Batle of Laroc Sea - Action at Lindisfarne Strait

Ra'easharn escorts gallantly engage 
Kiivar Task Force 34. What was that about 
'crossing the T'?

As the Kiivar Task Force 34 moved to head off any enemy force coming through the Lindisfarne Strait, Ra'esharn's  starboard escort column (RNS Charun and R21) had sped ahead in an effort to clear the way. Bursting through the strait, they saw at once ahead of them the formidable Kiivar warships. The larboard column, RNS Choronzon and R22, were slightly more distant, just about to round the Petosi point, the east end of the Petosi Island group. At once the starboard column came under fire from all three Kiivar vessels.

Saabia Task Force 7 spots not only part of the Invasion Group
Escort group, but also, far to the north, another 
enemy battle group. 

Meanwhile, the Saabian Task Force 7 not only observed the larboard escort column rounding Petosi point, but spied far to the north the smoke betokening the approach of another column of Ra'esharn warships. Leaving the destroyers to deal with the escort ships, the battleship SNS Hakawai and cruiser SNS Sarimanok turned onto a 330-degree heading to meet the unidentified distant force. The aircraft having just shortly before returned from their air attack, it would be some time before they would be available for another sortie.

As SNS Cockatrice crawls badly wounded to the south, 
the rest of TF1 moves westward. Made aware of 
the enemy carrier group, SNS Gullinkambe, followed by
destroyers S11 and S12, turn to face them...

To the east, the Ra'esharn Carrier Strike Force was just rounding the last of the Guanocanal Island group. Observing their approach, the submarine SU47 let fly with its bow torpedoes against the battleship RNS Bushyasta. Both torpedoes missed - possibly on account of the battleship's heading (not that I have any differentiating rule); but now the presence of the submarine was known to the escorting destroyers. This was not going to be SU47's lucky day. 

Submarine SU47 lets fly with its bow torpedoes...

Such were the developments just as the gunnery battle began near the Lindisfarne Strait. And this is how it went:

Kiivar:

Battleship KNS Harrier 

•     Primary armament vs Cruiser RNS Charun: medium range, 9xD6 roll: 1,1,1,2,2,3,6,6,6 => 3 hits
•     Secondary armament vs Destroyer R21: battle range (3 hexes), 6xD6 roll: 1,3,4,6,6,6 => 3 hits (good shooting!)

Cruiser KNS Heirax

•     Primary armament vs Charun, long range, 6xD6 roll: 1,2,3,3,4,6 => 1 hit 
•     Secondary armament vs R21, battle range, 6D6 roll: 2,2,3,5,5,6 => 1 hit

Destroyer K43:

•     Guns vs R21, battle range, 2D6 roll: 3,4 => no hits
•     Torpedoes vs Charun: battle range, 3D6 roll: 1,5,5 => no hits

Ra'esharn:

Cruiser RNS Charun:
Owing to the angle of approach, this cruiser could engage only with its forward guns:

•     Primary armament vs Destroyer K43: battle range, 4D6 roll: 1,5,6,6 => 3 hits!

Destroyer R21:

•     Guns at battle range vs K43: 2D6, roll: 3,4 => no hits

Already in torpedo range, R21 let fly with its sole bow tube at KNS Harrier - a forlorn gesture, perhaps?

•     Torpedo at battle range vs battleship: 1D6, roll: 6 (!!) => 1 hit, 6FP damage. A superb shot!

Results of the opening exchanges:

Ra'esharn:

• Cruiser RNS Charun - 4FP of damage
• Destroyer R21 - 4FP of damage, and must now attempt to withdraw from the action.

Kiivar:

• Battleship KNS Harrier - 6FP of damage
• Destroyer K43 - 3FP of damage. Just able to continue the action. One of its starboard torpedo batteries expended.

Action around the Petosi Island group

The action ended not there. Just as Destroyer R22 rounded the Petosi Island group, it was to discover that a Saabian submarine (S77) was lurking not far off the point. Fortunately, for the destroyer at any rate, the submarine's aim was off: no hits. 

