In our next game, we used the Cruel Seas rules. This time, the Kriegsmarine was assigned to clear the minefields the Royal Navy had laid overnight, which had blocked the harbour entrance.
UMPIRING: Tim Chant
1. Forces.
8
2. The Game.
A port located in occupied Europe. During the night, the Royal Navy successfully laid three of the four designated minefields. The Kriegsmarine had two boat groups stationed in the port: one, which I commanded, consisted of minesweepers, while the other, commanded by Alasdair, included torpedo boats for cover. Additionally, another group of boats, led by Jimmy, was set to be deployed. In the port's roadstead, a group of British boats under Gordon's command was stationed. Two support groups were moving toward the port: one, consisting of Vosper boats, was under Ben's command, while the stronger group, composed of Fairmile boats, was under Tim's command.
It all started with a minor disturbance in the harbour. With a minesweeper commanded by a less experienced crew in the lead, I decided to shift the positions of both boats. However, this manoeuvre made it difficult for Alasdair's boats to leave the harbour. Due to my unclear instructions, he was only able to get two of his three boats out while the third was blocked by my vessels. Alasdair's manoeuvre, however, successfully drove away Gordon's boats, which had sought cover behind the incoming Royal Navy reinforcements. Jimmy's vessels then moved to confront them, but without support amid the chaos in the harbour, they had to face the advancing British boats alone. Isolated and outnumbered, he began the fight bravely, though ultimately ineffectively.
Jimmy bravely fought against the overwhelming force of British guns and machine guns, but his efforts were largely ineffective as they began to decimate his units. Soon, the first of his boats was destroyed, and the subsequent vessels suffered significant damage from British shellfire.
After consulting with me, Jimmy decided to ram the enemy ships, which led to chaos in Gordon's squadron. Two of his boats collided and sank as a result of this manoeuvre. Unfortunately, this tactic also cost Jimmy his last remaining ships.
It was only after this that Alasdair left port, and I took my minesweepers to the first minefield. I successfully cleared the area, but due to time constraints, the game had to come to an end. The Germans managed to create one safe route into port for the incoming convoy, destroying two British boats in the process, but at the cost of three torpedo boats. This resulted in a poor exchange for them and limited success overall. The game will, of course, continue in the future.
3. Links.
SESWC:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720331791473/
