12 replies to this topic

[simanton]

A place to kick around scenario options we haven't played yet.

[simanton]

,Jutland alternative. At the actual battle Hood's battle cruiser squadron (the Invincibles) had been detached from Beatty's Battlecruiser Force to Scapa Flow for gunnery training and so sortied with Jellicoe. Evan-Thomas' 5th Battle Squadron (the Queen Elizabeths) had been substituted for Hood with Beatty, and definitely placed their stamp on the afternoon phases of the battle. Inexperience working with Beatty kept them out of place and unavailable during the early battle cruiser, but when they came into action their accurate 15" fire had a major effect on the battle. But suppose the standard organization had been in effect! The battlecruiser action and "Run To The South" with three Invincible class battlecruisers less well armed but immediately available rather than four Queen Elizabeth class battleships coming into action later. Has anyone tried this scenario? Does anyone want to?

[rurik]

SCANDINAVIAN CONVOY BATTLE: SPRING 1918

During the spring of 1918, Great Britain organized a regular convoy run from Norway to England to ensure an abundant supply of iron ore and tungsten for its wartime defense industry. As merchant ships could only make eight knots, a strong screen of escorts accompanied each convoy to protect vulnerable freighters from surface warships and submarines alike.
On this mission, the U.S. Navy’s Battleship Division 9, was incorporated into the Royal Navy as its 6^th Battle Squadron, and was deployed to protect this convoy from the emergent threat of German battlecruisers. As a consequence of extensive mining along Norway’s’ coastline, convoys generally sailed well out to sea. The German Navy attempted to intercept this convoy with combined forces consisting of battlecruisers, supported by the latest light cruisers and torpedoboats.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

GERMAN HIGH SEAS FLEET FORCE

BATTLECRUISER SUPPORT GROUP:
BC HINDENBURG; BC DERFFLINGER; BC SEYDLITZ; BC MOLTKE
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II RECONAISSANCE GROUP:
CL FRANKFURT; CL GRAUDENZ; CL ELBING; CL BREMSE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III TORPEDOBOAT ½ FLOTILLA:
DD B-97; DD B-98; DD G-101; DD G-102
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------IV TORPEDOBOAT ½ FLOTILLA:
DD B-109; DD B-110; DD G-103; DD G-104

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ROYAL NAVY ESCORT

6^th BATTLE SQUADRON (USN):
BB DELAWARE; BB FLORIDA; BB NEW YORK; BB TEXAS; BB WYOMING
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3^rd LIGHT CRUISER SQUADRON:
CL GLOUCESTER; CL CHATHAM; CL BIRKENHEAD; CL YARMOUTH
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9^th DESTROYER DIVISION:
DD LYDIARD; DD LANDRAIL; DD LAUREL; DD LIBERTY
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4^th DESTROYER DIVISION:
DD MOORSON; DD MORRIS; DD TERMAGANT; DD TURBULENT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MERCHANT SHIP CONVOY:
8 TRANSPORTS.

[simanton]

Nice! I definitely like a chance to get the 6BS into action. I confess that I would be tempted to add Von der Tann to give the Germans a little more firepower, but of course they are trying for a hit and run on the convoy and not a slugfest! If I were to run it, it would have to be in a roomy venue since all my WWI Americans are 1/1250. Thanks for the input!

[Cpt M]

Nice! I definitely like a chance to get the 6BS into action. I confess that I would be tempted to add Von der Tann to give the Germans a little more firepower, but of course they are trying for a hit and run on the convoy and not a slugfest! If I were to run it, it would have to be in a roomy venue since all my WWI Americans are 1/1250. Thanks for the input!

This scenario (with some variations and options) is included in the FAI Supplement. Also included are the necessary ship logs to play it.

[simanton]

You guys are awesome!

