Battle #4 Germany vs UK Result (unofficial)

[shadowhooch]

Please report your matchup and result for this battle here. It'll be fun to consolidate all the matchups and battle reports for everyone's reference. The Winner of the Match should click the poll result (so there is no duplication).

NOTE: This is not where you submit your official results. You've got to sent that to the WotC email address for your results to count.

[RollingThunder]

Attacker-Germany

Stuka X5
U-510 X3
Koln X2
Duca Aosta
Karl Galster

Defender- UK

HMS Hood
HMS Ajax
HMS Javelin
Swordfish X2
PBY Catalina
SS Jerimiah O'Brian

5 turn win for the Axis. The Hood was heavily damaged but managed to escape the U-Boat/Stuka onslaught.

Final score:

Germany- 152 Victory points and 80 points remaining
UK- 68 Victory points and 48 points remaining



Good call, this is a much better way to do it. Wish I'd thought of it!

[Chops]

Attacker-Germany

U-510 X4
Koln X2
Bolzano
Luca Tarigo x2

Defender- UK

HMS Exeter
HMS Ajax
HMS Javelin x2
HMS Ark Royal
Swordfish X2
Sea Hurricane
PBY Catalina
SS Jeremiah O'Brien

5 turn win for the Axis. The Ark Royal and SS Jeremiah O'Brien managed to escape the U-Boats.
The German fleet commander chose a Squall (option 5) to screen the center objective on map 3 and the Koln / Leipzig pair were able to leap out and take the center objective and hammer the British on turn 2. It was all downhill from there.
British sank the Koln, Luca Tarigo and 2 U-Boats before losing the last of the surface ships. Unable to claim a single objective, but bitterly contested them to the end.


Final score:

Germany- 191 Victory points and 59 points remaining
UK- 41 Victory points and 57 points remaining

[RollingThunder]

Germany certainly has the edge so far!

[jeffgoboom]

Germany
33 3x U 510
38 Scharnhorst
21 Admiral Graf Spee
8 Z 20
6 units 100 points

UK
22 HMS Ark Royal
20 2x Swordfish
15 3x Hurricane
21 3x PBY
18 2x Javelin
3 SS Jeremiah O'Brien
12 units 99 points

Germany won by grabbing 2 objectives and destroyed everything but 1 PBY and 3 hurricanes
UK got one objective and destroyed everything but Scharnhorst.

Scharnhorst scored a bonus by getting a vital on undamaged Ark Royal after killing a PBY and having enough points to win already.

UK picked sides and added an island on rolled map one.

[lamme102]

Germany:
Scharnhorst
Admiral Graf Spee
Z-20 Karl Galster
3 x U510

UK:
HMS Exeter
HMS Ark Royal
2 x HMS Javelin
Sea Hurricane
4 x Swordfish
Jeremiah OBrien

UK won by eliminating all Axis units. The center objective was never claimed since a single Expert Torpedoes Swordfish squadron rolled 3, 6's on 4 die. and KO'd the Sharnhorst in one fell swoop! Then they mopped up the subs and other ships. The Hurricane was useless as it failed to ever get a hit on the German destroyer.

Very fun game since at the start it appeared Germany would dominate. I like how each turn you have to plan based on assumptions, ie: I'll send my planes to take care of this target allowing me to move this ship from x-y. When it doesn't go as planned it can force you to re- asses you're whole strategy.

-As a side note, I have yet to experience this "sub dominance" that I hear so much talk about. My UBoats fired on allied ships at least 5 times and only hit once. (this is just been my personal experience)

[dracos42]

Germany:
Ambra x4
U510
Bismarck
100 points

Great Britain:
HMS Hood
HMAS Sydney
Javelin x2
SS Jeremiah O'Brian
Swordfish
PBY Catalina
100 points

Germany won, with 150 points, and 53 points remaining
UK had 147 points, and no points remaining.

