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OK just finished a game vs Naskra and that was a real real great battle. So we decided to put together an AAR. I was the ET player.

Here's my original setup:

August 1914

Western Front:

To prevent a Schlieffen Plan, the French troops have gathered with quite a bunch of troops at the Belgian boarder. The southern end of the line of fortifications is only held by few cavalry and infantry. Since the CP declared war on both Belgium and Holland these troops have come to join me. British troops have gathered in the North Sea ports to get shipped to the continent. Only a light cavalry screen is left to defend Egypt.




Balkans:

I choose a very defensive Serbian setup. I noticed that it is hard to conquer the mountain parts of Serbia, so I sent my troops to Scutari and Nish.



Caucasus

That front is not active in this turn, yet I decided to go for a punch against the OE ASAP, therefore there is an entire army ready to strike.



Eastern Front

I expected an East first strategy. So my setup was defensive. I decided to concentrate my troops around the forts in Poland. Therefore there are garrisons in Warsaw, Brest-Litovsk, Grodno, and troops in the Vilna - Riga area. All is set to defend and hold out. And some cavalry screen to checkout the enemy.

Ok instead of the East First strategy I had expected, the CP went out for a full Schlieffen, including the invasion of Holland. Also the Hochseeflotte went out into the North Sea and we get a nice, gigantic battle.









The outcome is clear, the North Sea is contested, no shipping for the BEF!!! Also both fleets have huge casualties! I loose one cruiser and two transports, the CP loose two Destroyers. But I inflict way more heavy damage on the German capital ships.

This sea battle effectively nullified the German fleet for the duration of the war.  However, the fleet accomplished its mission -- no BEF landings in the North Sea for two turns.

A small holding force is positioned in Prussia. The bulk of the Germany Army is pointed at Paris.

I’m really looking forward to this AAR. One small tip – it is possible to cut and paste (CTRL+V, CTRL+P) from the navel combat screen. That means you don’t need to make cumbersome screenshots to give us the navel combat results – just cut and paste in into text format and edit into a summery.

ORIGINAL: ulver
One small tip – it is possible to cut and paste (CTRL+V, CTRL+P) from the navel combat screen. That means you don’t need to make cumbersome screenshots to give us the navel combat results – just cut and paste in into text format and edit into a summery.

I wasn't aware of this. But that was pretty much the only major battle that happened.

At this point of the game we came across this error: tm.asp?m=1911513 and continued in a downgraded version 1.23

Austria has no specific plan, but is poised to harass any Russian assault to the West.

Battle is joined -- the right wing is on the march. After the first two impulses:

Keep the right wing strong! By August's end, Holland has surrendered; the vital food hex is intact. Note that the goal of the Western Offensive is not capturing resources or eroding French morale and manpower. The goal is Conquest of France - nothing less. Every Soldat in every battalion know this.

The rest of August 1914:

The East:

The Russian troops first move near to the Prussian border. And then they start invading East-Prussia. There is no resistance. Königsberg has a garrison. Danzig seems to be undefended. My plan is to isolate Königsberg.



Meanwhile the Austrian offensive into Poland advances northbound. I have a garrison in Ivanogorod. And troops around Warsaw. The Austrians manage to cut some troops off, but I let them go and wait for the right time to counterattack.

This looks pretty much like the actual Plan of Conrad in 1914.



Balkans:

Ok I see that there is not a single Austrian soldier anywhere near. So the Serbs try to become an annoying pain in the butt and occupy Sarajevo and Bosnia. AH doesn't seem to care.



Western Front:

The border battles are a mixed bag. First I win some and are happy about it. But some other battles are going bad for the French. I face two problems:

1) My left wing is designed to help the Dutch and Belgian allies. My troops manage to connect with their armies and even get to Rotterdam in time. But then they get overwhelmed by the German advance. The Dutch army doesn't even make it to the capitol before they get annihilated by the Germany. The French troops in Rotterdam aren't spared. I leave Liege before it gets cut off by the Kaiser. I'm badly outnumbered on the left. The all-out-west strategy of the Germans gets into action here. I have to retreat to the West.

2) As the left wing swings into the Netherlands, the Germans advance through Luxembourg and threaten to cut my left side. (Pretty much what happened 1940)

I'm glad some reinforcements appear in the next turn to fill the gaps in the front.

At the end of September, the French are thinking that maybe this guy Schlieffen knows something.

September - October 1914:

Naval:

German 2nd (UB)  firing on Br St.Vincent (DN) : 1 hits

---

German Helgoland (DN)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 3 hits
German Pommern (PD)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 0 hits
German Roon (CA)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 1 hits
German Yorck (CA)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 0 hits
German Graudenz (CA)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 0 hits
German Koln (CA)  firing on Br Orion (DN) : 1 hits
British Orion (DN)  firing on Ger Helgoland (DN) : 3 hits

---

The Central Powers control the North Sea again. So the BEF is stuck.

