British 1916 Campain

Von der Tann

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I read the battle report with great interest, but I also noticed Saddletanks remark about the campaign being far too easy for the RN. I imagine this could be easily changed if submarines were able to harm cargo ships, but this might push the balance too far the other way.
 

saddletank

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I have no idea if my comment is correct, though given how the AI works it might be, but I suppose very few wargamers will want to sit over a years campaign and not have a good old bash with their big guns. Even in my campaign I am... bored, so I send out units on sweeps just to try and find something to relieve the tedium, so going against my own advice.
 

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MESSAGE TO ADMIRALTY...........

Regret to inform loss of HM AMC's Orcoma, Hilderbrand to U boat attack
HM AMC Moldavia damaged by U boat attack.

Regret to inform loss of HM TB346 to enemy surface units.
 

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Night Action Report

I sent the 1/9 and 2/9 DD flotilla's to the area around Emden to see if I coud bag some of the light forces, I got a fight alright, but I came off second best.
when the battle spawned I had FL's Undaunted and Lightfoot leading nine L class DD's, sailing paralell to each other, things got off baley for me with Laverock, and Lassoo both being torpedoed and pounded by gunfire, Lassoo's steering was destroyed, Laverock struggled. Both were doomed.
I ordered both groups to turn 180 degrees and rang up maxamum speed, both German cruiser's continued on course 270, that would put them squarley between my two groups, both continued to fire on Lassoo.
I targeted each cruiser with a single squadron, Hamburg was hit hard and burning, and Berlin was feeling the heat of my gun fire, both cruiser speed was dropping off, Linnet launched two torpedoes at Berlin, one of which hitt her on the starboard side aft damaging her propulsion, Llewellyn launced three more at Berlin, two hitting her in the already damaged stern and wrecking her propulsion completely, she was not going to survive.

Berlin managed to get a torpedoe in to Lysander dooming her as well, Linnet crossed Hamburgs path, with Hamburg doing 22 knots the collision tore open Linnets port side, and sent the bridge crew sprawling. The flooding could not be checked, she too would be joining her sisters at the bottom ofthe sea. On board Hamburg 14 men drowned as the flooding damage increased, and more shells hit her, soon her speed was down to 11 knots.

Then out of the darkenss the HSF emerged, albeit at 13 knots, I immediatley put on speed and headed away, still engaging Hamburg, Lightfoot who had earlier been torpedoed and had heavy steering damage was soon hit by 8cm shells, in a brave attempt to protect the rest of the squadron she turned towards the German line, soon she was being hit hard by 30cm shells, she sank soon after taking her captain and 40 thers with her.

This was a big disapointment to the british having lost 6 DD's and FL to two German CL's.
 

saddletank

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Night actions get the old adrenaline flowing don't they? I had an awesome clash last night between German II BS (pre-dreadnoughts) and Harwich Force. Talk about total mayhem! Great fun, but hard to manage and something of a lottery as to who will come out the winner as a random torpedo or two can change the whole battle.

It was curious that you sent a patrol out to find the German Bight patrols yet the HSF had come out on a sweep at the same time. I think the AI only sends out the German main force on proper missions, usually sending it to bombard and when it does Hipper leads it, so your meeting the HSF and not Hipper is something I've not encountered before.

Have you considered hitting Shift F7 to remove the control overlays so your screenshots are uncluttered? You need to hit Shift F7 again to regain control of your game!
 

bill44

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Hi mate,
I tend to favour night actions for the torp advantage they give you,also better for the light forces from a coverage perspective. The HSF, went on to bombard one of my central ports, don't know which one. I got advance warning.
Ill take up you're advice on the overlay, you are right will look much better.
 

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A quiet time, the GF sortied, as did a group of six AC's from Scarpa, nothing encountered.
Losses:
TB 342 hit a mine, then torpedoed, Despite searches of area, no survivors found
TB280 Dunkerque Guard Sqn, torpedoed 10 survivors rescued.
DD Ensign Roux, engaged by German DD, broke contact and blundered in to Helgoland Battery. Red Cross reports Germans rescued 10 suvivors, 2 later died of wounds.
 

bill44

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The war drags on, and the HSF does not come out.
Sortied GF to bombard Emden, BB's Malaya, Warspite, CL Blanche hit by shells from shore batteries.
TB's 269, 320 lost to enemy mines and shore batteries.
AMC's Arlanza mined, Alcantera Torpedoed, both able to make port for repairs.
 

bill44

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The Dover monitor Sqn had not had much work of late, so a plan was hatched to send the three squarons on a bombardment mission to Zeebrugge, it was thought that the port could be put out of actionand a night mission was deemed safer.
Jellicoe wasn't in favour of the idea, the monitors were too slow, and lacked an effective secondary battery, they were easy targets for torpedoe attack.

