Война на Востоке-An Imperial Russia Great War AAR

Gonna be an exciting update, todays session was rather eventful! But first, I'm gonna take a nap

Chapter Three: In at Death

“But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.” ~ Wilfred Owens


The Great War - or as it was called in Russia at the time, the 2nd Fatherland War - had pushed the armies of the Tsar to the brink by November of 1914. Masses of German troops were preparing for an offensive in the woods of Riga, only a 100 miles from the capital city of Petrograd. In Ukraine, the armies of the Hapsburg monarchs had shattered the Russian front line, leading to a full retreat. The Russian Baltic Fleet rested at the bottom of the sea. Russian peasant soldiers grappled with their enemy with clubs and bayonets, as bullets became a scare commodity.

As the month began the Austrians pushed on with their success in Ukraine, when their armies crossed the Dnieper river en mass and threatened the encirclement of the Russian 3rd army there. A headlong retreat was ordered, in which the Russians were able to avoid the loss of a single division, but at the cost of large swaths of land. By mid November the Southern Front was split into three pieces, with the brave "Crimea Corps" under Lt. General Nilus conducting a magnificent fighting retreat to the fortress city of Rostav na Don. One would have to travel nearly 300 north before contact was made again with a Russian unit, as the 3rd Army began to reorganize around the strategically important city of Kursk. This was against separated by another 100 miles before one would find the elaborate trench networks being dug by the men of the famed 4th army as it dug into a river line salient that separated the German and Austro-Hungarian armies in Belorussia.

Soldiers of the "Crimea Corps" firing at Hapsburg Forces. This small corps, separated from all other Russian armies, would fight a daring campaign against their Hapsburg opponents (which included elite guard troops!) nearly 100 from the southern banks of Dnieper to the the city of Rostav na Don

Amidst the darkness of November in the south, a bright flame of victory was lit, as the most unexpected of victories was achieved by, of all forces, the Russian Navy. With the fall of Sevastapol, the Russian Black Sea fleet and it's two dreadnoughtshad steamed out of port and were conducting shore bombardments of Ottoman troops on the coast, when the Ottoman navy - backed by the German battlecruiser Goeben and the cruiser Breslau - was sighted attacking Russian transports attempting to relocate. All though it was too late for the transports, Russian Admiral Von Essen sent his fleet into the Black Sea south of the Crimean Peninsula, where the Ottoman navy was located and engaged. In a naval battle every bit as ferocious as the far larger encounter in the Baltic and Jutland, the Russian and Ottoman navies spared off for the better part of a day, with both fleets firing broadsides from ranges as close as 900 yards. The pivitol moment in the battle occurred when Von Essen lead his flag ship and pride of the fleet, the Imperatritsa Mariya and it's sister ship Imperatritsa Ekaterina Velikaya and several other pre-dreadnoughts in a crossing of the T that sunk the Ottoman pre-dreadnought Harryadin Barbarossa (sunk when she took a full broadside from the Ekaterina at 1000 yards) and the heavy cruiser Nijimin Svekt (sunk by the pre-dreadnought Rostolav). Further losses occurred when the pre-dreadnought Ioaan sunk the German cruiser Breslau with a lucky shot from a mile away as the ship attempted to flee. New of the victory quickly spread throughout the Entente, and Von Essen and the men of the Black Sea fleet were given medals by every participant in the Entente. The Ottoman navy would never be in shape to challenge Russian control of the Black Sea again.

ZA RODINU!!!

In Estonia, the Tsar himself arrived at the front of the remains of the 1st and 2nd armies, hoping his presence would boost the fighting spirit of troops in the crucial campaign for the war. A German breakthrough here would mean the death of Petrograd and most assuredly the end of Russia's war. But if there was one thing both armies would find out over the next three months, the one thing the Russian soldier did not lack was fighting spirit.


The Tsar observing trench fighting in Estonia.

In a grueling 3 month campaign that would rival the ferocity of any other battle in the war before or to come, the German advance, which had averaged 100 miles a month since the start of the war, was ground to a grueling slog that would capture a mere 50 miles of ravaged land in 3 months, at the cost of tens of thousands of German lives. Fighting from dense forests and managing to achieve numerical parity against their enemy, the Russians would often fight to the last man in their positions in a campaign that would be remembered by those that took part as the darkest days of the war. Slowly, the Germans were able to push back the Russian forces, but ferocious counterattacks hit the Germans at every turn, and Russian trenches were held against attacks from multiple directions until the men in them were either dead or ordered to retreat.

