AAR WW1 Breakthrough - Ash vs Will (CP)

[Will952]

Ash and I used to do a lot of AAR's for our matches over on the old Battlefront forums, and seeing as we're kicking off a new campaign I thought I'd start an AAR, as it's been a while.

I really love the WW1 campaign - there's a huge amount of variety and I find it lends itself to very close matches.

In this game I will be taking the Central Powers and Ash the Entente. No pictures for the first turn as it's a pretty conventional Schlieffen Plan taking in much of Belgium and force marching cavalry to encircle the Belgian defenders.

Stay tuned as the war hots up...

[Alan Sharif]

Looking forward to seeing future posts.

[Will952]

Second turn and so far so good. The Austro-Hungarian forces have pounded Belgrade and should be in a position to take it next turn. I opted to deploy AH's 2nd army to Serbia - this is always an interesting decision as deploying again Russia can hugely bolster the defences and allow an aggressive player to probe. However I believe a quick win in Serbia is paramount to CP victory, as it frees up forces for campaigns elsewhere and is likely to bring the Bulgarians into the war without needing diplomatic assistance.

Meanwhile in Galicia, the Russians came out swinging for the Galician Oil, as they often do. At this stage in the game this isn't really preventable, and I've retreated my corps to safety while bringing others up to protect them.

Back in the West things are proceeding as planned, and Belgium has surrendered. French marines deployed at Calais are trapped by German cavalry and will likely perish unless 'Dunkirk'd' to safety.

edit: I have tried to add pictures but have been informed I can't post any links or images until 7 days after my 10th post. Argh! I'm afraid you may have to be patient unless I can find a friendly admin.

[Will952]

Belgrade falls and is swiftly captured by AH infantry. Bulgaria notes the early successes on the Serbian front with interest...

Meanwhile Russia continues to punch the AH fortress line in Galicia. Another corps is forced to retreat under sustained offensive but takes a number of Russians with him. Ash is shaping up to be throwing a lot of juice at AH early on, which has delayed my infantry tech investment as I shore up the front line. The Russians have a lot of troops in the early game and a lot of potential and he's using them to good effect to pressure me.

Back in the West the French marines were evacuated at the last moment. The Belgian HQ was not deemed deserving of this cushy treatment and perished. The front line is now forming and should settle right along the Seine, a natural resting point.

As German forces continue to deploy I am splitting them - some are heading West to beef up my defenses there while others are marched East, where they will gear up for an attack on Russia.

I promise I'll add pictures soon as I can...

[Will952]

Fierce fighting continues in Galicia. The fortress at Lemberg is surrounded on 5 sides and the garrison's morale is dropping, although I don't think they're in any danger of being ousted just yet. The Russians are taking heavy casualties maintaining the siege, but at this stage in the game I don't have enough resources to push them away.

Outside Breslau the Russians made a small incursion and threatened a German corps with destruction. Newly railed in troops forced a hasty retreat, but I may have shown my hand as my next big attack will be Lodz/Warsaw.

In the West I finally moved up to close the gap between friendly and enemy lines. The French and British decided to sally out of their trenches and destroyed one German corps - I returned fire and destroyed one from the French. The tit-for-tat shouldn't last long - we'll soon settle into our trenches and look mean at each other while the war is decided in the East!

[Will952]

The fronts are stagnating as we move into November. Surprisingly, the West is the most active. Running battles in some of the less entrenched sectors claim the life of another German and respective French corps, with another French unit badly mauled.

In Galicia and Serbia, the AH are taking stock of the situation and regrouping for a renewed assault in the new year.

The Ottomans have joined the war this turn, boosting allied morale.

[Will952]

The winter months see very little action as troops get settled in the snow. Italy is now agitating for war, demanding the return of Trento and Trieste - as granting this would cause uproar amongst the AH population, I have declined their generous offer. This decision will however see Italy enter the war in the spring, another front I could really do without.

I have also managed to break the siege on Lemberg by destroying one of the surrounding Russian corps. Although still surrounded on 4 sides, this eases the pressure somewhat on this sometime decisive front.

Russian Caucasus troops have poured into the Ottoman Empire and are trying to break through. In past games I learned just how damaging it can be to let the Ottomans be pushed aside here, so I will be trying to stand strong and resist the incursion as best I can.

Germany got two good research breakthroughs this turn - industrial and trench tech. The trench tech will be of vital importance in defending the soon to open Italian front, as the Italian troops lack artillery and are in any case quite average and won't be able to break entrenchment without severe losses.

[Alan Sharif]

Excellent stuff. Thanks for posting.

[Will952]

June 1915...the skies are clear, the mud has hardened, and the troops are ready for the jump off. So...

First, the major assault on the city of Lodz by German troops. Two dozen infantry corps and an artillery unit shelled the Russian front line, blowing away 3 enemy units and damaging the HQ behind. The Russians are already taking up defensive positions around Warsaw but this has surely dealt a blow.

