Für Das Vaterland

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Für Das Vaterland (Germany WW1 AAR)

(NOTE: I have a new username, Spectre48. If anyone wishes to contact me further or look for any of my new AAR's, they will written from that account. Thanks!)

Well this is my first attempt at an AAR. I'm using the 1914 Doomsday mod, 0.41. Please leave some constructive criticism, and tell me why you do or don't like it. I started in 1897, and in my first update I'll give you information about what happened in the first 17 years, then I'll continue my AAR starting in 1914.

Für Das Vaterland

After the German victory in the Franco-Prussian war, the status quo was upset by a German Empire growing more and more powerful. At the end of the 19th century, the Great Powers in Europe - France, Germany, Britain, Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire - began a massive arms race, determined to build the strongest military in the world.

At the dawn of the 20th century, tensions became greater and greater. The Great Powers, in order not to find themselves standing alone if war did break out, sought alliances with each other to attempt to gain the upper hand. Germany formed alliances with Italy and Austria-Hungary, and France created an alliance with Russia in order to create a two-front war if Germany stepped out of line. Great Britain chose to remain neutral, preferring to concentrate on their own Empire rather than European affairs. There was no question that there would be a war - the question was when.




And so our story begins...​

Chapter 1: Gearing Up For War​

Chapter 2: A Bright and Jolly War - First Month (Part One)​

​

Chapter 2: A Bright and Jolly War - First Month (Part Two)​

Chapter 3: Gott Mit Uns - Second Month​

​

Chapter 4: Winterspiel - End of the Year​

Chapter 5: The Road to Paris - Beginning of Year Two​

Chapter 6: All Eyes on the East - Spring of Year Two​

Chapter 7: Weltkrieg - Spring and Summer of Year Two​

Chapter 8: Frozen War - Winter and First Half of Year Three​

Chapter 9: The Final Offensive - Summer of Year Three​

Chapter 10: Road to Victory - Winter of 1916/17​

Chapter 11: Victory for the Fatherland - Last Year of War​

The Treaty of Versailles​

Field Marshall Karl von Bock​

 

[unmerged(47582)]

A little war in those 17 years i hope?

 

[Admiral Yamamot]

A little war in those 17 years i hope?

Usually there will be a whole bunch of wars!

@Middelkerke:
Looks very promising!
Please carry on!

 

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Für Das Vaterland

Gearing Up For War





It's 3 years from the beginning of a new, possibly German-dominated century. Never has the arms race been tighter than now, in 1897. Since the end of the Franco-Prussian war, Germany has claimed to posses the most powerful land-based army in the world, with a navy second, yet still far behind the British Empire.

Kaiser Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia, had been in power for nearly a decade, and he had begun to show more and more ambition. In addition to the most powerful land military in the world, the Kaiser desired the most powerful navy. This, however, would be an extremely difficult task to achieve.

On June 6, 1987, Kaiser Wilhelm appointed Admiral Tirpitz as Chief of Navy. Tirpitz had shown great interest in creating a powerful navy, and great ability to do so. He began designs on a fleet more advanced and larger than any fleet the Royal Navy had afloat. The British Empire, while not exactly pleased with the German build up, felt that the Germans posed no real threat to their invulnerable navy.

Meanwhile, as Tirpitz oversaw the buildup of the Navy, Kaiser Wilhelm himself began military reforms that would increase the German dominance on land even further. He increased the German military budget and training substansially in order to create a better organized, equipped, and better trained military machine.

The military wasn't the only area that was reformed. In order to be able to produce the equipment that the German military needed, the Kaiser dedicated a great amount of resources towards the construction of factories and other industrial sites in Bavaria and Baden-Wurttemburg, in Southern Germany. He also needed proper ports to hold this grand fleet that was in the beginning phases. Large and prosperous naval ports were built in Lome in Western Africa, Dar es Salaam in Eastern Africa, and Lae and Majuro in the Pacific.