As the battle was raging just south of the Lindisfarne Strait, the air attack launched by the Ra'esharn escort carrier, RNS Angra Mainyu, two squadrons, one carrying bombs, the other, torpedoes, struck at the already wounded Harrier. Up came the flak; down went a third of the bombers.

 

• Battleship AA: 4D6 roll: 1,5,6,6 => 2 bomber FP shot down.

There remained the bombing attack:

• 4 FP remaining, 4D6 roll: 1,1,4,5 => no hits! The chagrin of the Ra'esharn aircrew may be imagined!

Air attack against KNS Harrier

I reckon that's enough excitement for this posting. More to come later. For the rest of the action I took rather fewer notes (unfortunately) so there will be a deal less of the blow by blow accounting of strikes and hits. Suffice to say here, though, the action was just beginning. A considerable surface action was developing around the Petosi Island group. Far off to the east, south of Guanocanal, the gun armed ships of Task Force One were throwing themselves into the path of Carrier Strike Force, as it was making its best speed westwards...

To be continued -

Ship Building - Aside

 

KNS Pteranodon - heavy cruiser

I don't really think I have any kind of obsessive compulsive (convulsive??)  disorder, but I simply had to build one of these: a heavy cruiser. The smallest navy - Kiivar - gets it; a desperate measure, perhaps, in the face of the vastly superior Ra'esharn cruiser fleet. From start to finish to make: the course of an afternoon and evening, off and on.

Serial 83

It dimensions are pretty much the same as those of all the other cruisers in the three fleets, but this fellow, KNS Pteranodon, has nine primary guns in three triple turrets - half as much again the firepower of the 6-gun cruisers. I reckon into the bargain I'll give it 15FP (Flotation Points) instead of the standard 12.

Below are comparative pictures, top to bottom: battleship, battle cruiser, heavy cruiser.

The comparison is clearer from this overhead photo. 

Itch scratched: I don't reckon I'll be making any more of these...

Battle of Laroc Sea - Saabia's counterblows

The Ra'esharn air attacks upon the Saabian Task Force 1 having badly wounded the cruiser SNS Cockatrice, it was the turn of Saabia to mount their own attacks. Minus the fighter squadron, the entire bomber complement of SNS Bahamut took off to attack the enemy Carrier Striking Force. A hot reception awaited them.

Attack on the Carrier Strike Force

Having held back their fighters, Ra'esharn were able to match two-thirds of the incoming bombers. One squadron of bombers went after SNS Achlys (11). Half the Ra'esharn fighter intercepted them.
Fighters' attack roll: 2,2,4 => no effect
Bombers' defence roll: 2,4,5 => no effect
The bombers are neutralised.
Now came the flak: 
Destroyer: 1, 6 => 1 hit
Battleship: 2,3,4,6 => 1 hit
Carrier: 1,1,1,5 => no hits.
The bombers lose 2FP

Right here it is starting to become plain that the flak ought not to have been directed at a bomber squadron that had, in effect, been driven off. At the time the thought didn't cross my mind - and worse was to happen!

Attack on Carrier Strike Force

Two squadrons directed their attentions upon SNS Azi Dahak (14). One was intercepted by the fighters:
Fighters' roll: 4,5,6 => two hits on the bombers
Bombers' roll: 1,3,3 => no hits on the fighters
So, one bomber squadron neutralised: 
Now for the flak:
Destroyer: 3,6 => 1 hit
Cruiser: 2,3,4,6 => 1 hit
Carrier: 1,3,6,6 => 2 hits!
Four hits on the surviving bombers. That would have wiped out the last of the bomber squadrons, and the total force lost 8 out of 9 FPs (or, if you like, 32 out of 36 aircraft).

As it happened, I wrote down, I discovered later, a careless note that suggested the whole bomber force was wiped out. 

