Designer Notes: East Prussia ‘14 In the middle of August 1914, the world's attention was focused directly on the Western Front where German armies were sweeping into Belgium and France. On the Eastern Front however, the Russians were on the offensive into East Prussia, an important agricultural region of the Prussian homeland, and the gateway to Berlin. The Russians planned a two pronged invasion into East Prussia: one army approaching from the Niemen River to the east and one army approaching from the Narew River to the south, both aimed at outflanking German forces located therein, and the eventual capture of the strategic city of Königsberg. In their way stood a single German army, two resolute commanders, and a well developed rail network. By the time the campaign was over both Russian armies would be almost completely destroyed and thrown out of East Prussia and the campaign itself would go on to become one of the most studied and celebrated victories in warfare. Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5 The Belligerents ................................................................................................................. 7 The German Army .......................................................................................................... 7 Summary of Capabilities............................................................................................. 7 Organization ................................................................................................................ 7 Equipment and Training ........................................................................................... 13 Landwehr Unit Quality ............................................................................................. 14 Command (HQs) ....................................................................................................... 16 Elite Formations ........................................................................................................ 16 Miscellanea ............................................................................................................... 16 The Russian Army ........................................................................................................ 18 Summary of Capabilities........................................................................................... 18 First line infantry and overall effectiveness .............................................................. 19 Second line infantry .................................................................................................. 21 Machine Gun Detachments ....................................................................................... 22 Cavalry ...................................................................................................................... 23 Artillery ..................................................................................................................... 26 Command radius limitations (HQs) .......................................................................... 28 Rennenkampf's cautiousness (random fixes and releases)........................................ 29 Samsonov's tragic suicide ......................................................................................... 30 Samsonov and Rennenkampf's lack of cooperation (no attachments) ...................... 32 Cossack Regiments (on loan from cavalry divisions) and corps level reconnaissance ................................................................................................................................... 33 Wireless radio interception ....................................................................................... 34 Fragile Morale Nationality ........................................................................................ 36 Elite Formations ........................................................................................................ 37 Miscellanea ............................................................................................................... 37 The Austro-Hungarian Army: ....................................................................................... 39 Summary of Effectiveness ........................................................................................ 39 Elite Formations ........................................................................................................ 41 Fragile Morale Nationality ........................................................................................ 41 Miscellanea ............................................................................................................... 42 General Notes .................................................................................................................. 43 Terrain, fields (farms), eastern front vs. western front ................................................. 43 Winter snow vs. fall snow ............................................................................................. 44 Attachments .................................................................................................................. 45 Cavalry Units, cavalry tactics, and cavalry types ......................................................... 45 Replacements ................................................................................................................ 53 Infantry movement speed .............................................................................................. 54 Lack of "Go On Foot" command .................................................................................. 55 Unit frontages, attack formation (1914) ........................................................................ 56 Unit frontages, defense formation (1914) ..................................................................... 57 Forts .............................................................................................................................. 58 Trenches and Improved Positions ................................................................................. 60 Heavy Machine Gun Units............................................................................................ 61 Field Guns, direct versus indirect fire ........................................................................... 63 Machine Gun and Field Gun Unit setup ....................................................................... 64 Towed Gun Limitation (stacking) ................................................................................. 66 Brigade and regimental HQ units ................................................................................. 67 Off map HQ units with 0% arrival ................................................................................ 69 Congestion Markers, the use of .................................................................................... 69 Engineer units, minefields, obstacle and rubble clearing ............................................. 70 Stacking limits .............................................................................................................. 73 Road march column lengths, historical vs. gameplay (road stacking limits) ............... 75 Night operations ............................................................................................................ 76 Rail capacity and Russian rail gauge limitation ............................................................ 79 Rail movement speed .................................................................................................... 81 Artillery setup parameter .............................................................................................. 81 Multiplayer .................................................................................................................... 82 Listening Music ............................................................................................................ 83 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 85 Further Gaming .............................................................................................................. 86 Scenario Notes ................................................................................................................. 87 Getting Started: First Contact ....................................................................................... 87 1914_0817_01s: The Prelude ....................................................................................... 88 1914_0820_01s: Clash of Empires ............................................................................... 89 1914_0820_01sA: Clash of Empires (von Prittwitz's Problem) ................................... 98 1914_0820_01sB: Clash of Empires (Schlieffen Plan 1905) ....................................... 99 1914_0820_02s: Gumbinnen to Tannenberg .............................................................. 100 1914_0820_05s: Forced to Give Battle ...................................................................... 101 1914_0823_01s: The Creeping Tide ........................................................................... 104 1914_0826_01s: The Rout of Samsonov's Right Wing .............................................. 105 1914_0826_02s: Dinner for Wolves