Russo-Turkish War (1703 - 1707)

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Russo-Turkish War of 1703

Combatants as of January, 1706:

Anti-Russian Alliance
Ottoman Empire
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Russia and Allies
Russia
Persia
Polish Noble Rebels

Summer-Fall, 1703

The Tatar and Cossack vassals of the Ottoman Empire have been kept on a short leash for the past few years, and the Sublime Porte has been bribing them to, essentially, remain in camp in return for lucre from Constantinople. However, the appeal of raiding is not merely financial, but a key aspect of the culture and raison d'etre of the Zaporizhian Sich and the Crimean Tatars. By 1703, after draining the coffers in the wars in Arabia, the Empire has decided that their warlike vassals have earned a bit of sport.

In late Summer, as the crops begin to reach substantial heights, the first bands of steppe warriors begin making their bloody rounds across the Ukraine. With the end of the battles in the north, the Russians have been able to ship their own cavalry regiments down to the borderlands, anticipating such a move from the Ottoman vassals. These are their own, barely more controlled Cossack regiments, as well as the already standing garrison brigades based around Kiev and Kharkov.

Forces involved in Raids

Russia

Kiev
-1 fortress
-1 garrison brigade
-1 depot
-1 base
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Cavalry Regiments (Cossack)

Kharkov
-1 depot
-1 garrison brigade
-2 Cavalry Regiments (Cossack)

Ottoman Vassals

Crimean Khanate
-4 Militia Cavalry Brigades

Zaporizhian Sich
-4 Militia Cavalry Brigades

The raids take place over the height of the harvest season--September and October--and become exceedingly bloody. The Ukraine has known a few years of peace, leading to a bit of laxity in the populace's preparedness. The Cossacks make a push directly north, towards Kiev, while the Tatars make a move towards Kharkov. The Zaporizhian Cossacks certainly have the tougher time of it, and run into the core of the Russian cavalry corps. They are able to barely extract worthwhile revenue from Kiev's environs (.25 points worth of slaves and goods from the resource of Kiev) before they are forced to withdraw after heavy combat with the Russians (2 Russian cav regiments shattered, merged into 1, 2 Zaporizhian militia cavalry brigades shattered, merged into 1) while the Tatars are able to make considerably more headway. The Crimeans manage to make it to the gates (such as they are) of Kharkov itself, and engage the Russian cavalry in battle, wiping them out (2 cavalry regiments destroyed, 3 Crimean militia cavalry brigades shattered, reformed into 1, other remnant disbanded) and taking advantage of that opportunity to extract more from the environs (.75 from the resource at Kharkov seized).

By November, with the onset of winter, the raiders return to their homelands to recuperate--all while Ottoman soldiers man the walls of their citadels and fortresses. The slaves seized from the raids are sent further into Ottoman territory, while the raiders are able to enjoy the monetary gains from their risky endeavors--and await the Russian response, if there is one, the following year.

Losses

Russia
-2 Cavalry Regiments destroyed
-2 Cavalry regiments shattered, reformed into 1
-1 point seized (in 1704 the resource at Kiev only worth .75, the resource at Kharkov worth .25)

Ottomans
-2 Cossack militia cavalry brigades shattered, reformed into 1
-3 Tatar militia cavalry brigades shattered, reformed into 1 and 1 remnant disbanded

[Ottoman]

December 20, 1703

Sultan Mustafa II, the victor of Vienna declares that he no longer can allow the threat of the Russian Barbarians to go unchecked, he declares Ottomans will crush the threat once and for all. A state of war is declared between the Ottomans and Russians.

[Reddawn]

Emissaries for the Tsar respond to this unprovoked Ottoman aggression by calling for aid from the Hapsburg Empire and Nogai Horde, and entreating the downtrodden vassals of the Ottomans to break their chains and rebel against their overlord, in exchange for support and independence.

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Ukrainian Theater

Spring, 1704

Both armies, caught more or less offguard by the outbreak of hostilities but otherwise prepared for just such a contingency, start rolling their military forces out of the barracks and towards the wild frontier. The Russian army, still guarding the northern approaches to the Russia after the previous war, begins moving its way south. Still under the command of Menshikov--who has yet to be tested in real battle, it is noted--the army lumbers south to its new base at Kharkov. Meanwhile, Russian-aligned cossacks under Hetman Mazepa from the left-bank of the Ukraine begin to assemble for battle against their Zaporizhian kin.

The Ottomans also get underway, moving an army along the coasts and across the Black Sea to amass in the heart of Zaporizhian territory. Basing themselves out of Kryvyi Rih, the Ottomans assemble with their own forces, as well as those of their vassals, while the Zaporizhians and Tatars begin to prepare their own forays back into the north. Violence in the Spring is surprisingly light--periodic clashes, raiding, and screening of movements causes casualties (Each side loses 1 mil cav brigade destroyed) but otherwise they try to preserve forces for the next season.

Forces in Theater, End of Spring

Russians

Kharkov
6 infantry brigades
2 infantry battalions
4 militia brigades
1 cavalry brigade

Kiev
1 fortress
1 garrison brigade
2 infantry brigades
1 cavalry regiment
3 militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Kryvyi Rih
5 Infantry Brigades
2 Cavalry Brigades
1 Wallachian Inf Brigade
1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
1 Moldavian Inf Brigade

Azov
Crimean
1 Infantry brigades
4 Militia Infantry Brigades

Ottoman
2 Infantry regiments at Azov
1 Fortress at Azov

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Ukrainian Theater

Summer, 1704

After having amassed their forces for combat the previous season, both empires set their plans into motion. The Ottoman army sets north for Kiev, to lay siege to the mighty citadel, while the Russian army heads south to besiege the key Ottoman port of Azov. Both armies are shielded by their cavalry as they move into action, with the wide plains the site of innumerable clashes between the allied Cossacks and Tatars of both nations. The mighty Dnieper stands between both armies, limiting the abilities of either nation to effectively cross with speed.

These geographic and military factors mean that the Russian army is already well underway to the fortress at Azov before it learns of the Ottoman move on Kiev. Menshikov wheels his army around near Sloviansk to head back to reinforce the citadel, but he has lost precious time and will not be able to reach the city until the very end of the season. The Russians have armed their cossack ally Ivan Mazepa for an incursion into the Zaporizhian Sich, and he attempts to delay the invading Ottoman army with a surprise attack near Kremenchuk, along the Dnieper.

Battle of Kremenchuk, July 29, 1704

Russians
-1 cavalry regiment
-4 militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans
-5 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Wallachian Inf Brigade
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Brigade

The Cossack raid slams into the Ottoman army along the banks of the river in the early morning of July 29, taking the Ottomans by surprise (FF turn for the Russians, 1 Infantry Brigade shattered). The Ottomans eventually recover their organization by the time the Russians roll back around, and are able to inflict withering casualties on the unorganized Cossack host while suffering noticeable casualties of their own (Russians lose 1 cavalry regiment destroyed, 4 militia cavalry brigades shattered; Ottomans lose 2 cavalry brigades shattered). The Russian delaying action is thus swept aside and the Ottoman Ordu lumbers north.