Second, I have been building troops in the West for a summer offensive on Verdun. Again artillery was the lynchpin, destroying the fort and reducing the French defenders to 60% strength. German troops brushed them aside easily and for the first time, the Imperial German flag flies from the city with major morale ramifications for France.

In the Baltic, the German navy moved up to surround the Russian naval units in their ports, most of them not battle ready. It'll take a few turns but with a bit of luck I'll be able to whittle away the Russian navy and push their morale a little further down.

It's not all sunshine and roses however, as the Ottomans have failed utterly in their defence of the Caucasus and the field is now open to Russian invaders. The lack of railway connections means it's extremely difficult to get reinforcements to this front and I could end up in a bad spot if Russians are allowed to pour through unabated.

The Serbians also attacked and badly mauled the AH front line. The Serbian campaign has not gone well so far, and will certainly require German assistance to break the deadlock.

Meanwhile, diplomats from both sides are hard at work. The Entente have reduced Bulgaria's appetite for war from 74% back to less than 50%. The CP have had successes of their own though - Greece now favours them, although only by a whisker. This prevents the Entente being presented with an event in August 1915 which would automatically bring Greece into the war on their side. This is imperative if I am to eventually have success in the Balkans, to prevent British and French troops flooding in to support the Serbs.

[Will952]

Having blown through Lodz and taken a turn to recover, the German army marches up to siege Warsaw, artillery in tow. Next turn I should be able to capture it and deal another NM blow to the Russians.

Austrians are engaging in some light skirmishing with the Italians, but the mountainous region means there's no breakthrough for either side. I am quite content with this for now - I just need to hold back the Italians until reinforcements can be sent, probably not until 1917.

Having taken Verdun, the Western line advances about 20 miles into France. Unfortunately the French are starting to equip themselves with level 1 infantry tech which will stifle further assaults. However the city of Nancy is now a target - the troops inside can't upgrade while on the front line, and moving them would mean losing entrenchment. A bit of a predicament...

Some nice diplo hits on Greece in recent turns and some further tech hits in German trench warfare and advanced subs.

[tarfman]

Really enjoyed your AAR's on the old forum. Looking forward to seeing how this goes!

[Will952]

The French infantry, now fully upgraded across the line, launched their first major assault of the war, destroying a corps in Northern France. Judging by how fast the infantry fell I have to assume the French are now packing upgraded artillery, which means the leisurely time I've so far had in the West is drawing to a close. Fortunately the destroyed corps was guarding nothing important and there was no enemy advance.

German troops continued their central offensive, capturing Nancy and securing it with an 11 strength corps. They will require some heavy lifting to be shifted.

Back in the East, German troops experience more success with the capture of Warsaw and the connecting fortress while taking minimal losses. The loss of Warsaw will deal another NM blow to the Russians. However, an unnerving discovery - the Russians have upgraded artillery as well.

In Serbia I advanced the AH line with artillery support to take another crack at the Serbs. Once bitten, twice shy though, and I'm a bit concerned about my lack of progress in this theatre. Making matters worse, the Entente are continuing to score diplo hits on Bulgaria which I have moved to counter now that Greece is sitting at 11% swing to the CP.

The Germans scored a nice industrial tech breakthrough this turn, and went up a level in production tech. This is very promising as I am sure to start taking heavier losses in the West.

[Will952]

Coming to the tail end of August 1915 now...

Fighting continues to hot up in the West, with the French destroying another German corps and forcing the troops guarding Nancy to retreat. The city was left vacant though as the Entente exhausted themselves in the battle. Germany destroyed two corps in retaliation and retook the city with a fresh army.

In Russia the battles around Warsaw continued with another push to destroy an enemy corps.

In Serbia the Serbs counter-attacked as expected and knocked back the AH front line. German support will definitely be needed here, and I have another HQ on order plus a few armies to spare. They will deploy to the region in the coming turns.

Some good tech hits this turn - trench warfare for the Austrians, which will help keep a lid on the Italians (they made a minor breakthrough this turn and damaged the AH HQ) plus German infantry warfare at long last. A day late and a dollar short but it's finally here...

[John B.]

Very interesting AAR! Thanks for posting and I look forward to pictures.

[Will952]

German troops were fitted with the latest rifle technology this turn, at considerable cost to the Kaiser...this meant a halt to most offensive action on all fronts. They have held up admirably against the French even with the tech disadvantage but losses were getting higher than I was comfortable with, taking 2 more in the West this turn and 1 in the East around Warsaw as the Russians threw everything they had at the front line (bloodying their noses in the process).

The Italian front has been mostly static of late, but repeated attacks have ground down the entrenchment of the detachment guarding Trieste, even if they haven't done any damage. I struck back this turn bringing one of the Italian corps to 2 strength.

In the Baltic, a Russian cruiser and battleship both went down to submarines. The Russian fleet is getting ground down now and each loss gives a meaty amount of NM (over 500 for a sunk battleship!). I expect the rest of the Baltic fleet to be more or less destroyed by 1916.

