Germany AAR

[mrchuck]

Nearly two hours in. I think I can nail those 3 Bs. Definitely sunk one DD already, CA as well in a minute.

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Closing in on the Bs. I must say the AI does not seem to fight all that well. By all means remove valuable units from danger, but if you don't keep the fleet concentrated, they can't support each other.

I didn't start with that much of an advantage here, the French gunnery is decent, and they're already torpedoed Gneisenau from I know not where--the French seem to be good at that. Nevertheless, this is turning into a rout.

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Two Bs sunk, one foundering. The rest of the French have escaped, and I'm running low on ammunition. Time to head home.

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Looks like plan A is working. I'm still blockaded, but the German public is eating up the diet of victories at sea and unrest is steady at 4. One or two more of these battles and the sauerkraut convoys will run again!

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[mrchuck]

1911, April.

In March the Russians sortied a couple of CAs but nothing much happened. I need to keep the Baltic Fleet in being more than I need to sink more of their ships right now.

Now there's a French coastal raid. Once again I deduce from my OB that they're coming mob-handed.

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Nothing but sighting reports so far. They found something and shelled it but I don't know where or what. All I can do is head towards the sightings and see if there's anything around.

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Their scout force probably.

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And here's the main body.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

Their BCs have turned away to the SE.

Ignoring the main body for now, to see if I can deal with these very valuable, expensive and dangerous units first.

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Torpedoed one and the other seems to be dead in the water. Turning back to deal with the rest of the French.

The devs really need to do something about the AI and coasts. They've all been milling about aimlessly for about half an hour game time, while I've been hammering the BCs. Incidentally, lost Leipzig to a magazine explosion when her skipper misread the signals and blundered to within 1000 yds of Turenne. incoming 11" shells and stored ammo really don't mix.

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Two French BCs, a BB probably a B, and a CA accounted for so far. Running low on ammo...how to get home? The infernal French are in the way!

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This is just not right. I will allow the remaining French to escape.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

I can scarcely believe it! The French are coming about to re-engage, possibly to try cleaning up B Hessen and CA Hamburg which are limping home with heavy damage-by way of compensation for their losses.

There is a school of thought that says you're not beaten until you say you are. Looks like we will have to test that proposition. Coming about to cover my damaged ships.

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Nope, no further stomach for the fight. They've had enough, so have I.

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All remaining units made it back home, but they are tormenting a KE somewhere. Frankly I couldn't care less. Just under half their fleet sunk in an afternoon.

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That'll do.

[mrchuck]

1911, June

As a result of the splendid victory in April, we are now blockading both Russia and France.

In May, the Russians declined two battles in the Baltic, and I declined one. I am not interested in active operations there right now.

Cruiser battle in the North Sea. This is pretty far from my bases, but I think we can win it since they have no BCs and we have two here, plus one 12" CA so I think we'll outgun them handily.

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Contact, 3 mins in.

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Ambush! Not a bunch of cruisers but 6 battleships.
I think I can take them anyway, and I'm certainly going to try. First need to fall back on the BCs to even up the firepower a bit. I note also that they are even further from base than I am. I see only two destroyers, and I have eight. Hmmm..

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Going to see if I can scatter them by charging in a pair of light cruisers. High risk, but if I can break that battle line it should make things easier.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

It didnt work, they're still in reasonably good order. However, now I am behind the Bs which should be easier meat. And I haven't taken too much damage on that pass.

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One B crippled. Medusa fires torps. Ancona fires torps.

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Two torpedo hits. One down for sure.

The modern units are escaping--fine by me. Two more Bs to clean up.

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Gneisenau hit by torp, looks like it's terminal.
Can't see anything remotely in range. I have no idea where that came from.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

Genisenau sunk.

Three more fish in each of the Bs I have cut out, they're done for as well. Time to head home.

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Battle results. Major victory but only 1P.

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Balance of forces June 1911.

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WAR AIMS

Now that the defensive part of the conflict is over, I want Finland as well, and I want it before the peace so I can get the reparations too. Time to turn East again, as the Russians have reinforcements due next year, but France not for two years. This risks lifting the blockade on France, but not a counter-blockade if I juggle the forces carefully.