The British chose map 2, and moved the center objective closer.
The battle was going good for the British from the start. An Ambra died in each of the first two turns to air attack. Turn 3 saw the surface ships close enough to duel. Hood hit Bismarck, but Bismarck missed Hood. Sydney and a Javelin were both crippled, while another Ambra sank. Next couple of turns saw Hood and Bismarck score a couple of hits on each other, while Bismarck sank Sydney and a Javelin went down. The last of the Axis subs also sank.

The Brits were ahead with 147 points. All they needed to do was sink Bismarck, or get the O'Brien on an island. Then Lady Luck intervened, as Bismarck rolled 4 6's against Hood, and sank the O'Brien for good measure. Bismarck grabbed the final objective, shot down the PBY, was crippled by the Swordfish, and then shot down the Swordfish for the win.

Mike L.

[warspite]

GE:
3xU510
Gloire
Bismarck

UK:
HMS Ark Royal
Sea Hurricane
3xSwordfish
PBY
HMS Exeter
HMS Javelin
USS Barb
SS Jeremiah O'Brien

UK added island on edge by objective on opponents' side, and moved center objective toward own side. Bismarck made a bad habit of shooting down Swordfish. Ark Royal and O'Brien skirted side behind double-sector island to hide from Bismarck, and set up run to island in middle of right side to deliver transport. Exeter and Javelin ran to the other side to challenge for the other objective. Barb up the middle to breakup the 3 U-boats and shadow Bismarck.

Bismarck and Gloire ran together up the middle to join U-boats, protecting each other. Barb dives into the fray after Swordfish finally cripples the Gloire, forcing the Bismarck to leave it behind to claim the objective. Swordfish finish the Gloire, and Barb's audacious attack misses Bismarck but kills a U-boat, which sinks it in return. Javelin charges in to distract the Bismarck, which opts to sink it rather than the Exeter behind it. Javelin gets a U-boat in its last shot, and the PBY finishes the last U-boat, leaving only the Bismarck, with one damage from a Swordfish. Bismarck falls back to start claiming objectives, starting in the middle. Exeter runs to edge to claim one, but Ark Royal and O'Brien retreat behind large island, and start to fall back, down to only one Swordfish.

Bismarck doesn't pursue, but claims second objective, getting to 141 points. Ark Royal, now threatened by Bismarck, opts to retreat, along with O'Brien and Exeter. British could still have won by claiming two objectives, and landing O'Brien, but losing initiative consistently prevented any daring moves. Final sortie of Swordfish shot down by Bismarck again, granting victory with 151. 53 German points survived, to 49 British. Just couldn't score hits on Bismarck, even throwing 5! torpedo dice.

[TomJag3]

Our group played this twice, with the Allies winning both. One of our handicaps was that there were only 5 Axis subs and we were playing both 4&5 simultaneously.

The following optional rules were used:
1) Fighters only hit against ships on a 6 (still counts as two hits)
2) Subs only roll one attack die against destroyers, D.E.s, subchasers, and MTB's at any valid range.
3) BB Primary Gunnery cannot use Extended Range against Destroyers
4) BB Primary Gunnery cannot be used against Torpedo Boats at any range.
5) DD's and MTB's move at speed 3. (NOT D.E.'s or subchasers)

Graf Spee, 2xKoln, Karl Galster, 2xU-510, 2xKondor, 2xStuka
vs
Rodney, Javelin, Barb, SS Jeremiah O'Brien, Catalina, 2xSea Hurricane

Losses:
Graf Spee(sunk), Koln(damaged),2xU-510(sunk), 2xKondor(lost)
Jeremiah O'Brien(sunk), Barb(sunk)

The second time it was played,
2xU-510, 2xKoln, 3xLuca Tarigo, 1xBolzano, 2xMTB
vs
SS Jeremy O'Brien, Ark Royal, 3xJavelin, 3xSwordfish, 2xSea Hurricane, Catalina

Results: Axis grabbed 2 of the 3 objectives but had to flee the board.
2xKoln(crippled),1xLuca Tarigo(sunk), 1xLuca Tarigo(crippled), 1xU-510(crippled), 1xMTB(sunk)
2xJavelin(sunk)

[Autarch]

Battle No. 4

Victor: Germany 188pts
vs.
Defeated:
UK 71pts

Remaining Victor
troop points: 79
2 Deutschland Class Cruisers, 3 Dithmarschen Class Auxiliary, 2 Type IXC submarines.

