Miniature Wargames

WWI Naval Battle – Fehmarn Belt, July 1914

In June 1914, units of the British fleet were in the Baltic Sea. A division of the 2nd Battle Squadron (four King George V class dreadnoughts) commanded by Vice Admiral Sir George Warrender and three light cruisers were in Kiel, Germany between June 23rd and June 30th. The 1st Battlecruiser Squadron commanded by Rear Admiral Sir David Beatty visited Riga, Revel and Kronstadt, and was in Kronstadt on the 28th when the assassination of Austrian Archduke Ferdinand occurred.

This hypothetical engagement assumes (1) that the Austrian government promptly responded to the assassination with a declaration of war on Serbia, (2) that a state of war existed between Britain and Germany on July 1st, and (3) that the Germans sortied their available ships to intercept the British squadrons before they could exit the Baltic.

The composition of the German force is extrapolated from the ships mentioned in von Hase’s description of the Kiel visit. British light cruisers are assumed to have also accompanied the 1st BCS.

After leaving Kiel, Warrender cruises in the Fehmarn Belt waiting for Beatty to arrive from the east. The 1st BCS leaves Kronstadt on the 29th in order to reach the Fehmarn Belt on July 1st. Beatty is still a Rear Admiral at this point and Warrender will be in overall command when the two forces join.

References:

George M. Nekrasov, “Expendable Glory: Russian Battleship in the Baltic, 1915-1917” [for the presence of the 1st BCS at Kronstadt on July 28th]

Commander Georg von Hase, “Kiel & Jutland” [for details of the Kiel visit and the ships present]

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 16,000 yards. Wind northwesterly at 14 knots. Seastate 2.

Status at the end of the game: Final status belt3

Damage output file: Belt3 output

Plot: belt3-plot

The two British forces have not yet joined when the first German ships are spotted.

The German fleet revealed. Only one dreadnought.

Vice Admiral Warrender reverses course to the east to aid the battlecruisers.

Lion and several German pre-dreadnoughts take damage.

Two British light cruisers are lost and the Lion limps away covered by the British dreadnoughts.

Just as it seems British will get away without major loss, the Audacious is blown up. A German pre-dreadnought sinks, having survived more than her ‘fünf minuten’. A German torpedo boat half-flotilla is destroyed before it can launch torpedoes.

The British head for the Langeland Belt.

The Germans are damaged enough that they are glad to see the British go.

WWI Naval Battle – North Sea December 1916

In this hypothetical engagement, the newest units of the Grand Fleet and High Seas Fleet duel in the North Sea.

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility 20,000 yards. Wind northeasterly at 14 knots. Seastate 3.

Status at the end of the game: NS16L final summary

Damage output file: NS16L output

Plot: NS16L plot

The view looking SE. Light cruiser screens have just spotted each other at 20,000 yards.

View looking N. The British have deployed to the south and then turned east. The Germans have sailed north and then west.

The dreadnought divisions spiral closer. British light forces are staying out of range of the deadly 15cm guns on the German dreadnoughts.

The British light cruisers stage a suicidal attack to cover the torpedo attack of the destroyers. The destroyers have turned away after they launched.

The game was ended at this point due to time. A few additional turns were played on the computer. The German dreadnoughts avoided the torpedo attack, although two light cruisers were hit.

Extended output file: NS16L extended

Rapid Fire Photos

This weekend the local HMGS-South group played a Rapid Fire scenario based on Soviet efforts to retake the Baltic States in the Fall of 1944.

Before deploying the Russian forces, the players plan their attack. The main objective is the fortified artillery position at the end of the table. Cutting the road to the right is a secondary objective.

The Russians advance across the rail line.

Russian troops attack through the woods.

The gully provides temporary cover in the advance.

The first defense line (StuGs and infantry) is taken.

A lone Sherman reaches the main defense position.

The main objective is never threatened by the Russian attack.

The Russian attacks got near the secondary objective, but German reinforcements were positioned to stop them when we ended the game. A difficult but fun scenario, with lots of tactical choices for the players.

WWI Naval Battle – Gulf of Finland May 1915

In this hypothetical engagement, the Germans send a portion of the High Seas Fleet into the Gulf of Finland in an attempt to engage and destroy the Russian Baltic Fleet.

Scale: 1/6000 miniatures, 500 yards/in ground scale.

Rules: Computer code in development.

Visibility was 18,000 yards. Wind was southerly at 8 knots and the seastate was 2.

Status at the end of the game: Finland End Status

Damage output summary (special damage only – flotation hits not listed): Finland short output

Plots: Finland plot 1 Finland plot 2a

The Germans have limited knowledge of the Russian dispositions. Only cruisers and torpedo boats are spotted so far.

Russian torpedo boats attempt to close to torpedo range, which for their torpedoes is only about 4,000 yards.

German light cruisers screen the battle line and shoot up the Russian torpedo boats.

The few surviving Russian torpedo boats launch, but the German dreadnoughts turn away and are not hit.

Russian destroyers attack and the German dreadnoughts turn away again. These destroyers have a slightly better torpedo with a range of about 6,500 yards.

German armored cruisers also turn away from the torpedo threat, but don’t comb the tracks quite long enough. Two ACs are torpedoed, one of which sinks. This error was caused by the week-long delay between the first half of the game (when the torpedoes were launched) and the second half (when they arrived).

Both sides try to reform their lines in the confined waters of the gulf.

The Russians Turn back to the NE. If they continued to skirt the southern shore of the gulf, the southerly wind would inhibit their shooting. Pre-dreadnoughts and armored cruisers comb torpedo tracks.

The German dreadnoughts start to take damage.

The Russian fleet has suffered much worse.

With one pre-dreadnought sunk and several large ships heavily damaged, the Russians give up the game.

Ship of the Line Game Photos

Saturday the local HMGS-South group played a Napoleonic naval game at the Dogs of War shop using Ship of the Line rules and 1/1200 scale miniatures.

A French squadron of one 120, one 80 and five 74s with average crews met a British squadron of six 74s with two elite and four crack crews.

The fleets converge on a broad reach. The wind is from the left in this photo.

Long range fire damages the French 120 leading the near line on the left. This reduces her movement to the extent that she will not get into the battle.

The French maneuver while the British keep to line ahead, shooting as they pass each target.

Two French 74s break the British line. The windward French 74s (right) put on full sail to catch up.

A French 80 strikes and her 74 consort is pounded in the upper right. A British 74 in the center takes heavy damage from two 74s. The windward French 74s get into the fight.

Time brought and end to the game at this point.