On to Paris! - The Franco Prussian war (1870-71)

On To Paris! uses a wargame system adapted from Victory Games' "The Civil War" to simulate the grand events of the Franco Prussian war (1870-71) and challenge players to control the leadership, organization and military operations of Armies and Corps during the later 19th century. The Franco Prussian war was fought using Napoleonic tactics but with weapons of almost World War One lethality that included breech loading rifles, artillery and an early version of the machine gun. The Franco Prussian war developed many key concepts for the control and movement of large formations in warfare as well as tactical combat. At a time when the French army was considered the best in the world, the armies of Prussia and her German allies invaded France and in less than 3 months defeated the armies of Napoleon III. Despite German success, the French refused to surrender and as a result German forces laid siege to the French capital. For 5 long months, Paris, a city of about 2 million inhabitants, was starved into submission while surrounded by German armies that had to maintain a long supply line back to Germany, all the time fending off desperate French attempts to break the siege.