Attack on Carrier Strike Force

This was phenomenal shooting by the Striking Force, but I think the effect was somewhat overkill. The first two squadrons having been intercepted, they would have been driven off, jettisoning their bomb loads into the ocean and returning to their Task Force. The third squadron having made it through to the ships would have been shot out of the sky. Note that the battleship, Carrier 11 and the larboard column destroyer would have been out of range of their AA weaponry. 

So, according to the combats above, the Saabian bombers would certainly have lost more than half their complement (4FP remaining out of 9FP). The Task Force would still have had a bomber strike force in being.

At about the same time, Task Force 7 was conducting it own air attack, this one against the invasion convoy. The whole aircraft complement of SNS Bake-kujira struck at the troopships and the light carrier RNS Angra Mainyu. 

Attack on Invasion Convoy

As the carrier was the top priority target, the fighters escorted the squadron to which that target was assigned. Sure enough, the carrier launched its fighter squadron, the escort engaged it, neither side lost aircraft. That gave the bombers a free run - give or take the flak. The results were as follow:

Attack on MS Mangla (rear of larboard column). As it happened, I gave the transports no air defence of their own. Probably they ought to have at least 1AA point, possibly 2, per ship. 
Versus MS Mangla: 

    Bomber rolled: 2,3,5 => all missed, no effect
Versus RNS Angra Mainyu: 
    Flak rolls: 1,2,4,5 => no hits.
    Bombing run: 2,2,6 => 1 hit, 6FP of damage!
Versus MS Barracuda:

    Flak from overflown cruiser Charonzon: 2,4,4,4 => no hits
    Bombing run: 1,2,4 => no hits.

Attack on Invasion Convoy

Well, that was moderately disappointing for the attackers - just the one hit on the carrier. Following my previous posting Martin Rapier remarked on the desirability of striking carriers that were in the process of refueling and rearming aircraft that have returned from their own sorties. During this action, the thought did cross my mind that aircraft in a damaged ship might have taken some hurt, but that one I let go for examination later. Had the carrier taken further damage, the aircraft would certainly have remained out of the battle, unable to have been launched.

As it happened, these aircraft were soon to mount a strike of their own...

Battle of Lindisfarne Strait - Invasion fleet escorts take on
the Kiivar Task Force 34.

Shortly after this air attack, the Kiivar ships of Task Force 34 were approaching the other end of the Lindisfarne Strait through which the invasion convoy was about to pass. The starboard escort column, R21 and the cruiser, RNS Charun burst through the strait, just as the larboard column swung off to pass around the Petosi Point. This effected something of a surprise, as upon sighting the opposing forces were already in fairly close range. 

Two destroyers and two cruisers were hardly a match for battleship cruiser and destroyer, but two bomber squadrons (unescorted) from RNS Angra Mainyu were already on their way. Better yet, realising it had the range, however long, R21 launched its single forward torpedo - a hopeless gesture...

To be continued: a building surface fleet action

Battle of the Laroc Sea - An Overture to Action

Task Force 7

Well... not just the action. For this and subsequent postings the battle narrative will be interspersed with commentaries upon the issues that came up and possible methods of resolving them - if they seemed to need resolution. I thought I would begin with the opening passage of arms with an air attack...

The Ra'easharn objective - and whom they have to get 
past

The Invasion Convoy

Ra'esharn 'Covering Group'

Task Force 1 - the first target for Ra'esharn aircraft.

As the dawn of May 4, 66942 spread itself over the sunlit Laroc Sea, the Ra'esharn and Allied fleets sought each other out - the one to force a passage through to Port Fewersby for the invasion force; the other to keep that passage firmly closed.

It was the Ra'esharn 'Carrier Striking Force' that opened the ball. Scout aircraft having found to the south, heading westward, the Saabian Task Force 1, Rear Admiral Mazota ordered at once a powerful strike. All bomber aircraft from both fleet carriers - six squadrons - were ordered to obliterate the enemy group, especially the carrier. Six squadrons - eighteen 'flights' - 72 aircraft, let's call it.