[simanton]

I am working up the GQIII scenario for the Tactical Solutions gaming convention in Spokane Valley, WA this October. It will be "Escape to Suda Bay, or Beware of Greeks Bearing Guns & Torpedoes!" Set April 1941, it will have the Greek fleet with battleships Lemnos & Kilkis with armored cruiser Georgios Averoff plus a mix of old and modern destroyers & ex Austrian torpedo boats sortieing to escape the Stukas and proceed to Suda Bay, Crete. Enroute, it will be intercepted by an Italian force of heavy cruisers and destroyers.

[Jormungand]

Ostsee explosion: Battle of Dagö

 

Background:

Starting in September the German IV Battleship Squadron and the recon forces of the Baltic made several sweeps through the Baltic as far as the mouth of the Gulf of Finland to engage and destroy any elements of the Russian Fleet they encountered and hopefully pacify the Russian Navy, considering the actions of the Russian Batlic fleet this seems to have worked.  This scenario assumes the Russians went along with the more aggressive factions in their navy and launch their own counter sweeps like they had done initially against the Germans and Swedes.  In this case the Germans manage to catch the Russian battle line and attempt to prevent it returning to the Gulf of Finland. 

 

Environment

Location: Baltic Sea north of Dagö Island

Time: 1200 September 3, 1914 through early December

Conditions: variable presumably Force 5 or less initially

 

Kaiserliche Marine Orders:

Engage any Russian forces outside of the Gulf of Finland and either destroy them or drive them back.  1 VP for each Cruiser and Battleship and ½ VP for each DD to lose half of its weapons, half of its Hull boxes, or prevented from returning to the Gulf of Finland. 

Imperial Russian Navy Orders:

Safely return the fleet to the Gulf of Finland (East edge of map) with as many ships as possible.  1 VP for each Cruiser and Battleship and ½ VP for each DD to exit the East edge of the map in good order. 

 

Deployment

German Fleet arrives from the South bearing NNE. 

Russian Fleet arrive from the West Bearing East. 

Distance between forces: 24000 yards.

 

Order of Battle:

Kaiserliche Marine:

Ostsee Squadron: Rear Admiral Behring

Friedrich Carl, Augsburg (F), Magdeburg, Luebeck, Thetis

15 TB in 3 Half Flotillas (ships of the V and VII Flotilla sheets are rough contemporaries)

 

High seas Fleet Reinforcements: Vice Admiral Ehrhard Schmidt

IV Battle Squadron (Moral: Regular for Braunschweig and Elsass, Green for Wittelsbach Class)

VII Div. Wittelsbach (F), Witten, Schwaben, Mecklenburg

VIII Div. Braunschweig (f), Elsass, Zaehringen

Bluecher

10 TB 2 Half Flotillas (VI Flotilla is about right)

 

Imperial Russian Navy:

 

II Battle Div.

Rurik (F), Imperator Pavel I, Andrey Pervozvanny, Slava, Tsesarevich

I Cruiser Squadron

Admiral Makarov (F), Bayan, Pallada, Bogatyr, Oleg

II Cruiser Squadron

Rossya (F), Gromoboi, Aurora, Diana

Destroyers: Novik (F), 20-30 smaller DD Due to shortage of the super-Destroyers (can be taken from Baltic and Black sea Fleets as necessary)

 

Special Rules:

Kaiserliche Marine morale: Regular, Wittelsbach class and Friedrich Carl Green

Imperial Russian Navy morale: Regular, Imperator Pavel I and Andrey Pervozvanny Green

 

Variants:

Alternate German Recon: Replace Bluecher and Friedrich Carl with Roon, Prinz Adalbert, and Prinz Heinrich for late October through December raids, Morale is Regular. 

Sevastopol Rushes in: Sevastopol was commissioned in late November, in this Scenario she joins the fleet early before she is ready.  Ship doesn't have her DCT equipped for the 12" guns until spring, Morale is Green.  

 

 

Minor note I have not been able to determine when or if the Wittelsbach class was equipped with directed fire control so I just presumed they were to make the ships more effective. 

