Axis and Allies 1914: Opening moves round 1 (6/16/2013)

This is the first round game session for Axis and Allies 1914.   After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, Austria-Hungary sees an opportunity to confront Serbia militarily.   The July Crisis consumes several nations under the shadows of war.  Ignoring the peaceful overtures from Serbia, Count Leopold Berchtold pushes for the invasion of Serbia.  He doesn’t consider the Russian Empire getting involved.

Round 1: Austria-Hungary Empire

Although realizing it will take boots on the ground, Austria-Hungary invests in air superiority bringing the war from the Earth into the clouds.

IPC board: AH 26, RU 25, GE 35, FR 24, UK 30, OT 16, IT 14, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 26 IPC, Austria-Hungary purchases: 6 infantry, 1 fighter

• Cost 24, balance 2

Movement

• Budapest into Serbia: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

  • Serbia mobilizes Russian units: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

• Trieste into Venice: 5 infantry, 2 artillery

  • Contested: Italy loses 2 IPC

• Tyrolia into Venice: 5 infantry, 2 artillery

• Budapest into Romania: 6 infantry

  • Romania mobilizes Russian units: 5 infantry, 1 artillery

• Galicia into Romania: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Vienna to Galicia: 6 infantry, 1 artillery

• Vienna to Budapest: 6 infantry, 1 artillery

• Bohemia to Tyrolia: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Serbia

  • Unresolved

  • AH left with: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

  • RU left with: 1 infantry

• Battle for Romania

  • Unresolved

  • AU left with: 8 infantry, 1 artillery

  • RU left with: 4 infantry, 1 artillery

• Battle for Venice

  • Unresolved

  • AU left with 7 infantry, 4 artillery

  • IT left with 2 infantry, 2 artillery

Mobilize and Income

• Vienna: 6 infantry, 1 fighter

• Austria-Hungary with 2 in hand, collects 26 for a total of 28 IPC

Round 1: Russian Empire

Holding on to Serbia, the Russian Empire is taken back by the unexpected incursion into their affiliate, Romania.  They are forced to jump to the front lines to product their industries.

IPC board: AH 26, RU 25, GE 35, FR 24, UK 30, OT 16, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 25 IPC, Russia purchases: 6 infantry, 1 artillery

• Cost 22, balance 3

Movement

• Sevastopol into Mesopotamia: 3 artillery, 2 infantry

  • Contested: Ottoman Empire loses 3 IPC

• Poland into Galicia: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

  • Contested: Austria-Hungary loses 3 IPC

• sz-21 into sz-20: 2 cruisers

• Tatarstan to Sevastopol: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

• Livonia to Poland: 3 infantry, 2 artillery

• Belarus to Poland: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Moscow to Ukraine: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Ukraine to Romania: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Romania to Serbia: 4 infantry, 1 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Mesopotamia

  • Russia CAPTURES Mesopotamia

  • Gains 3 IPC with: 1 infantry, 2 artillery

• Sea battle at sz-20

  • DRAW – all vessels eliminated

Mobilization and income

• Moscow: 6 infantry, 1 artillery

• Russia with 3 in hand, collects 28 for a total of 31 IPC

Round 1: Germany

Untouched by the war’s opening moves, Germany sees an opportunity to flex their military might they had invested in recent years.  Surrounded by Great Britain, French, and Italy, Germany plans to show the world unseen, modern, military tactics.

IPC board: AH 23, RU 28, GE 35, FR 24, UK 30, OT 13, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 35 IPC, Germany purchases: 4 infantry, 1 artillery, 2 armor, 1 fighter

• Cost 34, balance 1

Movement

• Silesia into Poland: 6 infantry 3 artillery

  • Contested: Russia loses 3 IPC

• Prussia into Poland: 6 infantry, 3 artillery

• All German fleets from sz-5 and sz-10 into sz-9

• sz-7 into sz-15: 2 subs challenge the French fleet there

• Ruhr into Belgium: 7 infantry, 3 artillery

  • Belgium mobilizes French units: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

• Alsace into Lorraine: 7 infantry, 3 artillery

  • Contested: France loses 2 IPC

• Kiel into neutral Denmark

  • Denmark mobilized British units: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

• Berlin into Denmark

  • 1 fighter

• South West Africa to Union of South Africa: 1 infantry, 1 artillery

  • Contested: UK loses 1 IPC

• Kamerun into Nigeria: 1 infantry, uncontested

  • Germany CAPTURES Nigeria (1 from UK)

• Togoland into Gold Coast: 1 infantry, uncontested

  • Germany CAPTURES Gold Coast (1 from UK)

• Berlin to Prussia: 13 infantry, 3 artillery

• Munich to Ruhr: 11 infantry, 3 artillery

• Hanover to Munich: 6 infantry

Combat

• Sea battle at sz-9

  • Germany SINKS the British fleet

  • With 1 battleship (damaged), 1 cruiser

• Battle for Denmark

  • Germany CAPTURES Denmark

  • Gains 2 IPC with 2 infantry, 3 artillery

• Battle for Belgium

  • Unresolved

  • GE left with: 5 infantry, 3 artillery

  • FR left with: 1 infantry

• Sea battle at sz-15

  • Germany is DEFEATED losing both subs

  • FR left with 1 battleship (damaged), 1 transport

Mobilization and income

• Berlin: 5 infantry, 1 artillery, 2 armor, 1 fighter

• With 1 in hand, Germany collects 37 for a total of 38 IPC

Round 1: France

German invasion into sovereign nations have shocked the peace-loving French.  They must rush troops to the front hoping to fatigue Germany.   How long will Italy last protecting their southern flank?

