The greater war (HoI II ''1914 mod'' MP AAR)

[HunterICX]

Me and Raptor are playing a online Grand Campaign in the HoI II ''1914 mod''

Raptor1 as:

The German Empire

HunterICX as:

Austria-Hungary

Pre-war:

starting of in 1911, we just went on increasing our military might and research the latest technology available at those times.
Discussing how we should take on the ''Tiple Entente'' when war should break out (august 1914).
We followed the interesting events of the Italian invasion of lybia, Spain in war with France due a incident in Morroco and after a long campaign France annexed Spain. The Balkan League who had trouble with the Ottomans.

The Ottoman Empire managed to crush Bulgaria, fend of Greece and annexed Serbia. Now on the expected date Franz Ferdinand was assasinated by a Serb who has no country. As Serbia was gone so I had no country to punish. first days of August nothing happend...no-one declared war, there wasn't going to be a Great war?!

but on the 5th of August..

''THE GERMAN EMPIRE, WITH AUSTRIA-HUNGARY DECLARE WAR ON THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE''

Kaiser Wilhelm - ''THEY STOLE OUR WAR!''
Franz Josef - ''It was my right to crush the Serbs! damn you Ottomans!''

---

Suprisingly no-one else cared what we did to the Ottoman Empire.
So we could re-deploy some of our troops to increase our numbers to fight against the Ottomans.

in the first days I was fighting over the territory of Ragusa, and with the help of the Germans we marched into Uzice:



I took Ragusa and immedialty chased the retreating forces and attacked the province of Cetinje, meanwhile the German forces where marching into Nov Pazar.



Belgrade was to be mine so I attacked it on many fronts at the same time with the support of German forces.



The forces in Belgrade where quikly crushed but the Ottomans reinforced the province of Nis which I attacked immediatly to prevent it from reinforcing the province of Belgrade.



Too late, they reinforced Belgrade, no matter with the help of Germany we attacked Nis.


With the forces in Nis retreating and our forces taken control over the province we had Belgrade surrounded.



With the victory over Belgrade we where marching towards Constatinople to cut of the troops that where north of Greece. The German troops where racing towards Kavala.



The Romanians joined our side and attacked the Ottoman Empire from the North their goal was to head out to Varna.



The Germans marched into Sofia then they would go to Plovdiv and then Kavala. while the Romanian troops and my troops mopped up what was left in Pleven and Varna.



With our goals reached and having trapped quiet some Ottoman divisions North of Greece we halted our offensives as Winter came.


HunterICX

[Raptor1]

Atlas of the Balkan War 1912-1914, or, 'Why Can't Those Idiots Make Up Their Minds Already?'

[Raptor1]

"ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!"

Winter, 1914

With the halting of the offensive in the Balkans, the combined Austro-German army faced the Ottomans on 2 fronts, with the Balkan pocket on one side and the rest of the Ottoman army across the Bosphorus from occupied Constantinople. Though while the front was relatively calm, the newly arrived German High Seas Fleet was mercilessly hunting the Turkish navy around the Aegean.



In a bid to speed up the war, and grab more territory for themselves, the Germans land a force of cavalry from the Black Sea in Eastern Turkey. Though meeting no opposition in the landing, the German cavalry is too slow to exploit the breach effectively due to lack of infrastructure and is bogged down in and around their beachead.





Even though the winter is still making warfare difficult, German High Command orders an attack into Izmit, a battle which would prove as the longest and bloodiest of the war.



While both sides reinforce their armies in the Battle of Izmit, the landed cavalry force pushes west in order to outflank the Turkish army and force a crossing of the Bosphorus. 2 cavalry divisions join the attack, but it proves far from decisive.





Meanwhile, the Italians, unwelcome members of the Central Powers, have decided to carve up the Ottoman Empire for themselves and landed in Palestine. Despite surprise and superiority, the Italians manage to botch their campaign in a typical fashion and only progress as far as Damascus.



In the end of February, while the Battle of Izmit still rages, the German and Austro-Hungarian troops continue their offensive into the Balkans. The Austrian attack into Skopje is halted in it's tracks, but the Germans manage to push into Salonika and then west to the shore, cutting off the Greek border by mid-April.





