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July sees remarkably little combat. Both sides frantically reporganise. Germany strips the northern part of the West Front to build a new defence line east of Metz. The French fail to advance further from there and neither do the British attack just to the south of Metz as had been expected. This area had also been reinforced.

Russia regains its old frontier against Prussia by attacking NW from Warsaw, and Germany consolidates and disentagles its units somewhat in northern Romania. The Bulgarians prepare to stab Serbia and Romania in the back! Turkey having delivered much needed extra raw materials to Germany through Bulgaria and the tenuous narrow route through Serbia has insufficient rail capacity to switch any units to the Bulgarian zone.

As the war enters August it becomes apparent that this is when the CP recognises only defeat beckons! Britain attacks at last, north of Paris directly towards Brussels. The German line stripped earlier to bolster the area east of Metz, melts away in a maelstrom of artillery shells. The French take a well earned rest and concentrate on reinforcing Metz with fresh units and pounding the newly arrived German units as they frantically try to dig-in.

The Russians assault Konigsberg and Thorn. Despite decent units in defence and good entrenchments both fortresses fall. This is a morale sapping disaster! Russia does nothing against Austria, apparently content to simply hold all of Galicia. Austria is forced to yield some mountains in Serbia to turn and face Romania, but Germany does continue its advance into northern Romania where a junction with Bulgaria seems possible.

As August draws to a close, the Entente makes a successful attack from their Metz lodgement. Has Germany broken? However, the British victory on the upper Somme is reversed by a brilliant German counterattack which causes far heavier casualties than were sustained in the earlier defeat. In Prussia, Germany counterattacks successfully at Thorn and regains the city, throwing back the Russians with great loss, but it is impossible to mount an attack on Konigsberg. Galicia remains quiet, but Romania is the scene of severe fighting. Bulgaria attacks directly north from its capital, Sofia, and links-up with the Germans coming down from the north. Thus 2 Romanian Corps are cut-off in the eastern Serbian mountains. The whole of eastern Romania now looks vulnerable and the Russians, for the most part pull back to Bucharest. The Bulgarians also enter Serbia from the south, and probably in a desperate attempt to counter this move, Scutari is left relatively undefended.

This snippet of good news is more than negated by the announcement that the USA has entered the war! Italy, surprisingly remains neutral, but surely not for long. If the CP can knock Romania and Serbia out of the war, then the only strategy remaining will be all out U-boat war, and holding on everywhere possible to inflict casualties by artillery barrage. In truth the prospects look bleak!

The upcoming period of September and October 1916 will conclude the good campaigning weather for this year.

Germany makes good use of the extra raw materials from Turkey, but food shortages are taking their toll on morale. Most replacements are incorporated into shattered Corps near Metz. We must seriously consider withdrawing to the Rhine. Perhaps we can hold the West until the Spring?

There are spectacular victories for both sides. Hence both sides also suffer horrendous defeats!

The French switch their attack to the Somme and joined by the British, easily overcome the thinned German positions there. We lose heavily, and although the TE fare little better they do have the ground, including that on the upper Somme which we regained only last month. Six German Corps or what's left of them fall back towards Dunkirk and Brussels.

However, deciding that to hold Metz is more important than keeping Luxembourg, the Germans gain a remarkable victory at Metz by making an assault with their entire force from Luxembourg. Their offensive catches the British reorganising their defences in Metz. The British casualties are extreme and they lose some artillery also. Better still this leaves the French leading units on the Rhine isolated! If only we could guarantee keeping the vice closed against the inevitable counterattack! Germany even retains Luxembourg while the TE concentrate on the Somme sector.

In the East the German line holds against swarms of Russian attacks all along the Prussian frontier. Russian casualties are heavy. Galicia remains quiet, but the real action is in the Balkans.

In Serbia a coordinated Austrian and Bulgarian offensive pushes a Serbian Corp away from the frontier and into the southern Serbian mountains. The Austrians also approach Scutari which now seems sparsely defended, and crush the two isolated Romanian Corps into a smaller pocket. In Romania, German forces from the north combine with a Bulgarian Corps from the south and destroy a Russian Corp west of Bucharest. The Austrians competently back-up this advance.

In Egypt, Turkey moves on Alexandria once more and discovers the British garrison is much reduced. So that's where all the British Corps in France came from? Alexandria could be vulnerable if the Turks can mount an attack.

Germany pulls back to the France-Belgium frontier in late September. The Franco-British assailants are to exhausted to follow-up our withdrawal. The French fail to retake Metz. The 4 French Corps are still trapped. Germany brings up everything it can to annihilate them before the end of October.

