Galicia: The Forgotten Cauldron

 

Galicia: The Forgotten Cauldron’ covers the initial stages of WW I in what today is Southern Poland.

August 1914: Austria Hungary and Russia mobilize against each other as a result of Austria Hungary's ultimatum to Serbia. Both Empires have long histories of intervention in the Balkans, the Tinderbox of Europe. Now they face each other directly across their common border, a border that was created as they had earlier carved up Poland between themselves. Each side has a strong desire to prove their dominance and superiority over the other once and for all.

The Austro Hungarians mobilize three armies in their Polish province of Galicia. Another army, initially mobilized against Serbia (in the belief that Russia will not come to Serbia’s aid militarily) will have to be moved northward now that Russia is on the march. The Russians mobilize four armies against the Austro Hungarians. Each side plans to attack the other aggressively in the belief that a quick and decisive decision can be reached.

Austria Hungary is able to move forces more quickly into the region. With this initial advantage, they seize the initiative, as their First and Fourth armies invade Russian Poland from the south. They leave their Third army (along with slowly arriving reinforcements from the Second army, moving up from the Serbian Front), to defend against Russian forces in the east. The Austro Hungarian Armies on the attack are soon embroiled in viscous combat with the Russian Fourth and Fifth Armies who oppose them. The Austro Hungarians make slow progress, but in doing so, they are drawn farther and farther from Galicia.

Moving off to a somewhat slower start than the Austro Hungarians, the Russians also are on the move offensively. Their Third and Eighth Armies invade Galicia from the East. They quickly push the Austro Hungarians back to line outside of the provincial capitol of Lemberg. There, both armies launch attacks and counter attacks against each other. The weight of two Russian Armies against the outnumbered Austro Hungarians begins to tell, and the Austro Hungarians begin to retreat.

To the North, the Austro Hungarian Fourth army has almost encircled the Russian Fifth. Now, because of the retreat of the Austro Hungarian Third Army, it is about to be encircled itself. In the highly mobile campaign that follows, both sides must move quickly to save its endangered forces and protect its territory.

In the end, the Austro Hungarians have bitten off more than they can chew by attempting offensive operations against Russia as well as Serbia. The cream of their armies are sacrificed in the attempt. The Russians make large gains into Austria Hungary, but are unable to achieve a decisive result. They too suffer enormous losses.

Both sides gambled that a decisive victory could be achieved. These gambles ended in the destruction of the empires that made them. Here you have the chance to attempt different courses of action. The forces available to you are the same that were available to the historical participants. But it is up to you to make your own strategic decisions, and to execute your own plans as you see fit.

This is your chance to prove that you could have done better, that you could change the course of history!

This is the third of a series of simulations designed to interlock to allow you to simulate conflicts and campaigns from 1914 to the present across all of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Each simulation is self-contained. Yet, tied together, they allow you to control all aspects of land, sea, & air warfare.