Hi everyone,
In case any of you are interested, I've put together a detailed report of the Coastal Forces battle that was fought in the English Channel, between Dover and Boulogne last Saturday.
The names have been changed, to protect the innocent, and to make the report look a bit more historical.
I'll post some photos of the boats later today.
In case anyone is interested in the Action Stations rules, or in the 1/1250th scale vessels, I have them for sale. They are wonderfully sculpted, and cast, with very little flash, so can be quickly prepared for painting, and for battle on the gametable.
E-mail me at the address below, if you would like a listing of the wargaming rules, miniatures, decals, dice, etc. that we have for sale. I'll send you back a Word document listing the many items we have in stock. We specialize in aerial gaming, but carry some other naval miniatures and rules as well, e.g. Shipwreck and the 1/6000th scale modern vessels range to go with them.
Action Stations Battle Report Copyright 9/17/07
Vosper MTB's vs. S-Boats in the Channel Robert G. Kent, Jr.
The following is a battle report of a game recently run at the local club, using Action Stations rules, and 1/1250th scale miniatures.
It was fun to watch the running gunbattle that developed between the British Vosper MTB's and the S-Boats, as the latter tried to return back to the French port of Boulogne, after a mining sortie along the English Coast. As usual for these types of operations, the battle was fought at night, in limited visibility conditions, and a sea state of 3. There was lots of wild firing, and some limited damage and casualties during the early to mid-portion of the fight. Later, things would heat up a bit more.
Excellent tactics were used by both sides, and the luck of the dice and commanders had a significant effect on some portions of the battle, just as it occurs in real life, as you will see shortly. Sound decisions and a bit of luck permitted most of the boats, and their crews to survive the engagement.
On one long edge of the game table, a rough coastline was present, with treacherous shallows extending out 20 cms. from shore. These could be entered into by either side, but when doing so, each vessel would be required to roll for possible grounding every turn. This coastline was located on the east side of the game table, with the German entry point being to the north. The port was located about 120 cms. from the German players' entry point, to the southeast, and was defended by some coastal defense guns, consisting of: 2 x 88mm, 2 x 37mm, and 2 x 20mm weapons, along with searchlights. These were only permitted to fire out to a radius of 30 cms. from the port, in accordance with the maximum visibility range conditions at night.
The Germans were permitted to enter anywhere along the northern edge of the game table.
Both sides were required to pre-plot their formation starting locations, vessel formations (line ahead, line abreast, echelon, etc.), and courses and speeds. They were each required to stay grouped together, in a single tactical formation.
The scenario pitted 4 x Vosper MTB's from the RN's Mixed British/Dutch 9th MTB Flotilla based near Dover, versus 4 x S-100 Class S-Boats from the German 4th Schnellboot Flotilla. All of the MTB's were commanded by Royal Netherlands Navy personnel on this night. Both sides were roughly matched in armament for the mid-war period, in order to ensure a good game.
The Dutch players were required to place their vessels in a single formation, anywhere within the northwest quarter of the game table, which was roughly 1.5 meters long, by 1.2 meter wide.
For the scenario, the Dutch were assumed to have been alerted to the S-Boats' presence, by the coastal radar station at Dover, and vectored the patrolling MTB's to intercept them on their way back to base in France, late in 1943.
The Dutch players had the initial advantage, due to radio reports of enemy vessels in the area, and since they chose to patrol on silent engines between the anticipated location of the German Schnellboats, and their home port. They were able to hear the enemy vessels approaching from their port side, Red 40, as they moved quietly at about six knots, in a left echelon formation. As luck would have it, they were located almost directly in front of the approaching German formation, so the battle appeared as if it would heat up quickly.
The Germans too were in a left echelon formation, and moving at 20 knots toward their base, pretty much straight down the middle of the table, equidistant from the shoreline to the east, and the western table edge.
After several tense turns of movement, the German vessels were finally visually sighted by the Dutch commanders, who chose to open fire on them immediately, without launching flare rockets first, in order to try to maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible, on this dark night. Unfortunately, since they opened fire at medium range, and because of the dark conditions, their effectiveness was less than desired, with no damage done to the German formation by the MTB's. This was not a tactical mistake, since the Germans would have spotted them on the following turn anyway, if they had not opened fire. Flares would have been useful to improve on their ability to engage the
S-Boats effectively with guns though.
At this point, the Dutch chose to break formation, and to maneuver their boats individually, on roughly a reciprocal heading to their oncoming enemy.
The intense Dutch tracer fire did alert the Germans to their presence, and the Schnellboot commanders quickly ordered their crews to return fire.
Wilhelm Falke's crew in S-101, the lead German vessel, got a lucky hit on MTB203, the leading Vosper, knocking out her forward, twin 20mm cannons almost immediately.
Shortly after that, flares were fired by both sides, to improve on their ability to target each other's vessels, since so few hits were registering. Most of the vessels moved past one another, on reciprocal headings. The firing continued, and S-101 was hit, knocking out her bow 20mm cannon, and causing a minor fire onboard. This was subsequently put out a short while later, with no damage done to the boat.
The only exception was MTB240's wiley commander, Lt. Visee, who turned 180 degree to starboard, since he correctly surmised that the Germans would try to get away past their patrol line, so his boat was well placed to prevent that from happening. He was positioned between the German vessels and their home port, and running generally in the same direction they were moving.
