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ajarnlance
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western front late Feb.. 1915

Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:41 pm

Things are heating up all over as our attention shifts to the western theatre. Remember I predicted a French spring offensive here? Well spring came a little early as the French launched a surprise attack in Alsace-Lorraine.. pushing my Corps out of Mulhouse. Not used to seeing those words 'defeat' on the battle report...

[ATTACH]32434[/ATTACH]

This is how the western front looks now. The French break through at the bottom of the picture. Large French forces threaten in a few places along my long line. I have been forced to transfer some forces from here to the new Italian front.. the balance here is looking precarious... I may need to transfer forces from the east.. first I will try to contain the French breakthrough. My options are to mass forces in front of him or to counter march around his flank and threaten his lines of communication...

[ATTACH]32435[/ATTACH]

In the Balkans the Serbs suddenly spring to life and assault Cattaro... they want it all for themselves... didn't want to share it with the BEF...

[ATTACH]32445[/ATTACH]

The garrison in Cattaro is tough and the Serbs take heavy casualties assaulting a fort. I will have to relieve this siege...

[ATTACH]32446[/ATTACH]
Attachments
LF BF1.png
B CATT D7.png
LF WF1.png
B MUEL D15.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)

Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Late February 1915... Italian front..

Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:51 pm

Yet another front opens up as Italy join the Entente. The railways are life savers in this game and I have been able to rapidly assemble forces from both east and west to defend the mountain passes in the North of Italy. This will be a holding action... as in the Balkans. I must keep as much pressure on the Russians as I can risk... the Moltke plan is aimed at taking the Russians out of the war.. but it is a tricky balancing act...

[ATTACH]32436[/ATTACH]

Down in the Levant I continue to build up Ottoman forces for an invasion of Egypt...

[ATTACH]32437[/ATTACH]

I am back to the question again of where did the BEF go?? A look at Malta reveals their absence there...

[ATTACH]32438[/ATTACH]

However, look what I found in Alexandria... looks like the BEF are on a world tour... next stop the pyramids.. this sets up an interesting showdown with the Ottoman armies...

[ATTACH]32439[/ATTACH]
Attachments
ALEX.png
MALTA.png
LF SINF1.png
LF ITF1.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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other stuff...

Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:59 pm

On the diplomatic front Bulgaria are getting closer to coming in on my side...

[ATTACH]32440[/ATTACH]

In the colonies I lose Lome... looks like my colonies are falling like dominoes. Finally Von Lettow is now active but very harsh weather in the surrounding regions has him penned in... and you wonder why I hate the colonies...

[ATTACH]32441[/ATTACH]

Finishing on a positive note a look at the objectives screen shows me leading in national morale and doing very well by comparison in the casualty rate: Entente 1.3M to CP 800K.

[ATTACH]32443[/ATTACH]

One final personal comment: the frequency of turns and my AAR posts has to slow down... the Kaiser is feeling the strain of managing three major powers on about a dozen different fronts... with more countries being added in the future... I'm only human and there's only me playing the CP.
Attachments
OBJECTIVES2.png
AFRICA.png
DIPLO.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

JodelDiplom
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Thu Dec 04, 2014 11:06 pm

I don't mind the slower rate! After all as long as you two still play the updates will keep coming, right? :)

And I am relieved to see that the wonky game mechanics spared my home town from being shot to pieces in a long siege :D

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havi
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Location: Lappeenranta

Fri Dec 05, 2014 12:41 pm

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :(

Well okay u can slow down a bit but please dont completly stop writing, it is great to read.

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ajarnlance
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Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:43 pm

JodelDiplom wrote:I don't mind the slower rate! After all as long as you two still play the updates will keep coming, right? :)

And I am relieved to see that the wonky game mechanics spared my home town from being shot to pieces in a long siege :D


Yes, Aachen is safely back in the Fatherland after a bloody few weeks. The updates will keep coming... just at a slower rate.. ;)
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Persian Gulf...

Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:44 pm

havi wrote:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :(

Well okay u can slow down a bit but please dont completly stop writing, it is great to read.


Thanks for the encouragement Havi. it is nice to know people are enjoying the AAR. It is very much a 'labour of love'.. I enjoy doing it but I need to slow down a bit as the scope of the game expands..

