Tannenberg News

[h2]The Relief Offensives have ended...[/h2]
The battle is over, so who won? Well, we tracked the casualties of both sides to see who was taking fewer losses. At some points in the war, commanders were reduced to this kind of attritional combat, simply trying to drain the enemy of soldiers and will to fight. The Entente quickly gained a lead in the casualty advantage (meaning they had this many less casualties), and held onto it throughout the campaign. Between days 6-8 there was a pause as the Central Powers rallied a little, but it didn't last and by the end the Central Powers had suffered 69,817 more losses than the Entente.



However, in the overall context of the campaign, this number is tiny. With both sides combined there were more than 11 million casualties. In our previous campaign, there were less than 9 million casualties over a similar length of time, suggesting the battlefields were more active than previously.

If you want to read more about how these numbers stack up against historical figures (TL:DR they're enormously higher, even compared to some heavy losses taken by the Russian army) you can take a look at the post when the last campaign ended. These losses would have been devastating for both sides, and the difference is so small as to give neither side a meaningful advantage. Tragically this sort of battle was far from rare during the First World War.



[h2]Giveaway winners coming soon![/h2]
We'll be announcing winners from the Facebook giveaway very soon! Tins of mints and game keys will be finding their way to lucky winners. Keep an eye on our Facebook page to be the first to hear who won!

The campaign is over. Take a well deserved rest... or head straight back out to the trenches!

Today in 1914, the Battle of Tannenberg began. This is the battle we named the game after, and had huge consequences for the war as a whole. It ended with the destruction of not one but two Russian armies, almost 100,000 prisoners captured, and hundreds of artillery pieces taken. It also inspired our Maneuver game mode and the ability to encircle enemy positions. However, the Battle of Tannenberg was actually fought 30km away from Tannenberg, near what is today the town of Olszytn in Poland. So why the name? We'll give you a clue... it has something to do with Teutonic Knights.

These fellows are re-enactors, of course.

Basically, it was the choice of general and statesman (and arguably, celebrity) Paul von Hindenburg – or to give him his full name, Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg. When the First World War broke out, Hindenburg was retired from the military, but a faster than expected mobilization and initial Russian advances led to hasty calls for his return to service. Hindenburg obliged, and was sent east.

Although the German victory at Tannenberg wasn’t entirely his work, his presence was highly significant, and as a public figure he got almost all the credit. He wanted to name the battle Tannenberg to link it to a battle 500 years earlier, where Teutonic Knights were defeated by a Polish-Lithuanian coalition. His idea was that ‘his’ Battle of Tannenberg was vengeance served for the defeated Teutonic Knights. After the war, Hindenburg would go on to become President of the Weimar Republic.

For anyone who takes issue with me describing Hindenburg as a ‘celebrity’, I present to you… this silver memorial medallion, featuring naked Hindenburg swinging a sword at the Russian bear.

Presented without comment.

[h2]Win a ration of peppermints, or a Steam key![/h2]
As part of the Entente Relief Campaigns event, we’re running a giveaway! If you want a chance to win a can of peppermints or a key for Verdun or Tannenberg, march over to our Facebook page and reply with a comment saying whether you choose the Central Powers or the Entente, and why. Our favorite responses will win prizes!

Which would you choose?

[h2]Campaign Update[/h2]
And how is the campaign itself going? The latest reports from the front indicate that Central Powers losses have risen to 3,740,890 while Entente casualties have reached 3,690,430. That's a difference of 50,000 in favor of the Entente. Meanwhile, we’re drawing closer to the end - the offensives will cease on Sunday 30. There’s still time to change the end result…

Credit to player Fafnir for the great screenshot we used as a thumbnail!

At the time of writing, Central Powers casualties are 2,437,263 while Entente casualties are at 2,403,869. That's a difference of 33,000 in favor of the Entente. But there are more than six days to go, and things can change quickly.

[h2]The Brusilov Offensive[/h2]
At this time in 1916, Aleksai Brusilov was advancing again. After a pause, his attack continued on July 28th and he was well on his way towards the Carpathian Mountains - despite a lack of supplies! His success was impressive enough that his superiors began transferring additional troops to his command, but Brusilov was not appreciative of the gesture. His opinion was that there was no space for extra men in his theater and that more manpower would hinder rather than help him.

