Serbia/Galicia -- 1914

[rhinobones]

Turn 3 – Galicia

Finally, the Russians are on the board. Forward outposts spot the lead elements in four columns. Three columns appear to be headed for Lemberg and the fourth toward Przemsyl. Austrians continue to establish defensive positions while additional divisions pour in from the East. Looks like a big mess, but the commander likes to think that everything is under control.

[rhinobones]

Turn 3 – Serbia

The Serbians are threatening the Austrian left flank (East of Belgrade) where only a thin line of weak cavalry units are available for the defense. To counter the Serbs, both divisions of the IX Corps travel by rail for an assault from the North. The plan is to move North, then East and South swinging around the rear of the Serb attack. The intent is to cut them off from the main body.

The 5th and 6th Armies are pushing eastward, fighting through the Serb defenders. The 5th aims to relieve pressure on Belgrade by attacking from the South. The 6th objective is the Serb supply points which are expected to be defended at all cost. The Austrians may not be able to take the supply points, but it should be possible to disrupt the supply lines.

[MonkeysBrain2]

Nice AAR! Thanks to both for writing it.

[John B.]

ORIGINAL: MonkeysBrain2

Nice AAR! Thanks to both for writing it.

Of course. And regardless of what you think of the gameplay, it's clear that RB writes better AARs than I do.

[rhinobones]

Turn 4 – Galicia

Lead elements of the Russian forces make contact at six locations. The most serious Russian attacks occur on the right flank, Southeast of Lemberg, which is guarded by weak cavalry forces. Additional forces are sent by rail but it is evident that there is a weak spot in the Austrian defense. If the Russians are able to exploit this defensive gap they will be on the Lemberg door step in short order.

The center is another weak spot. Cavalry from II Corps form a defensive line but are too weak to hold against a determined infantry assault. Heavier units are in transit but will not be in position until next week. Looks like both sides will be feeding troops into the fight as they appear on the battlefield.

[rhinobones]

Turn 4 – Serbia

The Serbs appear not to have seen IX Corps movements. One division of the Corps attacks the advanced Serb brigade while the second division moves into their rear area. In other action, the 5th and 6th Armies continue their march to envelope Belgrade and threaten Serb supply. Unless the Serbs have uncommitted reserves, it doesn’t look like the existing troops can hold the defense much longer.

After one combat cycle the dreaded “Failed Proficiency” genie bites the Austrians. Bad enough that follow up attacks are canceled, but the units used in assaults have no opportunity to entrench. This shouldn’t be a problem in the Galicia area of operations, but on the Serbian front quite a few units are exposed to attack.

[rhinobones]

Turn 4 - Situation

Current victory points and Austrian casualty count. From reviewing the battle reports I expected the Russian loss penalty to be higher than the Austrian. Not so, and I’m a bit surprised. Also, a bit surprised at the total rifle casualties. Expected it to be higher. After the next few rounds that should all change.

[rhinobones]

Turn 5 – Galicia

Russians make a number of attacks, however, counter attacks against the lead elements are able to close up the gaps. Reinforcements are used to build the defense stronger. Expect that the full weight of the Russian armies has not yet fallen on the Austrian lines. Certain that more coordinated, and more desperate, attacks are yet to come.

Since last report, the Russian loss penalty has grown to 15 over an Austrian penalty of 10.

Fortunately, the Russians were unable to exploit the defensive weak spots noted earlier.

[rhinobones]

Turn 5 – Serbia

IX Corps has been able to partially encircle the Serbian forces attacking Belgrade from the East. The Serbs will probably withdraw to better defensive positions, but at least this should relieve the threat to Belgrade.

From the South, 5th Army is slowly moving to attack the Serbs outside of Belgrade.

The Serb forces blocking the 6th Army seem to be thinning out. There is a growing possibility the Austrians will be able to cut the rail lines and separate Serb forces from their source of supply. Some of the Austrian units need to resupply for a turn, otherwise maximum effort will be applied to capturing the objective.

[StuccoFresco]

I love seeing a battle from both sides.

[John B.]

It is very cool to see what RB was up to!

[rhinobones]

Turn 5 – Galicia Russian Advances

Russians conduct heavy assaults primarily against the Eastern flank; the Austrian defensive works protecting the approaches to Lemberg. Formations of the 1st Army (I and X Corps) take the heaviest attacks and are thrown into reorganization. XII Corps of the 3rd Army is also in reorganization even though no units of that formation were engaged. The Russians are able to push back a few defenders but are unable to exploit the gaps. I’m guessing that they failed a proficiency check, were unable to advance and did not dig in.

