That's the Reading Sorted Then

 

I've been scouring my bookshelves both digital and dusty for reference material that might be useful when developing my ideas for X Craft Command. As you can see, it's not a bad starting point, as I've read a couple of these before and have only added one new title to the library, The Sea Devils by Mark Felton, as this covers the operations of XE Craft in the Far East which I'm not familiar with. I'll hopefully get a better idea if this is a feasible project and be able to flesh out some initial thoughts about how it might actually work, that won't just fit on the back of the proverbial fag packet.

X Craft Command

I had an idea out of the blue today. Could the Night Fighter Command system be adapted to wargame the X or XE Craft midget submarine missions against the Tirpitz and the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao in 1943-45? This sounds daft but I think it might work, if you adapt the search and attack mechanisms to the avoidance of underwater navigation hazards, torpedo nets, mines and enemy patrol boats, the objective being to plant explosive charges or limpet mines under the target then try to get away. The crew would have suitable skill ratings and would have to use these to pass skills tests for piloting / navigation, stealthy use of the periscope, management of buoyancy and mechanical problems, and underwater frogman tasks. There would be mission route maps for the fjords of Norway and Singapore Harbour. I need to give this some more thought and do some research but I reckon it's got potential? 

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 3

 

I squeezed in a third sortie for F/Sgt Walker and Sgt Jones of 609 Squadron yesterday, flown on 11th May 1941 in light rain, a fresh Force 5 breeze, 5/10th's cloud cover and a full moon, with the Portland circuit once again but this time with a new, less experienced GCI controller (Skill 2). Things looked good to start with as the GCI vectored the Beaufighter onto a target in the first zone after take off, a Heinkel III (Evade 1 / Spotting 1 / Attack 3) but the vector was way off and the chase continued for four more zones until an Approach with radar was possible. 

In the meantime, F/Sgt Walker noticed that his port undercarriage hadn't locked in properly on take off, but he decided to carry on regardless, trusting Sgt Jones would get a good AI interception. 

In fact, Sgt Jones did manage to guide the night fighter into close range at 5'o'clock but this time it was the pilot who failed to spot the bomber that put a spanner in the works, although the bomber crew also missed the night fighter in the darkness. Moving around to a 6 o'clock position, Sgt Jones now guided F/Sgt Walker into a perfect close range position, where he spotted the Heinkel and opened fire with four seconds of cannon rounds. 

These slammed into the fuselage and port wing but failed to hit anything vital. The Heinkel rear gunner spotted the night fighter and returned fire, his spraying wide of the night fighter, while the pilot failed to evade, flying on straight and level in shock. This gave F/Sgt Walker a second chance and, with no hesitation, he slammed another four second burst into the bomber, hitting the tail, fuselage and port wing again, causing the aircraft to break up in mid flight, the pilot and radio operator failing to bail out in time before it crashed into the sea in a shower of debris.

This was another probable, due to the location in Lyme Bay and the fact that the crew were not captured, eventually being picked up by an enemy torpedo boat. The Beaufighter now flew on three more zones until a new contact was made with another Heinkel III (Evade 4 / Spotting 3 / Attack 1) over Studland, the GCI once again vectoring them way off target, although spot on for altitude. 

The chase began but an AI equipment malfunction had to be fixed by Sgt Jones before an approach could be made, whilst also reloading the cannons for a second attack. The AI malfunction was eventually sorted out but by this time, the night fighter crew were approaching Middle Wallop and so F/Sgt Walker decided to abandon the chase and land, hoping that the port undercarriage would successfully lock down before he made his approach. 

Luckily, the landing went smoothly for a change and crew breathed a sigh of relief as they taxied to dispersal. F/Sgt Walker's third 'probable' and his excellent flying skills in a tricky landing, meant that he was awarded an immediate DFM, while Sgt Jones already had a Mention in Dispatches, so had to go without any gongs for this sortie. Both of the crew now have a few days leave before they will be flying again, with only two more aircraft shot down to give them the chance of a skills upgrade. 

Aquitaine: Chevauchee 1355

 

The first campaign game of Aquitaine ended in disaster for the English routiers, with a defeat by the massed army of John the Good at Perigeux, where the Black Prince, Chandos and Audley were attacked by the entire French army of John the Good. The English had captured Guyenne and Brive, taxing but not capturing Tulle, Cahors, Perigeux and Rocamadour, yet underestimated the distance the French army could cover when they managed to roll a six for movement in turn three. The Black Prince unwisely chose to evade rather than dig-in, while John opted for a hasty attack, the end result being an overwhelming advantage for the French and total defeat for the English. In their defence, I'm very rusty with the rules and made a couple of bad decisions, so they should do better next time?

