AAR WW1 Breakthrough - Ash vs Will (CP)

[Will952]

December 2015...

The Entente advanced across a broad line in Northern France backed by artillery. After much thought I decided not to attack - my artillery isn't yet in position and his readiness was higher than mine making for high predicted losses. I've moved across my artillery and entrenched my troops to prepare for the next assault.

Elsewhere there is little activity besides purchasing troops for the new year, and my subs continuing to wear away at the Russian battleships in port.

I am looking forward to the return to fighting season - I'm in a good position to make a major attack at Brest-Litovsk and I am hoping to transfer a new HQ and 3 German armies to Serbia to assist there in the coming few turns.

[Will952]

January 1916 and the battlefields are quiet but no doubt lots happening behind the scenes on both sides.

I finally have capacity to send a small Germany army group to assist in Serbia - 1 HQ and 3 corps. With AH now reaching gas/shell production level 1 this turn as well, progress here should start improving.

The West was shored up with some additional reinforcements, and more will be arriving before the snow melts.

I also purchased a new AH artillery piece - sorely needed to assist with breaking the deadlock in Galicia. Although my troops are upgraded and due to a lack of Russian reinforcements his are not, I can't make a breakthrough without taking major casualties myself unless I can de-entrench them first.

Meanwhile in the Baltic continuing to upgrade my navy, which is now looking formidable...

Some bad news from the diplomats - Romania, no doubt encouraged by Russian success in the Caucasus and Serbian battlefield victories, have leaned hard toward the Entente. With all my diplo chits invested in preventing Bulgaria slipping any further, I cannot move to counter it. If Romania joins, Russian income will get a sizeable boost as well as a number of fresh units, plus an artillery corps, so it's crucial I put a serious dent in Russia soon.

[Will952]

Some brutal fighting in the West as the British and French combined armies punched a sizeable hole in the German line. Many corps killed and Ypres was overrun before I got the front line back under control. A very poor start to 1916 and bodes poorly for the Kaiser. Fortunately neither France nor Britain have the economies to sustain prolonged heavy fighting so I should be able to out-produce them, and my NM is steady - but it's a setback.

In the East the fighting has started at Brest-Litovsk with 1 Russian corps destroyed. In Prussia I have advanced with support from a new artillery unit.

In Serbia, with German assistance we're finally making some progress - 2 defending corps destroyed and the line has shifted back. I hope over the course of summer to at least take the next capital, or even both.

In the Middle East the British are starting to apply some pressure although the siege of Jerusalem has not yet begun. Without a rail line to Germany the OE front line is sliding, and taking NM with it.

1916 may yet prove decisive but the CP are far from out of the running. With a strong economy and key artillery pieces now coming into play, I'm hoping to score some victories - especially in Serbia and Galicia. I also expect to put the fleet to sea at some point this year, but not just yet.

[Will952]

May 1916 and the fighting continues to rage on all fronts. In the West there was another Entente push which cleared Lille but this ran into stronger defense and they took heavy losses. I managed a moderate counter-attack, destroying two French corps and badly damaging another. More reinforcements are arriving and the front line is fairly stable - for now. Lille remains empty.

In the East, a number of Russian corps were destroyed in a major push in Prussia and Brest-Litovsk.

In the Balkans, the Serbian defense is straining at the seams and under great pressure. I hope to reach Nish within the next 3 turns.