Playing the Kriegsmarine historical in Cruel Seas

[invisible officer]

I was asked about the role of the vessels up to Zerstörer size and decided to write some notes on historical KM tactics. The Kriegsmarine tactics got dictated by the strategical situation. From the start it lacked the numbers to fight the RN on an equal footing. The Commonwealth fleets had more cruisers than the Kriegsmarine destroyers.

In addition the Narvik disaster reduced the Zerstörer number even more, 10 of the few being lost. So in any action of Zerstörer and Torpedoboote conservation of force was essential.

A flotilla running into a RN destroyer one at night ever changed course to get into position to fire as many torpedoes as possible and then turned tail to run. Not even firing back with the guns to avoid to give the RN gunners a target. It took some time until RN noticed that tactic, it was not understood until some bad losses of HMS vessels occurred.

For the KM there was no sense in risking to loose vessels in a fight with RN vessels of same type. Even with a 1 KM loss to 2 RN sinkings it would be strategic defeat.

But KM was ready to take big risks if there a was a good chance to damage British trade. Zerstörer, Torpedobote and S-Boote went into the British home waters to drop mine barrages on the routes of the merchant shipping. Strangely the RN never expected German surface vessels over S-Boot size there. Until 1943 many minelaying operation are done under the nose of the RN by the Zerstörer and Torpedoboote flotillas.

They also laid defensive minefields on the German side of channel.

In addition they did escort work for valuable vessels. Zerstörer for bigger warships or U-Boote in Biscaya, so staying more in harbour than Torpedoboote. These did escort work for valuable bigger merchant vessels and warships. In early war the AA capacity of Torpedoboote was lousy, 3x  2cm guns in most. The T 1 type was so bad as escort that most went east as training vessels in Ostsee. The older Raubtier and Raubvogel classes had been much better and the Flottentorpedoboote proved excellent.

 

Smaller merchant vessel in Channel got just Vorpostenboote or Minensucher as escorts. MTB often found themselves in battle with VP boats escorting an equal number of merchants, unlike S-Boote that normally attacked convoys with a lower number of escorts. Even with more destroyers the enormous numbers of merchant vessels caused that bad ratio.

 

German minesweepers laid defensive minefields on German side of Channel and cleared the ways there from British mines. They also served as escorts, the strong armament causing the nickname channel destroyers. Apart from the purpose built Minensucher (like the Warlord 1935 type) many fishing vessels got converted into minesweepers. These mostly lacked the laying capacity and  had less artillery.

Räumboote did the same in coastal area. In many night fights RN crews took them for S-Boote because  of similar size. The heavy AA armament made them good escorts and hard enemies for MTB and MGB.

 

The KM had no vessels like the MGB. Like the big vessels the S-Boote did not fight it out with MTB and MGB if possible. Their role was attacking the merchant shipping. A MTB was not worth the risk. Even destroyers are not thought to be prime targets. S-Boote rarely did escort work.  For very valuable vessels, like the battleships in Channel run, groups of S-Boote did form a distant protective front to the North. In transit to other bases they escorted the depot ship.

 

In Cruel sea games the historical German tactic to avoid shootouts may be a bit boring.

 

The typical formation was in line to minimize the risk of mining. If possible a Sperrbrecher going first, followed by two Minensucher abreast, clearing a path. Then in line the Zerstörer, Torpedoboote, merchant vessels and at the end more escorts.

Sometimes a second line of Minensucher gave a parallel escort. So in a Biscaya escort 22.7.43 for 3 U-Boote by a Sperrbrecher, 3 Zerstörer and 8 Minensucher. Out of mine risk area the Zerstörer alone gave escort for some time into Atlantic. Being faster they could return before the RN and RAF reacted.

 

S-Boote going in line or side by side in attack. Avoiding to run on the water trail of the others because that would kick them out of course. (Same for MTB and MGB). That was no problem for the slower Räumboote.

With more and better Radar life for S-Boote became harder in later war. The ambush tactics now rarely worked. Mine laying in English waters became more and more important.

A big game problem is that we see too much to make the KM tactic work.

 

[Baron Von Wreckedoften]

I have recently been playing the Coastal Patrol rules, which are part of the Too Fat Lardies stable (and can be found in their Summer 2011 Special).   The umpire was in Canada, and the rest of us were playing via Zoom in the UK, US, and Germany.  Because it was a “remote” game (ie none of us were present in the room with the table and models), he was able to dim the lights to the point where it was very difficult to see anything.  All vessels were initially hidden by “blinds” (which had to be “double-spotted” ie once for general location, then again for specific targets); firing, explosions and star shells were represented with tea-lights.  Once a vessel ceased firing, the lights were removed, so it was possible to “lose track” of it.  I’m sure such rules and playing mechanisms could be transferred to the Cruel Seas rules.

We played two different scenarios – one was an early-war S-boat attack on a British east coast convoy (the umpire generating the merchant ships and escorts, the rest of us each controlling a pair of S-Boats – all S-30/S-40 series); the other was a prospective attack on the D-Day beachead on the night of June 6/7 – four S-boats from Le Havre (one with radar) trying to slip past a defensive screen to the east of Sword Beach, comprising a Hunt II Class destroyer and two MGB/MTBs, and exit the western edge of the board to reek havoc among the supply vessels etc.  The first scenario ended up being a “turkey shoot” with all merchant ships and most of the escorts being sunk (German loss was two S-boats that crashed into each other!); the other was much harder, not least because each MGB had more firepower than all four S-boats put together!

• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Baron Von Wreckedoften.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by Baron Von Wreckedoften.

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