The Russians have come a bit unstuck in Turkey - the mountainous terrain is a pain for attackers, and I've started to get more Ottoman reinforcements in the area. The front lines are static for now, which suits me fine. The Brits haven't advanced much in the Middle East either, giving me time to get dug in. Once the Brits get inf and artillery tech though, things will get painful quite quickly unless I can open the railway line through Bulgaria. Right now that prospect seems increasingly remote, thanks to a number of Entente diplo hits. I now have all CP chits invested in countering this but will it all be too little too late?

AH got their infantry tech at long last. This should make things a bit easier in Serbia...

[Will952]

Having stayed fairly quiet so far, the British let rip their own upgraded artillery this turn in Northern France and blew a considerable hole in my defensive line, taking down 2 corps. The French attacked simultaneously and destroyed a third. I have been forced back from the Amiens-Seine line, which is a shame as it makes a very effective defensive barrier. Although British troops are yet to reach inf level 1 they will not be far from it, and with 2 artillery pieces to my one, it's time to bolster my strength here and start bringing in some more big guns. Fortunately as we get into Autumn mud and rain will slow things down, giving me some breathing room. The Entente are still some distance away from any settlements of significance so I'm not too worried.

In the East I can see the Russians are starting to outfit with level 1 inf tech themselves and have fallen back from Warsaw, leaving a few corps and detachments as roadblocks. They are easily brushed aside and the next major battle will be for Brest-Litovsk.

In Italy I lost one AH corps but the Italians were ultimately forced back from Trieste, giving me a chance to upgrade my own troops and dig in.

The British also launched an offensive on the so-far quiet Middle Eastern front but weren't able to dislodge my defending detachment. They've been retreated for some R&R and a full strength corps have taken their place.

All in all a bit of a painful turn with heavy losses in the West but Germany has a very healthy income these days - in excess of 600 MPPs - so I'm not too concerned, and am overall pleased with the situation.

This campaign is all about NM, so in lieu of an image I will break it down so you can get an idea:
Britain - 96
France - 77
Italy - 94
Russia - 84
Germany - 91
AH - 86
OE - 78

Britain maintains the blockade to keep German NM suppressed, but this is cancelled out by the gained territory in Russia and France.

I should mention, the Kriegsmarine has not been idle all this time. I have some ambitious plans for the Imperial Fleet...but more on that later.

[BillRunacre]

France and the Ottoman's NM look fairly low, though I wonder if anyone will be able to inflict a decisive blow for a little while. Russia is doing ok in terms of NM, but from past experience that can easily change.

PS Now you've posted more than 10 times, are you able to post any images?

[Will952]

Hi Bill, thanks for posting!

No decisive blows yet although the latest Entente offensive in the West is certainly putting the hurt on me - although I am very pleased at having taken Verdun. I'm also making relatively swift progress in the East and inflicting heavy casualties on Russia although there's some work to be done there yet.

Unfortunately not only do I need to post 10 times, but I then need to wait 7 days before I can post images...I have been taking screenshots intermittently though so I hope to 'backdate' some of these posts next week!

[Will952]

Into October 1915 now, starting to get a bit muddy and the action is simmering down.

In the West I have taken the opportunity to reform my line with my upgraded troops - one cav corps bit the dust but the Entente aren't advancing either. Not surprising as they have taken considerable losses. Over the next couple of turns I will start to buy back my losses and firm up my line. I have also purchased a brand new heavy artillery piece due in March '16 and I will probably put this to work in either France or Prussia.

In the East just a bit of mopping up around Warsaw and preparations now beginning for the battle of Brest-Litovsk, which judging by Russian force in the area, will surely be a bloody one. I might wait for the snow until advancing adjacent to them, just to avoid any surprise losses.

In Serbia I put my newly upgraded AH infantry to work and managed to destroy a Serbian corps without many losses myself, although there was no opportunity to advance the line. AH still, frustratingly, has yet to get gas/shell production level 1 so it'll be slow progress here.

A Russian destroyer was also sunk in port in the Baltic, much to German celebration. There are just two battleships left in mooring at Petrograd.

Ottomans got their level 1 inf tech this turn so I can start handing out the new gear soon. In North Africa, rebels have captured 2 towns, and spurred on by the success, have gathered enough arms to form a proper corps. Without a HQ (or a port to return to safety) I'm not sure what their use is really, but maybe I can make a nuisance in the back lines!

[BillRunacre]

ORIGINAL: Will952

Hi Bill, thanks for posting!

No decisive blows yet although the latest Entente offensive in the West is certainly putting the hurt on me - although I am very pleased at having taken Verdun. I'm also making relatively swift progress in the East and inflicting heavy casualties on Russia although there's some work to be done there yet.

Unfortunately not only do I need to post 10 times, but I then need to wait 7 days before I can post images...I have been taking screenshots intermittently though so I hope to 'backdate' some of these posts next week!

Ah yes, I remember the 7 day wait now. Don't worry, it seems a lifetime now, but in no time at all you'll have forgotten about it like I did! [:D]