AAR - Skype Game - Norway May, 1940

[OldGuy59]

This was to be Dave's [clipper1801] first Skype game, but he was unable to participate. However, we did get Eric [7eat51], Sue [ling], from Bloomington, Il, and Neil [Skafloc] from Morpeth, England, on the video call. Rodney [Yenwing], in Stevens Point, Wisconson, joined us as a spectator, and Shane [SkyGuy001] stopped in to my place for a visit and help move planes on the table. Unfortunately, Shane got called away, so his participation turned out to be fairly short.

Where around the world we were situated:
169597

The set-up for the game:
The messy garage, the console table on the left, the gaming table on the right. Lost in the window glare over the table is the web cam, supported by the shelving and an extension cord reel.
169598

What players should see on Skype:
169599
Two Bf-109s and two Stukas in the bottom left corner, the HMS Glorious in the top right. A Hurricane and a Sea Gladiator on CAP, port side of Glorious, with a Hurricane forward, and a Sea Gladiator aft on ready launch.
Sue flew the Ju-87 Stuka, with a 500 kg bomb, at slow speed, escorted by Eric flying one of the Bf-109s. Neil flew the Hurricane and Sea Gladiator, as well as directing the AA fire. Respawning for the Germans would come from the bottom corner, RN planes would come from the deck of the Glorious, as long as it remained undamaged.

After loosing the first Stuka to concentrated AA fire, we respawned two Stukas at a time.

The rest of the AAR will have to wait until I can get the time to post the pictures, sorry.

[tikkifriend]

Sorry chaps but I was detained longer than even I expected last evening :cry: Bet you had a great time with the Glorious, she sure does look pretty Mike.

[7eat51]

You were missed, Paul.

We had a really fun time. Mike ran a great game. Neil flew his gladiator exceptionally well. Sue developed an interesting tactic for bombing the ship. Rodney learned about Skype play. The ship rules were very exciting, and we learned a lot about history as well as game mechanics and special rules. All in all, it was a very successful day.
Thank you again to all. Sue and I had a wonderful time, and thank you for your patience as we were learning. :hatsoff:

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

"OK chaps, let me say this one more time....DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO NOT SHOOT THE ENEMY BOMBERS DOWN WHEN THEY ARE OVER THE SHIP! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"YES, SIR".

"Good now concentrate as I explain the lessons learned.........the hard way"

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

The BBC News Today:

There are unsubstantiated rumours that HMS Glorious, en route to assist in the evacuation of Allied forces in Norway was sunk by enemy dive bombers. Escorting destroyers are also overdue but there was a report that two German battle cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, were both damaged in the ensuing engagement.

[7eat51]

"OK chaps, let me say this one more time....DO NOT, AND I REPEAT, DO NOT SHOOT THE ENEMY BOMBERS DOWN WHEN THEY ARE OVER THE SHIP! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"YES, SIR".

"Good now concentrate as I explain the lessons learned.........the hard way"

But that is Kamikaze Sue's secret tactic!!!

[tikkifriend]

You were missed, Paul.

We had a really fun time. Mike ran a great game. Neil flew his gladiator exceptionally well. Sue developed an interesting tactic for bombing the ship. Rodney learned about Skype play. The ship rules were very exciting, and we learned a lot about history as well as game mechanics and special rules. All in all, it was a very successful day.
Thank you again to all. Sue and I had a wonderful time, and thank you for your patience as we were learning. :hatsoff:

Spoke to Neil earlier today and was ticked off for not being available :( He said it was a cracking game which made me feel worse :cry: Stukas at waterline level sounds pretty dangerous .
looking forward to the next sortie.

[ling]

What a fun time and great learning experience.

It was my first time flying Stukas. My plans were to dive bomb down the length of the HMS Glorious. Reality showed that Stuka can DIVE...but too slow with a full load. Targeting the side of a ship in the water worked better than targeting deck, and fully loaded Stuka hitting the ship does extra damage.

Almost all the Stukas hit the deck. It was a suicide mission. The HMS Glorious AAs were deadly (thanks Neil).:surrender:

Mike also explained the fluid dynamics of explosion in water next to a ship, and the treachery of fire on board a ship. Thanks!!

[tikkifriend]

What a fun time and great learning experience.

It was my first time flying Stukas. My plans were to dive bomb down the length of the HMS Glorious. Reality showed that Stuka can DIVE...but too slow with a full load. Targeting the side of a ship in the water worked better than targeting deck, and fully loaded Stuka hitting the ship does extra damage.

Almost all the Stukas hit the deck. It was a suicide mission. The HMS Glorious AAs were deadly (thanks Neil).:surrender:

Mike also explained the fluid dynamics of explosion in water next to a ship, and the treachery of fire on board a ship. Thanks!!

So thats where the IJN got the idea for Kamakazi :)

[flash]

Sounds like a brutal engagement for all involved - look forward to seeing the full AAR :pint:

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Sounds like an epic encounter folks.
Just one niggling little question for Neil.
Has Hedeby been in contact with Sue?:cheezy:
Kyte.