The Carrier Striking Force launches its first air attack

Before continuing, a couple of issues have already cropped up.

(1) Playing this thing solo, I felt the want of a 'proximate' cause of sending out an air attack. How  was the enemy force discovered? The thought occurs that the respective fleets would send out scouting aircraft to look for them. It seems reasonable to subject this to a die roll. Call it a 50-50 proposition, although the probability of discovering anything of interest might depend on how far away is the object of the search. 

(2) This brings up the matter of weather. Now, early on during the course of the Coral Sea operations, enemy fleets were hard to find  anyway, but cloud cover made reconnaissance even more problematic. I thought of determining cloud cover for each quarter of the battle theatre by a die roll - a 'six' on a D6, say. This one I also let go.

(3) A third issue I will bring up here, but discuss more fully later on: how many moves between sorties by a given squadron? 

Task Force One under air attack!

As there was no shooting in the first Turn, we went straight into the moves, beginning with the launching of the air attack. I found it convenient to take the aircraft about halfway to their objectives, keeping them out of the way of moving the ships subsequently. After the moves, we move on to Turn Two - and the aircraft are moved up to their targets.

The bomber squadrons divided their attack as follows: one squadron against the cruiser SNS Gullicambe (to larboard of the carrier), three against the carrier SNS Bahamut, and two against the cruiser SNS Cockatrice. The Saabians sent up their fighter squadron - 3 flights or 12 aircraft. As the enemy priority target was obviously the carrier, the fighter took on one of the squadrons attacking it. 

Now, the fighter and the bomber squadron automatically cancel each other out, but there is still the combat to be resolved. 
Air-air combat:

• Fighter dice rolls: 3,3,6 => bomber FP (a third of the bomber strength) shot down
• Bomber dice rolls : 1,4,5 => no effect.

In effect the fighter squadron drives off one enemy squadron, shooting down a third of their strength.

Anti-aircraft fire:

• Gullicambe vs bomber Sqn: 2,4,5,6 => 1 bomber FP shot down
• 2 destroyer plus carrier vs 2 bomber squadrons: 4,4/5,6/1,2,3,5 => 1 bomber FP shot down
• Cockatrice vs 2 bomber squadrons: 3,5,6,6 => 2 bomber FPs shot down.
  

Just 11 FP remain available for attack, 5FP having been shot down and 2FP driven off.

Bombing attacks:

• 2FP attack Gullicambe: 1,5 => no hits
• 5FP attack Bahomet: 1,2,2,2,4 => no hits
  
• 4FP attack Cockatrice: 2,3,5,6 => 1 hit - the 5 added to the 6 => 11FP damage!
  

So, for the cost of twenty out of 72 aircraft (5 out of 18 Flying Points) the Ra'esharn has effectively knocked a Saabian cruiser out of the action. Speed reduced and a primary gun turret and some secondaries knocked out, SNS Cockatrice has to crawl southwards from the battleground and hope to make it to port somewhere in Terra Australis.

Task Force One launches a retaliatory strike

Task Force One had to respond. The fighters were of course unavailable, on account of their recent air action. So, in their turn, the three bomber squadrons - 36 aircraft, say - flew off to the north. It was a powerful force that awaited them.

In the distance, what TF1's aircraft will be facing...

For their part, Task Force Seven were at the time also launching an air attack. The objective: the troop and aircraft carriers of the Ra'esharn Invasion Force.

TF7's air strike being launched. This one is going after
 a different objective - this one with a fighter escort.

To be continued: More air strikes...

Battle of Laroc Sea - a BIG Playtest

Possibly the most interesting of the naval battles of the Pacific during World War Two, was the inconclusive action in the Coral Sea that induced ('forced' seems too strong a word; 'persuaded' perhaps more apt) the Japanese command to call off their attempted seaborne landing at Port Moresby, New Guinea. Methought something along those lines, but at a smaller scale, would make a fine, and fairly comprehensive playtest of the Gridded Naval War Games Rule set that I have been assembling. Tell you what: it was a lot of fun!

