The Bear Trap

[sbaxter1]

Austria starts off producing six food and consuming seven each turn with a stockpile of seven. If it loses no food hexes and captures none, it will exhaust the stockpile in September 1915. Similarly, Austria's industrial production is hampered by limited raw materials. It produces only four per turn but has the capacity of turning ten per turn into economic points.

These facts make the conquest of Romania important. When it surrenders, Austria will annex almost the entire country including all of the food and raw material hexes, bringing to Austria four additional food points (assuming none were burnt during the conquest) and four raw materials per turn. Austria could then start exporting food to Germany.

Romania falls once its three cities (Bucharest, Brasov, Constanta) have been taken by the CP. This can be done in a single impulse, ideally during the January 1916 turn which has but one impulse in order to keep the Russians from prolonging the campaign.

This requires some planning and some luck.

Part of the luck is the Romanian mobilization. They seem to have several setups but the most common one I have seen is the dumbest one and the one that makes the CP Bear Trap plan viable. The ten Romanian infantry corps will be strung out along the Austrian border (and none in Brasov) with an HQ and cav in Bucharest, making the capital easy pickings. Constanta is undefended.

Planning -- take Constanta by sea. The Turks build a transport which could be ready as early as July 1915, well before it is needed. Position troops in Bulgaria due south of Bucharest and in Austria adjacent to Brasov. Each of these stacks needs an HQ with at least one offensive. Station an infantry corps in Constantinople with an HQ and one offensive. In the January 1916 strategic phase, declare war on Romania, give the Turkish transport an amphibious mission for the Black Sea and send as many warships to the Black Sea as possible to ensure control. During the single impulse, activate the HQs and attack the cities.

Expect the Russians to use strategic movement to get its troops into Romania, particularly Constanta. They will be too late and will get to sit outside the city looking at CP troops.

With the three cities taken, Romania surrenders at the end of the single impulse turn. Any Russian troops not right on the border with Russia will be POWs (hence my term "bear trap"). No food hexes will have been burnt (save the possibility that a Russian corps or two may be trapped in some of those) and Austria will gain the resources in the March 1916 strategic phase.

It is possible that the Romanians will not mobilize the way they do most often and have some infantry in Bucharest and/or Constanta. A single corps in Constanta may stop a Turkish corps but not a German one. Infantry in Bucharest won't retreat so any present must be annihilated in order to take the city in a single impulse. Maximize your chances of wiping out the capital's defenders by using artillery and the strongest infantry you can position south of Bucharest (i.e., Germans of high quality, full strength and readiness).

[SMK-at-work]

I think the Romanian setup depends on whether they declare war or not, or perhaps if you declare war on them how close they are to doing so.  Historically they did put all their army on the Hungarian border to try to retake Transylvania, which was a pretty silly idea even back then - had they declared war in time for the Brusilov offensive or 1 or 2 other points they would have done a lot better.

Russia gets no strategic movement into Romania on the 1st turn, so there should be no effective Russian reinforcements.

And of course this all depends upon the Turks having enough resources to build a transport - if the TE fights against Turkey in any serious manner then they'll be lucky to afford a transport - and if the Russians think they have one for any reason they can sortie the Black sea fleet - it's only 2 units but it might well contest the area and prevent any amphibious landing at all.

Taking Romania quickly and effectively is certainly a good idea - HJaco introduced me to it last year!!

[sbaxter1]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

Russia gets no strategic movement into Romania on the 1st turn, so there should be no effective Russian reinforcements.

So, those Russian units that I saw were already sunning on the beaches of the Black Sea when I invaded?

[SMK-at-work]

Yep - I noticed Austrian corps moving away from Serbia and not appearing in Russia & had a couple of corps waiting for your invasion for a couple of turns already....there was no pressure on Russia anywhere else

[sbaxter1]

Well, so much for the Bear Trap idea. The rest of it works, but could be done earlier, to Austria's advantage.

So when Italy is attacked, the TE can strat rail in, but not Romania?