The Great War 1914-1918 Veers vs. Cantona

[Veers]

Text(I can't devulge it now as it includes planning) and pictures(in the vein of my AARs on SZO/XG/GS) will follow later, but for now, the mini-map of turns 1-15. This wasn't going to go up yet, but I had some spare time.

[cantona]

nice one Wyatt, may i contribute as i see fit, make it a joint AAR
 

[Monkeys Brain]

ORIGINAL: Veers

Text(I can't devulge it now as it includes planning) and pictures(in the vein of my AARs on SZO/XG/GS) will follow later, but for now, the mini-map of turns 1-15. This wasn't going to go up yet, but I had some spare time.

Veers you are genius! [&o]
Salute! [:)]

[Monkeys Brain]

LOL what is this Russian unit doing in the heart of Germany LOL

BTW, nice one sending French to Serbia.

[cantona]

As a brief write up from the CP side so far

August 1914 - Quick advance in Belgium quickly taking Liege and Brussels, making the channel coast by the end of the month in several places. Massive Russian offensive begins into Eastern Prussia with breakthroughs at Tilist and Gumbinenn, though the latter is still in German hands in Novmeber and a kessel is valiantly holding out until relief. Russian raiding parties cross the Vistula and disrupt attempts to relieve East Prussia, lots of rails broken but these are quickly hunted down and destroyed. In Serbia a twin pronged A-H assault is able to capture Belgrade but a disastrous supply situation slows the offensive down. The brave defenders of Lemberg hold a vast Russian offensive and manage to conduct local counterattacks until the line is strengthend by troops railed in from the rest of the Empire. The defence of the Lemberg-Cracow railway was crucial for this enterprise. Russian radiers again passed through the mountain passes of the Carpathians but their efforts have been largely contained.

Septemebr 1914 - Bloody fighting along the length of the Western Front. All Belgium was conquered, with only a surrounded Antwerp, reinforced by British and Canadian troops brought in by sea, holding out. Dunkirk, Calias and Boulogne-sur-Mer all fall. The high command of the BEF is surrounded and captured near Tourcoing. The only defeat suffered by the Imperial Army was at sea where a flotilla of destroyers were sunk in the channel. Lines solidified in East Prussia running roughly from Soldau to Libau, Konigsberg itself was threatend but the lack of elan among the Russian soldiers meant their offensive faltered against staunch Landwher counterattacks. Stalemate continued in Serbia. In the colonies the troops of General Vorbeck captured Mobassa off the British and marched North towards Nairobi.

October 1914 - Mass mobilisation causes a vast calling up of soldeirs and a number of Divisions reinforce the Fronts. In the West the line runs from Abbeville-St Quentin-Charleville-Nancy-Gerardmer-Swiss Border. Two bloody battles (St Quentin & Charleville) dominate the months' fighting with the Imperial Amry winning the latter and losing the former. Antwerp falls and a few British, Belgian and one canadian (:P Wyatt) are destroyed. In the East a combined German-Austrian offensive sweeps into Western Poland all the way to the outskirts of Warsaw and Ivangorod. Russian raiders are rounded up and shot, their armies in the field routed. Two engagements are fought at Tarnobrezg. In East Prussia the Russian left flank is obliterated by the influx of fresh troops and the masterful mobile tactics of Field Marshal Von Hindenburg. The Gumbinenn garrsion still holds and the relief force is a few kilometers away. French troops are deployed in Serbia as a German Corps detrains in Belgrade. Turkey enters the war.

Current Turn - 14th Novemeber 1914

West - Stalemate along the front except the battles of Nancy, a bloody to and fro that go on for a couple of weeks. Last fort of antwerp is reduced to rubble and frees up several units for deployment to the Front. East Prussia: Russian Pocket at Ortelburg surrenders and the remnants of the left flank are bottled up on the banks of the Vistula at Plozk. In Africa Nairobi falls giving Germany the hegemony in East Africa, which balances the iminent fall of Cameroon to the French. A French troop convoy is sunk entering the Bosphorous in the first combined austrian-turkish action of the war. CP agents stir the arabs in Libya and they wreck havoc among the Italian colonies there, capturing Misurata and advancing on Tripoli. Brtish units from Kuwait land in southern Iraq and they also attempt a tentative advance in southern Palestine. In Arabia British empire troops besiege Ottoman garrisons there.