Speaking of having too many irons in the fire... I just took a look at my troops in Kuwait and I see a British fleet transporting an army in the Persian Gulf... got to have eyes in the back of my head with this game...

[ATTACH]32449[/ATTACH]
Attachments
p gulf.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Railways...

Sat Dec 06, 2014 1:06 pm

Ever since my grandfather bought me my first toy train set at the age of 10... I have been in love with steam trains. Likewise, in the game it is wise to cherish the railways.. they are the autobahns of the WW1 infrastructure allowing for rapid movement.. regardless of the weather. Having the interior lines means possessing the key rail hubs that allow you to out maneuver your opponent. The picture below explains my strategy for the eastern front in regards to securing the vital rail lines and hubs. I use cavalry in advance of the main force to gain military control (min. 25% is needed for rail transportation) and to deny that advantage to my opponent by ripping up rails in his path and to keep his armies from combining quickly.

As you can see below, capture of the vital rail hubs at Kowel, Pinsk and Minsk will drive a wedge between the Russian armies on my northern flank in Lithuania and the Russian armies along my southern front. They will have to travel the long way around to link up via the hubs at Gomel and further north. The real key is the rail hub at Pinsk. Securing this objective could well force the Russian armies located south of this point into a general retreat. Yellow lines represent the rail lines I am looking to secure... forcing the Russians to move east to the rail lines marked in orange.

[ATTACH]32453[/ATTACH]
Attachments
RAILWAYS 1.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Early March 1915.. eastern front..

Sat Dec 06, 2014 4:14 pm

Last turn left off with two Russian armies surrounded and cut off at Biela, just south of Brest Litovsk. The supply situation of my armies around Brest Litovsk was also becoming critical last turn... the early thaw in the weather was followed by mud. Mud is the enemy of mobility and your supply network, just as IRL. I had originally planned on a lengthy siege of Brest Litovsk to get the surrender event and a nat. morale boost, BUT Brest Litovsk has a depot that can supply my forward lines so I assault and take it since it has already been breached by my super heavy artillery under Gallwitz..

[ATTACH]32459[/ATTACH]

A nice bonus here is that I gained a point in national morale (and Russia will lose one)... the garrison didn't surrender but perhaps it is because such a large garrison was wiped out in one battle.. I'm going to have to build some new POW camps as the number of Russian prisoners continues to swell...

[ATTACH]32463[/ATTACH]

This is followed quickly by another battle outside Brest Litovsk as a Russian army under Lechitsky tries to break out from the pocket around Biela. I have given orders for Von Kluck to pursue (activated by holding your attacking stack over the target stack) and attack the surrounded Russian armies... but one army has saved me the trouble and come to me...

[ATTACH]32460[/ATTACH]

Von Kluck moves on to Biela to engage the second Russian army under Brusilov... it is important that I knock these Russian armies out to free up some reinforcements to send north where the Russians are massing around Wilna.

[ATTACH]32461[/ATTACH]

Brusilov falls back west into the wilderness... and then it looks like the Russian army under Lechitski runs into Von Kluck as it falls back from its failed break out attempt at BL...

[ATTACH]32462[/ATTACH]

This is as close as I have come yet to being able to defeat opposing armies in detail... splitting them apart and methodically grinding them to pieces. This is not easy to do in the game as I believe the evasion values are currently set too high which makes it easy for armies to slip away...
Attachments
BL NAT MORALE.png
B BIALA D6.png
B BIALA D4.png
B BL D3.png
B BL D1 GARRISON.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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as the dust settles..

Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:01 pm

This how things look around Brest Litovsk after those engagements. The plight of two Russian armies looks increasingly desperate.. other forces push out east and north to secure vital rail hubs.

[ATTACH]32466[/ATTACH]

As an added bonus this turn I get two garrisons surrendering to my forces at Stara and Zlocaw..

[ATTACH]32464[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]32465[/ATTACH]

Ironically these garrisons surrender after just one or two turns... the garrisons at Mlawa and Novo G. have been stubbornly holding out for months... the key to surrender events is the morale boost you get (and the morale hit your opponent takes)... that is why it is vital not to get caught in sieges unless you think you can be relieved quickly..

