought bravely. They repulsed the bulk of the Russian army. They have a huge strategic advantage against Russia. The Austrian Army has prevented Serbian aggression. The Austrian Navy has been ineffective, but has not been sunk.

Kaiser, we are still concerned about the Austrian will to fight. Your personal intervention succeeded in persuading Austria to give the port of Trieste to Italy to prevent a further widening of the war. But the Austrian public, army and navy were bitterly disappointed in this decision. There were riots and mutinies throughout Austria. Austria has had almost no war losses which was unexpected.

Still, the storm seems to have passed. Austrian morale has not improved (57), but has also stabilized. The General Staff thought that the victories against Russia and expelling Russian forces from Austria would cause national morale and will to fight to recover. This has not occurred. The General Staff has some (70%) confidence that if Russia was defeated that Austrian morale would recover.

13] An Assessment of Our Turkish Allies

They have not helped us as much as we would like. Their morale is fragile as seen by the drop following the loss of a single city at the border of their empire (Basra). Still, having them in the war has been an overall strategic plus. Our spies report that there is unrest among the Arabs and that the UK may be building up troops in Egypt. We are concerned about the Turks will to fight.

14] An Assessment of German Morale

Kaiser, the German people are very pleased with the success of the Imperial Army. But they are disappointed in the food and material shortages caused by the British Naval blockade. National morale has dropped (91) since the beginning of the war.

But Germany has a stronger will to fight than anyone except perhaps Britain. We think that a Russian surrender would result in a national morale boost.

Our Navy is not strong enough to break the British blockade. If our surface fleet were destroyed, we could lose the war.

15] An Assessment of International Relations

Kaiser, we are winning the war. The USA has no interest in fighting against us (0% mobilization). Italy has lost all interest in the war (0% mobilization). Bulgaria, Holland, Norway, Sweden and the Swiss support Germany.

Greece, Portugal and Romania are leaning towards the Entente. But an entry by any (or even all) of these countries would not prevent a German victory.

16] Research

We have huge research investments in improving our land combat, industrial technology and production technology. We have lesser investments in aerial warfare, airships and trench warfare. Our enemies are ahead of us in heavy artillery, bombers and anti-submarine warfare.

Overall Summation:

Kaiser, we are winning. We are in a stronger position now than we were when the war started. We think that if Russia surrenders that we can quickly crush France and Serbia.

Plan for the Next Year

1] Continue to focus on knocking Russia out of the War.

2] Take advantage of opportunities that appear on the Western Front

3] Evaluate the Naval Strategy

4] Prevent a US entry or widening the war.

[Bill101]

Some screenshots of the situation in August 1915 to go with the above:

[airboy]

September 4, 1915

Eastern Front:

German Army captured Minsk and Vilna. There is a potential to encircle and cut off some Russian units on the Baltic front. Being cut off is very dangerous due to the supply effects. It does not look like the Russians can stop the German Army. Perhaps General Winter can.

Austrians took Zhitomir and Vinnitsa and are attacking Kiev and a series of cities just inland from the Black Sea.

Russian morale has dropped to 44. Russian losses are 50 corps (6 cavalry), 2 HQ, 5 detachments, 2 heavy artillery units and 2 cruisers.

Western Front:

A German corps was destroyed. Four German corps can now attack Belfort. I purchased another heavy artillery unit and now have 2 heavy artillery units and one rail gun in range of Belfort.

Serbia:

Took the Serbian capital of Belgrade.

Atlantic:

The German attempt to sneak a sub unit through the English Channel was a disaster. My sub unit lost 9 of 10 steps and barely escaped.

German morale has dropped to 89 due to the British Naval blockade.

[airboy]

September 18, 1915

Start of Turn

Germany finally got the Infantry Warfare 1 technology!

Greece Declares War on Germany and Austria!

In a totally unexpected (scripted) development, Greece was enticed to join the Entente. No Greek troops rolled across the border into Turkey.

Western Front:

The fortress and national morale city of Belfort has been captured. Only 3 French units are between Toul and the Swiss border. The French right flank has been shattered. French morale has slumped to 77 and the French have now lost 15 corps (2 cavalry).

Eastern Front:

Russia is reeling. The Germans are attacking both Riga and Smolensk. 2 Russian Army corps and 1 Cavalry corps have been cut off north of Kovno. Because the Russian army has largely been destroyed, cutting off three corps is significant. The Austrians took Kiev.

