Turn 16 October 3-6, 1914

German Player

Still no reinforcements, but the Germans do receive a large share of replacements and a reconstituted unit. At Antwerp, the 1st Guard Division and the 20th Division both move back into contact with the Belgians in Antwerp. General Heeringen orders an all-out attack. The dice come out “boxcars” and the Belgians fall apart. The 3rd Infantry Division is wiped out along with remnants of the 1st Cavalry and the armored car unit. The rest fall back to the west. Antwerp is captured and the Germans deploy two reserve divisions there to occupy it. The breakthrough combat goes poorly however and the Germans lose three steps while destroying Belgian fortress number 5.

On the far right, General Bulow’s Army uses reserve movement to race to the south of Beauvais, approaching the Marne. Gaede’s HQ sends out orders to attack the weak marine units holding the Allies left. Both spearheads decimate the position and the Royal Marines and Fusiliers brigades are eliminated. During the breakthrough combat the British 1st Marine Bde is eliminated as well. The British 1st Cavalry screens the German breakthrough forces and falls back to the Marne.

The French 6th Division holds a little town on the Marne River called Senlis. A massive assault is launched with two German infantry divisions that have crossed the river. A breakthrough is achieved and the French infantry withers away. The breakthrough units attack the 2nd Moroccan Division next and sacrifice a step from the Guard but manage to destroy the French unit. [The French player has been exceedingly lucky on his reconstitution die rolls though, and these units were in command range.]

Allied Player Turn

The French receives some reinforcements in Paris. Both of Klein’s brigades are deployed. Foch’s Headquarters converts to the CnC version. The BEF falls back to the left of Paris, while Marshal Foch reorganizes the defense of Paris. Meanwhile General d’ Esperey orders a counterattack into the German spearhead along the railroad at south of Clermont. The weak French attack is repulsed. Farther along the Aisne River, de Langle’s Army launches a counterattack against the Germans south of Charleville. As a result, the German 17th Division is eliminated. The French achieve a breakthrough result but there is no one else to attack.

Battle for Metz

The French bring 18 divisions against the German position in Metz, but they are repulsed, taking losses of two steps to one. Metz continues to be held by the Germans. The French are losing on VP but Paris is still held with a strong force. Alsace-Lorraine is quite congested as both sides are putting a lot of effort in the battle for Metz. The Germans will have to give some attention to a weakness that the Allies have exploited in their position, where they are overextended on the right. The French 12th Corps and the 23rd Reserve Corps have forced a breakthrough across the Aisne River south of Charleville. There is nothing there to stop the French from driving into the German line of communications.

Turn 17 October 7-10, 1914

German Player

The Germans receive replacements to bring some units back to full-strength. Immediately north of Metz, Strantz’s headquarters brings the 40th Division to full-strength. Then two units are reconstituted from the TRT. The 34th Infantry and the 14th Reserve are entered at reduced strength with Beseler’s HQ on the Oise River.

Near Antwerp, the 20th Infantry and 2nd Guard move to the 7th Army HQ to receive replacements. Three divisions maneuver to tackle King Albert’s remaining forces west of the capital. The armored trains are re-deployed to Eustkirchen and Karlsruhe where they can pick up reinforcements that are entering later in October.

The 7th Cavalry in the Ardennes, makes an emergency deployment to Charleville, where the French threaten. The Bavarian cavalry move to the railroad west of Charleville. Near Paris General Kluck’s forces are moved into the range of the Paris garrisons. Beseler’s headquarters prepares to send some divisions to the Serre River where they can contain the French counterattack.

Battle of the Scheldt River

General Heeringen orders an attack against King Albert’s forces on the western side of the Scheldt River. Several German infantry divisions have crossed over. The Belgians acquit themselves well and both sides take losses. The attackers lose two steps and the Belgians lose the infantry division.

Siege of Paris

General Kluck has the Krupp guns and the Skoda Guns in range of the Paris North fortifications. This as a 16 defense rated fortress. Kluck has an Assault Gruppe to assist with the attacks. The Skoda guns hit and the fortress loses a step. Then the Krupp Gun fires. This also hits and the fort is reduced again to its final step, and is now only a 4 strength. General Kluck does not attack the defending garrisons there.

During Exploitation, reserves are released to cover the weak flank near Charleville. The 17th Reserve Division moves to Vervins. Then the 18th Reserve moves to a position just to the south of the prior force.

Allied Player Turn

Two Territorial Divisions are deployed as reinforcements in Paris. The British 3rd Cavalry and 7th Infantry divisions also become available as reinforcements. These land in Le Treport. Paris braces itself for another attack, but the Allies attempt to disrupt the German plans by launching into the flanks of the overextended German attack.