As icing on the cake my victories have earned two very capable commanders a promotion to army commanders..

[ATTACH]32468[/ATTACH]

Army commanders are vital to being able to concentrate force under one command.. and this is just the kind of commander that you want to see get promoted.. not all commanders do well after promotion so I'll follow up next turn to see what becomes of Von Hutier...

[ATTACH]32469[/ATTACH]
Attachments
HUTIER PROMO.png
PROMOS.png
EM EF1 CENTRAL.jpg
ZLOC SURRENDER.png
STARA SURRENDER.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Austrian front..

Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:14 pm

Further south and east I move a couple of Austrian armies into position to assault Plehve's 3rd Russian army at the vital rail link of Kowel... German forces are also pressing in from the west... potential for a pincer move here... it is vital to keep my momentum driving east as this could unhinge the entire Russian line on this front.

The Russian army which disappeared from in front of Lemburg has reappeared.. I have an army guarding Lemburg under the capable general Bohm Ermolli 5-3-2... I notice the Russians have repaired the rail links between Lemburg and Czernowitz so I despatch my cavalry to rip them up again...

[ATTACH]32471[/ATTACH]

Further north I rest my two armies in Koschedair and Wilna. The Russian armies also rest.. two of them appear to be getting low on supplies. I am surprised that Rennenkampf doesn't continue to move south this turn... the Russians have me outnumbered here and the door to Prussia is opened as a small Russian force threatens Memel.. I rip up the tracks at Rossieny to slow down the Russian advance towards Prussia...

[ATTACH]32472[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EM EF1 NORTH.jpg
EM EF1 SOUTH.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Early March 1915.. western front..

Sat Dec 06, 2014 5:34 pm

The French continue to exploit their breakthrough at Mulhouse as they press further east into Freiburg. My analysis of this part of the front last turn showed me the potential objective of the French armies in this sector. The timing with the recent entry of Italy into the war is more than coincidence. If the French can extend their breakthrough and link up with their allies in northern Italy my armies there could find themselves surrounded. With a view to blocking this move I railed in Scholtz's army from Aachen. He is taking up position directly opposite the French in Freiburg and blocking the route east to the Italian Alps. I also have a militia unit digging in and preparing entrenchments behind him in case he has to fall back on Friedrickshaffen. I have rapidly assembled a force at Colmar to the north of Mulhouse in case the French turn north but I remain convinced that their goal is either

1) to link up with Italy... OR
2) to turn my flank

The French have a huge force laying siege to Mulhouse and I don't have the numbers necessary to move them out. I may have to consider a risky counter attack on the French lines of communication here... diagram below shows how close the western front is to the Italian front at this point.. only neutral Switzerland stands in the way..

[ATTACH]32473[/ATTACH]

This picture of the entire western front shows that the French (top of picture) are also massing in front of Aachen (again?!) ... I have stripped Aachen of one army leaving the capable but heavily outnumbered Mackensen in command. The weight of numbers is starting to tell on this front... my strategy is still to knock Russia out of the war. My plan in the west is to slowly give ground in order to give my armies on the eastern front time to deliver the killer blow to the Tsar's armies... and equally important.. to their morale.

[ATTACH]32474[/ATTACH]

You may have noticed the barbed wire surrounding some of my stacks.. this is because the entrenchment level has risen to 5 on the western front. One problem I still have with the depiction of warfare on this front is that it is too mobile. ageod still have some fine tuning to get the feel of the deadlock of static trench warfare on the western front from 1915 to 1917.

Trench level 5.. looks painful... the graphic is also partially obscuring the Combat Power number..

[ATTACH]32475[/ATTACH]
Attachments
TRENCH LVL5.png
EM WF1 OVERVIEW.jpg
EM WF1 SOUTH.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Early March 1915... other fronts...

Sat Dec 06, 2014 6:05 pm

Down in the Balkans my stubborn garrison in Cattaro puts up a heroic fight and wins an engagement with the Serb army.. I am trying to assemble a relief force from the scraps I can spare from other fronts.. meanwhile it looks like they can take care of themselves for now..