Russian losses are now 53 corps (6 cavalry), 3 HQ, 3 Heavy Artillery, 5 detachments and 2 cruisers. Russian morale has sunk to 40.

[airboy]

November 6, 1915

End of Turn

Western Front:

The German Army has taken Toul and Besancon. Roughly half of the German Infantry Corps in France have been upgraded to infantry attack 1. French morale has fallen to 74.

Eastern Front:

The rains have started in Russia.

The Germans have taken Riga, Dvinsk and Polotsk. There seems to be very little between the Germans and St. Petersburg. The Austrians are attacking the Black Sea port of Odessa. Russian morale has sunk to 29.

Bulgaria is on the verge of entering the war (92%) on the side of the Central Powers after diplomatic pressure was applied.

[airboy]

December 4, 1915.

I saved the beginning and the end of the turn.

Bulgaria has declared war on Serbia and Russia!

Western Front:

The German Army turned the French right flank between Dijon and the Swiss border. The German Army will try to exploit this breakthrough. However, the highest priority is to not lose the war in France by getting a substantial force cut off from our supply lines. Since the breakthrough runs along the Swiss border, getting cut off should be avoidable.

Eastern Front:

Winter rains and mud have begun.

The Russian front is broken wide open. Only two visible Russian units have been spotted from the Baltic to Smolensk. The Austrian Army also has very few visible units in opposition. The German High Command is beginning to think that almost the entire Russian Army has been destroyed and that no reserves are left.

A Russian battleship is shelling a German unit attacking Libau. This gives the German fleet a big advantage because the unit is spotted. It is hard to identify and spot naval units. A spotted unit is much easier to attack successfully.

Serbian Front:

Austria purchased a Rail Gun. This gun along with the Heavy Artillery should enable a slow progress and destruction of Serbian units on this front.

National Morale:

Russian: 26; French 72; UK 90; Germany 89; Austria 60; Turkey 79.

Ground Losses to Date:

UK: 11 corps (2 cavalry) & 5 detachments

France: 21 corps (2 cavalry)

Russia: 62 corps (8 cavalry), 5 HQ, 3 Heavy Artillery, 7 detachments

Germany: 4 corps and 1 detachment

Austria: 1 corps.

[airboy]

New Years Day 1916

Czar Takes Personal Control of Russian Forces!

In a desperate move, the Czar takes personal control of all Russian military forces. This puts his personal prestige on the line. Russian national morale increases to 30. If the Central Powers keep winning, Russian morale will probably totally collapse.

Snow throughout Europe. Snow penalties towards supply and attacks make it difficult to conduct offensive operations. Until March I will probably just slowly move forward, resupply and refit.

Austrian national morale is slowly recovering due to all of the Russian successes. It has now risen to 61.

Western Front:

Captured the French city of Lyons. The road and rail lines to Avignon and Marseilles appear to be undefended. Slow winter movement and poor supplies may make exploiting this impossible. French national morale has slipped to 71.

Eastern Front:

Only 4 heavily damaged Russian detachments (not corps) face the entire German Army. Austrian forces have a similar situation. But supplies are so poor that it is difficult to advance.

Turkey:

Turks took the undefended Russian city of Oltu. Unfortunately, Arab partisan units have formed in Arabia. Tracking them down in the road less waste will not be easy.

[airboy]

February 26, 1916

There was an unexpected major Naval battle in the Baltic Sea. A Russian battleship and cruiser were both sunk. The German Navy had placed 4 sub units in the area after repeated Russian shelling of German land forces. The trap was sprung and a large portion of the Russian Baltic Fleet has gone to the bottom.

Russian morale takes another dive. Riots have started in St. Petersburg.

Because of the ineffectiveness of attacks in the snow and the poor supply situation, it was largely quiet on the Eastern and Western fronts.

[airboy]

May 5, 1916

Russia Breaking Up! Finland Successfully Rebels from Russia! Czar Resigns!

Finland successfully rebels from Russia with some minor covert support from Germany. Finland starts supplying Germany with war material.

Czar Nicholas has resigned. There are major riots in St. Petersburg. Russia is in chaos.

Russian national morale is now 11!!!! Their morale took a brief upward turn when the Czar took over the army. But after the Czar could not reverse the military situation the morale really tanked.

Germany does not allow Lenin passage to Russia. General Airboy after having a very bad dream where he saw a Communist Russia intentionally starving their population, closing the churches, shooting priests, and being the inspiration for a philosophy that killed more human beings over the next 100 years than any other political or religious system begged the Kaiser to shoot Lenin. Airboy volunteered to pull the trigger himself. Unfortunately, the Kaiser refused Airboy's offer.

