Fifth quarter archive
[spoiler=battle of loos oct 11th to 21st]
Battle of LoosThe German strategy for 1915 had emphasized the Eastern Front, and many German troops had been sent east. The Allies on the Western Front, therefore, enjoyed numerical superiority for almost an entire year, and yet time and time again failed to make any gains.
The best account of Loos that I have found is at
http://www.1914-1918.net/bat13.htmThe overall strategic plan:
1914 to 1918 dot net wrote:Whilst in the planning for the spring offensives a shortage of men and munitions had limited the French attack to Artois in the north, the situation was now changed. The French Army was 200,000 men stronger than it had been in October 1914. Joffre was anxious to strike while there was a superiority of numbers against the enemy in the West. This time, the Artois attack would be renewed, along with a large northward attack in the Champagne. The Champagne attack would be the larger of the two, aiming to seize much open country of that area, forcing the enemy back. The Artois attack would aim at the critical rail networks between Douai and Noyon that the Germans relied upon to maintain much of the front. An advance of only 20 miles would surely force a German withdrawal. So Joffre's strategic plan included three converging offensives designed to break through the German defensive lines, although only two attacks were eventually made:
- An advance from the Artois plateau, east across the plain of Douai to the German communications centres in the Noyon area.
- An attack from Rheims in the Champagne, against the Mezières - Hirson railway.
- An attack from the area Verdun - Nancy, north to the Rhine crossings.
This was very much along the same lines as his failed plan for spring 1915, but bigger and broader.
1914 to 1918 dot net wrote:The combined Franco-British offensive would attack eastwards against the German Sixth Army. The whole force, supervised by General Foch, would consist of French Tenth Army and British First Army. It would attack on a 20-mile front between Arras and La Bassée. Although artillery would bombard the whole front, no attack would be made on a central 4000-yard strip facing the towns of Liévin and Lens. South of this gap, the French Tenth Army would throw 17 infantry Divisions against the enemy, supported by 420 heavy guns with two cavalry Divisions ready to exploit the expected breakthrough. To the North, British First Army would attack with the six Divisions of I and IV Corps, having 70 heavy guns available, with two cavalry corps (Indian and III) to push the advance forward. The objectives were imprecise but optimistic; the cavalry were to reach the area of Ath and Mons, 50 miles away in Belgium.
The tactical plan in the British sector:
British Commander
Sir Douglas Haig was not at all enthused about the prospects for the battle. He was concerned about the fatigue of his long-suffering troops, the unsuitability of the soggy fields for offensive movements, and above all the
shortage of artillery shells that had plagued the British forces since the spring of 1915. Against his better judgement, Haig was ordered by his superior, Sir John French, to proceed with the offensive.
The British used every tool at their disposal. The Royal Flying Corps stocked up on extra planes, the Medical Corps made preparations to treat and evacuate up to 40,000 casualties, the artillery was as stocked as the shell shortage allowed, and most significantly, large amounts of chlorine gas were to be used.
In the fields between the La Bassee Canal and Hulloch, Haig deployed his I Corps, while IV Corps was given the southern half of the attack zone, between Hulloch and Cite St. Laurent. II and III Corps were to make diversionary attacks along the flanks.
The IX Corps was to form a strategic reserve to exploit any breakthrough made. Significantly, however, the IX Corp reserves were not put under Haig's command and could only be used by order of Sir John French. The reserves were 16 miles from the front. Haig protested vehemently, but was overruled. This divisive element was to prove significant. The British forces essentially made a breakthrough late in the day on the 25th, but were unable to exploit it. By the time reserves were authorized and moved up, it was the 26th and the moment had passed. This was a catastrophic mistake which turned a potentially huge victory into an eventual defeat.
Sir John French tried to cover up his mistake with the reserves by telling blatant untruths in his post-action dispatch, but the truth was exposed, and the defeat at Loos was a major contributor to French's dismissal later that year.
The Tournament:To reflect the very large and ambitious nature of the battle, all games will be large standard multiplayer games with five to eleven players. To reflect the spotty quality of the reconnaissance, fog and no fog will run randomly throughout, except in Phase 4, which will be all-sunny. To represent the fact that the battle was mostly fought in the trenches, and very slow moving even on the level ground, all games will use the Trench setting. Spoils will randomly shift between flat rate and nuclear -- flat rate representing the normal pace of battle, and nuclear representing the devastation wrought by the gas attacks. Three reinforcement options will be randomly mixed: adjacent representing the normal slow pace of reinforcement, no forts representing the days when it was extra bad, and chained representing the days when it was extra good.
