Sector 25, Fall 1941
British Forces:
Prince of Wales
Javelin
Land-Based (1 turn re-arming)
Spitfire Mk.IA (x2)
Swordfish Mk.II
Blackburn Skua
Land-based (4 turn re-arming)
Sunderland Mk.I (x2)
German Forces:
Bismarck (1 dmg)
Gneisenau
Köln
Graf Spee (x2)
Z18 Hans Ludemann (x2)
Z20 Karl Galster (x2)
The weather is fine with two islands on the map (G3 and I5). Three 25-point objectives were placed in the standard locations (F1, F4, and F7).
START: The Prince of Wales starts in A4 and the Javelin below it in A6. The Bismarck and Gneisenau start together in K3, with the two Graf Spees and a Galster below in K4. The Köln, a Galster and a Ludemann are below them in K5. The last Ludemann starts alone in K2.
Turn 1: The British win initiative. The German Battleships move to I3, the heavy cruisers formation to I4, the Köln’s formation to I6 and the lone Ludemann to J4 The Prince of Wales floats ahead to B5 while the Javlin rushes ahead to C5. The British air attacks with the Swordfish, Skua and both Spitfires attacking the heavy cruiser formation and the Sunderlands flying to H5 and H6. The Air attack is unsuccessful, with the German flak killing the Swordfish and aborting the Skua while the surviving Spitfires miss with their strafing attacks against the Destroyer. The Sunderlands, safe from flak, lay mine between the islands. During the surface fire step, the Javelin lays smoke.
Turn 2: The British again win initiative. With the center blocked by the islands and minefield, the Battleships move to H2, the Heavy Cruisers to H3 and the Ludeman to I2. Not wanted to get too far ahead of the heavier guns, the Köln’s formation stays in place. The Prince of Wales moves to B6. The Prince of Wales moves down to B6 while the Javelin moves to B5. The Sunderlands go after the lone Ludemann and each get a hit, sinking it. The Javelin produces another smoke screen.
Turn 3: Losing initiative again, the German advance around the terrain, the Battleships moving to F3, the Heavy Cruiser formation to F2, and the Köln’s formation to H6. The British remain cagey, the Prince of Wales moving to D6 and the Javelin to C5. The Sunderlands, the Skua, and a Spitfire converge on the Heavy Cruiser formation. The German flak is completely ineffective, allowing a Sunderland to get a hit on a Graf Spee and the Spitfire to cripple the Galster with its strafing attack. Finally in gunnery range, the Gneisenau opens up, but misses. The British battleship misses in return. Preparing for next turn, the Javelin produces another smoke screen.
Turn 4: The British again win initiative. The German Battleships advance to E3, the Heavy Cruisers to F4, the Köln’s formation to G4 and the crippled Galster to F3. Both British ships move to C6. The Sunderlands again go after the Heavy Cruisers while the Spitfire makes a strafing attack on the crippled destroyer. Of the three planes, only one Sunderland makes it through the flak without having its attack aborted, but does successfully hit the undamaged Graf Spee, removing the range 4 capability from that ship as well. With the Graf Spees now unable to hit it in return, the Prince of Wales gets a free shot on one of the Graf Spees, but misses. The Javelin, fulfilling its usual role, lays more smoke. The Graf Spees, while damaged, are able to capture the objective at F4.
Turn 5: The Germans win initiative, forcing the British to commit first. The Prince of Wales moves to A5 and the Javelin to B5. The German battleships move to C4, the Heavy Cruisers to D4, the Köln’s formation to E4 and the crippled Galster to E3. The Sunderlands and the Skua go after the Heavy Cruisers again while the Spitfire remains at base. The German flak is completely ineffective, allowing a Sunderland and the Skua to each hit one of the German heavy cruisers, leaving both Graf Spees crippled. The Prince of Wales hits the Gneisenau with its main guns and then the Javelin pops a smoke screen before the German ships can return fire. The Bismarck, frustrated at being unable to hit the British battleship, fires all of its guns at the Javelin. Despite the smoke, the destroyer goes down.