[ATTACH]32476[/ATTACH]

I receive a surprise visit by the Brits along the Persian Gulf. Having taken Kuwait my army was in the process of withdrawing when jumped by the Brits..

[ATTACH]32477[/ATTACH]

Their ultimate goal here must be Baghdad.. an objective city. IRL the British invaded here but got bogged down in a brutal campaign due to the rough terrain and lack of supplies... I am rushing up reinforcements to Baghdad.. hopefully my army outside Kuwait can escape back to safety with the Brits hard on their heels..

[ATTACH]32478[/ATTACH]

In the Sinai desert my forces are forced to slow their advance due to the harsh environment and shortage of supplies. The rail lines here don't become active until 1916 ( a new addition with the recent patch).. making the Sinai a difficult obstacle to overcome ... as IRL. My main concern here is the mobility of the British forces in Alexandria due to their naval supremacy. While I'm bogged down in the Sinai they could leap frog my forces and invade the coast north of my position.. I want Cairo though as it is an important objective city...

[ATTACH]32479[/ATTACH]

Speaking of navies I decide to move the entire Austrian fleet from Pola to Constantinople.. joining together with the Turkish fleet. While still not strong enough to take on the combined British, French and Italian fleets.. at least it could mount a defence against an invasion of the Dardanelles..

[ATTACH]32480[/ATTACH]
Attachments
aus flt.png
EM SIN1.jpg
EM MESO1.jpg
B KUWAIT D10.png
B CATTARO D1.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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other stuff..

Sat Dec 06, 2014 6:21 pm

My light cruisers are having some success in the Atlantic shipping box... I have decided for the time being not to pursue submarine warfare as this brings the USA into the war earlier. Interestingly the British and Russian subs are sinking my war supply in the Baltic. When I checked the log it tells me that my fleet there has a ZERO % chance of catching the little buggers. And since the CP has no tech for ASW I won't be able to touch Entente subs for the entire war... seems like an oversight .. needs tweaking. Either give the CP an ASW option or give me at least a small chance of catching those subs...

[ATTACH]32481[/ATTACH]

I continue to take a beating in the colonies and Von Letto is still stuck due to bad weather and a Japanese blockade...

[ATTACH]32482[/ATTACH]

I take encouragement from the fact that overall it has been a very good turn... most importantly I am making significant progress towards my key objective: knocking out Russia. My morale has increased while Russian morale is dropping steadily... at below 75 I believe the East Entente get an event called 'the Tsar takes command'. I have read somewhere that this ham strings Russian forces... I need to research it further...

[ATTACH]32483[/ATTACH]
Attachments
morale 2.png
B YAUN D1.png
ATL SHIPPING.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Hindenburg and Ludendorff... where are you??

Sat Dec 06, 2014 6:45 pm


OK now for a quick appeal to ageod... I feel I've earned it after about 50 hours of writing this AAR. PLEASE MAKE HINDENBURG AND LUDENDORFF AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE GAME. Pictures speak volumes...

[ATTACH]32484[/ATTACH]

That's the Kaiser.. Hindenburg on the left.. Ludendorff on the right.. and they are like... planning strategy for the entire war... So why is it that, in my pbem, I will likely not see either Hindenburg or Ludendorff?? Come on... these are the two best known and historically prominent German generals of the entire war! The first mistake was combining Ludendorff and Hindenburg into ONE general unit. And don't tell me it's because Ludendorff wasn't a front line general. Kitchener wasn't a front line general either, in fact he became more of a figure head as the war progressed, until he was drowned in the Baltic. Yet in the game Kitchener can lead armies... so why not Ludendorff? The CP player should be able to choose how to use these two important generals. The biggest mistake has been making the appearance of Hindenburg dependent on an event... an event which the Eastern Entente player has control over (by NOT invading Germany). So a gamey ploy by the EE is to stay away from German soil and both Hindenburg and Ludendorff disappear from history.

Solution: Hindenburg AND Ludendorff should be in the game from the start and as separate units. Ludendorff was a two-star general in his own right at the outbreak of the war. You could limit Ludendorff to a behind the lines general by giving him the cautious general trait.