Three games per round, except the last round.
30 players startPhase 1: Since 1914, Europa had been at war, characterized by trench warfare
Maps: Europa, Europe1914, Trench Warfare. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
no eliminationsPhase 2: The countryside in the area of Loos was much like Waterloo
Map: Waterloo. 10-p games, other settings as discussed above.
28 players advancePhase 3: Much of what went on was driven by politics in the combatant nations
Maps: England, France, Land and Sea. 7-p games, other settings as discussed above.
24 players advancePhase 4: The attack was no secret. Not even tactical surprise was achieved
Map: Classic. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above, except no fog in this round.
no eliminationsPhase 5: September 21st saw a massive artillery barrage
Maps: 3 maps drawn randomly from Feudal War, Arms Race!, New World, Feudal Epic, WWII Poland, Age Of Realms 3: Mayhem, City Mogul, Conquer Rome, Antarctica, Eastern Hemisphere, Supermax: Prison Riot!, Pearl Harbor, WWII Western Front, King's Court, Duck And Cover, for the same reasons given in the Maubeuge tournament. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
20 players advancePhase 6: Poison gas is released at 550 in the morning, and the infantry follows 40 minutes later. All is pandemonium
Map: Clandemonium. 10-p games, other settings as discussed above.
18 players advanceThere is a score reset here. Phases 1 to 6 represent preliminaries. Phases 7 to 12 represent the actions of September 25th, when the main part of the offensive opened and all hell broke loose.
Phase 7: The 2nd division found no success and suffered heavy casualties, including from its own gas blowing the wrong way
Map: AOR3 Mayhem. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
16 players advancePhase 8: The 9th Scots advanced through a hellish landscape of deep trenches full of residual gas
Map: Labyrinth. 8-p games, other settings as discussed above.
14 players advancePhase 9: The 7th Division faced some of the strongest German defenses, including the Hohenzollern Redoubt
Maps: Germany, Unification Germany, Holy Roman Empire. 7-p games, other settings as discussed above.
12 players advancePhase 10: The 1st Division started late and ran into trouble early, and was effectively halted by the Germans
Map: Das Schloss. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
11 players advancePhase 11: The 15th Scots had the most impressive advance, capturing the town of Loos
Map: Scotland. 11-p games, other settings as discussed above.
10 players advancePhase 12: The 2nd Londoners also made impressive gains, capturing the Double Crassier south of Loos
[bigimg]http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/double_crassier01.jpg[/bigimg]
They did, however, make the critical mistake of not fortifying the Double Crassier after taking it.
Map: Classic Cities London. 5-p games, other settings as discussed above.
Score reset, 9 players advancePhase 13: Lack of reserves meant that Haig was unable to exploit the breakthrough at Loos
Casting about for some excuse to broaden the map selection beyond Western Europe, I am struck by the similarities between this decision and Halsey's much criticized decision at the Battle of Leyte Gulf to pull the 3rd Fleet so far north of the 7th Fleet. Of course, Halsey was playing in a war which was almost over, so his mistake didn't have the catastrophic consequences that French's did.Map: Phillipines. 9-p games, other settings as discussed above.
8 players advancePhase 14: During the night, the IX Corps shuffled forward. The Germans beat them to the punch
Like Arminius at Kalkriese.Map: Conquer Rome. 8-p games, other settings as discussed above.
7 players advancePhase 15: The IX Corps was finally committed, but too late. A vicious see-saw battle developed
Maps: WWII Ardennes, WWII Iwo Jima, WWII Gazala. 7-p games, other settings as discussed above.
6 players advancePhase 16: On Oct 3rd a German counterattack developed
Map: Unification Germany. 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
no eliminationsPhase 17: The British made one final attempt on Oct 13, but it too failed
Map: British Isles.
FIVE 6-p games, other settings as discussed above.
-- DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=second champagne oct 25th to nov 4th]
Second ChampagneWhile the British launched their offensive at Loos, the French attacked in Champagne. 450,000 French troops attacked 220,000 Germans. The defender advantage provided by trench warfare was very pronounced. The front was pushed four kilometres forward, but the German line did not break, and after a month of heavy fighting the offensive petered out. The French had suffered in the neighbourhood of 145,000 casualties to the German loss of 72,500, almost exactly double.
The French utilized new ideas, including "attack in echelon", covert infiltration, poison gas, and precisely-timed rolling barrages. In the end, however, none of these were sufficient to overcome the defensive power of trench warfare.
For further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_ChampagneThe tournament:This being very much a purely French battle, we will use the France 2.1 map throughout, utilizing different game types rather than different maps. Of course all games will utilize the power of Trench.
Although letting many of these games end in stalemate would be the most historically active scenario, it would lead to a poor gaming experience, so a 30-round limit is used throughout.
32 players startPhase 1: The French half of the Anglo-French plan
Five Polymorphic Dubs games, Flat Rate, Foggy
28 players advancePhase 2: Almost 700,000 troops took part
Five 7-player Terminator games, sunny escalating
20 players advancePhase 3: The offensive used precision-timed rolling barrages and poison gas
Five 10-player Standard games, randomly nuclear and zombie
Score resets, 16 players advancePhase 4: The offensive doctrine was "Attack in Echelon"
Five Polymorphic Quads games, No Spoils, randomly foggy and sunny
Score resets, 8 players advancePhase 5: Covert infiltration techniques were used
Seven 8-player Terminator games, manual, foggy, parachute, random spoils
6 players advancePhase 6: Only four kilometres were gained
Seven 6-player Standard games, randomly Flat Rate and Nuclear, randomly foggy and sunny
Score resets, 4 players advancePhase 7: Despite a huge initial advantage, the French failed to break the German line
Seven Polymorphic Trips games, No Spoils foggy.
Score resets, 2 players advancePhase 8: Final
Eleven 1v1 games, sunny, parachute, randomly escalating and flat rate
-- DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Es Sinn November 16 to 25]
Battle of Es SinnThe Battle of Es Sinn (also known as 1st Kut) was the last of the rapid British victories in Mesopotamia in 1915.
"Dorsets at 1st Kut ( 28 Sept 1915)" by Unknown artist, author of article was William Blackledge - War of the Nations, Vol. 7, No. 82, 1915. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... Sept_1915).jpg#/media/File:Dorsets_at_1st_Kut_(_28_Sept_1915).jpgAfter his brilliant coup at Amarah, Charles Townshend was ordered to proceed further up the Tigris, in preparation for the eventual capture of Baghdad. The biggest obstacle was logistical. The British were operating far from their bases in India. With no rail or motorized transport, they were dependent on river transport on their small river gunboats, or on animal transport on land. Supply problems were rampant and got worse as time went on.
The Ottoman 6th Army, under command of Nureddin Pasha, was charged with stopping the British advance. The 6th Army had supply problems of its own. Most of Nureddin's units had fewer men than their nominal composition, and many of those were Arab conscripts who lacked enthusiasm for the victory of their Turkish overlords. Nureddin felt that given the poor quality of the troops, a static position on defensible terrain was his best bet, which it probably was.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Es_Sinnwikipedia wrote:Nureddin chose to set his defenses at the Es Sinn, a bend along the Tigris south of Kut al Amarra. On the north or left bank, he dug in the troops of the 38th Division in a series of two networks. Both were anchored on the Tigris River, one extended to Suwada Marsh and the other ended in Ataba Marsh. The Suwada and Ataba marshes were considered impassable swamps. Their size, even in the dry months of late summer and early autumn were thought to make them effective barriers to any large scale enveloping maneuver. To the south of the Tigris, Nureddin constructed another series of trench-works, extending from the river to a strong redoubt.[10] Although the southern trench lines were not anchored by impassable obstacles, the position was on some of the only elevated ground around, giving it an excellent field of fire. What reserves Nureddin did have he would retain five miles upriver. A floating bridge would allow him to shift his forces rapidly, but they would have to make a five mile march to the fighting in order to be of use.
(...)
