Month: November 1998 (Page 1 of 2)

The weather remains the same, clear everywhere but mud in the Alps. The French and British quickly spend their new manpower points on rebuilding their cadres to full strength. This is also the first time that the Entente production has matched the historical production – if you do not include the Italian front in the historical production. It is the closest it has every been so far.

The French withdraw their 1^st Corps, surrounded by enemy ZOCs with the destruction of the Belgian army. The Belgians are able to rebuild one of their two cadres, but it will be over a year before the other can be brought back up to strength. The British continue to strengthen their front lines and construct another line of entrenchments behind them in case of need. The Italians shift some more troops to the 3^rd Army and continue to press their advance towards Triest.

An attack by the Italian 3^rd Army is repulsed with the retreat of the Italians out of the mountains leading to a quick advance into Italy by an Austrian fortress unit. The Italian 4^thArmy attacks towards the East just north of Triest. The 7^th Corps is stopped while the Austrians retreat in front of the 6^th Corps. The 5^th Corps and the Cavalry attack becomes a disaster as the Italians are nearly destroyed. The Italians end up losing 41 Manpower and 3 Equipment points overall while the Austrians lose nothing.

The Austrian R(10) Army reacts and two more Austrian units invade Italy following the 3^rd Army.

Tom: This has been a bad turn. The attack on the Belgian Army was a small surprise – the result however was devastating. To see him attack, destroy, and capture a hex with 30 some defense points (about the average for my entire line) from only two attacking corps is extremely bad news for me. This hints that he could potentially attack at advantage any hex held by the French Army. To add to the hurt, I had to withdraw from another hex in order to save a French Corps from being surrounded. This is really bad news. I only hope that the Eastern Front will take away more of his troops. The Italian front gave me more bad news with the lousy die rolls almost destroying two corps while the Austrians have invaded Italy following the 3^rd Army’s retreat. This probably has saved Trient from any serious danger, the only bright spot is my continued advance around Triest. Perhaps this will be able to be saved, although if any troops come south, I could be in big trouble with the Italians.

Production sees the Central Powers get enough manpower and equipment points to catch up on its reorganization. The rest of the turn sees the French front get reorganized with the new divisions. The Austrians redeploy their defenses to stop the Italians attacking near Triest.

Carl: A quiet turn on my part. The major portion of the turn has been reconfiguring and moving around the German troops to best use the reorganized troops best. It seems as though I have managed to survive the worst of the shipments eastward for the next few months. I really do not have the combat supply to really press the French like I would like to, but I will continue to build up my supplies and forces looking forward to that. I have sent some resource points south to aid the Austrians in their fight with the Italians. I am still playing with the thought of what one good German or Bavarian corps could do against the Italians if used between Trient and Triest. Perhaps when the Bavarian Alp Corps is formed next turn.

The weather has begun to clear. The Alps are still in mud, but the rest of the front is now clear weather. The British have begun to build a second line of entrenchments behind the first from the Somme north to the Channel. Some reorganization along the French lines continue as the front as a whole is strengthened and the French army begins to rebuild its losses from the 1914 campaigns. The Italians begin to shift more power to their 3^rd Army as it begins to try to cut the supply line to Trient.

The Italian 3^rd Army declines combat, but an unsupplied attack by the Italian 4^th Army using the 6^th and 7^th Corps completes the capture of the Austrian defenses behind the Isonzo River. There are no losses as the Austrians retreat in haste from the hex.

The German 2^nd Army reacts and sends reserve units towards the Channel.

Tom: I am not sure what the movement towards the Channel indicates – but I think I am ready for it. The Italian 3^rd Army will be getting more reinforcements next turn which should allow a good chance at cutting the Austrian supply line to Trient. Another corps has pushed over the Isonzo so I should be able to continue trying to surround Triest. It will be slow going though. I am looking forward to production next turn because I need a lot more resource points.

Zeppelin raids on London and Lyon fail. A quick movement to the Channel to reinforce the 8R and 12^th Saxon Corps. They will spearhead an attempt to knock out the remainder of the Belgian army. There is little movement on the Austrian front other than to reinforce near Triest to stop the Italian 4^th Army offensive.

The first use of gas on the Western Front is utilized in the German attack on Dunkerque defended by the remains of the Belgian army. The Belgians successfully utilize their reserves and move the entire remains of the army into this last defensive attempt. A 6:1 +2 and a die roll of 6 destroys the Belgian army and captures the hex at no loss to the attackers!