Aquitaine

 

As a bit of a change, I'll be playing the Society of Ancients, Hundred Years War hex and counter game Aquitaine, originally published as part of Paddy Griffith's Book of Sandhurst Wargames. I used to play this using my copy of the book but have since got hold of the later edition, which is basically the same but with a thinner counters and a booklet for the rules. It's a mini-campaign based on an English 'chevauchee' or war ride in the 1350's, with the Black Prince leading his army to capture and tax the towns in central and southern France, while the French under John the Good try to bring him to battle. It's good fun and quite fast to play, so I should get at least a couple of games in over the next few days.

Corvette Command Campaign March-April 1942 [6]

 

March 1942

HMCS Windflower

Slow convoy (SC/74) of 54 merchant ships from ST JOHNS to LIVERPOOL.

21st-22nd March 

Convoy departs ST JOHNS in teeth of violent storm, with high seas and gale force winds making life very uncomfortable for ship's complement. No chance of a U-Boat attack, though, so ship's complement in good spirits. 

23rd-24th March

After a rough twenty four hours the weather improves but convoy now shrouded in thick sea fog, with visibility reduced and chance of collision an ever present worry. CO orders constant RADAR watch and extra lookouts on the bridge. 

24th - 27th March

Weather improves as sea mist clears due to stiff breeze, with initial heavy swell giving way to calm conditions. Convoy makes good progress and U-Boats seem to have been caught napping, as ASDIC and RADAR both report no contacts. W/O intercepts indicate that E/S concentrating on US East Coast, with the Yanks taking a beating. At least Jerry has left us alone for a change!

28th March - 2nd April

Weather now very good with clear skies, light breeze and calm seas. No E/S detected and convoy making good progress. C/O orders all hands to drill for 4'' gun practice while visibility is good. 4'' crew are given a hard time by P/O Blanchet but results not bad, with near miss on smoke float at medium and long range.

3rd - 4th April

Weather deteriorates in Western Approaches, with heavy swell and gusting wind, bringing snow showers and hail. Coastal Command air cover keeps the U-Boats at bay. Good show!

5th April

Arrive LIVERPOOL with no losses and a very happy ship!

That as a very uneventful convoy, with the only U-Boat encounter on the first turn, when the weather prevented an attack. In fact, I got so used to turning over blank counters that I decided to give the 4'' gun some practise, just to keep them busy. HMCS Windflower gained 3VP's for major allied victory and, as this was the sixth convoy, the ASDIC, RADAR and D/C got to roll for an upgrade, with the latter two moving up to Level 4 and Level 3 respectively. I was surprised that the ASDIC Operator didn't get an upgrade but I fluffed the D6 roll, so there you go. That was definately a milk run!

Corvette Command Campaign March 1942 [5]

March 1942

HMCS Windflower

Slow convoy (SC/73) of 48 merchant ships from LIVERPOOL to ST JOHNS.

5th-9th March

Convoy departs LIVERPOOL, violent storm in Irish Sea and Western Approaches, only three stragglers but conditions very rough making convoy discipline a challenge for commodore. At least the U-Boats are having it rough too.

10th - 11th March

Storm force winds finally subside as high pressure system moves in but drop in temperature results in thick fog and limited visibility. Convoy Commodore orders HMSC Windflower to round up three stragglers from the storm. 

09.55 U-Boat sighted on surface, bearing 067 degrees at long range (2000yds), engaging straggler MV St Athan (3000t), general cargo, with E/S deck gun. 4'' gun to action stations, two rounds fired but no hits as E/S crash dives.  

10.04 ASDIC contact at medium range, bearing 046 degrees closing to short range, with D/C pattern dropped from stern rails. 

10.23 ASDIC maintains contact and second D/C pattern fired from starboard launchers, followed by third pattern from stern rails. 

10.42 ASDIC contact maintained, fourth D/C pattern fired from starboard launchers, flotsam and oil spotted on surface, ASDIC contact fades. Probable E/S sunk.

C/O orders an extra tot for all hands. Jolly Good Show!

HMCS Windflower to abandon search after W/O reports MV St Athan has re-joined convoy.

12th March

Fog disperses but poor weather conditions, with rough swell and gusting winds, although convoy makes good progress. 

22.36 Tanker M/V Empire Pride (16000t), in ballast, hit by torpedo on starboard side, settles on an even keel, crew picked up HMCS St Croix going alongside to lift off survivors despite rough seas. Exemplary seamanship!