Having neglected to take a picture of the original set up - hiatus valde deflendus - I show the above, with the action well along, but yet to reach the crisis. (Edit: turns out I did take a pre-game picture, but it was in a different folder. See below).

The playing area comprises 4 sheet of thin card stock upon which the grid array had been drawn. It turns out I have as many more of these (two of which two make up a Bloodbowl field I had completely forgotten about!). This action will be repeated on a 3x2 arrangement, instead of this 2x2). The islands are terrain pieces for land war games, and the towns (Trakta and Port Fewersby) a couple of those tinytowns that this project seemed to call for. 

This turned out to be a very complicated game, although it did not take very long to play. It did, however bring up a vexed question of spatial and time scales. At the moment, I've settled upon each 5cm hex representing a linear distance of 3 nautical miles/ c.5400 yards/ c.5000 metres (roughly). This would suggest to me a time scale of a little over 3 hours per Game Turn. Call it 3 hours; 4 game turns representing the hours of daylight. The question of night moves arises of course. For this game I just carried on through as though the sun had slowed down. I didn't count, but I think the action went for 7 or 8 Game Turns, which would represent a day and a night (24 hours) or maybe two days of daylight hours.

Situation, morning 4 May, 66942

Background Narrative:

As part of their programme of imperial expansion, Ra'easharn had invaded the north coast of New Sterling with the view to advancing across the island and down the peninsula to capture the Port Fewersby. The operation went badly. The local defenders, poorly equipped though they were, slowed the enemy advance, finally bringing it to a halt well west of their objective. To break the deadlock, Ra'esharn High Command resolved upon sending a landing force - a brigade group loaded into 5 merchant vessels - to seize the vital seaport. In view of the risks involved in making the passage of the Lindisfarne Strait, this expedition was to be escorted by a small group that included a light carrier,  and supported by a 'Covering Group' built around the battleship RNS Barbatos, and a 'Striking Force' that included two fleet carriers.

The whole organisation comprised: 

Raesharn Expeditionary Force:

Invasion Convoy: Rear Admiral Honduki

• Light Carrier RNS Angra Mainyu (12FP) (Flotation Points)
  to include 1 Fighter and 2 Bomber squadrons @3FP (Flying Points)
• Cruiser RNS Charun 12FP
• Cruiser RNS Charonzon 12FP
• 2 Destroyers: R21, R22 @ 6FP
• 5 Transports: Chubby Maru, Ramjam, Shagnasti, Mangla, Barracuda @6FP                                    carrying Brigade Group of 3000 men

The Invasion Convoy

Covering Group: Rear Admiral Suzumaha

• Battleship RNS Barbatos 24FP
• Cruiser RNS Chemosh 12FP
• 2 Destroyers: R23, R24 @ 6FP
• Oiler Tanker Trampas 6FP

Striking Force: Admiral Mazota

• Battleship RNS Bushyasta 24FP
• Fleet Carrier RNS Achlys 12F ( 1 Sqn fighters, 3 Sqn Bombers @ 3FP)
• Fleet Carrier RNS Azi Dahak 12FP (1 Sqn fighters, 3 Sqn Bombers @3FP)
• Cruiser RNS Cimijes 12FP 
• 2 Destroyers: R25, R26 @6FP

The Carrier Strike Force, and in the distance west of 
Trakta, the Covering Group.

Ra'esharn also had two submarines, patrolling the area: 
RU18 roughly half way along a line between Trakta and Port Fewersby,

RU23 somewhere within the area of the Rehoboam Archipelago.