In April, advancing German cavalry units have secured a line across Turkey itself, cutting off the main body of the Ottoman army. Soon after, the surviving Ottoman forces in Izmit retreated after over 3 months, linking the divided Austro-German forces once more.



As the German cavalry moved south to link up with the Italian divisions, the Balkan pocket was finally eliminated. German and Austro-Hungarian troops also pressed their offensive against the surrounded forces in Turkey itself, first cutting off and destroying an Ottoman division in Konya then attacking and routing the Ottoman army in Smyrna and Bursa into the Dardanelles Islands.









The Ottoman army, at this point, was completely and utterly crushed. Whatever was left of it was either running around Arabia or holed up in the Dardanelles. It was here that the Ottoman army made it's last stand. The battle was also noticable because of the fact that it saw a new weapon introduced into warfare on a large scale, the aircraft, with 8 German recon/bomber squadrons attacking the Turkish troops. Expectations were low for this newfangled machine, but it's stunning decimation of the Ottoman divisions gave hope to it's advocates that it could prove a decisive weapon.



The Ottomans, in a last bid to survive, offer peace to the Germans. But, seeing no point in sparing them, the Germans continue and secure the remainder of the Ottoman provinces.



The Ottomans are annexed, and with minor land shuffling, divided by the Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. Austria-Hungary will occupy the Balkans, all the way south to Constantinople and the Greek border. Germany will get Turkey and Mesopotemia while Italy gets the other useless places that nobody wants in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.



With the end of the war, a massive redeployment order is given pulling troops back from the frontlines. The German and Austro-Hungarian leaders are now debating who will be the next unfortunate victim of their warmongering.

[Oberon]

I'm jealous of your manpower levels

But I don't need manpower, I have Field Marshall Blood!!

Now to crush the Panamarian Garrison with sheer numbers, Haig style

I must grab that mod you made to 1914, Raptor, it looks like it makes the game a lot harder.

[Biggles]

Great job boyos! Keep it up, but stay off Sweden

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by Biggles

Great job boyos! Keep it up, but stay off Sweden

Of course, we have nothing to look for in Sweden...except subjugating the people to our whims...We won't invade...until we feel like it...Right?

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by Raptor1

Of course, we have nothing to look for in Sweden...except subjugating the people to our whims...We won't invade...until we feel like it...Right?

Well...*shuffles away the invasion plans of Sweden* No..why not...what has Austria-Hungary and the German Empire to look for in Sweden? We both are happy with the territory we control now *cough* we are not expansionist hungry fools.
...
...
...
......we just aim to take over the world Muhahahahaha!!!!
...
wait....Kaiser Raptor, did that door of our Military HQ slip open again?
we must execute that incompetent carpenter at once!

HunterICX

[TLAM Strike]

Isn't it fun!?

I picked up HOI 1 dirt cheap ($4) about 2 weeks ago and have been having a blast. (Currently playing as the Soviets marching to Berlin in 1940... got to love a good sneak attack). About an hour ago I bought Europa Universalis III Complete and the local discout store ($6). Can't want to get home and install it.

Paradox is quickly becoming my fav game pubisher.

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

Isn't it fun!?

I picked up HOI 1 dirt cheap ($4) about 2 weeks ago and have been having a blast. (Currently playing as the Soviets marching to Berlin in 1940... got to love a good sneak attack). About an hour ago I bought Europa Universalis III Complete and the local discout store ($6). Can't want to get home and install it.

Paradox is quickly becoming my fav game pubisher.

HoI2 (DD) is that much better than HoI1, and HoI3 which is coming out in a couple of weeks looks like it'll blast HoI2 easily.

Paradox is one of my favourite game publishers too. They make excellent games (And not just games designed to appeal to the mass market), AND they don't put any sort of invasive copy protection on their games.

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by HunterICX

Well...*shuffles away the invasion plans of Sweden* No..why not...what has Austria-Hungary and the German Empire to look for in Sweden? We both are happy with the territory we control now *cough* we are not expansionist hungry fools.
...
...
...
......we just aim to take over the world Muhahahahaha!!!!
...
wait....Kaiser Raptor, did that door of our Military HQ slip open again?
we must execute that incompetent carpenter at once!