From Le Treport, the British 3rd Cavalry division rides out to recapture Amiens unopposed. The 7th Division moves out along the rail line from Le Treport to the junction south of Amiens. The French player makes two major attacks.

Battle for Metz

The French commander throws 18 divisions into Metz, which is finally overwhelmed. The fortress is reduced to rubble and the defending units are eliminated. The French troops triumphantly march into Metz. Between Metz and Amiens, the VP has swung 15 points. The German army is still quite strong in Lorraine, but Metz will probably remain in the Allies hands for a while.

The Battle of Charleville

The Germans have cobbled together a weak defense for Charleville. The French have managed a fairly strong attack force under General Sarrail. Both sides take losses, but the German 38th Landwehr is eliminated and the 7th Cavalry is reduced, falling back several kilometers. The French recapture Charleville, collecting another 5 VP. Sarrail’s forces gain a breakthrough and manage a second round of combat. The German 7th Cavalry Division is eliminated during the breakthrough combat.

Turn 18 October 11-14, 1914

German Player

The German commander has to ponder the situation. He is two hexes away from victory in Paris. In the meantime, both flanks are compromised. True, the British have only two divisions on the western flank, but both threaten the German rail lines. The French have the 3rd Army coming into the line of communication from the east. Neither of these forces look like they can do too much damage. At this point, the VP situation is a draw, and it doesn’t look like it can swing too much.

A large group of reinforcements arrive at Eustkirchen. These troops all board armored trains and prepare to move into France. Two divisions with General Beseler’s headquarters receive replacements. Two divisions reconstitute from the TRT. One joins Graede’s headquarters which is threatened by the British flanking maneuver. The other deploys with the First Army. Two divisions in Belgium also take on replacements.

The reinforcements board armored trains in Germany and travel to the Sambre near Mons. These units will stop the flow of French forces from Charleville on the flank. In Antwerp, the German7th Army orders the Landwehr to garrison the capital while the HQ moves southward to Mons. The 20th Infantry and 1st Guard also head south and join General Heeringen. General Bulow orders the 2nd Army fall back toward Amiens, where the British have shown up. His forces use reserve movement to perform this maneuver. During exploitation, the armored trains move troops to the Somme River and Ham on the western side and two divisions to General Beseler’s HQ on the Serre and two more divisions to Versins.

Siege of Paris

General Kluck uses his siege guns against the northern fortifications of Paris. The Skoda guns inflict little if any damage this time, but the Krupp guns manage to destroy the rest of Paris North. Without knowing the strength of the French in the northern section of Paris, General Kluck arrogantly launches an assault. The German Assault group helps to bring the odds to 1-1 but this is not enough to overcome the “four” rolled on the dice. [A3]. Ouch.

Allied Player

The French player receives a few replacements and manages to reconstitute several units near Paris and Reims. The British HQ also receives a unit from the TRT. The French forces in Lorraine press forward after their victory at Metz. The forces along the Aisne Riverremain static. general de Langle is having second thoughts after receiving reports of voluminous enemy reinforcements along the Serre.

Near Paris, General French orders the British 6th Infantry to cross the river at Mantes and move to the town of Pontoise, and to hold that railroad junction. The rest of the BEF infantry at Versailles is placed in reserve and will cross the river along the Allies left flank during the exploitation phase.

Lorraine Battles

The Germans are defending in the town of Boulay, which is a Plan XVII VP. General de Castelnau’s 2nd Army prepares an attack with six divisions against the weak position, held by the German 42nd Infantry. The French are victorious and eliminate the German division, but also suffering a casualty. Boulay falls to the French troops as they advance. (During breakthrough combat, the German 10th Reserve is also severely damaged. The French take one step loss. )

General de Castelnau also orders a second attack on the left against the German held town of Briey. The German 32nd Infantry is defending in wooded terrain but this is not enough to stop the French. The German unit is eliminated and the French capture Briey. The Allies also lose one step.

Turn 19 October 15-18, 1914

German Player

There are no reinforcements, but the 25th Reserve Infantry is reconstituted with Stantz’s headquarters in Lorraine. With the prior disappointments with the attack on Paris, General Kluck reconsiders his plans. In the end, Kluck determines that it is just too dangerous to continue exposed outside of Paris so he orders his troops to fall back. However, General Bulow decides to counterattack the British at Amiens.

Second Battle of Amiens

General Bulow’s infantry assaults the British position, but they are repulsed and lose two steps. The British also take a step loss to their infantry but hold the position. Bulow is gravely disappointed and goes back to the drawing board.

