This time again at a club night, we had Tims formidable collection of coastal guards and Schnellboote out for a daring dash with the Warlord Games rule set "Cruels Seas", reversing the scenario from last time. Now the Germans had to attack the "Convoy" and sink one of freight ships. Trying to hinder the Germans were Peter and Mike and Tim with the usual four Royal Navy Cardboardbox ships - BUT Tim was introducing a new British menace - a heavily defended and armoured Gunship that out gunned all our German arsenal - I would name it the "Death Star"...
I'm not sure, but there were actually several occasion were passer by pointed out the deadliness and the futility of our struggle against that particular ship... hmmm. On the German side I had to divide four Schnellboote between me, David and Andy.
Our plan was simple to divide the attention and going in with two ships on a Kamikaze like straight attack - while the other two surfed around and attacked the tanker from behind - What could go possibly wrong?
First Andy did the gallant attack, launched the first two torpedoes, but they missed (slided under both ships) and then his boat was in a concerted action shot to pieces and on fire. He skated along the freight ship but didn't do much damage, and ended up being the second target and was sunk by the rest of the Royal Navy gang in later turns.
David didn't remembered the plan and turned into the wrong direction and was then also main target of the whole flottila of the Royal Navy - again by the "Death Star".
We sunk accidentally one ship of the Cardboard box line. Then Tim got unfair and accidentally rammed Davids half dead Not-so-schnellboot, which he, of course, did not survived. Strange experience to have the typical British "cardboardbox - sensation " to be reversed on you...
My first boot then had Mike's Pappmacheboat on the target and slided in point blank next to him on both sides with two schnellboote. Yup - end of story - sunk by design - Thats how you do it boys. But my schnellboot was then to near too the "Death Star" (the one that rammed David by accident and sunk it) and was shot to the ground in one turn.
So the only one left on the board was my last schnellboot. Subsequently attracting the fire of all the British, but their arse were heading in the wrong direction. It was me who was now behind the two Freight ships, I released the useless torpedoes and started firing at them. Again I was going lean into point blank. The freight ship now was between me and the rest of the Royal Navy - I had outmaneuvered them all!!
The last turn I raked the ship with all I got and sunk the bastard - German victory.
I apologise the Kriegsberichterstatter was on the first boot that was sunk - so we have not much photographic material that survived the incident ...
It was a blast.
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| Initial set up |
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| The plan goes astray ... |
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| ... but then we outflanked them boot by boot. |