HunterICX

Take over the entire world except Sweden, consider it a suggestion from a dear friend, In Soviet Sweden, invasions invades you!

[Raptor1]

Originally Posted by Biggles

Take over the entire world except Sweden, consider it a suggestion from a dear friend, In Soviet Sweden, invasions invades you!

I'm sorry, my ears are ringing from the French artillery. What was it you said...we need to invade Sweden?

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by Raptor1

I'm sorry, my ears are ringing from the French artillery. What was it you said...we need to invade Sweden?

Well, I'm a bit numb after that first artillery barrage you've used on the siege of Paris....but I think he said something amongst those lines.

HunterICX

[Raptor1]

The Great(er) War Begins!

April 2nd, 1916

After the entirely boring winter of 1915-1916, Germany and Austria-Hungary decide it's time to start the big one. The war may have been stolen by the Ottomans, but that doesn't mean the French are going to get away with it.

Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy declare war on France and Russia on April 2nd, 1916 (A day after April 1st, both to catch them by surprise and to make sure they don't take it as a joke). The Schlieffen Plan is implemented the following day, April 3rd, with the declaration of war on Belgium and Luxembourg and causes Britain to join the war on the Entente's side.



Specific details on the early fighting are missing because the head reporter on the Western Front has been killed by a shell near Antwerp. The one responsible for the Eastern Front has went missing in the vicinity of Lemberg and we have not heard from him since. So, instead, we'll give you the long overview.

Invasion of Belgium and Plan XVII - Battle of the Frontiers

German troops, a combination of fresh but well drilled troops and veterans from the Turkish campaign, march on Liège, Arlon and Luxembourg on April 6th. A French counterattack in Luxembourg drives the German advance guard out but retreats after the main force arrives. Cavalry sent to take the Northern coastline are cought by French and Belgian infantry divisions and forced to retreat. After several days, a front forms across the French-German and French-Belgian border with the northern part of Belgium remaining in the Entente's hands.

The German High Sea Fleet, taking agressive action in the English Channel, manages to halt reinforcements from Britain and sink several British ships.







The French open up their offensive against the weak left flank of the German army. Aiming to take Mülhausen, lost in the Franco-Prussian War, from the Germans. The 5 divisions under von Zwehl's XV. Armeekorps, though heavily entranched, are faced with 31 French divisions. After holding for several weeks, the Germans are forced to retreat and concede Mülhausen to the French. This creates a crisis with the German High Command, as the only reserves are far way and will not be able to block French advance for some time. A desperate counterattack fails to recapture the city, and a wide gap in the German front forms.





In the north. A breach in the line is spotted and quickly exploited in Brussles. 5 French and Belgian divisions are cought and besieged in the Antwerp and a series of battles ensues between German and French forces for control of Mons, Ghent and Dunkerque.





Offensives continue into late May, at which point German High Command calls a halt to most offensive action in order to reorganize. The Schlieffen Plan has failed, Paris has not fallen in 40 days and the Battle of the Frontiers has ended with Germany controlling most of Belgium, except Antwerp, which is still under siege, and parts of France. French forces hold Mülhausen and the Germans are desperately trying to block their advance.

To be continued, very soon

[Raptor1]

Battle of the Seine

May, 1916

With the halting of offensive action on other fronts, the German army concentrates on reaching the Seine river and Paris. After reorganizing from their offensive on Reims, the German army pushes into Compiègne. French forces in Compiègne are 4 badly mauled divisions who are overrun after several days. German armies reach the Seine river and the gates of Paris inside a massive salient.



Wary of attacking Paris, the Germans choose instead to flatten the front and drive the French completely behind the Seine. An attack on Amiens is launched, but fails as French reinforcements arrive in the last minute. An attack on Lille following a failed French attack on Mons succeeds but forces there immediately come under a French counterattack. The battle's course is reversed as Antwerp falls and reinforcements can be brought to the front.