On 27 September 1915, Townshend's forces approached the Ottoman positions at the Es Sinn. Over the previous days, air and cavalry reconnaissance had scouted the area and located the camouflaged Ottoman defenses as best they could. Scouts had discovered that the area between the Ataba and Suwaikiya Marshes, north of the Ottoman lines, was passable for a heavy formation. Rather than attacking the position head on, Townshend opted for a complicated plan to envelop the Nureddin's forces.
On the right bank of the river, Townshend deployed the two battalions of the 30th Brigade as a demonstration. Shifting the bulk of his forces across to the left bank of the Tigris, he then split his remaining troops into three elements. Two columns were to march around the marshes and attack the Ottoman positions from the rear. Column A, composed of the 2nd Dorsets, 117th Mahrattas, and a company of sappers, under the command of Brigadier General Delamain, was given the job of clearing the Ottoman positions between the Suwada and Ataba marshes. Column B, comprising the 17th (Ahmednagar) Brigade with the 20th Punjabis and 104th Wellesley's Rifles, under the command of Brigadier General Hoghton, were assigned to strike at the rear trench line of the Ottoman positions. The third element, the 18th (Belgaum) Brigade under Brigadier General Fry, would make a demonstration along the Ottoman front, fixing the defenders in position. Brigadier General Delamain would oversee the flanking maneuver. The Cavalry Brigade would circle around and set up astride the anticipated lines of retreat on the left side of the river. However, all of this would hinge upon the Anglo-Indian forces executing a night march across the desert and around the marshes.[11]
Whether the plan was a brilliant success, or whether it was actually a failure that succeeded by blind luck, is a matter of some debate. Many things went wrong. Units got lost in the swamp, units moved forward at the wrong time, officers were killed and their subordinates hadn't been given the plan, units that were supposed to advance at once ended up split and moving in different directions. Still, some things went right. The 2nd Dorset Infantry Regiment gained great fame for an infantry charge which saved the British plan.
The Ottoman reserve battalions were sent forward, and found the situation too far gone to salvage. In any case, by the end of the day the Ottoman 38th Division was almost surrounded and had to retreat in some haste, with the rest of the 6th Army soon to follow. Whether by Townshend's brilliant design or by dumb luck, the British had triumphed.
The Ottomans were in full retreat, but due to supply problems the British could not exploit their victory. Pursuit was slow. The mainly Hindu troops would not eat food from Muslim stores, and the line needed to stop often to wait for its provisions to catch up. There were not enough wagons to carry the wounded, and many of them were unceremoniously piled atop the ammunition wagons. Nureddin's 6th, soundly beaten but not destroyed, was able to retreat to Ctesiphon, on the very doorstep of Baghdad, and rebuild.
Tournament:
25 players start. All games are 5-player Standard, Automatic, Sequential, with a 30-round limit.
Round 1: The Ottoman Empire was belatedly reinforcing the Mesopotamian front
3 games, WW I Ottoman, Flat Rate, Sunny, Unlimited Reinforcements, no Trench.
20 players advance, score resets
Round 2: Sir Charles Townsend was rushing up the Tigris despite logistical problems
5 games, Gilgamesh, Escalating, Foggy, Chained Reinforcement, no Trench
15 players advance, score resets
Round 3: Once again the bulk of Townshend's force was Indian Imperial troops
7 games, Indian Empire, Nuclear, Sunny, Adjacent Reinforcement, Trench
10 players advance, score resets
Round 4: Out of the fog charged the 2nd Dorsets gaining immense fame
9 games, Celtic Nations, Escalating, Foggy, Parachute Reinforcement, no Trench
(We have no Dorsetshire map, of course, and I wanted to get away from just defaulting to England or the British Isles map. There are ancient Celtic influences still in Dorset, and I thought this map would be a nice change of pace. Apologies to anyone who doesn't think so.)
5 players advance, score resets
Round 5: The Turks retreated and prepared the defense of Baghdad
11 games, Battle for Iraq!, Flat Rate, Sunny, No Reinforcement, no Trench
-- DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Third Isonzo]Instead of adding more troops, this time Cadorno wanted to add more artillery. What ensued was predictably the same as the last two attempts.
18 players Begin
The Isonzo campaigns were overseen by the Chief of the Italian General Staff, Luigi Cadorna. Born in Piedmont prior to Italian Unification, he was too young to participate in most of the reunification wars, but took up active service in the army at the age of 18 and marched at the final occupation of Rome at the age of 20.
