OP Pedestal - Doncaster 2015

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

OP Pedestal – Doncaster 2015

A trail game for the new Air to Sea rules.

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The plan layout.
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Carl, Steve and Myra plan the Axis attacks
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SM79 torpedo planes, ME110, Macchi and a Stuka attack the convoy

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2nd Martlet takes off as CAP reinforcement.

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And attacks the Stuka

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Swordfish reinforcements as 2nd martlet loops round to enter the fray

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Late arrival by the Spitfires from Malta Command

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Lone Martlet takes on the torpedo bombers with support from HMS Foresight. A ME110 trails smoke crossing the tail of the convoy.

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The first of 2 aircraft shot down by HMS Foresight

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Santa Elisa is hit by a torpedo and is dead in the water. Sadly she was hit again and finished off by a deadly straffing run by a ME110.

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Rochester Castle suffers the same fate.

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Italian torpedo planes have the range now and another merchant is struck

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The plotters in the Lascaris War Room try to plot the battle as it unfolds.

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2 Italian torpedo planes on fire as the Malta boys close in

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Santa Elisa erupts in a cataclysmic explosion as her deck cargo ignites and the doomed ship blows up.

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Waimarama & Santa Elisa sink to the bottom of the Med.

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Empire Hope takes two torpedoes starboard side.


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The aftermath circles with crosses in show where planes where shot down. Grey German, Green Italian and Blue FAA.


The last attacks by the Italian torpedo bombers caused heavy damage on HMS Warspite. Warspite took 2 torpedoes and took maximum damage (2x18 C damage chits). The attack at last beaten off the remains of the convoy steamed into Grand Harbour.

Butchers Bill
Royal Navy:
HMS Victorious (1 plane shot down pilot recovered)
HMS Warspite (badly damaged)
HMS Manchester
HMS Birmingham
HMS Foresight (minor damage)
HMS Eskimo (minor damage)
HMS Bicester
HMS Ashanti
HMS Bramham
HMS Tartar
HMS Derwent
HMS Fury

Merchant Marine:
MV Clan Ferguson
MV Dorset (badly damaged)
MV Empire Hope (badly damaged/dead in the water engine damage took under tow)
MV Deucalion
MV Glenarchy
MV Rochester Castle (sunk)
MV Port Chalmers
MV Santa Elisa (sunk)
MV Wairangi (sunk)
SS Ohio (minor damage)
SS Almeria Lykes
MV Melbourne Star
MV Brisbane Star (sunk)
SS Waimarama (sunk)

Axis:
5 planes shot down.

SUMMARY
1. Rules seemed to work ok.
2. Should have put more CAP up but this was done on a dice roll 1-6 (rolled a 1).
3. CAP should be able to relocate for initial attacks up to 3 ruler lengths to simulate radar cover.
4. Add aricraft, torpedo and bomb respawn points for Axis aircraft.
5. Warspite was unlucky that Steve did pick 2 18 damage chits, 1 from each torpedo and took 3 of the 12 hull boxes out in one strike.
6. Merchants were vulnerable to fire, any special damage caused a fire (simulating fuel stored on open decks).
7. Engine hits on ships either stopped them dead in the water (merchants 1 hit) or slowed them down.
8 Due to massive fleet size only dead in the water was taken into consideration.
9. Rules to be finalised and typed up fully.
10. Will place in file section soon.

[Guntruck]

From a players point of view it all worked very well. Given the amount of flak that it was throwing up I was surprised to get anywhere near Warspite, let alone overfly it and survive!

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Casualties and losses



1 aircraft carrier sunk
2 light cruisers sunk
1 destroyer sunk
9 merchant ships sunk
1 aircraft carrier damaged
2 light cruisers damaged
3 merchant ships damaged
34 aircraft
550+ killed


Actual casualties from the convoy and attackers

2 submarines sunk
1 heavy cruiser damaged
1 light cruiser damaged
1 submarine damaged
60 aircraft (41 Italian and 19 German)
ca. 100 killed or missing

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Tomorrow I'm setting up a series of 1 ship games to see how the rules work in smaller actions.

My aim is not to have an ultra-realistic set of rules but an abstract set that captures the essence of air to ship combat that can be played out with minimal book keeping and above all that are fun to play. Bombing to be kept within the WGS rules with additions for AAA, Ship damage and torpedo attacks.

