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.

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?

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.

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.



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.



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...

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.



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.

The battle for Przemyśl begins today! This intimidating brick fortress boasted numerous gun emplacements, bunkers and barracks. Austro-Hungarian defenders held the fort in the face of Russian assaults and siege for 133 days. They were forced to surrender, but German troops recaptured it later with the aid of super-heavy artillery pieces that left the fortress a broken ruin with minimal strategic significance.



Surrounding the town of the same name, the Przemyśl fortress was a series of defenses originally planned to include 41 distinct fortifications. However, construction proceeded in stops and starts depending on the diplomatic relationship between Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire from 1854 until the start of the First World War.

Nonetheless it was still a formidable position, as the Russians found when they tried a direct assault on October 7, 1914. Ten thousand of the attackers became casualties, with around 3,500 killed. The Russian siege held until March 22, 1915, when the remaining defenders chose to surrender. As food ran out and morale plummeted, 119,000 men were taken prisoner after a failed breakout attempt - though not before destroying the remaining artillery.



Now you can explore some parts of this famous fortress yourself, as you fight for control of two key forts along with their surrounding trenches and gun pits!

There’s more…
Although the highlight of this update is the free new Przemyśl map, there is more. Read the full changelog on the Steam Hub. A few things of particular note:

• Przemyśl map added!
  
• Updated sandbags to have more accurate colliders.
  
• Improved checks to limit climbing exploits.
  
• Fix for instant respawning bug.
  
• Fix for HMG desync issue.

Share your experiences with the new map on our Discord or in the Steam hub! 

And even more… Tannenberg has been released for consoles!
You can now get Tannenberg for Xbox One and PlayStation 4! We can't wait to see what console fans make of Eastern Front warfare. The development of the console versions has been done entirely in-house, like the Verdun Remaster. Everything has been optimized and adjusted for consoles, and the game will make the most of the Xbox One X and PlayStation Pro for those who have them.

If they might be interested, don't hesitate to share the word with your historically inclined console pals ;)

The new map is almost here! We're really looking forward to seeing what you think of this one. It's been fun watching everyone's guesses as well. Some of you guessed it, as always!

Our console release date trailer shows off the new map - check it out...


The new map is called Przemyśl!

Przemyśl was a fortified town that was the site of the longest siege during WW1. For 133 days the defenders held out against the Russian army, but were ultimately forced to surrender. In-game, you'll be able to fight around the bunkers and gun positions of the fortress.

We can announce the release date for Tannenberg on Xbox One and PlayStation 4: July 24th. Like the Verdun Remaster, we've handled the development of Tannenberg for consoles entirely in-house, and it's shaped up very nicely. If any of your console owning friends might enjoy some WW1 action, let them know!

The release will also be optimized to make full use of the extra power offered by the Xbox One X and PlayStation Pro. You can already pre-order Tannenberg for Xbox One.

Tannenberg is 60% off, and Verdun is 65% off! If you’ve been waiting to complete your WW1 Game Series collection, or introduce a friend with a gift, now is the perfect time.



Come discuss the new map on our Discord!

It was this day 105 years ago that Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip fired two shots that would be the spark to ignite the First World War. His first shot hit the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in the neck, his second hit the Archduke's wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in the abdomen. Both died.

It was June 28th, 1914. A month later, the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia on July 28th would mark the start of the First World War.


Painting of the assassination.

Princip only had the chance to attack the Archduke because of a series of unlikely coincidences. He was one of six assassins organized by a secret society called the Black Hand. They were posted along the route of Franz Ferdinand's drive, which was published beforehand, and armed with pistols or bombs. The first two assassins that the motorcade passed chose not to try an attack. The third assassin was Nedeljko Čabrinović, who threw a bomb. It bounced off the roof of the Archduke's car, disabling a car behind and injuring about 20 people. The Archduke disembarked to examine the damage before the motorcade continued. Čabrinović took a cyanide pill and jumped into the Miljacka river, but the cyanide was expired and the river was shallow - he was apprehended by police shortly afterwards.


