Conington Contraband

[Pre-Cabinette Archives c.2014!]

The shocking age of this article explains the appalling photographs and the rather basic terrain on show with chalk roads and outlines to the woods.

This Table-top Teaser was designed give my new scratch-built houses a baptism of fire under Brig. Young’s CHARGE! rules.  It was also an experiment on adding in the roll-of-shot stick and templates for canister and howitzer shells from C S Grant’s ‘The Wargame’. 

The Scenario: involves a government force dispatched by the Elector to locate and seize contraband defended by a rebel militia supported by a small expeditionary force from a foreign, ‘francophone’, power.  Spies in the service of the Elector have reported that the rebel war-chest and records have been moved to Conington; their capture would deny the rebellion badly needed funds and provide the Electoral forces with an intelligence wind-fall.  Scouting patrols indicate the location is not well guarded and a rapid strike by a small force could get in and out before the main rebel army could respond.   To this end the Elector commanded Oberst Franz Schmidt to take a brigade of infantry, with attached cavalry and artillery, and seize any, and all, contraband in Conington, but with strict orders to return to camp before nightfall (i.e. a time limit of 15 moves within which to find the contraband – the return march is not played).  The contraband is in Conington but its precise location is unknown, therefore each house must be entered and searched.   To search a house, after any enemy have been ejected, requires 4 figures and takes a full turn.  A D6 is thrown to determine if the contraband is found; a ’6’ is required for success in the first house searched and the score reduces by one for each subsequent house searched (a house can only be searched once).  Because there are only five houses in Conington (see map below) there is a small chance that it will never be found; in which case, it was either never there or was conveyed to safety by the rebels.   

Oberst Schmidt’s brigade (organised for CHARGE!) can deploy anywhere within the area marked ‘A’ on the map (8x5 ft) and takes the first move and consists of:

• 4 Coy.s Arberg Inf. Regt. (80 fig.s)
• 4 Coy.s Diesbach Inf. Regt. (80 fig.s)
• 2 Sqn.s Hohenzollern Dragoons (20 fig.s)
• 1 Artillery btty, (2 x 6 pdrs; 1 x 5” howitzer)

The rebel force, under Chevalier Pierre Réverie, may deploy anywhere in or north of the southernmost woods and consists of:

• 2 Coy.s of Rebel Militia (33 fig.s)
• 2 Coy.s of French Militia (33 fig.s)
• 2 Coy.s Grassins Light Inf. (33 fig.s)
• ½ Sqn. Fischer Chasseurs Cav. (5 fig.s)
• 1 Foreign Cannon (6 pdr)

The rebel force is actually weaker than the Electoral forces believe as one of the foot companies only exists in their imagination.  The rebel player secretly determines which company is only a decoy by rolling a D6: 1= Rebel Militia; 2-3 = French Militia; 4-6 = Grassins.   The decoy unit is deployed like any other but is removed once it would be visible to Electoral troops. 

Special rules: the rebel militia are allowed to skirmish like light troops but at half effect, i.e. only every second figure can fire.  Also, on each turn the rebels throw a D6 and if a ‘6’ is rolled any dead rebel militia figures may enter as a new unit through one of the zones labelled ‘X’ on the map.  To re-enter the militia casualties must include an officer or NCO to lead them.

The Game: started with rebel militia occupying the farmhouse at Dawes Lot and the wood immediately south of it (1 on map) while the wood to the north held a Grassins company (2).  The Fischer chasseurs waited further north (3) with the Grassins in the wood behind them (4).  The Chevalier posted the French militia companies in the town of Conington (no doubt to show off my new houses)...

...and set up his artillery piece to fire down the road approaching Conington (5).

The Chevalier's deployment was bold, but risky, as the Grassins in the wood by Prescott House (2) were only a decoy leaving the approach through woods to west of the Conington road unguarded.  However, the gamble paid off as the Electoral forces massed their forces along the road and against the militia in and around Dawes Lot (see photo, NB: house shell has been placed alongside the internal ruins to show the garrison within).  

To cut, what could be, a very long story short, the Electoral forces after taking Dawes Lot realised advancing on such a narrow front would take too long. Instead, orders were issued to advance on a wide front through woods on both sides of the road to exploit their superior numbers and swamp the defenders.  

