JUTLAND 1916 AAR

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:48 pm

(This AAR was originally posted in the Development forum back on April 13th. I'm finally reposting it here).

This is the second test of my Jutland 1916 scenario – made after making the changes the first test indicated were needed. This test turned out more to my liking.

Again, this shot shows the initial situation. At the top are the two Battlecruiser squadrons facing each other. Approaching from the Southeast is the German Main Body – the British Battlecruiser squadron has just landed in a trap. Just out of sight to the Northwest is the British 5th Battle Squadron. Those four Battleships are to WWI what the Iowas were to WWII, and very dangerous. If any of the British Battlecruisers survive, they will need those Battleships’ aid to escape. Far to the Northwest is the British Main Body, planning to turn the tables on the Germans and trap them in return.

Note that the German Main Body is four hexes further southeast, and the British Main Body is four hexes further northwest. And there is a new house rule involving the line of diamonds (and another line of stars, not shown). Let’s get started.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:49 pm

Turn 1, Round 1:

The German battlecruisers are bombarding the British battlecruisers from their starting positions. There are also attacks by light cruisers against light cruisers and destroyers against destroyers. Meanwhile, the Main Body has moved up to just short of the range of the British battlecruisers. I don’t want to move them into range until the defenders have been reduced as much as possible, since doing so will trigger interdiction bombardments. But, at the same time, I want to move them as far as I can without so triggering, since executing the attacks will burn the MPs of any rounds expended.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:50 pm

Turn 1, Round 2:

The first round bombardments did little damage (the Naval Attrition Divider is 100, so losses are divided by 10 from normal). The second round combats are the same as the first.

Note that this is where it would be very useful for the Combat Report to include the total damage inflicted against each ship type. Regardless of how it was distributed between multiple ships of the same type, just knowing that you are inflicting an amount of damage helps when, otherwise, the only report is “0 friendly and 0 enemy losses”.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:50 pm

Turn 1, Round 3:

The second round bombardments caused a little more damage. I’ll do it again.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:51 pm

Turn 1, Round 4:

The round three bombardments caused a little more damage. Repeating.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:52 pm

Turn 1, Round 5:

The round four bombardments caused a little more damage. Repeating. Note that this is one more round spent in this fashion than last time – due to the Main Body starting further away.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:52 pm

Turn 1, Round 6:

This turn, the Main Body battleships need to move into range or lose MPs. Hopefully, the British battlecruisers have been sufficiently weakened. The battleships moved forward one or two hexes each, triggering interdiction in the process. Note that many British ships have been sunk (including one of the battlecruisers) as a result and the battleships took light damage. This is where one of the new naval features shines: The risk of interdiction goes down the greater the Target Value in range of the interdicting vessels. That prevents every defending ship interdicting every single moving ship, and prevents capitol ships from squandering their ammo on inconsequential ships when under threat from more consequential ones.

The same bombardments are again set up by the battlecruiser squadron, except for the light cruisers, since their targets have been sunk during the interdiction action. They are targeting a different stack of light cruisers, instead.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:53 pm

Turn 1, Round 7:

After the attacks, the Main Body moved another hex closer – again triggering interdictions. As a result, three more battlecruisers were sunk along with another stack of light cruisers.

The same attacks are set up again by the battlecruiser squadron. The Main Body battleships can’t join in since they moved.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:54 pm

Turn 1, Round 8:

The targeted stack of British battlecruisers has been sunk. Now the remaining battlecruiser will be targeted, as will the remaining light cruiser stack. Note that the Main Body is joining in this time – two rounds later than on the first test.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:55 pm

Turn 1, Round 9:

The last round sank the last British battlecruiser and the last of their cruisers. The house rules now require all German capitol ships to end the turn either within 12 hexes of any battleship of the 5th Battle Squadron or on or north of the line of yellow diamonds, so they’ve been moved forward to that line of diamonds. In the process, they received and answered interdiction fire from the minor ships remaining from the battlecruiser squadron – sinking all of them that interdicted. There are still two groups of destroyers left that have been targeted by the entire fleet (this is the last possible combat phase this turn).

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:55 pm

Turn 1 Side1 End:

This is a view from the British player-turn – note that the last ships of Beatty’s Battlecruiser Squadron were sunk. This time, the Main Body wasn’t in range to target the destroyers of the 5th Battle Squadron, so they will escape. But, at the same time, the Germans haven’t had to endure the deadly fire from those battleships of the 5th Battle Squadron.

The Germans end this turn in better shape than in the last test. Each side has a loss penalty of 101. Note that the British have lost 6 battlecruisers, 13 light cruisers, and 18 destroyers, while the Germans have only lost two destroyers. But their other ships have taken damage, including one battleship with 89% damage.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:57 pm

Turn 1, Side 2 Moves:

Here, the 5th Battle Squadron has fled all the way to the link-up the remaining British battlecruiser squadron with their Main Body a few hexes further behind – due to the shift of that Main Body four hexes further northwest. By house rule, the German capitol ships must follow them – this turn – to within 12 hexes of one of those battleships OR on or north of the line of red stars. That will keep them from quite the terrible situation they fell into last time.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:58 pm

Turn 2, Side 1 Move:

Here the German fleet has moved as far north as necessary to get onto the line of red stars. This time, they didn’t have to endure fire from a suite of battleships that out ranged them. Note one capitol ship was excused from this requirement, due to its damage being greater than 50%. Note that I’ve stacked the capitol ships into only three locations – making it harder for the British to gang up on a smaller stack.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:59 pm

Turn 2, Side 2 Move:

The British fleet has moved into position to bombard the German fleet (it was a significantly longer move to do so). I chose to move so that all capitol ships were in range, which required getting to within 8 hexes of the Germans. That may have been a mistake as quite a bit of damage was incurred via interdiction, including the sinking of three battleships. Both sides took damage, though, and the loss penalties are now 202 to 279 in favor of the Germans.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:04 pm

Turn 2, Side 2 End:

The British have not been able to cause as much damage this time, since most of their ships are still late. The last attacks just set up will try again with the few ships that are not late. The British have taken little damage in turn, though.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:05 pm

Turn 3, Side 1 Move:

The British turn ended early, after only half the round was expended. The Germans must try to exploit that good break and escape. They’ve moved as far southeast as they can, leaving various stragglers behind – heading south as a diversion. It is now night, so spotting ranges are reduced from 10 hexes to 4.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:06 pm

Turn 3, Side 2 Move:

The British quickly ran into the worst of the stragglers – they will be just as quickly sunk. Note that even though I know which way the Germans went (since I’m playing both sides), I’m pretending not to know. So the heading I’ve taken is not quite true southeast or south – sort of in between.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:07 pm

Turn 3, Side 2 end:

The British continued to move in a southeasterly direction – finding and sinking a couple more stragglers. They never came close to the main body. Their turn ended early again.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:07 pm

Turn 4, Side 1 Move:

The Main Body moves further southeast while the stragglers continue to move south.

Curtis Lemay · Post by **Curtis Lemay** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:08 pm

Turn 4, Side 2 Move:

The British have managed to find one of the stragglers. It will be sunk.