shop.decisiongames.com

Lettow-Vorbeck is a game covering the East African campaign of 1914-18. One player controls the Allied units and tries to clear German East Africa. The other player controls the Germans and tries to prevent it, or failing that, to grab a source of supply in one of the surrounding Allied colonies. The Germans historically eked out a win by grabbing a supply source in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia even though they had been chased out of their home colony.

By early 1917 British Empire forces had pushed the Ottoman Turks out of the Sinai to a line near Gaza. If the British could break that line, it would open the road to Jerusalem, and after that Damascus. A hastily prepared attack in March was repulsed. After a month spent bringing forward artillery and supplies, the British were ready to try again, going “over the top” on 17 April.

The Suez Canal was essential to British strategic communications and trade in the Great War, as well as being an important political symbol. In August of 1916, the Ottoman Empire sent an expeditionary force, which included contingents of Germans and Austro-Hungarians, against the canal. While the British were expecting an attack, the Ottomans gained tactical surprise by attacking at night. If the Ottoman attack had succeeded, Britain’s prestige and warmaking capacity would be severely damaged.

In August 1914, two Russian armies, Rennenkampf’s First and Samsonov’s Second, invaded the German province of East Prussia. The lone German army there, Hindenburg’s Eighth, had to rely on interior lines and railroads to concentrate against each Russian army in turn. This game focuses on the southern half of the campaign, with the northern half factored into the victory conditions. Those victory conditions vary with the strategic options chosen by each player so neither knows the other’s intent.

After the Tannenberg campaign of August-September 1914, East Prussia became a strategic backwater as both side focused their efforts in Poland. But the Russian threat remained, and the following winter the Germans set about cleaning up their northern flank. A massive attack on the open right flank of the Russian Tenth Army sent it reeling; only the sacrifice of an entire corps in the Augustowo Forest enabled it to escape.

After successful offensives in August 1918, Marshal Foch ordered an all-new offensive into the Meuse-Argonne with no less an objective than the encirclement of the entire German Army. The US First Army commenced the new offensive on 26 September, but formidable German defenses stalled the operation within four days. The drive resumed after a few days of reorganization, this time supported by over 300 tanks and 500 aircraft. Steady progress was made until the attackers encountered the depth of the Argonne, one of the densest forests in France. It would be a tough slog until the Americans broke into the open.