Casualties of the Battle of Kremenchuk

Russians (6,000 casualties)
-1 Cavalry Regiment destroyed (1,000 casualties)
-4 militia cavalry brigades shattered (reformed into 2, but disbanded until spring) (5,000 casualties)

Ottomans (3,000 casualties)
-1 Infantry brigade shattered (reformed into battalion) (500 casualties)
-2 Cavalry brigades shattered (reformed into 1) (2,500 casualties)

The Cossack host has thus suffered heavy casualties, but the Ottomans are required to take another week to regroup and reorient after the attack. The delay is not enough, however, to prevent the Ottomans from reaching the gates of the city by early September, and they begin to invest a siege. The Ottoman commander is able to surround the city due to the Dnieper being narrow at these points, but his army is precariously balanced across both banks of the river to ensure the siege is effective. The Russian army reaches Berezan at the end of September, and Menshikov is left to ponder his approach at the start of the next season.

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Berezan
6 infantry brigades
2 infantry battalions
4 militia brigades
1 cavalry brigade

Kiev
1 fortress
1 garrison brigade
2 infantry brigades

Ottomans

Kiev
4 Infantry Brigades
1 Infantry Regiment
1 Cavalry Brigades
1 Wallachian Inf Brigade
1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
1 Moldavian Inf Brigade

Azov
Crimean
1 Infantry brigades
4 Militia Infantry Brigades

Ottoman
2 Infantry regiments at Azov
1 Fortress at Azov

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Ukrainian Theater

Fall, 1704

Menshikov surveys the courses of action available to him and decides that the only way to secure Kiev is to attack the Ottoman force head on, relying on the superiority of numbers to overcome the Ottoman army. The course of action is risky; the Ottoman army is dispersed over the two banks of the Dnieper, but the Ottoman commander foresaw just such an eventuality and ensured that his forces built embankments to defend their positions from attacks from without as well as within. The Russians are counting that their numerical superiority will carry the day, and that the addition of a sally from within will prove the strategic

Battle of Kiev, October 10, 1704

Left-Bank

Russians
-6 infantry brigades
-2 infantry battalions
-4 militia brigades
-1 cavalry brigade

Ottomans
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigades

Right-Bank

Russians
-1 fortress
-1 garrison brigade
-2 infantry brigades

Ottomans
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Wallachian Inf Brigade
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Brigade

The battle essentially rages on the Left and Right banks of the river. The Ottomans have left their vassals and a supervisory infantry regiment on the right-bank, to contain and repel any potential sally, while leaving the majority of their army on the left-bank to repel any attempted relief of the city. On both banks the Russians are attacking prepared defensive positions.
The Russian propensity to load their armies with cannon-fodder pays off in the opening phase of the battle, as the Ottoman Free-Fire turns on both sides of the river only end up chewing up militia (Left-Bank 3 Mil brigades shattered) and garrisons (Right-bank 1 garrison shattered). However, the Russians are unable to capitalize on this, and inflict minimal casualties on the Ottoman armies on either bank of the river while suffering heavier casualties of their own (Ottomans: LB: lose 1 inf brig, 1 cav brig shattered, RB: 1 inf brigade shattered, Russians: LB: 1 mil brigade, 2 inf battalions shattered, RB: 2 inf brigades shattered). By the time the noon sun is overhead the Russian sally from Kiev has been repulsed and the Ottoman commander begins rapidly shuffling his troops from the right-bank to the left, a risky maneuver that leaves them both less capable to attack (can’t contribute to FF, have to roll 6 to strike) and easier to disrupt (a +2 to dice rolls against them).

Menshikov recognizes that the tide of battle will swing against him if he allows the Ottomans to reinforce across the river, and makes a heavy push to sweep the left-bank of the remaining Ottoman forces. By this point the Russians have lost their human shields of militia, and their attack incurs heavy losses before they are able to engage the Ottomans (FF: 1 cav, 2 inf brigs shattered). The armies engage in desperate close-quarters combat, tearing into one another in the desperate melee to secure the eastern approaches to the city. Both sides are reduced to the bare minimum of their capacity (Ottomans lose 2 inf brigades shattered, Russians 3) by the time the Moldavians and Transylvanians fight their way across the Dnieper. The vassals join the fray, and the coreligionists of the Russians are what ultimately sweep them from the field (1 Russian inf brigade shattered).

Menshikov is forced to withdraw back to Berezan, while the Ottomans settle back into siege positions around Kiev. The Ottoman commander recognizes that allowing the Russians another opportunity to strike at his army in siege positions will likely end in disaster, and forces his armies to make one push into the citadel itself. The exhausted defenders put up a spirited defense (1 Moldavian infantry brigade shattered) but the citadel is finally captured. Kiev, and the whole of right-bank Ukraine, falls into Ottoman hands.

Casualties of the Battle of Kiev

Russians (21,000 casualties, 3,750 captured)
-6 infantry brigades shattered, reformed into 3 (7,500 casualties)
-2 infantry battalions shattered, reformed into 1 (2,500 casualties)
-4 militia brigades shattered, reformed into 2 (5,000 casualties)
-1 cavalry brigade shattered, reformed into regiment (1,250 casualties)
-1 fortress destroyed (1,000 casualties)
-1 garrison brigade shattered, captured (1,250 casualties, 1,250 captured)
-2 infantry brigades shattered, captured (2,500 casualties, 2,500 captured)

Ottomans (8,500 casualties)
-3 Infantry Brigades shattered, reformed into 1 brigade, 1 regiment (3,750 casualties)
-1 Cavalry Brigades shattered, reformed into regiment (1,250 casualties)
-1 Infantry Regiment destroyed (1,000 casualties)
-1 Wallachian Inf Brigade shattered, reformed into regiment (1,250 casualties)
-1 Moldavian Inf Brigade, shattered, reformed into regiment (1,250 casualties)

Meanwhile, the Tatars are ordered to raise a host to deny the Russians the use of their base at Kharkov. The Qurultay raises 3 militia cavalry brigades to seek to make good on their raid of the previous year, and heads north to attack the Russians, and arrives at the much less heavily defended city by the end of the month. The Russians have one garrison brigade defending the city, but they are entrenched and have the bonus of fighting against a force ill-suited for attack a major settlement (FF roll, +1 to offensive dice rolls). The Tatars simply can’t make any progress over three days of sorties and forays, and eventually are forced to retreat after suffering heavier than expected casualties (all three mil cav brigades are shattered, Russians suffer no noticeably losses).

