[Strv102r]

Game turn 12:

The French army of the North advances on the 4th army that reacts and falls back towards the 1st army but the French catch up and defeats it in battle that can only be described as the blackest day in the  Germans artillery's history. The army of the North rallies and digs in.  The Germans are able to turn the tables by rallying the 4th army and combining both the 4th and 1st armies in a counterattack. The German artillery is evidently determined to show what they are capable of and this time they shine. The French are routed in a two round battle and more or less destroyed.  The Germans keep the initiative and pursue with the 4th army. In another good show of the German artillery the army of the North is completely destroyed with all three corps. The French try to fight back by reinforcing and moving the army of Paris out of Paris and attacking the 1st army, but Steinmetz, still in command reacts and falls back towards the 4th army. Steinmetz digs in, but the army of Paris us much stronger and defeats him badly. The 4th army moves to join forces with the 1st army but a comparison of strength makes an attack on the army of Paris that now has liberated Rouen and destroyed a German division very risky indeed. The two armies instead move to northern Paris, dig in and besiege the city! The French move the army of Paris slightly to the south and a rebuilt 2nd cavalry division takes over the defense of Rouen. In the south the German guards cavalry has raided Tours. The game turn ends with further siege progress in southern Paris, but none in the north.

[Strv102r]

Game turn 13-18:

The army of Paris attempts to attack northern Paris again, but is repulsed by the combined forces of the 1st and 4th armies. In the south the 3rd army resumes the offensive against the army of the Loire and defeats it I a two round battle. Initiative favors the Germans that pursue relentlessly and destroy the French army in a series of running battles. This opens the southern flank totally for the French so the second army of the Loire retreats to form a line that connect with the now dug in army of Paris and the west coast. The new reinforcements goes to building a new third corps to form the line a bit more properly. The game turn ends there. The siege of northern Paris progresses to stage 1 but the siege of southern Paris stagnates in stage 5.



The French offensive power is depleted. The Germans are content to wait for the sieges to work. The following game turns only see minor maneuvering, the Germans chase away the cavalry in Rouen for example. The siege of southern Paris progresses so that it surrenders on GT17. Northern Paris holds out to the end however. With massive territory held by the Germans, the empire in shambles, southern Paris in German hands and quite a few corps destroyed it ends as a minor German victory. That was slightly surprising as it felt like a major victory "in the field". However, Paris never fell from one point of view which is a major political setback of course.  The French sacrifices with tactically failed and even disastrous offensives paid off in that sense. The siege of northern Paris was never allowed to really develop.

[Strv102r]

Vill nog påstå att detta har alla möjligheter att bli ett bra spel på ett viktigt krig som påverkade mycket men som, i Sverige i alla fall, är ganska okänt. Jag vågar nog rekommendera det även om det inte är klart än.