The Casualty ratio soon began to swing in the favor of Russia for the first time in the war. And to make matters worse for the Germans, on December 1, 1914, at midnight exactly, snow began to fall all across the front. Russia's old friend and comrade, General Winter had arrived.



Snow covered German trenches on the Estonian Front, December, 1914.

Encouraged by the favorable defensive conditions, the Russians fought on, with a reinvigorated staff suddenly finding itself much more capable of organization regain, and supplies finally reached appropriate level all over the front!

Despite this however, the German advance was steady, slow, but steady. After 3 months of brutal fighting both armies were at their breaking points, but it appeared as if the Russians would be forced to break first and possibly retreat all the way to Petrograd itself!


Other places on the front, the coming of General Winter brought new life to the Russian Army. Throughout December Austrian forces attempted to breach the 4th armies river line defenses. These attacks failed miserably at the cost of thousands of lives. In the far south the Crimea Corps looks to encircle a Hapsburg division. But the by far the greatest victory of Russian forces was the brilliant counterattack in the Kursk Offense. Pushed out of the city briefly by Hapsburg troops, the Russian 3rd army quickly consolidated and reorganized with fresh supplies. Within a week of being pushed out, a massive attack was launched on a 75 mile front, throwing the thinly stretched Austrians into retreat, and stopping their flood towards Moscow. Kursk itself was liberated amidst high Hapsburg losses, and Yudenich even sent units out from behind the river line to finally close the gap between the 4th and 3rd armies. Much ground was gained, Hapsburg casualties were high, and the offensive momentum remains in Russia's favor as the Austro-Hungarians struggle to regroup their front and form a defensive line.

The Kursk Offensive

The front line after the initial stages of the Kursk Offensive. Note the imminent linking up of Russian troops in the north.


The caption reads, "Portrait of any Austrian general on the Eastern Front."

In Belorussia, Russian and British troops went on the offensive, pushing German troops out of the marshes they had occupied in October and potentially threatening the German flank, though front commander caution about delusions of grandeur.

And finally, in the Caucuses, the Russians manage to scrap enough troops together to present a solid line to the Turkish invader, who as been subdued ever since their ill fated attempts to dislodge Russian milita from the mountains. The front remains quiet for now, but who knows what the future hold?

In Korea, Russian troops throw insults at dishonorabru Japanese troops, and nothing more.

The Russians managed to do more in 3 months than many though possible, though her situation remains grim and defeat is still the most likely option. Nevertheless, it will not be a victory that Central Power history books will ever be able to call easy, as thousands upon thousands of men lie buried in hastily dug graves all throughout the East.


Russian trenches in Belorussia.

In the West, the Entente finally achieved a decisive offense, sweeping the Germans from the west bank of the Rhine in the south, and nearly achieving a breakthrough onto the east side. Greece has also entered the war, holding a stable line against the forces of Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria. Though the front is small and fought by 2nd class armies, the fighting has been every bit as brutal as the other fronts, and the Greeks are doing the Entente proud. At the same time however, German Zepplins have reduced large swaths of industrial Britain to ruin...or maybe Liverpool's always looked like that.


Until next time lads, OOOOORRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

sebas379 said:

Great update, you'r putting up one hell of a fight, despite what looks like a massive lack of numbers to fully man the entire line. That must be difficult.

Caught 1 tiny typo, nothing that breaks the story but figured I'd drop it anyways.

" close the gap between the 4th and 4rd armies."

Click to expand...

Lol thanks mate. I also always seem to just call cruisers "cruise"

As for the comments about the trenches on the Eastern Front, as has been stated the front line was often far less "strict" than in the west. Now of course, I think people often underestimate how little movement actually happened until 1917, the front line was pretty stable. Most defenses were simply strong points, that could often times be as heavily fortified as anything on the Western front, but this would then be broken up by a few miles before the next major strong point, which was often screened by cavalry and light trenches.