Diplomacy was also a strong point of Germany during this period. Kaiser Wilhelm proved himself to be a good negotiator and quickly gained the friendship of Brazil and Russia, while maintaining the close ties with Austria-Hungary. Relations with Italy, however, were becoming increasingly strained due to differences in views and government policies with the other Central Powers.

On the 24th of February, a rebellion broke out in Crete against Ottoman rule, and Greece pounced upon the situation to lay claims to the island. Russia quickly supported Greece against the Turks, and most of the world expected Germany to support the Ottoman Empire. Kaiser Wilhelm, however, decided to support the Greeks. The Ottoman Empire, pressured by two of the most powerful nations in the world, decided to cede Crete, and only barely held the rest of the Empire together. Britain, Russia and Germany - expecting the Ottoman Empire to break up - staked their claims on Turkish land. When it became clear that it would not break up, however, Britain and Russia backed down.

The next year, the Spanish-American war erupted after the sinking of the Maine in a port in Spanish-ruled Cuba. Most of the powers of Europe stayed out of the war, with nothing to gain. Germany, not particularly happy about American Belligerence, stayed neutral, but publicly stated their support for Spain. The war lasted for only a few months, with thousands killed on both side, and only a few islands in the Pacific, such as Guam, givin to the Americans. Cuba, however, remained in Spanish control.

A few months after the Spanish-American war, in 1899, Russia made a surprising proposal. They offered the Central Powers an alliance. Germany accepted, on the condition that France give up their claims for Alcase-Lorraine. France refused, but Russia formed an alliance with Germany anyways.

The status quo continued for a decade, with Russia as a sort of mediator, making sure that no conflict erupted between France and Germany. If Germany declared war on France, Russia would declare war on Germany. If France declared war on Germany, Russia would declare war on France.

In 1911 it became clear that Italy and the Central Powers were heading in different directions. Kaiser Wilhelm, not wanting to have the Italians push through Austria-Hungary and create a three-front war for Germany, authorized the construction of a huge line of defensive fortifications across Germany's southern border.

With the construction of Tirpitz's fleet was becomming a reality, Germany was able to commit their older, smaller fleet to the Mediterranean to counter a possible Italian front. There was one problem however: The lack of a German port in the Mediterranean. The solution to this was to ask the Ottomans for the German Claimed territory in southern Anatolia. The Ottomans didn't like it, but were in no position to refuse. The Kaiser quickly saw too it that a large port be constructed Antalya, and the "Mittelmeerflotte" was stationed in the region to oversee German interests in the Mediterranean.

In 1913, Tirpitz's ideas for the most powerful navy in the world came to fruition. The newly formed "Hochseeflotte" was stationed in Wilhelmshaven, with two Submarine fleets stationed in Kiel. In all, 30 Nassau-class battleships, - the most advanced and destructive battleships the world had yet seen - 15 Destroyers, 15 Pillau-class cruisers, and 15 G 101-class Destroyers formed the Hochseeflotte, while 30 U-37 Submarines formed the two submarine fleets. According the the best German intelligence, Britain wasn't even close to matching this might. All that was needed was to wait for the right time to show it off.

By 1914, Germany had over 100 divisions stations on the Western border, with the majority based in Essen under the command of Alfred Graf von Schlieffen. On the Eastern front, 85 divisions were deployed under the command of Prince Albrecht of Prussia. 15 Divisions were stationed on the Southern border, still wary of an Italian betrayal. Troops were also stationed in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, ensuring the protection of German colonies.

Europe was at a boiling point, and all that was needed to escalate the situation was a crisis. This came with the Assassination of Franze Ferdinand, crown prince of Austria.

Kaiser Wilhelm, realizing that he needed to send his condolences or else be left without a solid ally. Not unexpectedly, Italy condemned this and withdrew from the Central powers.

Serbia quickly sought the aid of Russia, who quickly withdrew from their alliance with Germany. On August 2, 1914, Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary, followed by a German declaration of war on Russia, and a French declaration of war on Germany.

