THE BATTLE OF OF STALLUPONEN AND GUMBINNEN - 17TH- 20TH OF AUGUST 1914

Again WW1 but this time 6mm! and the home made rules "Bloodbath" I call them (working title).

And the opening fights leading to the Russian disaster at Tannenberg, the battle of Gumbinnen/Stalluponen. Where actually my Grandfather participated under the 41/5th East Prussian Regiment.

Bart was too happy about it as he could fight Russians! As he re-read the historical battle report he was the more happy to go along and fight for every square meter and make a stand.

Me and Andrew were the perfect incarnations of the indifferent Russian nobility and shared the command over Rennenkampfs corps ... what could go possibly wrong.

We learned with the rules and like the historical commander we send troops in BEFORE the artillery had done its deed... who cares about two divisions ...

That should cost us greatly, I hadn't fixed any victory conditions as we were all learning the rules,  but the Russian casualties piled high from the get go...

In the end we cleared Stalluponen Once!!!, one turn... thats it. High peak of our performance, the Germans lost also nearly all their front divisions, but to the price of our double (2:1) ratio.

Congratulations Bart, you defended East- Prussia ... 

Initial set up

Main defence of the German line

Fictional HQ of Rennekampf

The Russian set up

The German defence stand

And their reserve

The Russian advance

All good in the Hinterland

First turns we let them be ...

Andrews north attack came first under fire

then my south pincer movement stalled ...

Then we changed tactic ...

Halted the pincer and ...

... took out their guns ...

They had longer ranges, but we had more guns ...

the centre became under rising pressure ...

still no reserve was called in apart from cavalry

then my south attack hit home ...

to a terrible price ...

we stalled the pincer and barricaded into the forrest

At the end we had the village just a turn ... shambles... like in history

1914 - Rossignol - (one of the) Battle of the Frontiers

6mm - Yeaaah!  I just come up with some rules and  we play-tested them for the first time (Stahlgewitter/ storm of steel). Mainly WW1 Divisional level, brutal and easy that's what you want!

I picked Rossignol because it was the bloodiest battle of the French in the whole war!!! Bart and John were fighting to defend Paris while Campbell, David and Tim were fighting for the Kaiser.

The movement was kind of complicated at the beginning, but then we adapted it to a simpler system. 

The problem with the artillery is /was that in 1914 it was allover the place. Bart made a point that it was too weak in my beginning rules so we changed it to a base hit at 3+ instead of 4+... boy that hurt!

Anyway, Bart and the French were destroying bridges quite effectively first, isolating some Germans in advance, but in the end Campbell and the Tim brought then all the teutonic force to bear and wore down the french quite quickly.

It is a good system, but the artillery need tinkering, not too overwhelming, but also not too weak...

I'm awaiting replies as we speak ...

the second German division is approaching

The first division passes through the HQ

The French adopted a defensive position

The Germans have SEVERE movemnet issues!!!

But In the second turn Rossignol is taken!

Tims division has communication issues

The centre of the valley is slowly filling with Germans

The French save the flank with keeping Les Bulles

Bart adopts a defensive stance on the hill

The French flank is too slow

Slowly the Germans are dripping in...

But then another bridge is destroyed...

3 structure points have the bridges ... we adjusted!

The French flank seems safe ...

Finally Tims division arrives at Rossignol

The Centre bridge head keeps clear and the bridge are holding!

But Bart sees off any further Germans advance.

Campbell just has a minor force over the bridges ...

But that is enough to fire fight the french into submission on the hill

The French cannot keep the Germans from firing their artillery ...

The initial scenario

all basic rules on a sheet

The possible later adaptations ...

1915 - Viva Italia! - The Guns of August and the Grand Campaign in 6mm

 It was our Sunday game and we had to continue the First World War as it never happened!

Bart (German Generalstab) and Campbell (as v. Hotzendorff) came out of the last episode ...

https://meneken.blogspot.com/2021/11/sunday-game-guns-of-august-first-wolrd.html

... with 11 victory points around Christmas 1914 as the strategic victors of the first 6 month. But somehow Serbia didn't want to die, the Russian east front froze with lethargy and ice and on November Britain joined the allies ... finally.

Against the protest of the United States, the French declared war on Belgium and invaded, and later the British did the same to the Dutch. In the new year 1915 the allies took on the blockade and were pushing for Antwerpen and Liege. In February the Greek as well as the Bulgarian governments declared war on Serbia. The Balkan seemed a lost cause to the allies. 

In the meantime the German Brest-Litovsk offensive in the East seemed to get to an halt as in the spring of 1915 the allies landed in Montenegro, Citinje, as it had not yet fallen ... and the French declared war on Albania and invaded again. Again the US send a protest note. The Turkish corps were on their way to Belgrade as the British landed in Gallipoli, this time successful, as they didn't encounter any opposition at all!!

But the best thing that happened was the declaration of war of the Italian government in May 1915 and the opening of the Italian front on the alps (for better or worse). Again the French and Italian and British corps were opposed by relatively few Central power troops.

In the meantime Belgium surrendered to the Allies and Monte Negro to the Central Powers. The blockade tightened as the lower countries are participants now. And of course, yes, the United States protested again ...

As it stands in July the Central Powers had 10 victory points, which would equate to an allied strategical victory (a similar situation as in December for the Central Powers but in reverse). The Allied lost in total 98 units vs 69 of the Central powers so far since August 1914 - and it looks like it won't be over this Christmas in 1915 as well...

Finally Breaking News!

In July miraculously a Russian Reservist corp managed to get to unoccupied Königsberg! But for how long will they be able to hold out, as they are cut off from the supply already? Will their fellow comrades come to their rescue? Or will they have to surrender?

... until the next part ...

The initial set up End of February 1915 from last time...

The eastern front and the German invasion

The Western Front summer 1915

A small Russian insurance for the diplomacy phase in May 1915

Spectacular breakthrough at Gallipoli!!

The Balkan front somewhat stabilised ...

After end of play the Eastern front gets mapped out

The Italian and Western fronts summer 1915

Chaos in the alps - please, where is the way to Vienna?

The German command is fortifying the North german coast vs British landings