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Turn 105 – 20th June 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Some re-arrangement of the front has taken place – the Belgians in the north have conceded their place southwest of the Ruhr. But both the 8th and 51st Armies are badly depleted in the last round of attacks and I cannot take advantage.

Italy

My southernmost Austrian Garrison did not last long…. Sadly I have no Artillery to maintain the pressure here and now a British Infantry has been brought in to bolster the Italian front.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Entente forces are starting to edge forward toward Aleppo. I can only sit and wait…

Turn 106 – 4th July 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Nothing to report here.

Italy

The second garrison disappears under a hail of shot and shell…..

Turkey and Bulgaria

Nothing to report here.

Turn 107 – 18th July 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

7th Infantry is attacked by the Portuguese but survives. I limit my offensive to one Artillery attack on one of the Portuguese units, but do not follow up with Infantry.

Italy

The German 11th Infantry Army takes a beating south of Trento and I re-shuffle my forces.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The French and British open up against the 1st Guards Garrison southeast of Tabuk, forcing it to retreat. The enemy has two Artillery so I cannot really argue with that….

Turn 108 – 1st August 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Little to report here

Italy

Ditto – the usual attack on Trento by the Entente and I respond against the British with my Artillery. However I do not follow-up based on lack of opportunities for survival even if I manage to make the British unit retreat.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Entente switches focus to the Turkish Garrisons east of Aqaba and these two units have not long to live…

Turn 109 – 15th August 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Further pressure applied in the middle of the front leads to more re-organisation. I cannot afford to attack at this stage…

Italy

Further reduction of an Infantry unit south of Trento – more re-cycling, although I am running out of units to re-cycle…

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Entente continue to pressure my units south of Tabuk but seemingly make no effort to move on Aleppo. I have no idea what I need to do to win the game…maybe the Entente don’t need Aleppo??

Turn 110 – 29th August 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

I lose a German Garrison on the Swiss border and a French Garrison moves into the vacated space. I manage to get the hex back but am now almost out of reserves in the south….

Italy

More grief for the unit south of Trento – and I respond with an Artillery attack against an Italian Infantry.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The French continue to edge toward Medina…and I continue to retreat. Unlikely that Medina will hold until the end of the game.

Turn 111 – 12th September 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Little action on the Western Front. The Portuguese and French re-adjust their positions near the Swiss border, but otherwise it`s all quiet there.

Italy

The unit south of Trento is again the target here, although it’s just an Artillery attack and not followed up. I re-adjust my units accordingly.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The French halt their advance on Medina. I make a couple of attacks on Basra and Kuwait but these are one-on-one Garrison attacks and there is little damage caused to either side.

Turn 112 – 26th September 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Well that’s an unwelcome development – tanks appear on the Western Front [X(]…. All hell breaks loose – dogfights, counter-battery fire and allsorts![X(][X(]
51st Army almost disappears under a bombardment. I counterattack using 7th and 60th Army and manage to see off the pesky British unit. This leaves a gap in the Entente line, but I have nothing to exploit it with and so cannot attack the French Artillery just sitting there…..

In the centre 20th Army takes a pounding but I cannot manage to take him out of the front line….mmmm.

Italy

I attack the Italian Infantry that has been giving me grief south of Trento, reducing it to a 1-strength.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Entente change tack and now look to the centre. My two Garrisons east of Aqaba have almost been destroyed and I rush – as much as that is possible in the desert – reinforcements to the area.

A little further north, east of Damascus, the British are on the march against the most southerly Bulgarian Army Group. I retreat as no doubt Artillery are about to make their presence felt.

Turn 112 – 26th September 1918 (Cont)

Turn 113 – 10th October 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

More wearing down of my frontline units… I have just enough units left to make good the position….

Italy

You can guess by now what I am going to say – it involves a units south of Trento and losses….

Turkey and Bulgaria

The two Garrisons east of Aqaba are toast. The British make a move on the Bulgarians – with Artillery – and so I continue to retreat to try and see out the game intact…

Turn 114 – 24th October 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Von Hindenburg’s 50th Army suffer some strength loss, but I am able to replace the unit in the front line and in retaliation I attack a Belgian Infantry with my Artillery only.

Italy

No action on the Italian front, so I lob a few Artillery shells at the British north of the Po and sit back with the Infantry.

Turkey and Bulgaria

I continue to keep my Bulgarians, in the northern Arabian Desert, out of range of the French Artillery by withdrawing as slowly as possible.

Turn 115 – 7th November 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Pressure on the German front is really beginning to tell, and I retreat one hex with a portion of the line.

Italy

I lost my Infantry south of Trento, although was able to take the hex, back despite not having any Artillery shells left, thanks to a German bomber and Austrian fighter’s assistance.

Turkey and Bulgaria

Nothing much to report here this turn.

Turn 116 – 21st November 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Nothing happening on this front at all, so I splat a Portuguese Infantry with my Artillery.

Italy

One Artillery attack – nothing else. With two goes to go, the game looks to have fizzled out.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The British continue to chase after the Bulgarians – but I refuse to enter battle against Artillery.

Turn 117 - 5th December 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

As expected, the Entente open up on this front. I am able to put full strength units in the front thanks to the recent pause in action, but cannot attack.

Italy

The usual Artillery attack, followed up with Infantry almost sees the end of 4th Army, but it just holds on and is evacuated out of the danger zone…straight into another. I rail it to Split where the Allies are about to land. I have a Bulgarian Infantry in hand to join the Austrian Army.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Bulgarians continue their one-hex retreat, while in the south, there is just one Army blocking the Entente’s entry into Medina. With two goes left this city should hold out.

Turn 118 - 19th December 1918

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria

Germany

Attacks continue in the north and south. Although there is no breakthrough, thank goodness the game is almost at an end as I have only a red strength unit and a Cavalry to replace previously losses at the front of the line.

Italy

In Italy I pound an Italian Infantry and reduce to a 3-strength with follow up Infantry attacks. Further south, I cannot stop an Italian Garrison from invading Split.

Turkey and Bulgaria

The Entente remove all forces before Medina, and further north, a French Infantry appears southwest of Aleppo. To the east, I complete my retreat of the Bulgarians to behind the Euphrates river line.

Sorry I made a boo-boo. I meant to take pictures of the final positions but I forgot[:@]

RESULT
MARGINAL VICTORY TO THE CENTRAL POWERS!

Thanks to Colberki for a fun game!

Well done, I thought you were for it in 1916 but you have scrambled through.

It would have been good to see Colberki's story as well.

ORIGINAL: JeffK

Well done, I thought you were for it in 1916 but you have scrambled through.

It would have been good to see Colberki's story as well.

warspite1

Thank-you. I think it was amazing that colberki stuck in there after losing the Russians..but then it became apparent that the western allies were so strong, they were able to push the CP further and further back. You are right, I was really hanging on at times. But of course I had no idea what the British / French morale was like.

Thank you for the wonderful report on this epic struggle.

Congratulations on the win.

Thanks for the good read