Remaining Defeated
troop points: 12
1 PBY, 1 Sea Hurricane

Rolled Map 5. UK chose side and forced Axis player to deploy first.

Deutschland CA x3
Dithmarschen Auxiliary Ship x3
Type IXC Submarines x2

Hood
J Class DD x2
Transport
PBY x3
Sea Hurricane x2

The Axis fleet deployed between the shoal and island, with the Allied fleet deployed in the NW corner. The Hood and DD headed for the northernmost objective covering the freighter and DD headed for the island to unload troops and equipment on the remote island for a weather station. The Germans advanced and provided AA cover for the Uboats. The German's moved to within long range. Several air attacks by 3 PBY and a Hurricane was largely driven off by AA fire and ineffective. A long range duel ensued with hits being traded between the Graf Spee and Hood. The J class DDs were ineffective in their smoke deployment. The pocket battleships continued to close providing air cover for a Uboat, while the southernmost auxiliary ship headed south for the other objective. The DD's rushed ahead to deploy a smoke screen and make torpedo runs against the Graf Spee. They blocked fire from two of the pocket battleships but sacrificed themselves to withering fire from them and their auxiliary cruisers. The freighter used the opportunity to try and slip around the melee for the island but was rewarded with a hit from secondary gunfire and crippled. With the remaining two Pocket Battleships mainatining long range and circling around to cut off escape, Captain Kerr ordered his damaged ship to advance and attempt to inflict as much damage as possible on the Graf Spee. The Hood's final salvos sunk the Spee and crippled it's auxiliary. Despite the persistant smoke screen, a hail of 11 inch rounds crippled the Hood and it was finished off by torpedoes from a uboat.

The UK consistantly won initiative, which prevented useful deployment of smoke. ASW attacks by the 3 PBYs were entirely ineffective.

[J.L.Robert]

GER
Admiral Graf Spee
Z20 Karl Galster x 3
U510 x 5

vs.

UK
Ark Royal
Swordfish x 3
Javelin x 5
SS Jeremiah O'Brien

IMO, a somewhat historical set-up, with the German surface fleet out of range of its air support, a surface raiding squadron and a wolfpack hunting down the convoy's escorts.

Played solitaire.

Game I
The Swordfish attack the surface ships, while the Javelins try to hunt down the subs. Lucky attacks from the German destroyers take down 2 Swordfish before they go down. The German subs, followed up by the pocket battleship, clear out the destroyer screen (though at a terrible price, as the last 2 Javelins sink 2 U-boats with Vital Armor damage on consecutive rolls just before they go under), and the Ark Royal is forced to withdraw, with a lone squadron of torpedo bombers surviving with them. The transport is sunk in one salvo by the Graf Spee. German win...32 pts. survive (Adm. Graf Spee + 1 U-510). UK defeat...32 pts. survive (Ark Royal + 1 Swordfish).

Game II
The British air support changes tactics and hunts subs, sinking 2 of them, while the destroyers stay out of range of the Graf Spee's guns. Protecting the transport, when the Javelins move forward, it's a bloody engagement. The remaining 3 U-Boats are destroyed in a single round by the destroyers, and the Swordfish turn their attention towards the German surface ships. The 3 surviving British destroyers engage the Graf Spee, and some hot dice bury the German battleship, but after losing 2 Javelins. The Swordfish make quick work of the Z-20's, losing only 1 squadron. German defeat...0 pts. survive. UK win...54 pts. survive (Ark Royal, 2 x Swordfish, 1 x Javelin, SS Jeremiah O'Brien).