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Berezan
-3 infantry brigades
-1 infantry battalions
-2 militia brigades
-1 cavalry regiment

Kharkov
-1 Base
-1 Garrison Brigade

Ottomans

Kiev
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment

Azov
Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-4 Militia Infantry Brigades

Ottoman
-2 Infantry regiments at Azov
-1 Fortress at Azov

[TLS]

Ukrainian Theater

Winter, 1705

Both the Russian and Ottoman armies spend the winter itching to relocate to more strategically advantageous ground. The freeze on the steppe essentially leaves both armies trapped within an arm’s reach of each other, but the Ottomans have the benefit of being within the city of Kiev while the Russians are in more miserable winter quarters outside the small town of Berezan. Just staying supplied is a struggle for both armies, as they are both barely within supply range of their bases and are combating the fierce winter to move goods and supplies back and forth.

The Ottoman commander receives words in early February as to the ultimate purpose of his taking of the city: to sack and destroy it. Recognizing the intemperance of entirely destroying the city that is his army’s shelter from the elements, he interprets the orders to merely pertain to the sack and destruction of any and all objects of worth and value. The historic Golden Gates of Kiev, by now merely a symbolic landmark for ceremonial purposes, are torn down. Nearly all the churches of the city, from St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery to St. Sophia’s Cathedral to the Vydubychi Monastery are sacked and burned to the ground. Though priests and believers are able to hide away a number of particularly sacred icons and relics, most are seized by the Ottomans to be brought back to Constantinople in triumph. By the end of the season the Ottomans have prepared a grand train of relics and riches, and though the Ottoman commander avoided a wholesale destruction of the city his soldiers were not exactly subtle in their actions: nearly half of the city has been destroyed or burned down, including approx. 90% of the churches and monasteries. The only major religious complex to avoid near-complete destruction is the cave monastery complex of the Kiev Lavra, which saw most of its peripheral buildings destroyed but much of its core shielded from the Ottoman pillage.

Game Effect: Ottomans get 3 points in sacking income for 1705, Kiev is a quarter resource until 1710 (producing .25 p.a. Instead of 1)

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Berezan
-3 infantry brigades
-1 infantry battalions
-2 militia brigades
-1 cavalry regiment

Kharkov
-1 Base
-1 Garrison Brigade

Ottomans

Kiev
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry Regiment
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment

Azov
Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-4 Militia Infantry Brigades

Ottoman
-2 Infantry regiments at Azov
-1 Fortress at Azov

[TLS]

Ukrainian Theater

Spring, 1705

With the Spring thaw both armies set their plans into motion--and begin moving away from each other at the fastest possible speed. Kiev is left a hollowed-out shell of its former self as the Ottomans bring their loot south with them back to Kryvyi Rih, while the Russians decide to take advantage of the lull to return to their base at Kharkov. Both the Russians and Ottomans again set their irregular allies to battle each other along the left-bank of the Dnieper, seeking to shield their armies and ensure that no offensive move goes unwatched. The wheeling raids and battles damage both armies (each lose 1 militia cavalry brigade shattered) but otherwise strike no solid strategic strikes. Both armies are reinforced by troops in the hinterlands--the Ottomans are reinforced with forces moved out of their fortress at Azov, while the Russians receive reinforcements from militia brigades drawn from closer to their core at Moscow.

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Kharkov
Russians
-1 Garrison Brigade
-6 infantry brigades
-1 cavalry brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment
-5 militia brigades

Cossacks
-3 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Kryvyi Rih
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment

Cossacks
-3 Militia cavalry brigades

Azov
Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-4 Militia Infantry Brigades
-2 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottoman
-1 Fortress at Azov

[Lefty]

Envoys from the King of Poland arrive in Smolensk, demanding the surrender of the city. An additional message is sent to the Peter of the Muscovites demanding the reversal of the Treaty of Andrusovo, and the ceding of Estonia. The King notes that should Peter accept his demands for a reversal of injustices laid upon the Polish people in the past 50 years, perhaps Poland would join Moscow in her war against the Turk.

Minsk
Army of Poland
Infantry Brigade: 4
Militia Inf Brigade: 1
Cavalry Brigade: 2

Army of Lithuania
Infantry Brigade: 4
Militia Inf Brigade: 1
Cavalry Brigade: 1

Training
Militia Infantry Brigade: 2
Militia Cavalry Brigade: 1

[Reddawn]

Tsar Peter will not be threatened by the perfidy of Polish dogs, who have apparently abandoned all pretense of honor, fellowship, showing their word to be worth nothing.

He refuses the Polish king’s demands.

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Ukrainian Theater

Summer, 1705

Still biding their time and tending their wounds after the struggles of the previous year, both the Russians and Ottomans adopt a “wait and see” policy regarding the other. The tenuous balance is upset by the Polish declaration of war and march on Smolensk. Menshikov decides that the greater risk is the larger Polish force diving straight into the heart of Muscovy and takes the preponderance of his forces with him north, to Smolensk. The Ottoman commander, more preoccupied with guarding the port of Azov, is also kept in the dark about the Russian movements until the end of the season by the Russian cossack screen.

Forces in Theater, End of Summer

Russians

Kharkov
Russians
-1 Base
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment

Cossacks
-3 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Kryvyi Rih
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment

Cossacks
-3 Militia cavalry brigades

Azov
Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-4 Militia Infantry Brigades
-2 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottoman
-1 Fortress at Azov[/u]

[TLS]

Ruthenian Theater

Summer, 1705

The Polish army, still in many ways arrayed as it was at the end of the Swedish war, is slow off the starting block. Augustus, desiring to march into Russia with the largest possible force, waits at Minsk for the arrival of the army based at Vilnius, delaying his march into Russia by a key few weeks. His army sets off into the heart of Muscovy at the end of July with the largest host that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has assembled in centuries.

The Russians under Menshikov, meanwhile, began their mad dash to Smolensk as soon as news of war reached Kharkov. Though moving from a further distance, the delay in the Polish march means that the two armies arrive at the environs of Smolensk at the beginning of October. Augustus’ envoys to Smolensk, demanding the city’s surrender, are summarily driven out of town, bolstered by the arrival of Menshikov’s forward scouts. The two armies, after a brief standoff, move into battle positions--for the second time in a year, Menshikov is caught in a desperate struggle to save a Russian city along the banks of the Dnieper.

