The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire

[Kaiser_Mobius]

You should totally make the Americans join the Central Powers against the Entente. Just to shake things up a bit.

The war seems to be going very well for you, despite that rather nasty naval battle in the Black Sea. The heroes of Russia's Black Sea Fleet will never be forgotten.

Good update.

[KotoR45]

NO! Mobius 'Merica will always support democracy...... oh and monarchies that are friendly to them (U.K). Anyway..... nice update I can't wait to see what you have in store for us on the polish front.

[Falconette]

@Ivir Baggins: I think they would like to, but Russian and French fronts don't allow them to do so.
@MastahCheef117: Thanks) Your KuK Marine also did well
@SovietAmerika: Sure
@Asalto: Yes, Imperial Zenith was so cute with Russo-Japanese war, Russian industrialization, Boxer rebellion Very glad to see you here.
@Kaiser_Mobius: Thanks. I'm sure that the Tsar ordered to build a statue of them somewhere in Sevastopol
@KotoR45: US and Russia were quite friendly before the revolution, for example, during American Civil War Russian navy squadron helped the Union

Thanks for comments, let's continue in 1916

[talt]

Just caught up, I love your imperial Russian AARs. Too bad that WW1 scenario in DH starts so late, I miss Imperial Zenith from 1914 mod.

I'm sure I've heard they want to add new scenairos for DH at some point. Even so, I think startin in 1897 is a bit much. 1911/10 seems about right for a starting scenario (or alternately 1904...)

[Storm501]

Yp, Central powers are going down. Austria will collapse any moment at this rate, and after that the rest will follow.

Good job on capturing Warsaw, that should spare you any future dissent hits.

their blitzkrieg in Poland was finally stopped

I think sitzkrieg (war of the rats) would be more appropriate.

[talt]

That battle in the Black Sea was horrific; I don't even want to know what the total casualty figures were. I guess that rules out a Russian landing in Anatolia in the Turkish rear areas. At least things are going alright on the rest of the front (still need to kick the Germans out of the bits of Poland they hold however.

[Old Joe]

Awesome AAR!
Thou i'd propose to write yourself a bit of dissent, 20 f.e. to make things even more interesting

Tzarist administration should now that communists as ever ready! And they will do whatever it takes to overthrow imperialistic and exploiting regime, and to build a country for workers!!!1
"Земля народу! Долой Царя! Империалистическая война не стоит ваших жизней!!! AGRR!!" - Lenin yells

[Falconette]

@talt: At the moment a part of DH team (and me personally) works on Russian Civil War 1917-1924. Pre-1914 scenarios are only projects at the moment. About naval battle - yes, you're right, I had plans about landing somewhere in Bulgaria or/and Anatolia. Now my plans are ruined.
@Storm501: Well, 'blitzkrieg' is not maybe the best word to use in 1915, but 'sitzkrieg' means war in trenches with a lot of digging and close fire, so this doesn't suit too
@Old Joe: Wow) You're the first guy to ask for the revolution! Actually, my target is to avoid revolution, sorry Thanks for your mark

[Falconette]

The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire

Chapter Three: 1916
Part XVII: Dramatical changes

Vsadniki-drugi, v pokhod sobiraysya,
Hor trubachey otozvalsya.
Nu-ka zhivee koney vy sedlaite,
Vzvodnogo golos razdalsya.

Sprava povzvodno, sidet' molodcami,
Ei, ne goryachite loshadei!
Komandir skomandoval, dernuv usami,
Nu-ka, rebyata, zhivei.


"Buddies-cavalrymen, prepare for the march",
The regiment choir played.
"Prepare your horses, faster",
Said the platoon commander.

From the right form the line,
Don't exhaust your horse!
Colonel shouted, touching his moustache:
"Charge, guys! Onwards!"

By 4 of January the Germans had few chances to save Torun - their divisions in besieged town simply didn't have enough ammo to fight with fresh Russian reinforcements.

Torun will fall soon

But they were succeeded on another front - they transferred 9 extra-divisions to Stanislawow at the most critical point of battle, and the Russian army lost, suffering losses and bitter frost.

Fail at Stanislawow, January of 1916


Russian outpost near Stanislawow

Winter of 1916 started with some dangerous mistakes of Entente commanders. Without proper reinforcements and supplying, they didn't want to stop and wait for a while - they continued marching forward. British and Italian generals believed, that the war was won...They were mistaken. Before New Year German superior commanders created an outstanding plan - called "Operation Heinrich". By 9 of January Italians were encircled in Karlovy Vary (Austrian Bohemia), British forces were heavily pushed out of their occupied lands, while Germany was fully reconquered - last French and Italian soldiers left Landschut on 4 of January. "The third front" was nearly crushed!