Lt. Wirth, commanding MTB235 engaged the line of S-Boats, very closely, on a reciprocal heading, and suffered several hits from S-102 and S-103, with one being a major "bridge" hit. Unfortunately, he rolled a "6" for the result, with the following occurring: both he and his helmsman were hit by gunfire, the searchlight was knocked out, the torpedo and depth charge controls were ko'd, and the radio was shot out. Another "6" was rolled again, on a six-sided die, resulting in the MTB having to move straight, with no changes in course, or speed, for six turns, placing this vessel largely out of the fight.
MTB235's crew did some damage to S-102 as well, at this close range, knocking out her port light machine gun, and damaging the port torpedo tube, which was empty, since the boat had been on a mining sortie off the English Coast earlier that evening.
Later, MTB235 fired a couple of rounds of long-range fire from her aft, twin heavy machineguns, but they were off target.
Lt. Jorissen, in MTB204 reversed course to port, and passed closely behind S-103, commanded by Hans Bach, but her crew's firing was wild, and no damage was done to the target, despite the short range. S-103's crew missed as well, with their return fire.
On subsequent turns, all of the S-Boats accelerated and turned sharply to port, heading directly toward their base, with the MTB's pursuing them, either from alongside, or astern. Firing by both sides continued, but few significant hits were registered, due to the speeds the vessels were traveling, and the dark conditions.
As they neared their port, most of the RN MTB's were able to move in to close range, and more substantial damage was done to both sides. Several weapons were knocked out on both the MTB's and S-Boats, and some vessels sustained crew casualties, and a few hull hits, reducing their top speeds significantly. The individual results are too difficult to provide a detailed account of, due to the dark night, and the confused nature of the fast-moving, running gunbattle, with the rapidly maneuvering vessels.
There was a close call of note between MTB240, and S-101, the latter of which was nearly rammed in the stern by the RN vessel, rapidly closing on her from the starboard side, at roughly a 90 degree angle. Lt. Visee's helmsman barely managed to miss hitting her while moving at high speed towards her stern. He had to swerve to port sharply to avoid the collision.
Toward the end of the fight, Lt. Bendien, commanding MTB203, attempted a ramming attack on S-102, from her rear port side, but Oberleutnant Klaus Schumacher deduced the "Englishman's" intentions, and was able to maneuver successfully out of the way, resulting in just a glancing blow, which did no damage to either vessel (actually, just poor die rolling by the MTB commander). This occurred near the mouth of the Port of Boulogne, as the S-Boat crews contemplated the need to slow down from their 42 knot maximum speed to prevent running into the breakwater accidentally, or colliding with each other as they entered the approaches to their base.
MTB203 had suffered heavily from enemy gunfire earlier in the engagement, having most of her guns knocked out, and a number of her crew wounded, or killed. Her commander, Lt. Bendien ordered his helmsman to attempt to ram another nearby S-Boat, located on his port side, since he was determined to exact revenge against the Germans for invading and occupying his homeland, and for the casualties caused amongst his crew.
Just when S-104's Oberleutnant Reinhard Kessler thought he had successfully made it back to base, MTB203 turned sharply back to port, after glancing off of the first S-Boat, and was able to successfully ram his vessel in the stern, on the starboard side.
Following the best examples in Britain's naval tradition, Lt. Bendien earned the Royal Navy's DSC posthumously, and honorable mention was noted for her entire crew. There were no survivors from the MTB, and eight of S-104's crew were lost.
The surviving German crewmen were picked up later, by a R-Boat sent out to look for them, once it was believed that the "English" vessels had left the area.
Oberleutnant Reinhard Kessler, commanding S-104 survived the attack, and gained a healthy respect for his implacable foes that night. He had much time to reflect on his luck at surviving such a close call, as he bobbed about in the frigid waters of the English Channel, before being pulled from the drink a short time later.
In summary, the following results were achieved during this battle:
MTB203 – Lt. Bendien earned a DSC posthumously, for his successful ramming attack on S-104, but his vessel was destroyed, and all of the crew were either killed by gunfire (6 men lost to enemy gunfire) earlier in the battle, or by the subsequent ramming attack.
MTB204 – Lt. Jorissen's vessel suffered two heavy hull hits, and a machinery hit, reducing her maximum speed to 10 knots – she made it safely back to port the following day.
MTB235 – Lt. Wirth and his helmsman were killed early in the fighting, when the vessel suffered a bridge hit, and she took little further part in the battle. The vessel returned safely to base.
MTB240 – Lt. Visee's vessel narrowly avoided a collision with S-101, and suffered two hull hits and damage to her rudders, due to enemy gunfire, reducing her top speed to 20 knots. The rudder damage was eventually repaired, and she made it safely back to base.
S-101 – Oberleutnant Wilhelm Falke's boat suffered hits to her bridge, destroying the depth charge and torpedo launch controls, and knocking out her forward and amidships 20mm cannons, and her starboard light machinegun. Additionally, she suffered one hull hit as well, reducing her top speed by 8 knots, due to water taken on.
S-102 – Oberleutnant Klaus Schumacher's boat suffered superficial damage to her torpedo launch tubes, and had her port light machinegun knocked out.
S-103 – Oberleutnant Hans Bach's boat was the charmed vessel of the group, and suffered no damage during the battle.
S-104 – Oberleutnant Reinhard Kessler's vessel was sunk due to a ramming attack by MTB203, and eight crew members were lost. ObLt. Kessler survived the attack, and he and the other surviving crew members were picked up a short time later by a German R-Boat sent out to look for them.
Best regards,
Rob
Topgun Marketing LLC
topgunace111 AT yahoo DOT com