Battle of Smolensk, October 8

Poland (Under the command of August II)
- 8 Infantry Brigades
- 2 Militia Inf Brigades
- 3 Cavalry Brigades

Russia (Under the command of Menshikov)
- 6 infantry brigades
- 6 militia brigades
- 1 cavalry brigade

The two armies, equally matched in numbers but not in composition, meet in open battle on the flat Russian terrain--there is nothing for either side to hide behind other than their might (no defensive bonuses, no leadership bonuses, no TL bonuses--just a good ol’ fashioned knock-down brawl). Augustus, confident of victory at the head of his splendid army, strikes a bold feature on the battlefield as he sends his army to attack; the moniker “the Strong” was bequeathed upon him for a reason. The banners wave, the trumpets sound, the glamorous winged hussars glisten in the sunlight as they lurch into attack.

Menshikov’s army, weary and aware of just how tenuous the glory of this world is, strikes a much more disheveled figure as they move to engage the Poles. Looks can be deceiving, however, as when the armies finally clash the chaos leaves a shocking result on the field. The opening push by both armies has left a number of Russians dead (3 militia, 1 infantry brigade shattered) but for each Russian dead they have taken almost two from the the proud Polish juggernaut (2 militia, 2 cavalry, 3 infantry brigades shattered).

Augustus reels from the casualties but knows that he still has the fighting core of his army intact and enough of a cavalry contingent to screen if the battle goes even worse. He thus moves to re-engage the Russians, banking that the Fates, who favored the Russians in the first melee, will turn their eyes upon him. The Polish infantry makes an impressive showing for their reduced number (4 of the 5 strike; Russians lose 3 infantry, 1 militia brigade shattered) but the Russians give as good as they get (all five Polish infantry brigades are shattered).

Casualties of the Battle of Smolensk

Poland (15,000 casualties)
-8 Infantry brigades shattered, reformed into 4 (10,000 casualties)
-2 militia brigades shattered, reformed into 1 available spring 1706 (2,500 casualties)
-2 Cavalry brigades shattered, reformed into 1 (2,500 casualties)

Russia (10,000 casualties)
-4 Infantry brigades shattered, reformed into 2 (5,000 casualties)
-4 militia brigades shattered, reformed into 2 available Spring 1706 (5,000 casualties)

Augustus, left now only with his cavalry, sets them to shielding his withdrawal, and is successfully able to lead his army off of the field of battle and heading back to safe ground. The army hurries back to Minsk, where it is augmented by the mobilized Ruthenian militia in the region. The Polish army has suffered a sizeable defeat, but is by no means removed as a viable fighting force.

Forces in theater, end of Summer

Poland

Minsk (under the command of Augustus)
-4 Infantry brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades
-2 Militia Infantry brigades
-1 Militia cavalry brigade

Russia

Smolensk (Under the command of Menshikov)
-4 Infantry brigades
-2 militia brigades
-1 cavalry brigade

[TLS]

Ukrainian Theater

Fall, 1705

The Ottomans recognize that the Russian sally northwards gives them an opportunity to hamper any return in force by the Tsar’s forces. The Ottomans thus set both of their armies into motion, from both Kryvyi Rih and Azov, in an attempt to seize the city from the Russians. The Russian cossacks under Mazepa are under orders to delay and to harry, burning the fields along the way as the Ottomans head deeper and deeper towards the heart of Muscovite territory. The commander of the Russian garrison at Kharkov recognizes the same imperative--he does not have the men to fight back, but he does have General Winter on his side.

The Ottoman and Russian cossacks spend the early part of the fall engaging across the rolling steppe, with the forward Ottoman raiders seeking to disrupt the Russian scorched earth tactics. Both sides suffer heavier casualties than in previous engagements due to their more aggressive orders (each lose 2 mil cav brigades shattered), but the Russians succeed in doing heavy damage to the countryside. Most importantly, the time it takes to cross Russian territory gives the Kharkov garrison the time it needs to do the necessary work: anything and everything of value in the city is evacuated, its population turned out, and the city burned to the ground. The Russians then head towards Voronezh, abandoning the city by the start of December, days before the forward Ottoman parties arrive. The Ottomans arrive to find a burnt out husk--what the Sultan wanted Kiev to be--in which to spend the winter, and hurriedly attempt to build suitable lodgings for the harsh Russian winter ahead.

Game effects: Russians get .25 income from Kharkov in 1706 (they stole away some gold and such), Ottomans get 0. Kharkov resource will provide 0 income in 1707 as well, .25 in 1708, .5 in 1709, .75 in 1710, 1 in 1711.

Forces in Theater, End of Fall

Russians

Voronezh
Russians
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment
-1 Militia brigade

Cossacks
-1 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Kharkov
-4 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment

Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-4 Militia Infantry Brigades
-2 Militia cavalry brigades

Cossacks
-1 Militia cavalry brigades[/u]

[TLS]

Mesopotamian Campaign

Fall, 1705

Forces in Theater, Start of Campaign

Persia

Kermanshah
-2 Infantry Battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-2 Qizilbash Militia cavalry brigades
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade

Isfahan (Under the command of Sultan Husayn)
-1 Infantry Brigade
-4 Qizilbash Militia cavalry brigades
-3 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigades

Ottomans

Basra
-1 Fortress

Baghdad
-1 Garrison brigade

With the Sublime Porte distracted by the war far to the north, deep in the Eurasian steppe, the Ottoman’s enemies in Safavid Persia see a wide-open frontier to harass. Buoyed and prodded by the Russians, the Shah decides that this is too great of an opportunity to pass up, and moves his army into action. He calls upon the Qizilbash--bands of Turkoman Shia militants, fervent in their desire for violence and to crush the Sunni heretics--to rally to his cause, and is able to raise a substantial host over the course of the summer. By the start of fall, he sets his armies into action, moving in a two-pronged assault to seize Mesopotamia in one fell swoop. From the forward base at Kermanshah, he sends forces formerly based in the Caucuses to march straight for Baghdad, while from the Imperial capital at Isfahan he moves to take the port/fortress of Basra.

The lightly-defended city of Baghdad puts up a spirited defense (benefits from a TL defensive bonus, the city defensive bonus, and the fact that TL 2 units can’t hit on anything other than a 1) but ultimately is too small to resist the much larger Persian force (Persians lose 1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade destroyed, Ottomans lose garrison brigade). Meanwhile, Sultan Husayn’s army arrives at the gates of Basra at the beginning of December. Though he suffers from a host of disadvantages, he decides that the best course of action is to try to seize the fortress through battle--a siege will give the Ottomans time to reinforce their positions by sea or overland from the Levant, and he knows that his army is no match for an equal-sized force of Ottomans.

Battle of Basra, December 9

Ottomans
-1 Fortress
-2 Militia brigades
-7 CruRons
-8 PatRons (2 PatRons scrapped to create 2 militia brigades)

Again, the Ottomans have the benefit of technology, a defensive position, and, thus time, also a fortress along favorable geography (giving them 3 FF rolls). They also benefit from the presence of much of the Imperial Ottoman fleet, which both attempts to pound the attacking Persians and sends sailors ashore to augment the barricades (two militia brigades worth of sailors). These factors--the extra soldiers, the bombardments, and the defensive positions--inflict heavier casualties at Basra than at Baghdad (2 Qizilbash infantry, 3 Qizilbash cavalry destroyed) but the Persians are able to seize and destroy the fortress, taking the Ottoman port. The Ottoman fleet escapes the loss of their anchorage and sails for Muscat.

