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[W. Clark]

Jim O’Neil’s Arctic Winter Battle Scenario, December 1941

 

Late December 1941: 2025 hours

Wind: Force 7 East North Easterly at 30 knots

Cloud Cover: 1 layer at 6,000 feet, rated overcast

Squalls & Sea Haze: None

Moon State: Full (The freaks come out)

RN Visibility/Radar: 4,000/12,000 yards

USN Visibility/Radar: 8,000/8,000 (FCR only) yards

KM Visibility/Radar: 8,000/8,000 yards

Allied Deployment

HMS Norfolk FF leads the convoy, and HMS Aurora trails the convoy. Close escorts consist of 4 A-I DDs in a division and 2 V&W conversions deployed within 4,000 yards of the convoy at the Convoy Commander’s (Norfolk) discretion.

The convoy consists of 4 columns (from west to east) of 6 MM each except for column 3 which has 7 MM.

The Big Spud (USS Idaho), USS Philadelphia and DesDiv 18 (USS Somers, Warrington, Davis & Jouett) is to the East of the convoy and centered on it.

The entire force is heading 240 degrees at 6 knots.

German deployment

Scharnhorst FF, Gneisenau & Admiral Hipper are in a column heading 310 degrees at 16 knots south east of the convoy at 20,000 yards on a crossing course.

 

2025-2034 hours: The unnamed USN Rear Admiral (an ugly American) sat on the bridge of the “Big Spud”, totally coffee out. It was dark but not so stormy night, and he wondered if the Germans would come out to play.

 

2035 hours: The masthead reported ships to port. The Admiral did not believe there were any friends in that direction and ordered an increase in speed and the waiting spotter a/c launched immediately. He also ordered DesDiv 18 to illuminate those ships with star shell.

 

2038 hours: The next masthead report said that the unidentified ships were also increasing speed and had apparently seen the Idaho and her consorts. Then DesDiv 18’s star shell illuminated what appeared to be 2 capital ships and a cruiser. Idaho fired at the leading capital ship (later identified as Scharnhorst) and hit her 4 times. The return fire hit her thrice (EDR halved the hits). Philadelphia fired rapidly at the cruiser and hit 5 times. The cruiser’s return fire hit Philly 6 times.

Idaho lost her forward PSSB and had her hull damaged twice that limited her to 17 knots as well as an EDR fire illuminated her. Philly suffered a magazine hit among many others that she failed to flood. Philly exploded and went down with all hands.

The German capital ship’s forward fire was cut in half, and she had an illuminating EDR fire. The German cruiser suffered fire in her FP facilities as well as an EDR fire and other damage to her upper works.

 

2041 hours: The Admiral ordered DesDiv 18 to attack the German column with torpedoes. Idaho’s second salvo hit the lead capital ship twice. The second capital ship fired back and missed as the German column turned to starboard. The lead capital ship took another fire in her FP facilities and further hull damage.

 

2044 hours: DesDiv 18 fired off all 8 mounts at 4,500 yards with 3 mounts each targeting the capital ships and 2 at the cruiser. None of the German ships managed to evade. 2 of the mounts aimed at the lead capital ship hit and actually exploded (making RAdm Blamey’s day). The 3 aimed at the second capital ship all hit and failed to explode. The 2 aimed at the cruiser also hit and failed to explode. We will never know exactly what other damage they caused as one detonated a forward magazine and Scharnhorst exploded in what the Americans would later call justice for Philly’s death.

Idaho switched targets to the second capital ship and totally whiffed as did the German in return. Meanwhile the cruiser was trying to withdraw under smoke.

 

2047 hours: Idaho hit the remaining capital ship once and the return fire from its rear turret (nothing like the back of a fleeing Kraut) missed. The capital ship lost its aft turret.

 

2050 hours: Idaho got in her last licks before the German could get out of sight and hit her 5 times. Her forward fire slackened, she slowed and then turned abruptly to port and continued to circle.

 

2053 hours with German circling to port the Big Spud hit her 6 more times. That silenced the German, and she sank lower and lower in the water as she circled the drain so to speak.

 

2056 hours: Idaho’s next salvo sank her.

 

Idaho had to put in repairs, but the Brit said that she could come back and play any time she wanted in future.

 

 

This was written totally from the perspective of an Ugly American and he has no idea how long it took Admiral Hipper to repair.

 

WMC

 

 

 

 

[simanton]

It looks like a fun game!

[W. Clark]

I'll go forever without a magazine detonation and then suddenly everyone explodes upon contact; weird. The idea per the scenario creator is that the Home Fleet's capital ships were all under some sort of repair and not available. Idaho and her consorts were in Iceland and therefor in position to take the Brit's place. The convoy was under British command (in HMS Norfolk) and the convoy commander placed Idaho and company to the east of the convoy where contact with German surface raiders was most likely to occur if at all. The set-up dies rolls for visibility favored the USN more than they did either the Brits or the Germans for that matter and the rest was luck. Especially rolling a pair 5s for torpedo resolution when the USN was hitting on 1-7 (at minimum range) and even results as well as a 3 would be duds. The Philly was a late change to the USN OOB by the scenario creator, and we were both concerned that she might unbalance the scenario. It turns out that ships who explode immediately do not unbalance the scenario in their side's favor at all. Philly shot warm and Hipper shot hot with an even better damage result. There is no accounting for dice. It was over in 7 turns, short and sharp.

 

WMC

[Mark Hinds]

Nice report.  I should do one of these, because despite my lack of progress lately, I do have a nice selection of Germans from years ago.  

[W. Clark]

Thanks, but I cannot take the credit here as the entire scenario is Jim O'Neil's creation. I tend to use the various DAS Campaigns to make up scenarios based on their OOBs and mission sorties and the credit should primarily go to the campaign authors such as Dave Franklin and Nathan Forney not to mention Lonnie and the other contributors to Sudden Storm. I'm just playing them out and reporting the results. If the scenarios seem good in retrospect that IMHO is to the credit of the authors. Between the three campaigns there is so much to pull from that to me it never gets old. They are all set pre-mid 1943 when the Axis IMHO still has the ability (at least tactically) to achieve victory and you do not have to artificially balance the scenario.

 

WMC