[tikkifriend]

Are we flying this Friday July 3rd ?

[Dan-Sam]

Can I join this Friday if you will play?

[tikkifriend]

See no reason why not. have you got a skype name /address? Have sent you a contact request (paul johnson)

[Nightbomber]

I am going to try again as well:).

[Dan-Sam]

See no reason why not. have you got a skype name /address? Have sent you a contact request (paul johnson)

If I remeber well, it is beranek.dan :)

[tikkifriend]

Got your contact. You need to send it to Old Guy59 ( mike) as well

[tikkifriend]

Mike are you up to hosting another on Friday 3rd July same time as before?

[Marechallannes]

Nice introduction pictures. :)

I'm curious for the AAR.

[OldGuy59]

All,
Sorry for not getting this up, but social obligations are getting in the way of my hobby.

30th wedding annivesary over the weekend and Canada Day celebrations today with extended family.

Tomorrow, after cleaning up the mess. Promise!

And then, set-up for the next game on 3 July!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Well in that case Mike.


Rob.169812

[OldGuy59]

This is sad, I haven't even posted this AAR, but the clock is ticking.

Next invite for Skype gaming is up here: Skype Game Invitation - BoB or Norway 1940 (Redux) (http://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/showthread.php?22565-Skype-Game-Invitation-BoB-or-Norway-1940&p=356032&viewfull=1#post356032)

Thanks for the Birthday Shout, Rob!

[OldGuy59]

If I remeber well, it is beranek.dan :)

Skype contact request sent!

[tikkifriend]

Same mission or are we up for another? Oh and happy Canada Day Mike . Go easy on the Maple Syrup and pancakes

[OldGuy59]

Finally, Sue [ling] and Eric [7eat51] will have their foray into WWII Carrier Bombing told to the world. Sorry this is so late.

The HMS Glorious was successfully defended a few times in May/June of 1940, by Sea Gladiators no less. Historically, a Sea Gladiator shot down a Stuka, and no damage to the ship was incurred. Not so, in this scenario...

On to the carnage that was Norway 1940.

As per the set-up above, Sue flew a Stuka (slow speed only, with 500kg bombs) and Eric escorted her in from the bottom left. Neil used the Hurricane and Sea Gladiator on CAP to intercept. It was expected that Shane would pick up one of the fighters, and I'd run the AA, but Shane was late arriving, and was called away almost immediately.

170236
Not sure what Neil was doing with the Sea Gladiator, except offering it as a target to the Stuka, but the Hurricane took hits and caught fire from Eric's close-range shots.

170237
The first fire damage draw takes the Hurricane out of the sky.

170238
The Sea Gladiator and Stuka passed each other on an overlap, but the next move allowed the Sea Gladiator a shot at the Bf-109. The Stuka's tail blind spot prevented any shots on the Gladiator. You can barely see the AA indicators in this fuzzy shot, but there was AA fire on the closing Stuka (the four rear 4.7" guns - "C" damage each). Neil did some excellent shooting on the way in, and I didn't record it.

170239
The Ready Hurricane scrambles off the forward deck to engage the enemy, as the Stuka comes in for the drop. The last hit from the Gladiator smoked the Bf-109. The forward 4.7" AA guns are reloading in this image, and you can see the indicators a bit clearer this time.

170219
The Stuka closes in for the drop, straffing an AA gun on the port aft, but the aft octuple 2-pdr mount opens up on the Stuka. The cumulative AA fire destroyed it! The Gladiator gets another shot at the Bf-109, as the Hurricane closes in.

170220
I rolled a simulated altitude, and got a '2', so I did a momentum check, and the Stuka crashes into the waterline of the Glorious! It was a painful hit, with two special damages and two and a half hull hits (See the end of game damage sheet). We were using Neil's new modified ship damage rules based on Sails of Glory. Much faster, if more damaging. Lots easier than counting off 200+ damage points.

170221
Eric takes too much following fire from the Gladiator, and goes in! Surprise!

170222
Next time, we brought in two Stukas, as the AA fire was a bit intensive. So, two targets would hopefully spread out the love. Only one escorting Bf-109. Range rulers were indicating the heading for the webcam.

170223
The Stuka's close in and take a shot at the loitering Gladiator, and the Hurricane closes in on the Stukas. Eric is pacing his approach to stay with the Stukas.

170224
The following Stuka takes shots at the Gladiator, and the Hurricane gets a bead on the lead Stuka.

170225
This is an overhead view of Neil's nasty AA fire. He fired three guns at each Stuka, and got all three hits on both planes. The Hurricane smoked the Bf-109.

170226
The next turn of AA fire takes out the lead Stuka, and another simulated altitude roll is made. With a '4', and momentum, this Stuka hits the forward flight deck right in front of the elevator. Two special damages to the upper deck and a few more hull boxes checked off.

