[Forum game] The End of an Era: 1917 Balance of Power

Europe:

The summer of 1917 is one of the bloodiest in European history. The French and British, desperate to stop the German advance, launch a large scale counter-attack. They drive back the Germans, but at heavy cost. The Germans then renew their assault and drive the French and British lines back to were they were at the beginning of summer. The effect is to exhaust all armies involved, with 500,000 casualties on each side, without achieving any decisive result. [-2 German army units -2 French army units -1 British army unit]


British troops scrambling out of their trenches to attack the German lines.

The sole exception to this is an attack by the Canadian Corps on Clamecy, a small French village occupied by the Germans. The Canadian commander General Julian Byng, launches a masterful attack on the German trenches using tunnels, and holds it against German counterattacks while hardly taking a single casualty. The victory is greatly publicized, and Byng becomes a British national hero overnight.


The gruff Canadian who swept the Germans away.

In Germany the Spartacus League launches a major recruitment drive, blaming the government's conservationism for the war and the moderate policies of the German left for allowing it to continue. Many war weary Germans join, but the chaos engulfing Russia proves a major turn off for wide scale recruitment.

On the Italian front, Austria launches the Caporetto Offensive, attempting to copy the German Hutier tactics, something they prove altogether incapable of doing. They lack the organization and skill of the German army, but are just as exhausted. Their decision to use poison gas backfires when an easterly wind sweeps it back to their lines, killing many of their own solders. After a month and a half of fighting, the Austrians have taken 200,000 casualties and advanced only five miles. The Emperor then calls off the offensive.


The young men of Austria just before the disastrous attack.

Italian propagandists have a field day with the victory, and their latest round of conscription is met with less hostility. [+1 Italian army unit]


Some Italian propaganda.

In Austria, the on going blockade leads to food riots in Vienna and other major cities. Emperor Charles I makes a grand announcement that "all languages spoken within the empire are accepted and recognized by the empire." This has almost no practical effect.

Romania faces near annihilation when a joint Austrian-Bulgarian invasion inflicts 100,000 casualties. The invaders, to their dismay, find that they cannot inflict heavy enemy casualties without suffering just as many. Their casualties come to about 120,000. An attempt by the Bulgarian King to gather more troops is halted, as there are simply not enough men in the country to replace their losses and gather a new army.


Romanian troops manning a machine gun.

The Netherlands faces huge social problems as the Prime Minister tries to convince the people that entering the war is a good idea. The opposition makes harsh attacks on his policy, and it looks as if they have a good chance of winning the next elections.

The chaos in Russia spreads in the warm summer months. The Bolsheviks, the Provisional Government, and the Whites launch offensives, knowing that large advances will be near impossible in the winter. The Provisional Government strikes towards Moscow and the Bolsheviks strike toward St. Petersburg. Their armies meet in the center, and after some sharp fighting, the Provisional Governments is forced to retreat after a mass defection to the Bolshevik side. The Red army now bears down on St. Petersburg. A Soviet scorched earth policy does not do them favors in terms of peasant support. [-1 Russian army unit +1 Soviet army unit]


The Red army charges Government lines. Attacks such as these were ordered by both sides, and were generally suicidal.

The Government forces have more success in the Ukraine, but only manage to fight the Reds to a stalemate. However, the Ukrainian nationalist Professor Mykhailo Hrushevskyi extends an offer to the Government stating that he will rally Ukrainians against the Bolsheviks in return for complete independence after the war.


Hrushevskyi is a intelligent man, and knows how to seize opportunities.

The Russian Whites are the most successful of the anti-Bolshevik forces, as a mass offensive ordered by Denikin brings them within twenty miles of Moscow. The White army proves more loyal then the Governments, but they commit numerous war crimes, including looting and rape, earning them the nickname "The White Terror."


A White officer talking to his men just before an attack.

On the home front, trade between Russia and Germany is sabotaged again and again on the overland routs, making the only effective option sea trade. Numerous weapons and other vital supplies arrive to help the Provisional Government forces, helping them replace equipment lost to the Soviets.

The Duma is still divided. The conservatives praise Denikin's White army as "the savor of the legitimate Russian government," while the Mensheviks (who have been growing increasingly radical in their thoughts) call attention to the war crimes of the Whites. The Social Democrats try to maintain a middle ground, but are plagued by the infighting of their own party. The Government manages to win a major political victory however, when the highly prominent Bolshevik (some say only a step down from Lenin or Trotsky) Joseph Stalin agrees to join in the Duma as a representative of the Bolsheviks. This wins many of the more moderate Bolsheviks on to their side.


Is Stalin a true believer in democracy?

Americas:

The slaughter on the Western front in Europe, and President Wilson's appeal to all good Christians to stay out of the war brings a sharp decrease in the number of war supporters, in the United States, although they still have the majority. However, they suffer a serious blow when the New York Times publishes an article accusing the President of shipping war goods through Russia to Germany. Now he gets attacked politically by the anti-war activists who he supported.

The FBI and Federal Marshals are sent South to stop the activities of the KKK. They are constantly heckled and delayed by the state governments, and Wilson tries to send federal troops to stop it. However, with his disintegrating popularity, congress adopts a firm "never agree with the president" doctrine, and prevent him from doing so.

Continuing on this policy during the July Budget meeting, when Wilson states it would be good to decrease shipments to Britain and France. By the end of the meeting, congress has authorized a 20% hike in shipments.

In Mexico, the government subsidizes farmers and new modern farming equipment, but many of these subsidies end up in the hands of corrupt government officials.

Asia:

The Kuomintang starts an offensive against the loose coalition of warlords dominating China. The warlords states are armed with an arsenal of Japanese supplied weapons, but The Kuomintang forces have peasant support and much more motivated solders, and expand their area of control, taking over most of Southern China. Their attempts at creating a light industry however, fail spectacularly, as few Chinese (especially among the anti-capitalist Kuomintang) have the know-how to start a business.


A warlord solder operating a Japanese light machine gun.

Japanese light industry continues it's growth. [+1 economic level in 1 turn]

Duan Qirui, the warlord ruler of Northern China, grants several economic concessions to the Japanese in return for arms, and then promptly attacks his Southern neighbor in Beijing.

Australia:

The Australian Prime Minister tries to withdraw Australian troops from the war like South Africa did, but they cannot get the necessary votes in Australian Parliament. Most Australians are still loyal to their mother country.


Australian troops such as these will remain in Europe for now.

Middle East:

As well as deploying an army group to Greece to help fill in the gaps in Bulgarian lines, the Ottoman army launches an assault into Palestine, expecting the British to withdraw their troops to help in the Western Front. They don't, and the Ottomans end up in a stalemate, still facing a hostile population.

Africa:

Many South Africans loyal to the British crown are shocked when the recently returned home army invades Swaziland, a British colony. However, most are not loyal to the British, and applaud their governments switching of sides. The black population doesn't like it, but then again they don't have any say in government so what does it matter?

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