WCNAW Submitted Scenario Thread - WW2

[Warship NWS]

This thread will be for players to post and download WCNAW WW2 scenarios. Scenarios can be posted as attachements in TXT format.

Please only post scenarios with short descriptions - this thread is not for discussions.

Note: Please add into your breifing which fleet is commanded by each fleet number. Example: Fleet 1 = [some or all of the following: ships/divisions/nationality].

Players can discuss and suggest scenario topics here;
http://forums.navalwarfare.org/showthread.php?t=1519

To play a custom scenario in WCNAW simply go to the thread above and download the TXT formatted scenario and then place it in the appropriate folder in your WCNAW directory; Scenarios-WW1 and Scenarios-WW2. After that you can select a scenario to play by choosing the option to "LOAD SCENARIO" during the startup options which will then show a list of selectable scenarios in those directories based on the time frame chosen at startup.

A good link for a collection of historical naval battles,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_naval_battles

Thanks.

[Warship NWS]

13 December 1939.. The Battle of the River Plate.

One of the most famous battles of naval history was fought off the coast of Uruguay by a single surface raider vs 3 RN treaty patrol cruisers. Even though both sides made what could be considered crucial mistakes the RN cruisers suffered severe damage which allowed the German cruiser to escape being destroyed.. at least until she was scuttled shortly afterwards. Capt. Langsdorff thought more powerful RN units were nearby and ready to destroy his ship after a short port visit at the port of Montevideo.

As the British commander can you destroy the Graf Spee or will your cruisers suffer similiar severe damage from the 11" and 5.9" gunfire?

As the German commander can you prove what Capt. Langsdorff was attempting, that the Deustchland class had enough firepower to outfight what she could not outrun?

Historical battle background, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_river_plate

Thanks. :)

[asnrobert]

The classic WW2 naval battle, pitting Bismarck and Prinz Eugen versus the Hood and PoW in May 1941.

EDIT: Updated to WCNAW 1.02.

[asnrobert]

In April 1940, the British BC Renown and her DD escort encountered the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau which were escorting the Norway invasion force. This scenario was adapted from the scenario of the same name that was in Fighting Steel.

EDIT: Updated to WCNAW 1.02.

[asnrobert]

A hypothetical 1946 scenario pitting the USN versus the Vichy French in 1946. Originally created for WCDB by Ed Rotondaro. I've found that with the new tacmap, this scenario isn't as easy for the USN as it was in WCDB.

EDIT: Updated to WCNAW 1.02.

[asnrobert]

On November 13, 1942, a US cruiser and destroyer force under Admirals Callahan and Scott intercepted a Japanese bombardment force under Admiral Abe in what would be known as the first naval battle of Guadalcanal. In the ensuing melee that followed (being described as "a barroom brawl with the lights shot out"), both Callahan and Scott were killed, with the loss of the cruisers Atlanta and Juneau and several destroyers. However, the bombardment mission was aborted, and the battleship Hiei was crippled, being finished off by aircraft from Henderson field the next morning.
The US force was in a single division, but since the game limits divisions to eight ships, I split them into two divisions, each with cruisers and destroyers. Crew quality is average for both sides, except for the US ships Helena and Fletcher which have a Good rating due to having slightly newer radar, and the Japanese destroyer Amatsukaze, which was commanded by the superb Japanese captain Tameichi Hara.

EDIT: Updated to WCNAW 1.02.

[Mikekiller16]

An Italian convoy of 5 merchants escorted by 3 destroyers is departed from Napoli with destination Tripoli, it was spotted by a RAF recon aircraft and then 4 British destroyers from Malta were sent to intercept it.


EDIT: mod for v1.02

[Mikekiller16]

Small action between destroyers during Operation Exporter off the ocast of Lebanon, French destroyers mission to shell Australian forces is intercepted by 14th Destroyer Division.

EDIT: Mod for v1.02

[Mikekiller16]

Renown with 9 DD meet both Scharnhorts BC while patrolling off Vestjord, a short action of less than one hour took place.


EDIT: Mod for v1.02

[asnrobert]

On the night of November 14, 1942, the battleships South Dakota and Washington and four destroyers under RADM Willis 'Ching' Lee intercepted Admiral Kondo's bombardment force. In the ensuing battle, three of the four USN DDs were sunk and the Sodak was temporarily disabled, but the Japanese lost the battlecruiser Kirishima and a destroyer.