In the preceding photo, the furthest wood on the left can now be seen to be occupied by local militia.  The approach on a wide front by Herr Oberst's men meant that they had clocked that the rumour of Grassins in the that wood was just that, a rumour, as the figures were removed.  The rebels were then lucky enough to roll a '6' and 'resurrect' the militia lost at Dawes Lot to oppose this line of approach.  

The change in approach by the Electoral troops proved the turning point as each line of defence was overwhelmed in turn.  Despite this, time was running short when the Electoral troops reached Conington and started storming the houses in search of contraband.  As the fifteenth move arrived a fourth house had just been seized but the church remained untaken (again house 'shells' have been placed next to their internal 'ruin' in the photo).  

Then, as the recall was sounded, Schmidt heaved a sigh of relief as the last house search ‘located’ the contraband.  Success had been snatched from the jaws of failure and the lack of progress in the early turns would go unnoticed in the warm glow of victory.

The game turned out to be a nail-biter and the houses proved functional and looked the part.  The artillery experiment was not a success, as we both found the devices too unwieldy despite the entertainment afforded by a randomised howitzer shell landing on friendly troops.  

PS: I never took any photos of the round shot bounce stick during the game, but it can be seen in the final photo of an earlier post entitled 'Tool Time'.  It is the stick at the top of the photo and alongside it can be seen the die with faces coloured to match the white, yellow and green bounce zones that determines where casualties will be inflicted.

Stringbags vs Bismarck - a Fletcher-Pratt Game

[Pre-Cabinette Archives c.2017.]

Again, a bit of ill-health has killed my painting mojo, meaning that topping up the Old-School 25mm Ancients has temporarily come to a halt.  So, taking a leaf from last time I thought I'd knock up a quick post on the next fight in the Bismarck campaign; Ark Royal's strike.  

Unfortunately for this game I was captaining Bismarck and forgot to take photos so I only have a few small thumbnail images that one of the Swordfish players took on their phone.  

As I didn't like the rules for aircraft in Fletcher-Pratt (F-P) I made up my own.  First was the Swordfish movement, the options being shown in the grey box at the top of the play-sheet.

The planes move three times each turn and write their orders by drawing three arrows picked from the options at the top of the sheet.  Essentially, each move segment is a straight line of about 15" (NB: scale is ½" per knot) using one of the arrows with an optional 90° turn to left or right at the beginning, or end, of the move.   This was done to stop the aircraft outmanoeuvring Bismarck too easily.  I made cardboard templates for these move segments to speed play.

The torpedoes were played as per F-P, as was Bismarck except its movement (in only two segments) and its anti-aircraft fire.  For the latter I pinched the approach used in Wings of War as follows:

1). At the beginning of each Swordfish move segment, Bismarck places a number of small flak bursts, about 2" in diameter for its smaller calibre rapid firing guns.  If any Swordfish ends its move with its base overlapping a burst it tests for damage.

2). Bismarck also places a number of much larger, heavier, flak bursts, about 5" in diameter, that remain in place for all three Swordfish move segments but are only active in the second two segments.

So, with these simple rules in place the game cracked on at quite a good pace.  At first, I found avoiding the torpedoes, which were not much faster than Bismarck, quite easy to avoid and no doubt started to get a bit cocky.

But then I got confused about how my own move sequence worked and thought I could quickly cut across the path of some incoming torpedoes.  This was a catastrophic mistake!

What was more, the torpedo struck the stern while I was turning to port.

A quick die roll was called for to test for damage, and the result?  You guessed it, the rudder jammed - just like the real thing.  So, for the rest of the campaign Bismarck would have to perform a port turn at the start of its move and another free turn at the mid-way point.      

And, to rub it in, only one Swordfish got damaged; none were shot down.

So, the next action will be Vian's night attack with the Destroyers, HMS Cossack, Sikh, Zulu and Maori, and the ORP Piorun (Polish).

Atlantic Breakout ... a Fletcher-Pratt Wargame

[Pre-Cabinette Archives c.2017.]

Fighting the naval battles of World War 2 has a certain nostalgia as one of my first wargames, using rules rather than marbles, was the Battle of the Java Sea.  I fought this out many times on my bedroom floor about half a century ago using ship-shaped pieces of balsa wood painted grey for the fleets and rules by Arthur Taylor.  

