This is a Battle Report for a map-based game, played solo at home recently, to see how things might work out at a later club game.
Bulldogs Away! rules were used for this battle.
Forces:
2 x Danish Willemoes Fast Attack Craft, armed with 4 x Harpoon missiles, and two torpedoes, in addition to their 57mm main gun.
3 x Soviet Osa II Class Missile Boats armed with 4 x SS-N-2C Styx missiles each. Twin 30mm cannons mounted fore and aft, in addition to the missiles.
The scenario is played out at night, in very good visibility, with a Sea State of 3, and winds from the West Northwest.
The Danish vessels, Bille and Hammer are to patrol south of Zeeland, eastwards, through the Ostsee (sound), and through Storstrommen, which is a narrow strait.
Contact is expected, since enemy vessels have been sighted in the area. No friendly or civilian vessels are in the area, due to the start of WWIII a little more than 48 hours ago.
Periodic radar sweeps are permitted, but should be kept to a minimum to avoid drawing the attention of enemy forces. Patrol speed is slow, in order to permit effective stalking of the enemy vessel(s) in the area.
The Soviet force proceeds on a westerly course, north of the island of Nyord, then turning south into the Stege Bugt. After that, they are ordered to proceed southwest through the strait, south of the islands of Lango and Taero, turning northwest, through Storstrommen (strait), and patrolling along the northern shore of Lolland (south of Zeeland).
The Soviet force sends one boat as an advance picket (Osa #1), through the narrows, while the other two boats follow closely behind, at 1 – 2 NM range, in close support of the lead vessel. The unit commander is in Osa #2, with Osa #3 providing close support for it.
The Osa's proceed at slow speed through the straits and sounds of the area, looking for any enemy warships, or supply vessels. All units encountered are considered to be hostile, and may be attacked on sight.
Intermittent radar usage is permitted, as desired, in order to aid the patrol, but doing so may subject the formation to enemy air or surface vessel attack, so usage should be kept to a minimum.
Turn 1
Danish Forces – Bille and Hammer (Willemoes class Missile Boats), proceed in roughly line-abreast formation, moving at slow speed, southeast towards Storstrommen. On this turn, Bille, which is slightly ahead and to port of Hammer, conducts a quick radar sweep of the area, but detects nothing, so decides to switch the radar off next turn.
Russian Forces – the Osa's proceed on a southwesterly course, from the initial starting point, just north of Ostersjoen, and the island of Nyord.
Despite the warnings on the use of radar, the lead picket boat (Osa #1) uses its radar for most of the patrol, since it is believed that contact with enemy vessels may be imminent, switching off only occasionally to scan visually.
Turns 2 – 8
Danish Forces – the Willemoes FAC's proceed on a southeasterly course, at slow speed, conducting a visual sweep of the waters of Storstrommen, looking for enemy craft. Falster island is to the south, on the starboard side, and Sjaelland is to the north, on the port side.
Russian Forces – the Osa II's proceed on a southwesterly course, north and west of the island of Nyord, then turn south into the Stege Bugt. Once close to shore, they proceed southwest through the strait, and patrol to the south of the islands of Lango and Taero.
During most of this patrol period, Osa #1's radar is switched on.
Both forces are heading towards one another, which will result in a close-in meeting engagement.
Turn 9
Enemy encounter, just north of the island of Bogo, and south of the island of Taero, in the Storstrommen.
Danish Forces – on this turn, Hammer detects the lead Russian Osa II (#1) visually. Bille's crew fails to sight the Osa, until she opens fire on her.
Russian Forces – the lead picket (Osa #1) detects the two Willemoes FAC's with radar, and visually. The other boats are unable to detect anything, since they are masked by Taero island, but are alerted to the enemy's presence via radio.
Due to the close proximity of the vessels in contact with one another, as the lead Osa picket boat rounds the southern coastline of Taero, and the lead boat (Bille) and second Willemoes (Hammer) boats advance head-on through the Storstrommen, the boats open fire on one another with their guns. Missile launches are not an option, since they are inside the minimum missile launch range, at 2.0 NM and 2.8 NM respectively.
Osa #1 wins the initiative, and so moves last, but fires first. All of the boats continue towards one another at slow speed. The Osa hits the lead Willemoes, Bille, with her forward twin 30mm guns, but does no appreciable damage to her.
Hammer returns fire on the Osa with her 57mm rapid-fire gun, wrecking the boat. The Osa's fire control radar is knocked out, as are the two starboard missiles, and her rear, twin-30mm turret. The boat is also set on fire, her speed is reduced to very slow, and her maneuverability to large. Essentially, from this point on, she is effectively out of the battle, as her surviving crewmen struggle to put the fire out.
The lead Willemoes, Bille, detects the Osa when it opens fire on her, so sends a return volley at the severely stricken Soviet boat, with her 57mm gun, knocking out her forward port missile, reducing her maneuverability further, to very large, and causing a –1 to her crew quality.
Turn 10
All of the boats on both sides now switch on their radars, in a desperate search for the enemy, in order to try to gain the upper hand over their opponents. All increase their speeds to medium, and detect the other vessels in close proximity to one another, at a range of roughly one nautical mile.
Osa #3 wins the initiative, and fires on Bille, hitting her. Bille's port Harpoon launchers are knocked out, but otherwise she suffers no additional damage.
Bille fires on Osa #3, with her 57mm cannon, but misses, despite the close proximity to the enemy vessel.
Hammer fires on Osa #3, with her 57mm cannon, wrecking her, and knocking out her radar, two of her missiles, and her rear gun. Additionally, she is reduced to slow speed, and her maneuverability is increased to large.
Osa # 2 fires on Hammer with her twin 30mm guns, wrecking her, knocking out her main gun, her two torpedoes, and all of her Harpoon missiles. Her speed is reduced to slow, and her maneuverability is increased to very large.
Turn 11
Bille and Osa #2 increase their speed to fast, charging toward one another with guns blazing. Bille wins the initiative, so moves last, but gets to fire first. She fires an effective salvo, sinking the Osa.
No return fire is permitted from the Russian boat, since Bille won the initiative over her crew.
Osa #3, though damaged, fires her forward 30mm's at Bille, knocking out her 57mm gun, and her starboard torpedo launcher, and reducing her maximum speed to medium. [Actually, this shouldn't have been permitted, since based upon the Harpoon rules booklet that I have, the 30mm guns on the Osa's cannot be fired without radar guidance].
Turn 12
Bille wins the initiative, forcing Osa #3 to move first. Since Bille's deck gun is KO'd, and she is too close to launch missiles, she decides to turn away from the Osa to avoid a gun attack from the enemy boat, and uses the only weapon at her disposal, her one remaining torpedo. [Since this report was written prior to my checking the Harpoon rules, I have left Bille damaged, as occurred during the battle, since it doesn't affect the final outcome of the fight].
The Osa fires her guns at Bille, but since her fire control radar is knocked out, she misses the fast moving target wildly.
On the next turn, the wire-guided torpedo fired from Bille finds its mark, sinking the already heavily damaged Osa (#3).
Bille turns about, and seeks out Hammer, in order to try to assist her surviving crewmen, as two Danish F-16's scream by close overhead, making short work of the Osa picket boat that was damaged early on in the fight, and was trying to limp home at very slow speed.
It doesn't pay to use radar extensively, in a high threat environment.
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I hope you enjoyed the battle.
I know I did, and look forward to the next sortie.
Best regards,
Rob
Topgun Marketing LLC
topgunace111 AT yahoo DOT com
The above report is Copyright 2008
by Robert G. Kent, Jr.
