1914-1918 - Piero vs. Nemo

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
After action Report

I write this report after 35 or so of turns where I play the Central Power against Nemo’s Entente.

1914

My initial 1914 strategy was to : Hold on Serbia but use some forces to attack the southern Montenegro flank, while holding Russia on the Silesian front. In the West, try to seize as much territory with possibly destroying the BEF and once the front seems to stabilize, shift as many forces East as possible to defeat the Russians who would surely attack – as they should.

The early turns went well for the German, with successful advances in Belgium and powerfull surroundings of british and French forces. Most of the BEF was destroyed, but the French managed to stop the Germans on a line going from Abbeville to Nancy (Verdun was taken) and the front stabilised for most of 1914 and early 1915. With the reinforcements East, I managed to destroy the Russian cavalry probes into Pomerania and West Prussia, while shifting one full German Army to add on the 8th and 9th that were on the East front and stroke against Riga, successfully taking the city by Christmas 1914, and also putting a siege on Warsaw. While Warsaw still holds, the forts of Kovno and Grodno did fall despite fierce Russian fighting during the winter. In the South, the Austrian-Hungarian managed to hold Russian attacks on Premszyl and Kracow and then mounted a surprisingly successful double pincer offensive that manage to trap a full Russian army in Lemberg, who was then destroyed. The Austro-Russian fron in early 1915 is roughly on pre-war borders, while with freed forces and some German help, the Austro-Hungarians managed by early spring 1915 to flank and almost completely destroy the Serbian and Montenegrin armed forces. This is very important as the link with the Ottoman is of key importance.

Indeed, the Ottoman entry in war bought the opportunity for british offensives in Iraq and Palestine. In Iraq, history almost repeats itself as British forces, after advancing to the gates of Baghdad, had their supply lines cut by Ottoman cavalry and were surrounded and mostly destroyed (some still fight on, surrounded, near Baghdad). In Sinai and Palestine, the Ottoman was soundly beaten and nearly surrounded by daring entente raids and landings on the Mediterranean coast. Only the arrival of German General Von der Goltz and Limman Von Sanders there with reinforcements originally destined for the Caucasus offensive managed to hold a line Haifa-Jerusalem-Amman. The holy Heidjaz and Aquaba are lost to the infidels.
In eastern Anatolia, the Ottoman had to retreat and faces strong Russian attacks

Italy, outsted from Tripolitania by rebels there is soon to enter war and one wonders what 60 or so fresh Italian divisions will be able to bring to the strategic balance.

in 1914, a massive naval battle near Helgoland took place with french and british naval forces attacking the fortress island who was almost entirely annihilated and only the swift and daring attack of the Hochseeflotte, who inflicted massive damage (helped by minefields that channeled the entente fleets).

Overseas:

Togo: Togo was able to mount a successful defence of Lome for almost a month and then german forces fled in the countryside, where they managed to hold on for a few months of guerrilla fighting, but were ultimately captured by the French forces from French west Africa.

Cameroon: still holding on the coastal areas through most of 1914 and early 1915, but French incursions from French Equatorial Africa are starting.

German South-West Afrika manages to hold untouched, due to the fairly good fighting that the South African Boer rebels made in the early months of the war – and before they surrenderd. Now south African forces will surely come!

German Ost-Africa manages to hold and while its first incursion and raid to Nairobi was eventually repulsed, it also managed to repulse a british raid. Stalemate for the moment.

Tsing-Tao and the Pacific german garrisons managed to hold until now, while German East Squadron still roams the sea and caused quite a lot of damage to British and Indian shipping in the Indian ocean.


Overall the Central Powers has been lucky to seize lots of territory and destroy many Entente forces in early 1914 and did not suffer too many losses - but while the objective of 1914-1915 is to consolidate its' central strategic position, the means to actually win the war on the long run are difficult and so 1915 will be an important year to position forces able to win in the long run and perhaps make some Entente nations be completely exhausted.
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
1915 - winter

Winter 1915

The winter 1915, saw a consolidation of the western front, with a dense network of trenches, magine-gun nests, barbed wire, artillery and counter-battery positions to man the Abbeville-Nancy line. Some sporadic reconnaisance was made, but both sides decided not to attemps - yet - any major offensive.