Some pictures of trenches in the east:

Also (TRIPLE POST!!!!), Dizzle the evil Hapsburg has thrown up his newest AAR: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...Ferdinand-A-WW1-MP-Austro-Hungarian-AAR/page2

Yes, if the Central Powers control Warsaw by 1916 the Tsar will abdicated and the Kerensky's government takes over for roughly 7 months before Russia surrenders (unless she retakes Warsaw.) Riga, Kiev and Baku are also revolution cities (each one held increases the likelihood of the revolution kicking off sooner.) That said, if the Central Powers take St Petersburg I will lose due to National Unity lose instead of through the Revolution event chain.

Chapter Four: In at the Death

"What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
--Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle"-Wilfred Owen


The finale months of the Great War's Eastern Front should be remembered as little more than as a time of death. Of victory, and defeat. The horrors inflicted on the millions of men that would struggle for life in the freezing steppes of Russia in those first few months of 1915 cannot be adequately explained by any who were not witness to them. This isn't helped by the scarcity of first hand accounts, as the average Russian soldier was still a peasant at a time where 80% of Russia's peasants were illiterate. The chaos that reigned in the country during the bitter peace and vengeful civil war helped further destroy what little there was. For the victorious German and Hapsburg soldiers, further horrors would await them in the west, and the eastern campaigns would be thrust to the back of their minds as they suffered bombardment elsewhere.

Nonetheless, the Eastern Front's closing months would provide the largest battles in the war, campaigns on a massive scale, and slaughter unequaled in the war, from the enemy and from the elements.

In Ukraine, the Tsarist counter-attack at Kursk, made in the midst of a brutal blizzard that the Hapsburg forces were tragically underequipped for, turned from a local victory, to a potentially war changing shattering of the Hapsburg forces. All throughout the Ukrainian steppes, conscripts from the far flung reaches of the empire faced the choice of freezing to death in the snow, or dying in the face of brutal Russian counter-attacks, often lead by newly arrived Siberian troops using snow shoes to advance on their opponent. The Austro-Hungarians died in the thousands as they fled all the way back to the Dnieper river. While Russian casualties were by no means light, a kill/death ratio of 3:1 was achieved in that brutal winter campaign, breathing fresh life into an army that only weeks before had been teetering on the brink of defeat.

The completeness of the Russian victory was showcased in the encirclement of two Hapsburg divisions - a sweet victory for the Russians who had managed to avoid encirclement themselves even in their darkest hours, Russian opinion of the fighting capabilities of their foes in the south was one of contempt during the winter of 1915, "They are nothing but a summer army made for marching and victory parades," wrote one Russian artillery officer - and the reclaiming of the eastern banks of Dnieper. When the ceasefire was signed in April of 1915, Kiev was a valid target and an offensive in the south was scheduled to liberate Crimea in a matter of weeks.


In the Caucus, the Russians, for no other reason than a general sense of ennui and an itch to mix it up with their fezzed opponents, finally went on the offensive, despite lacking any sort of numerical advantage. The results were spectacular, with the Ottoman army being thrown back by after a day barrage of their trenches and ferocious charge by Russian troops yelling "Ura! Ura!" meaning "strike" in Turkish. The Ottomans were thrown back taking large casualties, as the Russian troops advanced through the mountain passes. Although the war would end for these men before much could be made of their gallant charge up mountain slopes in the face of the enemy, Baku is thought to have been a realistic target for liberation, especially as troops freed up from the defense of the Ukraine were making their way to the theater.

However, all these Russian successes in the war played second part to the grand clashing of the Titans in the north, as the German army marches on Petrograd, capital of the Russian Empire. It had taken the Germans nearly three months to push from the borders of Estonia to a position where they could threaten the capital, and tens of thousand of battle casualties were added onto equally atrocious casualties from the harsh winter, which like their Hapsburg allies the Germans were tragically underprepared for (12 manpower was lost a day simply sitting in the brutal snowstorms, let alone the thousands more incurred by the actual battles themselves). Yet, the German army suffered what it must, and by the end of February, were committed to one last massive battle before the outskirts of Petrograd itself could be assaulted.


The Battle of Petrodvorets was the last bloody battle before the Germans began their siege of Petrograd.