Turn 6: The British win initiative, allowing the Prince of Wales to pick out its escape route. The German battleships move to A5 and the crippled Graf Spees move into the smoke at B5. The Köln’s formation moves to C4 and the crippled Galster moves to A7. The Sunderlands again go after the Graf Spees and both Spitfires go after the crippled destroyer. The German flak is ineffective, but the smoke saves both Graf Spees from destruction from Sunderland bombing runs. The two Spitfires are able to make short work of the crippled Karl Galster. The Bismarck manages to get a hit on the Prince of Wales, but the British return fire, hampered by a jammed mount, fails to have any effect on the Gneisenau.
Turn 7: Again losing initiative, the Germans chase the British Battleship. The German battleships moves to B7, the crippled heavy cruisers move to C6 and the Köln’s formation moves to C6. The Sunderlands and Skuas go after the heavy cruisers again. The despite flak from the cruisers aborts one of the Sunderlands, but the bomb attacks from the remaining two aircraft hit and sink the two Graf Spees. The three battleships exchange fire, both German ships hitting the Prince of Wales and the British ship’s return fire hitting the Gneisenau. Additionally, the British secondaries and tertiaries hit and crippled both remaining German destroyers.
Turn 8: The Germans win initiative, limiting the British options. With three hits, and unlikely to avoid short range shots from the Battleships, let alone torpedo attacks from the smaller vessels, the Prince of Wales retreats. With the victory pretty well in hand, but wary for the remaining British air threat, the Germans head back to their side of the map. The Gneisenau and Köln move to D6 while the Bismarck connects with the crippled Destroyers in D7, planning to use its numerous flak guns to help defend the smaller ships. The Sunderlands go after the Gneisenau and Köln while the Spitfires go after the crippled destroyers. No longer distracted by the British battleship, the German flak is deadly. The Köln’s guns knock down a Sunderland while the Bismarck’s kill a Spitfire. The remaining Sunderland hits the Köln and the other Spitfire has its attack aborted by the destroyers’ flak.
Turn 9: Initiative no longer matters. The Gneisenau’s formation moves to F6 while the slower Bismarck formation moves to E6. The Sunderland and Skua go after the Köln but are both aborted by flak.
Turn 10: The Gneisenau and Köln move to H6 while the Bismarck’s formation moves to F6. No British air attacks.
Turn 11: The Gneisenau’s formation moves to I6 while the Bismarck’s moves to capture the objective in F7, to remove any doubt from their victory. All three British planes attack the Köln, but the German flak is again devastating. The Sunderland goes down to the Gneisenau’s guns and the Skua is aborted by the cruiser’s. The Spitfire’s strafing attack fails to damage the cruiser. Unable to be attacked again, the Germans safely regroup off the map. With their airfield now captured, the Spitfire and Skua attempt to make it to the nearest base, but the Skua runs out of fuel and drops into the ocean.
Surviving British Forces:
Prince of Wales (2 damage)
Spitfire Mk.IA
Surviving German Forces:
Bismarck
Gneisenau (1 damage)
Köln
Z20 Karl Galster (crippled)
Z18 Hans Ludemann (crippled)
AFTER ACTION (UK): While heavily outnumbered, I was able to use terrain and air superiority to my advantage and cause significant damage to the German fleet. It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to damage his Battleships more, but cut off and surrounded, with only a light cruiser in support, I should be able to finish them off in the Spring.
AFTER ACTION (GER): This was not the battle I expected. I took much heavier losses than anticipated. I now have two heavy units cut off and in need of support. Luckily I invested heavily in long range air and improved local air defense in my previous build phase. I hope to get enough air power into the area to protect Bismarck and Gneisenau. This next turn will yield many more battles than Fall of '41.
