25 February 2018

Round 5, Game 1: Lockwood vs. Brophy

Allies: Jonathan Lockwood (Bid: 2.0 POC)

Axis: Mike Brophy

 

Report by Jonathan Lockwood

TURN 1

 

Allied deployment:

  • Barents: Ark Royal, Hood, Renown (SR), Repulse (SR), 7 1-1-7s (minus Norfolk) (both make speed roll)
  • North Sea: Glorious, Courageous, Ramillies, Resolution, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign, Norfolk
  • NATL: Rodney, Nelson, Queen Liz, Revenge
  • SATL: Eagle, Barham, Warspite, Malaya, Valiant

Axis response:

  • Baltic: Adm Scheer and 3 U-boats
  • Barents: LBA
  • SATL: Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Adm Hipper, Blucher, Lutzow, Graf Spee (Lutzow fails to neutral port), 4 Italian cruisers
  • Italy: Conti di Cavour, Caio Diulio
  • Med: Littorio, Vittorio Veneto, Andrea Doria, Giulio Cesare 

RESULTS: Allied airstrike in the SATL sinks the Graf Spee before surface combat, while Axis LBA sinks the Hood n the Barents.  After 4 rounds of surface combat in the SATL, the Axis take control with the loss of the Pola, but all German ships are in the neutral port, with 3 points damage to Scharnhorst, 2 points to Gneisenau, and 2 points to Adm Hipper.  Allies suffered loss of Barham, with Malaya taking 4 points of damage before being disabled to neutral port.  Warspite, Valiant, and Eagle are disabled with no damage.

 

Axis gains 3 POC to take a 3 POC cumulative lead (5 POC with handicap applied).

 

TURN 2

 

Allied deployment:

  • Barents:  Ark Royal, 8 1-1-7s
  • North Sea:  Glorious, Courageous, 5 4-4-3s
  • NATL:  Formidable, KGV, POW, Repulse, Renown, Queen Liz
  • SATL:  Eagle, Warspite, Valiant, Malaya (-4), Rodney, Nelson

Axis response:

  • Barents: LBA
  • Baltic: German fleet and 3 U-boats
  • Italy: Zara, Pola
  • Med: Remainder of Italian fleet

RESULTS: Allied LBA hits Andrea Doria for 2 points damage, while Allied ASW in the SATL sinks 3 U-boats and disables the fourth, enabling Allies to control the area if combat is successful.  Eagle’s airstrike disables the Lutzow to the neutral port before surface combat.  After one round of surface combat, Blucher is sunk, Italian cruisers withdraw to France, while remaining German ships are disabled to neutral port, Rodney takes 3 points damage and is disabled to neutral port along with Nelson, while Warspite and Valiant take 1 point damage each.  Allies control the SATL to trap the German fleet in the neutral port and the 3 Italian cruisers in France.

 

Allies gain 1 POC to trim the Axis lead to 2 POC (4 POC with handicap applied).

 

TURN 3

 

Allied deployment (Marat activates):

  • Baltic:  Marat
  • Barents:  Ark Royal, Renown, Repulse, DOY, 8 1-1-7s (all make speed rolls)
  • North Sea:  Glorious, Courageous, 5 4-4-3s, Queen Liz
  • NATL:  Convoy 1A, Formidable, Victorious
  • SATL:  Eagle, Rodney (-3), Nelson, Malaya (-1), Valiant (-1), KGV, POW
  • England:  Malaya repairs all damage

Axis response:

  • Baltic: 2 U-boats
  • Barents: Bismarck, Tirpitz, Adm Scheer, Prinz Eugen, LBA
  • SATL: Scharnhorst (-3), Gneisenau (-2), Adm Hipper (-2), Lutzow, Zara, Fiume, Gorizia
  • Italy: Conti di Cavour, Caio Diulio
  • Med: Littorio, Vittorio Veneto, Andrea Doria (-2), Giulio Cesare 

