Saturday, January 26, 2013

Convoy Action 1941 - The Final Act


We fought out the rest of the convoy action last night.  To allow Curt and Sarah the use of their dining room table, we marked the ships' positions with tape and rolled up the sea mat in the interim.  

When we rolled up the mat last week the situation was as follows. 
  1. Sylvain had a Kriegsmarine raiding group of the ScheerLutzow and Hipper had attacked a convoy.  The raiders operated in a single group against the tail of the convoy, coincidentally attacking from downwind.  This allowed Curt to concentrate the escort and use smoke to shield the convoy, but allowed Sylvain to hit the escort hard.   The raiders were absolutely untouched but out of torpedoes.
  2. Curt's convoy  of 8 merchantmenwas almost untouched but able to steam at full speed.  The  fast transport HMS Manxman was long gone on its merry way to Gib.
  3. The close escort of 6 destroyers (3 H class and 3 Hunts), 2 C class AA cruisers was on its last legs.  Curt had used up all his chemical smoke and most of the ships were badly damaged.  The attack from the rear also gave them the chance for torpedo attacks, but while he placed these well and had multiple attacks they all missed. 
  4. A cruiser squadron from the RN covering force (HMSs Gloucester, Ajax, Arethusa and Euryalus) had arrived on table but been hidden from German eyes by smoke until the range was very close.  Further RN reinforcements were possible.


Sylvain opted to continue to close with the convoy, giving Curt the option of backing off with the cruisers or placing themselves between hunters and prey.  Curt opted for the latter and they steamed for a close encounter of the nasty kind!  Curt focused his fire on the Scheer, while Sylvain split his between all four RN cruisers.  But initially the 11" guns of the raiders hit the light cruisers hard, while initially their heavier CA armour was proof to the 6" replies.  

Then a few key turns changed the entire battle around from a German victory to a British one.  As the range closed, the cruisers 6" guns were able to go through the Germans' armour and opportunities for torpedo attacks got better.  (One problem with attacking from astern is that your opponents fish close at 70kts and yours close at 10kts!)  The Scheer was hit several times and slowed while German fire had an off period and largely missed.  Next turn, the Scheer was torpedoed and clearly in trouble.  Curt split his fire between the two pocket battleships next turn, sinking the Scheer and badly hurting the Lutzow - knocking out both turrets and slowing her.   German fire was very effective in return leaving 3 of the 4 cruisers badly shot up and with rudder hits.

By this time, further British reinforcements had arrived in the form of 3 J class destroyers and 3 flights of Swordfish torpedo bombers.  We abstracted out the denouement.  The swordfish focused on the Hipper and the destroyers on the Lutzow.  The Swordfish attack missed and the Hipper got back to Brest undamaged, but the DDs survived close range fire to torpedo the Lutzow and leave almost dead in the water.  Sylvain opened the sea cocks before the Swordfish returned or the Warspite and Rodney showed up.

Photos are from Curt.   Again the German ships are by Sylvain and the British and merchants are mine.  

The sides close with the Scheer taking fire and on fire, but largely unhurt.  The convoy legs it at 10 kts.

Red post it notes mark torpedo spreads (a very useful game aid).  Despite them, things are still rosy for the raiders as the spread in the foreground is a dummy!

Curt launched two Walrus float planes to distract Sylvain, just before the hanger on one cruiser was wrecked!  We have the Gloucester, Ajax, Arethusa and Euryalus in line.

Scheer on fire, followed by the Lutzow and Hipper.

Torpedoes away!


Close up on the Scheer - a very nice paint job Sylvain!

Three flights of Swordfish escorted by Fulmars, all operating from HMS Eagle.  In the back ground is the Scheer, by this time the fire is the least of her problems!

Another close up of the raiders - like the glaciers you should see them before they go for ever.
All in all this was a good, challenging game.  At one point, Curt's wife Sarah wondered in and asked who was winning.  Sylvain replied that each side thought the they were losing!  For much of the game I worried that I had given Curt an assignment with no chance of victory (when I wasn't worrying that I gave Sylvain no chance) but he pulled off a major coup.  As GM I put the reinforcements on table to try and balance the situation.  In the end the Swordfish and J class in time to mop up the remnants, rather than stem the tide.

Friday, January 25, 2013

One Grain More



This is a goofy and clever video that appeals to me as someone who is both a celiac and has seen live productions of Les Miz several times and on several stages, including London's West End and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.  In fact every time I hear the people sing, I get the urge to don the red braided waistcoat, grab the flag and man the barricades. 