[GMG4RWF]

Last year, I ran US Vs IJN 1940 no Washington treaty (I suppose people have done that) with SD/Lex leading US defense force out of manila & Tosa/Amagi leading IJN invasion/bombardment group. did OK (IJN had really poor gunnery by comparison.) One I plan to run latter is US & German defense of Samoa Vs IJN & GB circ 1914. with Helgoland & Texas (or Florida maybe Wyoming) leading Virginia & Deutschland Vs Fuso (or Satsuma - original DN config) & Agincourt (yes she was just completing but just have use her when I can - or Canada) with KEVII & Satsuma Simi-DN. Subject to change.

 

The Pick shows me running mod GQ2 with Goeben (pointed at) running from Invincibles (next to bottle) off Turkey as 4 AC's try to slow her down. turned out well, both players did well. Breslau (next to Goeben) didn't make it (pummeled by the 6" when they were found to bounce off Goeben) & in the end the squadron of Acorns that raced in failed to get any torp hits & tried to put themselves in the way (1 got run over  ). Marginal victory for Germany as Goeben reached port with minor damage but Breslau was lost - British losses (CAs & TBDs) were all expendable.

[GMG4RWF]

,Jutland alternative. At the actual battle Hood's battle cruiser squadron (the Invincibles) had been detached from Beatty's Battlecruiser Force to Scapa Flow for gunnery training and so sortied with Jellicoe. Evan-Thomas' 5th Battle Squadron (the Queen Elizabeths) had been substituted for Hood with Beatty, and definitely placed their stamp on the afternoon phases of the battle. Inexperience working with Beatty kept them out of place and unavailable during the early battle cruiser, but when they came into action their accurate 15" fire had a major effect on the battle. But suppose the standard organization had been in effect! The battlecruiser action and "Run To The South" with three Invincible class battlecruisers less well armed but immediately available rather than four Queen Elizabeth class battleships coming into action later. Has anyone tried this scenario? Does anyone want to?

love too - I once ran a S&T version of Jutland. My opponent insisted on being the Germans despite my insistence otherwise (I didn't have a Beatty handicap    ). In the end he asked if I was going to let him get his 1 remaining Battle Cruiser off the board as my fleet chased it down.

[simanton]

Scenario For Tactical Solutions 2014, Spokane Valley, WA October 11

 

General Quarters III, 1/1200-1/1250 models

 

Naval Battle of Penang, 1945

 

Scenario has the French Navy facilitating its return to Indochina by supporting the British reconquest of Burma.  In this case, via a landing at Penang, Malaysia in the rear of the Imperial Japanese Army forces opposing Field Marshal Slim's advance from the north.  Alarmed, the Imperial Japanese Navy throws together a scratch force of available units at Singapore and sends them up the Straits of Malacca and the Malaysian coast to annihilate the landing.

 

An element driving the forces is available models and what we feel needs to get into a fight!  So, there will be some ships "back from the dead!"

 

French Battle Group:

Battleship Richelieu

Heavy Cruisers Suffren, Duquesne, Tourville

Light Cruisers Montcalm, Gloire, Emile Bertin, Duguay-Troun

Super Destroyers Le Fantasque, Le Trioumphant, Le Terrible, Le Malin

Destroyers Ouragon, Simoun, Tempete, Mistral

 

Gunfire Support Group:

Battleship Lorraine

Training Cruiser Jeanne d'Arc

Fast Minelayer La Tour de Auvergne

Torpedo Boats Le Melpomne, La Flore, Bouclier

 

French units with minelaying capacity are presumed to have deployed with mines and laid defensive fields.  French commander will know the locations.