Casualties from Turn

Ottomans (4,750 casualties, 3,750 captured)
-1 Fortress captured (1,000 casualties)
-1 Garrison brigade captured (1,250 casualties, 1,250 captured)
-2 Militia brigades captured (2,500 casualties, 2,500 captured)
-1 Naval Yard (Basra) captured

Persians (15,000 casualties)
-4 Qizilbash Cavalry destroyed (10,000 casualties)
-2 Qizilbash infantry destroyed (5,000 casualties)

Forces in Theater, end of 1705

Persia

Baghdad
-2 Infantry Battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade

Basra
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia infantry brigade

Ottomans

Muscat
-7 CruRon
-8 PatRon

[TLS]

Ruthenian Theater

Fall, 1705

The Poles and Russians spend much of the turn staring each other down across the border between Minsk and Smolensk. The Polish King, in an attempt to deny the Russians supplies from the surrounding countryside, sends much of his cavalry on raiding missions across the border, but are generally repulsed to light casualties by the Russian patrols on their side of the border. More fatefully, he sends one of his regular cavalry brigades south to occupy the citadel of Kiev--abandoned by the Turks and never fully reinforced by the Russians. The Polish cavalry arrive towards the end of November, fly the flag, proclaim the restoration of rightful Polish rule to the Ruthenian province, and then settle in to winter quarters.

Forces in theater at end of 1705

Poland

Minsk (under the command of Augustus)
-4 Infantry brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Militia Infantry brigades
-1 Militia cavalry brigade

Kiev
-1 Cavalry brigade

Russia

Smolensk (Under the command of Menshikov)
-4 Infantry brigades
-2 militia brigades
-1 cavalry brigade

[TLS]

European Theater

Winter, 1706

Eastern Europe is an especially inhospitable environment in the winter, and all three of the major armies in the region are holed up in winter quarters desperately trying to stay warm. The Russians and Poles, accustomed to the climate, are miserable yet more or less prepared. Both are operating within their borders, with minimal damage to the supporting infrastructure around their bases, and stay fed and warm.

The Ottomans and their Crimean allies, on the other hand, find themselves operating heavily out of their elements. While both the Anatolian highlands and Crimea have known a harsh winter now and again, the troops are not as accustomed to the winter freeze as their Slavic counterparts. Compounding the issue is the absolute devastation of the city of Kharkov and its environs. The Russians ensured that the city, and its stores, were depleted and exhausted, with little shelter for the invading Turkic hordes. Kharkov is barely within supply range of Azov and Kryvyi Rih, but the frigid steppes are desperately difficult to traverse. Supplies come in at a trickle far below the necessary.

By the tail-end of March the handiwork of General Winter is made apparent. To the north, the Poles and Russians have essentially emerged from the winter intact--both armies have seen losses among their most poorly-equipped and prepared soldiers (each loses a Mil Inf brigade) but their core forces emerge unscathed. The Turkic army at Kharkov, however, has been devastated. The large Crimean host of militia and raiders, which sallied north from Azov, has been reduced by half through a combination of desertion and frostbite--the remnants essentially melt away and return to the fortress at Azov. The core Ottoman army has suffered less, but still noticeably--the Romanian vassals have seen all their forces so depleted that there is no choice but to combine the remnants into one brigade, while the main Ottoman army has likewise seen itself lose the equivalent of a brigade (1 inf brigade destroyed) lost, its remnants redistributed throughout the remaining forces to keep them at full strength.

Casualties during turn

Ottomans (12,000 casualties)
-1 Infantry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)
-2 Romanian regiments destroyed (2,000 casualties)
-4 Crimean Militia Infantry Brigades shattered, reformed as 2 [available Summer] (5,000 casualties)
-2 Crimean Militia cavalry brigades, reformed as 1 [available Summer] (2,500 casualties)

Russians (2,500 casualties)
-1 Militia infantry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)

Poles (2,500 casualties)
-1 Militia infantry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)

Forces in theater, end of Winter

Poland

Minsk (under the command of Augustus)
-4 Infantry brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Militia Infantry brigade
-1 Militia cavalry brigade

Kiev
-1 Cavalry brigade

Russia

Smolensk (Under the command of Menshikov)
-4 Infantry brigades
-1 militia infantry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade

Voronezh
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment
-1 Militia brigade
-1 Cossack Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Kharkov
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Romanian infantry brigade
-1 Crimean infantry brigade
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Wallachian Inf Regiment
-1 Transylvanian Inf Brigade
-1 Moldavian Inf Regiment
-1 Cossack Militia cavalry brigades

Azov
-1 Ottoman fortress
-2 Crimean militia infantry brigades
-1 Crimean militia cavalry brigade

[TLS]

Mesopotamian Theater

Winter, 1706

Winter in Mesopotamia is far less exacting and demanding than it is up on the Steppe, and the season is spent by the Persians hurriedly preparing for the Ottoman counterattack. Thanks to financial aid from the Russians, as well as the income from their newly seized territories, the Shah is able to reinforce and bolster his troops, as well as leveraging the aid of the Shia ulema in the name of fighting off the Sunni Ottoman heretics. The counterpoint to this, of course, is that the Sunni Arab tribes and the Kurdish tribes grow wary of the Persian invasion and begin to raise their own banners. The city of Kirkuk, within supply range of the Turkish fortress of Van, becomes a focal point for the raising of pro-Ottoman irregular forces. Both armies spend the turn primarily raising, rearming, and retraining the forces they have in the region, and thus there is no combat--though the promise of it hangs over the horizon.

Forces in region, end of turn

Persia

Baghdad
-1 Infantry brigade
-3 Infantry battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade
-1 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade

Basra
-2 Infantry battalions
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia infantry brigade

Ottomans

Kirkuk
-3 Kurdish militia infantry brigades
-1 Sunni Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry brigade

[TLS]

Ukrainian Theater

Spring, 1706

After the rough winter season the Ottomans have decided that they have no interest in plunging further north into the heart of Muscovy. With the capture of Kharkov, and its destruction, they have denied the Russians the ability to rapidly move on their territories on the northern shore of the Black Sea. Furthermore, with the entry of the Persians into the war some of the battle-hardened Ottoman forces would be best utilized in Mesopotamia rather than on a risky gamble towards Moscow.