When playing the US (side 1), your main strength is the superior radar directed firepower of your battleships. You can pretty much kiss your DDs goodbye, but they can draw some fire, and even with the dud-prone 1942 torpedoes can still do some damage. You need to keep the Japanese ships at arms length to avoid getting slammed by Long Lances, and even the mass of light guns of the IJN CLs and DDs can result in a "death by a thousand cuts" (or at least make your superstructures look like swiss cheese).
As the IJN (side 2), try to avoid having the Kirishima get into a gun duel with the US battlewagons- the elderly battlecruiser isn't a match for one of them, let alone two. Instead, try to get your light cruisers and destroyers in close to them in order to swamp them with Long Lances.

[asnrobert]

On the night of 9/10 August 1942, a Japanese cruiser and destroyer force under Admiral Mikawa caught American and Australian forces guarding the transports off Guadalcanal by surprise, sinking the Australian cruiser Canberra and the US cruisers Quincy, Vincennes and Astoria while suffering negligible damage.
Part I involves the attack on the Southern force (cruisers Canberra and Chicago and four DDs), and Part II covers the attack on the Northern force (cruisers Quincy, Vincennes and Astoria, and two destroyers).
The Allied forces are surprised in both parts. However, since when selecting the player or computer as surprised, then the player or computer is surprised regardless of which side you choose. So, to get around this, I created two scenarios for each part. The player is to play side 1 in each scenario (the nationality that is side 1 is in parentheses in the scenario name).

[asnrobert]

Cape Esperance 11/12 October 1942: Admiral Scott intercepts Admiral Goto's resupply force and crosses their 'T', sinking a Japanese cruiser and severely damaging another. Admiral Scott arrayed his force in a single division with destroyers in front and astern of his cruisers (like he would do at the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal); due to division size limits the USN is in two divisions with cruisers and destroyers mixed. The IJN is surprised, play as side 1 in each.
Kolombangara 12/13 July 1943: Admiral Ainsworth again intercepts the Tokyo Express. Side 1 is the USN, Side 2 IJN.
Tassafaronga 30 November 1942: Admiral Tanaka leads a force of IJN destroyers on another supply run when they are intercepted by a force of USN cruisers and destroyers. Tanaka delivered a torpedo attack sinking the cruiser Northampton and damaging the Minneapolis while losing one destroyer. Side 1 is the USN, Side 2 IJN.
Vila Stanmore March 1943: USN bombardment force intercepts an IJN supply force. Side 1 is the USN, Side 2 IJN.

[asnrobert]

In the following scenarios, the USN is side 1, and the IJN is side 2.
Empress Augusta Bay 1-2 November 1943: The IJN attempts to disrupt a USN landing at Bougainville.
Horianu 18 August 1943: US destroyers attempt to interdict Japanese forces evacuating Kolombangara. Forum member Vince O'Hara has a web page about this battle at this link: http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/horaniu.htm
Kula Gulf 6 July 1943: Admiral Ainsworth intercepts the Tokyo Express headed for Vila. The cruiser Helena succumbs to Long Lance torpedoes in this battle.
Vella Lavella 6-7 October 1943: The USN attempts to interdict the evacuation of Vella Lavella. Forum member Vince O'Hara has a web page about this battle at this link:http://www.microworks.net/pacific/battles/vella_lavella.htm

[asnrobert]

The Japanese are surprised in both of these scenarios- side 1 (the nationality is in the parentheses) is to be the player side in all of them.
Cape St. George 26 November 1943: "31 knot Burke" derails the 'Tokyo Express' once and for all.
Vella Gulf 6-7 August 1943: CDR Moosebrugger's destroyers turn the tables on the 'Tokyo Express.' Three of the four IJN destroyers involved are sunk; Tameichi Hara's destroyer Shigure survives only because the torpedo that passes through her rudder fails to explode.

