"Firing into the Brown" #5 - Campaign finale, Pedestal and stuff..

"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".

Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"

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Been waiting to read this one for an age - probably from the first time I saw that it had been published as I am a bit of a Hastings fan boy, and I'm not sure I've read a duff one by him..

Pedestal was the code name for the operation to send a relief convoy to Malta in 1942, and this history was a bit of an eye opener measured against what I thought I knew already..

So what did I take away from this??

First , in 1942 the Royal Navy was nowhere near as accomplished as they were to become in the sphere of anti submarine warfare..  ASDIC was coming on line, but the in depth courses that taught the escort commanders how to tackle the submarine threat were some way in the future - the book is replete with examples of how the ships were just not used in the right way, and how exposed convoys and ships were at this time of the war to submarine attack..  in perhaps the luckiest night for submarines in WW2 an Italian commander sank an oil tanker, and the German U73 sank the aircraft carrier Eagle..

Second, ground to air (or in this case sea to air) coordination was also in it's infancy - despite having successfully offloaded almost 50 Spitfires to Malta, the lack of coordination between Malta and the convoy resulted in huge gaps in air cover for the convoy..

Three, British carrier born aircraft of the period were woefully under powered and under spec when compared with the enemies they were expected to take on in the air - the carriers had Hurricanes and Fairey Fulmars/Albacores, when what they needed was Spitfires.. the carriers themselves were wooden decked (little or no armour plating) and lacked the ability to get lots of planes into the air at the same time

Sinking of HMS Eagle..

Fourth, convoy coordination/communication was also in it's infancy, the Royal Navy put together a convoy comprising fast modern merchant ships (all of them were capable of 16 knots) but once the attacks started going in (by submarine, aircraft, and gunboats) most communication appears to have been by Aldis light as it was quicker and safer than transmitting in plain English..

Fifth, as in the Napoleonic wars, the British navy needed destroyers (frigates) by the score - they were the maids of all work; fast, well armed for their size..  the Navy sent a number of cruisers as convoy escort, but they were almost a liability, requiring more protection themselves than the support they provided, ditto the aircraft carriers -  there almost seemed a palpable relief when the point was reached on the convoy when the capital ships could be sent back to Gibraltar

All in all then a HUGE undertaking, and Hastings does touch on the multitude of views as to whether the action, and the casualties , were justified, but I tend towards his view, and also Churchill's that it was absolutely the right thing to do, and the right time to do it... 

A warts and all history treating each side to an equal review of their good and bad, tactics, personal performance of the offensive forces..  my overwhelming opinion at the end of it was huge respect for the merchant seamen who got those ships to Malta, and the clear indication that the Navy were ready to learn from the mistakes. Good read..   9/10.

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ACW Riverine Campaign – “Hunt the Chattanooga” - Summary Campaign diary

I'll shove this in full on the ACW Naval Project page (link in the sidebar) but as the campaign has come to an end, a summary of the actions and events seems timely..

Union Force/background:

• Monitor (10 SP)  plus two decent wooden clads (8SP each and with a good light and medium armament)
• Two additional ships as transports
• Union player starts with 20 victory points (VP's)
• 5 turns per day

Day 1

1st Turn

• Shore battery identified comprising two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 light rifles, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander decides to send the Monitor in holding back the more vulnerable wooden clads, both batteries are destroyed but the Monitor takes a point of damage

3rd Turn

• Confederate heavy gunboat encountered (6DF/MRL and LRL)
• Again the Union commander decides to send the Monitor in holding back the more vulnerable wooden clads - the gunboat is quickly overwhelmed and with both guns knocked out , runs for it!

5th Turn

• Tributary is seen leading off the main river..
• Small Confederate gunboat encountered (4DF/LRL and LRL).
• This time the Union commander decides to send in the two wooden clads as well as Monitor for a quick finish – the Confederate gunboat is destroyed in the first turn with no damage to the Union ships...

