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Scenario Author:
RhinoBones
Author's E-mail Address:
RhinoBones@aol.com
Last Scenario Revision Date:
May 18, 2000
VERSION 1.1
Background
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In April, the Ludendorff/Hindenberg offensive was launched to the north
with the purpose of diverting Russian attention away from the main offensive
planned to take place in Galicia. While it did catch the Russian's
attention, it was not a completely successful diversion. Few troops,
other than those available locally, were moved to meet the threat in the
north. Mostly the Russian divisions stayed where they were and prepared
the best they could.
In Galicia, just north of the Carpathian Mountains and between the
Vistula and San Rivers, General Mackensen concentrated eight divisions
of German infantry. These divisions had been secretly moved from
France to the east and formed into the XI Army. Oddly enough, knowledge
of the troop movement reached neither the Grand Duke nor Stavka,
the Russian GHQ. The divisions received the hero's welcome by large
crowds of German citizens as they passed through the Fatherland, and yet,
no news reached the Russian front line. The presence of German troops
in Galicia was not known until they relieved their Austrian counter parts
on the front line. Even then, Russian army showed little interest
in the new comers.
The front line positions occupied by the German divisions were completely
different from their earlier experience in France. There was no "No
Man's Land". The space between the opposing lines was thousands of
meters wide instead of a couple of hundred and was of open rolling green
hills filled with cattle and farmers instead of the usual shell holes,
mud and wire. The Russian trench system was discontinuous and seemed
primitive when compared to the French and English. German artillery
would make quick work of them in the coming attack.
The offensive started on May 2nd with a thunderous artillery barrage
obliterating the Russian trenches. In three days the German XI Army
was through the Russian lines and headed straight toward the objectives,
Przemysl and Lemberg (Lwow). Mackensen quickly captured 153,000 Russians
and 128 of their guns. By the end of June Lemberg was taken.
In July, the German staff wisely decided not to chase the Russians
into the vastness of the Ukrainian plains, instead, at the insistence of
Austria, the direction of attack was moved from an eastward to a northern
axis. The new strategy was to move behind Warsaw and pinch off the
Polish salient. In the north, the German Narew Army (von Gallwitz)
was directed to drive south and complete the envelopment. The Russians
would be quick to escape encirclement but in doing so would give up all
of Poland. When the offensive came to a halt in September the new
front line had moved east by 250 miles and ran from Riga in the north to
Czernowitz in the south. The loss of territory could be forgiven,
but the loss of almost two million Russian casualties placed a sever burden
on both the military and political leaders.
NOTE : Aditional Map files information inside the Zip
Victory Conditions
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The Austro-German forces must capture all of the Russian objective
cities.
Remarcks
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This scenario is designed to be played as a solitaire game from the
Austro-German side. For PBM games, the Austro-German side needs a
boost in prestige to help balance the contest.
Last Update Changes
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v1.1 05-18-00 Revised with the addition of new unit icons
and graphics created by Champ specifically for the World War I series of
scenarios. This version will only be released in the "dos" configuration.
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