The second Battle of Jutland

Over the past few days, the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, has been hosting a conference entitled THE FIRST WORLD WAR AT SEA: CONFLICT, CULTURE AND COMMEMORATION. One of the activities laid on for the attendees was a wargame staged by the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.

The conference programme describes the wargame thus:

The Battle of Jutland War Game
Presented by the U.S. Naval War College
The Battle of Jutland not only marked a turning point in the naval war; it also influenced the development of naval strategy on both sides of the Atlantic in the decades that followed. Mere weeks after the battle, reports supplied by the participants on both sides enabled U.S. Navy Admiral William S Sims and his associates to reconstruct the actions at Jutland on the war gaming floors of the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. After the war, British and German veterans of Jutland frequently visited the college to lecture about their experiences. These lectures informed the war game experiments, which shaped the thinking of Naval War College graduates of the 1920s and 1930s, including Ernest J King, Chester W Nimitz, Raymond A Spruance, and William F Halsey, Jr.

Join members of the Naval War College faculty as we recreate the Battle of Jutland war game on the floor of the Queen’s House. Using the original methods and gaming equipment, we will demonstrate how American naval officers interpreted the lessons of the battle. The event will begin with a brief historical presentation and orientation for the game, followed by the execution of the game itself.

I was lucky enough to be invited to act as one of the game's umpires (although I ended up as one of the players), and after a short setup and briefing session on Wednesday 8th November, I took part in the wargame on the evening of 9th November.

The event took place in the Queen's House, which is in the centre of a colonnade that connects the two wings of the National Maritime Museum.

The Queen's House, Greenwich.

The rules used were those written by the staff of the US Naval War College in 1922 in light of the experience gained and data gathered during the Great War, and the playing area was approximately twenty-four feet square, with eight inches representing one thousand yards (a ground scale of 1:4500th). The models were 1:1200th-scale metal models mounted on bases, with each base named and numbered for ease of reference.

The game sequence was as follows:

• Players on the same side of the floor consult and write their orders (3 minutes allowed)
• Floor umpires then:
• Collect the orders for the ships they are adjudicating
• Move the models according to the orders (turns are calculated using a template)
• Adjudicate the results of any gunnery (this is deterministic and does not involve throwing dice, hitting targets, or estimating ranges)

• Mark the orders with the results of any gunnery exchanges
• Pass the orders to the scorekeepers
• The scorekeepers then record any damage, and the results are displayed so that the floor umpires can adjust the individual ship record charts that they have (17 minutes are allowed for the umpiring activity to take place)
• The next move then starts

So how did I do?

I was given command of SMS Thuringen, a Helgoland-class dreadnought. As she was one of the first dreadnoughts built for the Imperial German Navy, she was lightly-armed in comparison with the later ships and although her main armament was twelve 12-inch guns, they were disposed so that she could only fire eight of them on each broadside and (in theory, if not in practice) six ahead or astern.

(Trying to fire six of her 12-inch guns dead ahead or astern was theoretically possible, but the resultant self-inflicted damage would have been severe. Firing four 12-inch guns ahead or astern slightly to port or starboard was far more feasible and far less damaging.)

SMS Thuringen's Record Sheet

I was positioned at the rear of the main German battle line and in accordance with orders from my admiral, I moved ahead at 10 knots for the first turn, firing at HMS Colossus as I did. (it is worth noting that HMS Colossus was not the closest British ship, but orders are orders ...)

I then increased speed to 15 knots and turned 70 degrees to starboard. I continued firing at HMS Colossus, and my ship was hit by British gunfire. As a result, my ship was reduced to 19 knots and her guns were only 0.9 effective.

Matters then became somewhat confused. The German flagship was hit and sinking, and the admiral decided to move his flag. I was informed by signal that he was moving to my ship, and so I ordered her to stop in order for the transfer to take place.

It didn't. He transferred to another ship, and mine remained stationary and unable to fire during Turn 3. Luckily, Thuringen was not hit by any enemy gunfire, although coming to a halt without warning did almost precipitate a collision with one of the other German dreadnoughts!

I was then ordered to turn towards the British battle line and engage HMS Colossus again. During the exchange of gunfire Thuringen was hit for a second time ...

... and this came close to reducing her to 50% of her original effectiveness (she was down to a speed of 13 knots and her guns were now operating at and effectiveness of 0.6).

At this point the adjudicator/chief umpire/game master brought the battle to an end. Both sides had lost ships and I suspect that had the battle continued for a further couple of turns, the Allies would have sunk quite a few more German dreadnoughts.

So, what are my thoughts about the rules?