Working overtime, with a partially cracking of the Ra'esharn naval 'Code Mauve', the Saabian intelligence services knew something was afoot in the area of the Laroc Sea. Whether it was further landings in the Rehoboam Archipelago, or perhaps something to do with the impasse on New Sterling, they could not be sure. Their anxieties driven by the amount of radio traffic concerned the Allied Area Commander sufficiently to order the gathering of forces to oppose anything the enemy might develop. This opposition comprised three Task Forces: two, TF1 and TF7 supplied by the Saabia Navy; and TF34 by Kiivar. 

Allied Regional Defence Force:

Saabia Task Force 1: Rear Admiral Fitcher

• Fleet carrier SNS Bahamut 12FP (1 Sqn fighters, 3 Sqn Bombers @ 3FP)
• Cruiser SNS Cockatrice 12FP 
• Cruiser SNS Gullinkambie 12FP
• 2 Destroyers: S11, S12 @ 6FP

Saabia Oiling Group:

• Oiler Oumanaka 6FP
• Destroyer: S20

Saabia Task Force 7: Rear Admiral Flett (overall command)

• Battleship SNS Hakawai 24FP
• Fleet Carrier SNS Bake-kujira 12FP (1 Sqn fighters, 3 Sqn Bombers @ 3FP)
• Cruiser SNS Sarimanok 12FP
  
• 2 Destroyers: S77, S78 @ 6FP
  

Kiivar Task Force 34: Rear Admiral Craze

• Battleship KNS Harrier 24FP
• Cruiser KNS Heirax 12FP
• Destroyer K43

Kiivar Task Force 34.

There were also two submarines patrolling well south of the Rehoboam Islands, SU19 somewhere southwest of the westernmost Rehoboam island; SU47 due south of Guanocanal.

One issue that cropped up in this action was that at 18FP, the carriers would prove a little bit to resistant to bombing attacks. So I brought them back to my first thought: 12FP only. 

The Coral Sea battle that this action is supposed to resemble involved no battleships. However, I thought it would be interesting to include two on either side. This isn't really a 'refight' of Coral Sea - or even a 'might have been'. On the other hand the oilers on both sides really served no function for this game other than simply to be there. But it does raise the question how they might functionally be incorporated into the set of rules.

During the course of the action a number of issues cropped up that this action was intended to discover. They will be treated as they arise in the narrative. The main one was recording damage, and expenditure of certain types of weapons, to wit, torpedoes and depth charges (yes, a submarine was sunk during the course of this battle!). I have worked out a system better than the pen strokes I used on this occasion.

An issue also arose concerning air attacks on shipping - especially when intercepted by fighters. At present, I have the defending fighters taking on ONE attacking squadron, and neutralising it. They still fight and take losses, but even if the attackers take no loss (which happened at least once) they have been forced away from their objective. The remainder carry on. To make their attacks, they have to survive the flak.

Flak fires once only. However, if 2 squadrons are attacking, and the defence scores 2 hits, the loss may be shared between the 2 squadrons. Bombers that survive the flak (not the fighter intercept) carry out their bombing attacks. Late in the action two identical air attacks were carried out in the same Game Turn against two carriers. The results were almost as completely disparate as they could be!

I said this was a pretty complicated exercise. There were at least seven air attacks I can think of (which raised the issue of turnaround time for second sorties), but there was some surface action as well. The latter probably led to heavier losses than the air attacks did ... possibly.  At any rate, there was plenty of incident.

I'll leave the story of the battle for next time...
To be continued... 







 

Tinytown, Miniville, and Smallburg...

Embarking on a fairly ambitious naval action, methought a need for some settled places as bases or objectives for the opposing fleets. For instance, in a recent large scale operation, Port Mores Port Fewersby had to appear on the battle area as the objective of the Ra'esharn invasion fleet... 

So I built one.   

And then another.

And then a third. 

Of course, there had eventually to be something more resembling a teeming metropolis: hence the city of Hugeville. 

The smaller settlements can be anything from jungle villages  to sizeable towns. Hugeville might just aspire to a city, and, if ever the need arise, all of them might be combined into a species of conurbation. 
Hugeville (or whatever appellation applies in a given scenario or campaign) is just 48mm x 40mm; the other settlement 30mm square.