On the East Front, while Austrio-hungarian and German forces waged some minor attacks, the front remained the same, with a "thin green line", but sufficient, of russian forces to hold the front that spawned from Riga to Vilnus to Warsaw to Galicia to the border of Rumania. Movement of forces has been notices on both sides in the last weeks of the winter and the spring offensives will see what terrain will be gained and lost by both sides.

Serbia finally collapsed during the winter as AH forces from montenegro outflanked the Serbs from the south, while attacks acros the Danube supported by massive artillery managed to break the Serb lines and enable the fall of Belgrade.

In Palestine, the battles for Jerusalem ended in a stalemate, but british and french reinforcements there will make a probable spring offensive very difficult for the Ottoman to hold.

In Mesopotamia, at the gates of Baghdad an Indian corps was surrounded and annihilated just a few days before reinforcements were on sight.

In Africa, operations in Cameroon continue with Germans on the retreat while in East Africa, it is Von Lettow Vorbeck's forces that are on the offense (raids) in Kenya and Uganda.

s the snow melts across europe, Italy seems to have sided with the Entente and the spring offensives on all fronts will be decisive!
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
1915 - spring


The spring objective for the Central Powers was to:

- advance into Russia to make the front shorter - Ideally, a line from Riga-Minsk-Kiev, but that proved to be too ambitious and only a few miles were gained here and there, with the best success around eastern Poland.

- Advance against Italy to seize the heights - and thus make italian attacks very costly. this was achieved, but it was quite limited

- clean Serbia of its remaining resistance nests - this was done, but I fear that some guerilla activity will come soon.

- hold in Palestine (failed), Mesopotamia (done) and in Eastern Anatolia (done)

- hold the West front and repulse attacks through attrition (done, but costly)
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
1915 - summer

July through september saw many actions:

- on the West front, french attacks around amiens, supported by massive artillery fire managed to advance about 10km on a front of 20-30 km, at heavy cost. German counter-offensives were repulsed with deadly artillery fire and germany lost about 400'000 men during the summer on the Amiens front.

- on the East front, german advances progressed methodically north of Riga and advanced slowly to reach Brest Litovsk fortress. Austria-hungarian forces, on a lucky roll during this game (proficiency increasing due to successfull combat) have also advanced in galicia and entered into ukraine.

- in Italy, the front was stable, each side looking at the impressive defensive position of the other on mountain tops and ridges...

- in Palestine and Syria, the German 11th army, managed to slow the advance of the Entente, but the Ottoman forces there are so exhausted that they are forced to retreat, especially on the coast of Lebanon as Entente fleet shelling is deadly.

- in Albania, the Italian expeditionary force there has managed to defeat Austria-Hungary's 5th army, but the nature of the terrain makes the advance very slow and german 12th army is now on position there.

- In Africa, German Sud-West and Ost-Afrika still hold out, while Uganda has been raided by german columns.

Here is the sitaution of central Power armies:

West front, from north to south : German 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Army.

East Front from north to South : German Army Group Riga, 18th, 8th, 9th, 10th Army, Austro.Hungarian 4th, 3rd, 7th, 2nd Armies

Balkans: Albania: AH 5th Army and German 12th Army, Macedonia; AH 6th Army

anatolia : Ottoman 1st and 3rd army

Syria : Ottoman : 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and German 11th Army.

Italian front : AH: 1st Army, Armee Gruppe Tirol, Armee Gruppe Isonzo and Armee Gruppe Boroevic, German Alpenkorps, and elements of German 12th Army
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
Fall 1915

The French 6-month long offensive against Amiens has fiannly achieved a breakthrough and now has stabilised the front 30km west of the line, on a 100km front. over a million french, british and german soldiers are dead.

In the East, German forces seize Grodno and have advanced north into Estonia, but the front is stable now. Austrians have advanced into Moldova but lack forces for more advances

Bulgaria has entered the war (on Austrian promis to give Macedonia) but bulgaria has no frontline with any Entente country. In albania, the front is stable.