For the moment Russia seems spent in the East. In the Balkans the CP continue to gain ground and repulse a Russian counterattack north of Bucharest. Scutari is captured and the rump of Serbia is isolated from the coast. The French march into the uncontested city of Lille.

In Egypt the Turks dig siege lines around a newly reinforced Alexandria which receives an artillery barrage.

At the end of October, the French capitulate in their position next to the Rhine and four French Corps march into captivity.

Here's the currently fluid Western Front

November - December 1916

In the Baltic a Russian Destroyer is sunk, but elsewhere there is little action at sea. Food is very short in Germany and Austria. Maybe CP should be able to research 'Ersatz'?

More raw materials flow from Turkey to the German Industrial Plants. All replacements are sent to the Belgian frontier.

The TE closes up on the new German line on the Belgian border and occupies undefended Dunkirk but no assaults result. Even Metz enjoys a respite for Christmas!

The Russians make a successful advance in East Prussia towards Danzig but do nothing else. In the Balkans the Austrians push the final Serbian unit into the mountainous SW of the country, and with the assistance of Russian artillery the Romanians advance towards Varna on the Bulgarian coast. However, the German-Bulgarian Army facing Bucharest which is bombarded for the first time must surely make the Romanian advance pointless.

In December the Western Front is very quiet. The Eastern front likewise. The Balkans are the only front with any significant activity. Austria finally forces her way into Skopje and Serbia surrenders. At last! As expected the Romanian advance on Varna rapidly hightails back to Bucharest which is under increasing threat.

The problem is that Italy finally decided to join the Entente!

Here is the revised map of Serbia, also showing the threat to Bucharest

Midwinter, January-February 1917

Germany rebuilds its shattered Corps on the Belgian frontier. Austria strengthens damaged Corps on the now belligerent Italian border. Naval operations continue as before, but U-boat sorties into the Atlantic predominate. We lose one U-boat but the remainder cause shipping disruption. Can we delay the arrival of US units? Turkey orders a new artillery unit.

Both Western and Eastern Fronts are quiet except for the murderous artillery fire. Italy launches an immediate attack at the very north of their Alpine line where the recovering German Corp there is weakest. The attack succeeds. Italy have entered Austria!

The CP reorganise everywhere, even in the Balkans, but in Romania the Russians attack northwest of Brasov and gain a surprise victory. Nevertheless Bucharest is still endangered.

March-April 1917

Naval operations continue unchanged with German U-boats disrupting TE shipping despite an ever increasing presence of enemy destroyers. US Destroyers are encountered for the first time.

The winter respite has permitted CP replacements to bring several Corps back to full strength. The Germans reinforce the Belgian frontier while the Austrians improve the status of their units facing the Italians as well as transferring units freed up by the collapse of Serbia.

The main fronts are still remarkably quiet. Only in the Balkans is there significant action. A Bulgarian Corps captures Salonika in northern Greece and encounters Italian units in sufficient numbers such that the Austrian supporting units fall back leaving the position in Salonika somewhat isolated. In Romania Germany and its Bulgarian ally inflict defeats on the Russians and Romanians around Bucharest. The city will soon be under siege.

Here's the curious position at Salonika.

May-June 1917

We lose another U-boat. Given the situation at Salonika, the combined Austrian and Turkish Navy enter the Eastern Mediterranean hoping to disrupt Italian Transports or Supplies heading for Greece only to encounter a combined British, French and Italian Fleet of superior firepower but lacking in a Dreadnought. The CP fleet gets the better of the exchange.

It is difficult to understand why the Western Allies have done nothing yet in 1917. It is eerily quiet on the Western front, and Germany takes the chance to keep building up its strength. Italy makes another attack on Trento which fails but these attacks are gradually wearing down the strength of the German Corps there, and logistically it will be difficult to replace.

Russia makes some attacks against the German line in Prussia but is driven back. Seemingly these attacks are gradually diminishing in intensity and strength. Bucharest takes a heavy artillery bombardment, as does the Italian Infantry around Salonika. The isolated Italian Corps east of Salonika seems to have faded away. The Austrians regain contact with the Bulgarian Corps in Salonika and at the end of June a well coordinated assault with 2 German and two Bulgarian Corps takes Bucharest.

On the Italian front the Italian assaults are fading but persistent as the Austro-German line consolidates.

Here's the fall of Bucharest.

July-August 1917

Germany and Austria are close to exhaustion and short of food. Turkey has hardly been involved so meagre is its industrial and military capacity. We lose another U-boat and must admit the TE destroyers are getting the better of the battle in the Atlantic. There are naval clashes elsewhere; several Russian units are damaged in the Baltic and the Black Sea; and the Austrian fleet fights a British Flotilla to a standstill, both sides taking hits.