Throughout March, both sides dug in and prepared, the Germans managing to clear a 3 province wide avenue of attack on the city, all the while being bombed by Russian tactical bombers. The Russians tried their best to regain organization lost after months of battle, and prepared for what they knew was a doomed defense but one they needed to fight regardless, for the army had gained a new pride in their abilities over the past few months in Estonia, and that pride and commitment to the Tsar - who was often near the front lines for much of the fighting - meant that one last battle had to be given. But regardless of their defensive efforts, the Germans were too many, and too well equipped to be withstood. On March 2, the Germans began a 5 day bombardment of the city, after which they rushed forward to attack the Russian trenches. Fighting from trenches and buildings, the Russian infantry fought savagely for the better part of two weeks before sheer German numbers overwhelmed them and forced them to retreat from the city, leaving it in ruins and strewn with the bodies of soldiers and civilians. A Russian relief force sent from the south intending to attack the Germans from behind was easily defeated by German troops dug in marshes. Petrograd had fallen, and with it Russian hope for victory.

The closing stages of the battle.

The victory had been gained, though it had cost the Germans far more than they had ever expected. To make matters worse, land retaken in the south and the Caucus had given the Russian people enough hope to avoid a total collapse of the home front after the fall. With Russian troops still slaughtering the Hapsburgs and Turks, and brutal winter conditions taking their toll on the Germans, the German high command was frustrated by their inability to gain total victory. Novgrod was taken, but by then Russian troops had finally gained numerical superiority, and fierce counterattacks by Russian troops looked to retake Petrograd by the start of summer. A German attempt to land in Helsinki to quicken the empire's demise only ended up in hundreds of German corpses littering the beaches and floating in the surf in an attack that the German survivors would call a "murder" committed by the High Command.


German dead after the disastrous attack on Helsinki in late March, 1915.

With victory just out of reach, and their allies starring defeat in the face as Russian attacks in the south and Greek-Anglo offensives in the Balkans pushed the Hapsburgs to their breaking point, the Germans played their wild card, Vladimir Lenin. The communist firebrand had been living in exile in Zurich, and on April 1 the German army transported him to Petrograd, where he instantly began a fiery campaign against the Tsar and the Empire. While the soldiers of the army were mostly loyal to the Tsar and committed to the fight, the Russian factory worker, facing shortages of goods on the home front, was more open. While the Empire seemed to avoid all out collapse, protests and unrest in the rear began to grow. Within weeks a group of Russian officers of dubious loyalty, using the increasing social unrest as a pretext, lead a coup of the government on April 18, 1915. The Tsar was cornered by the officers and newly equipped workers militia while the Russian army was busy preparing an offensive. Realizing that his hand was forced, the Tsar abdicated and agreed to go into exile. Within hours, and much to the shock and horror the majority of the Russian army, the "new government" signed a peace treaty with the Central Powers known as the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. This gave the Germans control over all of the Baltic, and the Hapsburgs and Ottomans control off all the lands they had been pushed back from. An independent Finland also emerged due to several of the coup-leaders being Finnish.

The soviets quickly seized power as the army reeled in shock, and a new "Soviet Union" was established and communism instituted as law. Events quickly spiraled out of control, as the embittered Russian soldiers abandoned their posts en mass, throwing insults at the retreating British units for the western Entente's lack of...well anything really, and drunkenly bemoaned the tragic loss of their honorable defeat or potential victory. The Tsar was liberated by loyal Russian troops on his way to exile in Siberia. The Imperial Navy in the Black Sea declared it's allegiance to the Tsar, and workers militia's and former soldiers quickly form all through what's left of the country. Civil war seems imminent, and it's anyone's guess as to who will come out ahead.

The vile Soviet Union

And so ends the Eastern Front of the Great War, and with it the Russian Empire (for now...). No other theater of the war would offer such stunning success and defeats, and the scale of the conflict will forever be hard to imagine. It was an honor leading the brave and terribly equipped Russian soldier into combat. Thanks for reading! I'm convinced that if I had lasted until the summer, victory would have assuredly been the Entente's, as the pummeling I was giving the Centrals would have drained their manpower to the point of no return, and Austria-Hungry would have collapsed under an impending three front war with Italy soon to join. But in the end I fell, and now the Centrals stand poised to strike for Paris itself. Keep following Dizzle's thread for more updates on the war.

As for myself, while this AAR ends in a hard-fought defeat, don't count me out of the war just yet lads, there is much still happening in this crazy Great War of ours