France has nothing I want anyway, but Finland, the Baltics (and Norway) are the possessions that make the most sense for Germany. No tiresome FS obligations, and they are valuable.

As for Norway, I will need to try conclusions with Britain for that, but not this time, I hope.

[mrchuck]

1911, August.

Declined three battles in the west in July, the French declined one. The blockade on them is lifted, but I'm not blockaded and have initiated the invasion of Finland. I've moved the BCs to the Baltic with a few DDs to screen them.

Battleship action. The 4 older Bs, two BCs in support. Should be enough.

Contact.

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This is nearly everything they have left. Plenty of DDs though, caution needed.

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Looks to me like they're running for Hango. Pity about my BCs then...

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One B definitely finished. Chasing down the other one. If we can bag this, the invasion will be a walkover.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

Two Bs done for. Might as well go after the CA as well.

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Getting too close to Hango. Mines, subs etc. Time to depart.

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\

Hansa and Vineta have found a TR. TaRget practice...

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Battle result. Perhaps the invasion will not be contested. Russia now has nothing larger than 3 CAs.

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Major victory, 1P.

[mrchuck]

1911, September.

Invasion Battle.

No such luck but I don't see what they can sortie. This is a pain, because with the latest version of RTW, the transports very often start too far away to make it possible to reach the destination at all.

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OK, the transports are 15 hours steaming away and we have 23 and a bit hours to play with. Let's see what happens.

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Looks like a destroyer div on patrol. Investigating...carefully. Leaving the BC with the convoy for now, since I don't expect any serious opposition but a marauding cruiser could wreck everything.

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This is the really tedious bit. Those DDs are keeping an eye us but not getting close. I suspect that dropping an 8" shell on to one of them has dampened their enthusiasm a bit. Detached Vineta to help Lutzow keep an eye on the convoy.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

Nightfall--contact!

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The DD vanished into the gloom. Pressing on. Main body now 1 hour from the target.

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Main body ordered to patrol the approaches to the objective. Now we wait for the transports...

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The transports will arrive any minute.

Hansa has been mined. No surprises there. Probably going to be fatal as she's a long way from home and flooding can't quite be stopped. This is one of my oldest cruisers so I suppose this sort of thing is inevitable. Sending her home anyway in case by some miracle she makes it. Flooding is only 1 but damage is 88% and this costs a ship more often than not.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

Now here's where things get a bit silly. The transports have arrived and the mission is successful, but there are six LTs that have opened up since daybreak. As any fule kno, an unloaded transport is nothing more than an LST (Large Slow Traget).

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However as far as the game is concerned, nothing more to do and the fleet can just leave the TRs to their fate at this point.

Since I've only found one minefield in three hours of steaming about I'm going to maintain the patrols in place which will at the very least cause the LTs to divide their fire, which I regard as a more purist approach.

Later...

This cost me a DD as there was one more minefield, but! Hansa made it home with very heavy damage (4 months) so I'm very pleased.

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I am on the other hand irked to find that I had to do all this and the Russkis only sent out three DDs. Never mind; we're ashore. +2P

Since the current dispositions have both Russia and France blockaded, I won't send the BCs west yet. I have two more really good ones coming in 9 months (27kts, 8x 14") and they can go there unless the enemy has conceded by then.
Three of my 15 new DDs have commissioned, and for the longer term I have two more BBs and 3 CLs due in 12 or more months. Plenty of funds available so I might even start playing around with the next generation of ships.

[mrchuck]

1911, October.

Cruiser action in the Baltic. I have no idea what Russia will send out. I have two BCs and 8 DDs in attendance.

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Contact. I'm guessing two CAs and some destroyers. Moving in.

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Two Oleg class and screens, running

Since we have a four-knot edge on them, this looks good. Will try not to get torpedoed though.

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One down, the other in trouble.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

The other one crippled.

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Dammit! Sting in the tail...Hindenburg torpedoed, probably by the CA. I got too close.

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Hindenburg 45% damage but no flooding. TP2 is paying off.