Of course they are overscale compared with the naval units for this project, but scale is not all that much of a concern. In the following picture, Port Fewersby can be seen on the southern coast of New Sterling...

Kiivar Task Force 34 sailing to intercept a Ra'esharn 
invasion force heading for the Lindisfarne Strait and
the south coast of New Sterling.

Coming up: Battle of the Laroc Sea... 

Doodling -

 I can't help it. Whenever I find my hands itching to do something - anything that is not an actual chore - I find myself ... doodling. Sometimes they are 2D - like this

Or something inspired by words:

This is a picture of Admiral Gantheaume
Who once led a diplomatic mission to Rome.
The purpose of the visit was a mystery to some
who wondered why on earth he had come;
But there was no mystery at all to many,
knowing that of purpose the trip had not any;
And the enigma had already been solved to most,
who suspected that the mission had no purpose to boast.
Having paid his respects to the Bishop of Rome,
Admiral Gantheaume led his mission back home.

This little ten-liner was inspired by this epitaph in clerihew form:
    'Here lies Admiral Gantheaume
    Who sailed his fleet from Brest to Bartheaume;
    Then aided by a wind from the west
    Sailed his fleet from Bartheaume to Brest.'

But sometimes the 'doodling' is 3D. Finding some balsa offcuts, I finally filled the missing two battleships of Saabia Navy with a couple of slightly smaller vessels - battlecruisers. Then the Ra'esharn Navy acquired four more destroyers; the Kiivar also two more, and just this last few days the battlecruiser that features in the Battle of Phaiq T'anh. 

Suddenly an armed merchant cruiser has appeared on the scene - these bits of balsa just keeps turning up. This thing will have to be given 'stats' of its own. Let's see:

• Flotation Points: 9FP. Converted from a MS for convoy protection, will have added protection fitted;
• Speed: 2 hexes;
• Gun ranges: 0-3 hexes - 5-6 to hit;  4-6 hexes - 6 to hit (i.e. cruiser sized armament);
• Firepower: Forward: 1D6; Broadside: 2D6; Aft: 1D6 (model has one gun forward and aft) 
• Anti-Air: 2D6 all round

  

  Armed Merchant Cruiser KNS Mollymawk.
  Really, just a 3D doodle made of balsa and pins...

  
  

In effect, this is a very weak cruiser. It might be interesting to see how it would go against a destroyer. The latter is faster and less well protected, but does have its torpedoes.

I have also been adding to the air fleets. All together, these amount to 102 aircraft mounted on 34 stands: 16 Ra'esharn (green), 12 Saabia (white); 6 Kiivar (blue). I'm about two-thirds the way through their construction. 

As I have a more ambitious scenario in mind that is likely to involve landing craft and a beach landing, I'll have to come up with 'stats' for these. They will be of two classes, LCI (infantry and support weapons and tows) and LCT (AFVs), but should have the same 'stats':

• Flotation Points: 3FP Very fragile, these things, and if reduced to 1FP will abandon any landing attempt.
• Speed: 1 hex Reduces to 0 only when reduced to 0FP
• AA: 1D6 all round.

A question concerning launching air attacks did occur to me. Suppose Ra'esharn and Saabian carrier groups launched their aircraft in the same turn. One side - let's say it is Ra'esharn - will get its attacks in before the enemy aircraft have had their chance to move into their attack. The best solution seems to me is to set the defender's - Saabia's - aircraft aside (obviously the enemy aircraft must have passed each other en route). When Ra'esharn has set up its air attacks, Saabia sets up their own. Then resolve the separate air attacks in turn.

One of those situations that seemed at first blush to be a problem, but turned out not to be so. 

Speaking of poems, the following saga was partly inspired by events in a Napoleonic campaign some ten or twelve years ago; and partly by Robert Burns's The Plenipotentiary. Although not as raunchy as the Bard's original, it retains a certain ribaldry. Readers have been warned...

