OT- CV10's AARs

[cv10]

Aug 30, 2017 14:16:13 GMT -6 Airy W said:

Aug 28, 2017 13:46:16 GMT -6 rimbecano said:

by continuing with their pre-treaty building plans

That would have been very expensive.

You hit the nail right on the head...poor nail, now it will turn purple and/or fall off.

The U.S and Japanese Navies were both opposed to the idea of giving up their planned fleet expansions (I can't speak to the Royal Navy), and the decision made to sign up for these plans came from civilian politicians who were tired of increasingly large military appropriations. In Japan, the government had been feeling the strain of trying to pay for its armed forces for a while, and to an extent the treaty was a godsend for Japanese politicians as it gave them a semi-face saving way of ending a ruinous naval expansion. In the United States, the key thing is that during the 1920s, many politicians who favored naval disarmament (all 3 presidents supported it to an extent, although ironically Coolidge and Hoover both became convinced that the Navy needed to be built up) tended to do so because it was a cheaper alternative to building a massive fleet (Congress did not really like to spend money). 

The British were in a middle ground between the two: Parliament, which had just endured the cost of World War I which left HM's Exchequer in debt, did not really relish the idea of spending money (borrowing a great deal of it in all likelihood) to fund yet another new fleet.

[cv10]

Some Final Thoughts

     Since it's been a while since this AAR concluded, I've had some time to think about this (first time) experience. I'd just like to share some final thoughts:

I. Doing an AAR is a great way of getting better at a game: I've gotten much better at SAI over the course of this AAR. Old hands like fredsanford and skwabie were able to give me a lot of useful advice. In particular, I learned how to order flotilla attacks, organize my destroyers so they better screened my battle-line, and got some great advice on fleet organization. I think the proof is in the pudding, as at the first battles of the war had such mixed results (and it was only the reinforcements to come that made them not be defeats), while the lat two major battles of the war were pretty clear cut British victories.

II:Playing at a slower pace to write an AAR can be an adjustment: probably the hardest thing for me about writing this AAR was that it slowed the pace of my playing down because I'd plan each turn, then write about it and post it, than play it, than write up the combat report and post it. In addition, my desktop's connection to internet during this period was not very good, and as such, I often had to jump through several hoops to get pictures uploaded to imgur. Adjusting to this can be a bit difficult, and I think when you look at the last few posts before the AAR ended (no pictures and one after the other in pretty quick succession) that my straining to not rush through each turn kinda shows.

III. There's more than one way to do an AAR: So I tried a narrative AAR with China, and it did not work for me. However the way I did this AAR seemed to work (perhaps I'm not very creative). The one thing I'll say about something I'd do differently if I did another AAR is I would not post every turn. While this was a showcase and I did not want anyone reading to think that every turn had a fleet action, blogging about minelaying op after minelaying op can seem a bit dull (to both writer and reader). However in the end it all worked out!

IV. The biggest change is not being able to design your own ships: so obviously one of the big differences between RTW and SAI is the fact that you get to build your fleet in RTW. It takes some adjustment to fighting using ships that you have no input in building. For instance, I hate the fact that as the British, my dreadnoughts (at least the earlier ones) had less armor and torpedo protection than the Germans do. In RTW, I never build a dreadnought with anything less than a 12 inch belt, so having dreadnoughts with belts as light as 9 or 10 inches is a big adjustment. Ditto with the caliber of the German guns: I've only built battlecruisers with 11 inch guns when a treaty mandated it.

V. Doing this was really fun: I've enjoyed it, and I think that at some point, I might do another AAR with either RTW or SAI.

[garrisonchisholm]

I totally agree with point 4. Pace of play is... I mean, playing 18 months of game can take ... 4 minutes? If you design a class it can take 10- but then writing it up can take 90 minutes or more, 2 hours+ if you're attaching pics. Its a real down-shift to write an AAR and hard to get used to, though once the project catches hold it has its own native fire behind it.

I think you did quite well, and your reporting style of writing eminently suited your goal of introducing the game. Bravo.

