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Hello fellow Grognards!
Rafael and I have started a PBEM in Strategic Command WW1 and I will try and keep an AAR with what transpires during our game.
I (Piproberts ingame, and JesperPehrson on the forums) will be playing as the Triple Alliance and Rafael will be playing the Entente.

I have chosen a rather orthodox opening with the historic set-up of units with the intention of trying to knock France out of the war quickly so that I can focus on the Russians afterwards. Plan B will be to push the front as far back as possible and dig in and devote as much as I can to grind the Russian giant down together with my austrian ally.



Austria will try and grab Belgrade as soon as possible while keeping defensive positions towards Russia. I will center the defence around Lemberg, at least if we can maintain positions.

The first turn was rather modest with the conquest of Liege and some probing attacks against both Brussels and the french defenders near the common border. Austria managed to both seize Valjevo and surround Belgrade. Additionally the austrians managed to sink a french dreadnought.

The second turn of the game started with a quick assault on Brussels and some continued advances both north and west in Belgium. The Entente was scrambling their defenses to stop the advance on Paris but the Belgian north seems like a lost cause for the French and British, at least at present.
Along the french-german border some progress is made westwards as a French corps gives up. The French fortressess are soon to be sieged.

The german submarines are contained by deft positioning of the British navy, both the english channel and off the coast of Norway.



In Serbia the Austrians conduct a massive attack on Belgrade and it falls after 6th or 7th wave of attacks. The concentration of forces against the Serbs is putting a lot of pressure and to add to the injury the Bulgarian government sends encouraging words after the success.

As the Entente sends some naval forces to harass the Austrian navy it retreats into the Adriatic sea. Luckily some subs manage to break through to hit some of the aid coming to Serbia.



In Galicia the Russians are pressing hard and the intial optimism is dampened by the loss of the Galician oilfields. An audacious attack along the Romanian border sees the capture of Czernowitz by the Russians.



Finally the Russians begin their offence near Gumbinen. The German forces makes a defensive line north of the Masurian lakes, praying for reinforcements.

In the west French and British forces counterattack near Lille at the same time as the Germans advance towards Paris, capturing Reims.




The Austrians continue to press the Serbs, driving south towards Nish. In the Adriatic the Entente moves in with some force and sinks an Austrian dreadnought and a cruiser. The Austrian navy retreats further north to resupply.

In the west there are violent fighting with attacks from both sides, netting in the losses of many soldiers. Belgium finally gives up after losing its last mayor city, but the Belgians soldiers vows to fight on along the other Entente corps and detachments.

With Belgium out of the way and the channelports secured the drive towards Paris will resume in full. A very aggressive Russia however is making priorities somewhat difficult.



In Serbia a deft counterattack sees some Austrian losses but it is answered with fire and fury. The Serbian army is dwindling under the pressure, is there an end in sight?



Here are the losses so far in the war, quite heavy on both sides.

As the autumn has come in full force (24th of October) the western front has calmed down somewhat. There are occasional probing attacks but there is a certain lull after both sides has dug in. Lille and Reims are in German hands and Belgium has fallen. Why? The Russians are attacking violently in East Prussia and Galicia.

Losses are heavy for the Russians and the Germans are now moving towards the heart of western Russia, Warsawa.