Before I took part in the pre-game briefing session, I was sceptical about the deterministic nature of the rules, but once I had the opportunity to try them as both an umpire and a player, my scepticism evaporated. This was a set of rules which had the better elements of Fetcher Pratt's rules (which is hardly surprising since he was very conversant with the US Naval War College's rules) but without the tedious firing system. As a result, the tempo of play was faster, and players could concern themselves with what their ship was doing whilst the admirals could concentrate getting their ships into the best possible tactical position.

It is certainly a set of rules I would use again, and hopefully they can be given an airing at a future COW.

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I must record my thanks to the staff of the US Naval War College and the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, for staging this event. In particular to Peter Pellegrino, who acted as ringmaster/adjudicator/chief umpire/game master; to Richard LaBranche for enabling his Wargaming Department to come over to run the game; to Mark Stanovich (Stan) for being such a great guy; to the rest of the staff of the College for everything they did; and to Alison Hoyt – a JAG lawyer who had never before taken part in a wargame of this nature – for being such a great umpire. I am sure that I and the rest of the British wargamers who had the opportunity to take part in this wargame will join me in wishing the members of the US Naval War College a safe journey home and hoping that we will meet you again someday.

Square hills ... are ready for use

Some time ago I bought some 10cm square wooden boxes that I planned to use as hills in one of the exemplar battle reports that will be included in my forthcoming THE PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME book. The battle will be fought on a 10cm square grid that I have made from a 80cm/32" square piece of green felt cloth on which I have marked an 8 x 8 grid.

I have finally managed to make four hills using the lids of some of the boxes, and they look like this:

I sealed the surface of the boxes using two coats of PVA glue, and then painted them using dark brown acrylic (Burnt Umber) craft paint. I originally intended to flock the tops, but during a recent visit to a branch of Hobbycraft I discovered that they sold sheets of sticky-backed green felt. This was a slightly darker shade to the colour of my green felt cloth and I bought some ... and in a trice (and in good old Blue Peter fashion) I had cut the sheets to size and fixed them to the top of my hills.

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For the benefit of blog readers from outside the UK, Blue Peter is a long running BBC children's television programme. It was first broadcast in 1958 (sixty years ago!) and in its heyday featured all sorts of 'build it yourself' projects, many of which involved the use of sticky-backed plastic.

Who needs yet another book about early British ironclads? Me ... apparently!

'I can resist everything except temptation.'

Lord Darlington,
LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN (1892)
by Oscar Wilde

On Sunday Sue and I went to Bluewater, and after having something to eat, I wandered into Waterstones, the only bookshop in the whole shopping centre. Idly looking at the rack of Osprey books that was on display, my eyes set upon one of their most recent publications, BRITISH IRONCLADS 1860-75: HMS WARRIOR AND THE ROYAL NAVY'S 'BLACK BATTLEFLEET'.

Now I already own numerous books about early British ironclads and certainly don't need another ... but like Lord Darlington, I could not resist the temptation ... and I bought a copy.

The book is divided into eight chapters, arranged as follows:

• Introduction
• Design and Development
• Warrior
• Broadside ironclads
• The wooden conversions
• Central battery ironclads
• Turret ships
• Tactical Requirements
• Armour
• Ordnance
• Shell guns
• Other weapons
• Propulsion
• Trunk engines
• Other engines
• Life on board
• Further Reading

Whilst nowhere near as detailed as some of the books in my collection, it struck me that it would be an excellent companion to my GRIDDED NAVAL WARGAMES book for anyone who wanted to know a bit more about early British ironclads.

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BRITISH IRONCLADS 1860-75: HMS WARRIOR AND THE ROYAL NAVY'S 'BLACK BATTLEFLEET' was written by Angus Konstam, illustrated by Paul Wright, and published in 2018 by Osprey Publishing (ISBN 978 1 4728 2689 3) as part of their New Vanguard series (No.262).

Old age is creeping up on me

Over the past few years the aches and pains that tend to affect one as one gets older have begun to take their toll. For example, taking part in Lawn Games using rules like LITTLE WARS, FUNNY LITTLE WARS, and LITTLE COLD WARS has become almost impossible as my knees allow me to get down and crawl about well enough ... but just aren't up to the job of getting me upright again afterwards! Without some means of support (a convenient table, chair, or passing wargamer), I just cannot get up.

I was discussing this with an equally elderly gentleman recently (to be truthful, he was actually a few years younger than me!) and he strongly suggested that I acquire a fold-up walking stick for these sorts of occasions. He told me that since he had acquired one, his problems in this area had diminished considerably. He also advised me to buy one with a rubber tip so that it would give me sufficient grip on a shiny surface as falling flat on one's face whilst trying to stand up was at best undignified and at worst, dangerous.

I have now acquired a folding walking stick, ...