The rules used some simple calculations to determine the number of hits and playing cards to determine the effect.  As far as I can recall at this distance in time, the games were dominated by the Japanese Long Lance torpedo for which I tweaked the rules as all torpedoes were treated equally.  Clearly, I’ve always felt the need to tinker with other people’s rules to match my perception of how a battle should play out.

The inspiration for the choice of battle, and the efficacy of Japanese torpedoes, was my cherished copy of the Pan paperback on the battle.

However, since those days I’ve tended to wargame earlier periods with shorter range weapons to avoid using either, vanishingly small ship models or, massively out of scale gunnery ranges.  Nowadays, I have lots more books to inspire my rule-tinkering, and among them was one that rekindled those distant memories of naval actions fought out on my hands and knees.  The book in question is the John Curry re-print of the Fletcher-Pratt naval wargame rules.  A fun read was all I thought it would ever be as I lacked the requisite ‘ballroom’ to recreate the original style of play.  

About nine years ago this all changed when, seeking to play more games, I joined a local modelling club that also included a couple of keen wargamers.  One club night, when getting a cuppa from the kitchen behind the local Baptist church where we met, I realised that at the end of the corridor was a church hall!  A quick enquiry confirmed we were allowed to use it.  So, seizing the moment I bought several 1:1200 warship kits from eBay and set about painting up sufficient for the Battle of Denmark Strait.  The choice of scale was influenced by the size of the hall and cost; the choice of engagement by kit availability in 1:1200 and the number of ships required, i.e. only four: Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Hood and Prince of Wales (you'll see Norfolk and Suffolk have also sneaked in as I enjoyed making the kits so much I couldn't resistthem).  

With only a few hours available during an evening club session I decided I would streamline the rules and act umpire; umpires are an integral part of the original Fletcher-Pratt games.  I chose to ignore secondary armament as largely irrelevant during this action and only allowed the Prinz Eugen to use torpedoes as capital ship torpedo action was such a rarity, although ironically Bismarck is the only battleship hit by a torpedo from another battleship (HMS Rodney).  To speed the game, I prepared quick-play and record sheets, including a look-up chart of damage inflicted by up to four hits, penetrating and non-penetrating, to save on the mental maths required.

To suit the floor-space available, a scale of 1 inch equals 120 yard was selected and all movement, ranges, etc. on the QPS were converted into inches.  This scale means that shooting ranges are only 3.6 times shorter than the true scale distance for 1:1200 ships.  Now for the inevitable rule tinkering; a special rule was added to allow the Hood to be blown up as the rules do not allow for critical hits.  The rule was that if Bismarck scored a hit directly over the main magazines at range where the fire is plunging (greater than 13ft 6”, ~19,400yds) then the magazines would explode.  The main magazines, for game purposes, were ruled to extend as far as the main turrets but exclude the turrets themselves, i.e. the area outlined in red in the accompanying photo. 

The photo shows the Hood’s rear turrets but a similar area applied around the forward turrets.  The area is only 2.5cm long by 1.5–2cm wide, with cut-outs for the turrets, so is not easy to hit by guessing ranges from more than 13 feet away (Fletcher-Pratt gunnery rules require players to estimate the range to the target with the umpire measuring and marking fall of shot using golf tees).  

Another rule was introduced to represent the problems the Prince of Wales experienced with her main armament that resulted in her firing around half the number of rounds that she should have.  To represent this a random list of which guns jammed on which turn was used by the umpire to discount hits from ‘jammed’ rounds.

The game was set up to represent the historical engagement at the point just before the ships came within effective range (max. range was limited to 26,000 yards).  The rough plan below which I used for the game shows the hall floor area as a rectangle (broken line).

The players quickly got the hang of the simplified rules after a couple of turns: ½” per knot and a turn of up to 45° at the start and half-way point of the move, and firing by guessing the range.  The battle played out well and realistically or at least in agreement with the history books.  The British, after opening fire when out of range, steered towards the Germans to rapidly close the range so the Hood could avoid the risk from long range plunging fire against her weak deck armour.  This meant that only the forward guns of the British ships could bear on the enemy while both sides tried find the correct range; I ruled that ships must fire ranging ladder salvoes (with half their guns) until they achieved a straddle at which point they could switch to firing full broadsides.  Bizarrely, exactly as in 1941, the British ships initially concentrated their fire on Prinz Eugen for several turns before switching to Bismarck; why, I didn’t ask, not wanting to spoil the historical coincidence.  Then disaster struck, a ranging ladder from Bismarck plunged into Hood’s rear magazine and she was engulfed in a massive explosion. 

