I finally had a chance to put the finishing touches on a battle report, for a game we recently played using Action Stations rules, and 1/1250th scale vessels.
It was quite fun.
I hope you enjoy it, and that it provides some inspiration for you to remove your coastal forces vessels from drydock, or to venture to try out this wonderful facet of the wargaming hobby for the first time. It can be very entertaining, and done on a shoe-string budget too, since you don't need to have a huge collection of miniatures to permit you to have an exciting game, or two.
Action Stations Battle Report Copyright 2007
MTB's vs. VP Boats in the Channel Robert G. Kent, Jr.
On a cold, and damp winter night, Kapitanleutnant Freidrich Zimmer put to sea for an anti-MTB patrol off the Dutch Coast, in VP 1401. Accompanying him on his sweep would be her sistership VP 1402, commanded by Oberleutnant Klaus Schmidt. Both small vessels were well armed for such a sortie, with an 88mm gun forward, and 20mm's amidships and aft.
He thought to himself that it was perfect for MTB operations, with a moonless night, and calm seas (Force 2), as well as a slight breeze from the WNW, so enemy contact was to be expected.
The weather had been very rough for the last couple of weeks, as one would expect along this area of coastline in March, keeping enemy operations to a minimum. There had been few recent encounters with English boats on this side of the Channel, due to the high seas and winds, which greatly hamper effective operations in small craft.
The 14th Vorpostenboote Flotilla had been able to concentrate on assisting others with minesweeping duties, in order to keep the coastal channels clear, through their own defensive minefields, during this time. This was critical to the safe movement of coastal convoys, due to continued aerial mining by the RAF bombers.
In previous years, the British aerial mining efforts had been rather limited, but now, in 1943, KpL. Zimmer noted a marked increase in the size and frequency of these operations, so his crew was much busier than usual, trying to keep the areas along the coast swept of these dangerous devices, when not escorting convoys.
He pulled his coat tighter around his neck, to try to stave off the bone-chilling air, which seemed to try to creep into every opening, much like the enemy coastal forces vessels were trying to do along the southern and eastern shores of the English Channel.
It was threatening to become foggy soon, due to heavy presence of moisture in the night air. There was just enough breeze to keep that from happening, but he knew that could change quickly at sea. One could just barely perceive the miniscule particles of water hanging in the atmosphere, and it was especially noticeable around the few dimly lit navigational lights still shining, despite the coastal blackout order.
Zimmer did not relish the thought of encountering enemy MTB's in such conditions, and longed for the warm and tantalizing embrace of Inga, whom he had left just a few short hours before. He could still smell her perfume on his uniform, and looked forward to returning back to her lovely presence soon.
He shook his head, to clear his mind, still suffering slightly from a hangover caused by a potent mixture of schnapps and champagne, so that he could focus on the mission at hand, as his vessel slowly moved past the Ijmuiden breakwater and cruised out into the inky black waters, at six knots.
His assignment was to proceed out into the English Channel, and to steam NNE in hopes of encountering and destroying enemy forces. He would have preferred a stronger force for this operation, since the enemy MTB's and MGB's were known to hunt in packs, but more Vorpostenboote could not be spared, since an important convoy of iron ore was scheduled to be moved down the coast after midnight, and the other vessels from his flotilla were providing close escort for that mission.
Still, he much preferred his assignment to theirs, since he would rather be actively hunting for the enemy than protecting slow, fat targets, which seemed more like sitting ducks in these conditions.
His small force proceeded in line ahead formation, with VP 1401 leading, and VP 1402 following 100 yards astern, and cruising at a moderate speed of six knots, in order to keep from making too much noise. This speed would permit the lookouts to better hear enemy vessels approaching in the dark conditions. Frequently, on such dark nights, the enemy could be heard before they could be seen, since British MTB's and MGB's were rather noisy when operating at speed.
On the other side of the Channel, MTB's 223, 225, and 226, from the 21st MTB Flotilla, left Lowestoft, shortly after dark. Usually, the small craft dared not venture out in daylight for fear of aerial attacks by enemy forces, which were known to frequently patrol these waters regularly.
All of the men were happy to be back at sea again, since they had been confined to port for some time, due to the extremely poor winter weather. Of course, they used that time to enjoy a bit of revelry, and to work on their vessels to bring them up to tip-top condition, so it was even more maddening to Lt. Harris when his boat suffered engine problems again, and had to drop out of formation. He thought the latest repairs would have prevented such an occurrence, but the main bearings on engine number two were acting up again, and would obviously have to be overhauled once more. MTB 226 would not be continuing on with the sortie, as originally planned, since she was unable to make more than 24 knots on her two remaining engines.
Lt. Harris wished the others good hunting, as he dejectedly turned back to base.
Meanwhile, despite the setback to his little force, Lt. Smith, the formation commander, and his crew in MTB 223, and Lt. Gill in MTB 225 were reveling at being back in the Channel for another night of mayhem, harrying enemy forces. For far too long they had been confined to port due to the adverse weather, and they now enjoyed cruising at high speed on this pitch black night, with such promising conditions. Clearly, the favorable seas and dark night were a good omen for this mission. The poor visibility should give the little boats an edge versus their enemy's larger vessels, permitting them to get in close to launch an unobserved and lethal surprise attack.
