The Belgian Government in exile is formed in London, safe from the Central Powers reach. The Belgian Army utilizes CR#9 and reorganizes its remaining rifle divisions to full strength.
The BEF falls back from the front lines to rebuild and reorganize. The French dig fieldworks and consolidate their defenses from the port of Dunkerque to the Swiss border. The German advance south of Verdun has really stretched the French line thin in some places. Both Nancy and Verdun are threatened, but the French build up their forces in the area to try and hold them.
A single attack in the Vosges Mountains is repulsed with losses to both sides. The Entente loses 10 French Metropolitan Manpower and 19 Equipment Points. The Central Powers lose 9 German and 6 Wurttemburg Manpower Points.
Only the German 5th Army does not react, allowing the entire Central Powers front to advance and set up attacks on weak points in the French line. The Bers Army moves two German Corps against the Belgians near Antwerpen. The German 2nd Army closes on Reims following the routing of the French 33rd Corps. The Bavarian 6th Army closes on Nancy as it forces back the French 8th Corps. There were no losses for either side during the combat (both were DR results).
Tom: The defensive line has been formed and seems to be pretty firm. The Belgian Army is now fully mobilized and will require a large commitment from the Central Powers to destroy. I always have the option to withdraw them by sea if necessary. If it had not been for the destruction of the St. Quentin factory by his exploiting cavalry and the near destruction of the BEF, I would be very pleased with the current situation. The French NW is dangerously close to being down to 3 and the British are almost down to 4. This will give the Central Powers an edge in NW for quite a while. The German NW requires a loss of 200 morale points to go from 4 down to 3 while the French are almost at 3 now and the British are too minor of a force to matter at this time.
The Central Powers forces close with the French defensive line in the north. Two Corps are ready to attack the Belgian forces at St. Niklaas. The hole in the French line near Reims is exploited to endanger part of the French line in front of the city. Possible attacks on Nancy and Verdun are set up.
The Belgians are forced to retreat to the other side of Antwerpen. The French 6th Army is forced back around Reims. The French 20th Corps manages to hold on at Nancy despite heavy losses. The total losses for the Central Powers are 5 Equipment Points versus the Entente’s 33 French Metropolitan Manpower and 18 Equipment Points.
The French are only able to react in the south. Units which can be spared for the defense of Nancy, Verdun, and the northern flank are pulled out of the front line and readied to send north by rail.
Carl: Other than the attack at Nancy, it was a remarkably bloodless turn. I am threatening Reims, Verdun, and Nancy. The attack on the Belgians resulted in their retreat from St. Niklaas but there were no losses. I feel that I have the Entente on the ropes. I am threatening important morale points along the entire front and the French just dropped to a NW of 3. This should give great benefits as the bad weather begins and the attacks slow down. My resource point total is very low. The Entente seem to have an edge on Resource Points (mainly from their garrisons). I may regret my gamble of spending two Resource Points to attempt the repair of the coal fields – especially since it did not pay off.
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