The Ottoman army thus decamps from Kharkov and returns to Azov, where the army is bifurcated. Part of the army--the core of the Ottoman regular forces--board ships of the Ottoman navy and are hurried south across the Black Sea in the hopes of reaching Mesopotamia by late Summer/early Fall. The remainder of the army remains at Azov and prepares for the next steps of the Ottoman campaign in Europe.

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Voronezh
Russians
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment
-1 Militia brigade

Cossacks
-1 Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Azov
-1 Fortress at Azov
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Romanian Brigade
Crimean
-1 Infantry brigades
-2 Militia Infantry Brigades
-1 Militia cavalry brigades
Cossacks
-1 Militia cavalry brigades

Poland

Kiev
-1 Cavalry Brigade

[TLS]

Ruthenian Theater

Spring, 1706

After the victory the previous fall, the Russian Tsar decides that time is not on his side--the smaller Russian economic base will struggle to match man-for-man against the Poles and Ottomans concurrently, and allowing Poland the opportunity to reconstitute a larger army over the course of the Spring and Summer will likely end poorly for the Russians along this front. He thus orders Menshikov to take to the offensive at the beginning of the Spring--before many of his new reinforcements are fully trained, even--with the hope that this gamble will pay off with the back of the Polish army being broken. The Poles, busy planning their campaigns for the following turn, are thus surprised when they see a Russian army outside the gates of Minsk in early May

Battle of Minsk, May 12

Poland (Under the command of August II)
-4 Infantry brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Militia Infantry brigade
-1 Militia cavalry brigade

Russia (Under the command of Menshikov)
-4 infantry brigades
-2 infantry brigades (in training treat as militia)
-1 militia infantry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade (in training treat as militia)
-1 militia cavalry brigade

The Poles are fighting from an entrenched urban position, and thus have a sizeable defensive bonus (Free fire before each mutual combat turn) against the larger Russian force. Between the opening salvo behind defensive positions (1 inf hit in FF) and the height of pitched battle (1 inf, 1 mil cav, and 1 inf in training disrupted) the Poles are able to inflict heavy casualties on the Russian forces, but the Russians give as good as they get and then some(3 infantry, 1 cavalry hit) without being able to take the walls of the city. Menshikov wheels his army around for a second go at the Polish city; Augustus strides the walls of Minsk, directing firing into the Russian advance, and while the Poles are able to strike some blows (1 militia inf, 1 cav in training disrupted) the Russians are able to power their way into the city and eject the Poles (1 inf, 1 mil, 1 mil cav disrupted).

Casualties of the Battle of Minsk

Poland (8,750 casualties, 2,750 captured)
-4 Infantry brigades shattered, reconstituted as 2 in Wilno (5,000 casualties)
-1 Cavalry Brigade shattered, reconstituted as regiment in Wilno (1,250 casualties, 250 captured)
-1 Militia Infantry brigade shattered, remnants captured (1,250 casualties, 1,250 captured)
-1 Militia cavalry brigade shattered, remnants captured (1,250 casualties, 1,250 captured)

Russia (7,500 casualties)
-2 infantry brigades shattered, reconstituted as 1 (2,500 casualties)
-1 infantry brigades (in training treat as militia)  shattered, combined with 1 mil inf remnant (1,250 casualties)
-1 militia infantry brigade shattered, combined with training brigade remnant (1,250 casualties)
-1 cavalry brigade (in training treat as militia) shattered, combined with 1 mil cav remnant (1,250 casualties)
-1 militia cavalry brigade shattered, combined with training brigade remnant  (1,250 casualties)

Augustus is able to retreat to Wilno with the remnants of his regular army, where he is raising a sizeable force of his own. However, without his cavalry shield the militia remnants are almost entirely captured by the Russians. The Poles have now suffered two large defeats since entering the war--a war which was unpopular to begin with among the szlachta--and now the Russians have occupied a sizeable Polish city.

Taking advantage of the situation, Stanisław Leszczyński finally has seen enough to declare for the Russian cause. Declaring a konfederacja in defense of Noble privileges, he couches in lofty rhetoric the reasons that the nobility should flock to the Russian banner. Aided by a hefty purse from the Russians themselves, Leszczyński is able to convince a not-insubstantial number of Ruthenian and Lithuanian nobles to join him in Russian-occupied Minsk. However, the majority of the nobility remain hesitant to embrace their historic enemy so quickly, especially in light of Augustus’ previous victories in the war against the Swedes, and thus the contagion of noble revolt does not spread far beyond the slavic territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Forces in theater, end of Summer

Poland

Wilno (under the command of Augustus)
-2 Infantry brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Russia

Minsk (Under the command of Menshikov)
-3 Infantry brigades
-1 trainee infantry brigade
-1 militia infantry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade
-1 militia cavalry brigade

Polish Rebels

Minsk (Under the command of Leszczyński)
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Militia infantry brigades

[TLS]

Mesopotamian Campaign

Spring, 1706

After shuttling his forces around over the winter months, the Shah decides that the looming threat of the Ottoman counterattack requires a proactive series of steps. Both the Ottomans and the Persians recognize that the largest city outside Persian control in the region is Mosul, and they begin moving with some alacrity into the city. The Ottoman forces are able to reach the city first, and are able to fight from defensive positions as the Persians arrive, though they do not have enough time to build proper defensive structures. However, the Ottomans are not able to get any additional forces into the region to augment the force at Mosul--the Sultan’s war machine is moving into motion, but too slowly to make a difference this season.

Battle of Mosul, June 2

Ottomans
-3 Kurdish militia infantry brigades
-1 Sunni Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry brigade

Persians
-1 Infantry brigade
-3 Infantry battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade

The Ottomans are fighting from a defensive position and are able to utilize this advantage effectively (1 FF turn for the Ottomans). The motley alliance of Kurdish and Sunni Arab levies of the Sultan fire from behind walls through the labyrinth of streets and houses, slowing down, harassing, and destroying the invading Persian force (1 Qizilbash cavalry brigade, 1 infantry battalion destroyed). However, the Persians demonstrate exemplary military aptitude, and through an apparently superhuman effort are able to effectively scatter the defending tribal levies (3 Kurdish militia infantry brigades shattered, 1 Sunni Arab militia infantry brigade shattered--all in one dice roll, it was a lot of 1s) and sending the remnants to flight.

Casualties of the Battle of Mosul

Ottomans (5,000 casualties, 2,500 deserted)
-3 Kurdish militia infantry brigades shattered, reformed as 1 (3,750 casualties, 1,250 deserted)
-1 Sunni Arab militia infantry brigade shattered, disbanded (1,250 casualties, 1,250 deserted)

Persians (3,500 casualties)
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)
-1 Infantry battalion destroyed (1,000 casualties)

The remaining forces went in two different directions--the Sunni Arab militia cavalry fled West, towards Hasakah, hoping to eventually join up with an Ottoman army coming from the Levant, while the Kurdish militia infantry head north to the Ottoman fortress at Van. Meanwhile, the Ottoman army from Crimea lands in Trabzon in June, and is able to make it to the high Anatolian city of Erzurum by the end of the season--less than a season’s march from Mosul.