I should point out that several of the products they are using may be wheat free, but are not gluten free.  personally, I go for purchased GF baking mostly as it's quality has greatly improved.  Besides, the last time we tried to bake a loaf of bread we needed to buy a new bread maker after ward.  The dough rose up out of the loaf pan like the Thing looking for victims.  As for the breads and such that my mum baked when I was a kid, well I've tried in vain to suppress those memories.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Plug for Naval Warfare

One of the blogs I follow, Naval Warfare, has a post that may appeal to many of my followers - or any one interested in either warships or Victoriana.  This month's post is on HMS Black Prince (the iron clad frigate, not the Armoured Cruiser that died spectacularly at Jutland)

Ah the 1880s when ships were ships....

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Photos from Naval Game Pt 1



These are courtsesy of Curt.  The ships are GHQ 1:2400, the Germans are by Sylvain.  I provided the convoy, Royal Navy and Polish ship (one Hunt class DE).  Curt supplied the table, sea mat and fire markers.
HMS Hero on fire (the markers are very effective).  

The Admiral Scheer and Lutzow 

The convoy runs, trailing black smoke while the escorts cover their tails with white chemical smoke.  The Lutzow is in the upper left and the Royal Navy cruisers are marked by the yellow triangle.  The RN cruisers are still only a blip on the Kriegsmarine's Dete sets.

The cavalry has arrived, or at least the cruisers.  We have HMSs Gloucester, Ajax, Arethusa and Euryalus from nose to tail.  Meanwhile, three escorts run for safety.

A longer range shot at the same game point.  I can't recall if that is still the Hero on fire, or another escort.

The same group of cruisers.

Sylvain's model of the Admiral Hiiper.  Very nicely done - I especially like the aircraft identification markings.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Convoy Action AAR Pt1


Well after a week's delay we went to sea and fought it out over the convoy last night.  Forces on table at the start were as follows.

Germans (Sylvain) 
Admiral Scheer and Lutzow -  CAs with 6*11" guns 26kts speed)
Admiral Hipper - CAs with 8*8" guns 32kts

Royal Navy (Curt)
Cairo and Carlisle - Anti-Aircraft CLs with 8*4" guns, 28kts speed
Manxman - Abdiel class minelayer - 6*4" guns, 36 kts, acting as fast transport.
Hasty, Hero and Hotspur - H class DDs with 4*4.7" guns, 4 torpedo tubes, 35kts
Dulverton, Beaufort and Krakowiak (Polish) - Hunt class DEs with 6*4" guns, 28kts
Convoy of 8 merchantmen 10 kts speed 

I was non-player Gm and handled the Ship forms, damage rolls, random acts of fate etc.

The initial set up was as follows.  Visibility was 20,00yds, or 1m at 1cm=200yds.  The escorts were arranged around the convoy to provide cover for air or U-boat attacks, and the convoy was steaming south at 10kts.    I gave Sylvain the option to split his force into two groups with the first group at limit of visibility at A and the second at B. I figured that he would split his force and move them as indicated by the dotted lines.  The RN had reinforcements that would arrive at some  time and I as GM would place them at X on arrival. 

To me splitting the force would force the escorts to split up and give twice as many opportunities for a break through.  Moving south and then east would head off the convoy, allow the Germans to use their entire broadsides, and clear the smoke more favourably given the wind was blowing to the northwest.

Lesson 1 - Never Assume That Your Players Will Do What You Expect Them To.

Maybe it's a Quebecois vs rest of Canada thing, but anyway Sylvain had other ideas.  He kept his ships in a single group and moved them due east.  To be fair he didn't know where the reinforcements were to arrive, nor did he know exactly where his second group would appear.  And he figured that he could take on one half the escort group while the others worked their way round the convoy.   To my mind he made his own task more difficult, but his call.

This also made my life more difficult as I had to figure out how to juggle the reinforcements given the unexpected tack taken.  I had a variable arrival time for a squadron of 4 British light cruisers (D12 < game turn number) with the arrival point at X.  There was the possibility of heavier units and an air strike for the British, and a possible air strike for the Germans.  However, the timing and appearance of anything beyond the cruisers was to be a judgement call based on how the balance was running.  

Since Curt didn't know what his reinforcements were, or where or when they would arrive I just made a quick change and when the cruisers appeared the arrival point had shifter south to Y 26,000 yds from the Hipper - outside visual range and show a "blip" on the Dete screen as shown below.


