Interesting Naval Computer Wargames

 http://johntillersoftware.com/NavalCampaigns.html

Has anybody played any of them?

Wolf-Pack:

US Pacific:

Jutland:

Tsushima:

Any information gratefully received as my model 1/3000 fleets are getting rather interested in potentially using them!

WATU - Western Approaches Museum at Liverpool

Hats of to the volunteers from DSTL, the RN, the RCN, the Defence Academy and the ubiquitous PaxSims gurus for helping create this event. Something I would have loved to have seen in the flesh but the write-up is almost as good as being there (see link below):

https://paxsims.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/watu-wargame-report/
Visiting this museum is on my "bucket list".

Like the organisers I truly believe WATU was an astounding "one of a kind" establishment. It being a very important cog in the machinery that helped win The Battle of the Atlantic by bringing together the men and material (or true operational characteristics of the machinery) together with sound operational tactics in a unique gladiatorial training arena. It even broke down the prejudicial barriers of the sexes - woman (WRENS) doing "more than a mans work". The softer feminine assistance (see the Cruel Sea) during the game helped the learning experience. Although undoubtedly a high pressure environment for the officers, WATU was still "a safe place to train" in the Constructivist Psychology sense of the word, before meeting the real adversarial enemy who asked for and took no quarter.

If you wish to see the other side of the tale, take a trip on the Mersey Ferries to see U-534 recovered from the seabed lodged at the Woodside Ferry Terminal, something I was able to do last Father's Day (see below, OK sad dad that I am I got a "tank ruler" and "Tommy tea mug" as well, a triple win):

Now I will have to check out my naval wargames collection now for a U-Boat convoy battle game, I think I have copy of AH Submarine somewhere. It would be interesting to contrast the "after the battle" thoughts on simulation with the "in-period" artefact to see how close or far apart they are.

The Battle of the Denmark Strait 1941: Battle Set-Up - It is all in the Angle of Attack (80 degrees of separation)

Reading through the historical accounts of the battle from various sources and studying the maps has been really interesting. From this the consensus seems to suggest the following battle set-up (see below):

• Germans enter bearing 220 degrees
• British enter bearing 300 degree
• Range 26, 500 yards at first shot from HMS Hood
• German ships will be slightly ahead making British X.Y turrets "out of arc"

The last pre-show run through of the rules and kit we've put together and ever so kindly been lent. It revealed that the odds show the Bismarck "gets it" (again) unless she gets 'lucky' early on. The final fate of the KM Bismarck is shown below (Note: We used the 1/3000 ships are used for the gunnery "plot" and the 1/1200 ships to indicate how the ships appeared to be damaged and when they are being straddled [and by whom]):

The higher level plot showed the 'bird's eye view" (see below, RN at bottom, HMS Hood (left) leading slightly damaged [down a turret but at full speed] and an untouched HMS Prince of Wales (bottom right) whereas the KM Bismarck is well and truly battered laying dead in the water (top right) with only one turret working. The KM Prince Eugen (middle left) is desperately trying to close to a "good" torpedo range on the Hood [aka to slow her down] before trying to make a run for it):

References and sources used to date are as follows:

• The Loss of the Bismarck: An avoidable Disaster (Graham Rhys-Jones)
• Hood and Bismarch: The Deep Sea Discovery of an Epic Battle (David Mearns and Rob White)
• King George V Class Battleships (V.E. Tarrent)
• German Capital Ships and Raiders in World War II, Volume 1: From Graf Spee to Bismarck 1939-41 
• Hunting the Bismarck (C.S. Forester)
• Pursuit (Ludovic Kennedy)
• The Bismarck Chase: New Light on a Famous Engagement (Robert J Winklareth)
• Battleship Bismarck: A Survivor's Story (Baron Burkard Von Mullenheim-Rechberh)

Naturally any additional sources of information would be greatly appreciated

Essential WW2 Naval Wargaming: Reading and Listening (WATU) - Connections 2017

The slides are good:

http://www.professionalwargaming.co.uk/17-WATU.pdf

But the audio is bloody fantastic:

http://www.professionalwargaming.co.uk/Strong.mp3

But don't take my word for it, listen to it yourself!