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Box Description
In August 1914, at the beginning of the First World War, Russia faced Germany and Austria-Hungary in the eastern theatre of operations; here war began with two distinct campaigns being fought concurrently.
In the north a hasty Russian invasion of Eastern Prussia culminated in a decisive German victory. Large portions of two Russian armies, advancing separately, were destroyed at the Battles of Tannenberg and Masurian Lakes. The remainder of the Russian forces retreated to the protection of fortified river lines within Russia, pursued by the victorious Germans.
In the south the greater part of the Austro
Hungarian and Russian armed forces clashed in a series of running battles that became known as The Great Battle for Galicia. The campaign began with an Austro-Hungarian offensive launched in an effort to destroy first one-half of the Russian armies, to be followed by the other. Initially the Austro-Hungarians won victories at Krasnik and Komarow. Then, with the arrival of Russian reinforcements, the scales of victory were tipped in Russia's favor. By mid-September the battles ended with the Austro-Hungarians in full retreat
toward Krakau and into the Carpathian Mountains. The Russian advance after the battle was slow and ponderous, allowing the Austro-Hungarian forces to escape except those bottled up in the fortress of Przemysl.
In late September the German High Command of Hindenburg and Ludendorff, observing their ally's distress, disengaged a large portion of their forces from the pursuit of the defeated Russian armies and allocated them to the support of the Austro
Hungarians in their efforts. A new German army was created
and transported by rail to southern Poland. In conjunction with the rested and revitalized Austro-Hungarian forces a new operation was launched which pushed deep into Poland. The Germans
advanced all the way to the Vistula River and the gates of Warsaw, while the Austro-Hungarians were able to push the Russians across the San River and end the first siege of Przemysl. In the battles that followed the Russian numerical superiority began to tell. By late October, the Germans and Austro-Hungarians, unable to sustain the fight, successfully disengaged and retreated westward. Once again the fortress of Przemysl was besieged as the Russian forces flowed into central Poland.
The Russians, pursuing their seemingly defeated enemy, now desired to fully utilize their perceived advantage. Planning began for a huge offensive to begin in early November into Silesia and on to Berlin. Hindenburg and Ludendorff however, always working to gain and maintain the operational initiative, shifted the mass of their available troops from southern to northern Poland via rail and launched a spoiling attack into the Russian flank. To assist their German ally, battered but rebuilt Austro-Hungarian armies began a concurrent offensive to hold the Russian forces advancing upon Krakau. The massive clashes that ensued from this were known as the Battles of Lodz and Krakau.
1914, Twilight in the East attempts to simulate this incredible campaign of multiple operations in a moderately complex game. The design uses a brand
new game system which highlights those aspects of warfare that made the opening stages of World War One so unique. With both sides being able to attack, the game is exciting and gives wonderful insights into one of the most important military campaigns of the twentieth century.
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