[asnrobert]

Narvik - Treachery 9 April 1940: As a German landing force consisting of three destroyers entered Narvik harbor, they were confronted by the Eidsvold, a Norwegian coast defense ship built in 1900 but armed with two 8" and six 6" guns, which fired a shot across the bow and signaled the German ships to stop. The German commander, Commodore Bonte, decided to solve the problem through rather underhanded means. He sent an officer to the Eidsvold to negotiate a surrender while he carefully maneuvered his flagship (the Wilhelm Heidkamp) in order to keep his torpedo tubes trained on the Norwegian warship. When the officer departed the Eidsvold, he fired a red flare, which meant that the negotiations had failed (which Bonte had expected). The Heidkamp fired four torpedoes- two hit, blowing the elderly Norwegian ship apart along with most of her crew. Eidsvold's sister ship, Norge was anchored in the harbor, and was the flagship of the Senior Naval Officer, Commander Askim. Askim ordered the ship to open fire and the Norge began a gunnery duel with the Bernd von Arnhim, which ended when the German destroyer fired a spread of torpedoes, scoring two hits and sending the Norge to the bottom with a large loss of life. To make the disaster complete, the commander of the Narvik garrison was a follower of Quisling; he surrendered the garrison without a fight.
The Norwegians are surprised in this scenario. The nationality of side 1 (the player side) is indicated in the parentheses of the file name. Since the Norwegian navy is not in WCNAW, I picked the Italian Taranto class CL to represent them. They also have their speed reduced to 17 knots, as that was the max speed of the Norwegian ships. They start out with a speed of 1 as they were stopped at the beginning of the battle.
Narvik I 10 April 1940: The first battle of Narvik. Five British destroyers under Captain Warburton-Lee and catch the German destroyer squadron by surprise. The destroyers Hardy and Hunter were lost, but they sank two German destroyers and damaged several others, and blew up the German supply ship Rauenfels. Warburton-Lee was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for this action.
The Germans are surprised. As with the above scenario, side 1 is the recommended player side, and the nationality of side 1 is in the parentheses of the file name. The German ships start out at speed 1 as they were anchored at the beginning of the battle. The scenario is basically a hit-and-run mission for the British. They need to take advantage of the surprised status of the Germans while it lasts, then get the heck out of Dodge before the faster and more powerful German destroyers can make their presence felt.

[asnrobert]

Side one is the RN, side 2 the KM in the following scenarios...

Narvik I, alternate 1 9 April 1940: When Warburton-Lee's destroyers entered Narvik harbor, the destroyer Diether von Roeder was supposed to be on picket duty, but a communication snafu meant that she left her post and anchored shortly before the raid, leaving the front door open and allowing the British to catch the Germans napping. In this hypothetical scenario, the von Roeder is on picket duty as she was supposed to be, and thus the German fleet is alerted when the RN arrives...
Narvik I, alternate 2 9 April 1940. Admiral Whitworth aboard the battlecruiser Renown was aware of Warburton-Lee's mission and debated whether to reinforce him with the cruiser Penelope and additional destroyers but decided against it. In this hypothetical scenario, Whitworth does send the additional ships, but the delay means that the Germans are less likely to be caught flatfooted...
Narvik II 13 April 1940. The second battle of Narvik. The battleship Warspite and nine destroyers polish off what's left of the German destroyer force at the cost of two destroyers damaged. German division 1 is limited to 10 knots due to damage (von Roeder was badly mauled during the first battle of Narvik, and was little more than a floating gun platform- she should actually have a speed of 0, but I felt the deck was stacked enough against the Germans as it was-, and the Koellner had been badly damaged after running aground while trying to escape a couple nights previously).

[asnrobert]

Side 1 is the Allies, Side 2 is the IJN except for the two Badung Strait Scenarios.

Badung Strait 1 19 February 1942: Allied reconnaissance aircraft spotted Japanese landing forces of Bali. Dutch Admiral Karel Doorman planned to strike this fleet with three waves. The first wave consisted of the Dutch cruisers Java and De Ruyter, the Dutch destroyer Piet Hein (her sister Kortenaer was assigned to the mission but ran aground while leaving port) and the US destroyers Pope and John D. Ford. Entering Badung Strait, they encountered two IJN destroyers shepherding a crippled transport. In the ensuing battle, the Piet Hein was sunk with only light damage to the Japanese ships.
This scenario is heavily slanted to the Allied side, so I would recommend setting the AI aggressiveness to low when playing the IJN, and high when playing as the Allies.
Badung Strait 2 20 February 1942: The second wave to enter Badung Strait consisted of the Dutch cruiser Tromp and four US destroyers. One Japanese destroyer was crippled. but the Tromp and destroyer Stewart were badly damaged and took no further part in the NEI campaign. A third wave of seven Dutch MTBs entered Badung Strait but encountered no enemy forces. Historical sidenote: the Stewart was further damaged in a drydock accident, and was scuttled. She was raised and repaired by the Japanese and renamed Patrol Boat 102. After the war, she was returned to the US and sunk by target practice.
Java Sea 27 February 1942: Admiral Karel Doorman leads his multinational force against Japanese cruisers and destroyers screening an invasion force. After a battle lasting into the night, The Dutch cruisers Java (Admiral Doorman lost with her) and De Ruyter were sunk as well as three Allied destroyers, and the British cruiser Exeter being damaged.
Sunda Strait 28 February 1942: The cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth are returning to Batavia after the fiasco in the Java Sea when they stumble on the main Japanese invasion force. Despite the overwhelming odds against them, they charge in. After a desperate battle, both Allied ships are sunk, but several Japanese transports are sunk or damaged by friendly torpedoes.
Demise of the Exeter 1 March 1942: Crippled by a hit to her engine room after the battle of the Java Sea, the cruiser HMS Exeter is limping home escorted by the destroyers USS Pope and HMS Encounter when they are intercepted by Japanese cruisers and destroyers. After fierce fighting, the Exeter and her escorting destroyers are sunk. NOTE: the Exeter has her speed reduced to 16 knots to reflect her engine room damage.