This was a shocking fluke as Bismarck hadn’t even found the range yet, and never landed another hit for the rest of the engagement.  The British were stunned but undeterred Prince of Wales gallantly pressed on and manoeuvred to open her arcs to bring her rear turret to bear.

She also started to dramatically vary her speed and course to throw off the aim of the German ships.  This worked well against Bismarck who consistently failed to land a hit, but Prinz Eugen coped better and at one point landed the best salvo of the game (3 hits).  

The radical changes in course and speed by the Prince of Wales also threw her own gunnery off to some extent but she still registered several hits on Bismarck and was lucky in having none of the ‘hits’ discounted as coming from one of her randomly jammed guns.

Time finally brought the combat to close as the club session ended and it was decided that the engagement was broken off at this point with Prince of Wales withdrawing while the Germans pressed on into the Atlantic.  All in all, a satisfactory refight, with all ships suffering the fate of their historical counterparts; the exception being the Prince of Wales who escaped lightly as Prinz Eugen’s guns could not fully make up for Bismarck’s appalling gunnery.  

So, with the Bismarck on the loose in the Atlantic other games were planned for the rest of Unternehmen Rheinübung: the night attack by Commodore Vian’s destroyer flotilla; the Ark Royal Swordfish strike; and, the final showdown with the King George V and Rodney (bodged up from a KGV and Iowa kit).  But those stories are for another day.

CHARGE the Rearguard

[Pre-Cabinette Archives c.2009!  Hence the poor photos.]

Following my last, bang up-to-fate, post based on a classic Table-top Teaser by CS Grant I thought I'd post a rather dated one of mine own.

This was my first attempt at a Table-top Teaser for my ‘toy soldier’ armies using Brigadier Young’s CHARGE rules.  Not being blessed with a 9x7 foot table like Charles Grant I needed something that would draw out the action or it would all be over in few turns.  To achieve this, I went a bit overboard, with the ‘armies’, separated by a river and entering over several turns; all in a rearguard scenario where one side would be seeking flight rather than fight.  This was crammed on to my 8x5 foot table as shown below with the game in progress a few turns in.

The Scenario: revolves around an Austrian force seeking to evade a much larger, off-table, French force which is attempting to pin them against the river while a smaller Bavarian force tries to block their escape.  The Austrians enter the table at point A (see map) and must exit at point D by move 15; anything failing to do so is deemed captured by the pursuing French.  The Austrians start with a light infantry regiment of 2 coy.s of Pandours holding the house and wood on the northern side of the western bridge and a company of Croats on the road 12” from point A.  

The rest of the Austrians enter one unit per turn along the road at point A; which unit arrives being determined by a D6 as follows:

               1 = Hussar sqn.
               2 = Cuirassier regt.
               3 = Hungarian Inf. regt.
               4 = Austrian Inf. regt.
               5 = Artillery battery #1
               6 = Artillery battery #2

Unit arrival is diced for at the start of the turn, after order writing, and the unit will march on in column along the road.  If the entry roll indicates a unit that is already on the table, the unit with the lowest arrival score that has yet to arrive is substituted.  This mechanism should ensure that the lower numbered units arrive sooner.

The Bavarians mostly enter at Point B with some appearing at C or D; they dice for order of arrival in the same way (entry point in parentheses) as follows:

               1 = Hussar sqn. (C)
               2 = Militia regt. (D)
               3 = Dragoon regt. (B)
               4 = Bavarian Inf. regt. (B)
               5 = Swiss Inf. regt. (B)
               6 = Artillery battery #1 (B)

Before the game begins the Bavarian player rolls a D6 for each river section to determine which are fordable (4-6 on a D6).  A sketch is drawn to record the results but is not shown to his opponent; the ticks and crosses on the map indicate which sections were fordable in the game as played and described below.

The Game: opened with few surprises; the Austrian hussars being the first to arrive to lead the army to safety while the Pandours pushed forward in skirmish order towards point B to delay the approaching Bavarian infantry.  

