This time a historical clash occurred at the beginning of World War I on the Eastern Front. The Battle of Stalluponen occurred on August 17, 1914, between the German First Corps and Russian First and Third Armies troops. The game was played on a 6mm scale, using the rules created by Michael, which he called Stahlgewitter.
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider
1. Forces.
2. The Game.
As Michael introduced us to the game, I searched online for information about the battle to better understand what happened. I was particularly interested in the fact that units from this area had participated in the battle (including Michael's Granddad and quite possibly some of my family members too), as they were more determined not to surrender any pieces of land to the enemy. Additionally, the attitude of the commander-in-chief, German General Hermann Karl Bruno von François, inspired me to execute a bold plan. I decided to defend myself in the town of Stalluponen, making it my mission to prevent the Russians from advancing. Although the number of enemies was daunting, I soon realized that in this situation, quantity did not equate to quality.
The Russians advanced, but my artillery proved to be highly effective against their troops. As a result, the Russian casualties were significant, prompting them to change their strategy. Instead of continuing with reckless assaults, they began to use counter-battery fire. Initially, the Russians had nearly twice as many artillery pieces, which eventually started to impact the battle. They managed to push forward and successfully broke through my defensive lines to the north of Stalluponnen, as well as in the south, where they penetrated my fortified positions.
At one point, the Russians succeeded in knocking out the infantry battalion defending Stalluponen. However, I managed to bring in a new unit to reinforce the town. It became clear that the Russians were breaking through my defence lines in several areas. At the same time, they were leaving the cover of their artillery and entering the range of my next defensive line located in Gumbinnen. This allowed the number of defeated Russian units to grow at an alarming rate. Ultimately, while the Russians had some successes, the German defence remained strong, and I won the battle.
3. Links.
MICHAEL:
SESWC:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352/permalink/656436363417563/
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720324713569