The curious inactivity of the TE on the Western Front is extremely perturbing! What is being planned? Where will they hit and just how hard? It is hard to believe that our U-boats could have starved Britain's industries such that there's no shells left.

We will continue to try to hold our current line in the West and consolidate a line against Italy but our main effort will be to damage the Italian Corps in Greece and to force Romania's surrender.

Well, that was the plan! It seems the lull in the West has been caused by the transfer of a British Army to Italy. A British Assault takes Trento and the TE have all the heights in the Tyroll. Russia makes one assault, on Bucharest, and crushes the German and Bulgarian Corps defending the city, and captures the German HQ. Romania will not be surrendering anytime soon!

Later in July the British attack again. This time at Metz and despite very high casualties on both sides the city is occupied again, for the fifth time? Fortunately the Russians do not pursue their success at Bucharest.

A disastrous high summer ends with Russia making a breakthrough in East Prussia between Thorn and Danzig. The assault came like lightening against a well entrenched position and simply brushed it aside. However in Romania further Russian efforts are repulsed. On the Italian Front the British assist an Italian assault which carries the last mountain bulwark north of Trieste. The TE are overlooking the Croatian plain!

All that bad news yet there's still no sign of the Americans. Maybe they'll land at Gallipoli?

September-October 1917

The economic and strategic decisions are now virtually making themselves. There's not enough by far to spend on everything the CP needs. Germany still has a decent output but the demands of war outstrip its abilities and the food shortages don't help. It could be we must try to reopen Atlantic trade but with the USA now at war and against us how much food and raw materials would we be able to import?

In the West, the line is broken at Metz and there's perilously little with which to plug the gap, and no question of a counterattack. In the East, the Russians are strident and making progress in East Prussia and successfully holding on to conquered Galicia. In Romania we've taken and then lost Bucharest and our offensive capability there is now nil. Greece and Egypt are sideshows of no significance and in any case Turkey is not strong enough to do more than force Britain to garrison Alexandria. Even the Italian Front is collapsing. Everywhere shattered Corps are faced with strong fresh TE Corps, particularly British Corps which after the Dunkirk debacle got into their stride fairly late and are still fairly buoyant, and we have no significant reserve. Perhaps we will pull back to the Meuse and permit the liberation of Belgium? Maybe disband and reorganise new Corps? We must do something!

Germany orders a new HQ to replace the one lost at Bucharest. All CP powers add meagre replacements to their understrength Corps.

The Kriegsmarine sails forth! Germany sends out its maximum naval effort into the North Sea; 5 Dreadnoughts, 2 Predreadnoughts, 1 Battlecruiser, 2 Cruisers, 2 Destroyers and 2 U-boats. Let's hope the British Navy is divided between the North Sea and the wide Atlantic!

A mighty clash between two Imperial Fleets takes the form of several hit and run engagements. The Kriegsmarine can claim a victory but at some cost. Subject to the Fog of War (on the North Sea!) it seems that the British Fleet had 5 DN damaged (one only slightly), while 3 German DN were damaged (1 lightly, and 1 virtually moribund). Two German U-boats were also damaged and of course TE trade in the Atlantic got a free range during this encounter. But additionally, the British lost a DD sunk, and had 2 DD severely damaged, plus 2 Cruisers badly damaged. Definitely a German victory.

It will be a couple of months before Germany can attempt to trade in the face of a temporarily hamstrung Royal Navy.

In the West, Germany withdraws from Ostend into Antwerp and strengthens the garrison of Brussels, while bombarding the rubble which was once the city of Metz and now occupied by British forces. Theree's no significant enemy response.

In the East, we use lots of shells to blast the more exposed Russian positions, especially at Bucharest, and units are scraped together to resist the Russian breakthrough near Danzig. However the Russians sit and wait and do not advance. Italian positions west of Salonika and the British in Alexandria are also bombarded. The Alps are quiet for once!

In early October the French are content to reoccupy undefended Ostend and bombard our weak defences beyond Metz. However, they do not attack. Everywhere else is strangely quiet, especially so since the CP are temporarily out of shells! In East Prussia the Russian salient is contained with a hasty new defence line.

At the end of October the TE assault a lightly defended Antwerp and take the city at a trot. It was never our intention to hold there for long. Brussels is safe for the moment. Near Metz another British led attack expands the TE lodgement in Germany proper but the scanty line ahead of Metz holds against a half-hearted French attack. Italy is quiet, but the Austrians advance along the coast from Salonika and push back an Italian Corps. The East and Romania are quiet.