[cv10]

    Admiral Sir Arthur Rowley gazed out of the fogged window of his office towards the anchorage of Scapa Flow. Scotland had always been a bit too cold and damp for his liking, and Lyness was bloody freezing. He’d always been more a sunbird himself. Malta, Egypt, and Australia had been some of his favorite postings. Newfoundland and the Terra Nova Expedition were memories he was decidedly less fond of. Still, his new position was enviable enough to make up for the bloody climate of the Orkneys.  

    His official title was Commander-In-Chief, North Sea. A good and short title, he reflected. It certainly wasn’t grandiose. Yet those five words gave him control over every last ship and man assigned to the Grand Fleet, Battle Cruiser Fleet, and Harwich Force. Not a bad billet, particularly after four years as Chairman of the Naval Rearmament Committee in Parliament, which was position where the incumbent made plenty of enemies.

     Rowley still remembered the day that he was summoned to meet with the First Lord and Admiral Jackson. “Bloody Balfour” had been a decent enough choice to replace Churchill, though Rowley had appreciated Churchill’s support for new innovations that some of the more fossilized Admirals had opposed. The summons had been rather unexpected, as Rowley knew that his advocacy for preparedness had won him few friends in a Parliament that had grown tired of increasing Naval Estimates.

    Balfour had been direct: the nation was unhappy with the war at sea. The German Fleet’s raids on the East Coast had terrorized coastal communities, and the continued existence of the enemy fleet as the failure of the Service. The disaster of the Dardanelles had done little for the glory of the Navy, nor had the failed pursuit of the Goeben and the Breslau. With precious few bright spots such as Helgoland Bight and the Falklands, the last 18 months had not gone well at all. As a clean sweep had already ousted Churchill and Fisher, the Government had decided to appoint a unified commander for the fighting forces in the North Sea, ostensibly to successfully bring the German fleet to battle.

    It was utter claptrap in Rowley’s opinion. The charge was deeply unfair to the Navy in his opinion. After all, the blockade was being maintained, and if the German Fleet still existed, it could no more escape the North Sea than the Royal Navy could steam into Wilhelmshaven. Furthermore, any public discontent with the failure of the Navy to repeat Trafalgar was just downright silly: a battle, however glorious, that had taken place in the Age of Sail was hardly comparable to modern battle. Ignoring that, Rowley seriously doubted if the dreadnoughts of the Grand Fleet could carry enough ammunition to destroy the Germans in a single battle.

    By God, he thought, at least I managed to prevent them from sacking Jellicoe, Beatty, or Tyrwhitt. Not, by any stretch, did this mean that he was leaving them to their own devices. He’d already had some strong words with Beatty over training standards, as the Battle Cruiser Fleet were appallingly trained, and could not hit the White Cliffs of Dover let alone a German cruiser in the wild waters of the North Sea. He also insisted that Beatty replace his signal officer, Ralph Seymour, with a more competent officer. Dealing with Jellicoe and Tyrwhitt had not involved nearly as much acrimony, in part because neither had made as many mistakes.

    Rowley’s mind drifted from his own command to the other fellow sitting in his office in Wilhelmshaven. Intelligence sources had reported that the Reinhard Scheer was now commanding the High Seas Fleet, and Hugo von Pohl had become seriously ill. Unlike Rowley, who had been ashore, Scheer had commanded two of the High Seas Fleet’s battle squadrons. His own appointment must have driven the German intelligence service to fits. Rowley knew that he was of a less known quality than his opposition number. After all, a man who commanded two battle squadrons had to know his business.

    Rowley moved from the window to the map of the North Sea that took up most of a wall. It marked the defensive minefields of the East Coast, the no-go area of the Helgoland Bight, and all of the geographical features of the North Sea from Oyster Ground to Horn Reef. Within its confines, Rowley and Scheer and their respective navies would square off like gladiators of old. To the victor would go the glory, while the loser would be thrown on the beach, if they were not providing fish and lobster with dinner. Yes, Rowley thought, the North Sea was about to become an Arena of Steel.

[garrisonchisholm]

Ooooh! *pours a drink and kicks back to enjoy*

[randomizer]

At last, the Internet provides something to look forward to for 2018. Your last campaign AAR was awesome and this is a most welcome development; thanks in advance.