"Operation Heinrich" beats "Operation Rose" totally

These news weren't optimistic. Small Italian corps in Bohemia had no chances to survive. Balkans were lost - Entente controlled only Maribor. Brilliant victory became a terrible defeat...

German parade in recaptured Landshut was called "Germany is free again"

On 14 of January Russian navy got new destroyers. All of them were sent to Black Sea Fleet to compensate his harsh casualties.

New destroyer flotillas


Novik-class destroyer

Five days later Russian soldiers took Torun. German armies in Eastern Prussia were close to collapse.

Torun is ours, while Serbs manage to take Sarajevo (but not for long)

Great German counteroffensive, that defeated "Operation Rose" forsed them to leave Serbia and Montenegro. Serbian generals decided to use that opportunity and attacked - 6 Serbo-Montenegrian divisions entered undefended Sarajevo. But even with these victory they were doomed...

Serbian Pyrrhic victory

With defeats in the Balkans British Empire looked for new allies and found them - pro-English party in Portugal accepted the alliance proposal. Portugal entered WW1.

Well, and how useful are they?

In the West Entente forces began their counteroffensive as well as Serbia. On 24 of January Luxembourg was occupied by French and Belgian corps. Strasbourg was in French hands. It was easy to explain - pushing Italians and Englishmen during "Operation Heinrich" took too many people from the Western front.

Allied forces in Luxembourg

On 27 of January German troops invaded Italy - Udine was occupied by Kaiser's soldiers, and Italian people were really depressed - only a month earlier they were conquerors of Tirol and Bavaria, while at the moment all their successes were lost and their own town was lost.

The invasion

By 29 of January all resistance in central Austro-Hungary was crushed. Only some minor Tirol provinces were still under British&Italian control.

"Operation Heinrich" by 29 of January.

So, the things changed dramatically only in one month. But Germany and her allies lost too much time, too many soldiers and too many resources. Their brilliant success in the Balkans only helped them to survive, but the war wasn't in their favor at all.

Europe in January of 1916

And on 30 of January grim news from Adriatica were mixed with wonderful news - Romania decided to join the Entente! That meant that Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary had one more front to fight!

Romania is with us!


Ferdinand I - our new ally

In the Caucasus the situation changed too - massive Turkish divisions left the front (to fight the British in the Middle East) and Anatolia was defended by 6 German divisions. Grand Duke Nicholas, commander of Caucasus front, decided to use this chance.

Caucasian operation of the Russian army

On 8 of February the situation in Italy became worth - German divisions, facing no resistance, captured Venice.

Italy in great troubles

The war continues
Waiting for your comments
Next update: November, 19

[Leviathan07]

Oh hell!! Those Italians forgot to guard their flanks, it seems.

BTW the "minor provinces" under occupation in western Austria-Hungary are actually the heartland of the German-speaking population, so it's a pretty painful and stressful situation for A-H. Germans are bailing them out though, it seems...

What are the conditions for Italian surrender? Is there a chance that the Germans could trigger it? That would be a nightmare for the Entente...

Romania looks nice to have, their troops look like they could blitz into Bulgaria and even Istanbul. But knowing the stupidity of the AI they will probably try to charge headlong into Hungary, and get encircled / wiped out

[Timmie0307]

Well, if Italy is out, it will only be more interesting I mean, the Germans + A-H will put up a real fight against the Entente in the West but nevertheless they get really distracted by Italy. Interesting situation

Tim

[BeardedHoplite]

Aw man, I wish my Russia game was as interesting as this. It's 1917 and the Western front hasn't moved an inch, the Ottomans, Britain, Romania and Bulgaria are neutral and I'm stuck in the same positions--East Poland--I was in 1915

[Deus Eversor]

oh man, just mil controll romania lol, anyway, it would be cute if italy would fall... and force greeks in already!

[Ivir Baggins]

Mil control Romania. Left alone, they'll just be a hazard.

[SovietAmerika]

Some please save Italy before we have to liberate Rome ourselves. Not cool, Victor.

[Kaiser_Mobius]

Yes! Go Germany! Go Austria-Hungary! Punish the Italians for their stab in the back and shatter their armies! (sorry, I am somewhat rooting for the Central Powers to do well against the Western entente members, since usually I always see them getting humiliated by them in WW1 games or scenarios.)

Good update.

[Old Joe]

Well, haha. Many unspoken thoughts in russian society sympathize for germans, that they could stop and encircle those backstabing amphibious landings on defensless shores, and prove that such coward british tactics is wrong and useless! Wars should be won fair and square, in the mass combat! Face to face!