Italy remained neutral for the time being, as did the Ottoman Empire and Britain. None of them, however, were expected to stay neutral for long...​

 

[TheHyphenated1]

Very nice! Keep it up!

 

[unmerged(95164)]

Troops are positioned along the borders with Britain and France. The southern section of the Frence province in Cameroon seems to be undefended, or unprepared. The Kaiser has ordered that the single German division stationed in the south-eastern province of the German colony sweep into the undefended French sector before they can reinforce it.

The South African front is seeing no bloodshed for the moment, but German forces are preparing for the British Entry into the war.

The largest buildup in the African front is in East Africa. Germany has 1 division in the south, ready to defend against the single British division in Rhodesia. In the north, however, 11 German divisions are stationed at strategic points, against 5 British and 1 Congolese. The Kaiser is planning to push north into Libya and then Egypt. The ultimate prize is the Suez Canal, but a landing of troops from German-controlled Anatolia in the region could prove more effective.

The Kaiser isn't much interested in anything more than holding the Allies back in the Pacific and in Asia. A fairly large force of 5 divisions is stationed in Tsingtao, with two divisions in Lae in New Guinea to the British two, and 1 on the island of Bougainville, with two British divisions across a narrow strip of water. 1 division is stationed to protect the German port in the Marshalls, and one division is stationed to protect German-held Samoa.

 

[unmerged(87674)]

It looks great, keep it up!!!
Subscribed

 

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@Middelkerke:
Looks very promising!
Please carry on!

Middelkerke is not the author, did you mean to address that to Kaiser Snyder?

this looks awesome, good luck surviving the chaotic early 20th century.

 

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@ Mittelkerke: In the first 17 years (1897 to 1914) there wasn't much war, other than the Spanish-American war. Since I sided with Greece in the Cretan crisis, and Crete was ceded to Greece, the Balkans war never erupted. At least, I assume that's the reason. This is the first time playing this mod.

@ Admiral Yamamoto: I assume you meant me, but no harm done, and I shall carry on!

@ Lifo: Enjoy!

@ rcduggan: I'll do my best to succeed where the Germans failed historically. The fact that schlieffen is even alive still is a bit surprising, but may turn fate into my own hands, as the Schlieffen plan will not be compromised. Not sure if it's an event or not - but when January 4, 1913 rolled around I was expecting an event saying he died. Oh well, let's focus on the right flank then!

 

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Für Das Vaterland

A Bright and Jolly War - First Month (Part One)





August 3, 1914. The news of the war breaking out had just been brodcast to the people of Germany. Most were eager to finally see the war break out. Soldiers happily marched to the fronts to fight in what Kaiser Wilhelm, along with the rest of the belligerents, was calling a "Bright and Jolly war" that would be over within 40 days. "By Christmas time," the Kaiser had announced, "German forces would be parading through Paris."

What many of these soldiers didn't know was that they were marching happily towards their deaths.

The German main plan was to finish off the French quickly, then turn around and steamroll the Russians until they either surrendered or were destroyed. The Kaiser knew, however that they needed to keep constant pressure on the Russians, and authorized a general offensive on the front. The largest amount of soldiers were based in Memel, ready to push northeast into the heart of the Russian industry, and there were a good amount of soldiers stationed at other strategic points on the Russo-German border who were ordered to go on the offensive as well. In the best case scenario, Germany, along with their Austrian allies, hoped to push as far east as the Dnieper, and as far north as St. Petersburg - the Russian capital. This, however, was highly unexpected. Russia would surely come to an agreement before they let St. Petersburg fall.

On the western front, the Schlieffen Plan was to be carried out, with the exception of the violation of Dutch neutrality. German forces would sweep through Belgian lands, then the army would be split into 4 different groups. Two of these groups would be stationed at Ghent, one in Mons, and the last in Namur.

From Ghent, the first group would move west into French territory at Dunkerque and move along the French coast line until they reach Caen, when they would turn south and head to Orleans, encircling Paris.

