World War I Simulation 2005

WAR IS OVER: The Central Powers defeat the Allied Powers as Paris & Brest fall to German and Italian troops. In Russia, Bolshevik revolutionary Vladimir Lenin overthrows the tsar and pulls Russia out of the war.

In other developments, the Kingdom of Italy proves itself the supreme naval power of Europe, dominating the sea routes of Western and Southern Europe. The Ottoman Empire rises again, even to the point of taking breakaway Rumania back from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Germany remains the dominant power of Central Europe and proves Bismarck wrong by successfully fighting a two-front war.

Britain, Europe's pre-war "#1 empire," is left with an unknown future. While technically not at war with Italy, Britain remains engaged in combat with Germany, which could easily turn its attention to the island state.

FINAL RANKINGS:

CENTRAL POWERS: 25 UNITS
ALLIED POWERS: 7 UNITS

POST-WAR STRENGTH RANKINGS:

1) ITALY
2) OTTOMAN EMPIRE & GERMANY
4) AUSTRIA-HUNGARY & BRITAIN
6) RUSSIA
7) FRANCE

AS ARMISTICE NEAR, CENTRAL POWERS UNABLE TO CLOSE OUT RUSSIA AND FRANCE WHILE BRITAIN LIBERATES BELGIUM: As the Central Powers cruise to victory in the overall war, a number of questions remain to be answered:

RUSSIA: The Motherland has lost the war, but will the tsar manage to hold power over an increasingly discontent populace? Is there a revolution in the offing?
GERMANY: Will Germany be able to declare victory with the British on the continent having liberated Belgium--a German-controlled territory? Which is more important--removing the British from Belgium or knocking out the French? Can Germany do both?
FRANCE: Can France survive the war as Germany and Italy surround her? Will the president remain in charge after such a devastating loss, or will a revolution be too late?
BRITISH: After staying away from the battles in Europe, will Britain continue to prove in Fall 1918 that it should receive special treatment at the peace settlement because it still is a great power? Or will its liberation of Belgium be seen as just a "flash in the pan" and Britain unworthy of anything but a great punishment at Versailles?
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY: Does the emperor have anything to worry about from the Italians--such as an unredeemed irredenta?
ITALY & the OTTOMAN EMPIRE: Will these new and renewed empires take advantage of their plentiful forces to grab a few more territories--possibly at the expense of their allies?

The war may be decided, but the implications for the peace settlement (or in our case who gets the extra credit points) remain up in the air until the very last moment.

RUSSIA AND FRANCE AT DEATH'S DOOR: Russia is booted from Warsaw and Ankara by the Central Powers, and while Russia's decimation of the Austro-Hungarian army in Moscow proves a hard-won victory, it appears that this win will only prolong the inevitable. On the Western Front, France loses Portugal to Italy and finds itself further surrounded. While Paris can still be saved with help from Britain, it is unlikely France will emerge with much of anything from the war.

Meanwhile, in its most aggressive action yet, the British navy advances threateningly into the Helgoland Bight. Is it too little too late? We will know in but one short year.

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY BUILDS TWO.
OTTOMAN EMPIRE BUILDS ONE.
ITALY BUILDS TWO.

RUSSIA LOSES TWO.


TOTAL CENTRAL POWERS STRENGTH: 24 UNITS

TOTAL ALLIED POWERS STRENGTH: 8 UNITS

RUSSIA BEGINS WHAT COULD BE ITS LAST DAYS OF THE WAR: While the Eastern Front appears to be collapsing on the part of the Allied Powers, the Western Front has the potential to stabilize to the advantage of the Central Powers.

Forces from Austria-Hungary, Germany and Italy surround the remaining Russian forces as the Ottoman Empire boots the Russian fleet from Ankara.

On the Western Front, the first coordinated French attack in, well, a really long time leads to the German army being pushed back to Belgium. The British attempt to join in the fray but are rebuffed by neutral Holland upon attempting to dock in its ports.

Italy breaks out of the Mediterranean, providing a new threat to France from the west.

THE ALLIED POWERS STAY ALIVE FOR ANOTHER DAY: Russia loses Sevastopol but protects St Petersburg and takes Ankara--just around the corner from Constantinople. Britain gets help from Norway, but France's continued inaction leads to the loss of a force.

BRITAIN BUILDS ONE UNIT.
FRANCE LOSES ONE UNIT.

ITALY HEADS WEST, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY TAKES SERBIA: As the Italian Empire seeks to emerge from the Mediterranean Sea, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire stomp out the Slavic resistance.

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY BUILDS TWO.
OTTOMAN EMPIRE BUILDS ONE.
ITALY BUILDS ONE.


TOTAL CENTRAL POWERS STRENGTH: 21 UNITS

TOTAL ALLIED POWERS STRENGTH: 11 UNITS

Fall 1916 will prove to be the most crucial season yet as enemy armies sit outside three of the European capitals.

The German-Italian alliance takes the headlines along with the crucial provinces of Picardy and Marseilles in Eastern France. Will France recover in time to prevent its downfall? Will Britain come to its ally's rescue?

Austria-Hungary attempts again to take Serbia in retaliation for the assasination of royal heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but the Austrian forces again prove insufficient to complete the job. However, the Austro-Hungarian army attacking Russian Sevastopol succeeds, devastating Russia's chances much beyond 1916.