[Veers]

ORIGINAL: cantona

nice one Wyatt, may i contribute as i see fit, make it a joint AAR

Sounds great. Nide recap, as well.
The Canadians, well, darn, I thought for sure the elite troops of the Empire would ensure a strong and free Antwerp. My mistake!! :laugh:

[Veers]

A map detailing the differance between the actual German advance in 1914 and that which Jonathan has attained.
The Red indicates territory Jonathan has captured that was not occupied historically, while the blue indicated territory that was captured historically, that Jonathan has failed to capture. Purple indicates territory that was historically captured that Jonathan also captured.



It would appear that Jonathan has managed to capture 370 square kilometres more than the Germans did historically.

Jonathan captured 24 VPs that historically were not captured and did not capture 16, for a net gain of 8 VPs over what was acheived historically.
EDIT: Not as bad as I thought, I forgot to add St. Quentin to the list of cities he didn't capture.

On the other hand, this map also shows that Jonathan was kept further away from Paris than was the case historically, though this is more the result of Jonathan's strategy that, apparently didn't involve making a real attempt at Paris, more than my ability to step the tide of his advance.


Diclaimer: I may have drawn this map incorrectly, but it gives a rough idea of how Jonathan is doing.

[Silvanski]

Looks like Jonathan got the edge in the "Race To The Sea" but that hampered the advance towards Paris

[larryfulkerson]

If he captures Paris is the game over?

[Veers]

ORIGINAL: larryfulkerson

If he captures Paris is the game over?

I think so, but there is very little chance of that happening any time soon, now.

[cantona]

was counting on a quicker advance by my extreme left as in a previous game my opponent wasnt able to close his left flank off completely so we had a fluid left flank unit the line settled more or less were it is now after a few big battles
 
wyatt's offensive in the east also made me shift forces earmarked for the left wing eastwards so well done there wyatt, bad news for you is that the eastern front is stronger than i ever expected it to be [;)][8D]

[Veers]

ORIGINAL: cantona
wyatt's offensive in the east also made me shift forces earmarked for the left wing eastwards so well done there wyatt, bad news for you is that the eastern front is stronger than i ever expected it to be [;)][8D]

A) Interesting histoircal similarity.
B) Bring 'em on, baby!!! [:D]

[cantona]

The top brass of the army and navy had been railed out to the english channel to see the seewards defences for themsleves. Ostende, Antwerp and Dunkirk had been the first Channel ports to be fortified and the Kaiser wanted his Navy chiefs to evaluate the installations themselves. What made the trip more interesting was the blockade being carried out by the English High and Grand Fleets. As the Admirals looked out to see with their binoculars they could see the grey hulks sitting on the murky sea, just watching there. Their turrents turned landwards. Smaller craft darted amongst the steel behemoths of the battleship squadrons. The Imperial Navy had dared not sortie into the Channel or North Sea, fearing an encounter with the vaunted Royal Navy, but the Kaiser had instructed that the Royal Navy feel the bite of the German war machine.

The gunnery officers barked out their orders and the glistneing barrels of the battery's 300mm and 380mm main guns raised their elevations. Sleek looking bronze shells disappeared into the hungry breeches as they clanged shut menacingly. The range finding officer uttered the ranges and then handed out small ear muffs for the visiting dingatries. Admiral Henning von Holtzendorff looked contemptuously as the young artillery officer, letting his gaze do the talking. The younger soldier looked away embaressingly and proceeded to authorise the all clear for the battery to fire

The first salvo was accompanied by a noise so loud it was indescribable. Noise followed by a bright flash and a very brief suck of air. Then a massive cloud of smoke and an overbearing smell of kordite. The same was repeated almost instantly as the battery's remainning guns all opened fire on their prescribed targets.