IPC board: AH 23, RU 25, GE 39, FR 22, UK 27, OT 13, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 24 IPC, France purchases: 4 infantry, 3 artillery

• Cost 24, balance 0

• Repairs their battleship at the naval base in Brest

Movement

• sz-16 to sz-14: 1 transport picks up 1 infantry from Morocco offloading into Portugal

  • Portugal mobilizes French units: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

  • France gains 2 IPC

• Algeria into Spanish Morocco: 1 infantry CAPTURES the territory for the sake of the war effort

  • France gains 1 IPC

• sz-15 to sz-9: 1 battleship

• Picardy to Belgium: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Burgundy to Lorraine: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Paris to Lorraine: 1 fighter

• Paris to Picardy: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Lorraine

  • Unresolved

  • FR left with: 11 infantry, 4 artillery, 1 fighter

  • GE left with: 1 infantry, 3 artillery

Mobilization and income

• Paris: 4 infantry, 3 artillery

• With 0 in hand, France collects 25  for a total of 25 IPC

Round 1: British Empire

The British feel their Empire threatened as once sovereign nations are consumed by war.  They must dispatch troops from England to India to contain the most critical geopolitical crisis of the time.

IPC board: AH 23, RU 25, GE 39, FR 25, UK 27, OT 13, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• WIth 30 IPC, the British Empire purchases: 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 2 subs, 1 transport

• Cost 25, balance 5

Movement

• India (sz-28)  into Arabia (sz-29): 1 transport carries 1 infantry, 1 artillery offloads

  • Arabia joins the war effort mobilizing British forces: 1 infantry, 1 artillery

  • Gains 1 IPC

• Egypt into Trans-Jordan: 4 infantry, 2 artillery

  • Contested: Ottoman Empire loses 1 IPC

• Egypt (sz-19) to Trans-Jordan (sz-28): 1 transport offloads 2 infantry

• sz-29 into sz-28: 1 battleship joining the amphibious landing

• Rhodesia into German East Africa: 1 infantry

  • Contested: Germany loses 1 IPC

• Canada (sz-2) to Picardy (sz-8): 1 transport offloads 1 infantry, 1 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Trans-Jordan

  • British CAPTURES Trans-Jordan

  • Gains 1 IPC with: 4 infantry, 2 artillery

Mobilization and income

• India: 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 transport

• Wales (sz-8): 2 subs

• With 5 in hand, British Empire collects 29 for a total of 34 IPC

Round 1: Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman Empire is collapsing under the weight of determined armies.  They must reach out and stretch for economic gains.

IPC board: AH 23, RU 25, GE 38, FR 25, UK 29, OT 12, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 16 IPC, the Ottoman Empire purchases: 4 infantry, 1 artillery

• Cost 16, balance 0

Movement

• Ankara into Mesopotamia: 6 infantry

  • Contested: Russia loses 3 IPC

• Smyrna into Trans-Jordan: 6 infantry, 1 artillery

  • Contested: Britain loses 1 IPC

• Constantinople into Bulgaria: 1 infantry

  • Bulgaria mobilizes Ottoman units: 5 infantry, 1 artillery

  • Ottoman Empire gains 3 IPC

• Constantinople to Ankara: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

• Constantinople to Smyrna: 2 infantry, 1 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Mesopotamia

  • Unresolved

  • RU left with: 1 infantry, 1 artillery

  • OT left with: 4 infantry

Mobilization and income

• Constantinople: 4 infantry, 1 artillery

• With 0 in hand, the Ottoman Empire collects 15 for a total of 15 IPC

Round 1: Italy

Italy is obsessed over the control of Venice.   Their hearts, their culture depends on it.  They must funnel all their energy to break the Central Power’s offensive.

IPC board: AH 23, RU 22, GE 38, FR 25, UK 28, OT 15, IT 12, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 14 IPC, Italy purchases: 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 fighter

• Cost 13, balance 1

Movement

• Naples (sz-17) into Albania (sz-17): 1 transport bridges 1 infantry

  • Albania joins the Allies and mobilizes Italian units: 3 infantry, 1 artillery

  • Italy gains 2 IPC

• Piedmont to Venice: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

• Tuscany to Venice: 1 infantry

• Rome to Tuscany: 6 infantry, 2 artillery

Combat

• Battle for Venice

  • Unresolved

  • IT left with: 4 infantry, 4 artillery

  • OT levet with: 3 infantry, 4 artillery

Mobilization and income

• Rome: 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 fighter

• With 1 in hand, Italy collects 14 for a total of 15 IPC

Round 1: United States

With the war an ocean away, the US invests limited income rebuilding their military.   Who knows what the future will be?

IPC board: AH 23, RU 22, GE 38, FR 25, UK 28, OT 15, IT 14, US 20

Purchase and repair units

• With 20 IPC, the US purchases: 2 transports, 1 fighter

• Cost 18, balance 2

Movement

• None, peacetime

Combat

• None, peacetime

Mobilization and income

• Washington: 2 transports, 1 fighter

• With 2 in hand, the US collects 20 for a total of 22 IPC

Analysis

Outside the Serbian flashpoint that started World War I, the decisive battles lie in Venice, Italy,  in Lorraine, France, in Poland and Trans-Jordan.   The Central Powers must show progress versus the Russian Empire relying on Germany to beat back the French.