PROXY NOTES:
Since the Dutch Navy is not yet available in WCNAW, I used the following ships to represent them:
Java: German Emden class CL
De Ruyter: German K class CL
Tromp: British Arethusa class CL (The Dutch cruiser actually had virtually identical armament compared to the Arethusa except it lacked the 4" SB of the British ship; she was also a couple thousand tons lighter as she was more of a flotilla leader)
Admiralen class DD: British A/B/C/D class DD
The Australian Navy is also not yet in WCNAW, so I used the Leander class CL to represent the Sydney class CL Perth (Pretty much the same armament- the Aussie ships had two funnels, not one).

[asnrobert]

Side 1 is the RN, side 2 the KM.

Planned Rheinubung: The Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were supposed to participate in Rheinubung, but were sidelined for repairs (damage from air raids, engine overhaul). In this scenario, The S&G take part in 'Rhine Exercise' as planned.
Denmark Strait Alternate 1: Some Kriegsmarine officers suggested that the Tirpitz be sent out with the Bismarck, but Raeder nixed the idea as the Tirpitz had not completed working up. In this what-if scenario, she is sent out (but has a less experienced crew).
Denmark Strait Alternate 2: What if Tovey's force encountered Admiral Lutjen's ships in the Denmark Strait? Renown is even thinner skinned than Hood and has only six 15" guns instead of eight, but she is the best gunnery ship in the Royal Navy, and Tovey's flagship King George V is fully worked up, not a brand new ship with a green crew and balky gun turrets.
Ultimate Rheinubung: The Germans decide to postpone Rheinubung until they can go all out and send out all four ships at once.

[asnrobert]

The British are surprised in both these scenarios. Side 1 is the player side (nationality of side 1 is in the parentheses of the file name).

Cromer 7 December 1939: The German destroyers Hans Lody and Erich Giese had completed a minelaying mission off the English coast when they spotted two patrolling British destroyers, Juno and Jersey. Closing to 5,800 yards, they fired torpedoes, scoring a hit on the Jersey. The German warships then slipped away for home without having been detected. Jersey was towed home and under repairs for nine months.
Action off Falmouth 28 November 1940: German destroyers on a nighttime sweep of the English Channel encounter the British 5th Flotilla under the command of Lord Mountbatten. Firing torpedoes at under 2,000 yards, Mountbatten's flagship Javelin is hit by two torpedoes, having her bow and stern blown off. The German vessels then ran for home, suffering only minor damage. The remaining center section of Javelin (155 feet) stayed afloat and was towed home, where it spent the next 13 months being rebuilt.

[asnrobert]

Side 1 is the German force, side 2 the British except as noted below...