[Nightbomber]

Thanks very much for the summary, Neil.
It was an enjoyable scenario that can be a lesson of AA mg fire for those who think a heavy fighter may cut into a convoy like a hot knife through butter. I tried 3 times to take on Ohio the tanker damaging it, but all 3 trials were in vain. I think one small change to AA fire rules might be taken into account to make it even more challenging and give the attackers a chance to hit the ships. Flying the Bf 110 I had no reason to maneuver in order to escape the AA mg fire for I was about to be hit no matter where I fly. Why not treat the ships' defense fire as a regular RAP anti aircraft fire with a delay? Taking into account fast and low flying planes deflection shots were a routine. It would also force the attacking player to predict the danger zones and maneuver to omit them.
Just 2 cents of the Zerstoerer pilot;).

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Andy if you'd seen the first rules then the 4.7" would be every other turn but every turret firing. 20mm and quads on the warships were co-ordinated by fire control centres so I might make the merchants only fire alternate goes and no co-ordinated fire from merchant ships on a single attacking plane. Only co-ordinated fire from Naval ships. Also the amount of chits is vastly reduced from what it was. The only problem area I have is the hull factor for each type of ship and how many hull boxes for each type of ship.. But anyway the game gave me a few things to think about and what worked/didn't work. Plus the ammo limitations for ships. If no limit then attacking aircraft should not have a limit on ordnance carried hence the respawn points for torpedo and bombs to simulate many more attacking aircraft than models on the table.

Neil

[Nightbomber]

:) Thanks for the clarification Neil. I must run into the rules!

[Naharaht]

That sounds like it was an exciting, action packed game. Just one point; I doubt very much that the Royal Navy would put a battleship and an aircraft carrier in the middle of a convoy surrounded by merchant ships because they would have no room in which to manoeuvre. I realize that you did that to simplify the game.

[Tonx]

That sounds like it was an exciting, action packed game. Just one point; I doubt very much that the Royal Navy would put a battleship and an aircraft carrier in the middle of a convoy surrounded by merchant ships because they would have no room in which to manoeuvre. I realize that you did that to simplify the game.

True - merchant convoys to my knowledge operated on one basis whereas convoys involving capital ships operated on another. It was usually corvettes / frigates / destroyers posted to defending merchant shipping.

I could be wrong - large ships like the RMS Queen Mary were requisitioned and used as troop carriers and these required some pretty sizeable RN escort ships. In fact the Mary famously collided and cut through one of her escorts - name slips my mind at the mo but it will come to me :)

[Flying Helmut]

I have been mulling over a few possible options, Neil - when I have sorted them out I'll PM them to you.

[Dom S]

Spot on with regard to composition - the Pedestal convoy was unusual in terms of speed and escort composition, but even then the escort was split into a close escort of cruisers and destroyers, and a distant cover group centred on the BBs and CVs.

The whole lot together makes for a hell of a spectacle though.... :)

As for the big liners, they often went unescorted - unless there was an air threat they were safer alone, as their speed made them close to untouchable for u-boats, and after the Queen Mary / HMS Curacao collision it was decided escorts were more liability than asset.

[Naharaht]

The escort sunk by RMS Queen Mary off the Irish Coast on 2nd October 1942 was HMS Curacoa. She was under orders not to stop for anything. Her typical load was 15,000 troops and she was so fast that she often travelled without an escort. Her speed made interception by a U-boat difficult.

[Tonx]

HMS Curacoa - that's the one!

:thankyou: Dom and David :)

[Lt. S.Kafloc]

Unfortunately we could not free up two tables. I was quite aware of fleet compositions and the inclusion of the carrier and battleship were there to flesh out the fleet so to speak. Without those present and 3-4 merchants less it would have been more like the convoy after the covering force sailed back to Gib.

Time, table size and some other factors dictated how the game was set up and panned out.

Neil


That sounds like it was an exciting, action packed game. Just one point; I doubt very much that the Royal Navy would put a battleship and an aircraft carrier in the middle of a convoy surrounded by merchant ships because they would have no room in which to manoeuvre. I realize that you did that to simplify the game.