Guns Of August - 08/1915 - 02/1916

 Apologizes again, it seems life comes in between me and my hobbies.

The last Big Sunday game was Guns Of August, the 6mm recreation of the Avalon Hill board game.

Last time (the first half of the 1915 year) left the Central Powers stuck and ended their overwhelming superiority in offensives and structural force. The Allies had landed successfully in Gallipoli! The balkan front was established. Italy was joining them on by sheer luck earlier in their war efforts to free Europe from the anti democratic empires.

Now it would be the question if they could keep on their momentum. And that was quickly answered on the Italian front. The Italian forces that swept way beyond their supply lines retreated and the Austro-Hungarian flottila made an attack the second naval battle of the war ... and was sunk. The front lines hardened and are probably beyond the capabilities of either side to break the stalemate.

The western front kept quiet troops were shifted, forts were build, but everybody seems to be waiting for the big push that whisperingly would be announced soon ... all quiet here.

The Balkan front, despite numerous counter attacks ordered by v. Hotzendorf, the French-Serbian balkan front established itself and kept digging in, probably with the same perspective as the Italian one. Nobody wants to storm entrenched positions in mountains. On the Turkish side things got from bad to worse,. They are just hanging in there by their teeth. And we all expect Constantinople to fall in the next half year.

The Russian front never kept quiet. As the A-H line kept quiet (their men were needed elsewhere to fill gaps), the German pushed steadily foward towards Riga and Minsk. Not quiet there, but close to be a major concern.

Even though the overall situation has been lesser successful for the allies, by the rules if the game would have stopped, it would be a "strategic victory" for them, the grand diplomatic situation though is less than optimistic. 

We have 1916 and the first "Big Push" attacks happened in Belarus and the Karparthien (without much success though this time) - BUT if Russia falls 3 strategic cities would immediately swing the pendulum to the Central Powers (Operative victory). Also very disappointing is the abscence of the United States of America and Romania. Both could be and will be game changers, but remain still neutral to the anguish of both sides.

Also as we entered the phase of the moral check for each major combatant (each 3rd month),  the forthcoming year 1916 will be a very decisive and unquestionably intensive year. 

Even if Constantinople will fall, it will be too late for Russia. Rumania can elevate the Central Powers struggle on the Balkan, but can it help sufficiently to erase the front?

Same with America, even if it enters, it will take a year at least until its land forces can make a difference - will it be long enough for the Central Powers to turn the tide? 1916 was always (in previous games I played) the year of the Central Powers, the make or break - if played correctly and with a bit of luck they can smash the starting allies of the war ... or go down.

Barts blog for more images and a monthly description:

http://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2022/10/guns-of-august-3-081915-021916.html#comment-form

The western fronts in the summer 1915

The eastern fronts at the same time

The German start the Belarus offensive

All quiet around Swiss

The Germans before Riga at February 1916

And threatening Minsk

The eastern fronts at February 1916

The western fronts at February 1916

Casualties in relative relation so far

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

Sunday game - Guns of August - The First Wolrd War has started ...

... and no we weren‘t home at Christmas either! 6mm, on four large 6x4 tables, the complete first World War on European ground, started last Sunday at 12 noon.

Bart stepped in for the Kaiser with a little help from "Campbell von Hötzendorfff" as Austria-Hungary, while I just tried to get the Allies through a very painful period. For some reason, Bart and Campbell weren‘t to keen on the Schlieffenplan and reversed to attack the Romanovs directly, while keeping it stumm at the western front, not even invading Belgium! Campbell stated he wanted "revenge" for Ferdinand and ordered an offensive vs the Serbs. Which was repulsed first, but then collapsed as resources and reinforcements were thinly spread. 

The Russians were, quite as expected, in a dilemma, with two central powers coming at them at the same time. Bart had in no time "liberated" Poland, and apart from his disastrous attempts at Riga, which resulted in the total annihilation of an entire army group, he soon proceeded to encircle Brest-Litovsk and began the battle. Of course I lost, anything the German player set his eyes on, he will gets it - it is just a matter when and under what price – turned out at no cost for the Germans this time - meh!

Pretty much else the Allies were on the run, the Serbs had to with draw into their cold mountains, The Russians back into their vast hinterland, praying that their reinforcements out strip their losses. The French made some attacks (as bound by plan 17) but of course Metz and Strassbourg were too strong a position to break through.

On top of that Westminster decided to wait, until the K.u.K. Marine (yes, the Austrian naval fleet!) sunk most of the French "Navy" before Marsailles, oh blamage! - and Britain joined the war as late as November!!!

But then the French promtly invaded Belgium and the British later the Netherlands, on the grounds of these little countries not joining the allied blockade (A friend of all, is a friend to none!).

We got until February 1915, and it looks still pretty grim for the allied case. Serbia is broken and Poland lost. Russian troops are on the retreat. The Advance through the Benelux countries is stalled by the usual fortresses (Antwerp and Liege), at least the Naval issue is solved for now.

The beginning of the war for the allies is always difficult, but 1914 especially. So with that in sight, I guess its still a bit of "consolidation" to do until we can hit back - wait for the big push! To be continued ...

P.S.

On December 1914 the Central Powers achieved momentarily Operational Victory (with the capture of Brest–Litovsk), i.e. if the game would have ended, they had a minor victory. As it progressed into 1915 (and the rating changed), it would be now rated as a draw, if hostilities would end.

After the initial deployment

The East front

The West front

August 14, The Germans invade Russia/Poland!

While keeping the French somewhat bottle necked

The OHL diverting troops even to the east

The Eastern theatre, even though Russians reinforcements arriving

Slowly but steadily the Germans continue

Trenches at the Western front

Trenches in the Balkans

The German military colossus advances on Brest-Litovsk

Britain joins the war!

The Germans souround the fortress city

Brest-Litovsk has fallen ...

The Russian front is split into separate parts ...