Russia, meanwhile, is faced with the difficult choice of saving Sevastopol, attacking the German capital of Berlin, or defending its own capital of St Petersburg. Will the Central Powers successfully coordinate the final blow to knock Russia out of the war, or will Tsar Nicholas outthink them? Will Britain hit and weaken Germany from behind, thus breathing life into Russia for another year?

Amidst the excitement in Northern Europe, Italy quietly sends an army into Austrian Tyrolia for unknown reasons.

ITALY JOINS THE CENTRAL POWERS AND DECLARES WAR ON FRANCE AND RUSSIA. From Prime Minister Salandra's office in Rome: "Italy is formally declaring war on France and Russia. We are formalizing our alliance with the Central Powers of Europe. However,
we are specifically NOT declaring war on Britain, nor will we ever do so."

Is this the end for the Allied Powers--or just for France and Russia? Or will the Allied Powers regroup and take advantage of Austro-Hungarian lethargy and German mistakes?


Central Powers

The Swedes cement their friendship with Germany as the Kaiser's fleet sails into Stockholm. One German army secures Berlin as a second enters French territory. Can the German war machine be stopped? GERMANY BUILDS ONE.
For unknown reasons, Austria-Hungary holds firm.
The Ottoman Empire recaptures Greece, ending 80 years of independence as Turkish soldiers march into Athens. The empire may indeed rise again, but in order to do so the Ottomans will need to build upon their successes. OTTOMAN EMPIRE BUILDS TWO.
The Italian attacks on Marseilles and the French Mid-Atlantic fleet both fail, but Italy's presence in the Western Mediterranean grows significantly.

TOTAL CENTRAL POWERS STRENGTH: 19 UNITS


Allied Powers

In a questionable move, France holds firm as it nears a showdown with Germany on what will likely be French soil.
In an emergency election as Liberal Prime Minister Asquith remains too ill to lead, the British populace is evenly divided between support for the Liberal Lloyd George and the Socialist Hugh Grant. Lloyd George retains the Prime Ministership for the Liberals on a temporary basis as Britain prepares to vote again in 1916. Amidst the chaos of electoral politics, the British orders fail to reach the forces, which remain standing for the third consecutive season.
Russia holds despite the fact that the German fleet is only two moves from St Petersburg.

TOTAL ALLIED POWERS STRENGTH: 11 UNITS

As Germany heads north to challenge British naval superiority, the Russian fleet moves across the German border into Prussia. France meets the Germans outside Belgium in what can only lead to a long stalemate dominated by trench warfare.

Austria-Hungary attempts to take Serbia in retaliation for the assasination of royal heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip and the Black Hand, but the Austrian forces prove insufficient to complete the job. The Austro-Hungarian attacking Russian Sevastopol fails for the same reason.

On the battlefield, the British and Ottoman Empires remain strangely silent in 1915, though the Ottoman Empire oversees the deportation and murder of some 2.5 million Armenians, accusing the minority of conspiring with the enemy Russians.

The Kingdom of Italy, going east in 1914, turns its fleets west in 1915.

The war goes on...

Central Powers

Germany finishes 1914 on a strong note, occupying and allying with Belgium and Denmark. GERMANY BUILDS TWO.
Austria-Hungary holds onto and annexes Rumania. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY BUILDS ONE.
The Ottoman Empire seeks to recapture its hold on Southeastern Europe by moving into Bulgaria. OTTOMAN EMPIRE BUILDS ONE.

TOTAL CENTRAL POWERS STRENGTH: 14 UNITS


Allied Powers

France retreats to Paris (now there's a surprise) and gets some help from Portugal. FRANCE BUILDS ONE.
Britain stays put as the German Hun ravages its ally Belgium.
Russia begins its slow movement west as the main fleet leaves St Petersburg.

TOTAL ALLIED POWERS STRENGTH: 11 UNITS


The Wild Card

Italy takes advantage of the chaos in Europe by colonizing Tunis. All Europe awaits Italy's decision as to whether it will join the war, and if so, on whose side. ITALY BUILDS ONE.

TOTAL NEUTRAL POWERS STRENGTH: 4 UNITS

A strong start for the Central Powers!

Germany invades France and finds itself at the outskirts of Paris. The war between these old enemies could indeed be over within the year! Meanwhile, Germany occupies Denmark in the hope of having the Danes join the Central Powers, and a German army flexes its muscles at the gates of Russian Warsaw. Germany's ally Austria-Hungary occupies Rumania, and the Central Powers potentially grow even stronger.

Among the neutral powers, the Ottoman Empire takes advantage of Russia's slow mobilization to occupy the Black Sea--a long fought conflict that takes us back sixty years to the days of the Crimean War. And in a movement whose intentions remain unclear, Italy sends its forces to the east.

Will Germany take Paris in the Fall of 1914, thus knocking out France and completing stage one of the Schlieffen Plan? We shall see...

The Great War begins as the Allied Powers and Central Powers meet on the battlefields of Europe.

Italy remains neutral throughout 1914 as Europe awaits the kingdom's decision regarding which alliance it will join.

The Ottoman Empire prepares to join the war in 1915 on the side of the Central Powers.

Due to its lack of domestic industrialization, Russia is unable to mobilize its forces and begin moving them until Fall 1914.