Time to go, sank at least two of screens as well. Mine have put multiple fish into the CA. That'll larn ya...

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Battle result. +1P

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Austria has joined on our side, but I don't want to ally with them because their relations with Britain are bad too. Beware scope creep...I really, really do not want war with Britain right now.

Heavy fighting in Finland, but not much their navy can do to help now. According to the almanac, they are down to 1 CA, 56 DDs and that's it.

[mrchuck]

1911, November
Declined a small action in the baltic as the CLs involved are far too slow to escape destroyers which are the likely opposition. Unrest on the home front is down to 1--minor grumbling by the usual suspects.
On the western front, we have got wind of an enemy coastal raid. Sortieing most of the North Sea fleet in response.
I hope I don't need those BCs keeping the lid on the Russians...

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The very vague indications of where my coastal shipping is (double click on the coastal divs in the OB and will give you a rough idea) suggest that I head SSE.

Nightfall. The potential patrol area is very large. I'll be beating around between Helgoland and Emden in the absence of any sightings. Nothing else I can do. Quite possible to end up wrong-footed with these actions.

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The French decided not to come out and play. Smart move.
Ariadne torpedoed by enemy sub, minor damage. The Austrians are still asking me to ally with them, and I am still not going to. Adding another 5 900-ton DDs to the build queue. This takes my total to 51 which is starting to be a realistic number. Also note that even if you convert DDs 500 tons or less to KEs, the game will automatically scrap them at war's end. I've had this happen to me once, and it is very annoying. It's also the reason I don't like these little destroyers. If it's 600+ tons I can get a couple of decades of use out of them either as DD or KE, and the larger ones are usually very upgradable.

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[mrchuck]

1911, December.

Cruiser action in the Baltic. Accepting this one because unlike last month, I have a reasonable screen

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Night action. Will most likely blunder into them at some point, expecting casualties now.

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Sure enough...one minute in...

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Fired a couple of torps into the gloom, missed. And here are his DDs.

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(continues)

[mrchuck]

In the end, the Russians disappeared into the night and I lost them. These cruisers don't have the legs for serious hunting (21 kts only) so I'll leave it at that. Draw.

Big month for research--CL/DD mine rails, 15" guns -1, high capacity pumps (ALWAYS make damage control a high research and training priority), close to director firing. Docks will be 29500 tons in 9 months, and then I should be able to start building some very serious capital units indeed.

Two new BCs in 5-6 months, two new BBs in nine, destroyers sliding down the slipways. All good.

[mrchuck]

1912, January.

Action with light forces. Let's see how the destroyer arm goes.

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Sink two ships, how hard can it be? (WARNING! HEAVY IRONY!)

We was robbed! I sank two ships -- a DD and a KE, but the mission failed. Lost a DD.
Seen this a couple of times as well, happens to the AI too. Not sure if this is WAD or not.

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[mrchuck]

1912, February,

Action in support of land combat. The Russians will be getting some new BBs this year some time. I need to bring this invasion to a conclusion.

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One CA vs two BC. Don't like their chances.

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Sometimes the AI pulls off a really nice stroke. Right around dusk, the Russian DDs moved in to attack and I had to turn away--cannot risk the BCs. They all escaped under cover of darkness. German (very) marginal victory. No damage our side, not much theirs.

[mrchuck]

1912, March
Declined an action with my two ancient CLs in the Baltic. They would probably be lost and are pretty much top of the list for scrapping. Even though it's in support of the invasion, if I lose them, it won't support the invasion anyway.

It is always an option to accept battle and then try to sneak away before any shooting starts, to save the VPs--but you don't always get away with it. I won't try it unless I have more capable ships than these--which are coming, but not soon.

This is the cost of war on two fronts. You can't be strong everywhere.

Meanwhile, let's deal with this French raid.

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Once again the potential battle area is enormous. Sunrise in 5 mins though--might make things easier. I get to add another ship, and added a sixgun 'BB'.

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Contact!
And just for once, we're between them and the coastal forces. Nice! Let's see what we have here.

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Opened fire at 14:21. Looks like only two BBs and some destroyers.

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(continues)