British Forces:
Prince of Wales
Javelin
Land-Based (1 turn re-arming)
Spitfire Mk.IA (x2)
Swordfish Mk.II
Blackburn Skua
Land-based (4 turn re-arming)
Sunderland Mk.I (x2)
German Forces:
Bismarck (1 dmg)
Gneisenau
Köln
Graf Spee (x2)
Z18 Hans Ludemann (x2)
Z20 Karl Galster (x2)
The weather is fine with two islands on the map (G3 and I5). Three 25-point objectives were placed in the standard locations (F1, F4, and F7).
START: The Prince of Wales starts in A4 and the Javelin below it in A6. The Bismarck and Gneisenau start together in K3, with the two Graf Spees and a Galster below in K4. The Köln, a Galster and a Ludemann are below them in K5. The last Ludemann starts alone in K2.
Turn 1: The British win initiative. The German Battleships move to I3, the heavy cruisers formation to I4, the Köln’s formation to I6 and the lone Ludemann to J4 The Prince of Wales floats ahead to B5 while the Javlin rushes ahead to C5. The British air attacks with the Swordfish, Skua and both Spitfires attacking the heavy cruiser formation and the Sunderlands flying to H5 and H6. The Air attack is unsuccessful, with the German flak killing the Swordfish and aborting the Skua while the surviving Spitfires miss with their strafing attacks against the Destroyer. The Sunderlands, safe from flak, lay mine between the islands. During the surface fire step, the Javelin lays smoke.
Turn 2: The British again win initiative. With the center blocked by the islands and minefield, the Battleships move to H2, the Heavy Cruisers to H3 and the Ludeman to I2. Not wanted to get too far ahead of the heavier guns, the Köln’s formation stays in place. The Prince of Wales moves to B6. The Prince of Wales moves down to B6 while the Javelin moves to B5. The Sunderlands go after the lone Ludemann and each get a hit, sinking it. The Javelin produces another smoke screen.
Turn 3: Losing initiative again, the German advance around the terrain, the Battleships moving to F3, the Heavy Cruiser formation to F2, and the Köln’s formation to H6. The British remain cagey, the Prince of Wales moving to D6 and the Javelin to C5. The Sunderlands, the Skua, and a Spitfire converge on the Heavy Cruiser formation. The German flak is completely ineffective, allowing a Sunderland to get a hit on a Graf Spee and the Spitfire to cripple the Galster with its strafing attack. Finally in gunnery range, the Gneisenau opens up, but misses. The British battleship misses in return. Preparing for next turn, the Javelin produces another smoke screen.
Turn 4: The British again win initiative. The German Battleships advance to E3, the Heavy Cruisers to F4, the Köln’s formation to G4 and the crippled Galster to F3. Both British ships move to C6. The Sunderlands again go after the Heavy Cruisers while the Spitfire makes a strafing attack on the crippled destroyer. Of the three planes, only one Sunderland makes it through the flak without having its attack aborted, but does successfully hit the undamaged Graf Spee, removing the range 4 capability from that ship as well. With the Graf Spees now unable to hit it in return, the Prince of Wales gets a free shot on one of the Graf Spees, but misses. The Javelin, fulfilling its usual role, lays more smoke. The Graf Spees, while damaged, are able to capture the objective at F4.
Turn 5: The Germans win initiative, forcing the British to commit first. The Prince of Wales moves to A5 and the Javelin to B5. The German battleships move to C4, the Heavy Cruisers to D4, the Köln’s formation to E4 and the crippled Galster to E3. The Sunderlands and the Skua go after the Heavy Cruisers again while the Spitfire remains at base. The German flak is completely ineffective, allowing a Sunderland and the Skua to each hit one of the German heavy cruisers, leaving both Graf Spees crippled. The Prince of Wales hits the Gneisenau with its main guns and then the Javelin pops a smoke screen before the German ships can return fire. The Bismarck, frustrated at being unable to hit the British battleship, fires all of its guns at the Javelin. Despite the smoke, the destroyer goes down.