Tournament Phase 1: Luigi Cadorna began his military service during the Italian UnificationFive 6-player Assassin games, No Spoils, Unlimited, fog, and trench, on Unification Italy.
15 players advance
The Austrian defense was organised by Svetozar Borojević. "Sveto" was a hero to his troops, and military historians have rated him as one of the best commanders of WW I on any side. Svetozar Borojević was a true representative of the polyglot Habsburg empire. Descended from Serbian ancestors, born in a Slovene community, he spoke Croatian and always considered himself a Croat. He married a German girl, was educated in Austrian military schools and was a loyal soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war he attempted to live in Croatia, but was treated as a traitor and humiliated, whereupon he settled on the Austrian side of the border. The linguistic intolerance that began in the 19th century intensified in the 20th. The Croats could not accept this honourable man who was a throwback to a nobler time when fealty was given irrespective of linguistic jingoism.
Tournament Phase 2: Svetozar Borojević, a true polyglot, led the Austrian defense at the Isonzo.Five 3-player Standard games, zombie, adjacent, foggy, on Austro-Hungarian Empire map.
12 players advance
Adding 1300 pieces of artillery was supposed to be the difference maker in this campaign.
Tournament Phase 3: Additional artillerySix 6-player Terminator games, flat rate, chained, on a bombardment map: [Castle Lands, Stalingrad, Pearl Harbor, Waterloo, Monsters, Duck and Cover]
-- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Fourth Isonzo]Barely two weeks later, the fighting was renewed. The Italians had made some progress, although in the era of trench warfare that didn't mean much. This was the last of the battles in 2014, as the winter chill began to set in. Both armies had now taken heavy casualties and were under-supplied. The Austrians begged the Germans to declare war on Italy. However, it wasn't until August of 1916 that Italy declared war on Germany.
18 players Begin
The Isonzo campaigns were overseen by the Chief of the Italian General Staff, Luigi Cadorna. Born in Piedmont prior to Italian Unification, he was too young to participate in most of the reunification wars, but took up active service in the army at the age of 18 and marched at the final occupation of Rome at the age of 20.
Tournament Phase 1: Luigi Cadorna began his military service during the Italian UnificationFive 6-player Standard games, flat rate, parachute, fog, and trench, on Unification Italy.
15 players advance
The Austrian defense was organised by Svetozar Borojević. "Sveto" was a hero to his troops, and military historians have rated him as one of the best commanders of WW I on any side. Svetozar Borojević was a true representative of the polyglot Habsburg empire. Descended from Serbian ancestors, born in a Slovene community, he spoke Croatian and always considered himself a Croat. He married a German girl, was educated in Austrian military schools and was a loyal soldier of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war he attempted to live in Croatia, but was treated as a traitor and humiliated, whereupon he settled on the Austrian side of the border. The linguistic intolerance that began in the 19th century intensified in the 20th. The Croats could not accept this honourable man who was a throwback to a nobler time when fealty was given irrespective of linguistic jingoism.
Tournament Phase 2: Svetozar Borojević, a true polyglot, led the Austrian defense at the Isonzo.Five 3-player Assassin games, nuclear, unlimited, foggy, on Austro-Hungarian Empire map.
12 players advance
Unlike the Christmas truce of last year's Western Front, this was just one of the problems of fighting in mountains. As the snow begins to fall, the already futile battles became pointless and both sides started to examine their losses.
Tournament Phase 3: The winter brings supply problems and peaceFive 12-player Terminator games, Escalating, Unlimited on Hive
-- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=colonel john mccrae dec 9 to 16]
Colonel John McCraeThis tournament is a natural companion to the
Flanders Fields event, which in turn is part of the Great War megaevent.
I could go into detail about the life of Colonel John McCrae, but in the end it would just be thinly-veiled plagiarism, so I will just refer you to a couple of excellent websites:
http://www.flandersfieldsmusic.com/johnmccrae-bio.htmlhttp://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/mccraeI earnestly hope you read those, and celebrate them on this, the 100th anniversary of the publication of In Flanders Fields.
I've written a fairly simple tournament to accompany the main event, which is the poetry contest. This tournament is a freemium-exemption tournament, so that all can participate with us.
