Game of the Week, Nov 25 to Dec 1

Hi everyone,

It’s time for Game of the Week!

This week’s Game of the Week is First World War Campaigns – Serbia ‘14.

The First World War started on July 28^th, 1914, 110 years ago. The assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand resulted in Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia, beginning World War I. Between August 2^nd to 7^th, 1914, Germany invades Luxembourg and Belgium. France invades Alsace, and British forces arrive in France. The Germans had hoped to knock the Western Allies out of the war quickly and then turn their attention to the East and the conflict with Russia. These four campaigns in Serbia are the focus of First World War Campaigns – Serbia ‘14.

First World War Campaigns – Serbia ‘14 is the new 4.05.1 version, released in October, and our product description encapsulates this campaign well:

In the summer of 1914, the world was shocked as Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in the streets of Sarajevo. In response, an enraged Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on the tiny nation of Serbia, which caused a complex web of alliances across Europe to be triggered. With Russia entering the conflict, the Austro-Hungarians drew up hasty plans for an invasion intent on knocking "little Serbia" out of the war quickly so they would be able to transfer forces to counter the Russian advance on the Eastern Front. However, the first invasion of Serbia would fail miserably, followed by a second invasion that ground to a halt, and then a third invasion that, with victory seemingly within grasp, would also end in a humiliating defeat for the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Those three defeats would pave the way for a German intervention which would finally see the total conquest of Serbia a year later. The little-known Serbian campaigns would serve as inspiration to the allies as Serbia defied all odds and stood against the might of the Central Powers.

There are 28 Scenarios, 4 Campaigns and 4 Grand Campaigns included. Below is a list of the major engagements included many with multiple scenarios:

• Mount Cer
• Syrmia Offensive
• Macva Peninsula
• Mount Jagodnja
• Serbian offensive in Bosnia
• Mackov Kamen
• Drina Stalemate
• Romanja Planina
• Valjevo
• Kolubara (the full battle, as well as separate A-H and Serb offensive phase scenario)
• 1st Beograd
• 2nd Beograd (1915)
• Pozarevac (1915)
• Timok (1915)
• Bulgarian invasion of Macedonia (1915)
• Krivolak (1915)
• Kragujevac (1915)
• Kosturino (1915)

Campaign scenarios consist of:

• The 1st Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia (102 turns)
• The 2nd Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia, which includes a simultaneous Serbian invasion of Syrmia (131 turns)
• The 3rd Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia (319 turns)
• The massive 4th Austro-Hungarian and German invasion of Serbia (389 turns), which includes forces from Austro-Hungarian, German and Bulgarian forces against Serbian, Montenegrin, Russian, British and French forces
• A bonus small campaign/large battle scenario covering the ill fated Serbian invasion of Bosnia to "liberate" Sarajevo, which occurred between 2nd and 3rd Austro-Hungarian invasions of Serbia (278 turns)
• Four Grand Campaign scenarios designed to be played along with Grand Campaigns scenarios for France '14 and East Prussia '14, which are intended to establish context and allow the player to influence the outcome of the war across many different scenarios (102 to 389 turns)

The Serbia master map (210,496 hexes) covers Austro-Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Montenegro, Romania, and Greece. A map of Bosnia is also included.

First World War Campaigns – Serbia ‘14 includes the aforementioned playable scenarios and campaigns, as well as a Getting Started scenario to introduce new players to the game system. The included scenarios are a good mix of small (division), medium (corps) and large (army) engagements.

Of the five included Order of Battles, the largest includes 2,400 units from the German, Bulgarian, Austro-Hungarian, Serbian, Russian, British, French and Montenegrin forces that participated in the campaign.

We included a lot of historical documentation and notes with this title, you can review each by clicking on the links below.

Getting Started Guide

Design Notes

ORDER OF BATTLE-Serbia '14 (1st Invasion)

ORDER OF BATTLE-Serbia '14 (2nd Invasion)

ORDER OF BATTLE-Serbia '14 (3rd Invasion)

ORDER OF BATTLE-Serbia '14 (Bosnia)

ORDER OF BATTLE-Serbia '15 (4th Invasion)

PLANNING MAP-1st Invasion

PLANNING MAP-2nd Invasion

PLANNING MAP-3rd Invasion

PLANNING MAP-4th Invasion

PLANNING MAP-Bosnia

There has been a range of books covering the battles in Serbia. Following are some representative books for anyone that would like some more background on the campaign. You can click on the book images below to be taken to the Publisher or Amazon, if applicable. A few of these books were mentioned in our Game of the Week – France ’14 post, but most are new additions.