Turn 6: The British win initiative, allowing the Prince of Wales to pick out its escape route. The German battleships move to A5 and the crippled Graf Spees move into the smoke at B5. The Köln’s formation moves to C4 and the crippled Galster moves to A7. The Sunderlands again go after the Graf Spees and both Spitfires go after the crippled destroyer. The German flak is ineffective, but the smoke saves both Graf Spees from destruction from Sunderland bombing runs. The two Spitfires are able to make short work of the crippled Karl Galster. The Bismarck manages to get a hit on the Prince of Wales, but the British return fire, hampered by a jammed mount, fails to have any effect on the Gneisenau.
Turn 7: Again losing initiative, the Germans chase the British Battleship. The German battleships moves to B7, the crippled heavy cruisers move to C6 and the Köln’s formation moves to C6. The Sunderlands and Skuas go after the heavy cruisers again. The despite flak from the cruisers aborts one of the Sunderlands, but the bomb attacks from the remaining two aircraft hit and sink the two Graf Spees. The three battleships exchange fire, both German ships hitting the Prince of Wales and the British ship’s return fire hitting the Gneisenau. Additionally, the British secondaries and tertiaries hit and crippled both remaining German destroyers.
Turn 8: The Germans win initiative, limiting the British options. With three hits, and unlikely to avoid short range shots from the Battleships, let alone torpedo attacks from the smaller vessels, the Prince of Wales retreats. With the victory pretty well in hand, but wary for the remaining British air threat, the Germans head back to their side of the map. The Gneisenau and Köln move to D6 while the Bismarck connects with the crippled Destroyers in D7, planning to use its numerous flak guns to help defend the smaller ships. The Sunderlands go after the Gneisenau and Köln while the Spitfires go after the crippled destroyers. No longer distracted by the British battleship, the German flak is deadly. The Köln’s guns knock down a Sunderland while the Bismarck’s kill a Spitfire. The remaining Sunderland hits the Köln and the other Spitfire has its attack aborted by the destroyers’ flak.
Turn 9: Initiative no longer matters. The Gneisenau’s formation moves to F6 while the slower Bismarck formation moves to E6. The Sunderland and Skua go after the Köln but are both aborted by flak.
Turn 10: The Gneisenau and Köln move to H6 while the Bismarck’s formation moves to F6. No British air attacks.
Turn 11: The Gneisenau’s formation moves to I6 while the Bismarck’s moves to capture the objective in F7, to remove any doubt from their victory. All three British planes attack the Köln, but the German flak is again devastating. The Sunderland goes down to the Gneisenau’s guns and the Skua is aborted by the cruiser’s. The Spitfire’s strafing attack fails to damage the cruiser. Unable to be attacked again, the Germans safely regroup off the map. With their airfield now captured, the Spitfire and Skua attempt to make it to the nearest base, but the Skua runs out of fuel and drops into the ocean.
Surviving British Forces:
Prince of Wales (2 damage)
Spitfire Mk.IA
Surviving German Forces:
Bismarck
Gneisenau (1 damage)
Köln
Z20 Karl Galster (crippled)
Z18 Hans Ludemann (crippled)
AFTER ACTION (UK): While heavily outnumbered, I was able to use terrain and air superiority to my advantage and cause significant damage to the German fleet. It’s unfortunate that I wasn’t able to damage his Battleships more, but cut off and surrounded, with only a light cruiser in support, I should be able to finish them off in the Spring.
AFTER ACTION (GER): This was not the battle I expected. I took much heavier losses than anticipated. I now have two heavy units cut off and in need of support. Luckily I invested heavily in long range air and improved local air defense in my previous build phase. I hope to get enough air power into the area to protect Bismarck and Gneisenau. This next turn will yield many more battles than Fall of '41.
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