Tannenberg News

The Winter War 1915 campaign continues for a couple more days - have you earned a gold medal yet? On the Eastern Front there were Austro-Hungarian troops trying to break through to relieve Przemyśl Fortress, meanwhile on the Western Front an important observation point was being contested.

Photograph from the summit of Hartmanswillerkopf in 1915.

January 1915 saw mountain warfare centered on the Hartmanswillerkopf peak in the Vosges mountains. German and French troops fought intermittently from 1914-1916 to control the heights, which offered both sides potential observation of strategic railways. The operations were costly (though nowhere near as brutally harsh as in the Carpathians) and troops were often pulled from the Hartmanswillerkopf conflict to reinforce other areas of the front. Ultimately both sides would go on to accept a stalemate in early 1916, and the situation became stable until 1918.

Hartmanswillerkopf memorial.

The campaign will end on February 4th. So far the Entente are ahead with almost 30,000 less casualties than the Central Powers. Will things change before the 4th?

[h2]New seasonal event with new medals![/h2]
A brand new Winter War 1915 campaign is starting soon, this Thursday 28th! Fallen soldiers will be tracked throughout the event, except for battles where only bots are involved. The 'winner' will be whichever faction suffers the least casualties at the end of the event. It is not required to serve one side during the entire campaign. But surely you'll still be inclined to pick a side?

The amount of kills earned by each faction can be seen on the main menu. You can earn special medals during this event. All you have to do is to participate in the battles of Tannenberg to earn one! You can upgrade your medal by fighting battles in our Western Front shooter Verdun as well - if you fight 5 battles in both games, you'll earn the gold medal! You have until February 4th to do so...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/
[h2]A little history[/h2]
The Eastern Front saw a very bloody winter in 1915. In an ill-conceived attempt to relieve the besieged Przemyśl Fortress, the Austro-Hungarian command launched an offensive through the Carpathian Mountains in the depths of Winter. Around 175,000 men were committed to a grueling slog through impossible conditions with deep snow and night temperatures that could reach -25°F. A horrific 75% would become casualties through freezing, exhaustion, suicide, and more rarely combat. After some initial success against outnumbered Russian defenders, counter-attacks quickly drove back the Austro-Hungarian effort. They never got close to relieving Przemyśl.

A painting of Russian troops marching through the mountains.

[h2]Good luck out there![/h2]

Many will know what happened at the Western Front during Christmas of 1914. German and British soldiers would lay down their weapons and celebrate the holidays together. But how was spending Christmas on the Eastern Front? That’s a little more complicated than you might think…

This has to do with the different calendars used. Nowadays, we mostly refer to the Gregorian calendar. However, the Russians still used the Julian calendar. There are a few reports that Germans would seek out a truce during Christmas, but these aren’t as widely spread or well known as what occurred in 1914. For soldiers in the trenches of the Eastern Front, it would have been ‘business as usual’, although that is a weird statement considering they were at war...

One of the important Russian offensives is named the ‘Christmas Battles’ and took place on the second and third weeks of January 1917, if we go by our current calendar. The battle took place in a swampy, frozen landscape and stood out because of the partial victory for the Russian Empire. In particular the Latvian Riflemen earned their reputation as very capable combatants based on this offensive.



[h2]The Christmas Truce in Verdun[/h2]
In Verdun, our WW1 Game that takes place on the Western Front, the Christmas Truce event returns! From December 22nd 2020 until January 5th 2021, you can join the Christmas Truce and even win a special medal for doing so! Jump into a special map where all players have the same loadout. Stories to tell, snowballs to pick up and a football to kick. Celebrate Christmas in a unique way with your fellow soldiers and earn the Christmas Truce medal by participating in the festivities.
[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/LqSbWDa-RyU[/previewyoutube]

[h2]What makes a truce?[/h2]
Co-founder of M2H Studios and developer of the WW1 Game Series, Mike Hergaarden, has written an interesting behind the scenes article about including different truces and other lesser known historic events in games. “The common factor in these truces is a shared human experience.” To get some more insights, read the article here.


[h2]A cold winter sale[/h2]
If you are looking to enlist on the battlefields of World War I, now is the perfect time! Tannenberg is -60% off and could be gifted to a fellow soldier. Looking to head over to the Western Front and join the Christmas Truce? Verdun is -70% off as well!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/
[h3]From the development team of the WW1 Game Series, we wish you a merry Christmas and a healthy new year![/h3]

[h2]The wolves have left...[/h2]
...for now! Which means that the Wolf Truce has ended. Did you manage to get your special Wolf Truce medal? If you have somehow missed it, don't worry! The beasts are likely to return for some fresh meat sometime in the future.

Here are some community highlights of the truce from players 'Matthias' and 'SadAlice'



[h2]Crossing the borders on consoles[/h2]
Just a quick note today to let any console fans among you know that we have released an update allowing Xbox and PlayStation gamers to play Verdun and Tannenberg together!

Sadly we couldn’t add cross-play for PC users due to differences in their game versions, such as 64 player matches rather than the 40 player games on console, and other cross-platform balance issues like controller auto-aim.

It's also a free weekend on consoles from December 11-13, meaning Verdun and Tannenberg are open to everyone to try out!

[h3]Celebration giveaways![/h3]
Even if you don’t own a console, you might be interested in the giveaways running on our Twitter – you’ve got a chance to win some tasty mints!

[h3]Holidays are coming to the Western Front[/h3]
With temperatures and snowflakes that are starting to fall, we do not only remember those who have fallen or the conflict they were involved in, we also remember the rare moments of humanity during the war. But more on that later....

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]The Pack approaches… [/h2]
Winter is drawing near. And when the world is at war, wild beasts are more desperate for food than ever. Hungry packs of wolves are looking for some fresh meat and the only tasty things around are you, your squadmates, and your enemies!

When you hear the wolves howl on the battlefields of Tannenberg, a massive pack of wolves will approach. At this moment, both sides have the opportunity to uphold the truce and fight together against the hungry beasts. If you manage to eliminate the pack without hurting anyone on the enemy team, all players involved will earn the special medal! The event runs from November 25 to December 2!

A cold howl
The Wolf Truce is based on accounts of Russians and Germans on the Eastern Front holding this unique truce in 1917 to fight off ravenous wolves. Although some have found reasons to debunk this, the stories the soldiers told each other made their way into American newspapers such as the New York Times. There are also more sober accounts in Russian history books noting that hungry wolves certainly were a threat, though they generally suggest it was to civilians or isolated soldiers.

A Russian squad in 1914 on the Eastern Front, in the midst of a forest where wolves might be likely to strike a few winters later.

The Eastern Front awaits!
Want to go wolf hunting with your squadmates? Now is the best time to enter the frontlines of World War One, because the entire WW1 Game Series is part of the Steam Autumn Sale! The Western Front of Verdun is open to new recruits with a 50% discount. However, the Wolf Truce only takes place on the Eastern Front of Tannenberg, which is now available for -70% off!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/633460/Tannenberg/
[h2]The war in the palm of your hands[/h2]
For enthusiasts of physical video game releases, we also have some great news! Both Tannenberg and Verdun have a limited boxed release on PlayStation 4. For now, we have a release in selected German and Austrian retail stores. However, you are able to get a international shipment from Amazon DE:
https://amzn.to/3lGEX4j

We are looking at having a international physical release, but we require your feedback. Would you be interested in a PlayStation 4 boxed release of the WW1 Game Series titles? Let us know:
https://forms.gle/8h67ftBCJEU3u2CQ7



[h3]Happy Hunting![/h3]