The action developed rapidly over the next few moves as, spotting Bavarian militia approaching from the east (point D), ...

... the Austrians sent their hussars and Croats to seize the eastern bridge while still clear.  The hussars overthrew the first militia company (see photo) their success underlining the value of cavalry and the frustrating absence of the Austrian cuirassiers.  

While the hussars crashed into the militia across the bridge the arrival of the Bavarian hussars (at point C) convinced the Pandours that discretion was the better part of valour and they fell back to more defensible terrain covering the western bridge.  

As more troops poured onto the table the Pandours effectively shielded their army’s flank as it marched at best speed to the eastern bridge.  

The Pandours were reinforced by a company of Hungarian infantry to prevent any attempt to rush the bridge by the growing number of Bavarian units marshalled against them, while in the backround the rest of the Austrians can be seen making haste to reach the other bridge and safety.  

The Bavarian superior numbers were brought to bear and the Pandours, and to a greater extent the more exposed Hungarians, started to take heavy losses from both musketry and artillery.

Finally, the much-anticipated Austrian cuirassiers arrived bringing up the rear of the column!  The lackadaisical attitude of this unit of dawdlers continued as they marched along the road unconcerned by the sight of two squadrons of Bavarian dragoons eyeing them from the ridge across the river (north of point A).  The cuirassiers’ composure was rudely shattered as the dragoons declared a charge on them – the possibility that the river might be fordable had been overlooked!  

Somewhat unfairly these haughty cavaliers did not pay the price for their hubris, a scandalous sequence of lucky die rolls seeing them win the resulting melee.  It now dawned on the Austrians that the river was not the reliable barrier they had assumed it to be and henceforth more caution was exercised.

As the casualties mounted in the firefight at the western bridge, the Austrian column reached the eastern bridge, now cleared of the militia by the hussars and Croats.  On crossing, the Austrian infantry wheeled to their left to form a defensive line to shield the following units (see photo).  This line was soon put under pressure as the Bavarians shifted their weight of effort from the western bridge to the eastern crossing.  

Initially the infantry firefight was fairly ineffective and all seemed to be going well for the Austrians but then the Bavarian artillery evened things up with several turns of devastating fire.  No doubt this was Lady Luck offsetting the outrageous luck enjoyed by the Austrian cuirassiers in their earlier fracas with the dragoons.  With the Austrian artillery mostly staying limbered to keep pace with the Austrian column were unable to reply effectively.  As a result, the balance of the game started to shift until in the twelfth move both armies reached their break points!  The Bavarians claimed a draw with honours even, while the Austrian argued for a technical victory, as with the Bavarians withdrawing the Austrian line of retreat was left open…   With such an unsatisfactory outcome, further conflict is inevitable, perhaps you can achieve a more decisive result?

A Russo-Japanese Naval Campaign

A potted history by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant wargamer.

PART THREE – Seeking to escape from checkmate a Russian surprise sortie delivers the decisive encounter.

In May 1904, the Japanese, having gained near total moral ascendency over the decayed and enfeebled Russian fleet, sought to seal up the remnants with a blockship attack on Port Arthur.  The attempt was intended to take place at dusk on the 15^th of May but a heavy storm broke out and the attack was brought forward to make use of the cover it provided.  Unfortunately, while the wind remained strong and the swell heavy, the skies cleared exposing the blockships to the full force of the Russian shore batteries.  In a magnificent display of devotion to the Divine Emperor the blockships pressed on regardless but all were sunk before they could reach the channel. 

In material terms this was a Russian victory but the magnificent display of suicidal courage by the Imperial Navy only served to deepen the gloom in Port Arthur, which, like Vladivostok, was again mined by the Japanese.

As May wore on the Vladivostok squadron risked the minefields in an attempt to catch an unsuspecting minelaying mission.  This was always a forlorn hope and faced by four armoured cruisers and four protected cruisers the three Russian armoured cruisers were quick to show a clean pair of heels.  Again, despite the fair weather, the Russians were able to escape, but not before taking considerable damage.

Vladivostok Combat (26-May-1904): White = Russians.