[cv10]

Thanks to both of you for your kind comments! I hope that this AAR shall be as entertaining as the last one!

[cv10]

    The stewards cleared away the last of an excellent repast. A snap inspection had delayed Sunday Roast to Monday, and Rowley had attacked his roast beef and Yorkshire puddings with gusto. Vice-Admiral Gilbert Sands, his chief of staff, Commodore Osborne, his submarine commodore, and Captain Jones, his NID liaison, had joined him, and it was not long before the four of them were smoking their post-meal cigars. Naval dinners made Rowley self-conscious, as he was no great conversationalist. However, he’d started off with a favorite tale about a drunken sailor who was made to scrub the deck of sunshine (that had kept him busy for a day). That got picked up, and a reasonably lively conversation had lasted through dinner. Rowley checked his watch.

    “It’s two bells in the afternoon watch,” he remarked. “Well gentlemen, I thank you for joining me in this excellent meal. Since everything is cleared away, let us return to the business of the war. Admiral Sands, if you would be so kind,”

    “Aye sir,” Sands said, as he stood and walked up to the blackboard that was took up a wall opposite the map of the North Sea. “Admiral Jellicoe has ordered an extensive reorganization of the Grand Fleet’s battle squadrons. Before, some of our squadrons were more heterogeneous than others. The Orions and the Queen Elizabeths were in separate squadrons with their sister ships, but for the most part, where heavily intermixed. Admiral Jellicoe has organized them along the following lines,” As Rowley finished, Sands began to write on the blackboard.



    “As you can see, each squadron is generally comprised of ships of the same class. In certain cases where that is not possible, speed and gun caliber have been the determining factors. At Admiral Jellicoe’s request, the 5th Battle Squadron and its Queen Elizabeth-Class battleships were transferred back to Grand Fleet and transferred to the 1/1st Battle Squadron. Each successive battle squadron is made of next most powerful-class, so the 2/1st Battle Squadron is made up of the Iron Dukes, the 1/2nd is made up of the King George Vs and so on. Admiral Jellicoe notes that he thinks this will ensure that our heaviest guns and thickest armor will be in the lead. Once the R-Class Battleships start to arrive, they will be put in the 2/1st and every battle squadron will simply be bumped up a number.”

    “Thank you for your report on the Grand Fleet, Admiral” Rowley said. “What’s the status with the battlecruisers?”

     “A bit more simple sir,” Sands said. “Admiral Beatty has placed Tiger and the Lion-Class in the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron. Leopard will be arriving shortly,”

    Rowley allowed himself a smile: he’d pushed hard for Leopard, and he hoped her arrival would help smooth things over with Beatty. He also knew that more ships he’d pushed for would soon be arriving: Eagle, Resistance, and faster and expanded construction of the R-Class. He even had a last ace up his sleeve.

     “The 2nd and the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadrons are made up of the Indefatigable-Class and the Invincible-Class, however Admiral Beatty has indicated that he would rather they not see action unless against enemy light forces. He said that with only six inches of armor for their belts and 2 inches of at the deck, any German capital ship would make quick work of them,”

    “A sensible suggestion,” Rowley remarked. He was sure that his staff knew of his antipathy for Beatty, but it was best to try to show respect for him in front of others. After all, sniping at subordinates behind their backs would do no good, and if Beatty helped crush the Germans, he’d been entitled to his share of the credit.

    “Sir, have you had any word from the Foreign Office about our query?” Sands asked.

    “Yes,” Rowley said. “Ever since the war began, we’ve been readily asking some of our more nautically-inclined allies to provide more aid. Now, the French and the Italians are doing a good job keeping the Turks and the Austrians contained down in the Mediterranean and Adriatic. The Russians are pretty well confined to the Baltic and the Black Sea, so they can’t do too much more. Yet our next biggest naval ally, Japan, aside from seizing colonies, has done relatively little. However, the Foreign Secretary has informed the Admiralty that Japan has decided to send it’s four Kongo-Class battlecruisers to reinforce Beatty. This has come at the expense of some political capital, so we’ll just have to crush the Germans hard enough to justify it!”

    As Rowley finished, his Yeoman, Simon, entered.