 

Japanese:

Battleship Musashi

Cruiser Squadron:

Heavy Cruiser Maya Light Cruisers Oyodo, Yahagi

Destroyer Squadron:

Antiaircraft Cruiser (Joe) Isuzu (flag)

Destroyer Flotilla 1:

Akitsuki, Suzutsuki, Niitsuki, Hatsutsuki

Destroyer Flotilla 2:

Yukikaze, Hibiki, Matsu, Take, Tachibana, Tomozuru (torpedo boat), Otori (torpedo boat)

 

Musashi, Maya, Oyodo, Yahagi each have one "Jake" floatplane embarked which can spot for its own ship.  Jeanne d'Arc has 2 floatplanes embarked, one of which may spot for Richelieu and one may spot for Lorraine.

[simanton]

Scenario for Tactical Solutions 2017, Saturday, October 7th, 2017

Game will be "all day" starting at approx. 9am and running to approx. 9pm.  WWII era naval, 1/1200 - 1/1250 scale models, rules will be General Quarters II.  I will furnish all materials.

Title:  The Battle of the Bashi Channel or Battlecruisers in the China Sea, 1947

 

Thanks to liberal application of the rare substance Handwavium furnished by generous Alien Space Bats, WWII in the Pacific is extended into 1947, allowing use of ships not completed by 1945 and some "never weres."

 

Scenario is very loosely based on the Alaska/Guam raid of July, 1945.

 

Local airpower having been fought to a standstill, seapower in the Western Pacific has devolved on traditional surface units.  Intent on disrupting Japanese logistics moving between conquered areas in the Dutch East Indies/Southeast Asia/Philippines and the Japanese Home Islands, the US Navy has sent a surface raiding force into the East China Sea.  Force is built around an Alaska class large cruiser and a modernized Lexington class battlecruiser, and includes a division of light cruisers and a division of destroyers.  As the raid is winding up toward the Northern end of the East China Sea, the American Admiral receives the horrifying news that the tanker group waiting in the Northern Philippine Sea to replenish his now-thirsty ships has been destroyed by a Japanese submarine wolfpack.  He needs to get out of Dodge - aka the East China Sea  - in a hurry so he can proceed to Guam at economical speed.  He elects to depart via the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait.

 

The Japanese have not been idle.  They have rushed a force from the Home Islands to Formosa with orders to proceed into the East China Sea and destroy the raiders.  The Japanese Admiral, anticipating the American action, sorties to block the Luzon Strait.  He has a pair of the new B-65 class battlecruisers, a mixed formation of heavy and light cruisers and a destroyer division with a light cruiser leader. 

 

The American mission is to break through the Bashi Channel, the Japanese mission is to stop them.

 

Tactical Solutions 2017, October 6,7,& 8 Miniature Gaming Convention

Red Lion Inn in Spokane at the Park

303 W. North River Drive, Spokane, WA 99201

[simanton]

The General Quarters II game at Tactical Solutions this year will be The Naval Battle of Corsica set in the WWII era. The fundamental premise is that Italy has conducted a spectacularly successful invasion of Corsica, with the result that the French have been pressed into a pocket along the northern coast and are evacuating to the mainland by sea. Sensing an opportunity for an annihilating victory, the Italians have sortied the units of their fleet which are immediately available to attack the French evacuation ships. The French fleet has sortied its available units to defend the evacuation. Victory/defeat will be based on how many Italian ships in what condition break past the French navy into the evacuation area.

 

Forces:

Italian Main Body: battleships Roma, Impero

Italian Cruiser Squadron 1: Montecuccoli, Savoia

Italian Cruiser Squadron 2: Attilio Regolo, Scipio Africione

Italian Cruiser Squadron 3: Etna, Vesuvio

Italian Destroyer Squadron: Da Recco, Carabiniere, Maestrale, Freccia

 

French Main Body: battleships Clemanceau, Gascoigne, cruiser La Motte Picquet

Super Destroyer Squadron: Hoche, Kleber, Volta, Mogador, L' Indomptable, La Audacieux

Destroyer Squadron: Ouragon, Forbin, Tempete, La Fortune

Torpedo Boat Squadron: Melpomene, L' Incomprise, La Cordeliere

 

This will be an "all day" game on Saturday October 6.