... and I am slowly (and carefully) learning how to use it. I have yet to use it on public transport, but when I do, I might even be offered one of the reserved seats for people with mobility problems ... although I have considerable doubts that I will.

Other people's Portable Wargame battle reports: Epic 40K and World War II

Sometimes trying to keep the momentum going on a project can be hard ... and since we got back from our recent cruise, that is exactly the problem that I have been facing with my PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME book. What I needed was something to revive my flagging morale ... and it came in the form of three PORTABLE WARGAME battle reports.

The first two were written by Kaptain Kobold, and were entitled ORKS VS IMPERIAL GUARD – A PORTABLE WARGAME ...

... and PORTABLE EPIC 40K – POSITIONAL DEFENCE.

The third was a run-through of the World War II exemplar battle from my book THE PORTABLE WARGAME. It was staged by Geordie an Exile FoG, and is the precursor to a proper re-fight of the scenario.

Reading these battle reports has boosted my desire to get on with writing my PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME book, and I plan to devote at least a couple of hours per day to it for the foreseeable future.

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Please note that the photographs featured above are © Kaptain Kobold and Geordie an Exile FoG.

Miniature Wargames Issue 427

The latest issue of Miniature Wargames arrived whilst we were on our recent cruise, and we've been so busy since we got back, that I've only just had time to properly read it.

The articles included in this issue are:

• Welcome (i.e. the editorial) by John Treadaway
• Forward observer
• Send three and fourpence: Oh, the weather outside is frightful: A snowy interlude by Conrad Kinch
• 'They shall have me with it ... if they carry it away!': John Smith fights for the Banner Royal at Edgehill by Arthur Harman, with photographs by John Treadaway
• Bellum Britannia: The Scottish Borders, 368 AD by Jon Sutherland, with photographs by Joe Dever
• Show Report: Full Colour by by John Treadaway
• Darker Horizons
• Fantasy Facts
• Terminator Genesys: "I really like Phil Collins" No. not that Genesis, you fool! by Dave Tuck, with photographs by Malc Johnston
• Future War Commander: Making a Joy of Six SF game about the MAD Gamers words and photographs by Mark Foulds, Chris McGill, Trev Cook, and Christopher Volkamer, with additional photographs by John Treadaway
• The Warzone: Welcome and good night ... by James Dyson, with photographs by various contributors
• Blood in the snow: A skirmish in North America 15th March 1758, based on the By Crom! rule system by Chris Swan
• Recce
• To the manor born: The continuing tales of a wargames widow by Diane Sutherland
• Show Report: Skirmish 2018 by John Treadaway
• Club Directory

As usual, Arthur Harman ('They shall have me with it ... if they carry it away!') and Conrad Kinch (Send three and fourpence) were excellent value, and I really appreciated reading both the Show Reports (Full Colour and Skirmish 2018). There was a bit too much Fantasy Facts for my individual taste, but the rest of the contents more than made up for that.

All-in-all it is my opinion that this was a good issue ... but not a great one.

Nugget 312

I collected the latest issue of THE NUGGET from the printer this morning and hope to post it out to members by the end of the day or early tomorrow.

IMPORTANT: Please note that this is the third issue of THE NUGGET to be published for the 2018-2019 subscription year. If you have not yet re-subscribed, a reminder was sent to you when the last issue of THE NUGGET for 2017-2018 was posted out. If you wish to re-subscribe using the PayPal option on the relevant page of the website, you can use the existing buttons as the subscription cost has not changed.

Admiral William Halsey Jnr. and the Halseys of Hertfordshire

Yesterday I gave a lecture to High Barnet Masters Lodge about the Halsey family of Hertfordshire. They effectively ran Freemasonry in Hertfordshire for the best part of one hundred years and their role is commemorated by the fact that several lodges have been named after members of the family and two Masonic Centres are called Halsey Hall.

Whilst researching the family's history I discovered that they were distantly related to the family of Admiral William Halsey Jnr., who was a leading proponents of carrier warfare and one of the US fleet commanders during the Pacific War. I wanted to find out more about Bill (or as the newspapers named him, Bull) Halsey's career, but I had difficulty finding an affordable copy of a biography. At this point the Naval Institute Press stepped in to help, and they kindly sent me a copy of BULL HALSEY by E B Potter (ISBN 1 59114 691 7).