There is good weather throughout Europe.

Germany successfully researches Infantry Warfare Level 2!!

Eastern Front:

Marching on St. Petersburg. Only a miracle could stop the German advance. Austria has taken Odessa and is moving to take other Black Sea ports and cities in the area. The German Navy is unsure if there are any Russian capital ships left in the Baltic.

Turkey:

British troops have crossed the Turkish border in the Sinai and took a minor city. British troops are slowly moving up the Tigris & Euphrates rivers taking cities and moving towards Baghdad. Turks had to divert troops to Arabia to eliminate an Arab uprising.

National Morale:

UK 88; France 66; Russia 11, Germany 91, Austria 64 and Turkey 79.

Austrian morale has recovered and is slowly turning more positive. Austrian morale is almost higher than French morale!

Losses to date:

UK 11 corps (2 cav), 6 detachments and 1 major ship.

Fr: 25 corps (3 cav), 1 detachment & 1 sub.

Russia: 65 corps (8 cav), 5 HQ, 11 detachments, 3 Heavy Artillery, 1 Bomber, 2 Battleships, 4 Cruisers and 1 Destroyer.

Germany: 4 corps, 1 detachment, 2 DDs and 1 sub

Austria: 1 corps

Turkey: 0

[sorry. It looks like I missed saving a turn in March or April].

[TheDeadeye]

Hi Airboy,

First thanks a lot for the AAR. I have been attentively reading its progress and I have 3 questions for you

1) Have you applied the latest patch?

2) If you have, do you feel like the AI has improved and pursues the war more strategically?

3) I have looked at your losses up to your last post. The Entente seems to have lost tremendous amounts of Corps where as, you as the Central Powers, have not remotely suffered such losses. Is it because the AI throws Corps piecemeal at you without regards to situational awareness or how come the AI has suffered such great losses?

Thanks for answering!

[Bossy57322]

What is the status of the United States? Are you keeping your subs out of the Atlantic altogether and how is that affecting the US diplomatically vis-a-vis the Central Powers?

[airboy]

Hi Airboy,

First thanks a lot for the AAR. I have been attentively reading its progress and I have 3 questions for you

1) Have you applied the latest patch?

2) If you have, do you feel like the AI has improved and pursues the war more strategically?

3) I have looked at your losses up to your last post. The Entente seems to have lost tremendous amounts of Corps where as, you as the Central Powers, have not remotely suffered such losses. Is it because the AI throws Corps piecemeal at you without regards to situational awareness or how come the AI has suffered such great losses?

Thanks for answering!

I played the entire game before the patch. If you install the patch, previous save games cannot be used. I won't use the patch until I finish writing up this AAR.

The big difference between myself and the computer AI is that I am careful not to over-extend my units so they are out of supply. I also have my first priority as reinforcing damaged units on the verge of destruction. The AI is less likely to reinforce damaged units. These small things add up.

The AI had very aggressive Russian attacks in East Prussia that almost succeeded. It was a close thing for a while. The Russians also attacked Austrian forces in superior defensive terrain. For the Russians, the AI was really mixed. Did very well in Prussia and did not do so well vs Austria.

The French and British forces kept pounding away in Belgium. By 1916 they began to cause entire units to be destroyed. This is where the German losses have come from. But they did not adequately defend the French right flank or the fortress cities on the German border.

The Entente is not throwing troops at me piecemeal. They do fail to reinforce damaged units as often as they should. They also can be reckless and have supply problems.

If you have noticed (easier to see on the wargamer.com thread which has a lot more screenshots), I am cautious in advancing. It is every easy to have a bad supply situation develop. If you push your troops out too far their combat effectiveness will drop sharply and they are in a very dangerous position.

Wargamer thread is: http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=526737&mpage=5#531608

I have been very lucky in the Atlantic. I have had a half a dozen situations where a sub was knocked down to 3 steps or less only to successfully escape.

[airboy]

What is the status of the United States? Are you keeping your subs out of the Atlantic altogether and how is that affecting the US diplomatically vis-a-vis the Central Powers?

I never used unrestricted submarine warfare. I never tried to stir up Mexico. The Central Powers never declared war on anyone but Serbia.

My subs have not been very effective, but the US has not entered the war.

A lot of time later on in the game is spent discussing the USA.

[Bill101]

I just want to thank Airboy for his magnificent AAR!