Incidentally, John McCrae got his first medical degree at the University of Toronto, but he got a second (postgraduate degree in pathology) at McGill University. So you could say that Doctor John McCrae (at least the pathologist part) was invented at McGill University in 1903.
45 players start
(To mark the 45 years of John McCrae's life)
Growing up in the (then) small farming town of Guelph, McCrae was by all reports a gentle soul, kind to both people and animals.
Tournament Phase 1: McCrae was born and raised in CanadaThree 5-player Standard games on Canada map, default settings except trench.
Tournament Phase 2: His first introduction to the horrors of war was while serving in the Boer WarThree 9-player Terminator games on South Africa 1885 map, default settings except flat rate and fog.
Scores reset, 30 players advance
Between the Boer War and the Great War, he spent time as a successful doctor, as well as both learning and teaching at three universities: Toronto, McGill in Montreal, and the University of Vermont. It was a mostly free and pleasant part of his life.
Tournament Phase 3: He studied and/or taught at Toronto, Montreal, and VermontThree 6-player Standard games on Great Lakes, Montreal, and U.S.A. Northeast, default settings except freestyle and fog.
Despite reservations about the war, McCrae felt it was his duty to sign up. A letter to his mother says, "I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience." The world was going to war, and like most people of his era he saw it as a contest between good and evil that one could not be neutral in.
Tournament Phase 4: The world was going to war, and John McCrae went with itThree 6=player Standard games on Europe1914, default settings except flat rate and trench.
The gruesome battle of Second Ypres was the first battle when gas was used at successfully in the war, and also the first time it was used on the Western Front. McRae and his medical staff treated 4600 wounded soldiers. His good friend and former student Alexis Helmer was killed. In a pensive moment, he wrote In Flanders Fields.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields
Tournament Phase 5: Amidst the casualties at 2nd Ypres, McRae wrote In Flanders FieldsThree 5-player Terminator games on Flanders 1302 map, default settings except zombie spoils
Scores reset, 15 players advance
The British magasine Punch was the first to publish In Flanders Fields, anonymously at first. The fame of the poem spread rapidly, and it soon became the best-known poems of the war.
Tournament Phase 6: First published in London's Punch, the poem soon gained worldwide fame.Three 5-player Terminator games on London, British Isles, and World 2.1, default settings except nuclear spoils.
John McCrae gained rank steadily. He became the Chief of Medicine at the Canadian Army hospital in Boulogne, and was given many honours, including being named Consulting Physician to the British Army. Nonetheless, he grew steadily more depressed, and his original joie de vivre left him. He died of natural causes before the war ended and is buried at the Wimereax Commonwealth Cemetery in France.
Tournament Phase 7: John McCrae died of natural causes in early 1918 and did not see the war end.Three 5-Player Standard games on Halloween Hallows, Europa, France, default settings
Scores reset, 7 players advance
Phase 8: FinaleThirteen 7-player Standard games on each of the 13 maps played previously, default except randomly foggy and randomly trenchy.
-- DK[/spoiler]
[spoiler=gulf of Riga Dec 19th to 29th]
Gulf of Riga August 8-19, 1915As an offshoot to the Gorlice-Tarnow offensive, the German Navy wanted to capture Riga. There are two passages into the Gulf of Riga. One is the Moonsound which runs to the north of Saaremaa and the other is the Irben Strait to the south. The Russians had military camps on Saaremaa, so an attack through the narrow Moonsound would be impossible. The Irben Strait was heavily mined. This battle marks one of the only Russian victories in the months leading up to the Great Retreat.
Many reading this will understand how the plan failed. Some strategist in an ivory tower came up with a design, but without experience in practical issues, failed to present a workable plan. That, combined with some luck for the Russians and British, ended in a total failure. Riga would not fall until 1917 although it was recognized by the Germans, British and Russians as a port of great interest from 1915-1917. It was deemed inconsequential by the Russians not 6 months earlier (before they realized that Poland would fall).
This is a simple, 3 round tournament, with each round representing one failure of foresight. All rounds are 5 2-player standard settings (except where noted) games with a score reset.
