Waffles of Iron

State of the World

We begin our hopeful rise to power in June of 1914. The chain of events that will soon follow will plunge the world into two world wars, and nearly drag us into a third.

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At the time of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, we are woefully unprepared for war. Our army consists of six outdated infantry divisions. The only advantages we have are the fortifications in our border provinces. Due to my location, I am expecting a large German force to push through Belgium to get to Paris, avoiding the large French armies.

Belgium's economy is in decent shape for its size. Though our financial reserves are small, our Energy and Metal stockpiles could be sold off if necessary. Manpower is also a major issue, but I hope that mobilization will take care of that. I don't have enough IC to expand my army, so I will have to fight it out with what I have. As such, my research during the war will focus on land doctrines, as well as possibly upgrading my infantry from 1907 to 1918 by the end of the war.

My goal for WWI is merely to survive. Historically, this proved difficult for Belgium. Though their forces held out long enough to halt the German offensive, Belgium was ultimately occupied from 1914-1918. My limited armies in Africa will take as much German land as they can before I send a transport to bring them back to Europe. Should Belgium fall into German hands, I will use my troops to aid the French in fending off any attacks coming from the north.

One month later, news reaches Belgium that will soon turn into one of the bloodiest wars of all time:


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The Early Stages

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One month after the Archduke was assassinated, war breaks out in Eastern Europe. Austria attacks Serbia. Russia attacks Austria. Germany attacks Russia, and so on... I end up getting attacked by a decent sized German army. In order to keep things clean, I merge all six infantry divisions, plus the lone cavalry division that magically appeared after I was attacked, into a single army, under the command of King Albert I, who was at first glance the only decent general in the country. In addition to his already crushing responsibilities, he is also doing research on land doctrines. In order to buy time to mobalize, I pull my troops back from the border to Brussels. By some miracle, the French reinforce me before the Germans can assault the city. A few days into the battle, I receive a surprising message



The Germans must have been afraid of the Mustachioed Field Marshall, because they fled with few casualties. Turned out they weren't done.



This defeat left the door to Paris wide open. The only things between Paris and the Germans were a few French divisions, and the retreating Belgian army. In a desperate bid to halt the offensive, my troops regrouped in Mons. With some assistance from the French, their assault was halted. Though we could not break through their lines, their troops were bogged down in the region for a good portion of the war. This battle was the last major event of the war. All other battles were either small skirmishes, or stalemates.

Here is where the war stands at the end of 1914



The Germans have made some advances into France, though not very deep. There is still intense fighting in Belgium, though the battles will ultimately end in a bloody stalemate, with more than a quarter of a million men killed. This is also the farthest the Central Powers will push into Belgium during the war.



The Eastern Front is going poorly for Russia. Germany and Austria are besting Russian troops at nearly every encounter, and Bulgarian reinforcements are moving towards the front. Russia's entire military is currently on the front with Germany. With internal pressures growing, any major defeat of the Russians could force them out of the war.​

Stalemate

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It is 1915, and the Great War is in full swing. Already, millions have fallen victim to the brutalities of the war. The first year saw three fronts open, one of which soon closed. Serbia stood no chance against the larger armies of the Central Powers. The Western Front, however, became a bloody stalemate. The Belgian Army has lost more than 100,000 men in the fighting, and we still don't have the IC to sent new units to the front. Progress has been made, however. Our infantry has been upgraded to 1914, and we have researched several land doctrine techs by this point. In an effort to keep as many men alive as possible, my tactics have shifted from holding ground to launching short attacks on enemy strongpoints to slowly wear them down, hoping that the French will launch a major counteroffensive in our territory. Surprisingly, it worked. French and British forces launched a large assault on Luxembourg, forcing the Germans to relocate their forces from Belgium to Luxembourg to fend off the attack. Seizing the opportunity, I split my army up and retook as much territory as possible. Soon, we had retaken the country. The plan had worked... for us. The French, on the other hand, got soundly defeated in battle. They retreated to Liege, where they linked up with my army. Before they could dig in, nearly two dozen German divisions launched a counterattack. Though the numbers were even, French morale was shattered. Things weren't looking good, but nothing less than a miracle happened.



Casualties were high. 20,000 Belgians were killed in two days, as well as 40,000 French and British soldiers. Still, in the first major battle in the city, the Allies held. This halted Germany's last major offensive of the war. By the end of the year, more than one million troops on both sides fell in fighting on the border of Liege and Luxembourg.



Attack after attack failed to gain ground until the end of 1918, when Luxembourg was finally liberated by Belgian forces. Very little ground was gained by either side during the year's fighting. The stalemate would not be broken for nearly another year, when the Allied Powers receive a major boost overseas...​

1916: Something Actually Happens

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Up until this point, the war has consisted of armies launching repeated attacks and counterattacks for next to no gain. Germany managed to take a few border provinces from France, but the front lines haven't moved since mid-1914. So far, Belgium has remained independent, not losing a single province since our victory at Liege. Recently, infantry tech has finally caught up, so I shift my focus to researching armored vehicles. Though I still cannot build more divisions due to low IC, I can build early Armored Car attachments. I shift my research to modernizing my currently empty motor pool. My allies in Britain and France have sent me blueprints, accelerating the modernization of my army. The European stalemate has not been broken, the two recently deployed armored car brigades have drastically increased the strength of my army. The days of being reliant on French support in battle are over. Still dug in around Liege, we inflict heavily German casualties with relatively few losses. Still things are quiet until the second anniversary of the death of the Archduke.



Just as my African militias arrive in Egypt, the British launch an offensive to recapture the Sinai Peninsula from the Ottomans. Captured early in the war, the region has seen many small skirmishes, but no major combat. This all changed three dozen British divisions crossed the Suez Canal to engage Ottoman and German forces. Unprepared for such a large attack, the Ottomans were slaughtered. Of the ten divisions, five survived and retreated into Palestine. Several months after the initial assault, my militias reach the front line, winning a series of small scale battles with scattered Ottoman forces. Facing a Russian attack from the north, the Ottoman Front becomes one of the few regions where the front lines actually move. By August, British forces, including three divisions from their colonies in India, move into Ottoman-controlled Iraq, facing little resistance. Barring reinforcements from their allies, it seems that the fate of the once great empire is sealed.

Back on the Western Front, a small victory from a military standpoint turns into a massive propaganda victory.



The German defenses around Luxembourg are finally broken. After a stalemate lasting nearly two years, claiming nearly one million lives, the small nation is liberated. This victory gave something to the Allies that they had not seen since the war began: hope. No longer were they fighting for survival. It was time for them to take the fight to the Germans. Then, on November 1, 1916, an announcement was made that would shake the world. A sleeping giant had awakened. The United States, as well as their many minor allies, had joined the war.​