Meanwhile, the French forces in the South continue to advance. Having reached as far as the Saar and Stuttgart. The German divisions frantically decide to close the gap as the French strech out their defensive lines.







The French are finally cut off in the south and a counterattack drives the French forces from Alsace. German and Austro-Hungarian continue to try to annihilate the encircled French army deep in German territory.

Another offensive is launched on Amiens, but it too fails to achieve it's objectives. An attack is launched across the Marne river into Troyes but it too grounds to a halt.

In the south, the counterattack continues into Belfort and eventually takes it.







July sees an end to the Second Battle of Amiens and the First Battle of Troyes as the French threaten to take Ghent, an attack which would ultimately fail with the coming of reinforcements.

The rampaging French army is finally cought and annihilated in Leipzig, allowing even more German divisions to be brought to the line.

Finally, the first Assault Trooper divisions make their appearance on the battlefield. Armed with flamethrowers and submachine guns, with proper doctrine advances, these troops might prove a decisive weapon.







Not giving the French troops any respite, the Germans launch another offensive. Another attack is launched on Amiens while forces in Lille advance to Calais in an effort to trap French troops in Dunkerque. In the south, a combined assault from Belfort and across the Marne again manages to rout the French.




The French are encircled in Dunkerque and soon surrender. With the French front in the north close to collapse, the Germans push forward. The Third Battle of Amiens is supported from the north and the French retreat by early September. French forces in Le Havre are attacked and forced to retreat behind the river, conceeding the right bank of the Seine to German forces.

In the south, German forces push forward into undefended Vichy and attack north into Auxerre, stopping within sight of the Eifel Tower.

The stage is set for the Battle of Paris.



Part 3 coming soon...

[Raptor1]

Battle of Paris

September, 1916

With Paris well within sight of German troops, the French government evacuates the city. Krupp and Škoda siege guns begin pummeling the city as martial law is declared. French troops and citizens frantically work, constructing entrenchments to withstand the expected German assault.

Desperately trying to drive the Germans out of Paris' vicinity. The French launch an assault against the German V. Armeekorps (Also including the Western Front's General HQ) in Auxerre.



The German XIII. Armeekorps under von Hügel makes best speed to Auxerre, certain that the French will break off the attack with the coming of reinforcements. But a mere 2 hours away, a French artillery shell hits the German General HQ and mortally wounds Kronprinz Rupprecht of Bavaria. The French break off the attack with the arrival of XIII. Armeekorps. The Kaiser promises that the Kronprinz will be given a state funeral, in Paris.



Remembering the lessons of 1871, the Germans decide to encircle Paris and then crush it instead of attacking head on. A first attempt to cross the Seine in the north of Paris into Caen is broken off and another attack on Argentan is prepared.



The German V. Armeekorps and XIII. Armeekorps in Auxerre launch an attack into Orléans. Assault Troopers overwhelm the French troops, still weakened from their own attack on Auxerre, and overrun them within a week.

Poorly defended Argentan falls next as German troops cross the Seine in the north, linking up with the XIII. Armeekorps in Orléans and completing the encirclement of Paris.





With Paris encircled, the Germans order the final offensive into the city to start. 11 beleaguered French divisions dug in around the city watch as 73 German divisions, over 700,000 men, attack the city from all direction on October 1st.



French Field Marshall Foch orders the troops defending the city to hold out at all costs. A delaying action begins as the French do everything they can to keep the Germans out.



Frustrated with the lack of progress, the German General HQ orders a massive assault on October 4th in order to defeat the defenders. Artillery rains on Paris as troops overwhelm the French trench line.



Facing overwhelming numbers and superior firepower, the French morale is broken. Despite orders to hold the city at all costs, Foch surrenders on the morning of October 4th in order to prevent the city from falling into ruin.

Gerrman troops march into the city. Celebrations break out from Berlin to Vienna as news of the fall of Paris reaches. The French government vows to retake the city, but trust in them and their conduct of the war falls rapidly.





With the fall of Paris and the coming of Winter, the German High Command orders a general advance in order to trap or destroy as much of the French army before the onset of winter. Despite continued resistance, however, France seems doomed to lose the war.