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Post by konstantinua00 on Jun 9, 2017 14:14:17 GMT -6
heh
happy new year?
let's hope those CA will show germans how deep the ocean is
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Post by cv10 on Jun 9, 2017 22:49:35 GMT -6
Turn 12:5th January, 1915:Operation
This will be a very brief post. My cruisers and destroyers left Scapa Flow and proceeded to their objective point in good order. Room 40 reported several contacts throughout the operation along the edge of the German minefield, and after reaching their objective, my ships swept the edges looking for these contacts. We found only a minesweeper, which was duly sunk. After this, my fleet returned to Scapa Flow, as time for the operation had started to run low. We managed to make it home before time elapsed, and just after dawn, so none of our ships ran aground. One of my computer controlled auxiliary vessels (either an AMC or a trawler-minesweeper) hit a mine and was sunk. As it turns out (using the post-op tracker tool), the Germans had sent out 3 armored cruisers, but these had stayed around Helgoland, well inside the German minefield.
This post has no pictures, as the two that I took would not have added anything to the preceding report. I regret not taking a picture of the ship-tracker, as that might have been useful. In short, this operation produced a goose-egg not due to the failure of our intelligence or a error in choice of navigation, but due to the refusal of the Germans to come out and fight. While I did not look to see the quality of the 3 Armored Cruisers, I only had one more than they did. It would have been a relatively even match. This does illustrate one of the frustrations that the British had with the Germans, as the Germans were content to operate under feet-in-being doctrine.
However there is good news. Due to the recent training, most of my BBs are now at level 2, and it seems the Germans are coming over next turn to cause some mischief on the East Coast. More on this later, but I intend to beat the daylights out of them!
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Post by cv10 on Jun 9, 2017 22:52:18 GMT -6
heh happy new year? let's hope those CA will show germans how deep the ocean is Thank you for the sentiment! They refused to give me the opportunity this turn. Rather a shame really as it would have been a relatively even battle. However for the net turn, it seems they're up to something, and I might give them the chance to enjoy a scenic tour of the British sea floor! |
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Post by cv10 on Jun 10, 2017 17:44:31 GMT -6
Turn 13: 19 January, 1915: Planning The Germans are coming! The Germans are Coming! It seems the Germans are planning some sort of operation on the East Coast. There is no information regarding what operation it is. It could be a simple mining mission, a cruiser sweep, or a raid by the High Seas Fleet. There are 2 German battleships that went into the yard for repair or refit, so I think a sortie would be unlikely. However, they do have enough ops points for such a sortie, so I do have to consider the possibility.  Given the uncertain nature of the German operation, I am adopting a deployment that should enable me to be flexible in dealing with the Germans. I am sending out the the 1st and 2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons along with a hefty destroyer screen. My use of specific squadron names may have indicated it, HMS Indomitable is now the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron (Her crew is in bad need of training, so she stays in). This force will give us a powerful scouting force that can handle just about anything short of the High Seas Fleet. In the meantime, the Grand Fleet will remain on ready alert to sortie within 3 hours of being given the order. There is good news on this front. 12 of our 19 dreadnoughts are at crew quality 2, 5 are at 1, and 2 are at 0. In the meantime, our submarines have been deployed along the approaches to the East Coast. We have 11 subs out, so hopefully they'll see something. In addition to the Battlecruisers, I'm also sending out some light cruisers from Harwich to keep an eye on the Southeastern Coast, as the Battlecruiser will have to come down from Scotland. For all intensive purposes, they are expendable, though I would prefer not to lose them! |
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Post by klavohunter on Jun 10, 2017 20:15:58 GMT -6
For all intensive purposes, they are expendable, though I would prefer not to lose them! Intents and purposes. |
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Post by cv10 on Jun 11, 2017 10:53:45 GMT -6
Turn 13: 19th January, 1915: Operation The various units all sailed out in good order and began to sweep up and down a line slightly to the East of my Submarine line. My intention was that my ships should be the picket line, while my subs could provide a second line that could alert me if the enemy slipped past my ships. In the meantime, the fellows in Room 40 began to report in. Armed with this knowledge, my cruisers of the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla formed a search line. However we found nothing during the day, Room 40 had no further reports, and our submarines spotted nothing. During the night, our cruisers got rather separated, and HMS Galatea got separated, and the sailed North while the fleet sailed south. While this seemed annoying at the time, it ended up being rather fortuitous, as she located the Germans.
 As it turns out, the Germans had sent out a group of light cruisers and destroyers. No capital ships were spotted, so I decided against activating the Grand Fleet, as if the HSF had been sent out, likely as not, my cruisers would have spotted it. In the meantime, the rest of the cruisers and my battlecruisers began to close in on HMS Galatea. I was rather lucky in that my battlecruisers were to the south and slightly east of the Germans, and in a good position to cut off the German retreat.
 My battlecruisers were able to engage the German cruisers. The battle was rather one-sided, as my battlecruisers really tore into the German cruisers. However the Germans were able to torpedo both HMS Lion and HMS Tiger. HMS Tiger was hit first, but her captain dropped his speed immediately and made for home. Her crew was able to contain the flooding, and her bulkheads held. HMS Lion was also torpedoed, but she suffered less flooding damage and was able to maintain her place in the line-of-battle. By the time she was hit, the Germans were already badly damaged, so I was able to reduce speed to 8 knots and still ensure that none of the German cruisers would limp home. Both ships made it home, and will be right as rain after some yard time. Here's the post-op force tracker  The Admiralty was pleased as punch with the operation. This was the first engagement of the war between proper German and proper British warships (not battlecruisers vs minesweepers or patrol craft) where German warships were sunk without sinking any of my ships. That alone is enough of a reason to celebrate. Post-op intel gained from the German ships as they were sinking (we rescued the German crews). It turned out that the Germans were on a minelaying mission, and based on the intelligence we acquired the location of the minefield that they
laid. It was on the approaches to the Firth of Forth, and might have been dicey for our battlecruisers if it had gone undetected.