I love all of the wonderful historical details in this game.. it is a hallmark of ageod games... but I can't believe that a game has been designed that can relegate two of the best known generals of the war to the sidelines... please fix this... it spoils the historical immersion of the game... yours sincerely.. Kaiser Wilhelm... ;)
Attachments
kaiser-hindenburg-ludendorff.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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havi
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Location: Lappeenranta

Sat Dec 06, 2014 7:10 pm

Hey aja historically ludendorff couldnt lead army because they tought he hasn't enough experience so they brought hinderburg for retiment to be a"boss" for Luddendorff . So actually forgot the hinderburg and hope u get luddendorff even ** general he would be great attacking leader.

steelwarrior77
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 6:11 am

Very nice AAR - I hope you will continue ;-)

JodelDiplom
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:16 pm

Hindenburg did not actually do any army-commanding. He was the political "front" of the 8th army and then the OHL, doing mostly representation and political work and providing Ludendorff with a respectable facade of unquestionable seniority. Due to his seniority, paternal charm and gravitas, he was also a much better fit for the public role of a "savior of Germany" than the dour-faced, utterly charmless Ludendorff who had done all the actual command work during the battles in east Prussia.

Ludendorff on the other hand was a brilliant staffer who had taught courses at the prussian war academy, but he had never commanded a regiment, let alone a division or an army prior to the war. He had won a highly publicized victory at Liège in August 1914 serving as interim commander of a regiment, but he needed Hindenburg so he could put his talents to use on a much, much higher level of command. Intimidating and yelling down the top brass of the army, or even the Kaiser himself, that was something Hindenburg could do really well, but from Ludendorff such actions would have been seen as insolence or even insubordination.

Just an example of their relationship: When Ludendorff later showed people around the site of the Tannenberg battle, he would show people through the place where the army staff had been quartered, and told people "This is the bed where Hindenburg had slept before and after the battle of Tannenberg, and also during the battle of Tannenberg." Hindenburg himself did not mind, he would tell people Ludendorff did all the work and, yes, he had slept very well indeed during the battle. :)

But after the battle was won, it had been Hindenburg's idea to name the battle after the town of Tannenberg (which was close by but not actually the site of the battle itself) and thereby connect it to the medieval battle of Tannenberg which had been one of the worst defeats of German knights by Slavic armies, and still lingered prominently in Imperial Germany's historical consciousness. Hindenburg thereby created the myth of how he (and Ludendorff) had "saved" Germany in her hour of greatest peril from conquest by the savage Russians.

Without Ludendorff, Hindenburg would just be a popular but mediocre commander who has no time for political work - and without Hindenburg, Ludendorff would have had to find another senior general willing to play "boss" for him but trust him completely with regards to the actual command work.

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ajarnlance
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Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 8:40 pm

Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:35 pm

steelwarrior77 wrote:Very nice AAR - I hope you will continue ;-)


Thanks for your kind words of encouragement.. I will keep going :)
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 9:44 pm

JodelDiplom wrote:Hindenburg did not actually do any army-commanding. He was the political "front" of the 8th army and then the OHL, doing mostly representation and political work and providing Ludendorff with a respectable facade of unquestionable seniority. Due to his seniority, paternal charm and gravitas, he was also a much better fit for the public role of a "savior of Germany" than the dour-faced, utterly charmless Ludendorff who had done all the actual command work during the battles in east Prussia.

Ludendorff on the other hand was a brilliant staffer who had taught courses at the prussian war academy, but he had never commanded a regiment, let alone a division or an army prior to the war. He had won a highly publicized victory at Liège in August 1914 serving as interim commander of a regiment, but he needed Hindenburg so he could put his talents to use on a much, much higher level of command. Intimidating and yelling down the top brass of the army, or even the Kaiser himself, that was something Hindenburg could do really well, but from Ludendorff such actions would have been seen as insolence or even insubordination.