At the beginning there is little fighting in the West. The CP conquer Brussels and Dunkirk. But the ET is advancing at all the other fronts:






In the East I'm sucessfully fighting in East-Prussia and Poland.



Yet the AH troops and cavalry trust deep into the Ukraine - unoppossed.

The rest of the turn is a disaster for France. The French loose around 150 strength/men points!!! The Germans have losses too, but lesser. They are breaking through. In the East and the West both sides manage to surround enemy units. They break out or don't. This is gonna be an interesting match.

Western Front at the end of the turn. The forces south-west of Liege were encircled for an impulse now the Germans are.





Danzig was conquered but surrounded. The Austrians already have to help their allies!



Austria conquered Brest-Litovsk but then I cut those troops off from the rest of their army.



The Turks got overrun quickly.



All front are moving fast. This doesn't feel like WWI.

November/December 1914:

Naval:

German Helgoland (DN) firing on Br 19th (Tr) : 3 hits
German Roon (CA) firing on Br 20th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Yorck (CA) firing on Br 19th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Graudenz (CA) firing on Br 19th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Koln (CA) firing on Br 20th (Tr) : 0 hits
British 19th (Tr) firing on Ger Helgoland (DN) : 0 hits
British 20th (Tr) firing on Ger Helgoland (DN) : 0 hits

---

German 2nd (UB) firing on Br 1st (DD) : 1 hits
British 1st (DD) firing on Ger 2nd (UB) : 0 hits
British 2nd (DD) firing on Ger 2nd (UB) : 1 hits
British 3rd (DD) firing on Ger 2nd (UB) : 0 hits

---

German Konig (DN) firing on Br 12th (Tr) : 4 hits
German Roon (CA) firing on Br 12th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Yorck (CA) firing on Br 10th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Graudenz (CA) firing on Br 12th (Tr) : 0 hits
German Koln (CA) firing on Br 12th (Tr) : 1 hits
German 1st (DD) firing on Br 11th (Tr) : 0 hits
German 2nd (DD) firing on Br 11th (Tr) : 0 hits
German 3rd (DD) firing on Br 12th (Tr) : 0 hits
German 4th (DD) firing on Br 10th (Tr) : 0 hits
British 10th (Tr) firing on Ger Konig (DN) : 0 hits
British 11th (Tr) firing on Ger Konig (DN) : 0 hits
British 12th (Tr) firing on Ger Konig (DN) : 0 hits

---

German 2nd (Tr) firing on Br 1st (Sub) : 0 hits
British 1st (Sub) firing on Ger 2nd (Tr) : 1 hits

---

German Konig (DN) firing on Fre Carnot (PD) : 5 hits
German Roon (CA) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 0 hits
German Yorck (CA) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 0 hits
German Graudenz (CA) firing on Fre Charlemagne (PD) : 0 hits
German Koln (CA) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 0 hits
French Carnot (PD) firing on Ger Koln (CA) : 1 hits
French Martel (PD) firing on Ger Graudenz (CA) : 2 hits
French Charlemagne (PD) firing on Ger Konig (DN) : 1 hits

---

German Konig (DN) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 3 hits
German Roon (CA) firing on Fre Charlemagne (PD) : 0 hits
German Yorck (CA) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 0 hits
German Graudenz (CA) firing on Fre Charlemagne (PD) : 0 hits
German Koln (CA) firing on Fre Martel (PD) : 0 hits
French Martel (PD) firing on Ger Koln (CA) : 1 hits
French Charlemagne (PD) firing on Ger Roon (CA) : 0 hits

---

quite a beating for the ET... North Sea is contested. BEF stuck again! Damn.

November-December.

The Western Front is grim. The Germans outflank me on the left. Fighting in the centre is heavy. I have casualties again. Some units get isolated in Belgium. Christmas is not happy in France.



The East: I could reeinforce Danzig in one impulse, then got cut off again. Weird, but the Russians are doing well in the north. While in the south the Austrians face little resistance and capture some food hexes. With the new troops I can contain them. Well at least I can try to...




Thats the result of the first year:

March 1915. Confidence runs high in Germany. France is cracking.

At the point shown above, I didn't really know what to do.   Paris appears empty, if I attack the hex and the French move in simultaneusly, who is the attacker? and if it's the French, do they get the benefits of the fortifications?

I was hoping for some helprul input after that last, but . . .

May 1915. We decide to stick to the plan and continue sweeping to the West.