170227
The AA Fire and a little help from the Gladiator takes out the second Stuka! This shot shows the '6' maneuver card momentum check, and the plane misses the flight deck. No special damage, but some hull hits were taken from the bomb/plane explosion on the waterline. Gladiator victim #2!

170228
Two more Stukas come in, and this image shows the gladiator and lead Stuka taking collision damage. There may have been shots between the Bf-109 and the Hurricane, or they may have overrun each other on closing.

170229
The Gladiator gets a bullet sandwich from the lead Stuka's tail gunner, and the Bf-109. It should be feeling a bit put-upon, but Neil is not complaining.

170230
More extremely nasty AA fire on the Stukas and the Bf-109, and an Immelmann by the Gladiator allows it to return the favor to Eric.

170231
The Stukas split up on their approaches, and the Bf-109 has a Gladiator on his tail. Following fire, as well!

170232
Cumulative damage from AA fire and the Gladiator's following fire takes out Eric's Bf-109. More AA fire from the Octuple 2-pdrs chew up the lead Stuka, smoking it.

170233
The simulated altitude roll puts the smoking Stuka directly onto the center deck of the Glorious! No special damage, but lots of damage, nonetheless! This was about it for the Glorious, and the carrier was starting to list very badly.

170234
This last image was the damage sheet for the Glorious, showing the combined hits from the last Stuka to hit the center flight deck (the bomb and the plane amounted to 6 "B" damage chits). We also drew the damage from the final Stuka, as the Gladiator and the Hurricane were not in a position to prevent the drop. With a precision hit, it went through the center deck hole and exploded in the hangar deck. Four "B" damage chits and a special damage! The Glorious had no remaining hull boxes, and goes down.

Butcher's Bill:

Royal Navy:
HMS Glorious sunk, 3 Stukas shot down.
CAP Hurricane shot down.
CAP Sea Gladiator lightly damaged, Two Bf-109s and one Stuka shot down
Ready Hurricane lightly damaged

Luftwaffe:
Lead Bf-109 shot down, shot down CAP Hurricane
Second Bf-109 shot down.
Lead Stuka shot down, crew lost, first hit on Glorious, port waterline
Second Stuka shot down, crew lost, second hit on Glorious, forward flight deck
Third Stuka shot down, crew lost, third hit on Glorious, starboard waterline
Forth Stuka shot down, crew lost, fourth hit on Glorious, center flight deck
Fifth Stuka returned to base (potentially shot down by Gladiator and Hurricane, but not played out).

Aftermath:
The Glorious was lost with all hands, and potentially with the loss of the Sea Gladiator and the Hurricane that attempted to defend it. The Germans won the scenario, but it was costly.

Sue was not happy with the amount of AA fire attempting to take out the Glorious. Altitude may have saved some of the damage, but the crash hits may not have been as damaging. Neil has a different method for smaller scale ship AA fire, and we may use it next time to try it out. He was very deadly, however the slow speed of the Stukas made predicting the next position too predictable. More CAP planes? Less AA? The Glorious didn't survive this attack, but in history, the Glorious wasn't attacked in this sustained an effort.

All in all, the game lasted five hours, and there were a few technical glitches that delayed the game. We persevered to Glorious' dismay. Many thanks to the participants, and to Neil for the new ship damage rules, and last but not least to Dave [clipper1801]!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Superb game Mike.
The photo commentary are first class as is the scenario idea.
Neils AA fire was extraordinary. He must have borrowed some of my Malta gunners.
I am very interested to see Neil's quick ship rules in action, and will be quizzing him on their use later.
Thanks for all your effort in putting on this game.
Rob.

[Stumptonian]

All I can say is WOW! *
:thumbsup:


* pun intended
;)

[Flying Helmut]

Very well done on putting all that effort into bringing the game together, and great AAR to boot!

[OldGuy59]

What a fun time and great learning experience.

It was my first time flying Stukas. My plans were to dive bomb down the length of the HMS Glorious. Reality showed that Stuka can DIVE...but too slow with a full load. Targeting the side of a ship in the water worked better than targeting deck, and fully loaded Stuka hitting the ship does extra damage.

Almost all the Stukas hit the deck. It was a suicide mission. The HMS Glorious AAs were deadly (thanks Neil).:surrender:

Mike also explained the fluid dynamics of explosion in water next to a ship, and the treachery of fire on board a ship. Thanks!!
Sue,
I can't find the naval warfare training film I saw many years ago online. But I found something close.

This shows some of the reverberation and attraction of explosions in water: Underwater Explosion Phenomena (http://video.mit.edu/watch/underwater-explosion-phenomena-2626/)

The bigger the explosion, the more oscillation and damage.

PS: Also found a link to the USS Forrestal disaster at sea: Trial by Fire: A Carrier Fights for Life (https://archive.org/details/gov.ntis.ava19833vnb1)
This was the training film used by the Canadian Navy, at least in 1978, to motivate sailors to learn their firefighting lessons. It motivated me!

[tikkifriend]

Thanks for the link Mike Just watched it . How the hell they never lost the ship is a miracle , As they say at the end "Learn or burn"