In Syria, Entente advances slow down, as both forces are exhausted.
 

screamer

Member
Joined
May 8, 2003
Messages
393
Reaction score
0
Location
's-Hertogenbosch. NL
Country
llNetherlands
you guys arent playing piero's version of the scenario... are you!?
i tried it once, loved it but i think my opponent died of old age before we even reached 1915.

hi guys, im back
 

nemo

-. . -- ---
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Messages
2,084
Reaction score
2
Location
Nowhere to be seen
Country
llFrance
Hey Jan, long time no see on these boards :cool:

Actually we're playing Piero's scenario, turn 69 (november 20th, 1915).

Still attacking - full strength - as usual.
 

screamer

Member
Joined
May 8, 2003
Messages
393
Reaction score
0
Location
's-Hertogenbosch. NL
Country
llNetherlands
im thinking about getting back to ACOW, again playing single player games..

not to mention the DNO multi which i still loyally play, i just couldnt abbandon my minors

by the way, what the hell happend to WHQ!? i havent been here/there for about a year and it comes as a shock. :nervous:
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
indeed, this game is fun. Nemo attacks and attacks and attacks and keeps the Central Powers everywhere it cans and puts me nder a lot of pressure to 1.hold and 2.gather forces to break a front (Destroying Russia will not be enough) to be able to finally win. Not easy, not easy...
 

screamer

Member
Joined
May 8, 2003
Messages
393
Reaction score
0
Location
's-Hertogenbosch. NL
Country
llNetherlands
nemo always attacks attacks attacks and attacks... he would even forget to defend anything as he refuses to lose the initiative.

i cant stand up against that with my very cautious playing style.
 

nemo

-. . -- ---
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Messages
2,084
Reaction score
2
Location
Nowhere to be seen
Country
llFrance
:laugh: Lol guys, you're complaining or what?

Fact is I actually defend more often than not - it's just that I can't do static defence ;)
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
Egyptian desert

The Grand Senussi was riding on his horse, ahead of his thousand-strong horse cavalry of knights. He was spearheading the Senussi rebellion, who in the name of Allah would liberate their land and Egypt from the British crusader occupation.

As British forces were deep into Syria, fighting the Ottomans, he was convinced by his German and Ottoman advisors to follow the call for Jihad against the infidels and now was about to seize Cairo, where already the streets were in turmoil and hundred of thousands of Egaptians were in arms and pillaging the international quarters. Soon, with Egypt free, his knights would then liberate Mecca and Medina and the whole of Arabia! At last islam would rule again on the whole of the region!
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
January 1916.

In Cairo, the Union Jack floats again on the roof of the governor's palace as Australian troops patrol the city.
tens of thousands of Egyptian rebels are mopped up into prison camps, while tens of thousands more lay dead around the city or float downstream the Nile. It was a mistake for the Egyptians, carried by the enthusiasm of the Senussi knights to fight the british empire forces outside the walls of the town, where, they were massively beaten by the superior firepower and discipline of the australian
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
April 1916

Situation in the early spring 1916.

Peripheral Fronts

In Africa, the situation is unchanged. German forces hold German East Afrika and parts of Uganda and Kenya and are still unchallenged in German Sud-West Afrika.

In Lybia, Italian forces are holed up in Benghazi and TObruk, while Senusse rebels retreat into the desert after beeing kicked off Egypt. Khartum falls as the dervishes capture and slaughter thousand of Eritrean soldiers who suffered from disease and starvation

In Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, afte a bitter winter fighting, in which Damascus changed hands a few times, the Entente (mainly British) build up of forces is impressing. The ROyal Navy reigns supreme in the mediterraneana and shells the Ottoman forces at will, while in the mountainous interior of the Ottoman and German Expeditionary Force under Von Landers and Mustapha Kemal hold the line.

in MEsopotamia, nothing changes, as forces sit still but in the Caucasus, an Ottoman raid through the Caucasus is yet to be stopped.

In Albania, Italian forces face Austrians and German forces in the still bitter cold weather and in rough moiuntains...


Western Front

All quiet on the Estern Front - all too quiet, remarks the German command as it digs more and more defensive trenches...


