SMK vs Ham

[SMK-at-work]

Germany invents Eindeckers....

[SMK-at-work]

Just realised I'd forgotten a strategic map for a while.....

The start of March 1915 - East Prussia is over-run by Ivans - Danzig is contested but the German units are only cavalry corps, so won't be there long!!

Ivan has also over-run a couple of Silesian mines, which is a bit of a worry.

In the West the French are backs hard against the wall - strong defences along the Marne are impenetrable at this stage (h's researched up to Trench 3 already!)....but he's losing ground in the north and also along he original frontier.

In Serbia Scutarii is the only remaining Serbian territory. An Austrian offensive to eliminate that can be expected shortly...also the Austrians will be freeing up troops and supplies to attack Russia....

[SMK-at-work]

The strategic situation in July 1915.

Points of interest:
1/ Have captured the French food hexes around Dijon, and the town itself as well as all the border towns.

2/ A big pocket of Russians in Western Poland and Germany is threatened with being cut off

3/ Turks capture Russian resources in the Caucasus

4/ And they capture Cairo too. Likely not for long, but I think that cuts the Suez and means the Brits get nothing from any transports in the Eastern Med for a few turns. Plus they will have to spend resources to get it back

However Italy joins the game...and there's another point of interest I have no desire to highlight!! [X(]

[SMK-at-work]

The strategic situation 3/4ths through 1915

1/ French counter attacks have cut off a couple of corps - Boogda will tell you I'm quite good at getting my troops cut off! I did see this and tried to withdraw, but was defeated by the French attack.

I've also withdrawn a bit in the north - letting the Entente regain Rouen

2/ Russians are fighting hard to stop me closing the gap - and, unfortunately, succeeding

3/ Turkey has over-run the Caucasus

4/ It doesn't show here, but the British have landed at Gallipoli - their 1st attempt was destroyed, but there is a corps there now threatening the Turkish capital.

The Italian front - well forgetting they were about to arrive was a bit of a disaster, but counter attacks have inflicted heave casualties on the Italians & will hopefully draw troops from elsewhere.

[SMK-at-work]

Interestingly, the Austrian fleet has rebased to Smyrna, and had to fight a bit to get there!  At last that frees up another Turkish Corps - ain't no-one going to be invading Smyrna!

[SMK-at-work]

Nov-Dec 1915 - Turkish cavalry wanders over the north Caucasus, the British are knocking on the doors of Istanbul - the Turks barely held on last turn & seem unlikely to hold without some luck - but the Bulgarians have arrived - will it be enough?

German forces in Nth France are begin driven back in heavy fighting, and hte only troops cut off in Poland are 1 Russian corps - I think it is cavalry, so nothing exciting

[SMK-at-work]

During the last season the CP tried a cheeky attack on Paris - with disastrous results! German losses were massive - too much to be made up in the next strategic phase ....

[SMK-at-work]

Fortunately the Turks fought like lions in defence of their capital! ....but how long can they last??

[SMK-at-work]

The battle for Istanbul rages - the British have the advantage in the next round but fail to deliver the knock out blow...reinforcements arrive....

[SMK-at-work]

It is a life and death struggle for the Ottoman Empire and its allies - troops pour in from both sides...but do I see a weakness in the British attack? Have they advanced too far??

[SMK-at-work]

The Bulgarian counter attack is a great success - cutting the British Orient Expeditionary force off from its supplies (at least I hope they don't get to count supplied in Istanbul ...there is a sea supply function but I think you need to own the port, not be contesting it).

The German attempt to relieve the siege has been beaten back, but Turkish troops stubbornly continue to hold much of the city, and more attacks to break through to them are certainly on the way!

[SMK-at-work]

Elsewhere in Europe the grind continues - the Germans take heavy casualties pulling back from southern France, while in the north both sides take losses in nasty trench warfare.

In Italy a small attack has regained some ground, and many Italian formations still seem weak, so there is some promise there, although there is a strong reserve of British troops that will probably prevent any major advance.

But then the British have problems elsewhere....

The Russian front is static - both sides are dug in, Russians are numerous, and will be difficult to shift from their strong entrenchments.

[SMK-at-work]

Strategic phase - Austrian and Turkish fleets deploy into the Eastern Med, and many battles ensue with heavy damage to both sides, but nothing sunk - the area is "contested"...I don't know if this interferes with his ability to reinforce or not.

I am surprised to see a sack of "C" class British corps at this stage - I haven't played the TE for a few years & I thought the Brits were all "B"?

[SMK-at-work]

Is over - a great victory for the Central Powers, although a close run thing! I don't know what the British units were that were destroyed - I hope they were good ones!

[SMK-at-work]

Across the rest of Europe...Russia launches an offensive into lightly held Galicia, inflicting severe casualties on the Austrians but failing to take Lemberg. The British move up to he front in Italy, and the grind continues in France.

[SMK-at-work]

Nothing massive has changed - except the Russians have snuck across the Carpathians when I wasn't looking - the message "TE takes Debrecean" (I think it was) came up & I had no idea where that was!!

The British have been rounded up on Gallipoli, and elsewhere the bloodbath continues!

[SMK-at-work]

Romania & Greece have joined the TE, and the Russian thrust on Budapest is right outside the city....

Ham tells me the TE is "exhausted at heart"...I wish it was a bit more obvious!

[SMK-at-work]

Again it's been a while - sorry about that.

No movement on the Western or Italian fronts, but TE artillery has been taking a severe toll.

Here's how things at impulse 2 in March-April 1917

1/ The Russians assaulted Budapest a couple of times, but German defenders held on and the Russians retired to more defensible positions

2/ Romania regrets its decision - its army is all but wiped out - the cut off troops visible here died, and all that seems to be left is 1 cavalry corps. However a strong Russian presence prevented the whole country being over run

3/ The Turks have scored a great victory taking the Russian resource hex up by Rostov!

What doesn't show is that Austrian morale is at 1% - yep - just 1% [X(] This game won't be going to the end of 1918![:-]

[SMK-at-work]

This looks ominous.....I haven't been able to do much to the French, and they have gathered their resources and launched a massive offensive all along the western front....

[SMK-at-work]

German losses are huge - 234 - almost half a million men in 1 turn! Allied losses are paltry by comparison - 91 - 180,000 or so - a massive defeat - a total spanking as we would say in these parts!!