Post Mortem of a Disaster

[sbaxter1]

The lure of attacking Gallipoli in 9/14 was too alluring. A successful campaign would take out 2/3 of Turkish industry, cut off Germany from getting goodies from the Ottomans once the Bulgarians joined the CP and, once the Bosporus was crossed, allow the Brits to ship food to the starving Russians via Sevastopol (much less risk of the transports being intercepted along that sea lane as compared to the dangerous, German infested Baltic).

The problem was that I really wanted to have at least two British infantry corps going to assist the French, leaving me with two corps (the 1st Indian being available in 9/14) and a cav corps. I wanted more infantry to assist in holding the beachead while the attack was made out of Gallipoli into the food hex next to it, then Constantinople and finally across the Bosporus into Asia Minor.

I found the solution in Serbia and, upon mobilization, had three A rated Serb infantry corps and Misic's H2 waiting in Scutari waiting for transports to take them to the staging areas for the invasion of Gallipoli. The only way the CP could stop that was for Austria to contest the Eastern Med. They didn't sail so things went according to plan. (in retrospect, I would have been a lot better off had I taken Stepanovic's H1 and left one of the infantry behind).

Still, there was the risk of the Austrian navy coming out of Trieste in 9/14 and putting a stop to amphibious operations. That would have bought time for the Ottomans to put more troops in the vulnerable ports of Gallipoli, Smryna and even Beirut. They did not sail, Misic, in India where I had positioned the 1st Brit Inf, activated and the Brits successfully attacked Gallipoli on 0914-3 (my notation for turn and impulse). I stupidly modified the original plan and had Misic activate in 0914-2 to send the 1st Indian to attack Smyrna. Dumb move as the Turks had doubled the garrison and the Indians were wiped out. Dobell's H3 and a Serb infantry corps landed in Gallipoli ready to attack on the next impulse.

[sbaxter1]

Dobell activated, the British attacked the food hex and the Serbs attacked due north to avoid the potential for overstacking in Gallipoli in the event one of the attacks failed. That would cause one corps to vanish with another Serb corps and Haig's HQ arriving during that impulse.

Both attacks succeeded, though, and, at the beginning of November, the situation was like this.

[sbaxter1]

Another attack was launched in 1114-2, Constantinople fell to the British corps while the Serbs attacked northwest. I did not notice what was happening with control of the hexes. Gallipoli was Serb controlled even though Haig was sitting there, soon to be joined by the British cav corps.

[sbaxter1]

Even had I seen what was going on, I don't know if I could have corrected it in time. My oppenent, SMK, had begun attacking Serbia in earnest on 0914-3. Belgrade's valiant defenders held the city for an incredible four consecutive impulses of what had to be nasty urban combat, but the last defender was killed off during 1114-2 and SMK's Austrians were already carpeting the rest of the country. Serbia surrendered at the end of the turn, its units vanishing.

Given the Turk counterattack that had retaken (factoryless) Constantinople, I could have used those troops, but all did not seem lost. Note that the supply level in Gallipoli was 94% and the hex appeared to be under British control with a Brit HQ and cav present. I figured I would soon be able to add more British units (although I really wanted them to go to France)

[sbaxter1]

In March, however, things fell apart as control of Gallipoli, for some unknown reason, went to the Turks. The cav had moved north of Gallipoli and promptly disappeared. I suspect the troopers ate their horses. My single British infantry corps and two HQ were completely out of supply and thus unable to fight their way out. In reviewing the disaster, I might have been able to move a corps from France to Venice along with some infantry unit, activate it and retake Gallipoli, but I figured SMK would have had Turks waiting to greet them (I blundered there by thinking that he could rail some troops in before I could attack, but that was not correct since the two British hexes stopped any rail links).

It was not long before the infantry died off, soon followed by HQs with FIVE offensives left.

[SMK-at-work]

Yeah I don't know what happened there at all - it was very strange