    “I’m sorry for interrupting sir,” Simon said. “A communication has just be received from the Admiralty for you and Captain Jones,”

    Rowley frowned slightly: a signal for him and Jones generally meant the Germans were up to something and the boys in Room 40 had gotten word. Rowley waved Simon over to him, and he took the note. He read it, and then handed it to Captain Jones.
    
    “Thank you Simon,” Rowley said. “You may go,”

    Simon left, and Jones, having finished reading the note, handed it black to Rowley.

    “Well Captain,” Rowley said, “What do you make of it,”

    “It’s wonderfully vague sir,” Jones answered. “All it says is German operation detected. Will advise if enemy target is located,”

    “I’m happy we’re getting intelligence reports, but this isn’t really useful,”

    Rowley said. “Particularly as the Battlecruisers and the Grand Fleet need further training before they’ll be read for action,”

    “Besides sir,” Sands added. “We still need to replenish our ammunition and fuel stocks. Right now, I don’t think we could sortie the full battle-force, and we don’t want to engage the High Seas Fleet with only a part of the battle-force,”

    Rowley thought this over. He had no intention of deploying the Grand Fleet or the Battlecruisers, particularly due to the lack of information and the overriding need for their crews to work up. If this were a full sortie of the High Seas Fleet, refusing to offer battle would not seriously change anything. However, if it was a mining operation or a coastal raid, light forces could interdict it

    “What’s the status of the Harwich Force?” Rowley asked.
    
    “In his last report, Admiral Tyrwhitt indicated that they were ready for action,”

    Yes, Rowley thought. The capital ships might have to sit this action out, but the Harwich Force could certainly have a crack at the Germans. Indeed, the fast destroyers and light cruisers that Tyrwhitt had would be perfect for such an attack. Besides, Tyrwhitt himself was a steady and resourceful officer: he’d take risks, but not foolish ones.

    “Admiral Sands, please inform Admiral Tyrwhitt that he is to sortie the Harwich Force to preempt whatever the Germans are up to. Throw in a bit about being ‘sensible’ in terms of taking risks, he’ll known what I mean,” Rowley said.

    “Aye Sir,” Sands said, leaving to send out the order.

Commodore Osborne made a polite cough to get Rowley’s attention. Rowley knew what he was going to ask, and answered him before he could.

“I’m not going to send out any submarines just yet Jack,” Rowley said. “If I had the Grand Fleet on ready-alert, or was sending out capital ships, I might. Right now, I want to preserve as much of your submarine squadron as I can,”

    “Aye Sir,” Osborne said.

    Osborne’s company was slightly unsettling in silent situations. He had a very pale complexion and tended to keep to himself, though at meals he tended to be more conversant. Osborne had commanded a submarine in the opening days of the war, and had been able to torpedo a German cruiser and sank a minelayer that was laying a field near Aberdeen. Yet his submarine was lost in a freak accident: a merchantman had accidentally rammed it while it was in transit at night, and Osborne was the only survivor. A captain who lost his ship had it bad enough, and Rowley could not contemplate how a captain must feel when his entire crew is lost while he lives on. Still, Osborne knew submarine ops, and was darned good at his job, so he stayed.

    Sands came back in and reported. “Harwich Force acknowledged receipt of our orders, and will proceed with 3 light cruiser squadrons and the 10th Destroyer Flotilla,”

    Rowley lit up his pipe. There would be nothing to do but wait.

[fredsanford]

Glad to see this in action. You've dug quite a VP hole to climb out of, but the Germans have some similar choices that may offset some of the cost. That can be guesstimated by checking how bit the discrepancy between the VP cost you paid and what's actually registered. The actual score reflects the net VP change.

There's more of these choices every 6 months or so.

[director]

This is really excellent work - it reads in a very believable fashion. And the Admiral is quite correct - maintenance of the blockade is expensive, but paramount. Defeating the Germans in battle is useful only to the degree that it crimps their operational freedom.

On your point 4 above, I'd say that I have found more success in writing only about the parts that interest me, or about things that seriously affect gameplay and/or my decisions. I've written one AAR that included all the events for 400 years and I'll never, ever make that mistake again. Oddly, the soundtrack to my writing history is punctuated with, "Well, I'll never do THAT again!" There are, after all, so many NEW mistakes to be made... LOL.