Just an example of their relationship: When Ludendorff later showed people around the site of the Tannenberg battle, he would show people through the place where the army staff had been quartered, and told people "This is the bed where Hindenburg had slept before and after the battle of Tannenberg, and also during the battle of Tannenberg." Hindenburg himself did not mind, he would tell people Ludendorff did all the work and, yes, he had slept very well indeed during the battle. :)

But after the battle was won, it had been Hindenburg's idea to name the battle after the town of Tannenberg (which was close by but not actually the site of the battle itself) and thereby connect it to the medieval battle of Tannenberg which had been one of the worst defeats of German knights by Slavic armies, and still lingered prominently in Imperial Germany's historical consciousness. Hindenburg thereby created the myth of how he (and Ludendorff) had "saved" Germany in her hour of greatest peril from conquest by the savage Russians.

Without Ludendorff, Hindenburg would just be a popular but mediocre commander who has no time for political work - and without Hindenburg, Ludendorff would have had to find another senior general willing to play "boss" for him but trust him completely with regards to the actual command work.


An excellent analysis of this fascinating relationship... thanks. I just wish I could see Ludendorff's name in the game somewhere. Seems to me he could be an OHL taking over from Falkenhayn in the same way that Falkenhayn takes over from Moltke. Hindenburg could be a mediocre general who gets buffed stats when in Ludendorff's command radius. When Ludendorff moved from the eastern to the western front he realised that Germany had to take a more defensive stance and he had incredibly powerful defences built along the western front.. sometimes in the rear of the original front line. This could be reflected in the game by making Ludendorff an OHL with very defensive ratings + abilities. Then, if Russia exits the war, Ludendorff's ratings could be switched over to the offensive. I know these two generals were a very close team but I still think it is a mistake to combine them... even more to make their appearance dependent on the EE player invading Prussia. In my pbem I'm not likely to see either Hindenburg or Ludendorff at all... just feels wrong.
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



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JodelDiplom
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Sun Dec 07, 2014 10:16 pm

ajarnlance wrote:An excellent analysis of this fascinating relationship... thanks. I just wish I could see Ludendorff's name in the game somewhere. Seems to me he could be an OHL taking over from Falkenhayn in the same way that Falkenhayn takes over from Moltke. Hindenburg could be a mediocre general who gets buffed stats when in Ludendorff's command radius.

Thanks! Well the thing is, Ludendorff never was officially head of OHL, that was Hindenburg, because of the seniority issues. And Ludendorff never was boss of Hindenburg, Hindenburg was Ludendorff's boss. So it would be weird to let the game treat Ludendorff as the commander and Hindenburg as the subordinate.

When you see Hindenburg, think "this is Hindenburg, but it's actually the Hindenburg-Ludendorff team" ;)

ajarnlance wrote:When Ludendorff moved from the eastern to the western front he realised that Germany had to take a more defensive stance and he had incredibly powerful defences built along the western front.. sometimes in the rear of the original front line. This could be reflected in the game by making Ludendorff an OHL with very defensive ratings + abilities. Then, if Russia exits the war, Ludendorff's ratings could be switched over to the offensive. I know these two generals were a very close team but I still think it is a mistake to combine them... even more to make their appearance dependent on the EE player invading Prussia. In my pbem I'm not likely to see either Hindenburg or Ludendorff at all... just feels wrong.

Hindenburg was already retired when the war started, and they did not plan to reactivate him for any of the many armies created during the initial mobilization (although he badly wanted a command). His chance came only with the dismissal of Prittwitz and his chief of staff, Waldersee, in late August, "freeing up" the 8th army command for Hindenburg. If Prittwitz hadn't lost the confidence of the OHL, Hindenburg wouldn't have gotten a command, or only much later, in some other place.

I don't know if Hindenburg would have been considered for other commands - he was already old, and stubborn "no retreat" blue-bloods weren't so highly sought-after on the western front.

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ajarnlance
General of the Army
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Late March 1915... the Sinai..

Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:30 pm

A relatively quiet turn... with most of the activity taking place on the borders of the Ottoman Empire. The recent patch has made it much harder to invade Egypt. There won't be a railway here until 1916, and even then you need to control certain regions at the ends to be able to run it. The Sinai desert is a forbidding place for an army to find itself. My lead army has already run out of supplies and is taking hits from the harsh environment as it reaches the Egyptian border. And who is that waiting for us? By jove it's the boys from the BEF...