[rhinobones]

Turn 6 – Galicia

Austrians are busy filling the holes and have no intention of wasting manpower in a battle of attrition.

[rhinobones]

Turn 6 – Serbia

Serbians launched sustained assaults and suffered terrible casualties but were able to push VII Corps out of Belgrade. If they are to defeat the Austrians, they must hold Belgrade so it is understandable that the Serbian command will sacrifice bodies for territory. Austria knows that a frontal assault against Belgrade is almost suicidal, so they opt to close in from the South and pinch off the Serbians holding Belgrade. The Austrians do attempt some counter attacks but the cost expensive.
Further South Austrians grind away at the Serb units guarding their supply source.

[rhinobones]

Turn 6 – Galicia Russian Advances

Russians conduct large scale assaults along the same lines as last turn. Again they sustain heavy losses and push the Austrian defenders back. For the most part the Russians fail to follow up on their assaults.

Russian loss penalty 26, Austrian loss penalty 16

[rhinobones]

Turn 7 – Galicia

Austria regroups and moves back into their defensive positions. There is little in the way of reserves, so they push HQ units into the gaps. They dig in the best they can and prepare for another round of Russian attacks. Several counter attacks are performed and succeed in straightening out the line. If there is a lesson learned from this battle it is that the cavalry units should be disbanded and converted into heavy infantry units. The Austrian cavalry brigades are far too weak to serve as front-line troops.

Austrians fail the proficiency check after first round of combat. Many units had already dug in, however, the units which performed the counter attacks are unable to entrench and are caught in the “minimize” defensive posture. Will the Russians be able to capitalize?

On the far Southern end of the Austrian defense (off map) a lone Russian artillery unit is detected attempting to make an end run around the Austrian right flank. Cavalry is moved to block this move and waits to see if the Russian unit has friends on the march.

[rhinobones]

Turn 7 – Serbia

In Serbia it is mostly a time of maneuver for encirclement of Belgrade and destruction of the logistics tail. The grand plan is to destroy the bridge just South of the Serbian front, but I doubt that the enemy will allow that to happen.

[rhinobones]

Turn 7 – Galicia Russian Advances

Russians perform another barrage of assaults against X Corps, XI Corps and independent divisions. These attacks are all focused on Lemberg. Most units hold or fall back without Russian advancement. In only a few cases are the Russians able to advance into the Austrian line. The enemy advance appears to be too slow and costly to reach Lemberg by the end of the campaign.

At this point Russian loss penalty is 26, Austrian loss penalty is 16.

[rhinobones]

Turn 8 – Galicia

Austrians rally units which have been divided during combat. Sub-units of several infantry and cavalry units have completed re-organization and are now able to recombine. Proficiency of these units has a noticeable uptick as they are moved into the main defensive line and entrench.

On the far right flank the Russians are attacking, but it does not appear to be their main effort. A couple of minor units (off map to the South) are attempting to encircle Lemberg from the South but the effort seems to be more of a distraction than a serious maneuver. None the less, a few mobile units are sent to the end of the right flank to prevent any serious trouble.

[rhinobones]

Turn 8 – Serbia

A couple of units’ inch closer to the South side of Belgrade, however, these are weak HQ units and will retreat is attacked. An attack on these units might not be a bad thing since it could pull the Serbs out of their prepared positions and make them vulnerable to counterattack. In the meantime, several strong units pile into the area around Belgrade and get ready for the inevitable final assault. Intelligence reports that there are only two, depleted, Serbian brigades located in Belgrade. Owing to its importance I would have expected more defensive firepower. Chances are that one or more of the brigades located South of Belgrade are in “Local Reserve” status. The enemy has used this tactic before.

As expected, the Serbs reacted to the incursion by Austrian cavalry and drove off the cavalry to protect the supply line. One cavalry unit was caught and disorganized, however two more units are in the area and may still be able to disrupt Serbian supply.

So far, Austrian infantry has taken 7733 casualties (17%) and the cavalry 1599 (32%). Cavalry losses are not unexpected given that they are weak defensively and are ill-equipped to entrench. Wherever possible cavalry is being deployed in support of infantry units, but this is not always possible. Artillery losses are rather low. Artillery is generally kept out of the main line and deployed for ranged fire. This seems to be having a positive effect on the casualty count.