[airboy]

July 1, 1916

RUSSIA SURRENDERS!!!

Russia has surrendered. The new countries of Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Crimea, Transcaucasia are formed.

Only Finland is a supporter of the Central Powers (40%) providing some trade benefits. The rest of the new countries and Russia herself are neutral.

Something very unexpected happened. USA went to 17% towards the Entente. Either Britian and France are putting major diplomatic pressure on the US or this event was triggered by the fall of Russia. Germany starts to apply diplomatic pressure on the US. This is very expensive to do.

All German troops were "magically" transported to the eastern edge of Prussia. All Austrian troops were transported to the eastern edge of Austria.

I plan to upgrade and reinforce my German and Austrian troops. Austrian troops are going to Serbia. HQs are being operationally moved first followed by upgraded and reinforced Infantry corps.

Germany is shipping their troops to the Western Front.

German and Austrian cavalry units will hoof it West.

All of these troop movements are going to take time. If you reinforce or upgrade troops, you cannot move them that turn. Due to operational movement costs, you can only move so many troops per turn.

National Morale is now:

UK 86; Fr 63; Germany 98; Austria 70, Turkey 83.

I think this is a design flaw. I would have a bigger morale boost to the Central Powers and a bigger morale hit to the Entente if one of the three major forces were knocked out of the war (France, UK or Russia). I would do the same for Austria being knocked out. If Germany loses the war is over according to the rules. During WWI Russia's surrender was a major morale hit to the UK and France and a big boost for the Central Powers. I think the game should reflect this more substantially.

Western Front:

German troops are making progress attacking France. They are getting units picked off about every other turn in Belgium. The French have all of their heavy artillery units in range of the lines in Belgium. The French and British bomber units are concentrated there also.

The French right flank is very weak. I'll soon have the troops to exploit this. I'm attacking Troyes.

I made a mistake on the Western front. I left a small gap in my line covering for some destroyed units in Belgium. This allowed the Brits & French to attack my most experienced fighter unit and destroy it.

Turkey:

The Turks mouse trapped themselves. They sent 1 HQ and 5 corps to Arabia to attack the rebels. They succeeded (2 partisan units were crushed), but left themselves open to attack in the Sinai-Jordan area. British troops are also slowly moving up the Iraqi rivers.

Russia's defeat means that Turkey can transfer their units from the Russian border down to the South. I should be able to stop the British advance. But I hope I don't lose one of the host of Turkish morale cities in the process.

Land Losses to date:

UK 13 corps (2 cavalry), 7 detachments & 2 Arab partisan units.

France: 29 corps (3 cav) and 1 detachment

Germany: 6 corps, 1 detachment. Entente concentration of firepower in Belgium is taking a slow toll.

Austria: 1 corps

Turkey no unit losses.

The picture links give the big picture of the Western front and the front in Turkey.

Western Front:

Western Front 2

Middle East

[airboy]

July 15, 1916

End of Turn

Western Front:

Captured the French cities of Troyes and St. Etienne. Also captured the St. Etienne mines. Destroyed 3 corps and 5 detachments this turn. The French right flank has been blown wide open. I have one German army centered on St. Etienne and a 2nd Army centered on Troyes.

The French took the Belgian city of Maubeuge. Why they are concentrating forces here instead of on their right flank or defending Paris is a mystery. Perhaps the French general staff is drunk or busy breeding poodles.

Paris looks to be weakly defended.

Serbia:

Now that Russia has been knocked out of the war, Serbia is finally facing the wrath of Austria. Multiple heavy artillery units and several reinforcements are attacking Serbia. Bulgarian troops are also pushing in from their border.

Greece:

Bulgaria took the Greek city of Kavalla and is attacking Salonika. They probably cannot take it - yet. But once Serbia is crushed the Greeks will fall next like a ripe olive.

Turkey:

Lots of British pressure on the cities of Gaza and Beersheba. But a strong Turkish counter-attack is shaping up out of Arabia into the Sinai.

Ground Losses to Date:

UK: 14 corps (2 cav), 8 detachments and 2 Arab partisans.

France: 30 corps (3 cav) and 2 detachments

Germany: 7 corps and 1 detachment

Austria: 1 corps.

National Morale

UK 85; France 61; Germany 97; Austria 70; Turkey 83.

The US is now leaning 25% to the Entente????? I used major German and Austrian resources and now have level 4 diplomatic pressure on the US. This gives me a 20% chance of a favorable event (minus Entente pressure which is unknown). This is roughly equilivant to buying 5 infantry corps. This use of funds is slowing my ability to operationally move the German army in Prussia to France.