Bereft of ideas the Russians staked all on a last throw of the dice to wrest back control of the sea off Wei Hai Wei.  On this desperate venture, they committed their entire battle fleet except the battleship Pobyada which was held back to bombard Chinampo.  The Russians had gambled on achieving surprise by sailing before completing repairs from previous actions and by navigating through two Japanese minefields.  Lady Luck at first smiled on the Russians as they passed through the minefields unscathed, but then, ever-fickle, delivered them up to the guns of the Japanese. 

The 4th, and Final, Battle of Wei Hai Wei: with squalls from SW and just 2 hours to sun-set the fleets met again off Wei Hai Wei.  In terms of battleships the odds appeared even at four apiece, but the Japanese, benefiting from the greater capacity of their dockyards, were all fully repaired and fit for action.  The Japanese battleships were also supported by four protected cruisers massively over-matching the TBDs escorting the Russian ships.  The Japanese advantage would have been even greater if the Nisshin and Kasuga (ACs) had not been overlooked[1] and summoned to join the fleet from their nearby station off the port of Wei Hai Wei.  As ever the Russian tactic of sailing close inshore to try and hide their silhouette against the land resulted in an island interposing between the fleets as they spotted each other.  This time there was to be no repetition of previous chases around islands as both sides elected to pass it to the East. 

Third Battle of Wei Hai Wei (27-May-1904): white = Russians.

At first the gunnery duel hung in the balance but the Japanese slowly gained an edge which, added to the damage already being carried by some of the Russian ships, rapidly became decisive.  The Russians also failed to concentrate their fire, their battleships at times switching fire from their opposite numbers to engage the Japanese protected cruisers that were massacring the Russian TBDs.  With the Russians falling into confusion the Japanese pressed in to ensure a decision before dark.  The Japanese resolve in closing in for the kill was vindicated in the ensuing melee during which the all the Russian TBDs were sunk and the battleships Poltava and Tsarevich were crippled and struck their colours.  Another hour of daylight would probably have rendered the victory absolute but the Sevastopol and the crippled Petropavlovsk managed to escape into the night.  The one-sided nature of this victory was underlined by the crippling of the Akashi (PC) as the only significant damage suffered by the Japanese.  

While the Port Arthur squadron was being crushed a Russian minelaying mission (3 x TBDs) to Wei Hai Wei came to grief when the TBD Boevoi & Boiki sank after striking mines off Port Arthur[2].  

The one Russian success set against these disasters was the bombardment of Chinampo by the battleship Pobyada.  This successful action, the first of its type, could not offset the decisive defeat at the 4th Battle of Wei Hai Wei at which the Pobyada may have been better employed.

 

As May drew to a close the Japanese laid yet more mines off Wei Hai Wei, Vladivostok and Chinampo (twice![3]) while a similar TBD mission off Port Arthur clashed with a Russian TBD patrol.  Little tactical finesse was shown by either side, both charging and passing through each other in line abreast like two squadrons of cavalry.  The Japanese came out ahead but with the loss of the TBDs Harusame & Murasame could not lay an effective minefield rendering the mission abortive.

With the Vladivostok squadron bottled up and most of the ships in Port Arthur undergoing or awaiting repair, the month of June passed without any significant action.  Needless to say, the Japanese took advantage of this lull to continue their relentless minelaying campaign.

With the Russians unable to break the close blockade[4] or prevent the relentless Japanese minelaying operations yet another Japanese troop convoy arrived unhindered in Chinampo on the 7^th of July increasing the pressure on Port Arthur.

This situation could not long endure, and with the writing on the wall*, and no relief in sight**, the Russians capitulated...

VICTORY!

[* A Japanese win was guaranteed by the last Chinampo convoy which would deliver another 8 points over the next 4 turns which would require a successful Russian mission on every turn to stop the win.]

[** The Russian Baltic Fleet would not even start on its epic voyage for another three months.]

Hopefully this might inspire others to try a naval campaign, I can provide details on this one to anyone wishing to refight it.

Notes:

[1.] Accidentally overlooked and left in the box at set up!

[2.] The mission had to be aborted as minelaying requires a minimum of 3 TBD elements (a TBD element = 2 vessels) and reduced to two such elements the mines could not be laid.

[3.] A mistaken and wasteful duplication of effort with two minelaying missions to the same area.

