Russian advance into East Prussia 1914

It's August 1914. Rennenkampf's offensive into East Prussia with the Russian First Army has begun. The German army is scrabbling to shift forces to hold the offensive at bay.  Russian cavalry have pushed ahead looking to capture river crossings as the infantry march more slowly behind.

This fictional scenario seeks to capture some of the flavour of such manoeuvres in those earliest days of August 1914. Two regiments of veteran Russian cavalry have pushed ahead towards a river crossing that is held by a battalion of Jager and a small detachment of divisional cavalry. 

The Russian field guns have been given an enhanced AI=6 per the scenario book 'All Fine Men' representing the reported superior performance of Russian artillery in the first few months of the war. The battle sees an escalation as units from German and Russian infantry divisions arrive at the river crossing at differing (predetermined) times in the game. To reflect the comparative command flexibility, the Russian player had to draw all command arrows for arriving units before play started. The German player had to draw arrows at the start of the game for the first two regiments arriving, but only indicate arrival points for the remaining two regiments. He was free to draw the arrows at the time of arrival as if the 3rd and 4th regiments were reserves.

The Russian objective was to seize the central (road/rail) bridge and one other river crossing (there were two). The Germans had to prevent the Russians from crossing the river by denying them the central road/rail bridges and one other crossing. Can the German Jager and cavalry hold the main bridges until their reinforcing infantry arrive? The game had an eight turn limit, and was played with my 20mm armies.

The battlefield, Germans arriving form the left, Russians from the right.

The battlefield before the action begins ...

The Russian commander's battle plan

The German commander's plan

German cavalry (dismounted) part of the force holding the central town and bridge

The initial German holding force was supported by a single battery of 77mm field guns

Two companies of Jager were holding the river crossing on their right flank

The Russian cavalry rode rapidly up the main road looking to seize the bridge by 'coup de main'

The Russian cavalry quickly came under fire, with artillery fire from a battery of German 77mm field guns deployed in support of the Jager and the div cav

The single battery of German 77mm guns fires direct on the Russian cavalry

The view of the advancing Russian cavalry from behind the German defenders

The situation early on in the centre

The Russian cavalry now look to try and deploy, but come under intense fire and take casualties. Their commander has finally dismouted them

Reinforcements arrive for both sides, Germans nearest the camera, Russians at the top of the picture

Gaps are appearing amongst the Russians. Their artillery have yet to deploy

The weight of the Russian attack against the German right is apparent at the top of this photo, but the German 3rd and 4th regiments are beginning to arrive too (at the bottom of the photo)

German reinforcements swarming forward. This is significant too because their arrival signals the readiness of the corps 150mm howitzers (two regiments worth)

Russian artillery fire is now falling on the German Jager and cavalry in the centre

The view from behind the German left flank looking across to the right

The Russian cavalry that were attempting to shift towards the left of the German defenders in the centre has been eliminated as a result of fire from the German 150s

The Russian attack against the right flank river crossing is closing on the defenders and exchanges of fire have begun

Lots of fire, and suppressed Russian infantry companies

The Russian cavalry has been eliminated. Their four batteries of 75mm field artillery remain. The unit has tested morale (it was veteran) and passes .. whew

The space where the Russian cavalry had been before another devastating 150mm howitzer salvo

German infantry have support the field gun battery set up defending the main river crossing

German infantry flooding forward to ensure that the bridge on their right flank isn't crossed

There's quite a wee stoush going on around that German right flank

Russian infantry reinforcements are now manoeuvring towards the German left (top of the photo)

 

Finally some Russian artillery support starts to come down

However German artillery fire starts to fall on several of the Russian gun batteries

The Russian attack against the German right is now taking very heavy fire

Each side tries to shift forces towards the German right to outflank the other

At this stage darkness has fallen and the fighting dies away. The Germans have prevented the Russians from forcing a crossing. What will the 'morrow hold?

A panoramic view of the battlefield as darkness fell.

Arguably the eight turn limit was too short. However the Russians perhaps didn't make the best use of their cavalry and supporting artillery in the early game turns. The higher direct fire factor for the Russian field artillery offered a significant advantage in the early game turns. The German corps artillery wasn't available until their 3rd and 4th regiments arrived on turn 4.

However that said, the game was still a lot of fun. It set some really interesting challenges, and was quite different to our previous 1918 game (as you'd expect).

The first VSF Prussian infantry

The Prussian Victorian Science Fiction army began with three airboats (a Hordes of the Things troop type). I am using the Airfix World War 1 German figures for the infantry.  This is a 'painting conversion' given that these figures don't quite match the uniform/equipment look of pre 1900 Prussian infantry. However HotT is a form of 'fantasy' 'gaming, so who is to tell me exactly what they should look like.

I didn't want this army to simply be the  same as the British and Turkish VSF armies. When I create HotT armies I try to give each army a slightly different tactical feel by varying the troop types. So looking at the troop types, and thinking about technology, it struck me that perhaps some of the 'assault troops'; might be better represented by 'warband'. When they are 'on form' they can be lethal, but they may also be brittle when opposed by determined shooters, or blades.