22.58 M/V Loch Fyne (3000t), general cargo, hit by torpedo in engine room, goes down by stern, only two survivors picked up from raft. 

23.04 ASDIC detects E/S bearing 310 degrees, medium range (1200yds), closing to short range (200yds). D/C pattern fired from starboard and port launchers. Probable hits.

23.15 ASDIC loses contact with E/S. Despite repeated attempts to regain contact, E/S evades detection. 

23.45 Search for E/S called off, HMCS Windflower returns to convoy, ASDIC op given a talking to by Number One!

12th - 13th March

Expected Wolfpack attack fails to materialise, despite weather conditions improving and sea state calm, with light swell. Must have caught Jerry on the hop! C/O orders RADAR and ASDIC on watch for E/S activity, with extra lookouts posted just in case. The commodore orders all ships to maintain constant, zig zag as good visibility and calm sea will make an easy target for the U-Boats.

13th - 17th March

Weather remains good for remainder of convoy. No E/S activity, suggesting strong defence and convoy discipline have sent them packing!

18th March

Arrive ST JOHNS. A successful convoy, with only four merchants lost, one straggler, MV Quimper (9000t), in ballast, making port two days later. C/O orders all hands to remain aboard for refuelling and rearming, as next convoy to depart in two days time. 

That was a relatively uneventful escort job, with minimal losses to the convoy and one U Boat sunk as a 'probable' having taken four hits from the depth charge attack. The ASDIC operator did a cracking job but the RADAR and lookout weren't great, with the 4'' gun crew yet again failing to hit anything (although it was at long range). The crew of HMCS Windflower gained another 2VP for a major allied victory, which would have been 3VP if two out of three of those stragglers hadn't been lost. 

Corvette Command Convoy Five

 

I've just completed the fifth convoy escort job for HMCS Windflower and it was a bit of a cake walk, with only two ships sunk and two stragglers lost, with one Type IX U-Boat sunk and a second Type VII damaged then forced to abandon it's attack on the convoy. The campaign result is another 2VP's for the convoy commander and a major allied victory, although the CO won't be getting any more gongs as the U-Boat kill was only a probable. I thought this was game number four in the campaign but, having checked my sketchy notes, it's actually the fifth game, meaning that my crew will be able to roll for upgrades after the next trip. I'll write up a full after action report later today.

Nightfighter Command Now Out and it's Free

Now available as a free download from BGG and via the Nightfighter Command FB group, and will soon be available from Wargame Vault too. What's not to like? Tally Ho!

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 2

 

The second sortie for F/Sgt Walker and Sgt Jones followed on the night of the 10th May 1941, with light rain, a moderate breeze of 13kts, clear conditions and a full moon, although the cloud cover was still 10/10, making it easier for the enemy to evade. Take off went smoothly once again and the crew were vectored by an experienced GCI to a position near Sherborne in Dorset, heading on the Portland loop for the op. The first contact was a He-111, which Sgt Jones successfully picked up on his AI set, expertly vectoring F/Sgt Walker onto a 5 o'clock interception at close range. F/Sgt Walker spotted the bomber and let rip with four seconds of 20mm cannon fire, tearing into the tail of the Heinkel but only causing light damage. 

The Beaufighter now disappeared into the night, preventing the bomber crew from spotting the night fighter or evading, although they were now ready for the next attack. Sgt Jones now brought the aircraft into a 9'oclock intercept, then smoothly guided F/Sgt Walker into a perfect 6 o'clock position, from which he was able to spot the bomber and open fire. Another four second burst caused a critical hit, one on the starboard wing, and two on the crew, the pilot hit in the right arm with splinters and the navigator killed by a direct hit from a cannon shell. The shocked and bloodied crew were in no state to spot the night fighter, which quickly throttled back to reload, although the tail gunner did glimpse the night fighter as it pulled away but failed to hit with his burst of defensive fire. 

Sgt Jones now struggled to reload the cannon magazines but managed to lock them in place, ready to start the approach from the 6 o'clock position from which F/Sgt Walker was shadowing the stricken bomber. The night fighter moved in for the kill. with a four second burst of 20mm shells at close range which completely shredded the tail of the He-111, sending it spinning out of control. Only two parachutes were spotted by Sgt Jones, as the enemy radio operator and waist gunner baled out, the pilot struggling to keep the bomber aloft to allow his surviving crew to escape. The He-111 was claimed as a confirmed kill by F/Sgt Walker but, as there was no confirmation from the observer corps, he was only given a probable (the enemy crew believed they had been hit by flak, as the only witness to the night fighter attack was the tail gunner who had been KIA).