British long-range radar had detected several enemy naval groups off the Dutch Coast, so they were being directed to attempt to intercept, on short notice.
They cruised noisily at 30 knots for some time, in right echelon formation, with MTB 225 slightly behind and close to starboard of MTB 223. In the inky blackness, it was difficult to see 223's gray hull, even at such short range, so the helmsman of 225 concentrated on keeping his eyes fixed to the white wake kicked up by the lead MTB, as she moved at speed over the water. As they neared the Dutch Coast, they slowed to ¼ speed (9 Knots), and moved inshore of where they believed they would contact the enemy formations. They then began a slow sweep back towards the west, in line abreast formation, looking for the German vessels known to be in the area. Being positioned against the dark shoreline would further enhance their ability to remain unseen, prior to launching their attack.
The German VP formation, providing covering support for the scheduled ore convoy, continued to cruise to the NNE, near the coast, looking for enemy craft.
Gunner Hutchins, on MTB 223 was first to hear the VP Boats to port, as they cruised slowly looking for trade. The word was quickly passed to Lt. Smith, commanding 223, and then on to Lt. Gill in MTB 225. Lt. Smith used hand signals to convey the attack formation, since they dared not risk using radio, or lights this close to the enemy shore, which might result in their detection. They did not want to pass up the element of surprise, because it had been determined some time ago that a slow stalk, and hidden attack was much more likely to bring about effective results.
Unfortunately, due to the very dark night, and fortunes of war, the MTB's were less than optimally placed to carry out an effective attack on the German vessels. They were at Red 60, or in layman's terms, on the port quarter (left side) at roughly 10 o'clock, relative to the bow of the MTB's. Conversely, the RN vessels were almost dead ahead of the VP Boat formation, which was on a collision course with them, and not concealed by the dark shoreline, as originally intended.
Lt. Smith did not want to tempt fate by turning back towards shore, for a better approach from the darkness of the nearby coastline, since that would take too much time at slow speed, and in turning back, his little force might be more likely to be detected visually. He pressed on at ¼ speed, planning to turn ahead of the German formation, to conduct a torpedo attack from their port side.
Almost as soon as he had crossed their bows though, the German lookouts in VP 1401 sighted dim shadows in the distance, and KpL. Zimmer ordered his 88mm gun crew to immediately fire a starshell over the spectres ahead of him. ObL Schmidt's gun crew quickly followed suit as well, and despite both starshells being poorly placed short and long of their targets, they provided sufficient illumination to confirm that the ghosts were enemy MTB's.
Zimmer and Schmidt barked orders to their respective gun crews to open fire on the enemy boats with their weapons, and they did so quickly, with telling effect. All of the months of training and hardship had paid off, as both crews hit the Vosper MTB's with their initial salvoes, since the range was moderate, and the vessels were moving slowly, beam on to them.
MTB 225 was hit by VP 1401's 88mm gun, resulting in heavy damage to her hull, wounding the crewman for the aft, twin heavy machinegun, and causing a fire on board.
Her crew was able to bring the fire under control in rather short order, but was well illuminated in the interim, much to their dismay.
MTB 223 was hit by VP 1402's main gun, also resulting in heavy hull damage, and knocking out her port torpedo.
Lt. Smith, in MTB 223, undeterred by the heavy enemy fire, ordered his vessels to turn to port, and to increase speed for a less than optimal front quarter torpedo attack on the lead enemy target (VP 1401). He knew that his boats could not survive for long under such heavy and accurate enemy gunfire, especially while illuminated under starshell light.
The MTB's withheld their gunfire, hoping the dark night might reclaim them once more, and help to further aid their torpedo attack. Just as they were reaching the edge of the illumination emanating from the starshells, another salvo was fired by the German 88's again, resulting in the illumination of both MTB's, and VP 1401 as well, since one landed extremely short, due to VP 1402's rush to fire again.
The German 88's continued to fire at the now rapidly closing MTB's. Fortunately for the British, their aim was off the mark, but still sent large plumes of seaspray skyward, drenching the men on the MTB's with ice cold seawater. The RN crews shrugged off the sudden, salty, bone-chilling showers, barely seeming to notice them, since they were focused on the task at hand, as they moved to engage the enemy more closely.
MTB 223 fired her single good torpedo, slightly ahead of the target, from close range, while Lt. Smith cursed the sudden battle damage to his port tube, under his breath. Months of training and patrolling endlessly in the dark, hoping to get a chance to fire his torpedoes in anger, and now half his armament was gone in a flash. Clearly, things were not going as well as he had hoped for on this mission.
MTB 225, following closely abreast, and to starboard, also fired her two torpedoes at about the same instant, in a close spread that overlapped those of MTB 223's. There was no time to coordinate an attack plan between the boats, while under heavy 88mm fire, so the enemy would either be badly hit, by multiple torpedoes, or the vessel would escape their icy grasp.