The following is a poem by way of background for a 'what if' Napoleonic campaign begun several years ago. The campaign was 1809-plus - that is to say, during the course of the campaign in Bavaria and Austria, a British Expeditionary Force landed in Hanover, and the world awaited which way Prussia would jump. Much to everyone's surprise, the King of Prussia clove to Napoleon, whereat certain verses began to appear on walls of taverns and other likely spots in Vienna (I was/am playing the Austrian commands). Soon the lampoon became widely spread...

Readers will observe that the second stanza has a different rhythm to the others. That was due to absence of mind when penning it, but, having completed it, decided to let it stand.

The Intermediary (with acknowledgements and apologies to Robert Burns, writer of The Plenipotentiary):

Part One.

The King of Prussia, when wishing to usher
A new era in for his State, sir;
As he knew that in France, Josephine wore the pants,
He chose one well hung to negotiate, sir.
He searched through the Schloss, 'til he found out a 'hoss'
with diplomatic bags full and hairy;
With credentials aligned in breeches so fine
to act as his Intermediary.

Josephine was rapt, to moment that she clapt
Eyes upon the Envoy's manly frame.
From that instant was ignited a spark right soon requited:
The burning light of passion's deadly flame.
They began their discussion, the Empress and the Prussian, 
With courtesies exchanged in seemly wise
For they both knew for certain that behind every curtain
Lurked one o' Bonaparte's multitude of spies.

Desiring to dance, the Empress of France
Soon drew the Envoy to the floor, sir.
Admiring the charms held in his arms, 
He guided her out of the door, sir.
With caress and cosset, straitway to her closet,
He carried her light as a fairy; 
She abandoned her 'state, surrendered to fate,
And the amorous Intermediary!

It was not, I ween, to pleasure Josephine
That the Envoy came to Paris cap-in-hand, sir:
What was to follow, that Prussia might swallow
Hanover's coveted lands, sir.
So persuasive was the force of his 'political' discourse,
To refuse him the Empress was chary.
She answered him 'Yea', she would not say 'Nay'
To the persuasive Intermediary.

Napoleon turned green when he heard Josephine
His brows had garnished with horns, sir* (*yet again)
He swore he would make the young Prussian rake
Wish he had never been born, sir.
With tormented mind, the Treaty he signed, 
But marks of perturbance were nary
That he designed to requite the libertinous slight
Done him by the Intermediary.

Part Two.

The emperor sought one who’d bring the Envoy undone,
He searched his Empire at large, sir;
It was Monsieur Fouche who showed him the way,
And recalled him to Mme Lafarge, sir.
Madame Lafarge, as large as a barge,
with nethers cavernous and airy;
An uncomely wench, the very one to quench
The lusty Intermediary.



Mme Lafarge, though uncommon large,
‘Twas not to that she owed her ill fame, sir;
With needles she’d sit, under the guillotine and knit,
Whilst heads rolled down from the frame, sir.
Her visage gave fright to walkers at night,
Her eyes rounded and bloodshot and scary
The Emperor grinned: she’d be the end,
Of the false Intermediary.

But he reckoned without our libidinous lout
Whose tastes tended to the bizarre, sir
When faced with the Madame whose lusts without fathom
There was no risk of going too far, sir.
He rattled her good, right where she stood,
Three times three and a Hail Mary -
There was no quenching the appetite for wenching
Of the vigorous Intermediary.

Diplomatic work done, goodbyes said at a run,
The Envoy left for Berlin sir.
Carried with him report with gladsome purport
His mission was blessed with a win, sir.
But his memory rumbled of the lady he'd tumbled
A recollection that troubled his life;
His heart so smitten a letter he had written
To Mme Lafarge that he might take her to wife.
Upon receipt of this missive, the Madame grew pensive,
And the answer she gave him was wary;
But Napoleon smiled for he knew that his guile
Had conquered the Intermediary.

Ion A. Dowman

 They're all... doodles.