[4.] An attempted Russian mission to Chinampo was rendered void as they had overlooked Japanese control of the Port Arthur sea area; missions are allowed to enter an enemy controlled area but may not pass through.

A Russo-Japanese Naval Campaign

A potted history by a partial, prejudiced, & ignorant wargamer.

PART TWO – A Japanese Narrow Escape and a Russian Gamble, in two more battles off Wei Hai Wei.

March 1904 opened quietly as the Japanese concentrated on minelaying and troop convoys while the Russians frantically repaired their damaged ships.  As a result, several Japanese minefields were laid and the delayed Pitzuwo convoy sailed (see previous post); all without incident.  

As March wore on the Japanese, noting the growing confidence of the Vladivostok squadron, sent their armoured cruisers to take them down a peg or two.  This did not take long as the Russians were still dispersing their ships in penny-packets.  Thus, on the 22nd the Diana (PC), sent on a lone minelaying mission, found herself trapped off Wonsan by the armoured cruisers Idzumo, Adzuma and Yakumo.  With damage mounting and little hope of escape the captain of the Diana sought to save face by attempting to close and ram the enemy.  This simply resulted in the Diana being overwhelmed by the superior Japanese firepower and going down with all hands before she could close with her enemies. 

Death Ride of the Diana (22-Mar-1904): D = Diana.

Unmanned by the fate of the Diana, the Bogatyr (PC) and Goromoboi (AC) immediately fled back to port before completing their minelaying missions.  This collapse in Russian morale was widespread, and a minelaying mission by 3 TBDs refused to sail although some claim this was due to faulty staff work and confused sailing orders [1].  In contrast the Japanese minelaying missions were uniformly successful. 

In early April, the Russian Vladivostok squadron again sortied to drive off Japanese patrols.  So, with squalls from the south-east and 7 hours to sun-set, the opposing forces encountered each other while both steering to investigate merchant shipping.  Losing their nerve on sighting the enemy the Rossiya, Goromboi (ACs) and Bogatyr (PC) turned tail and fled.  The Japanese pursued and, confident in their superiority, detached the Takachiho (PC) to investigate the suspicious merchant vessel.  The remaining Japanese ships, Iwate, Nisshin, Kasuga (ACs) and Naniwa (PC) rapidly closed and started to register repeated hits on the Russians who in reply could only manage a single hit on the Kasuga.  

The Russians, outmatched and with all three vessels crippled, fled in disorder with the Japanese in hot pursuit.  

Once again nightfall was the Russian saviour with the Rossiya and Goromboi disappearing into the gloom as the Bogatyr slid beneath the waves.

Sea of Japan Fight (7-Apr-1904): broken tracks = merchant ships, B = Bogatyr. (smoke plumes indicate crippled ships).

Simultaneously with the action in the Sea of Japan, the Japanese attempted to lay more mines off Port Arthur but aborted the mission in order to show a clean pair of heels to a sortie by the Russian battle fleet.  It later transpired that the Russian fleet had only sailed to screen the laying of mines off their own home port; a craven act by a dispirited foe.  Other Japanese minelaying missions were successful off Wei Hai Wei and in several locations in the Sea of Japan.

As April dragged on the Russian armoured cruiser Rurik (AC) snuck out of Vladivostok, but on sighting smoke she fled ceding control of the harbour approaches.  While this trivial skirmish was taking place around Vladivostok the Russian battle-fleet sortied from Port Arthur to challenge the Japanese battleships cruising off Wei Hai Wei.

 

The 2nd Battle of Wei Hai Wei: on the 23^rd of April the 6 Japanese battleships were patrolling off Wei Hai Wei in appalling weather conditions (heavy seas with a strong wind from the south-east).   

So, when, 8 hours before sun-set, the entire Port Arthur fleet (5 BBs, 1 AC, 2 PCs, 2 LCs and 9 TBDs) was spotted sailing over the horizon they were somewhat taken aback.  

Clearly the Russians had at last found sufficient courage (or vodka!) to seek battle outside the security blanket of their shore batteries.  Although outnumbered, Admiral Togo was not dismayed as he realised the Russian fleet was poorly arrayed and would be forced to split either side of an intervening island.  This, together with the bad weather, would allow him to concentrate on part of the enemy fleet while keeping his distance to allow him to escape into the night should things go awry. 