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Post by Airy W on Jun 11, 2017 16:24:01 GMT -6
An anti-climax to be sure but a welcome one!
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Post by cv10 on Jun 11, 2017 16:35:15 GMT -6
An anti-climax to be sure but a welcome one! At this point, I'll take it! |
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Post by vonfriedman on Jun 12, 2017 8:13:05 GMT -6
Splice the mainbrace, Admiral Beatty!
To give an idea of the variety of situations while playing a SAI campaign, I am briefly reporting about my First Turn (August 4th 1914) as British Admiral.
I had to sail with at least 4 BBs to a point near Dogger Bank. Since I had just 200 OPs, I was able to put to sea with seven of may best BBs (four King Georges and three Orions) plus a handful of destroyers and three CLs, led by the redoutable Commodore Goodenough. In the meantime a minelayer was steaming towards the German coast. The remaining OPs went to train my BCs.
The German were at sea with almost the entire Hochseeflotte, which my BBs unexpectedly met at daybreak. A short exchange of gunfire followed, and we were fortunate enough to escape North, after having inflicted some damage to three German BBs. Orion suffered medium damage and its maximum speed was reducet to 15 knots. This caused us serious concern, in case the Germans decide to chase our retreating ships.
Our fears were out of place, since Commodore Goodenough was able, after much efforts, to determine the course of the German fleet.
It was retrating toward their bases. So we were able, at night, to reverse course with 4 BBs and fulfill both our missions, before finally returning home.
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Post by cv10 on Jun 12, 2017 8:55:53 GMT -6
Splice the mainbrace, Admiral Beatty! To give an idea of the variety of situations while playing a SAI campaign, I am briefly reporting about my First Turn (August 4th 1914) as British Admiral. I had to sail with at least 4 BBs to a point near Dogger Bank. Since I had just 200 OPs, I was able to put to sea with seven of may best BBs (four King Georges and three Orions) plus a handful of destroyers and three CLs, led by the redoutable Commodore Goodenough. In the meantime a minelayer was steaming towards the German coast. The remaining OPs went to train my BCs. The German were at sea with almost the entire Hochseeflotte, which my BBs unexpectedly met at daybreak. A short exchange of gunfire followed, and we were fortunate enough to escape North, after having inflicted some damage to three German BBs. Orion suffered medium damage and its maximum speed was reducet to 15 knots. This caused us serious concern, in case the Germans decide to chase our retreating ships. Our fears were out of place, since Commodore Goodenough was able, after much efforts, to determine the course of the German fleet. It was retrating toward their bases. So we were able, at night, to reverse course with 4 BBs and fulfill both our missions, before finally returning home. The first turn can be one of the hardest as ops points are so limited and (for the British) crew quality is nothing to jump for joy about. I'd hate to have a required battleship sortie because you either risk losing a bunch of them if you go out, or losing a bunch of VP because you failed to carry out Admiralty orders. Glad to hear that you were able to extricate your force without loss. Curse those Blimps at the Admiralty for requiring such a mission! |
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Post by cv10 on Jun 12, 2017 8:58:06 GMT -6
Splice the mainbrace, Admiral Beatty! Aye aye! I don't want to blow up the importance of the last op (sinking a few light cruisers hardly alters the balance of power), but it was nice to finally see "major British victory"! |
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Post by vonfriedman on Jun 13, 2017 7:11:10 GMT -6
Glad to hear that you were able to extricate your force without loss I suppose the German must act cautiously by default, whatever the tactical situation. It was in fact easy for the British to break the contact . This could indicate a minor defect in the game engine. |
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Post by fredsanford on Jun 13, 2017 20:03:38 GMT -6
Glad to hear that you were able to extricate your force without loss I suppose the German must act cautiously by default, whatever the tactical situation. It was in fact easy for the British to break the contact . This could indicate a minor defect in the game engine. That is actually by design, to replicate the Kaiser's reluctance to risk *his* ships. It can be edited away, in pretty much the same manner as 'cautious' property in RTW can be modded out. |
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Post by vonfriedman on Jun 14, 2017 4:29:26 GMT -6
In my view, in the case of the German, AI should automatically change from cautious to normal or even aggressive and vice versa according to the overall tactical situation. For them, the reluctance to give up caution should be greater than, say, the British.
I admit to know little about the game engine.
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Post by cv10 on Jun 20, 2017 17:30:23 GMT -6
Turn 14: 2nd February, 1915: Planning This turn will be yet another mining mission. With the action from the last turn, two first class battlecruisers are under repair, and the remaining three are going to be training. Once the 2nd and 3rd Battlecruiser Squadrons are filled out, they'll be considered for operation independent of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. In the meantime, the Grand Fleet is continuing to train, and I have high hopes that it will be ready for action. In all honesty, it probably is, I'd just like to get my better dreadnoughts up to a higher crew level before action.
In the meantime, HMS Princess Irene and HMS Princess Margaret will lay minefield at Oyster Ground. They will sail from Grimsby covered by the armored cruisers of the 2nd Cruiser Squadron. The escorting cruisers are all armed with 9 inch guns, and can take on anything short of a battlecruiser or dreadnought.
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