Photo link shows how the French right flank has been blown wide open:

The photo link below shows how Serbia is in a nutcracker with Bulgarian troops invading from the East while the Austrian Army is coming down from the North and the West

[airboy]

July 29, 1916

Have beginning & end of the turn saved.

I destroyed 1 HQ (Serbian), 6 infantry corps, 1 partisan (Arab) and captured the 2nd Serbian capital of Nish this turn.

Serbia:

I took the 2nd Serbian Capital city of Nish. Serbia's original capital was Belgrade. They moved their capital a 2nd time to Uskub. These are tough people, but they cannot withstand the full might of the Austrian Army with their Bulgarian allies. They are getting crushed.

Turkey:

The Turks stabilized the front in Jordan. Another Arab partisan unit (the last?) was destroyed. Turks are starting to move an army to hit the UK in their undefended flank in the Sinai. Turks are starting to move significant reinforcements to Baghdad. UK keeps taking cities in the area. This is going to be a race. There are no roads or railroads in Iraq. But the Turks have a lot of reinforcements coming from troops originally posted on the Russian border.

France:

Huge German Army heading towards Paris against minimal opposition. More upgraded and reinforced German Infantry corps are arriving every turn. In open field, a level 2 ground warfare infantry corps is hard to stop.

National Morale:

France has fallen to 59.

Austria fell to 69????? Why? No Austrian cities are under foreign control and Austria is starting to crush Serbia. One would think the people would be happy.

United States:

USA moved to 35% towards the Entente. Why?? Does Wilson have a French mistress? The Central Powers now have a level 6 diplomatic pressure on the USA. This totals to 1,200 military production points. Translated, I could buy 8 infantry corps with level 2 combat with 1,200 points. That is an entire army!

Photo link shows how Paris seems to be almost undefended.

[airboy]

Report to the Kaiser

by General Airboy

August 12, 1916

TOP SECRET

Kaiser:

The strategic war plan has been a success. Russia has surrendered and has been dismembered. Russia no longer poses a threat to Germany and we have secured valuable concessions. We are now executing the second stage of our strategic plan.

We will review each front and provide a report of the current situation and the General Staff's estimate of future outcomes.

1] Russia: Russia is crushed. There is heavy internal fighting by various factions for power. They have learned their lesson and are unlikely to reenter the war.

2] Serbia: Serbia has lost their 2nd national capital. The Austrian Army has a5:1 troop superiority. Serbia has no artillery to speak of. Austria has successfully used rail transport to move their heavy artillery units to the Serbian front. Austria has upgraded the combat ability of their troops significantly.

The General Staff predicts that Serbia will surrender before Christmas.

3] Greece: Greece declared war on the Central Powers on a whim. They are about to be crushed for that. The only factor in favor of Greece is the mountainous border region. But when the full weight of the Austrian army hits them they will surrender.

The General Staff is most confident (95%+) that Greece will surrender before June, 1917.

4] Albania: At some point in the last 2 years Albania declared war on the Central Powers. Kaiser, the General Staff forgot to tell you about this. It does not make any difference. Albania will surrender before Christmas along with the Serbs.

5] Bulgaria: Bulgarian troops have been surprisingly effective. Opening up a new front against Serbia yielded wonderful results.

6] Belgium: Almost all of the Belgian army has been destroyed in the unceasing attacks by the French and British. However, only one Belgian city is in the hands of the enemy. The Belgian people and industry strongly support Germany.

7] France: Kaiser, your army has succeeded in destroying more than half of the French Army. 30 infantry corps, 3 cavalry corps and 2 detachments have been destroyed. Our troops are seeing old men and young boys in home defense units as we break through the French right flank.

Paris seems to be largely unguarded. We have an approximate 3:1 force ratio on the Paris front. We doubt that the Entente can transfer enough troops to hold Paris. We anticipate taking the French capital before Christmas.

There also seems to be little standing in the way of the German army taking the French Med ports.

Our success in France has been achieved with less than 40% of the Prussian Army which was operating in Russia having arrived at the front.

The General Staff thinks that France will surrender before August, 1917 (75%) chance. French morale has crumbled and roughly 40% of the country no longer supporting the war (57% national morale). Germany owns all of the industrial and mining areas of Northeastern France.