The Entente loses 17 Belgian manpower and 13 Equipment Points.

Quick reactions by the Belgian cadres and the French 5^th Army manages to plug the hole but they cannot muster enough for a counter-attack.

Carl: I think that I have just put the Belgians out of the war. With only .5 manpower points each production phase, it will be a long time before the two remaining cadres will be ready to do anything other than guard the rear lines for the Entente. This will mean the British or French will have to spread out one more hex in defense. It will be good to get production next turn – I am almost out of resource points. There will be another offensive by the Germans later this year against the French to try and wear down their morale. If all goes well, the French will be in deep morale problems by the end of the year. It will probably be an attack on a fortress which the French would lose 10 morale points if they lost it. This should set up another bleeding would like Lille for them.

The weather is still mud. The Entente begin to reorganize the French defensive line. The Italians begin to redirect their attacks on the Austrians, moving some units from the 1^st and 3^rd Armies to reinforce the main thrust by the 2^nd Army on Trient. The 4^th Army shifts into a defensive mode to hold their positions.

The Italians decide not to attack Trient after all and there are no attacks.

The Central Powers fail to react.

Tom: This is the first turn we have played after our holiday break. It may take a short while to get back into the game and the thinking, but it was a good place to stop for a while. The Italians just do not have the supplies for a sustained offensive at this time and the odds really stink around Trient. I will have to shift the emphasis to the 3^rd Army and try to cut the supply line.

The Central Powers do some small scale reorganization of their armies. Very little else occurs while the Austrians reoccupy Villach and entrench at Triest.

Carl: A shortage of equipment points is slowing down the reorganization of the German armies. The Austrians have a strong position and will sit in it for as long as the Italians will let them. The starting back up of the game has had some effect on this turn’s inaction. However, I think the lack of supply has a much greater effect. It will be a few game months before the next heavy offensive, at least on the Central Powers side.

Spring has come to the Western Front with Mud weather. The British reinforce their front lines. The Italians continue their advances on Trient and Triest. Some shifting of French reserves to support the weaker parts of their defensive line completes the Entente’s moves.

The Italian 1^st Army, attacking from the northwest of Trient attempting to cut the supply line, is forced to retreat. The Italian 3^rd Army, attacking from the southeast of Trient attempting to cut the supply line, almost destroying the defenders at large cost to the attackers. The Italian 4^th Army now attacks eastward. The 5^th Corps successfully captures Villach. The 7^th Corps is stopped with casualties. The 8^th and 9^th Corps come close to destroying the Austrian defenders, but they do hold and throw back the Italians with large losses.

The Entente lost 40 Italian Manpower and 11 Equipment points. The Central Powers lost 11 Austrian/Hungarian Manpower and 6 Equipment points.

The Central Powers are unable to react in any meaningful way.

Tom: I think I would have been better served if the Italians had waited until better weather to declare war. I have been pressing attacks that only harm the Austrian/Hungarians on a 4-6, and two of those results are DRs. I just don’t think I can afford to wait until clear weather on the front because the Central Powers are sure to reinforce the Austrian/Hungarians soon. As it is, the combat is centered around Trient (with 3 Italian armies attacking it) and Triest (with 1 Italian army). If additional Central Powers armies appear (and I am sure they will), I will have to pull back some of the attacking armies on Trient. Trient is a hard enough nut to crack (half attack for improved old fortress and halved for mountain terrain) without attacking with only one or two armies. The supply situation in the mountains is just too restricted to maintain a large front with a single army HQs.

The last of the cavalry divisions head to the Eastern front. The army reorganization begins but falls short due to lack of equipment. Hopefully next month will see enough equipment points from mobilized artillery to finish the job. The Austrians begin to dig in near Trient and in Triest. The newest army is defending to the north of Trient to stop the Italian drive on Klagenfurt. The French front reorganizes due to the new army reorganization. All offensives are put on hold until the weather clears.

The Entente fails to react.