Colorized photograph of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

From this point the speed of the car prevented any further attempts, including from Princip as the motorcade passed him. Even with blood from the injured still on his clothes, the Archduke proceeded to give a speech as planned at the city hall, but then decided to visit those injured by the attack in hospital. His driver was not properly informed however, and took a wrong turn leading down a street where Princip was still standing. Even this might not have been fatal, but on being informed of his mistake the driver stopped the car, then stalled it while trying to reverse... practically in front of Princip, who drew his pistol and opened fire. His third shot was intended to kill himself, but he never had a chance to pull the trigger before being captured.

Both Princip and Čabrinović suffered from tuberculosis, and had already known they didn't have long to live before joining the assassination attempt. After his capture, Princip said: "I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming for the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state, but it must be freed from Austria."


Gavrilo Princip in prison.

They were both were sentenced to 20 years in prison. However, their tuberculosis along with harsh prison conditions meant that Čabrinović died in 1916, and Princip in 1918. Four of their co-conspirators were hanged, and others imprisoned.

It seems likely that even without the assassination of the Archduke, something would have triggered the First World War. Tensions were high in Europe, and although the assassination served as a reason for Austria-Hungary to issue the July Ultimatum - a series of demands, some outrageous - to Serbia, no doubt they would have found another reason in time. The Serbian response to the ultimatum, which accepted many points but not all, led to the recall of the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, and ultimately war.



Enjoy the rest of your weekend everyone!

Almost four million losses for both sides. After a little more than a week of action, the total campaign casualties come out to 4,210,058 from the Central Powers and 4,167,371 on the side of the Entente. Of course, Verdun and Tannenberg only simulate intense front line combat, which was not the standard state of affairs during the war. A week's hard fighting since we last posted on June 15th has increased the total count from around 1,000,000 per side to 4,000,000. How does that tally up with the actual battles?

Well, for comparison, France had roughly 1,000,000 killed in action during the entire war, with 4,000,000 wounded. Germany ended the war with closer to 2,000,000 killed to 4,000,000 wounded, while Russia had somewhere in the region of 2,000,000 killed to almost 5,000,000 wounded. These numbers also don't account for captured soldiers taken prisoner, which were huge numbers in some cases - for instance around 92,000 at the Battle of Tannenberg, or perhaps as many as 250,000 during the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive.




If we use a 1:4 ratio of killed vs wounded, and count perhaps 20% of the Central Powers 'kills' as captured troops with a smaller value for the Entente (as mentioned, a large number of Russian soldiers were captured during the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive), the following numbers might emerge:


In the actual battles, the total losses were closer to 480,000 for the Entente compared to 220,000 Central Powers casualties. If you missed it before, you can read a bit more about the history of the Second Battle of Artois or the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive in our previous news posts.



As for the balance of losses for each side, historically the Germans lost far fewer troops, despite their very successful offensive in the East. In contrast, in our campaign, the Central Powers have actually suffered about 37,000 more losses than the Entente. Maybe the Germans committed less of their artillery to the Eastern Front, and the Russian defenders were better able to hold their positions - it's even possible that the fortifications at Przemyśl would have proved more consequential if the Germans hadn't brought up their super-heavy guns.

Alternately, the Tsar was more decisive in ordering an initial withdrawal alongside urgent fortification of rear areas. The Russians fell back in good order to solid defensive lines, and the Germans overextended their strength, at the limit of their supply lines and unable to capitalize on their huge advantage in artillery pieces due to supply issues. There might have been a good deal of land captured, and the pressure on Austria-Hungary would still have been lifted, but Central Powers casualties could have been far greater and Russian losses far less. Probably still a Central Powers victory, but not nearly as decisive as historically.

Do you have any theories about how the battles could have gone differently to explain this almost 1:1 casualty rate? I haven't touched on the Western Front here, but there are surely possibilities there as well!

We hope you all enjoyed this surprise event! It's been great to see people chatting about the event and the history of the two battles we were inspired by. Remember you can always visit the #history channel on our WW1 Game Series Discord to talk to other fans about WW1. There are some cool images and facts to be found there!

We'll end with congratulations to everyone who earned a Gold Summer Offensive 1915 Veteran medal!