The season also sees an attempt to contest Ottoman naval superiority by the miniscule Persian fleet, but the overwhelming Ottoman firepower puts an end to that attempt quickly (Persians lose 1 PatRon and inflict no casualties on the Ottoman navy).

Forces in Theater, end of turn

Persia

Mosul (Under the command of Shah Husayn)
-1 Infantry brigade
-2 Infantry battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade

Baghdad
-1 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade

Basra
-2 Infantry battalions
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade
-1 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia infantry brigade

Ottomans

Erzurum (Under the command of Sultan Mustafa II)
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Van
-1 Fortress
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 Kurdish militia infantry brigade

Hasakah
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry brigade

[TLS]

Mesopotamian Campaign

Summer, 1706

The Ottomans have finally assembled two sizeable forces of regular troops to push back against the Persian invaders. One, based in Damascus, seeks to move up to the Euphrates and then down said river straight at the city of Baghdad, while the Sultan himself seeks to command an army (from afar) descending from the Armenian highlands towards Mosul. The Persians recognize that the counterattack will come, and try to shuttle troops north from Basra to reinforce Baghdad. However, the Ottoman navy continues to threaten the city, and thus they are unable to reallocate as many soldiers as they would ideally like.

The Ottoman army from Damascus hits that river at the city of Deir ez-Zour, where they are met by the Sunni tribal levies from Hasakah. However, further movement down the river will require a steady supply base from northern Mesopotamia--Mosul, in other words, needs to be conquered before the Ottomans can progress deeper into the heartland. The Sultan’s army from Erzurum, after meeting with the Kurdish levies, approaches Mosul by early August--the height of summer.

2nd Battle of Mosul, August 5

Ottomans
-3 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Kurdish militia infantry brigade

Persians
-1 Infantry brigade
-2 Infantry battalions
-1 Cavalry regiment
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade

The Persians are fighting from a defensive position but are also at a technological disadvantage, mitigating it somewhat (Persians get +1 to defensive rolls, but no FF turn and no offensive bonus). The Persians, now fighting regular forces, perform drastically below what they had become accustomed to. Though they are able to score at least one strong blow (1 Ottoman inf brigade shattered), they are otherwise dislodged in short order (all but the cav regiment shattered). The Shah’s cavalry works to try to cover their retreat, but they are outmatched by the Ottoman cavalry and are themselves destroyed in the process (1 cav regiment destroyed)

Casualties of the 2nd Battle of Mosul

Ottomans (1,250 casualties)
-1 Infantry Brigade shattered, reduced to regiment (1,250 casualties)

Persians (5,750 casualties)
-1 Infantry brigade shattered, reduced to battalion (1,250 casualties)
-2 Infantry battalions shattered, combined into 1 (1,000 casualties)
-1 Cavalry regiment destroyed (1,000 casualties)
-1 Qizilbash Militia infantry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)

The Shah turns tail and heads back to Baghdad, hurriedly assembling the defenses of the city. Urgent calls to the ulema based out of Karbala and Najaf, particularly, are made in an attempt to ensure that the holiest sites of Shi’ism do not pass out of the hands of the faith and back under the clutches of the Sultan. With the capture of Mosul, the supply lines for the Ottoman army from Damascus are established over the following few weeks, and the army of Damascus is finally able to move further east, reaching the end of its seasonal march in the city of Haditha.

Forces in Theater, end of turn

Persia

Baghdad
-4 Infantry battalions
-3 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade

Basra
-1 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia infantry brigade

Ottomans

Mosul
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry Battalion
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Kurdish militia infantry brigade

Haditha
-2 Infantry Brigades
-1 Infantry battalion
-2 Cavalry regiment
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry brigade

[TLS]

Ruthenian Theater

Summer, 1706

After being reinforced by newly raised troops Augustus sets out for Minsk with a vengeance. He expects another tough battle against defensive positions, and pulls his brigade at Kiev out to ride north to join the fray, though he sends another cavalry regiment north to occupy the undefended city of Reval (Tallinn) and seek to push Polish dominion up to the Gulf of Finland. The Polish army arrives at the gates of Minsk by late July, only to discover that the Russians have evacuated the city they fought so hard to take without so much as some light pillaging.

The Russians and their allies have split into two separate forces. The main Russian host has moved north to Pskov, now threatening Poland’s recently acquired Baltic territories, while the Polish rebels have decided to move South. Honor bound by their alliance with the Russians not to seek to take Russian land (Kiev), they move towards the city of Lwów (Lemberg/Lviv) and occupy the capital of Polish Ruthenia in early September. Leszczyński’s presence in the important city (and its revenues) facilitate the expansion of the rebellion (raise one militia inf brigade) but still does not touch off the widespread conflagration he’s hoping for--a spontaneous anti-Saxon rebellion is not yet, if ever, forthcoming, it seems. However, his force is just large enough, and just far enough, away, that it presents a potential threat to the traditional Polish heartland, with his army within a Season’s march of either Krakow or Warsaw.

Forces in theater, end of Summer

Poland

Minsk (under the command of Augustus)
-6 Infantry Brigades
-2 Cavalry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Reval
-1 Cavalry Regiment

Russia

Pskov (Under the command of Menshikov)
-3 Infantry brigades
-1 trainee infantry brigade
-1 militia infantry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade
-1 militia cavalry brigade

Polish Rebels

Lwow (Under the command of Leszczyński)
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-3 Militia infantry brigades

[TLS]

Ukrainian Theater

Summer, 1706

The Ukraine’s few major population centers have been thoroughly ransacked, and so the Russians and Ottomans are looking at a series of unappealing targets. The Russians, holed up in Voronezh, decide to make a dash for Kiev--to their knowledge lightly occupied by the Poles--and charge hard across the plains to arrive at the city in mid-September and discover that it has been abandoned. What few vestiges of Polish rule remain were largely already removed by the local populace, who care little, at this point, for any of the occupying armies.

Meanwhile, the Ottomans decide that their army at Azov is ill-suited sitting in the fortress, and split it into two constituent parts. One, consisting of the Crimean and Cossack cavalry, heads east to raid the environs of Volgograd, but the distance involved reduces their ability to effectively exploit the raiding season (Game effect: Ottomans get .25 income, Volgograd provides .75 income 1707). Another, consisting of the regular infantry units, marches towards Kiev. By the time they reach the end of their marching abilities for the season they are at the town of Lubny, through which the Russian army has recently marched, and so they know that their expected warm welcome at Kiev is not forthcoming--leaving the Ottomans with a strategic decision to make.