The second group in Ghent would march straight to Paris and begin the siege until the first group arrived from Orlean to help take the city.

The third group would move from Mons into Champagne, and then if they are needed they will move west into Paris to meet with the first two groups. If the city is already taken, or poorly defended, they would continue south to Troyes, flanking the French troops positioned on the border of Germany.

The fourth and last group would move south into Rheims and then Troyes. The main mission of this group will be the surrounding and annihilation of the French troops stationed on the German border.

In the sea to the north, Germany was eager to test her new fleet. At 3 AM on August 3rd, two French destroyers approached Wilhelmshaven, expecting to create a small thorn Germany's side. What they didnt expect, however, is the gigantic fleet that they met. After only two hours, both of the destroyers lay at the bottom of the sea.

The next day, word of the fleet had reached Britain. Germany was determined to use the fleet to intimidate Britain into remaining neutral. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. The British Empire, seeing this as a direct assault on British dominance in the sea, and therefore a threat to the British Isles, declared war on Germany, using the invasion of Belgium as grounds to enter the war. Germany sent a message to the Ottoman Empire, and secret negotiations to form an alliance began. Britain knew the Ottomans may join the Central Powers, so they seized an Ottoman battleship. It was only a matter of time before the Ottoman Empire declared war on Britain.

As a result of the British declaration, South Africa began to revolt against British rule. Germany was quick to pounce on this, beginning an offensive in various areas of Africa with the mission of encircling and destroying British and French troops. Japan had also followed suit, and declared war on Germany with the intention of claiming the German provinces in the Pacific. After the British and Japanese declaration, Romania announced their neutrality in the conflict.

Germany was still determined to prove itself as a naval power, and at 3 A.M. on August 5th, the opportunity presented itself. A German submarine fleet had spotted the British Royal Navy just off the coast of Portsmouth, with the German fleet just 10 hours away. The German fleet immediately set sail directly towards the conflict, but the British fleet fled just before the German fleet arrived. Two German submarines were destroyed, with a handful of British ships fairly or greatly damaged. It was only a minor setback to the German navy, however.

As the Central Powers moved into Belgium, the Eastern front proved to be a greater success than expected. Already the German army had made significant progress, and had surrounded 4 Russian divisions. After two days of fighting, the surrounded Russian troops surrendered. 23,000 men, including General Nikolai Ruzsky, were taken prisoner.

After the first week of fighting, the situation was looking to be in German favor. Troops were on the move in Africa, and a skirmish between German and British forces in New Guinea resulted in small German gains on the Pacific colony. There was fierce fighting between Austria-Hungary and the Balkan states of Serbia and Montenegro, but little fighting between Austria-Hungary and Russia. On the German Eastern Front, troops had advanced and pushed the Russian army back in every direction, while progress in the western front was slightly slower, but still successful.

German troops were ordered to continue their offensive in all areas to keep the enemies on their toes. On the left flank, the provinces that shared a direct border with France, German troops were ordered to hold at all costs, but not to advance until further notice.​

(So, how do you guys like it so far? Good or bad for my first AAR?)

 

[Winner]

What's the game difficulty?

Good job sending troops oversees to protect your colonies, I have always lost them because I couldn't commit enough troops to their defense.

 

[comagoosie]

Very good

Let us hope that the jolly war continues

 

[unmerged(47582)]

How many IC did you build yourself?

 

[unmerged(95164)]

@ Winner: The difficulty is Hard/Aggressive. I've never played the 1914 scenario before, so I didn't want to overwhelm myself just yet.

@ Middelkerke: I built 5 IC in Frankfurt-am-Main, Nuremburg, Regensburg, Munich, Friedrichshaven, Freiburg and Stuttgart. 35 IC in all.

 

[Jolt]

Nice AAR keep it up!

 

[unmerged(94576)]

don't let yourself go completely on the defensive in the west. good AAR so far.

