1914_0906_01: Fighting Fire With Fire (2nd Invasion) - FWWC 03 Serbia '14
6 - 0 - 3
| Rating: | 7.96 (11) |
| Games Played: | 9 |
| SM: | 7 |
| Turns: | 131 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Central Powers |
| Second Side: | Allied Powers |
Macva Peninsula and surrounding areas, Serbia, 6th September 1914:
Following the stunning defeat of the Austro-Hungarian first invasion of Serbia in August, Austro-Hungarian forces withdrew west of the Drina to lick their wounds and reform.
A dispute then formed in Austro-Hungarian high command where Conrad insisted that the remainder of the 2.Armee be sent to Galicia, while Potiorek insisted that it remain for another invasion. Strategically the greater threat was the Russian Army in Galicia, however politically the defiant Serbians were more important. The political argument won out, primarily due to the fact that the entire cause of the conflict was to bring about a lasting solution to the "Serbia problem", and because Austro-Hungarian failure discouraged Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire from entering the war. To that end, a compromise was made where two divisions of the 2.Armee remained in place for another campaign while the rest was removed for Galicia.
Potiorek prepared for another invasion to be commenced on September 7th, but the Serbians happened to strike first with an offensive of their own. The French and Russians had been pressuring Serbia to go on the offensive and, not wanting to be suicidal, Serbia initially refused but eventually came to the realization that an offensive would be necessary to encourage both France and Russia to supply them with vital shipments of arms and ammunition. To fulfill this request, on September 6th the Serbian Army launched a limited offensive into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the fertile region of Syrmia north of the Sava River. In addition, the Serbians also planned something they had themselves wanted to do: a secondary, albeit delayed, offensive into Bosnia which would have the goal of "liberating" Sarajevo and causing havoc on Austro-Hungarian supply lines.
Like fighting fire with fire, the end result was a double offensive as both sides attacked; the Serbians in reaction to somewhat unrealistic allied demands, and Austro-Hungarians as both a spoiling attack and a desperate second attempt to conquer Serbia.
[Size: large]
*See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.
Following the stunning defeat of the Austro-Hungarian first invasion of Serbia in August, Austro-Hungarian forces withdrew west of the Drina to lick their wounds and reform.
A dispute then formed in Austro-Hungarian high command where Conrad insisted that the remainder of the 2.Armee be sent to Galicia, while Potiorek insisted that it remain for another invasion. Strategically the greater threat was the Russian Army in Galicia, however politically the defiant Serbians were more important. The political argument won out, primarily due to the fact that the entire cause of the conflict was to bring about a lasting solution to the "Serbia problem", and because Austro-Hungarian failure discouraged Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire from entering the war. To that end, a compromise was made where two divisions of the 2.Armee remained in place for another campaign while the rest was removed for Galicia.
Potiorek prepared for another invasion to be commenced on September 7th, but the Serbians happened to strike first with an offensive of their own. The French and Russians had been pressuring Serbia to go on the offensive and, not wanting to be suicidal, Serbia initially refused but eventually came to the realization that an offensive would be necessary to encourage both France and Russia to supply them with vital shipments of arms and ammunition. To fulfill this request, on September 6th the Serbian Army launched a limited offensive into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the fertile region of Syrmia north of the Sava River. In addition, the Serbians also planned something they had themselves wanted to do: a secondary, albeit delayed, offensive into Bosnia which would have the goal of "liberating" Sarajevo and causing havoc on Austro-Hungarian supply lines.
Like fighting fire with fire, the end result was a double offensive as both sides attacked; the Serbians in reaction to somewhat unrealistic allied demands, and Austro-Hungarians as both a spoiling attack and a desperate second attempt to conquer Serbia.
[Size: large]
*See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.
| Player Voting Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member | Balance | Enjoyment |
 Volcano Man |
Well Balanced | 9 |
 Mr Grumpy |
Well Balanced | 9 |
 Sgt Jasper |
Slightly Pro Central Powers | 8 |
 Ricky B |
Well Balanced | 9 |
 jim pfleck |
Slightly Pro Allied Powers | 7 |
| Gaming Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Side Player | 2nd Side Player | Result | Score | ||||||
|
 |
Partizanka | vs. | Pete |  |
|
Central Powers Major Victory | 126 | 14 |
|
 |
KAreil | vs. | itlnprd |  |
|
Central Powers Major Victory | 126 | 14 |
|
 |
jim pfleck | vs. | Liebchen |  |
|
Allied Powers Major Victory | 126 | 14 |
|
 |
ComradeP | vs. | fabiominatti |  |
|
Allied Powers Major Victory | 126 | 14 |
|
|
jim pfleck | vs. | Doctor |  |
|
Allied Powers Major Victory | 126 | 14 |
The Early Termination rule brought the game to a conclusion.
The Serbs must be flexible on defense until they wear the AH forces down.
Both sides attack right from the start. Hard for the Austrians to avoid early termination, but if they can then the Serbs have a lot of hard marching and tough fighting to do.
It's an enjoyable scenario, but preventing early termination is tricky for the Austro-Hungarians. Even if you lose some Landsturm units, it can be over soon.
Both sides have to attack aggressively at the beginning to win. There are opportunities for wide open fighting and grinding mountain battles.
Very slow - Central Powers morale rating make the chance of victory very low - Partisan units way too powerful. Cavalry units MP very unrealistic
Interesting scenario with tough choices for both sides. As Austria-Hungary I chose a risky aggressive tactic on the Drina while concentrating all other forces to delay the Serbian advance in the North. It paid off as I could reach the VPs for EarlyTermination but it was a very close call, a few turns later the Serbs would have broken through in the North, making this impossible.
"Tapfer. Standhaft. Treu." - PzGrenB.13 Ried/Innkreis
Salute to Volcano Man on this WW1 design. We notice design flaws more often than perfections, and this is an exception. If you haven't tried Serbia '14 yet, you are missing out. I felt my opponent outplayed me but I managed a win by keeping a close eye on attrition. The game was up and down and in another 10 turns it would have reversed. Great scenario- win or lose.
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