Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 47

Initial Deployment: A single German destroyer attempts to conquer this undefended sector.  British aircraft attempt to stop it.

German Forces
Z-19 (DD)
BV138 (Patrol Bomber)
BF109 (Fighter)
Me155 (Fighter) 

British Forces
Halifax GR Mk.V (Patrol Bomber)
Hurricane IIC (Fighter)
2 x Swordfish Mk.I (Torpedo Bomber)
SB2U Chesapeake (Dive Bomber)

Despite brave fighter cover, the destroyer is sunk on Turn 3.

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 58

Initial Deployment: A small German force attempts to conquer this undefended sector.  British aircraft attempt to stop them.

German Forces
Nűrnberg (CL)
Z-32 (DD)
BV138 (Patrol Bomber)
BF109 (Fighter)

British Forces
Halifax GR Mk.V (Patrol Bomber)
Hurricane IIC (Fighter)
2 x Swordfish Mk.I (Torpedo Bomber)
Hurricane IB (Fighter)

The British air manage to sink the destroyer and cripple the cruiser on Turn 3 and easily finish off the cruiser on Turn 5.

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 68

Initial Deployment: A small German force attempts to conquer this undefended sector.  British aircraft attempt to stop them.

German Forces
Nűrnberg (CL)
Z-21 (DD)
BV138 (Patrol Bomber)
BF109 (Fighter)

British Forces
3 x Halifax GR Mk.V (Patrol Bomber)
2 x Hurricane IIC (Fighter)
The British air attacks are plagued by missed search rolls and hampered by the inability of the Halifaxes to target the destroyer.  The cruiser is sunk by the patrol bombers on Turn 5, but the destroyer is able to escape, undamaged.

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 77

Initial Deployment: A small German force attempts to conquer this undefended sector.  British aircraft attempt to stop them.

German Forces
Nűrnberg (CL)
Z-25 (DD)
BV138 (Patrol Bomber)
BF109 (Fighter)
Me155 (Fighter) 

British Forces
3 x Halifax GR Mk.V (Patrol Bomber)
2 x Hurricane IIC (Fighter)

The British air attacks come in relentlessly, all but ignoring the presence of the German fighter cover.  One flight of Halifaxes is splashed by fighters but on turn 3 the destroyer is sunk, followed 2 turns later by the cruiser.

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 90

Initial Deployment:  A British destroyer squadron, supported by a submarine and fighter cover attempts to conquer this undefended sector.  The Germans send a group of Patrol Bombers to try to stop them.

British Forces
HMS Lively (DD)
HMS Mohawk (DD)
HMS Gurkha (DD)
HMS Triton (Sub)
2 x Spitfire 1A (Fighter)

German Forces
3 x He111 (Patrol Bomber)
FW200A (Patrol Bomber)
Ju88A-4 (Patrol Bomber)

The German command is cagey, drawing out the British fighter cover to limit their effectiveness.  Between failing long distance search rolls and avoiding the fighters, the German bombers struggle.  On turn 5 they manage to sink the HMS Lively, whose AA was causing problems.  Finally, on turn 8 they managed to sink the HMS Mohawk with bombs and the HMS Gurkha with a torpedo.  With no units left to conquer the sector, the HMS Triton retreats.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 27

Initial Deployment: A large Japanese fleet invades Sector 27, defended by a British Carrier fleet.

Turn 1: With time still until dawn, the British patrol bombers lay mines and the Japanese patrol bombers attempt to hunt the British submarine.

Turn 2: Still pre-dawn again, only the patrol bombers strike.  The Emily succeeds in crippling the HMS Triton while the Sunderlands succeed in destroying the Suzukaze with a vital hit and damaging the Chitose.

Turn 3:  With the sun now up, both sides launch massive air strikes, mostly centered over the converging destroyer forces.  The British air sinks the Makigumo and cripples the other two Japanese destroyers, though they lose a Sunderland flight to the defending Zekes.  A Japanese sea plane detachment succeeds in finishing off the HMS Triton.  The combined gunnery and torpedoes from both sides finishes off the five destroyers.

Turn 4:  As the heavier Japanese forces close, the British attempt again to stop them with air strikes and succeed in hitting the Japanese cruiser at the cost of another flight of Sunderlands.

Turn 5:The British attempt one more last gasp air strike, but it is completely ineffective.

Conclusion: Facing imminent destruction from the onrushing Japanese fleet, the remaining British forces retreat.  The Japanese conquer the valuable sector at the cost of just 4 destroyers and manage to knock out 3 enemy destroyers, a submarine, and 2 patrol bomber flights.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Turn 2 Battle Report - Sector 46

Initial Deployment: A large German battle fleet enters the sector, only to find the British forces reinforced with another Battleship to support the powerful N3 battleship, HMS St. George.

Turn 1:Both sides launch heavy air strikes.  German fighters knock down a flight of Halifaxes and the German bombers cripple the HMS Carlisle.  The British airborne ASW sinks the U-106.

Turn 2:With most of the aircraft rearming, the air strikes are reduced and only result in aircraft casualties.  The German Me155s shoot down a flight of Sunderlands only to be shot down themselves by the escorting Martlets.  The HMS Tynedale lays smoke, but this doesn't prevent fire from the Z-28 from crippling it.  The Z-19 lays smoke of its own.  The Type IX u-boat manages to get a torpedo into the side of the HMS Anson.

Turn 3: The rearmed British air fills the skies as the German destroyer squadron charges into the HMS St. George.  One of the defending German fighter squadrons is shot down by Martlets but the fighters defending the U-boat do better and manage to shoot down a squadron of Albacores.  Bombs from Hurricane IICs blow up the Z-28.  The remaining destroyers combine their gunnery to sink the HMS Lance and manage to get a torpedo hit on the HMS St. George.  Long range gunnery from the Admiral Hipper even manages to hit the HMS Jamaica.  The combined gunnery of the St. George and Kent easily finishes off the brave German destroyers.

Turn 4: With the German air rearmed, the British brace for the worst.  A defending Martlet manages to down a squadron of Stukas, but the German air strikes are, overall, quite effective, crippling both the HMS Gurkha and HMS Mohawk and crippling the HMS Jamaica.  The British air, combines to hit one of the Peter Strasser's twice and a Sunderland cripples the Type IX u-boat.  The German surface gunnery is effective, with the Anson hit, the Kent crippled, and the Jamaica sunk.  The British return fire is even more devastating, hitting the Tirpitz and Nuernberg and sinking the u-baot, the Z-20, and the Admiral Hipper.

Turn 5:  Retreating as much as they can before the two powerful British battleships, the Germans brace for the worst.  The Nuernberg charges forward, sacrificing itself to save the carriers.  The British air strikes are heavy and the German fighters rush to stop them.  Flak from the Nuernberg splashes a squadron of Albacores, but bombs from the Hurricane IIC cripple the cruiser.  Martlets knock down another squadron of German fighters, allowing the Halifaxes go get through and land a bomb hit on the Graf Zeppelin.  The smaller German air strike manages to sink the HMS Kent.  The German fire is mostly ineffective, not damaging the British battleships at all and only succeeding in sinking the HMS Gurkha.  The guns from the St. George blow up the Tirpitz and the remaining British gunnery sink the damaged Peter Strasser, sink the Nuernberg, and damage the Graf Zeppelin again.
Conclusion:With most of their fleet beneath the waves, the Germans retreat, having lost 4 squadrons of aircraft along with a battleship, 2 cruisers, a carrier, 2 submarines, and 4 destroyers.  The British held the valuable sector, losing only 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, and 4 squadrons of aircraft.