Deleted member 1487
Riffing off one of my other posts, lets say that Conrad is not in charge of the Austro-Hungarian army during the fighting in 1914, and the replacement chief keeps the Galician forces on the defensive while tackling Serbia with the 5th, 6th, and 2nd armies. This leaves the 1st, 4th, and 3rd armies with the Koevess Group (really just a corps from the 2nd army) defending Galicia. This means they have too much territory to hold and abandon the Eastern half up to Lemberg (Lwow), while grabbing the useful stuff and burning the rest (I'm mainly thinking crops).
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/webpages/kuk_Galizien_u_Lodomerien_1914+.jpg
This leaves the Galician detachment holding the San-Vistula line to the Lubaczow river and down Lemberg, utilizing the limited forts there for cover. The 3rd army and the Koevess group hold from Lemberg down through the Dniester, with forces dug in along river lines and broken ground whereever possible. Can they hold against the Russian steamroller?
The Russians were historically cautious moving into Galicia, especially the 3rd and 11th armies moving in from the east. The eastern group was especially cautious given that they thought they were going to meet the largest portion of the Austrian army and the supply lines ended significantly further back in the Ukraine. Historically they only reached Lemberg around September, pausing only briefly to let the Austrians dash themselves agains their artillery. So let's say the Russians don't meet the Austrians until about September 1st along the Lemberg-Dniester line. They outnumber the Austrians 2:1, but the ground is broken, there are plenty of defensible rivers and the Austrians are dug in, in full supply, while the Russian rail heads end several hundred miles back in the Ukraine.
The Northern groups are evenly matched numerically, but the Austrians are dug in on the strongest river lines in the area. They again have the advantage of superior rail, while the Russian supply is quite far back. These Russian armies were also marching far from their supply lines, but faster than the Eastern army group. They reach the Austrians about August 28th.
Can the Austrians hold until their reinforcements from Serbia arrive? Do their armies hold up against superior numbers and remain intact enough to be effective later on in the war, say by 1915 and 1916?
http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/webpages/kuk_Galizien_u_Lodomerien_1914+.jpg
This leaves the Galician detachment holding the San-Vistula line to the Lubaczow river and down Lemberg, utilizing the limited forts there for cover. The 3rd army and the Koevess group hold from Lemberg down through the Dniester, with forces dug in along river lines and broken ground whereever possible. Can they hold against the Russian steamroller?
The Russians were historically cautious moving into Galicia, especially the 3rd and 11th armies moving in from the east. The eastern group was especially cautious given that they thought they were going to meet the largest portion of the Austrian army and the supply lines ended significantly further back in the Ukraine. Historically they only reached Lemberg around September, pausing only briefly to let the Austrians dash themselves agains their artillery. So let's say the Russians don't meet the Austrians until about September 1st along the Lemberg-Dniester line. They outnumber the Austrians 2:1, but the ground is broken, there are plenty of defensible rivers and the Austrians are dug in, in full supply, while the Russian rail heads end several hundred miles back in the Ukraine.
The Northern groups are evenly matched numerically, but the Austrians are dug in on the strongest river lines in the area. They again have the advantage of superior rail, while the Russian supply is quite far back. These Russian armies were also marching far from their supply lines, but faster than the Eastern army group. They reach the Austrians about August 28th.
Can the Austrians hold until their reinforcements from Serbia arrive? Do their armies hold up against superior numbers and remain intact enough to be effective later on in the war, say by 1915 and 1916?