I realise that I should have waited until I had more supply wagons. I also could have planned this crossing of the Sinai better by letting my cavalry take MC and pave the way. Now it is a question of extricating my armies from the Sinai before the BEF can take advantage of the disorganised rabble that some of my units have become. Discretion is the better part of valour and it's time to go back the way we came...
The Levant/Arabia and North Africa are really a side show and I am happy to keep the BEF busy on this front... keeping them away from Europe where they could play a more significant role.

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Further to the south east in Arabia I lay siege to Aden...

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In Mespotomania the British have captured Kuwait and are laying siege to Basrah... I kick myself for allowing my garrison to get caught in a siege. This surprise attack has forced my corps into retreat. I have no choice but to abandon my supply train as it won't fit on my river transports. I load up my army and high tail it back to Baghdad. I leave a cavalry force to keep an eye on the Brits... Meanwhile I am rushing up forces to secure Baghdad...

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Attachments
LM MESO1.jpg
LM ARABIA.png
LM SIN1.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



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ajarnlance
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Late March 1915... east front..

Mon Dec 08, 2014 2:44 pm

In the far north Rennenkampf cautiously moves south. I think that the EE player is avoiding attacking Prussia because this would bring Hindenburg into the fight and allow me to use the Hoffman decision.

[ATTACH]32513[/ATTACH]

Brusilov leads his defeated army west in an attempt to break out and get resupplied. The Russian corps near Brest Litovsk retreats north and perhaps most surprising of all the Russian army occupying the key rail hub at Kowel appears to have moved north. He could be moving armies north to attack me in Wilna/Kowno or Prussia... or he could be planning to block my advance northwards to Minsk. I must take care to guard my flanks while sending out scouts to locate the elusive Russian armies...

Most of my armies in this sector are forced to rest to regain cohesion and resupply this turn. My ammunition supply has become critical and I send half a dozen munitions trains back into the Fatherland to get refilled. Realising that the ammo shortage is on the eastern front, I ordered the construction of five ammo factories in Polish cities last turn.. but they won't be ready for almost three months. In the meantime I am forced to micromanage shuttling ammo trains back and forth. While I appreciate the historical realism of ammo and supply problems here (due to long lines of communication and the harsh weather) I would like to see this aspect of the game abstracted more... moving individual ammo trains back and forth is a lot of micromanagement in a game that is already a click fest.

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The Russian army near Lemburg disappears into the fog of war again. No battles anywhere in the east except for a cavalry skirmish here which I win. I continue to use my cavalry as raiders across the Russian lines of communication.

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Down in the Balkans the siege of Cattaro is over as the Serbs retreat back into Serbia... my plucky little garrison proved too much for them this time.

There is little to report on the western front except that the garrison at Mulhouse surrendered costing me a national morale point. I have placed my first fighter unit on the western front and there were a couple of aerial dog fights... doesn't it look pretty... some more basic info would be nice though like 1) Where are my planes based? 2) Are these recon or my fighter planes? It would be nice to know what 'non-aborted' means. Anyway, nobody was shot down... more of an aerial skirmish.. but I'm sure these dog fights will intensify as the war and technology develop.

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Attachments
AB NANCY D12.png
LM EF3.jpg
LM EF2.jpg
LM EF1.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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Promotions....

Mon Dec 08, 2014 4:22 pm

Following up on Hutier's promotion he now has the school of offence ability... very useful...

[ATTACH]32517[/ATTACH]

My other promoted general now has school of defence...

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Attachments
OTHER PROMO.png
HUTIER PROMO2.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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FlumenSV
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Location: Fiume

Mon Dec 08, 2014 11:22 pm

Love this AAR, is more interesting then TEAW youtube vids. It also help me learn more about game mechanics. Great works guys.

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ajarnlance
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Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:00 am

FlumenSV wrote:Love this AAR, is more interesting then TEAW youtube vids. It also help me learn more about game mechanics. Great works guys.


Thanks for the support... it means a lot to know that this is helping people to understand the game... still learning it myself.. ;)
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
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The map is amazing!!

Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:03 am

OK so I occasionally have my gripes but one thing I love about this game is the beautiful map. This map does a great job of communicating all the essential info about terrain... weather etc... while also being very attractive to look at. It is the best strategic map of Europe I have seen for a war game... very nice job by ageod.
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

steelwarrior77
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Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:16 pm

Thanks for the interesting update as always - keep it coming ;-)

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ajarnlance
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All quiet... almost everywhere...

Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:36 pm

Early April 1915 and a second turn with very little action to report. I have been busy refilling ammo trains and resupplying my armies on the eastern front. In the north I notice that Rennenkampf's army appears to have shrunk considerably as he arrives at Rossieny... while my cavalry scouts near Minsk reveal a build up there with about 4 Russian corps. Good scouting is important to find out what the enemy is up to... I will try to destroy the rail line near Minsk as well to slow him up...

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Further south Von Kluck finally catches up with the remnants of Lechitski's army between Warsaw and Bielostok.. but Brusilov manages to evade me ... for now..

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The sieges at Novo G. and Mlawa progress with new breaches but still no surrender... you can see three of the new ammunition factories that I am building at Warsaw, Bielostok and Brest Litovsk. I have been plagued by ammo supply problems on this front... hopefully my new factories will take care of this when they come on line in two months.

[ATTACH]32522[/ATTACH]

I continue to push out towards Pinsk and discover that Plehve has fallen back to cover this important rail hub. I move three armies into the rail hub at Kowel. I want to keep pushing east to unsettle the large Russian forces in front of Lemburg and Czernowitz. A potential battle is brewing in Zloczow as both Boehm-Ermolli and a Russian army arrive there this turn. I get a cavalry unit behind the Russian army to rip up their communication lines...

[ATTACH]32520[/ATTACH]
Attachments
EA EF3.png
B SIED D12.png
EA EF2.jpg
EA EF1.jpg
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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ajarnlance
General of the Army
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Ajarn.. Lance of Arabia... NOT...

Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:55 pm

My disorganised Turkish armies fall back from the Egyptian border.. taking hits due to being out of supply... Lawrence of Arabia I am not.. the Sinai desert got the better of me here.. but the good news is that the British didn't pursue me. In fact, it looks like the Brits may be planning an operation in the Red Sea as I notice lots of green dots in suez and I spy Smuts arriving from South Africa. The Brits shell my bedouin tribesmen in Medina and kill a few camels... if I had to guess here I would say that he is planning a thrust up into Aqaba. This would threaten to cut my link with Arabia and potentially isolate my army sieging Aden. Looks like maybe Jinx is the one who wants to play Lawrence of Arabia... I have moved a corps to Maan to block any sudden move north on that rail line. If he gets too bogged down in Arabia I may have another crack at Egypt.

[ATTACH]32523[/ATTACH]

Further east in the cradle of civilisation I have managed to get my corps safely back to Baghdad and have reinforced it with another corps from the north. My supply wagon looks very lonely... it is surrounded by enemy units and detached from my army but according to the log it still has a 95% of evading capture... this isn't realistic... evasion values are set too high... even though this time it's helping me.

I wait to see if he will attempt to move up the Euphrates/Tigris valley or if this is a more limited invasion. The garden of Eden is supposed to have existed between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.. looks like mostly swamp there now...

[ATTACH]32524[/ATTACH]

On the western front there are a few more aerial skirmishes.. I wish I could tell you for sure what happened but I find the battle report doesn't even give basic information like planes shot down or where they are based. You have to play detective and look through the detailed combat log to find the following info... annoyingly it still doesn't tell me where my planes are based that shot down 20 enemy planes. I think this is my new fighter unit but the game really is less than helpful here...

[ATTACH]32542[/ATTACH][ATTACH]32541[/ATTACH]

The French have made themselves at home in Mulhouse but I have sizeable armies blocking any further advances north and east. However, I do spot a potential threat with a possible French move from Freiburg around my flank into Strassburg. So I move two corps into Strassburg to protect my exposed flank.

[ATTACH]32525[/ATTACH]
Attachments
air battle log 2.png
air battle log.png
EA WF1.png
EA MESO1.png
EA SIN1.png
"I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than the dissolution of the Union... and I am willing to sacrifice everything but honor for its preservation." Robert E. Lee (1807-1870)



Check out my 'To End All Wars' AAR: http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?38262-The-Kaiser-report-the-CP-side-of-the-war-against-Jinx-and-PJL

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