The battle unfolded as Togo foresaw with the Russian fleet, in a shameful display of poor seamanship, struggling to form up while the battleships traded blows. 

This allowed Togo, as anticipated, to ‘cross the T’ of the Russian battleships as they sought to get into line.  However, the Gods of War [2] do not always side with better tactician and Russian gunnery proved exceptionally lucky, crippling two of Togo’s battleships, while the Japanese suffered the agony of repeated near misses. 

Togo recognising the need to preserve his fleet ordered a general withdrawal with all ships making best speed to escape.  As the exultant Russians closed in to press home their advantage, Togo in the Mikasa, aided by the Fuji and Yashima, placed himself between the pursuing Russians and the crippled Shikishima and Asahi.  

As if recognising this brave and selfless act, Fortune now switched her favour to the Japanese and the Russian battleships had to take what, up to now, they had been content to give and the Petropavlovsk and Poltava were crippled by repeated hits.  

Rattled by this turn of events the Russians fled allowing the Japanese to continue on their way home for urgent repairs.

Second Battle of Wei Hai Wei (23-Apr-1904): Togo crosses the Russian ‘T’.

In retrospect, the Japanese were lucky to encounter the enemy fleet in heavy seas that prevented the Russian cruisers, and especially the TBDs from being able to make enough headway to get into the action.

With the Russian fleet back in port and licking its wounds after the Battle of Wei Hai Wei, the latest Japanese troop convoy sailed into Chinampo without incident, its escort wishing it had been assigned duties with a greater chance to prove their metal.  Japanese minelaying missions also benefited from the absence of the Russian fleet and, with exception of another abortive attempt against Port Arthur, laid mines off Chinampo, Vladivostok and Wei Hai Wei.  The failure at Port Arthur saw the Chiyoda (PC) fleeing from a TBD patrol; her captain’s claim that the TBDs could have presaged the arrival of the Russian fleet was widely ridiculed and with his career in tatters he terminated his service in the time-honoured fashion. 

In early May with the battleships of both sides under repair the Japanese navy saw the addition of a brand-new protected cruiser, the Tsushima.  While the Russians possessed the only undamaged battleship, the Pobyeda, their limited repair capacity meant that the Japanese fleet would be battle ready first.  Seeking to exploit their temporary advantage the Russians sortied the Pobyeda accompanied by several cruisers and TBDs to chase off any Japanese cruiser patrols and disrupt the minelaying off Wei Hai Wei.  The Russian willingness to gamble on entering a mined area was driven by their desperation to seize the initiative.  Desperate gambles are of course a poor tactic, and this one rebounded on the Russians with armoured cruiser Bayan striking a mine and sinking with all hands.  The Russians, disheartened, pressed on only to encounter the patrolling Japanese armoured cruisers; the Idzumo, Adzuma, Tokiwa and Iwate.

The 3rd Battle of Wei Hai Wei: on the 14th of Map, in calm seas with 4 hours to sun-set, both squadrons sighted each other separated by two small unnamed islands which constrained their shooting.  

The Japanese concentrated their fire on the Russian protected cruisers and TBDs which, less the ill-fated Bayan (AC), they comfortably overmatched.  The Japanese intent was to inflict sufficient damage on the enemy cruisers to shatter Russian morale before battleship Pobyeda could land a fatal blow on them.  

These tactics soon paid dividends with the cruiser Askold being crippled and falling out of the line to independently return to Port Arthur.  To draw fire away from their cruisers the Russian TBDs boldly advanced between the islands to launch a torpedo attack.  

Once again Russian tactical ineptitude was exposed and the Japanese armoured cruisers unleashed a deluge of fire on the TBDs forcing them to withdraw with four of the six vessels crippled.  

This clear display of Japanese superiority sapped the Russian will to fight and they fled, successfully evading their pursuers.  

Third Battle of Wei Hai Wei (14-May-1904): A = Askold.

Having thwarted every Russian attempt to seize the initiative and with the imminent completion of repairs to their battleships the Japanese had every reason to look forward to the future with confidence.

The Third and Final Part to Follow Soon.

Notes:

 

[1.] Actually, the result of an invalid order that required the mission to sail through an enemy controlled sea area to get to its destination (not allowed by the campaign rules).

 

[2.] The dice.