Eastern Front

in Moldavia the Russian offensive agaisnt the Austrians was initially succesfull but now the German 11th Army, in reinforcement, is striking back

in early April, the German High Command launches the "Albrecht" offensive against Russian forces. the objective, boasts Hindenburg, is the annihilation of all Russian forces.... Lundendorff, in private meetings speaks of more limited objectives...
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
August 1916

August 1916

The last two months have been bloody!

While the Western Front is very quiet,

In Syria, the Entente advance continues and the french and british forces are at the gates of Antioch and Aleppo and managed to surround and destroy in Damascus the remains of one tired and demoralized Ottoman Army.

Ottoman forces have penetrated into Armenia and Azerbaijan, but are too weak to reach Tbilisi in Georgia or Baku.... but the Russians suffer from sever morale problems as their central fron collapsed after the loss of Brest-Litovsk.

Indeed, German armies on the axis Brest-Minsk, and Austrian forces in the Pripyet and in Western Ukraine have managed to shake the frotn and surround Russian forces and penetrate deep (a few hundred miles) into Tsarist territory.

Italian Armies smashed the Karst front to manage to sieze Gorizia and advanced a few miles on the coast, at heavy losses to all sides.

Rumor has that Romania will soon join the war...
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
Metz 6th Armee HQ - Alarm, Alarm

Entente forces have launched a suprise attack
While Romania has entered the war in the East and German and Austrian forces have to be sent there, a powerfull all-out attack of France towards Verdun and Metz has succeeded in reaching the first and the outskirts of the second. German 6th Armee has been completely taken by surprise and could only counterattack with little reinforcements.

Hopefully with the Russian Central Front crumbling, some reinforcements will be able to be sent West!
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
Autumn of doom and gloom - 1916.

the German high command feels very gloomy today.
not only the German counteroffensives to retake Verdun are not working, except in vaporizing french, british and german divisions and air squadrons at an alarming rate.. millions die in the french fields and forests this september and october! the morale and supply of the armies of the Western front starts to suffer and replacements are hard to come by.... but the real bad news comes from the Levant, where British and French forces have managed to take menacing steps and are fighting street-to-street in Aleppo and Alexandretta. The Ottoman governement is reporting to have started negtotiation in secret with the Entente to reach an agreement for cease-fire. All German political elements must be found to stop that!
The only good news is that the Rumanian front is collapsing and that Bucharest is surrounded by Austrian, Bulgarian and German forces and the the Armee Gruppe Mackensen has crosse the Prut River and is advancing towards Odessa, while Austrian and German forces are nearing respectively Minsk and Kiev.

and a message from africa brings news of German forces sweeping across Kenya and repulsing South Africans in the Namib desert - all meager comfort before the winter!
 

jeff norton

Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Messages
59
Reaction score
0
Location
MD - You're not clea
Country
llUnited States
Not to rain on the war, but could either side post some screenies? It would highlight and display what is actually happening to us newbies (returning from several years lay-off)...;)
 

piero1971

Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
739
Reaction score
0
Location
geneva
Country
llSwitzerland
December 1916

As troops prepare for Christmas on all fronts now almost all frozen due to winter.

in the East, German forces have smashed the now demoralized Russian armies. As Minsk and Kiev have fallen and Odessa is besieged, and desertion is a major concern, Tsar Nicolas II has abdicated and has been replaced by a provisional governement who promises to continue the war, despite the population hardships and losses. some German and Austrian Forces start to be relieved from the front to Rest and Repair facilities for the winter

The Romanian Army, finally surrounded in Bucharest and after a long siege is about to capitulate.

In Turkey, Entente forces pressed into Southern Anatolia and only German reinforcements avoided total catastrophy. Now German forces stand guard in most Ottoman cities and in the Dardanelles, to prevent Entente landings - but the Ottoman Empire, is effectively almost out of the war.

In Africa. Kenya, is almost all in German hands, Namibia still holds and German forces have raided Congo. too bad this is an un-important theater, says the Kaiser!

in Albania, Greece and Italy, the fronts keep beeing stalemates

in the West, the bloody attrition around Verdun and Metz ends, with French victory at Verdun and over a million death on both sides. German install the "Siegfried Stelling" around Verdun.
 
Top