Forces in Theater, End of Season

Russians

Kiev
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 infantry battalions
-1 cavalry regiment
-1 Militia brigade
-1 Cossack Militia cavalry brigades

Ottomans

Lubny
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Romanian Brigade
-1 Crimean Infantry brigades

Azov
-1 Fortress at Azov

-2 Crimean Militia Infantry Brigades
-1 Crimean Militia cavalry brigades
-1 Cossack Militia cavalry brigades

[TLS]

Mesopotamian Campaign

Fall, 1706

The Ottomans have assembled two armies, up the Tigris and the Euphrates, and send them downstream to march on Baghdad. The Shah debates whether to meet the Ottomans in open battle, but recognizes that the benefits of his defensive position at Baghdad will provide the best possible chance to push back the Ottoman army. His Eastern frontier has become restless--Pathan tribes have started raiding the valleys of Khorasan and the Mughal Empire, though itself weakened, looks on greedily. Win or lose, he doesn’t have much more time to continue this campaign. The Ottomans take their time, joining forces near the city of Samarra, before moving south on Baghdad. The combined force arrives outside of the city in late October.

Battle of Baghdad, October 27-28

Ottomans
-4 Infantry Brigades
-2 Infantry Battalion
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Cavalry regiments
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry brigade
-1 Kurdish militia infantry brigade

Persians
-4 Infantry battalions
-3 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade
-1 Qizilbash militia cavalry brigade

Again the Persians benefit from their defensive position but struggle to sufficiently exploit it against the technologically superior Ottomans (Persians get +1 to defensive rolls, but no FF turn and no offensive bonus). The going is slow for the Sultan’s armies, but this does not necessarily mean high casualties--the Persians are unable to effectively land many blows on the Ottomans, while the Ottomans are able to (albeit very slowly) whittle away at the Persian defenders. Over the course of two days of fighting the Ottomans push deeper and deeper, trying to trap the Persians against the river-front to prevent any hope of escape. By the morning of the 2nd day the Shah has lost almost all of his army, save a few infantry battalions and his cavalry cover, and decides that he has no intention of dying in Baghdad. He orders the cavalry to cover his retreat (being shattered in the process) while he withdraws with the remnants of his army back towards Persia.

Casualties of the Battle of Baghdad

Ottomans (2,500 casualties)
-1 Sunni Arab militia cavalry, shattered, disbanded (1,250 casualties)
-1 Kurdish militia infantry, shattered, disbanded (1,250 casualties)

Persians (7,250 casualties)
-2 Infantry battalions shattered, combined into 1 (1,000 casualties)
-3 Shia Arab militia infantry brigade shattered, deserted (3,750 casualties)
-1 Qizilbash Militia cavalry brigade destroyed (2,500 casualties)

With the defeat of the main army in Baghdad, the Shah’s tribal levies are apoplectic. The Shia tribesmen he had relied upon in Mesopotamia hurry back to guard the shrines of Najaf and Karbala, with leading religious figures soon sending entreaties to the Sublime Porte to re-establish Ottoman control over the region in return for guarantees for the safety of the holy shrines, at which point their defense forces will lay down their arms. The Qizilbash contingents left in Mesopotamia, focused around Basrah, hurriedly also depart that city and head back into Persia--but they bear a heated resentment against the Shah who has spilled their blood to no end. The Shah’s gamble, rather than shoring up his position, has only weakened it--perhaps fatally.

Forces in Theater, end of turn

Persia

Kermanshah
-3 Infantry Battalions

Ottomans

Baghdad
-4 Infantry Brigades
-2 Infantry Battalion
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Cavalry regiments

Shia Clerics

Karbala
-5 Militia Infantry Brigades

Najaf
-5 Militia Infantry Brigades

[TLS]

European Theater

Fall, 1706

The Russian army in Pskov is under orders to get its trained units up to snuff, and so is required to remain in place throughout the fall season. Recognizing that Smolensk has been opened up to Polish attack, similar scorched earth tactics are ordered to be implemented by the Russians as in Kharkov--the cavalry contingent of the Russian army rushes south to assist the Russian garrison brigade. Unlike at Kharkov, however, the Russian army is both smaller and is soon interrupted by the forward cavalry contingents of the Polish army. The attempt to render Smolensk entirely useless as a forward base for the Poles is thus thwarted, though they do manage to make the city more limited (Game Effects: Smolensk will provide only .5 income in 1707, Poland has to spent 1 point to make it effective as a base for logistical purposes)

The Poles do, however, manage to reach Smolensk before the winter snow begins to set in. It has taken a year, but Augustus has finally managed to reach Smolensk and occupy it in the name of Poland. They are soon joined by the Polish cavalry regiment which was sent north to hit Reval earlier in the season, the small force attempting to raid and hamper Russian income for the coming year (Reval/Tallinn brings in .75 income in 1707). His army is joined by the detachment of the Ottoman Empire which was sent north earlier in the summer, and thus Augustus now commands a rather motley and polyglot army--Poles, Lithuanians, Ruthenians, Prussians, Ottomans, Crimeans, and Romanians all march under his banner and look forward glumly towards a miserable winter.

Meanwhile, Leszczynski and his rebels have worked to re-establish themselves in the Ruthenian provinces of the Polish Crown. Though widely believed to covet the crown of Poland for himself, he has taken to using increasingly violent and, indeed, radical rhetoric to justify his actions against the Commonwealth. Speaking of the ancient rights of the commonwealth and the golden freedoms of the nobility is all well and good, but he increasingly throws in rhetoric that would not be out of place in England--questioning why there even needs to be a King in a Noble Commonwealth. His republican rhetoric is playing into dangerous hands, as the nobility both resents the king and fears the serfs, though for now it is enough to help shore up his position and create a force that seriously threatens the Polish heartland. Augustus has both dispatched some forces from his army at Minsk and brought his own Saxon troops to assemble at Warsaw--playing into Leszczynski’s arguments that the crown is a foreign force.

Forces in theater, end of Fall

Poland

Smolensk (under the command of Augustus)
-5 Infantry Brigades
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-2 Cavalry Regiments

Warsaw
-1 Fortress
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Saxon Infantry Brigade
-1 Garrison Brigade
-1 Cavalry Brigade

Ottomans

Smolensk
-1 Infantry Brigade
-1 Romanian Brigade
-1 Crimean Infantry brigades

Russia

Pskov (Under the command of Menshikov)
-4 Infantry brigades
-1 militia infantry brigade
-1 cavalry brigade
-1 militia cavalry brigade
-1 Garrison brigade

Polish Rebels

Lwow (Under the command of Leszczyński)
-1 Cavalry Brigade
-1 Infantry brigade (in training, ready Spring 1707)
-2 Militia infantry brigades

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