These are three 'proof of concept' stands..  I often do this to ensure I can create the look/feel I am looking for - black picklehaube, dark blue tunic, and grey trousers. The first two stands are 'shooters'.  Of course armies of this era ought to have shooters, rifle armed infantry. 

Prussian shooters

Prussian warband

I'm happy enough with these, so, onward and upward with more infantry. I do think there will also be mobile artillery, maybe a behemoth, and of course cavalry, still to come.

They've broken through north of the Argonne ...

You now that feeling - when you set up a scenario and the game offers almost everything you imagined, all tempered with the ability of players to see things a little differently and take the game in (to you) surprising directions that add to the interest and enjoyment. Well, I hope you know that feeling. It's pretty much what this week's Great War Spearhead game offered.

I set this fictional scenario during the German 1918 Spring offensive, with a German divisional attack against some American troops that had been rushed to the front to try to prevent another breakthrough. I followed my usual practice of trying to capture elements of a particular battle or campaign in a fictional scenario while making the game both interesting and appropriate for the players. 

So in this game I added in air support and armour. The  German air support (two flights of fighters capable of ground attack) was available on demand, but only in the first four turns. The American support (two flights of F2Bs in ground attack mode) wasn't available until turn 4, and then with an ever decreasing random roll (being guaranteed by turn 7 if it hadn't arrived before.

The Germans had one section of A7Vs, which I decided would count as support stand, and so could fire through fighting stands.

The American armour (5 sections of FT17s), along with a regiment of reinforcing infantry) was available from turn 5. However the American armour counted as a separate fighting 'regiment' and so couild not fire thought other fighting stands.

The Germans were all regular, with a battalion of veteran Stosstruppen. Their Corp artillery had gas shells available to use in counter battery fire if they were employed in that role. The Americans started with two regiments and one artillery regiment in hastily constructed defences (including a redoubt). One of the regiments was green.

The battlefield seen from above the American left (at the bottom of the photo). The Germans attack from the right of the photo.

The German plan of attack, featuring a 'deep flank march' on their right against the American left, timed to arrive turn 3. The players were successful in rolling the required score to have the flank attack arrive

The American player nominated the entry point of his reserves bottom centre. The attack arrow was drawn at the end of Turn 4, when the reserves were available

The German attack begins, on the left of the photo

The German right advances in something of a close order column. There are of course historical accounts of German infantry doing just that during the Spring Offensive

American infantry defending their centre in a wood

The defensive line on the American left, in hastily dug (level 1) entrenchments with wire

The redoubt on the American centre/right. The German plan completelys bypassed these positions and focussed on the American left

Fire is exchanged against the main American line: preplanned German artillery falls on the trench line, and American mortar and small arms ambush fire hits the advancing German regiment

The German plan includes a flank march which catches the American left

American defenders in their 'front line' on their left caught in the flank and attacked from the front

Heavy exchanges of fire are taking place in the centre

A flight of German fighters swoops across the landscape and attacks troops attempting to move from the extreme America right to shore up their left flank. In the case the Americans get away with no casualties (i.e. the German player rolled two 1's and a 2' )

However a flight of F2Bs arrives and attacks the German troops attacking the American left causing significant casualties, and allowing the defenders time to begin to re-orient themselves in the face of this attack

The American front line on their left continues to fight for its life, with a series of melee combats. Troops from the American centre are being shifted across to support their left too.

The German attack against the left flank town is caught in the open when the divisional 150mm howitzers are successfully called in causing significant casualties

The threat to the American centre has all but dissolved

However a second German air attack arrives with devastating consequences..

German Stosstruppen supported by the armour, with a regiment of artillery in support, pushes ahead on the extreme German right against the embattled American left

The American reserves arrive

At this time the counter battery battle also takes a turn with the American Corps 150mm  howitzers silencing the German Counter battery fire.

The race is on .. can the American reserves stop the German flank march infantry from breaking through (exiting from the American base line)?

An American battery of 18pdrs is caught trying to flee from the flank attack on their left

The American reserve advancing with some haste (i.e. at full speed)

The Americans left is holding out against the frontal attack, and has so far held off the flank attack

The attack against the centre has been eliminated

The reserve armour pushes forward

I just like this photo of the 18pdr limber and horses.. yes, it's from the old Airfix set

A nice photo of the Armourfast FT17s .. just because I could

The artillery supporting the German right is finally deployed.. unfortunately too late

The German players had to exit one regiment from the American baseline.. my victory conditions needed to be more tightly expressed.. they should probably have said any regiment that hadn't flank marched, because this all became a bit too easy for the Germans ...but.. this was still a wonderful wonderful game. Unfortunately the armour never really became engaged. That would have lifted it yet another level. Next time.

This is a panoramic sweep of the battlefield at the end of play. We managed seven turns in the evening, with four players.

My overall aim with the scenario was to set some degree of urgency on the German players, giving them some force superiority in the first four turns, but then shifting the balance against them and in favour of the defenders in what I imagined would be the second half of the game. I wanted the feel of some slight desperation in the face of initial German attacks, and then the fight as reinforcements arrived to halt the attack.

Because of the flaw in the victory conditions we didn't quite get there, but it still created an interesting and (I hope) a challenging game for all four players.