Rob Zacny

Episode 273: The Guns of August

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Rob Zacny and Troy "Vimy Ridge" Goodfellow continue the discussions of World War I with Slitherine's Commander: The Great War. 

 

Alternate episode titles: 

 

Slow Your Kaiser Roll

World War Fun

 


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When I named this episode I had the book The Guns of August in mind. Also, it's August. It did not occur to me until later that there's probably also a gamed entitled The Guns of August. There is. This episode is not about that game. (There's also a movie.)

 

I highly recommend the book, though. I'm also reading through Dreadnought and I think I like it even more than Guns of August. 

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Hi chaps first time poster long time listener.

 

Just writing to say I very much enjoyed the Guns of August series and in particular the Commander one. I would just like to point out that you may need to add H. Strachan's short book on WW1 as it covers even in the non discrete "front" aspect of war in the balkans including mixed armies of Turk's, Austro/Hungary, and German's. He also notes the wide ranging experiences of the Indian army in Africa, Middle east and Western Europe.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-First-World-War-Strachan/dp/0143035185

 

Frankly a much more enjoyable book than Hastings one as Strachan's polemic is focused on how it really was a World War and a much wider "experience" than muddy, barbed wired, western Europe (prior to Hastings Book).

 

Thanks for the podcast guys and kind regards. 

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... speaking of Hastings; at the end of this episode, Rob Zacny quoted him from memory. Here is the exact quote and the source? 

 

"The Schlieffen Plan, in my view, was always a fantasy, unless the French and British had suffered absolute collapse on the battlefield. But the soaring advance of German manufacturing and trading was a force in world affairs far stronger than any fleet of dreadnoughts." http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/11/max-hastings-catastrophe-1914

 

Every plan is a 'fantasy' at first?

 

The question is not how realistic this plan was (which was no real plan at first, as we all know, but became one, when it was refined by von Moltke and should really have HIS name instead?), the question is rather, are there people who believe in it, and are they strong enough to turn this 'fantasy' into reality. We all know the answer to that. 


Trivial sidenote: this is the common ground, where 'wargaming' is both - a hobby, we here share - and a 'fantasy' of real Generals, thinking about the 'what if'-scenarios? In that sense, we all are touching history and it certainly is part of what makes (good) war games so interesting. With every turn, we are asking a historical question, in that sense, and we cannot await the answer of our (Game AI or human) opponent.
 

Edited by Alex Covic

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WW1 is a much more interesting war than WW2.  (gasp!)  The reason it isn't "gamed" as much is that it doesn't loom nearly as large in popular (American) culture.  In WW2, the Bad Guys were winning, until they inevitably ran out of steam.  Then the Good Guys were winning.  Until the end.  WW1 was actually MUCH more dynamic and tense (despite it's reputation for stalemate).  The balance of powers, balance of resources, opening new fronts, closing old ones, etc.  The Germans were winning as late as the summer of 1918!  The really good WWI games (Commander: The Great War and Strategic Command: WWI) do a great job capturing these things.   

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