WW2 Naval Convoy Theme .. Mixing the Pot of Ideas

It all started with a Waterstone's book token left over from Xmas, or rather a Xmas present looking to be used. Whilst in store I was looking around and saw Max Hasting's Operation Pedestal, this I had already listened to on Audible but thought that a hard copy would help me plan for a naval miniatures game (see below, everything seems sensible just now, the narrative of the battle is good, but sadly when I got it home I felt a little short changed on maps and orders of battle that the wargamer seeks out):

Sitting nearby was another beguiling book, this time on the Arctic Convoys and with a recent take on operational decision making by the Admiralty based on information from Bletchley Park and its Enigma decryptions (see below, the "pair" nicely finished off the book token, job done - one a "Hot" sunburn Mediterranean campaign, the other a "Freezing Cold" ice chipping off the railings Artic campaign weather, Mother Russia here we come!):   

The fun started when I got back home and rummaged through my existing book and game library coming across "Hunting The Beast", trying to kill the Tirpitz and then a recently "gifted" Arctic Convoy game from Avalanche Press (see below, the map inside it is an absolutely beautiful masterpiece): 

I have a few more books that cover the action in the Mediterranean (see below, all bought with the intention of getting my Navwar 1/3000 Italians to fight it out with the RN and the odd Free or Vichy French ship thrown in for good measure): 

There was still more fun to be had in the "Wargaming Library" - Paddy Griffith's classic Sandhurst Wargames book includes a very detailed "Sink the Tirpitz" style game (see below, I like many other wargamers I know possess at least one copy of this [quad] game, but still do not have all the pieces for all the games, as it really needed to come in a box - alas it is now out of print despite it being a classic): 

Although not as beautiful as the Avalanche Press Artic Convoy map, the Sandhurst Wargames maps are still very functional and "interesting" especially the one detailing the fjords of Norway. Given that these were the days when we did not have Google Maps on tap, when it was produced this was a very enigmatic addition to any wargamers collection (see below, one interesting part of the game is that there are many ingenious ways [FAA, RN surface action, X-Boats] in which you can try to sink the Tirpitz and her companions - not saying you will be successful at any of them. I don't think getting the RAF's 617 Squadron to drop Grand Slams on her, as in the one that worked, is actually one of them):   

This is all "settling or stewing" in the back of my mind, where the wargame scenario idea "mixing pot" resides.

Note to Self: Naval Kindle(?) Books - Russo Japanese War

I have a strange (hot and cold) interest in the Russo-Jap war (as in I am trying to justify a large collection of 1/3000 Navwar ships of the period). So I was thinking to myself, maybe I should re-kindle it ("Gedit", ok corny joke) with some background reading. An Amazon scan revealed: 

Russo Japanese War Titles:

• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maritime-Operations-Russo-Japanese-War-1904-1905/dp/1591141974  
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maritime-Operations-Russo-Japanese-1904-1905-ebook/dp/B00PSSK61W/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1697060788&refinements=p_27%3ASir+Julian+S.+Corbett&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Sir+Julian+S.+Corbett
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russo-Japanese-Naval-1905-Vol-Maritime-ebook/dp/B007PS9CFO/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=xAgvB&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=257-4679612-4309404&pd_rd_wg=Np39d&pd_rd_r=e23957dd-e77f-4a2f-b07a-d33a4e35a167&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russo-Japanese-Naval-War-1905-Vol-ebook/dp/B007PS9CTU/ref=d_pd_sbs_sccl_1_1/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=wE0Ig&content-id=amzn1.sym.35f2c042-27ab-4aa8-8df6-255fec069b2b&pf_rd_p=35f2c042-27ab-4aa8-8df6-255fec069b2b&pf_rd_r=HVT7DGNDQ3Q7W0KGPMY2&pd_rd_wg=O2N9h&pd_rd_r=d735b6d5-e8ff-4267-a830-d35553e430a7&pd_rd_i=B007PS9CTU&psc=1
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Imperial-Japanese-Navy-Russo-Japanese-Vanguard/dp/1472811194#:~:text=Book%20Description,in%20Asia%20and%20the%20Pacific.
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russian-Battleships-Cruisers-Russo-Japanese-Vanguard/dp/1472835085/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=GXXZQ&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=FZYWPR69M0T1R6J7H7GH&pd_rd_wg=akY3A&pd_rd_r=c74aab2b-56ca-4ec8-bfff-6f15dae30360&pd_rd_i=1472835085&psc=1
• https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tsushima-1905-Death-Russian-Campaign/dp/1472826833/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_2/257-4679612-4309404?pd_rd_w=0gV2P&content-id=amzn1.sym.40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_p=40f919ed-e530-4b1a-8d7e-39de6587208d&pf_rd_r=M3KFVA2DVGKCEJMAZW4W&pd_rd_wg=iQ5PY&pd_rd_r=6201f873-7c82-45bb-bbf9-34295464d57c&pd_rd_i=1472826833&psc=1

Note: I did have the two Corbett titles but my interest in the period waned and I passed them on (mostly unread, that was the problem - I just could not get into them, unlike the WWI books by the same author, which I devoured). Also for Corbett's books it seems strange how the Kindle version is the same price as the paperback one - at least the one that is currently available!

For my reference material on this period I fell back on a game (see above), the Russo-Jap 1904-05 Avalanche Press naval campaign game and David Manley's "White Bear Red Sun" naval wargame rules. A game and a set of wargame rules instead of books, crazy but true!  

Avalanche Press: Great War at Sea System - War Plan Red

A funny thing happened when I was on the Leisure Games web-site looking for "Captain Sonar" - he says after running through a mere thirteen pages of War Games aka boardgames (some annoyingly with the "Out of Stock" sticker on them), "I/he" managed to find something else "I/he" was interested in (well several others to be fair). What were the chances of that?  In teh end it was a toss up between the ASL Starter Kit #3 (the one with the 88mm on the cover - the third one with the tanks was annoyingly "Out of Stock") and Avalanche Press' - War Plan Red .. and seeing as I had just put on a version of "War Plan Red" at CoW 2021 it was the winner (see below, a ziplock so slightly more affordable than boxed game so 

The other thing going against ASL Starter Kit #2 is that I have not as yet played ASL Starter Kit #1 (even though, quite sensibly, the ASL Starter Kits are games in their own right - not a modular expansion building on each other). This expands my collection of The Great War at Sea - Vol 1 and 2 (also including the Russo Jap War). 

To my knowledge they have other "US Plans" (War Plan Black [versus a successful WWI Germany and an expanded HSF], War Plan Crimson [US Invasion of Canada and a naval war on the Great Lakes] - not sure if they did the War Plan(s) Orange-Rainbow versus Japan) however the one I am keeping my out for is the WWI Cruiser Warfare game when it is reprinted!