Meanwhile, General Evert was not making any significant progress, while suffering high casualties. The difference could be attributed to tactics - Brusilov was using the same kind of techniques that German storm troopers would utilize later in the war, with specialist units to break holes in the enemy line and the main body of the army to follow. Evert's more conventional assaults led to more conventional failures and costly victories.



[h2]Japan in WW1[/h2]
The Japanese declared war on the Central Powers on August 23rd in 1914, and moved against German territories in their sphere of influence. They also sent teams of nurses to France, Russia and Britain. As the war continued, Japan would export large quantities of war material to Entente nations. They also exported a number of rifles - one of which you can use in Tannenberg.

The first Arisaka Type 30s were built in 1899, and were the standard issue Japanese rifle until 1905 when they were replaced by the Type 38 - however, a lack of supply meant that some units kept using Type 30s until into the Second World War. Desperate for weapons, Russia bought around 300,000 Type 30s from Japan, and they received more from the British who had ordered them from Japan to arm troops until production of the Lee-Enfield could ramp up. It's possible that a number of these rifles would have been present in some capacity during the Brusilov Offensive.



The battle goes on... since this post was begun, casualties have risen to 2,450,007 Central Powers and 2,416,463 Entente. There are six days remaining.

Our new in-game campaign begins part way through the real offensives that inspired it. The Brusilov Offensive began more than two and a half months before this date in 1916, and had another month left to go. The main successes of the Brusilov Offensive were seen early in the battle, following General Aleksei Brusilov's initial attack on June 4th.

Innovative tactics led to a major breakthrough, and the Austro-Hungarian defenders were forced into a hasty retreat. Unfortunately Brusilov's attack was only meant to be a diversion from a separate main attack, which was to be led by General Evert. This main attack was not nearly as well prepared as Brusilov's effort, and Evert was a naturally cautious leader. His part of the offensive began too late and quickly became bogged down as the Germans rushed reinforcements to the Eastern Front to support their beleaguered Austro-Hungarian allies.

Worse still, after the battle ended the Russians failed to learn the lessons of Brusilov's success. While German, French and British commanders would independently develop and improve the kind of breakthrough tactics Brusilov employed, Russian commanders never did so.



[h2]Steam Daily Deal![/h2]
Get 60% off Verdun and Tannenberg until August 24. If you know someone who hasn't played either game yet but might love both, you can point them to the WW1 Game Series bundle, which is 15% off - taking the total discount on everything in there to 75% off normal price!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/242860/Verdun/

As the campaign runs we'll be posting updates along with some history facts, but in Tannenberg and Verdun you can see current casualty rates in the main menu and after each battle ends.

Good luck!

The summer can be a good time for launching an offensive. Dryer weather and less harsh conditions make supplying your forces and maintaining morale easier. Which is not to say that summer in the trenches was by any means pleasant. The summer of 1916 saw an Entente effort to relieve pressure on the French at Verdun with two major offensives, and we will be running our own campaign event this summer as well...

[h2]A new campaign...[/h2]
This campaign is inspired by the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front, and the Brusilov Offensive on the Eastern Front. These were major operations for the Entente forces in 1916, and had mixed results. While the Brusilov Offensive was a great success, smashing the Austro-Hungarian army and gaining territory, the Battle of the Somme was a bloodbath that didn't lead to any major change to the front lines. There's more to it than that, of course - but we'll get into details later this week.



[h2]How does it work?[/h2]
Every fallen soldier on the Western and Eastern Fronts will be tracked. If you fight in a public Frontlines or Maneuver match, your actions will contribute to the campaign casualty totals. While the campaign is running, you will be able to see whether the Central Powers or the Entente are currently faring better. The campaign begins on Thursday.

Earn a campaign medal!
Everyone can earn a special campaign medal by fighting in battles during the event. You can earn a bronze, silver or gold medal. To get gold, fight in five battles on each front - five battles on the Western Front, and five on the Eastern front.

In our last campaign the Entente suffered slightly less casualties, but the difference was so minor as to be effectively a draw - like many major battles of the First World War, in fact. Perhaps this time will be different?

We'll be running a giveaway during the event and posting some interesting history facts. You can read the Steam news right here on the hub, or follow our Twitter, Facebook or Discord!



Check your gas mask and attach bayonets... the battle begins soon.