 

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Für Das Vaterland

A Bright and Jolly War - First Month (Part Two)





One week after the beginning of the war, Germany seemed to be making great progress on both fronts. The soldiers were fighting in the grand battles that they expected to fight in, and basking in the glory that they hoped for. Seeing the German progress, and because the Central Powers supported them in the Cretan Crisis, Greece announced her declaration of war on the Allies on August 9.

It wouldn't take long, however, to show the world what kind of war this would really be. On 4 A.M. on August 9, Germany assaulted the city of Sedan in the region of Reims. Almost 44 years before, the decisive battle between France and Germany occurred at the same site, resulting in 100,000 French prisoners, including King Napoleon III. The Kaiser was hoping for the same sort of decisive battle.

At the beginning of the battle, 350,000 German soldiers crossed into French territory to find 240,000 French soldiers. The German advance was soon halted by 90,000 French reinforcements. At the height of the battle on August 15, 500,000 German troops faced off against 440,000 French, resulting in a catastrophic 150,000 French dead and 100,000 Germans. The city was won, however, when the French were finally forced to retreat on the 17th of August. Sedan was captured, and Germany was jubilant, despite the 250,000 men who died in just over 1 week of fighting.

The next day, Kaiser Wilhelm recieved intelligence that Metz was left virtually undefended after the Battle of Sedan, and ordered his border troops to move forwards, capturing the stronghold.

Yet more good news came on August 12 when German troops landed east of the Suez Canal. This move came to the complete surprise of the British, who didn't know that the Germans had any real military force capable of landing in Suez. Three days later, after little resistance, the canal was captured, cutting the British off from their precious colonies in Asia and Australia.

Two days later, on the 14th, German troops moved into Brussels. The Allies were surprised at the speed of the German advancement, but weren't about to throw in the towel. Two days later, Germany annexed the Kingdom of Belgium after Ghent was secured.

On the Eastern Front, German troops were moving with freightening speed. On the 20th of August, German troops marched into Minsk, and Tsar Nicholas was forced to order a general retreat across the Dnieper River. In the north, 100,000 German troops were ordered to march across the Daugava River north into Daugavplis, and then further north to Pskov to cut off the German troops in Latvia and Estonia, but were soon encircled. More German troops were sent north Across the river to Riga to relieve the encircled troops before they were destroyed, but the result of that operation isn't yet known.

In the African front, German troops have beaten back or successfully defended against everything the British and French could throw at them - or what they couldn't. The German presence was far stronger in every part of Africa than the British, and British territories were quickly becomming overrun.

In the Pacific and Eastern Asia, the troops continued to enjoy fairly peaceful conditions. The only conflicts came yet again in New Guinea, where German troops continued pushing the British back slowly but surely.

On the Eastern Front, the Tsar has taken over direct control of the Russian military, and huge chunks of Russian land has been lost. Austria-Hungary has recently annexed Serbia, and is now advancing quickly into Monte-Negro while finally gaining some ground against Russian forces.

The Western Front is seeing slowed, but constant German advance. The fighting is fierce and German troops have advanced just across the Siene River from Paris. It's only a matter of time before the city falls.

The grand navy the Germans have assembled still has yet to come to blows with the British fleet, but continue to wreak havok against british transports that attempt to cross the channel.

The coming month of September will most likely see the final defeat of the French in the west, and the Russians in the east, or the halt of the German advance.​

 

[Admiral Yamamot]

A very, very fine AAR!
Please keep it up!

 

[The Great Duck]

Looks good,although you must know that 1897 and other campaigns except 1914 are unfinished.
BTW,what version is this?It looks you have a bad install since Fascist and Left-wing radical are AFAIK renamed to Military autocrat and Radicalist.

 

[unmerged(95164)]

It's version .41 and I haven't noticed anything incomplete, other than the fact that the AI isn't building aircraft bases, and I can't research aircraft. That's not too big of a deal for me, however, because during this time period aircraft were used more for spotting enemy positions and shooting each other down.