KpL. Zimmer was an experienced leader, and had been in combat on a number of occasions previously in these waters, so he was familiar with RN MTB tactics. At this close range, and under starshell illumination, which seemed to turn the inky blackness into daylight, the British torpedo launches were immediately spotted. Zimmer quickly ordered a hard turn to port, and his vessel barely maneuvered inside of the torpedo tracks.
If his crew had been less experienced and not reacted instantly to his urgent orders, or if Zimmer had not spotted them as they were launched, two of the three torpedoes would probably have impacted his vessel, and sent it quickly to the bottom.
VP 1402 also turned to port, to unmask her other guns, in order to be able to fire more effectively on the speeding enemy MTB's.
The 88mm gun crews continued firing on the boats as they rapidly moved in to point blank range, but were unable to hit, since their ability to track the rapidly moving enemy boats was less than optimal close in. Clearly, the British crews had studied their enemy well, and knew their weaknesses.
Lt. Smith in MTB 223 was beside himself in anger at the missed opportunity to sink the German vessels. He should have communicated an attack plan prior to setting off for patrol, before contact with the enemy, in order to ensure a better chance for a successful torpedo attack. They should have spread their torpedo salvoes wider at such close range, using a zone attack, in order to ensure at least one good hit. He would not make that mistake again.
Smith signaled to MTB 225 that he was going to try a dangerous maneuver on the lead German vessel, in order to do at least some damage to the enemy.
KpL. Zimmer suddenly felt a sharp chill run down his spine. It could have been from the cold, damp night air, as Zimmer tried to console himself, but was more likely from a sudden surge of adrenalin caused by abject fear.
Mein Gott(!), Zimmer thought, the crazy Englishmen are going to ram me!
He immediately ordered flank speed to try to counter the British MTB's moves, but his underpowered vessel was slow to respond. How he envied his British foes, for their speedy and superbly maneuverable mounts.
Both RN boats were quite close to the lead enemy vessel already (VP 1401), so they just ran in against her, in line abreast formation. MTB 223, in the lead, and the closest to the German boat, and to 225's port side, would make the attack. Smith's helmsman deftly maneuvered straight across 1401's bow to her starboard side, and then in a tightly curving right arc, turned back close across her bow again, to end up close in, and on the port side of the enemy vessel.
MTB 223 successfully placed both of her depth charges in front of the German vessel, but as luck would have it, neither caused any appreciable damage to the VP Boat, despite dousing her with giant plumes of seawater, and distracting the 88mm bow gun crewmen. Fortunately, no damage was done to MTB 223 either, since due to the previous battle damage, her speed was less than optimal for such an attack, and there was a chance of the explosions wrecking her own propellers, or rudders.
KpL. Zimmer breathed a huge sigh of relief, since he had seen before what wasserbomben could do to a vessel like his, when well placed. He knew that the gods were looking favorably on him that evening.
The MTB's then chose to evade from the VP Boats, back to base, while making smoke. Lt. Gill did not want to tempt his fate in a similar suicidal attack at close range, while well illuminated, so both boats increased their speeds to maximum, such as it was, after suffering two hulls hits each from the German 88's.
The German VP Boats continued to chase the MTB's for a brief period, and 1402's midships 20mm gun crew scored another hull hit on MTB 223 as well, causing her to take on even more water, and slowing her speed to 15 knots. She was not completely hidden by her smokescreen yet, from the port quarter angle, where VP 1402 was located.
Fortunately, shortly thereafter, after careful maneuvering, 223's smokescreen, and that of MTB 225 hid them from further abuse at the hands of the German gunners.
KpL. Zimmer chose not to pursue further, since he did not want to tempt his fate further, and was pleased with the overall performance of his small formation. Clearly, the English vessels had been heavily damaged, and this would be so noted in his report to his superiors upon return to base. He order ObL Schmidt to break off his attack too, and to resume their original formation and patrol course to help shield the ore convoy from any further enemy attacks.
He knew he had been very lucky to avoid damage both from the torpedoes fired at close range, and the wabos dropped close under his vessel's bow.
He congratulated his 88mm gun crew, and ObL Schmidt on VP 1402 acknowledged the excellent gunnery by both his 88mm, and 20mm crews. Each offered to buy them a round of drinks at the local gasthaus upon their return to base, in recognition of their superb skills.
KpL. Zimmer's thoughts turned back to Inga, as he casually lit his pipe, and peered intently into the surrounding gloom. He longed to see her again soon.
Lt's. Smith and Gill also congratulated the crews on their performance under fire, and despite the lack of success, were satisfied with their attacks on the well-armed Vorposten Boats. They too knew they were lucky to escape from their well armed opponents, without heavier crew casualties, or additional damage to their boats.
Obviously both commanders were disappointed with their torpedo attacks, but resigned themselves to improve on their tactics on their next sortie.
Fortunately, only one RN crewman was slightly injured by splinters from the 88mm impacts, but would be able to return to duty soon. Continuing with longstanding naval tradition, he was offered a shot of hot rum, on the way back in to port, for medicinal purposes.
Lt. Smith looked forward to another opportunity to engage the enemy in battle once again. He only hoped that the sea and weather conditions would remain favorable to permit that soon.
He would not have to wait long.
experiments to find a better way to mount aircraft for wargaming.