[cv10]

Dec 30, 2017 21:48:15 GMT -6 fredsanford said:

Glad to see this in action. You've dug quite a VP hole to climb out of, but the Germans have some similar choices that may offset some of the cost. That can be guesstimated by checking how bit the discrepancy between the VP cost you paid and what's actually registered. The actual score reflects the net VP change.

There's more of these choices every 6 months or so.

The only thing I declined was the expedited construction of the Hawkins-Class Armored Cruisers. I don't really employ CAs that much, so I decided against getting them: I went for the big ships largely as a reaction to losing the dreadnoughts that I did in the last game. The Germans opted to incur about 360,000 VP points.

Looking forward to seeing what the next choice is! At this rate, the entire German navy might be at the bottom, and I'll still have lost the war!

[cv10]

Dec 30, 2017 23:10:19 GMT -6 director said:

This is really excellent work - it reads in a very believable fashion. And the Admiral is quite correct - maintenance of the blockade is expensive, but paramount. Defeating the Germans in battle is useful only to the degree that it crimps their operational freedom.

On your point 4 above, I'd say that I have found more success in writing only about the parts that interest me, or about things that seriously affect gameplay and/or my decisions. I've written one AAR that included all the events for 400 years and I'll never, ever make that mistake again. Oddly, the soundtrack to my writing history is punctuated with, "Well, I'll never do THAT again!" There are, after all, so many NEW mistakes to be made... LOL.

Thanks! I'm just a bit leery of doing narrative AARs (due to my China AAR collapsing), but I think that this one will be different.

I agree with your second paragraph: writing about those last two fleet actions in my last AAR was really fun (always nice to talk about a win! self-reflection is useful, but rarely fun!). One of the reasons that I preposed court-martialling the destroyer skipper who torpedoed one of my dreadnoughts was to add a little interesting narrative to it, as minelaying ops had gotten pretty old. 

A 400 year AAR: what were you playing? EU IV ?! Crusader Kings?! That takes dedication!

[cv10]

    To Commander-In-Chief North Sea:

    Pursuant to orders received from Commander-In-Chief North Sea, the Harwich Force sortied to preempt the intended German operation in the North Sea. The Harwich Force, comprised of the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Light Cruiser Squadrons in company with all three squadrons of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla sailed out of Harwich and proceeded into a point about halfway between Yarmouth and Texel.   

    Inferring that any enemy force would likely be out to raid one of our ports, I ordered the Force to proceed to the Northwest along the East Coast of England. It was as we made this course alteration that Room 40 reported two German armored cruisers well within the German Bight: given the great distance from us, I decided against investigating the report and remained on a patrol course for the East Coast.  

    As the morning of February 2nd approached, a report came via wireless from an armed trawler on patrol near Hartlepool and Whitby that he had made contact with enemy ships. Unfortunately, the trawler was unable to report specific information on them, and soon came under heavy fire and was sunk. Being relatively close to Hartlepool, the Harwich Force altered course to investigate. 

    Dawn came as we steamed closer to Hartlepool, and soon the town itself and its defensive battery reported heavy fire, purportedly from a German battlecruiser and battleship. Knowing that civilians under fire can exaggerate due to understandable fear, I decided to continue and make contact. At the very least, I felt that my force could prevent further attacks on civilians by drawing off the Germans.Shortly before noon, lookouts aboard the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron, which was acting as a scouting force, reported smoke on the horizon.

    Upon closer investigation, the German force was made up of six light cruisers with destroyers. The cruisers were a mix of the Magdeburg-Class, Pillau-Class, and Graudenz-Class. I ordered the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron to reform and follow in line behind the 3rd Light Cruiser Squadron.

    The 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron ended up steaming parallel to the German cruisers while the German destroyer force lagged a bit behind. Seeing an opportunity signaled the squadrons of the 10th Destroyer Flotilla to launch an attack wile the cruisers drew enemy fire.This tactic was successful, and a German destroyer and one Pillau-Class cruiser were torpedoed.