RESULTS:  Allied LBA sinks the Giulio Cesare and hits the Littorio for 5 points damage.  Eagle airstrike in SATL disables Adm Hipper (-2) before surface combat. U-boats disable Marat back to Leningrad.  In SATL surface combat, Gorizia, Lutzow, and Gneisenau are sunk in the first round, while Zara and Fiume are disabled, leaving only Scharnhorst (-3) for Round 2. (Eagle did not fire because it was screened by six surface ships).  Axis return fire disabled Warspite and Valiant, while putting 3 points damage on KGV and 2 points on POW, leaving it as the only ship able to pursue the Scharnhorst (-3).  POW sinks the Scharnhorst in the pursuit and suffers no further damage.  In the Barents, Allied airstrikes have no effect, while Axis LBA sinks the DOY before surface combat and hits the Repulse for 2 points.  In ensuing surface combat,  The initial British  volley disables all four German ships back to Germany, putting 3 points of damage on the Tirpitz in the process. Axis return fire sinks the Repulse, while putting 1 point of damage each on the Renown, Norfolk, and Dorsetshire. 

 

Allies gain 1 POC to further trim the Axis lead to 1 POC (3 POC with handicap applied).

 

TURN 4

 

Allied deployment (Marat, Okt Rev, and Texas activate):

  • Baltic: Marat, Okt Rev
  • Barents: Convoy 1A, Ark Royal, Formidable, Renown (-1), Anson (makes speed roll), Norfolk (-1), Devonshire (-1), Dorsetshire, Sussex, Kent, Cumberland, Exeter, Suffolk
  • North Sea: Glorious, Courageous, 5 4-4-3s, Queen Liz
  • NATL: Convoy 2B, Victorious, Texas
  • SATL: Eagle, Nelson, Malaya, Valiant (-1), Warspite (-1)
  • England: KGV, POW, and Rodney repair all damage

Axis response:

  • Baltic: Bismarck, Tirpitz (-3), Graf Zeppelin
  • Germany: Prinz Eugen, Adm Scheer
  • Barents: LBA
  • NATL: 4 U-boats
  • SATL: Adm Hipper (-2), Zara, Fiume
  • Italy: Littorio repairs to 1 damage
  • Med: Vittorio Veneto, Andrea Doria (-2), Conti di Cavour, Caio Diulio

RESULTS: Allied LBA whiffs in Germany. Axis LBA misses Convoy 1A, which puts in at Murmansk for 3 POC, but sinks the Ark Royal. Allied ASW sinks 1 U-boat and disables a second, leaving 2 U-boats to break control and return fire on Convoy 2B, disabling it back to the US. Baltic combat is exceptionally violent, with Marat hitting Bismarck twice for 8 points damage, while Okt Rev disables Tirpitz back to Germany with an additional point of damage (now -4). Axis return fire sinks the Marat, but puts only 1 point of damage on the Okt Rev to add to the 1 point that Graf Zepp inflicted in its airstrike before surface combat. In the second round in the Baltic, Bismarck sinks the Okt Rev (-2), but not before Okt Rev hits Bismarck for 1 point (now a 1-0-1 with 9 points damage!) and disables it back to Germany, leaving only the Graf Zeppelin to control the Baltic. In the SATL, first British volley sinks the Adm Hipper (-2), but misses the Zara and Fiume, enabling them to escape back to France. Axis return fire disables the Warspite (-1) to the neutral port.


Allies gain 3 POC to take a cumulative lead of 2 POC (0 POC with handicap applied).

 

TURN 5

 

Allied deployment (Augusta activates):

  • Barents: Formidable, Victorious, Renown (-1), Anson, KGV (SR), POW (SR), Howe (SR), Norfolk (-1), Devonshire (-1), Suffolk, Sussex, Kent (all make speed rolls)
  • North Sea: Illustrious, Glorious, Courageous, 5 4-4-3s, Queen Liz
  • NATL: Convoy 2B, Eagle, Texas, Augusta, Cumberland, Dorsetshire, Exeter
  • SATL: Nelson, Rodney, Malaya, Valiant (-1), Warspite (-1)

Axis response:

  • Baltic: Adm Scheer, Prinz Eugen, Graf Zeppelin
  • Germany: Tirpitz repairs all damage, Bismarck repairs to 5 damage
  • Barents: LBA
  • France: Fiume, Zara
  • SATL: 5 U-boats
  • Italy: Littorio repairs all damage
  • Med: Vittorio Veneto, Conti di Cavour, Caio Diulio, Andrea Doria (-2)

RESULTS: Allied LBA has perfect bombing run, sinking the Bismarck in port with 6 points additional damage, while putting 3 points of damage on the newly repaired Tirpitz. Allied ASW whiffs in the SATL, and U-boat return fire sinks the Malaya, cripples the Warspite (now -4), and puts 1 point of damage on the Rodney (-1). U-boats break control in the SATL to open an escape route for the Zara and Fiume from France on Turn 6. Axis LBA sinks the Formidable. Convoy 2B continues into the Barents for Turn 6.