Allied Player Turn

The 5th Army HQ receives replacements for the 19th Infantry Division. Both the 6th and 20th divisions at Reims also take replacements and return to full-strength with General de Langle’s headquarters. The 24th Infantry is also flipped to full strength. Several other units are reconstituted from the TRT.

Near Paris, the BEF is ordered to cover the Allied left flank. General French’s headquarters moves to the railroad crossing at Mantes. On the eastern side of the map, General de Castelnau’s 2nd Army focuses on exploiting the breakthrough in Lorraine. An overwhelming attack is aimed at the German position in St. Avald. This attack goes quite well. The German 31st Infantry Division is eliminated and the 38th Algerian Division trades a step. The French gain a breakthrough result. St. Avald falls to the 2nd Army.

Turn 20 October 19-22, 1914

German Player

Still no reinforcements. But Gaede’s HQ brings the 5th Infantry to full-strength with replacements. General Kluck’s headquarters is stationed in Claremont and the 39th Infantry Division receives a flow of replacements. Also the 25th Reserve near Metz is flipped to full-strength. Two divisions return through reconstitution and are deployed with the 6th Army to help to contain the French in the center.

Near Amiens, General Bulow sends a division across the Somme to cut the retreat path of the British forces defending the city. General Kluck maintains his position on the river near Claremont. The 7th Army prepares for an attack on Charleville and the 6th Army re-positions in Lorraine to defend as much of the VP as possible.

Battle for Amiens

General Bulow leads the attack against the British forces in Amiens. The British have a weakened infantry division as well as a cavalry force there. The modifiers drop the odds ratio to 1-1 but the Germans roll well on the CRT, resulting in the city falling back under German control. General Bulow sends the 43rd Reserve to occupy Amiens. This is a 5 VP location as it is a major railroad junction on theSomme River.

Battle for Charleville

General Heeringen’s 7th Army is charged with the task reclaiming Charleville. The French defend with three infantry divisions. But this attack is repulsed and the Germans take two step losses. The 1st Guard is reduced and the 33rd Landwehr is eliminated. The French 3rd Infantry Division also suffers a step loss.

Allied Player

General d’Urbal’s headquarters arrives and sets up with King Albert. At de Castelnau’s 2nd Army HQ, the 3rd Colonial and 29th Infantry Divisions pick up replacements. The 2nd Moroccan Division is reconstituted with Sarrail’s 3rd Army near Charleville.

On the northern side of the Seine River, General French’s British forces advance into contact with the German right wing. Simultaneously, General d’ Esperey’s 5th Army moves up to the river banks north of Paris. General Sarrail’s 3rd Army reinforces the position at Charleville but he has no plans of attack. In Lorraine, De Langle’s Army postures for an advance into the region of the Saar River which appears to be weakly held.

The BEF launches an attack against the 33rd Infantry which holds the railroad to the northwest of Pontoise. This attack is repulsed and the British Army loses two steps. Then the French launch an attack across the river south of Claremont, but this too is repulsed. The Germans had an assault group in the positions which takes a step loss, but the Allies lose two steps and make no advance.

Turn 21 October 23-26, 1914

German Player

Although there are no reinforcements, several divisions receive replacements. General Bulow’s 44th Reserve, Heeringen’s 28th Reserve, and Ruprecht’s 22nd and 30th Infantry divisions are all flipped to their full-strength sides. Two units are reconstituted. These are the 45th Landwehr with Falkenhausen near Saargenmund, and the 11th Landwehr with Wilhelm at Saarbrucken.

Battle for Charleville

General Heeringen organizes the 7th Army for another attack against Charleville. This attack is repulsed and the German forces lose two steps. The 28th Infantry is reduced along with the Bavarian Cavalry division. The German High Command issues orders to begin entrenchments. The infantry across the front begin construction.

Allied Player Turn

The French receive replacements at 2nd and 3rd Army Headquarters, and also reconstitute the British 1st Infantry Division and the French 82nd Territorial Division. General French focuses on reorganizing the BEF after its set back.

Oise River Battles

General d’ Esperey orders the 5th Army to resume its attack across the Oise River which is defended by some crack enemy troops. This results in a terrible repulse. The French forces lose three steps. Marshal Foch wants to see d’ Esperey at once.

In Lorraine, General de Castelnau orders the 2nd Army to attack the German position at Forbach. The Germans have a strong force there which are currently working on the trenches. Both sides take losses. The French 3rd Colonial is reduced a step, and the Germans take three steps to avoid retreat.