    The remainder of the German force broke off and fled North, with the 2nd and the 3rd in hot pursuit. Still within gun range, we exchanged heavy fire with the enemy, whose accuracy was decidedly better than our own. Every cruiser in the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron suffered damage, with HMS Southampton being particularly badly hit. However, our superior numbers and 6-inch guns proved too much for the Germans, and they attempted to escape by turning to the East and then heading past Whitby.Our forces continued to chase and exchange fire.

    At this stage, we were engaged wit the latter part of the German force, and having numerical superiority, we managed to damage a Magdeburg-Class cruiser t the point where she began to slow. Unfortunately, the German destroyer force attempted to force us to break off with a torpedo run. HMS Yarmouth was hit by a torpedo, and was detached. However, pursuit was maintained, and eventually we managed to corner the damaged Magdeburg-Class cruiser and sink it, along with another destroyer.

    At this stage of the action, HMS Southampton was detached due to damage taken to her hull. A short chase was made of the remained of the German force, but I made the decision to break off, having considered the sinking of 1/3 of the German cruiser force and two destroyers for no losses to be satisfactory. In addition, the German force did not appear to have expended all of its torpedoes (unlike Harwich Force), and I did not want to give the Germans the chance to undo in the night what the Harwich Force had done during the day. Harwich Force returned it is namesake base, and while returning, was rejoined by both HMS Yarmouth, which had contained its flooding to a degree that had not expected, and HMS Southampton. We returned to Harwich at dawn on the 3rd of February.

    I wish state my complete satisfaction with the behavior of my officers and men. In spite of great difficulty due to the accurate fire of the German gun crews, the Harwich Force managed to inflict sizable losses (a third of the enemy cruiser force) without losing a single ship. In particular, I would like to recognize HMS Yarmouth, whose crew managed to quickly take action after being struck by a torpedo. Generally, when such a small ship takes a torpedo at high speed, it is fatal to that ship. However, the actions of the Crew of HMS Yarmouth preserved her with a minimum of damage, and she should return to service within a matter of weeks. HMS Southampton’s crew also behavior was also exemplary, having taken the brunt of German fire.  

    As a final recommendation, I would suggest further drill for the light forces. The accuracy of the German forces was worrying, and given the damage that our ships endured, this action could have easily gone the other way. Considering the superior firepower of our own cruisers, better training should give us yet another edge over German light forces.

I am sir,

Admiral R. Tyrwhitt

    Rowley set the dispatch down, and allowed himself a smile. This was a solid win, and even the bloody-minded press was saying nice things about the Navy. Two German cruisers sunk for no British loss was great, particularly considering the damage done to HMS Yarmouth and HMS Southampton. Tyrwhitt’s dispatch spoke for itself, and needed little in the way of further analysis. His suggestion for increased drill for the light forces was sensible, and they would be worked hard in the coming weeks.

    The weekly intelligence report next occupied Rowley’s attention. Leopard had arrived, with her crew in abysmal shape. Tiger had also failed to shape up and her crew was just as poorly trained as Leopard. A bright spot was that every other battlecruiser had improved. The Grand Fleet’s battleships had also progressed, and more training was ordered, and the ships of the Harwich Force, the ones that weren’t in the yard, would be drilling as well. Nothing was planned in terms of operations. Maybe a defensive minefield would be laid of Great Yarmouth, or a sweep using the Battle Cruiser Fleet’s light cruisers and destroyer. Nothing was decided yet, but in all likelihood, it would hardly be worth mention. After all, no intelligence had been found on what the Germans were up to.

[randomizer]

BZ to Tyrwhitt's Dreadnoughts. It always pays to whittle down the High Seas Fleet's scouting forces and this is a good example of a successful defence against the "Tip and Run".

[cv10]

Dec 31, 2017 17:12:28 GMT -6 randomizer said:

BZ to Tyrwhitt's Dreadnoughts. It always pays to whittle down the High Seas Fleet's scouting forces and this is a good example of a successful defence against the "Tip and Run".

Thanks! Always glad to see a bag a few cruisers. It's when scout forces get worn down that the High Seas Fleet blunders right into the Grand Fleet.