Lesson Two A Lot of Diddly Squat Still Requires a Lot of Concentration!
Curt's escort group was essentially running on charm and good looks - he didn't have a gun that could hurt the Germans outside of point blank range and only 4 of his ships had torpedoes.  However, a second player on the RN side would have helped a lot and he had a lot to juggle.

Sylvain asked on turn 1 what the standard escort tactic was, and Curt showed him a masterful display.  Place yourself between the enemy and your charges, occupy space, make your self a tough target to hit, use a lot of smoke and try for a torpedo attack.  I have to give Curt a lot of credit for enjoying a game that set him up basically as a sitting target with little chance to fight back.  But he did seem to take to the challenge.

Lesson Three - As Curt Says GQ Gives Not Just a Game But a Good Simulation
Here's short summary of events. We played 9 turns in the evening (about 3 hours of play and an hour of game time).

  1. The raiders had a hard time hitting the escorts, but when they hit them they hit them hard.
  2. Regardless, battered destroyers can take a lot of kicking and none of the escorts sank.  Curt had some really good damage control work and Sylvain's gunners kept hitting the same damaged weapon systems.
  3. Curt managed beautiful torpedo plots, getting 6 possible chances of hits out of 4 spreads of fish.  However, his dice sucked and all of them missed!  The tail chase tactics of the raiders helped Curt here - with the Germans on a collision course with the fish.
  4. HMS Manxman shifted into turbo mode and sprinted off at 36kts once she was out of sight from the raiders.
  5. The Hipper did get clear of the smoke to eventually fire at the convoy.  Another lucky damage control roll saved an engineering hit that would have left one merchant DIW and DOA.
  6. The smoke screens intended to cover the convoy also nicely covered the RNs cruisers and Sylvain couldn't identify the blip until they were very close.
All in all, the results seemed pretty darn realistic especially compared to what happened at the Barent's Sea.

In the end we called it a night, but not the end of the game.  We marked the ship positions on Curt's sea mat with tape and we're planning to finish it up next week.  The reinforcements cruisers are as follows
HMS Gloucester CA armour, 12*6"
HMS Ajax CL 8*6"
HMS Arethusa CL 6*6"
HMS Euryalus CL 10*5.25"
All good for 32kts.  They have the speed to keep up with the raiders, and add much needed fire power. However, River Plate showed that the raiders still have the gunnery edge and the RN needs to keep a mind of the convoy missions.   We'll  see how it plays out.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Convoy 1941 - Reboot the Mission


After a week's delay it looks like we're good to go with the WW2 naval game this week at Curt's , domestic gods and goddesses allowing. 

I was going to try and find an exact time to suit the forces at hand and had some fun researching the Kriegsmarine and Royal Navy histories using online sources.  However, in the end I gave it up as a bad job and decided that the ships on hand might not have all been in the right spot and any one given time, but that they or their sister ships could have been.  Close enough for Government Work in my eyes.  

One thing that I hadn't realized is how small the windows of opportunity for the Germans.  It seems that no sooner had they repaired a ship, then it got banged up and needed to go back in the shop again.  The Brits kept up the pressure with bombers, mines and submarines.  The Jerries did them selves in by running into each other, or running aground.  And then to cap it off, several ships got damaged in storms.  I guess there's something to be said for building ships for ocean work and keeping the crews up to snuff to handle basic navigation tasks.

To recap, here's the situation.
  • It's the dark days of early 1941 when plucky Britain is fighting the Hun on its own.  Churchill sends a bunch of much needed kit (Matildas, Spitfires, troops etc) in a convoy bound for the Med.
  • German forces based in Brest will try and intercept if off of Spain.  Forces can include the Scharnhorst, Hipper and Deutschland classes (except for ships already sunk).  Sorry Sylvain, no Bismarck (either working up, sinking the Hood or sunk), Tirpitz (still being completed) or Graf Zeppelin (in its permanent state of needing another 18 months to be completed).  Their Light Cruisers and destroyers are too light for long range ocean work.
  • The RN has a close escort group of DDs and other escorts which are great against U Boats and planes, but lousy vs. heavy ships.
  • The RN also has units of the Med (and or Home) fleets in the area.
  • No U-boats are available to avoid the danger of friendly fire.  
  • Land based are is unlikely but possible (long range) for both sides.  Carrier based air may be available.
  • Seriously disabled ships will likely be sunk by U-boats (if RN) or air and surface forces (if KM).


Kreigsmarine Victory Condition Priorities
  1. Avoid damage to the heavy ships (CAs and above).
  2. Stop the convoy from getting through.
  3. Sink enough RN ships to give it a bloody nose and gain bragging rights.