Click to embigen

End of Day 1:

• The Union supply ships have travelled one section behind all day and catch up overnight and rearm the Monitor… 
• Victory points currently 33:
• five turns so -5 pts
• -3 (for damage) 
• + 10 (2 shore batteries destroyed)
• + 10 (heavy gunboat sunk/destroyed) 

Day 2

1st Turn 

• There is a rudder malfunction on Union wooden clad #2 and she can only steer straight ahead - good news given we have a straight stretch of river!
• Confederate hidden battery encountered comprising two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 medium smoothbores, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander decides to withdraw and try the tributary first

4th Turn

• Rudder repaired on Union wooden clad #2 but no other issues other than some trouble working up steam on the Monitor
• Union commander decides to rest for the night before taking on the earthwork the next morning

End of Day 2:

No ammunition has been expanded, and all ships apart from the supply vessels which were stationary all day, were stationary for two turns.. Union commander takes the opportunity to refuel

Day 3

1st Turn 

• The Union master gunner has become convinced that one of the two guns on Monitor is prone to failure and is likely to burst (throw a 1 and it explodes)
• The Confederate hidden battery comprises two earthwork batteries (10 DF each/trained; one with 4 medium smoothbores, one with 1 medium smoothbore)
• Union commander attacks with his full force in line ahead focussing on the stronger battery first..
• With minor damage to the two wooden clads (1SP each) the two forts are overcome, but the Monitor does indeed lose one of it's guns in the process a major blow to the Union fleet

5th Turn 

• No further issues during the day - the Union commander orders his force to anchor for the evening and brings the supply ships up from the section behind.

End of Day 3:

• Union commander takes the opportunity to refuel the second supply ship..
• VP's 36 (following victory over the batteries and losses to damage)

"...'ere 'Ank, did you hear that funny cracking noise last time we fired??"

Day 4

1st Turn 

• Union wooden clad #1 runs hard aground and is well and truly stuck fast (roll a d6 at the start of each turn. The vessel is freed on a roll of 5+ but becomes permanently trapped if a 1 is rolled)
• Union commander decides to halt until the ship is freed.

2nd Turn

• By supreme effort the crew of Union wooden clad #1 managed to club haul her off the sand bank she became stuck on and the fleet is free to proceed…
• No further issues during the day other than intermittent boiler issues on Union wooden clad #2 reports – speed is reduced but sufficient to keep up with the fleet (d6 roll of 5+ at the start of each subsequent turn will solve the problem)..

End of Day 4:

• All ships were stationary for one turn while the wooden clad was freed up – no ammunition was expended. 
• VP's 31

Day 5

1st Turn

• Union wooden clad #2 reports boiler issues continue; somewhat shame faced the captain of Union wooden clad #1 reports that he has run hard aground again!
• The fleet remain stationary for the whole of the day while they work to refloat Union wooden clad #1

End of Day 5:

• All ships were stationary for all but one turn while the wooden clad tried to free up – no ammunition was expended. 
• VP's 26

Day 6

1st Turn

• By the supreme effort throughout the night by the crews of all the Union ships, they are able to report in the morning that Wooden Clad #1 is afloat again and ready to proceed. 
• Pausing only to allow time for food and coffee the Union commander orders “up steam”.. and the Union flotilla departs

2nd Turn 

• The lead ship identifies a Confederate shore battery comprising two earthworks both with rifled artillery (3 in one, 2 in the other). Union commander orders his force to open fire immediately..
• Despite opening fire first, the initial Union broadside is devastating, completely destroying the first earthwork with one barrage! The other is also quickly reduced…

3rd  Turn 

• The lead Union ship spots a huge Confederate ironclad – they have found their prey! The Union commander orders full ahead and all ships engage… 

Stay tuned for a battle report!!

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Not a great one for film critiquing but this was an unexpectedly good watch (I got it on Netflix) so I thought I'd pass the word to my reader, since wargamers do not live by little metal men and acrylic paint alone..

This is a docudrama on the Iranian embassy siege in 1980, the background of which in the film was good and also informative - despite having seen the pictures in the press and knowing about the SAS assault I hadn't realised what the hostage takers had been asking for, or indeed how duplicitous the Iraqi's were in all this.

The role of the negotiator I wouldn't have wished on my own worst enemy - between the Iranians on one side and Margaret on the other there was no way they were every going to get a good result by talking.. Mark Strong played the role brilliantly.

The role of the SAS is known, but as their representative Whitehall advised Cobra (the mini cabinet that meets in all emergency situations)  they are not supermen, and it was always going to be messy... and so it was (if the film is to be believed), with one of the SAS men being trapped while abseiling down the front of the building, and lots of smoke and confusion, but despite that, all hostages were freed (apart from one the terrorists killed during the siege, and one they killed before it) - and the terrorists? Well only one survived and he was paroled 25 years later.

Reading up on this on Wiki after seeing the film (well you do don't you..) the film looks to have been pretty close to the actual reality - the only major difference being the role of the diplomatic policeman who was taken hostage at the same time was under played in the film - in reality he got the George Cross for his actions during the assault, and it's a shame the film couldn't show that...

Well worth a watch - I'll give it an 8 out of 10..

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Laters, as the young people are want to say...