Bootie and I have now reached fall of 1916 and the great news for the Central Powers is that due to catastrophic manpower and territorial losses and economic collapse, the Russian people have risen in revolution and the interim Revolutionary government has offered surrender terms. (all this a year early -- Huzza!!)
The Eastern front really got moving after Austro-Hungarian and Rumanian forces crushed Rumania and finding the Ukraine virtually undefended, have advanced deep into southern Russia, capturing the Crimea, Kiev and even Rostov with spearheads crossing the Don river.
Up north, German armies advancing from the Riga area have also managed to capture the Russian capital Petrograd, which also bombed by German battleships.
In the northern Turkey/Caucasus region heavy fighting still continues between Russian armies and Turkish forces ... although we are a little mystified why these troops weren't withdrawn to defend the Russian heartland.
The Turks still hold the Suez canal, Cairo and have even sent expeditions along the coast as far as capturing Benghazi and Tobruk ... no Italain troops seem to be defending their N. African colonies.
The Italian front is pretty much static with grinding low-level attrition trench warfare.
The Western front is also pretty static trench warfare with a steady drain of casualties due to the Allies preponderance in artillery and manpower there ... but German divisions are still on the Seine threatening Paris! Also hoping that all the Allied attacks have been slowly bleeding the Allied manpower reserves dry (in this game excessive manpower losses severely penalise the countries' economies)
The U-boot war has not been terribly successful so far ... time to recall the flotillas and modernise and upgrade them.
Let's see how the Russian surrender plays out and let's see how long it'll take for me to make the weight of the Eastern armies felt in France and Italy.
(hope the Yanks stay at home
)
Great game! -- I'll try and remember to take some screenshots next turn )