8] United Kingdom. The British will to fight is strong (83%). The British navy has controlled the Atlantic. Our submarine warfare campaign has been a failure. British Ground forces have a strong will to fight even though we have destroyed 15 British Infantry corps and 2 Cavalry corps along with 8 infantry detachments. But the strength of the British Navy will prevent the German Army from conquering England.

9] Turkish Front:

The Turks have stopped the British advance short of Jerusalem. The Arab uprising has been crushed. They are strongly entrenched in Baghdad having lost most of the Persian Gulf area. But the Turks have an entire army moving to hit the undefended British right flank in the Sinai. Another army is marching to relieve Baghdad.

Turkish will to fight is strong (83%). Although Turkey has not managed a lot of military success to date, the General Staff thinks there is a 70% chance that the British will be expelled from the Ottoman Empire in the next 12 months.

10] Austria

Austrian national morale is still shaken (69% national morale) by giving Trieste to Italy. There is nothing preventing Austria from taking the rest of the Balkans including Greece. Austrian war plans are now focusing on refitting their Navy and purchasing large numbers of major ships. They then plan to take Trieste back from Italy.

11] United States

Kaiser, Germany and Austria have deployed an enormous amount of resources towards keeping the USA out of the war. It is pretty much free beer, sausages, and Vienna coffee on every street corner over there. You can buy a lot with 1,400 military points. But the US still keeps drifting towards the Entente (36%). Is every drop of French Wine being sent to the US to buy their affection???

12] Germany:

German morale is high (97%). Our troop losses are far below prewar projections (7 corps and 1 detachment). The German Army and People support the Kaiser!

Summation:

We are confident that Serbia and Albania will surrender soon. Greece will follow. France should not last out the year. Kaiser, due to British naval superiority the General Staff believes that you should develop contingency plans for a peace agreement with the UK after all of their allies have been crushed by the might of the Imperial German Army.

[airboy]

August 26, 1916

Western Front:

An entire German army group will surround Paris this turn. My cavalry has arrived on the French right flank and will start slashing towards the coast approaching Marsailles. French national morale has shrunk to 55%. France has lost 35 corps, 2 detachments and a HQ to date. Paris is defended by only 1 corps.

Serbia:

Only a handful of Serbian units remain. Several will be destroyed this turn. It is only a matter of time.

Turkey:

Turkish strategy of reinforcing Baghdad and hitting the British flank is still in progess.

US is leaning 45% towards war entry on the side of the Entente. All of the Central Powers money pouring into the US only seems to slow the drive towards a US war entry. But I doubt that US troops could reach Europe fast enough to stop a French surrender.

 

[airboy]

September 9, 1916

Paris Falls!

This turn the German Army captured Paris, Compiegne, Orleans, Limoges and Clermont Ferrant. The entire center of the French lines is gone. Very few French or British troops can be spotted.

Superior German forces (7:4 ratio) are attacking French ports in the Gulf of Lyons.

French morale = 50% - but the magnitude of these losses should sink in fast.

Serbia:

Only 2 heavily damaged Serbian units remain. No Serbian HQs remain. Austria has an 18:2 force ratio not counting heavy artillery and HQ support in Serbia. If they don't surrender between turns I'll probably eliminate them next turn.

Turkey:

British troops have pulled back from the Gaza & Beersheba front. Turkish reinforcements will reach Baghdad in 1 or 2 turns.

Ground Losses to date:

UK 19 corps (2 cavalry), 10 detachments, 1 heavy artillery and 3 Arab partisans.

France: 43 corps (3 cavalry), 1 HQ, & 3 detachments.

Germany: 7 corps and 1 detachment.

Austria: Still only 1 corps.

United States is now at 53% war entry for the Entente. They seem determined to enter the war. I think that it is too late to influence things in France.

[airboy]

September 23, 1916

French Morale Collapses with the Fall of Paris!

Capital moved to Bordeaux!

French morale has collapsed to 26. UK morale is now 80 and German morale is 100.

German Army is now attacking Avignon and is closing on Marseilles.

French ground losses are now 43 corps (3 cavalry), 1 HQ and 1 detachment

UK losses are 20 corps (2 cavalry), 10 detachments and 1 heavy artillery.

Serbia Conquered!

Serbia falls as the last man in the last unit is shot. The Serbs did not have any quit in them. They had 3 national capitals. They never surrendered. They fought to the last man.

The Austrian Army is now pouring into Greece and Albania.

Turkey:

Turkish reinforcements reach Baghdad. British retreat into the Sinai. Looks like Turkey will be reclaiming their lost territory in the coming months.