The GCI now vectored the night fighter toward a new contact, another He-111 but this one proved to be a much tougher customer. Despite several attempts to get into position, Sgt Jones failed to pin down the bomber as it twisted and turned to evade detection. His headaches were exacerbated by an equipment failure, with a loose electrical connection making it hard to communicate with the GCI, the static fading her voice and making it difficult to hear instructions. Finally, over Portland Sgt Jones and F/Sgt Walker managed to get into a 3 o'clock position at close range undetected by the bomber crew, opening fire only to have a cannon jam, losing a round and forcing them to pull back to clear the breech and remove the casing. The flash from the jammed round allowed the bomber crew to spot the night fighter and the pilot immediately pulled the aircraft into a steep corkscrew to evade the enemy attack.

Despite the best efforts of the bomber pilot, the chase continued and the night fighter crew eventually got into position for a final attack, this time from a perfect 6 o'clock approach but with only three seconds of ammunition left with which to shoot down the He-111. A burst of fire hit the pilot, who was lightly wounded in the right leg by flying splinters, the ventral gunner who was also lightly wounded but in the right arm, and the starboard engine, which the pilot managed to shut down and feather before it caught fire. Cursing their luck, F/Sgt Walker now pulled away and set a course for Middle Wallop, where he made another bumpy landing although once again without damage to the aircraft or Sgt Jones, although there was much blue language over the intercom. His temper improved a lot, however, when he was given a Mention in Dispatches for his skilled handling of the AI interception and his ability to overcome mechanical problems with a cool head.

I really enjoyed this game, although the second interception did drag on a bit due to bad dice rolls by the AI op, and thought the crew did pretty well only let down by their equipment and some poor dice rolling at critical moments. The award of an MID to Sgt Jones was well deserved, as he not only made a couple of very good interceptions, he also managed to reload and unjam the cannon quickly, then coped with dodgy GCI comms as though everything was business as usual. F/Sgt Walker does need to sort out his landings, however, as the oiks are getting fed up with the work that they have to do on the oleo legs. The crew really should have had a confirmed kill for the first bomber but I rolled a 1 and there was very little I could do to explain that away. Better luck next time perhaps? 

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 1

 

This was the first of the second round of playtesting for Nightfighter Command, with a new crew of F/Sgt Walker, RNZAF, and Sgt Jones, RAF, of 609 Squadron setting out for their first op on 9th May 1941. The sortie from Middle Wallop was on the Bristol loop, with light rain, a 13kt moderate breeze, 10/10 cloud cover and a 3/4 moon. Take off went smoothly and the first three zones were flown with no problem, the GCI vectoring Sgt Jones onto a He-111 but the subsequent attempts by both the GCI and AI operator failed to make a successful interception, allowing the bomber to slip away. The crew were now over Bristol and a new target was acquired in the shape of another He-111, the GCI and AI approach both being successful, bringing the Beaufighter into a 12'oclock position at long range. 

Sgt Jones then managed to guide F/Sgt Walker into a '6 o'clock position at close range, with the bomber then spotted by the pilot, who lined up for a perfect attack after dropping his undercarriage to slow down the night fighter. A four second burst of cannon rounds tore into the bomber, inflicting an engine and a tail hit which reduced it's evade rating to just one. The bomber crew spotted the night fighter and opened fire but missed, with an unsuccessful evade roll allowing a second blast of cannon fire from F/Sgt Walker, which obviously hit the bomb bay as the Heinkel exploded in a ball of flames. Now out of ammunition, F/Sgt Walker throttled back to allow Sgt Jones to reload, cursing the AA gunners below who would no doubt claim the bomber as their confirmed kill.

The Beaufighter now moved beyond the flak and searchlights of Bristol and turned back toward Middle Wallop, with the GCI guiding Sgt Jones onto a new vector and a new target, this time a Ju-88. However, despite several successful GCI approach rolls and subsequent AI approach attempts, the Ju88 managed to outwit Sgt Jones repeated attempts at an AI interception, eventually slipping away as the frustrated AI operator cursed his luck. By this time, the crew were approaching Middle Wallop and F/Sgt Walker decided to call it a night and set down for a well earned breakfast. Unfortunately, being new to the squadron and unfamiliar with the sloping airstrip, he overcooked the approach and slammed the aircraft down hard, almost knocking out Sgt Jones, who was less than amused by his pilot's rough landing. 

