Last year I was asked by Tim Gow to write the orders for the Royal Norwegian Navy forces taking part in his Herring War wargame. (A blog post about the game by Martin Rapier can be seen here.)
The orders I wrote can be seen below.
From:
Admiral Commanding His Majesty’s Royal Norwegian Navy
To:
Admiral Commanding the Fleet
Situation Appraisal:
I am commanded by the King and his government to instruct you to take the fleet to sea and reinforce our nation’s rights to fish in the waters of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea unhindered by the ships of another nations, to wit, the Navy of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The ships available to you are:
The battleship Mestag Berg
The light cruisers Torp Norum, Bo Morkid
The monitor Heltberg Rygh
The torpedo boat leader Vold
The torpedo boats TB1, TB2, TB4
In addition, the navy’s airship has been placed under your command.
(For Your Eyes Only: We have a spy stationed in Skagen who will report to the Admiralty and whose intelligence will be passed on to you.)
Orders:
Your force is to be organised as follows:
Main Force: Mestag Berg, Torp Norum, and Bo Morkid (the latter will be transporting the two landing companies, the two landing guns, the cyclist machine gun company, and the naval brigade’s staff)
Scouting Force: Vold, TB1, and TB2
Coastal Defence Force: Heltberg Rygh and TB4
The Scouting Force is to set sail an hour before the Main Force and is to sail in an arrow formation, with the TB Leader at the arrow point. If the weather is clear, the ships are to be 20,000 yards (10 miles) apart so that they can easily signal by flag/semaphore or signal lamps to each other. If the weather is bad, the distance to be reduced to 10,000 yards (5 miles) so that they can signal to each other using signal lamps.
The Main Force is to sail in line ahead with two cables (400 yards) between ships. It is to be led by your flagship, followed by the two light cruisers. The Force is to sail 20,000 yards (10 miles) astern of the Scouting Force so that any signals can read easily.
The Coastal Defence Force will patrol the coast off Kristiansand from I16 to M12 to deter any attacks on our main naval base. The airship is to operate from Larvik (Q4) and to patrol the area R9 to R16 to N19 to N14 to R9.
The Scouting Force shall sail from Kristiansand (I13) on a course towards Klitmøller (L24). Once it has reached L23, it will turn east towards Skagen (T16) to cover the operations of the Main Force. If no enemy ships have been discovered and attacked by the time the Scouting Force has reached T16, it will sail to Larvik (Q4). Any Danish fishing vessels found in the area are to be sunk and their crews taken aboard and treated with the utmost courtesy and care due to any fellow seafarer.
The Main Force will follow a similar course, but on reaching L23, the light cruiser will move into L24 and land the naval brigade it is carrying. The rest of the Main Force will cover this landing and engage and enemy resistance, be it from coastal defences or enemy ships.
Once Danish naval base at Klitmøller has been razed to the ground, its facilities destroyed, and any enemy naval vessel therein sunk by demolition or gunfire, the troops will be withdrawn, and the Main Force will return to Larvik. Any enemy ships that are intercepted whilst the Main Force sail towards Larvik are to be attacked and sunk (Q4). Any Danish fishing vessels found in the area are to be sunk and their crews taken aboard and treated with the utmost courtesy and care due to any fellow seafarer.
These orders are subject to alteration should the circumstances change. For example, if the airship discovers any major Danish naval units operating in the area bounded by Larvik (Q5), Skagen (T16) and Kristiansand (I13), its signals will be passed on to you, and you will have the discretion to change your priorities to sink those enemy ships.
I wish you to remember the words of the Royal Navy’s foremost admiral: “No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.”
Godspeed and wishing you great success,
Olaf Bjornsson (Admiral)
The tactical map of the area of operations.
The tactical map of the area of operations showing the courses and patrol areas laid down by the Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Royal Norwegian Navy. The orange line shows the course to be taken by the Scouting Force; the red line shows the course to be taken by the Main Force; the green line shows the Coastal Defence Force's patrol line; and the purple line shows the course and patrol area to be covered by the Norwegian airship.
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