Chapter Thirty-Three: A Wider War
Vaya con Queso Yes on the Ottos. On South America, mostly bits of Brazil here and there rather than real territory. The USA, Venezuela and Columbia each have one state I think. I don't have a screenie from this time tho, but not much changes before the next one I'm pretty sure.
BootOnFace Yeah, I shouldn't have a problem. Is there a predictable battle size for a big score, or was 40 brigades just a way of saying big fight?
morningSIDEr Thanks! It does get dull, at least for me, when I say "now I'm going to do this" and there's a straight line path to "this". It does get a little squiggly here.
Previously on "Last Tango" - I was kicking Russian butt and taking over large swaths of the country, but because the Ottoman Empire can't fight it's way out of a paper bag, I am technically losing the war with a -7 score.
In fact, the Austrians take part of Poland in the middle of May, 1926.
By the way, apparently I failed to take a screenshot, but Austria demanded a chunk of Poland about this time. Despite the fact that I am taking two or three provinces a week from the un-mobilized Empire of Russia, the Austrians are proving to be something of a problem in Bosnia.
On the 20th of May I take Gomel, and wait for the traditional Russian Xena warcry when that happens, but apparently the Russians don't care for Gomel as much as they used to. A few of Russian pockets are going fairly well, and one collapses in the north, taking 36,000 Russian regular army with it. On June 2 I re-took Novy Sacz for Poland. Nice of the AI to vacate the province as soon as it was taken, though really, I tend to do the same myself. I just take more provinces, if I had only one I stay in it. Russia, at least, recognizes that I am winning the war.
Here's something of an order of battle. I still can't figure out why it takes the Russians so long to mobilize. Sure, it's inconvenient when they do it mid-war, and I have to scramble, but in the meantime, western Russia is largely in Argentine hands.
Right now my only real obstacle is Austria's 374 brigades, and I am working on that.
Note that I am defending, managed to have a decent general, and the Austrians spotted a river in the mountains and crossed it. Thanks! In mid-June we conquer Slutsk. I'm sorry, you'll have to come up with your own joke here, this is a family website. I thought it was her sister. A pocket in the central part of the Russian battlefield collapses, and 37,000 regular army are eliminated. Russian conscripts are infinitely replaceable. Russian soldier Pops are not. While the fights are going reasonably well, Bosnia is getting messy.
I win the battle in Foca, but took 6000 casualties and inflicted 1600. Turkish leadership of a battle ftl. By the end of June, the war battle score is -10. I win Mostar as well in Bosnia, both sides losing 13,000 men. No pocket. This needs to change. And here is where I learned an important lesson. You know how the first into a province is the seige leader? Well, it works the same way in battles in Vicky 2, I guess. If you join your backward ally in a battle, your men will forget how to defend against Gas Attacks!
We left. On the other hand, we did start to capture various Austrian provinces. Maybe now they'll think we're winning.
Against Russia, I'm now up to a war score of +12, of 18. I've also taken three of five provinces in the state I demanded. On the other hand, at the end of July our advisers in the OE were expelled at France's urging. My allies may not fight well, but they are experts at taking casualties instead of us. Into August unfortified or poorly fortified provinces continue to fall regularly. We also begin to set up serious pockets of the remaining Austrian soldiers.
By the end of August my warscore is the same as the peace deal, both +16. The Odessa pocket collapsed taking 40,000 Russians with it. East of Odessa I notice that the Chinese have moved very far west and are setting up an occupation. Novgorod falls in the middle of September, and it turns out we've walked to the gates of St Petersburg. South of there, another Russian pocket claims 18,000 more enemy troops. At the end of the month my warscore vs Russia is up to +20, but still no separate peace. The main war is still going very poorly according to the score.
Late October sees the UK capture Johore, but in the occupations that matter I am still rolling up unmobilized Russia. I am 23/17 in score, and I have taken four of the five target provinces. In November the Russians begin White Peace spam. Typical. I earn what I have claimed and the AI offers to call it even. By November 9 I'm at 26/17. Speaking of multi-tasking, I notice that I have 200,000 unemployed in Santiago, and order the expansion of all factories. At the end of November I've reached 29/17 against Russia. To start December, I do it again!
To be fair, I was up late the previous night hoping I could wrap up this war, and it was proving more difficult than I thought. I saved the game and re-started when I woke up. So I was groggy. Also, I cashed in +7.4 battle score, and I'll get even more when I win against these guys a second time! This time I'm the attacker. <sigh> My navy catches 12 Austrian cruisers in the Ionian sea. I said my fleet was going looking for a fight, not the Royal Navy. I won! 1927 sees more provinces falling an more WP offers from Russia. I take the last target province, putting me at 32 warscore and 14 needed, but still the Russians won't concede. Russian mobilization would be a real chore about now.
To quote myself: "HOLY CRAP!"
I mentioned that I had just woken up and I'd had a late night, right? Well, at least I can pocket Austrians in Croatia. Virtually the entire Austrian army is now in five or six pockets. One down, with 180,000 troops, two to go.
I send the battle fleet into the Black Sea to try to put myself over the top in warscore vs Russia. Third time's the charm, the pocketed, re-pocketed, and re-re-pocketed Austrians finally are captured in Radom. My warscore is down to -11 overall, and exactly 0 vs the UK, who will not take a WP. The Austrians in Cluj surrender, reducing their army by another 50,000 men. On February 15th, the Russian WP spam changes to accepting my wargoal. All my armies are now free to head south, and all of Austria's armies are pocketed.
Argentina turns to Austria and says, "now, what shall we talk about?"