Informational

Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914: The Outbreak of the Great War by Jame Lyon. The first history of the Great War to address in-depth the crucial events of 1914 as they played out on the Balkan Front. James Lyon demonstrates how blame for the war’s outbreak can be placed squarely on Austria-Hungary’s expansionist plans and internal political tensions, Serbian nationalism, South Slav aspirations, the unresolved Eastern Question, and a political assassination sponsored by renegade elements within Serbia’s security services. In doing so, he portrays the background and events of the Sarajevo Assassination and the subsequent military campaigns and diplomacy on the Balkan Front during 1914. The book details the first battle of the First World War, the first Allied victory and the massive military humiliations Austria-Hungary suffered at the hands of tiny Serbia, while discussing the oversized strategic role Serbia played for the Allies during 1914.

Serbia's Great War: 1914-1918 (Central European Studies) by Andrej Mitrovic. Mitrovic's volume fills the gap in Balkan history by presenting an in-depth look at Serbia and its role in WWI. The Serbian experience was in fact of major significance in this war. In the interlocking development of the wartime continent, Serbia's plight is part of a European jigsaw. Also, the First World War was crucial as a stage in the construction of Serbian national mythology in the twentieth century.

The Resurrection and Collapse of Empire in Habsburg Serbia, 1914–1918: Volume 1 (Cambridge Military Histories) by Jonathan E. Gumz. This book examines the Habsburg Army’s occupation of Serbia from 1914 through 1918. This occupation ran along a distinctly European-centered trajectory radically different from other great power colonial projects or occupations during the 20th century. Unlike these projects and occupations, the Habsburg Army sought to denationalize and depoliticize Serbia, to gradually reduce the occupation’s violence, and to fully integrate the country into the Empire. These aims stemmed from 19th-century conservative and monarchical convictions that compelled the Army to operate under broad legal and civilizational constraints. Gumz’s research provides a counterpoint to interpretations of the First World War that emphasize the centrality of racially inflected, Darwinist worldviews in the war.

The Serbian Army in the Great War, 1914-1918 by Dusan Babac, offers readers a very thorough analysis of the Serbian Army of the period, including its organization, participation in military operations, weapons, equipment, uniforms, and system of orders and medals. This book is a synthesis of all available literature and periodicals, appearing for the first time in the English language.

Austria-Hungary's Last War, 1914-1918 Vol 1 (1914): Outbreak of War to the Outcome of the Battle of Limanowa-Lapanow by The Austrian Federal Ministry of the Army and War Archive. In August 1914, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in response to the assassination of their heir to the throne, declared war against Serbia. Their army was multi-national and multi-lingual. Backed by Germany and opposed by an alliance between Russia, France, and Great Britain, the conflict would plunge the entire world into five years of brutal warfare.

Started just after the Great War ended and completed only one year before the start of the Second World War, this is a comprehensive history of the final conflict of an empire that only half a century prior had been among the most powerful in Europe.

Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War 1914. Max Hastings needs no introduction on his history prose.

1914: The Year the World Ended by Paul Ham. Another great general history to understand the genesis of the first world war.

If you have never listened to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History, then you are in for a treat. Dan has a range of his podcasts up on Spotify, but the series that details World War I can be bought directly from his website here:

With over 24 hours across 6 episodes, this is a thought provoking and unique presentation.

Now for video content:

SmartWargames has reviewed Serbia ’14 here:

War History has a fantastic historical video that covers the various campaigns by both sides.

Following are some in-game screen shots of what to expect. Each image can be clicked for a full-sized view.

As mentioned, the build we are making available today is a the 4.05.1 version that was released in October. A range of new features were included, and you can read the Changelog here. All new purchases will be this latest version.

If you don’t already own this title, what are you waiting for? You can buy it directly from the dedicated product page.

We hope you enjoy this week’s Game of the Week. We thought it was important to showcase this title during the 110^th anniversary year of the start of the first truly world war. Like all WDS titles, there is a lot of game play included at a very attractive price.