Turn 5 ends in a POC push with the Allies maintaining a cumulative lead of 2 POC (0 POC with handicap applied).

 

TURN 6

 

Allied deployment (Washington, Texas, Wichita, Augusta activate):

  • Barents: Convoy 2B, Victorious, Renown (-1), KGV, POW, Howe, Anson, Norfolk (-1), Devonshire (-1), Suffolk, Sussex, Kent
  • North Sea: Glorious, Courageous, Illustrious, 5 4-4-3s, Warspite (-4), Dorsetshire, Exeter
  • NATL: Convoy 3C, Eagle, Texas, Augusta, Wichita, Tuscaloosa, Cumberland
  • SATL: Queen Liz, Valiant (-1), Rodney (-1), Nelson

Axis response:

  • Baltic: Adm Scheer, Prinz Eugen, Graf Zeppelin
  • Germany: Tirpitz repairs all damage
  • Barents: LBA
  • North Sea: 7 U-boats
  • Med: Remainder of Italian fleet (including Fiume and Zara)

RESULTS: Allied LBA in Med disables the Fiume. Allied ASW sinks 3 U-boat wolf packs, and disables 3 more, leaving 1 to break control of the North Sea. U-boat return fire misses the Illustrious. Axis LBA disables the Victorious, but misses Convoy 2B, enabling it to put in at Murmansk for another 3 POC.


Allies gain 3 POC to increase their cumulative lead to 5 POC (3 POC lead with handicap applied).

 

TURN 7

 

Allied deployment (Washington and New York activate to complete US fleet):

  • Barents: Convoy 3C, Victorious, Renown (-1), KGV, POW, Howe, Anson, Norfolk (-1), Devonshire (-1)
  • North Sea: Glorious, Courageous, 5 4-4-3s, Suffolk, Sussex, Kent
  • NATL: Eagle, 6 US ships, Warspite (-4)
  • SATL: Illustrious, Rodney (-1), Nelson, Valiant (-1), Queen Liz, Cumberland, Dorsetshire, Exeter

Axis response:

  • Baltic: Adm Scheer
  • Barents: LBA
  • SATL: 5 U-boats, Tirpitz (makes speed roll), Prinz Eugen, Graf Zeppelin, Fiume, Zara
  • Med: Remainder of Italian fleet

RESULTS: Allied LBA whiffs in Med. Allied ASW sinks 3 U-boats and disables the remaining 2 U-boats to neutralize the U-boat threat and enable Illustrious to launch an airstrike that disables the Prinz Eugen to the neutral port. Axis LBA sinks the Victorious, but misses Convoy 3C, which puts in at Murmansk for an additional 3 POC.

 

Axis conceded before surface combat in the SATL commenced, increasing the final Allied gain to 4 POC and a cumulative lead of 10 POC (8 POC with handicap applied).

 

FINAL ALLIED COMMENTS: The decisive turning point of this game was Turn 2, when the Allies deployed in a balanced setup designed to give the Axis no good choices for its fleet from the SATL. When the Axis came out in the SATL and the Allied ASW sank 3 U-boats and disabled the fourth, the Allies were able to trap the majority of the Axis fleet in the neutral port when they took control of the area. After that, it was simply a matter of time before the Axis fleet was reduced over a series of 3 subsequent turns, with the two remaining Italian cruisers managing to escape to France on Turn 4. The performance of the Russian fleet on Turn 4 also figured significantly in the outcome, when Marat hit Bismarck for 8 points damage, Okt Rev hit Tirpitz for 4 points and disabled it back to Germany, then hit Bismarck for an additional point of damage before being sunk. This set up the Bismarck and Tirpitz for LBA attacks on Turn 5, when Allied LBA sank the partially repaired Bismarck in port and hit the newly repaired Tirpitz for 3 points. This would make a significant difference in the ability of the Axis to exploit its breakout to the SATL on Turn 7.

FINAL GAME RESULT: Allied victory - end of Turn 7 (Allied lead of 8.0 POC after the bid of 2.0)

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