[Falconette]

The Darkest hour of the Russian Empire

Chapter Three: 1916
Part XVIII: News, news, news!

Zvezdopad dorog ot zarnic
Grozy sedlayut konei,
No nad zemlei tiho lietsya pokoi monastyrei.
A poverkh sedyh oblakov
Sin', sokolinaya vys'
Zdes', pod pokrovom nebes, my rodilis'.

Nas tochit semya Ordy,
Nas gnet yarmo busurman,
No v nashikh venah kipit Nebo Slavian
I ot Chudskih beregov
Do ledyanoi Kolymy
Vse eto nasha zemlya, vse eto my.


Star shower and heat-lighting.
Thunderstorms are saddling horses,
But the peace from monasteries
Flies over the Earth.
Above the grey clouds
There's falcon heights.
Here, under sky covers
We were born.

We were suffering Horde semen,
We lived like slaves under infidels,
But in our veins
Slavic sky burns.
And from Chud' coasts
To Kolyma, covered with ice.
It's all our land!
It's all we!

On 13 of February the Germans declared their unrestricted submarine warfare doctrine. Their U-boats were everywhere! "Operation Heinrich" went very well - French were in pocket near Freistadt, and the Entente decided to stop "Operation Rose". It was a defeat.

Central Powers success

Meanwhile, in the Caucasus Russian offensive went well - the Germans left Trabzon, but there were no many reasons to enjoy it, because the main task was not to win the battle but to cross the mountains and reach the city. Russian army won many battles against weak Ottoman army, but never managed to take a single province...

Trabzon is under siege and new war doctrine is available.


Russians in Anatolia

General Alexeev, one of Stavka main generals, started researching new warfare doctrine - doctrine of Mass Charge. This very-offensive method of war should help Russian Empire to end the war...

New strategic doctrines

On 27 of February HM GD Nicholas won the battle of Erzurum and started heading for that city.

Victory, your highness


Cossacks, Caucasian front

Italy didn't know what to do. Their army was crushed and they decided to change their chief of staff.

Diaz, their new man


Armando Diaz got a very difficult task - to save his kingdom!

In Russia there were some changes in the Staff, too. Nicholas II decided to appoint Brusilov, a talented and high-skilled general from Galizian front as new Commander-in-Chief. Previous supreme commander, HM Nicholas, decided to concentrate on his Caucasian theater, where he was fighting for Erzurum. So, new talented leader became a head of the Russian Imperial Army.

General Brusilov leaves his corps and goes to Tsar's Stavka


The Tsar and tsarevich Alexis meet Brusilov in Baranovichi.


New head of the army

On 27 of March Black Sea Fleet was back on track. 3 battleships and 16 (4 flotillas) destroyers spotted Turkish squadron and started the battle. Last Turkish modern ship - battlecruiser Selim Yavuz (former German SMS Goeben) was sunk. Ebergard showed, that Russian fleet in the Black sea could fight even after deadly battle against the Austrians.

Black sea is our sea!

On 7 of April Graz was reconquered by Austria-Hungary. British soldiers started evacuating from the continental Europe. They manage to capture Bratislava once again, but they had no chances to secure it.

Last months of Operation Rose.

In Anatolia the Russians succeeded - on 10 of April GD Nicholas finally captured Erzurum! It was a triumph - first Russian victory on the Caucasus front.

Captured Erzurum

Nine days later the Turks tried to engage Russian Black sea once again. Pre-dreadnought Mesudiye was destroyed by Russian gunners.

One more Ottoman ship sunk

With a strongpoint in Erzurum Russian army got an opportunity to massively storm Anatolian plains. On 7 of May Grand Duke Nicholas ordered his corps to started "Anatolian offensive". 1st and 3rd Caucasian Crops had to finish their job and take Trabzon, Caucasus Military District marched on Elazig, while HM Nicholas himself (with 2nd Caucasian Corps) decided to attack Hakkari.

Anatolian Offensive Operation, May of 1916


Russian trenches in Anatolia

The war continues
Waiting for your comments
Next update: November, 20

[KcindX]

They were so close to Vienna!
Well, I don't think the Italians will last to much longer

[Kaiser_Mobius]

Looks like the Entente forces in Austria are doomed. Its also nice to see that the Black Sea Fleet still has teeth. Although it looks like you lost another battleship of the BSF? You said it had 4 battleships but I only see 3 in the pictures?

I am also surprised that Serbia is still holding out despite being under pressure from all sides. I imagine that should the Serbs fall, the Central Powers will have tons of troops free to fight on other fronts.

Good update.