However the plan went ahead, 04:40 February 24th found them NNE of Zeebrugge, where they ran in to the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Flanders Torpedoboat Flotilla's.
TB A10 of the 1st division spotted the British, and signalled the others, the group reversed course and charged the British line led by Havelock at 20 knots.

Barley two minutes in to the battle TB A2 was struck by a 15 inch shell dooming her, this hit was followed by two more six inch and two two pounder hits.
TB A4 was the next to feel the wrath of the British line, being hit by 15 and 14 inch fire, TB A5's steering was destroyed by a six inch shell, another six inch shell destroyed her engines, hit by two 12 inch shells she sank eight minutes later, with all hands.
TB's A7 and A8 were hit by 14 inch and 15 inch shells, with the latter exploding in a fire ball , and dissapearing in less than a minute with no survivors. TB's A9 and A10 were like wise delt with.

As the 1st division was being blasted to pieces, the 2nd Division was charging to their aid at 20 knots. TB A11 was hit by three heavy shells destroying her propulsion and sending her to the bottom in six minutes. TB A12's magazine exploded under the weight of a 14 inch shell, the two suvivors fought grimly in the icy waters, however both succumbed to the cold.

Things were not all going the British way. Havelock was hit 15 minutes in to the action by a torpedoe, damaging her propulsion, and reducing her speed to 2 knots. Barley two minutes later another torpedoe hit her, she retired at this point and struggling to manouvre was hit by 30 5cm shells.
Eight minutes after the second torpedoe hit her flooding worsened and it became apparant that she could not be saved. The order to abandon ship was passed around and whilst still under fire from the TB's the crew went over the side.
TB's 13 to 20 were all sunk, but for the British the loss of Havelock was not the only dampener for the operation. General Craufurd and Marshall Ney were hit by friendly fire, the later's damage included a 12 inch shell that caused 23 casualties, both ships also suffered 5 cm hits, as did Marshall Soult.
The planned bombardment wa called off, picking up Havelock's survivors took two hours and it was now light and too much of a risk with the shore batteries alerted to the nights battle.
47 Germans were also rescued, three of whom died of their injuries on the way home.
The squadron headed home.
 
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bill44

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In all 16 TB's had been sunk, The 1st and 2nd Flanders TB flotilla's had been anhilated.
To this date 37 German cargo ships have been captured.
With the battle of Verdun underway, stopping the German cargo will be vital to the war effort.
 

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Hahah, that made me chuckle. Must have been a fun battle - the two most freakish units in the campaign go head to head.

When you wrote "30 5cm shells" I thought you'd left out a decimal point and meant "30.5cm shells" so I wondered who else had turned up to crash the party.

The monitors need some DD escorts. I got so fed up with them being placed at sea when I had them in Dover resting that I sent the whole lot to Portsmouth. Mine have never fired a shot nor turned a propeller in anger. For bombarding German ports down there (plus other duties) I brought 3rd BS south to the Nore.
 

saddletank

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I see that now, yes. The calibre of gun in a mid-war Pz III medium tank in WWII. Useful against 5000t monitors. Not.
 

bill44

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MESSAGE TO ADMIRALTY:
HMAMC ALCANTERA:
Torpedoed 168KM NE Aberdeen, Stbd damage, am able to steam.
Torpedoed second time, still able to steam.
Torpedoed again Port damage, speed restricted to 13 knots. am returning to base.
Torpedoed 4th time, ship will not founder.

Sighted CS, approached to investigate ship made 180 degree turn. unable to catch due to torpedoe damage.

Acasta to Admiralty:
Am in pusuit of suspected blockade runner.
CS Rockingham stopped, boarded, being escorted back to base.
 
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