Royal Navy Victory Condition Priorities
  1. Get the convoy through (mostly) intact.
  2. Sink the KM heavy ships.
  3. Avoid losses to RN ships.

To encourage aggression, if both sides achieve their #1 priority (i.e. the KM runs away) the RN wins a major victory.  Naval Armageddon leading to no ships afloat on either side leads to a draw - the Germans win short term by preventing the convoy from getting through but the Brits win long term as they can have less German surface units to worry about and can reallocate forces.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Naval Ops 1941 - Convoy Delayed


The plan had been for Sylvain and I to get our naval kit on table at Curt's this week, but this has been delayed by an outbreak of real life....

So next week at the same bat time, same bat place, same bat channel....

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Naval SITREP 1941

With Sylvain and I pumping out the WW2 Naval models, we gave  some thought to a naval game next week.  I volunteered to put together a scenario, with the aim of getting our new kit on table without overcrowding it in Naval Gotterdammerung.  I wanted to field our stuff in a scenario that made sense historically, gave a good game with strategic objective and let us field a reasonable amount of new kit without overloading the table, players and ump.

So here 's what I came up with.



  • It's the dark days of early 1941 when plucky Britain is fighting the Hun on its own.  Churchill sends a bunch of much needed kit (Matildas, Spitfires, troops etc) in a convoy bound for the Med.
  • German forces based in Brest will try and intercept if off of Spain.  Forces can include the Scharnhorst, Hipper and Deutschland classes (except for ships already sunk).  Sorry Sylvain, no Bismarck (either working up, sinking the Hood or sunk), Tirpitz (still being completed) or Graf Zeppelin (in its permanent state of needing another 18 months to be completed).  Their Light Cruisers and destroyers are too light for long range ocean work.
  • The RN has a close escort group of DDs and other escorts which are great against U Boats and planes, but lousy vs. heavy ships.
  • The RN also has units of the Med (and or Home) fleets in the area.
  • No U-boats are available to avoid the danger of friendly fire.  
  • Land based are is unlikely but possible (long range) for both sides.  Carrier based air may be available.
  • Seriously disabled ships will likely be sunk by U-boats (if RN) or air and surface forces (if KM).


Kreigsmarine Victory Condition Priorities
  1. Avoid damage to the heavy ships (CAs and above).
  2. Stop the convoy from getting through.
  3. Sink enough RN ships to give it a bloody nose and gain bragging rights.

Royal Navy Victory Condition Priorities
  1. Get the convoy through (mostly) intact.
  2. Sink the KM heavy ships.
  3. Avoid losses to RN ships.

To encourage aggression, if both sides achieve their #1 priority (i.e. the KM runs away) the RN wins a major victory.  Naval Armageddon leading to no ships afloat on either side leads to a draw - the Germans win short term by preventing the convoy from getting through but the Brits win long term as they can have less German surface units to worry about and can reallocate forces.

We'll let Curt run the RN, Sylvain the KM, Stacy take a role on either side as seems fit and I'll act as ump, heckler and source of random annoyances.  I'll also run the Green forces (to use the Grant Teaser term) - i.e. the merchantmen and any land based air.

Sound good?

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Italians At Sea


Finally we have two elements of the Regia Marina at sea, in the form of the Battleship RM Guilio Cesare and the cruiser RM Luigi Cadorna.  These two have been shadowed by two FAA Walruses (single bases) who have vectored in a flight of RAF Beaufort  torpedo bombers (reported piloted by Lts "Brutus" Smith and "Cassius" Jones).   However it appears on closer examination of the photos, that the attack below is by SM79s from the Regia Aeronautica!  Fortunately for me, if not the Italians, this was something that happened during WW2.

The ships are GHQ and the planes CAP Aero.   Curt has better photos featuring the Beaufort's over at Analogue Hobbies.




The Cesare was a WW1 design that was upgraded (ok considerably rebuilt) in the 30s.  She served at the Battle of Calabria, where she set a record of sorts thanks to the long range hit that HMS Warspite scored on her.  She also sortied numerous times to intercept British convoys, notably the First Battle of Sirte.  After the war she was transferred to the USSR and served as the Novorossiysk before being sunk by ex-German mines, Italian frogmen or random gamma rays from Mars.  She had two sister, the Leonardo Da Vinci (sunk in WW1 by unstable ammo) and the Conte di Cavour (sunk at Taranto by FAA Swordfish).