Here's the Western Front.

November-December 1917

Germany is very close to collapse. Constant food shortages have worn down the public morale. Austria due to Germany's help in stemming the Russian tide and the Italian advance across the Tyroll, is in slightly better shape, but not by much. Turkey and Bulgaria have suffered little and are still full of martial vigour, but hardly have resources to prosecute the war.

At sea, specifically the North Sea, Germany maintains its threat to the British fleet, hoping to gain another marginal victory, and under this cover a blockade runner is sent out into the Atlantic. We must re-evaluate our 'victory' of last month because our severely damaged Dreadnought doesn't make it back to base, sinking without trace. In another mighty clash, a British Predreadnought is very severely damaged, and fighting on equal terms the Dreadnoughts of both navies pound each other till every single DN has had some damage inflicted upon it. None actually sink and Germany once again does score more hits. Thankfully, amidst all this mayhem, our blockade runner makes it to the Atlantic. Will she make it back?

Germany scrambles to make a new line in the Metz area where for the first time US troops appear. But the next TE attack is not directed at Brussels as expected but at Liege. Despite being reinforced the French recapture the Belgian Fortress which fell way back in August 1914. Brussels is now virtually isolated and must surely be evacuated to plump up the line further south. That's if the Germans are permitted to escape, of course! South of Metx the British expand the TE lodgement in German Alsace.

The East, including Romania, and the Italian Front are all quiet but Austria makes another advance down the spine of Greece brushing aside a Greek unit since the Italians seem to have vacated this front for now at least. Turkey reinforces the Bulgarian front facing Bucharest with one Corps and Artillery.

Here's the very fragile Western Front at the end of December 1917.

January-February 1919

There's no time for research now. All I can do is shore up the Western Front as best I can, and hope to delay in the East. Only in Greece are we making any progress. Germany recalls its battered fleet from operations in the North Sea. A trickle of trade gets through but there's still food shortages. Austria sends its fleet out into the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey contests the Black Sea and considers an amphibious operation to snatch Sevastopol.

The Western Front is re-organised and second line trenches dug in the Black Forest. We have to yield the southern end of the line and fall back on Stuttgart. The British partly follow-up our withdrawal. There's no further attack in the north and we continue to hold Brussels.

In Italy a British assault carries the second ridgeline which is the German Bavarian frontier!

In the East, in desperation, Germany makes an all out attack and meets with considerable success in four co-ordinated assaults.

Nothing transpires in Romania, and the Turks fail to get their intended amphibious attack out of harbour. It was probably fortunate as doubtless it would have ended in slaughter at Sevastopol. But to supplement the all-out German attack, the Turks assault in the Caucasus and gain another mountain top.

In Egypt and at Basra there is still no British attack, so Turkey retains Cairo, and its Gulf frontier. There's no time to advance further in Greece.

AND SO IT ENDS. GERMANY CAPITULATED DUE TO LACK OF FOOD.

Here's the final 'scorecard', strangely at the end of 1917 the CP still had the most marginal of victories (+ 8 points) although I've no idea how that could have been considered to be the case. Obviously the German surrender must be worth 100 points since the final score is -92 points.

It's been an interesting and tough game, as I expected, but playing the against the AI Triple Entente and giving it a bonus was way too much for my talents.

In the next few entries I will summarise and show screenshots of each Front in turn.

Good wind up on the AAR.

It's good to know that there are such diverse systems for covering WWI strategic games.

I've played a number of games of Commander : The Great War - and loved its elegant flow and atmosphere.

I am now trying Strategic Command WWI - which seems to be rich in events and concentrates on other aspects of the conflict.

And now this ... The Guns of August - which also looks like a completely different approach.


Looking forward to your next AAR ....

Thanks for your interest, DonCzirr

I'll now move on to show the final state of each front at the end.

The Western Front

The German hold on Brussels is tenuous, but only in Alsace-Lorraine have the TE actually advanced into pre-war Germany. Metz and the two hexes to the south were originally part of Germany (after the war of 1870). The post-war border shows Germany must lose all of Alsace-Lorraine and withdraw to the Rhine.

The Italian Front

With British help the Italians gradually advanced into the Tyroll but never took Trieste. However, the latest British advance put them at the Bavarian frontier and within striking distance of Munich.

The Prussian Front

Germany launched successful attacks in the final month of the war.

The Eastern Front in Galicia

The Russians were satisfied with the conquest of Galicia. Undoubtedly this kept their prestige high and prevented any revolution.