How do you beat Austria?

[GreenMarine]

Austria...I can't figure out how to beat them. I'm not incredibly skilled at the military side of the game and Austria consistantly kicks my ass. It's 1900, I'm Italy, and I want to push into Austria to reclaim some territory before the game ends, so I can get a strong finish.

The German Minors enter the war on Austria's side. France joins me. France does enough damage to the Minors to push them all out of the war (with much prestige to both of us). This basically leaves me worrying about Austria. I have a slight technological edge over them.

The problem is when Austria has a stack of 100k soldiers dug-in at 100. There is no way to break that, as far as I know. I haven't figured out how to use gas attacks yet. Anyway, they dig in and the war crawls to a halt. If one of their stacks breaks the line, they more or less win by taking territories behind my lines.

What is a good strategy for breaking a trench line and defeating a strong enemy like Austria?

I'm thinking of forming up my trench line and using a seperate stack behind their lines. Or, I could possibly get access through France and keep my Austrian line fixed and just see if I can annex a German Minor or two. My desire is to just get enough Prestige to make a strong top 8 finish.

 

[Barkhauer]

Generally it's best to fight Austria before they hit high entrenchment abilities like that(granted via military techs). Say, before 1870 if at all possible. When they have 100 entrenchment in mountains and forests, you need to have about 10:1 advantage in numbers *and* lots of artillery *and* make a multi-pronged attack (attack from 2 or more provinces at the same time to the one target province) or you need to simply go around them. Build a small navy and land an army behind them.

 

[unmerged(7789)]

In my last Italy game I started my invasions of Austria at about the same time, but became successful by building a small, but efficient navy to land troops into the Dalmatia area, and allying with Russia. Russia is a natural ally for Italy as they can be used in wars versus Austria, and the occasional mediterranean slug-fest with the Ottomans. The Ottomans are a poor choice as allies against Austria as they tend to simply fold and bring down your war score. Anyway...if you can land a substatial army into Dalmatia and get the Russians in the war it essentially becomes a three front war for the Austrians (I went further by bringing in Prussia and making it a four front war) thus thinning out their alpine entrenchments, and allowing for some gains in that area if you have decent generals and attack from multiple directions. It's not easy, and it takes two or three wars to get everything you want, but after the first be sure to keep as much of the Adriatic coast as you can...It makes for a simpler invasion later, and you can almost entirely skip the mountains if you're heading for Vienna.

I would also suggest a divisionally large army since you'll have to cover a lot of terrain. I had an army that was 120% the size of Austria's when I began my wars with them.

 

[alpinit]

but how thr gas attack works?
it is entering automaticly after the event or i need to build something?

 

[Procyon]

To beat Austria you must take most of their provinces and preferably destroy their army.

Actually they can be a pain, they're big, but just try not to spread yourself out too much. I prefer a good medium between concentrating my forces and spreading them, seems to work decent against Austria too.

 

[unmerged(2238)]

Getting into wars while you close in on the WWI time period is a big challenge. Sure you have a lot more resources for more troops, but taking defended non plains-clear land is a huge challenge.

 

[OriginalRafiki]

but how thr gas attack works?
it is entering automaticly after the event or i need to build something?

I think that a nation that has discovered "Gas Attack" gets a bonus when fighting a nation that hasn't discovered "Gas Defence". Not sure, tho'.

Rafiki

 

[Derek Pullem]

How to beat Austria - ally with Prussia or Russia.

This will force the Austrians to strip the trench lines and you will be able to attrite them eventually. Once you break through keep moving.

Alternatively try to build a reasonable navy and land 100,000 men in Dalmatia. Be ready to lift them again as they will get surrounded. But again the idea is to strip the front line. Remember that your entrenchments are just as intimidating to Austria as theirs are to you so you can hold the line with minimal troops.

Players beat AI in wars of manouver - not slugfests.

 

[OriginalRafiki]

Isn't that the general strategy when it comes to beating any AI nation? Ally with and/or strengthen the AI nation's other enemies, such as strengthening China and OE when finding yourself opposite Russia, or strengthening the CSA if you want to give the US a hard time?

Rafiki

 

[unmerged(18513)]

Generally in my experience is that you really need to go mobile on them, lure them out and decimate them gradually, this becomes harder and harder later in the game due to rapid deployments via railroads and increased military bonuses.

You really need to get behind the lines and draw away their military so that they loose that nice entrechment bonus that they have.