The Luigi Cadorna was part of the second group of Condottieri cruisers.  She served in the Spanish Civil War and WW2 and was present at Calabria.  Being considered too weakly protected for fleet work she was assigned a range of more dangerous tasks!  These included minelaying and serving as a fast fuel and ammo transport.  She also took part in attempts to intercept RN convoys.  She served in the RM until the early 50s.  A sister the Armando Diaz was sunk by a RN submarine on the Libyan transport run.













The Regia Aeronautica



In response to the air fleets launched from HMS Eagle, I've finished some elements from the Italian opposition.   Curt has better ones over at Analogue Hobbies.

 Here we have a formation of 6 SM79 Sparvieros accompanied by two Macchi C200 Saetta.




The SM79 was likely the best Italian aircraft of WW2.  Originally designed as a passenger aircraft, it served in the Spanish Civil War, WW2 and into the 50s.  It was used as a medium bomber and as a torpedo bomber and was especially effective as a TB.  The MC200 Saetta was a fighter than was able to take on the British Hurricanes and P40s and served ever where that the Italians did in WW2.

These are all Cap Aero 1:1250 models mounted on florists wire (visible beneath one of the SM79s in the lower photo).  While the wire looks clunky in unpainted form, I find that you can acheive a disappearing act by painting it blue to match the bases. 





In these photos we see the Regia Aeronautica in action with elements of the RN's Mediterranean fleet (both of WW1 vintage but heavily modified for WW2).   We have HMS Warspite (a ship that should need no introduction) and the C class AA cruiser HMS Cairo.  The ships are of course GHQ 1:2400 models.









Friday, January 4, 2013

HMS Renown



Three photos of HMS Renown c1917.  Curt has better ones over at Analogue Hobbies.

These were part of the grab bag that I acquired from Sylvain.  Although CinC lists these as WW2 models, they in fact represent the Renown and Repulse as built in 1916-7!  Even in WW1 these two went into dock for upgrades so often that they were dubbed HMS Refit and Repair.  The fact that they were armoured on the same level as the I class battlecruisers that had blown up at Jutland didn't help their reputations either!  Between the wars they became very different ships - in fact they were far more valuable fleet units when 20 years old then when they were brand new.   The CinC casting is a complete failure for WW2 but works very well for WW1.  In fact I think they are the only 1:2400 models of these ships for WW1.






Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Review of Spring 2012 Plans


Spring Plans Revisited


In going back over 2012, I found this list of plans from March.  Let's see how they (literally) played out.   Original plans in italics  with updates and ccommentary in bold type.
OK, the signs are all there.  The snow is almost all gone, there are Robins in the back yard and snow geese on Wascana, I am thinking about what final exam questions to use, I am contemplating getting on my bike.  Yep it must be spring.  And that means the time of the year (given 4 months with no classes to teach) when I can stop dreaming and start playing.

So here goes, with this year's list of gaming/hobby objectives

  1. Clear up the basement so that I can set up a wargames table.  EPIC FAIL!  Now on the winter 2013 list of "honey -dos" and not so that I can set up a war-game table!
  2. Make it to the monthly games nights and run a few miniatures games.  EPIC WIN!!  I did make several months' gaming events in a row, and then found a better set of options gaming with Curt and crew on an almost weekly basis - with miniatures.
  3. Use my 1:2400 WWII and/or 1:3000 WWI Naval ships.  WIN!  I organized my WW2 fleets and played one game (sitrep) with plans for more.  Given the feedback on my recent painting in the challenge, I should be able to convince the lads to play another soon.
  4. Play some table top teaser (TTT) type games.  WIN!  I did run a few games using scenarios from the Charles S. Grant books (see the El Cid and Wascanastan games).
  5. Finish off the FIW figures.  FAIL!  But I got distracted.....
  6. Complete more Peninsula War plastics.  Uhhh WIN, no FAIL, ummm I DUNNO.  OK the planned Pennisula campaign was still born even before I saw Curt's impressive and very well painted collection.  However, it morphed into an 1812 idea and I did do several new units for 1812.  Let's call it the Niagara Peninsula War and call it a win!
  7. Do up some good terrain pieces.  FAIL!  No new pieces, but I did find my missing river, orange groves and other nice bits for El Cid.
  8. Re-visit the Span-Am war!  EPIC Win!  OK one game doesn't seem like much, but those ships have been waiting up to 14 years to see action (I started them in the Centennial Year) and the Span-Am war was my oroginal theme on the blog so I am taking full credit.

Well that's enough for now.  We'll see how many of these play out before the Fall term starts in September.

To sum up I make it 5/8 on the original list with a Austerlitz style win on playing miniatures game and the worst result being the basement which looks more like an Eylau than a Leipzig!