This book was originally published in 1985 and was printed in paperback format by the NIP in 2002. Having read it, I came away with the feeling that this was no hagiography; this was a genuine 'warts and all' biography. It struck me as being a very honest portrait of a man who had flaws, but who was very much the right man for the job that was required at the time. He certainly made mistakes – for example his actions during the Battle of Leyte Gulf were certainly controversial and have exercised the minds of many naval historians and tacticians ever since – but it must be remembered that for much of the war he suffered from a debilitating skin complaint that would have laid up many other commanders for far longer than Halsey was. He was certainly a man of action and an aggressive commander (hence the nickname Bull), and as the war progressed he may well have begun to believe in the media legend that was created around him, and this might have cause him to make some of his poorer decisions. That said, he seems to have had the ability to inspire others, and his order that naval officers in the South Pacific should no longer wear ties with their uniforms is an example of a simple and evocative gesture that showed that the men under his command were getting ready for a fight.

The chapter that deals with the Battle of Leyte Gulf is – in my opinion – the most useful explanation I have read about Admiral Halsey’s actions during the battle and points out the problems that arise when command hierarchies impose restrictions that not only slow down the ability of commanders to communicate with one another, but impede them. General MacArthur’s insistence that communications from Admiral Kincaid to Admiral Halsey should go indirectly via the radio station at Manus and not directly to preserve the separate and independent of his – MacArthur’s – command strikes one as a recipe for a potential disaster. It says much for Admiral Kincaid that he ensured that he and his staff were unofficially listening in to Halsey’s communications with his fleet and were therefore better aware of the developing situation than they otherwise would have been.

With hindsight it is easy to say that Admiral Halsey misread the situation he was facing and that this almost led to a disaster … but this chapter shows that he was not being kept fully aware of events elsewhere in the area around Leyte Gulf, and that some of the messages he received were delivered out of chronological order and in one case containing ‘padding’* that resulted in the Admiral suffering a serious but temporary demoralisation at a crucial point in the battle. I was left with the feeling that in view of the options open to him, Admiral Halsey made the best decisions that he could

I thoroughly recommend this book ... if you can get hold of a copy!

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* Padding was nonsense phrases added to the beginning and end of coded messages to help prevent decryption. In this instance a message from Admiral Nimitz to Admiral Halsey read ‘WHERE RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY-FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS.’ This seemed to be a very public rebuke from his superior (the message was copied to the other Fleet Commanders) to Admiral Halsey … but the latter part of the message – the part that momentarily stunned him – was merely padding that should have been removed. The message as dictated was ‘WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY-FOUR RR .’ This was merely a request for information, but it shows the dangers that can arise when the clarity of communications between commanders are not as good as it should be.

Stalled ... but only briefly

I was making slow but steady progress on my PORTABLE NAPOLEONIC WARGAME book right up until a few days before we went away on our recently cruise ... and then I seemed to stall. I suspect that one of the reasons was the need to get everything packed and ready before we left, but another was a mental brick wall that I had come to regarding one particular game mechanism.

As a relative novice when it comes to the Napoleonic period, I have been relying on feedback from various people regarding certain aspects of the rules, and the one thing that seemed to stand out was the outcome of cavalry fighting infantry in line in Close Combat. As the rules stood, if cavalry engaged infantry in line, there was a high possibility that the infantry would not only survive the encounter but might even cause the cavalry to retreat.

Now this is not an unrealistic result for later in the nineteenth century when the infantry would have been armed with breech-loading rifles and would have probably shot the cavalry to pieces well before the latter got close enough to engage in Close Combat ... but infantry armed with the slower-firing and less effective smooth-bore muskets of the Napoleonic era would have almost automatically formed square to face off a threat from cavalry, and infantry that did not would have stood a serious chance of being overwhelmed and destroyed.

The problem was how to incorporate this into my rules without making the whole process complex and clunky. Whilst on the cruise I was able to spend some time thinking about the problem, and I have come up with a solution that seems to work. I have vigorously tested it, and the mechanism seems to work.

What I have done is to add a specific results table in the RESOLVING HITS ON UNITS section of the rules for cavalry who engage in Close Combat with infantry in line. It looks like this:

Whereas an Elite infantry unit caught in line stands some chance of surviving the encounter (albeit at the cost of the loss of one Strength Point), a Poor-quality infantry unit is very likely to be overwhelmed and routed.

I seem to have overcome my brick wall, and progress on the book is again being made. Whether or not I manage to get it published before Christmas (which was the goal I set myself) is in the balance ... but I am definitely going to try to.

Warships in Toulon

Toulon is one of the French Navy's main naval bases, and during our recent visit we saw the following warships in harbour.

Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91)

Landing Helicopter Dock Tonnerre (L9014)

Air Defence Destroyer Chevalier Paul (D621)

General Purpose Frigate Aconit (F713)

Air Defence Destroyer Cassard (D614)

Anti-submarine Destroyer Languedoc (D653)

Offshore Patrol Vessel (originally a Corvette) Jacoubet (F794)

Replenishment Oiler of the Durrance-class

Former Anti-submarine Destroyer of the Georges Leygues-class