And credit to player GoldenHelmet for the rare peaceful screenshot below.

At the time of writing, there have been 1,137,028 Central Powers losses, to 1,143,957 Entente casualties. Almost a 1:1 ratio, with a minor lead for the Central Powers... it could still easily go either way. The Summer Offensive 1915 campaign will continue to run until Monday 22nd of June. We'll see how the battle went historically on the Eastern Front below, but how were things on the Western Front? Find out on our Verdun Steam Hub.

On the Eastern Front the Austro-Hungarians had done poorly in their battle against the Russians, losing territory including the fortified town of Przemyśl in an extended siege. They demanded support from their German allies, threatening to make peace if no aid was forthcoming. General August von Mackensen was tasked with leading the newly formed Eleventh Army in supporting the Austro-Hungarians. What was intended to be a relatively minor relief effort quickly became a major offensive.

The Russians facing the Eleventh Army had 141 light artillery pieces and four heavy guns at their disposal. This was woefully insufficient compared to Mackensen's 457 light guns, 159 heavy pieces, and 96 mortars. The German artillery advantage would prove decisive. From disrupting Russian infantry and counter-battery fire to the heavy mortars used to demolish the defenses of the recently captured fortress at Przemyśl, the German guns were significant everywhere.



The pattern became familiar - the Central Powers would begin with a heavy artillery barrage, and follow up with infantry that would capture the Russian positions. Any Russian counterattack would likely be ill-supported and suffer heavy casualties. The Russian Tsar was slow to authorize any withdrawal, and chose not to start work on constructing better fortifications in the rear. Russian reinforcements were brought in, but were devastated by the German artillery.

Today in 1915 the Russians were only a matter of days away from the Grand Duke Nicholas ordering a complete abandoning of Galicia on 21st of June. Total casualty estimates for the Russian forces range between 250,000 and 400,000, compared to about 216,000 total soldiers deployed to the fight by the Germans and Austro-Hungarians. They would go on to lose around 80,000 to 100,000 men, while advancing hundreds of kilometers.

In Tannenberg and Verdun, the Summer Offensive 1915 is still very much undecided. You have until the 22nd - the battle rages on!

The First World War saw fighting around the world on a scale previously unimaginable for many people. Gains or losses in any individual battle could ultimately have consequences for entire theaters, no matter how minor they might seem at the time. You can experience this yourself today in the WW1 Game Series, as we begin the Summer Offensive 1915 campaign!


In short, every fallen soldier on the Western and Eastern Fronts will be tracked. If you fight in a public Maneuver or Frontlines 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 today: the Summer Offensive 1915.


The name of this campaign refers to the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive on the Eastern Front, and the Second Battle of Artois on the Western Front. Overall these two operations did not end well for the Entente factions - will things pan out differently this time?





The German led Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive lasted from 2 May to 22 June, 1915. It was intended to reduce pressure on Austro-Hungarian forces who had taken a beating from the Russians. The Austro-Hungarians even threatened the Germans that they might seek an individual peace agreement if they didn't offer any military assistance! In the event, the German attack was so successful that they kept pushing and it became a major offensive effort, ending in a German victory and forcing the Great Retreat back to Russia by Russian forces.




On the Western Front, the Entente were launching the Second Battle of Artois, which ran from 9 May to 18 June, 1915. The French aimed to capture Vimy Ridge and cut off German railway supply to a large part of the front. The British Expeditionary Force launched a supporting attack to increase pressure on the Germans. After initial success and capture of Vimy Ridge, French forces were forced back by a German counterattack. The British attacks did divert two German divisions, but were otherwise failures with high casualties despite heavy bombardments.

We’re looking forward to seeing how this campaign turns out! Common questions are answered in this FAQ post.

While the campaign is running, you can earn a unique medal for taking part in battles as well. The most prestigious award being given to those who fight at least five battles on both fronts!

The campaign will run until Monday 22nd of June, when the Gorlice-Tarnów Offensive ended. Casualties will be tallied until then - in reality, the Entente suffered about three times as many casualties as the Central Powers.

The battle awaits - how will events compare to history? That’s down to how you fight. Good luck!