File - GIUK - The First Convoy, September 1939

[broncepulido]

 

File Name: The First Convoy, September 1939

File Submitter: broncepulido

File Submitted: 18 Jul 2012

File Category: GIUK

 

 

First Convoy in the Phoney War, 14-18 September 1939.

 

A Harpoon Commander's Edition scenario for the EC2003 Battle for GIUK Gap Battleset and the HCWW-101110 World Wars era Platform Database.

 

That's an essay of building an historic and realistic scenario, and as consequence, something boring for most of the time, with some moments of terror, as in the real world ASW operations, in this case in the Western Approaches. And probably most of the played scenarios will be finished with a draw. Playtesting after built the scenario reflects it is more playable in the Red/German side.

It reflects the Phoney War in all his splendour and peculiarities, with though fighting in the sea lanes, in opposition to the calm land and air fronts. It reflects also the very limited UK ASW capabilities at the war start, the approximative initial Order of Battle of the RAF Coastal Command and his historical bases (Most of the Hudson represents Anson MkI, Sunderland MkIII represents Sunderland MkI, and minor types as Stranraer, London, Lerwick or others are not represented, some Air Stations only with detachments are neither in play), merchants sailing unescorted, also is depicted OB-4 (OB stands for Liverpool - Outward (North America)) the first convoy attacked in WWII by German submarines, the great number of German submarines operating at this time in the sector (in patrol from before the hostilities, his number was later inferior because maintenance and transit times), with his approximated historical positions (Including the after the Cold War infamous U-34, who sunk the Spanish Republican submarine C

-3, my grandfather boat, in the Spanish Civil War, in the covert Operation Ursula), and also is present the fleet carrier HMS Courageous and her nimble escort, the last attempt to employ the large fleet carriers as ASW platforms ...

Ironically, in the Phoney War time period Hitler was attempting to seize the peace with Great Britain, and the objective victory reached by the Kriegsmarine sinking the Courageous was contrary to the Fuhrer interests, and dismissed by him.

 

The represented historical Coastal Command bases and squadrons are:

AXa RAF Leuchars EGQL, 233 Sqd RAF Coastal Command (Hudson MkI/II).

AYa RAF Thornaby, 224 Sqd Det (Hudson MkI/II), 220 Sqn (Hudson MkIII), 608 Sqd (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

AZa RAF Aldergrove EGAA, 224 Sqd. Det (Hudson MkI/II), 502 Sqd Anson I (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BAa RAF Gosport, 224 Sqd (Hudson MkI/II).

BBa RAF Prestwick EGPF, 102 Sqd, 30?xWhitley MkIII (represented by MkII).

BCa RAF Thorney Island, 48 Sqd (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BDa RAF Sullum Voe, 201 Sqd with London I, London II, Stranraer, represented by 2xSunderland III.

BEa RAF Mount Batten, 204 Sqd (8?xSunderland I represented by 4xSunderland III).

BFa RAF Bircham Newton, 201 Sqd, (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BGa RAF Pembroke Dock, 210 and 228, Sqd, (8?xSunderland I each, represented by 4xSunderland III).

BHa RAF Warmell, 217 Sqd, Anson I (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BIa RAF Montrose, 269 Sqd, Anson I (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BJa RAF Detling, 500 Sqd, Anson I (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

BKa RAF Dyce EGPD, 612 Sqd, Anson I (30?xAnson MkI=15xHudson MkI/II).

Some British DD not are of the exact time period represented, but most of them are historically correct and present in the Western Approaches operations in September 1939.

The ahistorical SOSUS or CAESAR contacts on German submarines can be considered as representations of SIGINT or HUMINT detections.

 

Enrique Mas, July 2012.

 

 

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[broncepulido]

I'm experimenting in my own scenario for fine tuning of the WWII database platforms.

Two findings:

 

First: With simple hydrophones or representation of torpedo look-outs in the UK warships (CV, CL and DDs) (not in the merchants) the scenario is very playable and funny from the British side. You can detect sometimes at very short range a torpedo (mainly) or a submarine (very, very few times) and later hunt her (and very historically, as I pretended) with very high risk, approaching the submarine with start-stop phases and placing she with burst of active sonar (later you finish she with depth charges, air launched depth charges, or dumb torpedoes fired by the DDs, historically a lot of submarines were sunk with dumb torpedoes (that was the case in my grandfather submarine))

For testing my idea I employed the very widely used sonar Type 132 Hydrophone Set passive, with a DB range of 0,5, becoming exactly the historic 2,4 nm range in the scenario, installating it on the CV, CL and DD present in the scenario.

http://jproc.ca/sari/asd_et1.html

 

Second: is possible to sunk a submarine with air-launched depth charges also when the submarines it's not clearly determined in her position. A few minutes ago, only with the initial and undetermined placement indicated with a SOSUS detection, I've placed a pair of flights (2xSunderland and 3xHudson, a lot of DC on each flight) near the center of the incertidumbre area, in most of the placements I get the message "I don't know where's the submarine, I should look for she?" (or similar thing), but carefully placing the flights near the center of the area, sometimes the short range ASW menu is open and you can fire depth-charges on the submarine and sunk it actually! (Also very historically, you can launch DC almost blind, and damage the sub)(and I've reduced the PH of the depth charges in my personal DB a lot, to aproximative historical values of 1%, 2% or 3%, not 15% or so as in the original DB).

 

Also is worth of mention in this time period none sub was sunk by the Coastal Command planes, the first one was U-55 so late as 30 January 1940, and sharing the sinking with a DE and a DD, because the limitations of the time period detection and destruction gear (almost useless anti-submarine bombs, not depth-charges). The first attack with aerial depth-charges was so late as 16 August 1940, when a Sunderland only damaged the U-51. As comparative in 1939 57 U-boats sailed patrols and 9 were sunk, 2 by mines and 7 by warships (roughly a 15%). But the Coastal Command sunked at last a grand total of 155 U-Boats.

 

As consequence, I want to revise in a near future the very astringent victory condictions of this scenario (Also, sunk a CV is flagged as minor German victory, but I sunk one and another time playing German the Courageous and I don't obtain none victory anthem or image!).

[broncepulido]

Tags added.

[broncepulido]

Scenario edited 18 July 2012: only minor text changes for sake of historical and intern coherence.

Scenario edited 8 Augusto 2012: the original victory conditions were wrote only with theorical considerations. Now I've changed it to very more affordable victory conditions, considering both the game engine and the historical reality, if not, the English player can't win (before the corrections he should sunk a ahistorical high number of German submarines to win).

[broncepulido]

Scenario edited 17 January 2015, only cosmethic and very little text changes.

- Bases names added in the scenario by the new utility.