Turn 22 October 27-30, 1914

German Player

The German player receives three divisions as reinforcements at Karlsruhe. The units board the armored trains that have been waiting for them. The 17th Infantry Division is reconstituted and it deploys with Wilhelm’s 5th Army in the Saar. There are no attacks. The German player is concentrating on getting his trenches dug.

Allied Player

The British receive reinforcements which land at Le Treport. The 7th Meerut Infantry Division and the Secunderabad Cavalry Brigade disembark, where they join the 3rd Lahorne Division. The BEF receives replacements and brings the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions back to full-strength. General d’ Esperey’s headquarters brings three divisions back to full strength. [The extra replacement rating comes from Foch’s HQ in Paris.] In Lorraine, de Castelnau’s HQ brings replacements to two more infantry divisions.

The BEF is used to attempt an outflank of the German position near Paris. The Germans have constructed a trench line along the northern border with Paris. General French marches around the flank and brings a force to bear against the German 14th Infantry Division, which is holding the German right. The British forces manage a breakthrough, and eliminate the German 14th Infantry.

Battles in Lorraine

General de Castelnau resumes operations in Lorraine. The French 2nd Army is at the end of their supply range though. Although having 6-1 odds, the French player rolls “snake eyes”. Both sides lose a step and Forbach remains under German control. The 4th Bavarian Division is eliminated along with the 10th Ersatz Division. The French lose a step from the 33rd Algerian Division and the 36th Infantry Division.

Then another attack is launched against the German 23rd Reserve near Thionville. Despite decent superiority, the dice are sour again for the Allied player and the French troops take two step losses, while the German position holds up. At Charleville, General Sarrail follows the German lead and orders the French infantry to dig in around Charleville.

Turn 23 October 31-November 3, 1914

German Player

The German forces receive three units returning from the TRT as reconstituted units. These are all deployed in Lorraine as this is where the Allies have the greatest threat. There are no further attacks. The German player is examining his VP totals.

Allied Player Turn

The Allies receive a flow of replacements and General D’ Esperey’s 5th Army restores three divisions to full-strength. Sarrail’s HQ also flips a division with replacements. General de Castelnau launches another attack against the German position at Forbach. These troops are entrenched but severely fatigued and weakened from the last attack. This time the Germans are eliminated. The 12th reserve is decimated and Forbach falls to de Castelnau. The French forces receive a breakthrough result and attack the German position in Saargenmund. The attack is somewhat successful and the Germans lose two steps. The 19th Ersatz and the 11th Reserve divisions are reduced. The French 10th Division also loses a step. Due to the German trenches, the defenders do not have to retreat. Near Paris, the BEF also attacks the German trench line. This time the 8th Infantry is eliminated. The British forces lose a step as well.

Turn 24 November 4-7, 1914

The Germans realize that there is nothing to do right now but wait it out and hope for the best until a new plan can be developed for 1915.The French player searches for easy (or not so easy VP). There are two attacks launches in Lorraine.

Battle of Saargenmund

General de Castelnau’s 2nd Army has assembled a significant force to attack this village. The Germans have a defense lead with by the 1st Bavarian Division. The attack is well executed and the Germans take heavy losses. The 11th Reserve Division is wipes out along with the 19th Ersatz. Also the 1st Bavarian forces lose one step. The trenches negate the retreat. Nonetheless, the French army achieves a breakthrough and redouble their efforts against the German position. This time Saargenmund falls to the French 2nd Army.

Another attack is repulsed near Thionville. The French 4th Infantry and the 2nd Colonial divisions both are reduced by casualties. The German 11th Infantry also takes a step reduction. There is no further Allied combat.

Turn 25 November 8-11, 1914

The Germans bring aboard one reconstituted unit at General Hausen’s 3rd Army at Luxembourg. There is no combat from the German side. The French also has a few replacements. The battle in Lorraine has calmed down, but the First Army, under Dubail, launches a final assault on the German 11th Division. It is holding a 2 VP iron ore mine. The Germans are in trench lines here as well. The final combat is 3-1 resulting in three defender step losses. This is not quite enough to knock the German forces out completely, but the combat does result in a breakthrough. This is enough to end the enemy resistance in that area and the iron ore mine falls to the French under General Dubail. for 2 VP.

Conclusion

The Germans hold all of the key locations in Belgium. Luxembourg and Germany. The Central Powers totals 76 VP. The Allies have 85 VP. SO the VP total falls to -9 which is the extreme end of a draw, leaning toward the Allies. One more Allied VP and the battle would have been an Allied Marginal Victory.