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The eastern front campaigns of 1914/15 included repeated attempts by the Austro-Hungarian army to force the Russian army out of the Carpathian mountains. The campaign offers plenty of opportunity to 'imagine' different scenarios that offer a variety of tactical challenges to the Great War Spearhead player, In this fictional scenario a Honved Division is attempting to force a way through the Vasstanya Gap (a fictional place). There are two paths through, the main track, and smaller incomplete path which offers the opportunity to outflank the defence of the main track.
The Austro-Hungarian Honved division (as a Reserve formation) lacks MMGs at this early stage, and so starts at a disadvantage. The morale of both sides is also variable. I used a die roll to determine the moral of each regiment as it first came under fire, using the OOBs in the core rules to determine the chances of teach regiment being Green or Regular.
The Russian commander has two regiments of 76mm field guns, and chooses to deploy one on table as individual batteries supporting 1 regiment on his right, The other, off table, supports the 2nd (left) regiment.
The Austrians have three regiments of artillery: a regiment of 104mm guns off table attached to 2 Regiment, a regiment of 75mm guns on table deployed as individual batteries with the 3rd Reserve Regiment, and a regiment fo 75mm guns off table in support of 4 Regiment on his extreme right flank.
With this view looking towards the south, the Austrian attack comes from the west, the right of the map. The arrows show the Austrian plan of attack. 1 regiment (nearest the camera)was to sweep around the right of the Russian defence which was to be pinned by a frontal attack from 2 regiment. 4 regiment on the AH right (furthest away from the camera, was to attempt a 'coup de main' on the secondary route at the top of the photo. 3 Regiment was to advance into a reserve position in the centre, ready to reinforce whichever attack appeared to show the greatest opportunity. The Russian defence saw a regiment defending each route.
With this view looking towards the south, the Austrian attack comes from the west, the right of the map. The arrows show the Austrian plan of attack. 1 regiment (nearest the camera)was to sweep around the right of the Russian defence which was to be pinned by a frontal attack from 2 regiment. 4 regiment on the AH right (furthest away from the camera, was to attempt a 'coup de main' on the secondary route at the top of the photo. 3 Regiment was to advance into a reserve position in the centre, ready to reinforce whichever attack appeared to show the greatest opportunity. The Russian defence saw a regiment defending each route.
The Russian centre/right, troops in Level 1 trenches supported by two batteries of 76mmm field guns commanding the heights
Russian 2 regiment holding the left, and the partial track
Russian infantry, HaT 20mm figures
An overview of the Russian deployment. With only two regiments there are no reserves.
The Austrian first move
The Austro Hungarian reserve regiment in the centre, with is attached field artillery
The attack against the Russian right begins1 Regiment on the extreme left. It has just taken its first fire, and a die roll determines that it is Green, 2 Regiment on the right of the photo turns out to be Regular .. some more experienced Honved, obviously
The Russian right flank 4 Regiment takes fire.. it also turns out to be Green. The reserve regiment takes fire and so reverts to defend orders. It is another regular morale regiment.
4 Regiment pushes against the extreme left of the Russian position, in a move to outflank.
The attack on the Russian right by Austrian 1 and 2 Regiments develops, A firefight begins between the entrenched Russians and the Austrian troops in the woods lower right. Meanwhile 1 Regiment pushes into the woods anchoring the extreme Russian right in what was to be the scene of much bloody fighting.
Heavy fire falls around the centre, with heavy artillery fire supporting both sides
The Russian reserve artillery unlimbers ready to bring fore down on the Russian centre/left
The flanking attack is developing against the Russian left. The Russian commander redeploys his reserve companies to counter the threat he can see developing against his extreme left
The forward Austrian companies have begun to engage the defending Russian son the extreme Russian right, with supporting Austrian troops about to enter the woods to bolster thise forward companies
The Heights blocking the main pass through the Vasstanya Gap, defended by two batteries of Russian guns.The intensity of the artillery fire is evident here. The Austrians have a regiment of off table 104mm guns firing in support
Casualties in the centre are heavy. The Austrian 3rd Regiment, originally the reserve, has taken severe casualties, ad is close to a morale check, but gaps are opening up in the Russian position as casualties there mount too.
Th firefight is intense on the far Austrian right
The Austrian 4th Regiment is creating gaps too
The Austrian on table batteries bring the Russian centre under direct fire.
The fighting has reached a new intensity on the Austrian left where the bloody fighting for the woods descends to a hand to hand brawl. Austrian companies charge a (suppressed) Russian company defending the wood line and eliminate it, leaving the support=ing MMG exposed
The defending Russian company is gone.
Next turn further close assaults are launched
The defending MMG is assaulted
The NMNGs troops repulse the Austrian charge (one attacking Austrian infantry company is eliminated)
The Austrians push forward to the right of the main route through the Gap
Austrian artillery continue to do their work
The Austrian 4th Regiment on the extreme Austrian right has all but eliminated the Russian defence of the ridge line
The fighting in the woods on the Austrian left continues unabated
On the extreme Austrian right suppressed Russian infantry are close assaulted in the open, this is extreme stuff
And still the bayonet fighting goes on on the other flank.. this wood will yield rivers of blood
The Russian defence of the woods under attack bu the Austrian left appears to be holding
More close assaults on the Austrian right
The ridge on the Austrian right is clear of defenders
The intensity of th foght in the woods is very apparenbt here
The Austrian 2nd Regiment pushes forward against what is clearly a weakening Russian defence
The Russian n2 Regiment on their left takes more casualties
And more still .. at this stage the Russian left wing 2nd Regiment fails its morale and retreats leaving the Russian left/.Austrian right clear for the Austrian advance. However this is not the big prize, that is still the main route through the Vasstanya Gap
The Austrian troops keep up the pressure on the Russian 1 Regiment in the woods
And finally the Russian 1 rRegiment breaks too. The way is clear, the Austro-Hungarian Honved Division has opened the way through the Vasstanya Gap.
I played this game solo, the first time in a 50 year wargaming 'career' I have ever done so. It was an interesting challenge which has results form our quarantine/lockdown with the Covid-19 pandemic. The game swung several times. Early on it looked as if the Russian defence would hold. Initial fire from the Russians over the first two turns of contact inflicted heavy casualties. The Austrian Reserve regiment (badly positioned so that it came under Russian fire early) took very heavy casualties, and sat one stand off a moral check for approximately 2/3 of the game.
The fierce fighting in the wood where the Russian 1 Regiment fought for its position against the Austro-Hungarian 1 Regiment was some of the fiercest fighting I have seen in a Great War Spearhead game. There was an attraction to assaulting suppressed stands in woods. The Russians were not able to defend the edge of the woods, as the Regimental HQ stand was too far away, and so stands there would have been outside command radius. This meant that the attacking Austrians were able to gain a foothold in the woods, with no casualties. An interesting lesson in the placement of defending HQ stands.
While the dice favoured the defending Russian s at the start, they very definitely favoured the Austrians thereafter.
For a solo game this played really well.. it was fascinating how much of the nuance of the game I'd forgotten. That said, I still well remember the need for patience. Advance to contact. Engage in the firefight. Win the firefight. Move. Never has anything been truer to the tactical doctrine of the Germans, and the British. I don't believe this was the tactical doctrine of the Austrians, but that is a dilemma for any player.
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