The crew claimed the He-111 as a confirmed kill but, as they suspected, the AA gunners of 236 Battery, 76th Anti Aircraft Regiment got in first, claiming the bomber as theirs. This meant that Walker and Jones could only claim a probable, much to their disgust, especially when the oiks pulled fragments of Heinkel out of the air filter on the port engine of their Beaufighter (this could explain Walker's bumpy landing?). The crew performed well on their first sortie, although Sgt Jones fluffed his AI interception rolls on the return leg of the op, which denied F/Sgt Walker the chance to get an attack on the Ju-88. The GCI was very good but they can't rely on her skills for subsequent sorties, as I'll be rolling up a new operator for the next op, following a tip off from Alan. The rules tweaks that have been made seem to have ironed out some of the wrinkles and it all went very smoothly. I only had one query about the GCI approach mechanism, but a closer reading of the rules cleared that up quickly, so no problem.

Next sortie up soon.

Corvette Command March 1942

 

It's the 5th March 1942 in my Corvette Command campaign with HMCS Windflower soon to be sailing on another escort mission, this time from Liverpool to St Johns with a slow convoy of forty eight merchant ships. The weather is looking really rough, with a violent storm brewing, so chances are that the U-Boats will be staying submerged, much to the relief of the crew. They are feeling pretty confident, nonetheless, with their experience and training now making the ship's complement a tightly knit team. I'm going to run this escort mission soon but the Night Fighter Command sorties are more urgent, so the Royal Navy may have to wait a little longer.

Nightfighter Command Crew Number Two

F/Sgt 'Johnnie' Walker and Sgt 'Taffy' Jones

For the playtesting of the latest edition of Nightfighter Command, I thought it would be best to roll up a new crew rather than use my experienced pilot and observer. The rules haven't changed for this bit, so I dug our the trusty D20 and D6, then set about creating a new pilot, observer and GCI operator, with the crew once again assigned to 609 Squadron at Middle Wallop. I used the background generation system in Nordic Weasel's No End In Sight skirmish rules to add a little character to the two aircrew, although it makes no difference to the game itself. I like this bit and think it makes for a really good narrative focus, but you could just leave it out. 

The pilot, F/Sgt Peter 'Johnnie' Walker, RNZAF, hails from Auckland, NZ, and was until recently a travelling sales representative for an engineering firm, spending much of his time abroad for work. He has travelled widely in the Far East, Africa and South America, but has never settled down in one place for very long. In 1939, he decided to pack in his job while stopping over in England for business and signed up to help defend the mother country in her time of need. As a pilot, he is a hard task master, being both disciplined and logical, but off duty has a reputation for high jinks and is regarded as a jolly good chap by the squadron. even if half of them can't understand his broad Kiwi accent.

SKILL RATING:  SPOTTING 2 / EVADE 1 / ATTACK 2 / FLYING 2

The observer, Sgt David 'Taffy' Jones, RAF, is from Abergavenny in Wales, where he grew up on a farm speaking Welsh as his first language. He is a bright lad and passed his eleven plus with flying colours, doing particularly well in mathematics and enabling him to study physics at grammar school, in which he excelled.  He was called up in 1940 and his academic and technical ability enabled him to apply as aircrew in the new field of radar operator after being rejected as an air gunner due to his eyesight. Although the rest of the squadron see him as an outsider due to his background, he is regarded with respect as a fellow professional by F/Sgt Walker, due to his calm and patient skills as an operator. He also has a reputation for being lucky,  surviving even the most risky sorties without a scratch.

SKILL RATING: AI 3 / RELOAD 1

The Ground Intercept Controller they will be working with is an experienced old hand and has a GCI rating of 3. Their first mission will be flown soon but probably not tomorrow as the in-laws are coming over for lunch. I'll kick off on 9th May 1941, when there will be light rain and a moderate breeze of 13kts but 10/10ths cloud cover which will obscure the 3/4 moon and make spotting tricky (the new rules for changing weather conditions are an interesting addition and I'm really interested to see how they affect the flow of the game). It should be fun but it's a challenging system and things don't always go according to plan!

Nightfighter Command Playtesting

 

I've been sent the latest version of Nightfighter Command to playtest over the holidays, so will aim to run half a dozen games or so to see how the amendments that have been made to the system play out. I really like this game but it does have a few elements that are a little confusing or convoluted, so I'm hoping that the edits that Alan and the team have made will help to smooth these bits over. I'm also going to be playing some more games of Corvette Command, as I haven't continued with my campaign of late and I'm keen to see how my crew upgrades will affect the success (or failure) of the next few convoy escort missions by HMS Windflower?