Carl: I have been considering sending some of the Bavarian mountain troops to aid the Austrian/Hungarians. So far, though, they do not seem to need it. Now that the bulk of the reinforcements are in down there, the Italians do not appear to have an easy time of it. One thing that I have been thinking about is a counteroffensive into the eastern plains in northern Italy. Perhaps try and cut off the Italian 4^th Army attacking Triest. I will have to wait and see what will occur. I have decided to postpone my drive to the English Channel until good weather comes. I am going to be able to rebuild my forces faster than the Entente can, so waiting should not cost me much. If I can reach the channel, it will cause heavy casualties for the Belgians and British and force the French to send troops to help them. I am considering going after one of the southern French fortresses and create a situation much like Lille where the French must bleed for a while. This may send them into serious morale problems later this year.

The Entente rebuilds their line behind Lille. The Belgians now have a single corps holding Dunkerque. The French 1^st Corps is between the Belgians and the two British armies. Some more movement of reserves to strengthen the area is all that occurs during the turn.

The Central Powers continue their attacks near Lille with an assault on the British 1^st Corps. The British are able to reinforce the line and bring the odds down one column. The Central Powers lost 14 German Manpower and 34 Equipment points to the Entente’s 20 British Manpower and 13 Equipment points.

Tom: I had hoped for some peace, but Carl is continuing to put more pressure on my forces. Although the British morale is high, their manpower situation is not good. He has almost taken the Belgians out of the war, the French morale is low, and now he looks to be going after the British. This could get very bad very quick. My morale is slipping almost as bad as the others.

The Central Powers shift more forces into the Lille area to face the British. They attack the British line, the British 1^st Army is out of resource points so they will not have combat supply. The British 1^st Corps is shattered. The British 3^rd Corps is reinforced with an Indian Cavalry division and it holds with heavy losses. Total losses are 8 German Manpower points versus 8 British Manpower, 5 Indian Manpower, and 17 Equipment points.

The Entente react by sending a French corps moving towards the Lille area to help bolster the French and British defense of the area.

Carl: The attacks on the British were kind of a last minute decision. I had thought to wait and rebuild the strength of the army back up and for better weather. But there I was with a good odds attack on the British 1^st Corps in my reaction phase. This used up the last of the British resource points for the area and gave me good odds against two British corps. The losses that the British suffered will take a long while to replace.

The weather has cleared, but Zone D continues with Winter weather. Great news picks up the morale of the Entente as Italy enters the war on their side. An interesting event where Zone D (most of the Western Front) is in Winter while Zone C (the Alps) is in Mud weather.

The Italians advance against both Trient and Triest. The Italians are at maximum odds but most of the attacks are with -4 die roll modifiers due to weather and terrain. The Austrian border guards are forced to retreat in a few areas (notably around Triest) but the Italians are halted in their attacks towards Trient. The Italians lose 2 Manpower and 17 Equipment points.

The German 2^nd Army attacks the British 1^st Army causing some casualties but the British hold the defensive line. The Central Powers lost 32 German Manpower, 10 Bavarian Manpower, and 22 Equipment points. The Entente lost 22 British Manpower, 8 Canadian Manpower, and 4 Equipment Points.

Tom: There I was with visions of an Italian blitzkrieg, much like the Central Powers marching through Belgium, and then nothing happened in Austria. I am adjacent to Triest and Trient, but it is obvious that the terrain and the weather is just too bad for a very good advance (especially with the 6:1 Mobile CRT ceiling). Obviously, the Italian front is going to go slower than I had hoped. In the meantime, Carl is picking on the British now. All of the March production manpower points are already gone into units. The French are stronger now and may have to defend more of the line and allow the British to consolidate for a while.

All is quiet on the Western Front as the Austrian/Hungarians rush up to defend Triest and Trient. On the French line some shifting and rebuilding occurs, but the Central Powers are looking forward to the reorganization of the German army starting next turn.

The Entente breathes a sigh of relief in France. The Italians react with the 3^rd Army and tries its attack towards Trient again. The Austrian defenders mow the Italians down as they attack and the Italians lose 12 Italian Manpower and 1 Equipment Point without anything to show for it.

Carl: I definitely needed a breather on the French front. The Austrian/Hungarian front is more stable than I had feared. I think that his successful activation of Italy was too soon, at least weather-wise. The Italians will have a hard time slogging through the Alps and Trient should be able to hold. The worry for me is Triest and its factory. This could be a bad loss for the Central Powers if the factory falls to the Italians and halves the Austrian/Hungarian production. I have not yet sent the Bavarian mountain divisions to help, but it is possible that I may have to do so. They should stop any hope the Italians have of advancing too far.