Round 1: Nightfall The flagship of the Russian fleet was the
Borodino class Battleship, the
Slava. It was actually built for the Russo-Japanese war, so it was pretty outdated (i.e. it had a figurehead!). The German fleet was technically superior, and their fleet consisted of 8 dreadnoughts, with accompaniment, but minesweeping takes time. In the early days, they ran out of daylight, even though it was July.
Map: Island of Doom and Dust Bowl (the killer neutrals represent minefields)
Settings: Fog of War
Round 2: Fuel By the 12th, the German fleet would have been low on fuel. They had to return to Kiel to refuel. By this time, 2 minesweepers had already been sunk.
Map: Age of Realms 2
Settings: Adjacent (since you constantly have to "return to base" to refuel)
Round 3: The Second Attempt On the 16th, the Germans returned and lost another minesweeper, a destroyer and a torpedo boat to mines. After finally clearing the minefield, a submarine torpedoed one of the dreadnoughts, and the operation was considered too expensive to continue. The
Slava had been hit, but there were no real Russian losses. The battle could have continued, but this already started exposing one of the follies of the dreadnought era. Defensive naval operations currently had the advantage - why should countries spend so much money on these huge dreadnoughts?
Map: Puget Sound
Settings: Trench Warfare (defensive advantage)
Round 4: All the Follies! Combines all 3 previous rounds.
Map: [Island of Doom, Dustbowl, AoR2, Puget Sound]
Settings: [Chained, Adjacent], [Fog, Sun], [Trench, Non-trench]
-- DY[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Ctesiphon dec 27 to jan 6]
Battle of CtesiphonFrom
http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/ctesiphon.htm:
first world war dot com wrote:Following an extended run of good fortune at Basra, Qurna, Shaiba, Amara, Nasiriyeh and Kut within the space of a year, British forces finally ran out of luck in spectacular fashion at the Battle of Ctesiphon, which ran from 22-25 November 1915.
That is the simplest introduction the battle needs.
Townshend's advance up the Euphrates had been nothing less than spectacular, and he had pulled off defeat against long odds several times on his way upriver. Now, however, at the gates of Baghdad, all the many things weighing against the British were creating a greater and greater imbalance: the long British supply line through Basra and the Persian Gulf all the way to India, the conversely much shorter Turkish supply line from Baghdad and further upriver from Turkey itself, the growing disparity in numbers, and the growing experience of the Turkish soldiers.
Only one small monitor was able to make its way upriver past obstacles, mines and Turkish artillery. The flow of supplies to the British force was really a trickle. The Turks were well entrenched. Ctesiphon was pretty much on the doorstep of Baghdad, less than 15 miles away; reinforcements and resupply from Baghdad could reach Ctesiphon in a couple hours.
Townshend launched a night attack, which had worked at Kut-el-Amara, but the Turks counterattacked vigorously. Although the British inflicted heavy casualties, they were at the end of their rope and had nothing left in reserve, while the Turks could afford to absorb losses and reinforce. Soon it was obvious that the offensive had failed, and for the first time in almost a year the British were in retreat.
The battle was a simple 1v1 confrontation between the Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. This will therefore be a simple bracket tournament, players facing off two per game. However, Poloymorphic confrontations in addition to standard 1v1 will give it some extra depth.
32 players start
Tournament Phase 1: The British supply lines from India to Mesopotamia were too long
3x 1v1 games on Indian Empire, Middle East, and Gilgamesh, default settings except fog and adjacent forts.
Scores reset, 16 players advance
Tournament Phase 2: The Turkish supply lines were much shorter
3x Polymorphic Dubs on WWI Ottoman map, default settings except 1 each of Chained, Parachute, and Unlimited forts.
Scores reset, 8 players advance
Tournament Phase 3: Ctesiphon, has seen war since ancient times.
5x 1v1 games on Imperium Romanum, Alexander's Empire, Conquer Rome, 3rd Crusade, Gilgamesh, default settings except randomly flat/nuclear
Scores reset, 4 players advance
Tournament Phase 4: Townshend thought a night attack would again outflank the Turkish trenchworks
5x Polymorphic Trips on Battle for Iraq, default settings except No Spoils, Fog and Trench
Scores reset, 2 players advance
Tournament Phase 5: The attack failed and the British were forced to retreat
7x Polymorphic Quads, Battle for Iraq, random everything.
-- DK[/spoiler]
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