 

[unmerged(760)]

Isn't that the general strategy when it comes to beating any AI nation? Ally with and/or strengthen the AI nation's other enemies, such as strengthening China and OE when finding yourself opposite Russia, or strengthening the CSA if you want to give the US a hard time?

yep. that could be seen as a general guideline. it has huge effects but can be tricky when your old friends decide to turn on you

 

[Darkrenown]

You Italy players should be in my game. Austria's military score never went above 16 (If it starts out above it then it dropped pretty fast) untill ~1860 when it climbed to the grand total of 33 or the Italian wars. S-P still managed to lose though, but that's mainly because my Germany crushed their Frence ally.

 

[unmerged(8351)]

To beat Austria you must take most of their provinces and preferably destroy their army.

:rofl:

What a conincidence, this is also the strategy I tend to use.

Seriously though, making strategic retreats can be VERY VERY useful. Pull them out of those entrenched positions and onto the northern Italian plain and the romanga. Yes you will temporarily lose all of northern Italy, but then you have all your forces on a two province front and can force a breakthrough against goods odds. Afterwards make sure to try to isolate their smaller armies. And try to inflict lots of causalties and always make sure to have LOCAL SUPERIORITY. I usually just let their larger armies go and conquer whatever they want and take out the smaller ones first. Sap their manpower. Mobile warfare is the key for me

 

[unmerged(10416)]

It should be nearly impossible for the Italians _alone_ to beat a historical-borders-Austria in the game. That's how it was historically.

Russia ought to be ally No.1 for an aspiring Italian player

 

[unmerged(18330)]

as Italy, I landed troops in Croatia and push for Vienna. It took me several wars of slow gains, but then I took all of the Alps from Austria. Without those, I (who owned Africa, which is where all my soldiers came from) just broke through the 10-20k parts of their line with manpower and ran all over them.

 

[GreenMarine]

Can tanks overrun a trench line? I don't have tanks yet. I'm not well versed in WWI era warfare.

 

[Darkrenown]

They should be able to, but I don't think their anti-entrechment bonus works ATM.

 

[unmerged(22698)]

Really? Tanks are broken in 1.03? The last time I used them was with 1.01, and I could have swore they worked. I remember seeing the enemy entrenchment values plummet during an attack. If they ARE working, they are key to uprooting those pesky trench rats.

 

[unmerged(8351)]

Some headlines from the Onions our dumb century. Funny Funny

August 5, 1914 WAR DECLARED BY ALL
Austria declares war on Serbia declares war on Germany declares war on France declares war on Turkey declares war on Russia declares war on Bulgaria declares war on Britain. Ottoman Empire almost declares war on itself. Nations struggle to remember allies.

August 24, 1914 BRITISH CROQUET MALLETS PROVE USELESS AT FRONT
Hun's 'machine-guns' prove more effective weapons. "I say, it worked splendidly in the drill," Brigadier General Sir Edmund Shropshire-Lloyd says.

August 24, 1914 INFECTIOUS DISEASES CELEBRATE OPENING OF PANAMA CANAL

February 19, 1915 600,000 KILLED IN 4-INCH ADVANCE ON WESTERN FRONT
Heroic soldiers pay ultimate price to make patch of mud safe for democracy. 'These 4 inches of mud no longer bow before the whip of tyranny,' says British Command

November 8, 1917 PRETENTIOUS, GOATED COFFEEHOUSE TYPES SEIZE POWER IN RUSSIA
Students in berets and turtlenecks sweaters stage armed coup d'etat. Revolution fueled by triple espressos. Winter palace looted for poetry anthologies

November 8, 1917 FIRST ROUND OF SOLDIER'S LIMBS RETURNS HOME TO HERO'S WELCOME
Hometown wives and mothers with emotion upon reunion with disembodied arms, legs. Sight of gangrenous amputations brings tears to eyes of lovely ladies. Severed parts honored with New York City 'Ticker Tape" parade.

November 6, 1918 CORPSE-EATING RATS NOW LARGEST MILITARY FORCE IN EUROPE
Vermin outnumber all military forces 2 to1

November 12, 1918 WAR OVER AS FRANZ FERDINAND FOUND ALIVE
'How fares Europe?' Asks presumed-dead archduke. Long and hideous was simple misunderstanding.

 

[OriginalRafiki]

:rofl:

Is it only in print, or is there some online version?

Rafiki