The gathered Admirals peered intently through their glasses. Out at sea, the green sea of the English Channel rose in massive spouts as the shells impacted on its surface. More often than not bright explosions could be see. 380mm shells were hitting armoured hides at terrific speeds. Through his glasses Admiral von Holtzendorff saw an enormous explosion and fireball engulf an English battleship, he was sure it was the King George V, on whose wooden and armoured deck he had shared tea with Vice-Admiral Sir George Warrender earleir that year in Kiel. The roar of the guns continued unabated only this time smaller thuds coming from the sea could be heard as the guns of the English Fleets answered the challenge utterd by the sons of Krupp. The thuds were soon accompanied by massive explosions as the shells began to land among the batteries positions. Many of the staff officers run into the concrete casemates but those battle veterans stood a few more minutes in that rain of steel reliving old memories. Von Holtzendorff smiled to himslef as he entered the bunker to continue watching the duel, ' the bloody English will not give up'. Through his glasses he saw the majestic battleship break up and disappear under the waves. Likewise several screen destroyers and at least one cruiser also sank, the Kaiser would be pleased.[/align]

[Veers]

A flash animation detailing the first year of the First World War, August-December, 1914.

The bottons in the top right hand corner control playback. The left button 'steps back' and pauses the animation. The middle button pauses the animation, and the right button plays it again.

August to December, 1914

Please let me know if you have any troubles viewing it, or if any of the slides have anything wrong with them, or if any of the buttons fail to do what is expected.

Enjoy.

EDIT: Sorry for the messed up link. I straight coppied it from another post on another forum where the code is different, and then failed to check this post after I posted it...[:D]

[Telumar]

http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=minimapte1.swf

The link was messed up with a ] in the wrong spot..

Well, now, just have to install the missing plugin and get my popcorn..

Edit: Yeah - canadian independent film of the year! Very nice done.

[Veers]

Edit: Yeah - canadian independent film of the year! Very nice done.

I appreciate the knd words, Stefan. [8D]
Did you find the buttons useful?

[cantona]

BERLINER ZEITUNG 1ST JANUARY 1915

While the Heimat ushers in the new year our soldiers toil for victory at the front. Our brave boys advance victoriously and gloriously against the magnitude of enemies that surround us. In Serbia the infantry of General Eberhardt push onwards into the tall, Balkan mountains...

General von Emmich, X Corps CO, put the paper down as he entered the field hospital on the outskirts of the bombed out town of Calais. From the North the boom of the coastal artillery batteries mixed in from the sharp retorts of rifles and machine guns that came from the town. The last pockets of resistance were being ruthlessly wiped out. But the totality of the victory could not emasculate the cost. The field of battle was littered with bodies, in blue but also very many in field grey. The cost of this folly had been high on both sides.

He entered the hospital and immediately the stench pervaded all his senses. The sweet, pungent smell of rotten limbs, blood stained the floor red, as if a ceremonial arpet had been laid in honour of such an illustrious visitor. The air was thick with the moans of the wounded, punctuated here and there by a last shriek or gurgled mutterings of a departing warrior. A soldiers death is an ugly one he thought, so much for glory and Valhalla.

He stopped at the bed of a schutze whose chest had been torn open by a bullet. The youths eye were open and the colour of blue steel, yet they held no fear. The boys chest heaved uncontrolably, a nurse held his hand and stroked his sweat drenched hair. The insignia on what remained of his tunic indicated he was part of the now shattered 19th Infantry Division. The General moved away allowing the soldier the dignity of passing privately into the next world.

And so it went, bed after bed, death after death. The operation had cost his Corps one division and had bloodied another but in the report he had made to the General Staff he only extolled the successful outcome of the attack, what would those cold hearted bastards care about indivduals whose lives had been extinguished in the fire of war?

"Home by Christmas," he muttered to his aide as he was driven back to his field HQ in ST Omer. 'I doubt many of us will see home again,' he thought silently.

(wyatt uses his skills to add flavour to the AAR, i use mine)[/align]

[Veers]

At the close of 1914 the lines on the Eastern Front were relatively quiet.



This really shows how much better a job Jonathan did than was done in history (or how much worse a job I did...:laugh:).

Disclaimer: This map was drawn based on a rather poor map of the Eastern Front at the close of 1914. If anyone can point me to a better on (preferably with lots of referance points), I'd be greatful.

[Zerberus_MatrixForum]

Are there any news from the front?

[cantona]

Game is still on but suffering a slow turn rate at the moment
 
 
updates soon