Force F off Scillies 17 October 1940: A German destroyer flotilla patrolling the English Channel is intercepted by Force 'F' (two light cruisers and five destroyers).
Hot Norwegian Coast 18 January 1945: Three German destroyers on their way back to Germany are intercepted by the British cruisers Mauritius and Diadem. This scenario (and the title) was originally created for Fighting Steel by Davide Gambina.
Operation Peking 30 August 1939: On the eve of World War 2, the Polish government agreed to transfer three of its four destroyers to England- Operation "Peking." Two days before hostilities, the Polish destroyers ORP (Okret Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, or “Warship of the Polish Republic”) Blyskawica ("Lightning"), ORP Grom ("Thunderbolt") and ORP Burza ("Storm") were shadowed by German destroyers but did not engage as war had not yet been declared. In this hypothetical scenario, the two sides engage in combat. Side 1 is the PMW (Polska Marynarka Wojenna, or “Polish Navy”) and the Side 2 the KM. NOTE: Since the Polish Navy is not in WCNAW I had to improvise. The Burza was built in France to their Bourrasque class, so I used one of those for her. The Blyskawica and Grom were built in England- they had seven 4.7" guns and a single TT mount with 4 or 5 torpedo tubes, so I used the "Tribal" class for them.
Sinking of the Edinburgh 02 May 1942: The HMS Edinburgh was torpedoed by U-456 while escorting convoy QP11. Badly damaged, she was limping back to Kola Inlet escorted by the destroyers Foresight and Forester when they were attacked by three German destroyers. The German destroyer Hermann Shoemann was sunk, but the Edinburgh suffered another torpedo hit, and had to be scuttled by a fourth torpedo hit from one of the escorting destroyers. The Edinburgh has her speed reduced to 7 knots in the game to reflect her battle damage. She also had a jammed rudder and only one functioning turret, and since that can't yet be adjusted in the game, I set her crew to Poor to reflect her reduced combat ability.
PQ13 29 March 1942: Three German destroyers attempt to attack convoy PQ13 bound for Murmansk, but lose destroyer Z26 with nothing to show for it.

[asnrobert]

Side 1 is the Kriegsmarine, Side 2 the Allied forces in the following scenarios.

Hel Roadstead 3 September 1939: German destroyers Wolfgang Zenker and Leberecht Maas enter Hel roadstead, to bombard the Polish naval base there. They receive fire from two Polish ship, destroyer Wicher ('Whirlwind') and minelayer Gryf ('Griffin') as well as 6" batteries on land, and are forced to withdraw. Sadly, both Polish ships are sunk by air attack later that day. Wicher was built in France and based on their Bourrasque class, so I used one of those to represent her. The Gryf was a minelayer/training ship/state yacht armed with six 4.7" guns (two twin and two single mounts) and a top speed of 20 knots (she had diesel engines), so I used a J/K class DD to represent her (however, the Polish ship didn't carry torps).
Action off Ushant 9 June 1944: The German destroyers Z32, Z24, ZH1 and T24 are sent from Brest to attack the Normandy landing forces. Near Ushant they are intercepted by a force of 8 British, Canadian and Polish destroyers. HMS Tartar is damaged, but ZH1 blows up and sinks and Z32 is badly damaged and run aground, and is later finished off by Allied aircraft. The Polish destroyer Blyskawica (which first appeared in the Operation Peking scenario) is again represented by a Tribal class DD. The ZH1 was an ex-Dutch destroyer Gerard Callenburgh that was seized by the Germans and completed by them. She was armed similar to the Z1-17 class (though her 5" guns were in two twin and one single mount), albeit slightly smaller. The German Flottentorpedoboot 1939 class are not yet in WCNAW, so I substituted the Italian Sauro/Turbine class, which is fairly similar in size and armament (and which is used for the same purpose in the following scenario). HISTORICAL NOTE: Two of the ships which took part in this battle (HMCS Haida and ORP Blyskawica) have been preserved as museums by their respective nations (Haida in Hamilton, Ontario and Blyskawica in Gdansk).
Death in the Biscay 28 December 1943: German destroyers and torpedo boats are sent to escort the blockade runner Alsterufer (which unbenownst to the Germans has already been sunk by Allied aircraft). In heavy seas they encounter the British cruisers Glasgow and Enterprise which despite being outnumbered manage to sink the destroyer Z27 and torpedo boats T25 and T26 with minimal damage to themselves. The title of the scenario comes from the Fighting Steel scenario of this battle created by Michael Emmerich.

[asnrobert]

I was recently skimming through my copy of M.J. Whitley's Destroyer! while researching information on the destroyer battles I've recently posted, and noticed there were a number of interesting skirmishes involving torpedo boats that I thought would make for good WCNAW scenarios. As in the scenarios attached in the previous post, the Italian Sauro/Turbine class reprises its role as the Flottentorpedoboot 1939 class TBs in these battles. Side one is the KM except otherwise noted.
Plateau des Triagoz 4 October 1943: German torpedo boats on patrol encounter the British destroyers Grenville and Ulster and 4 Hunt class escorts. During the following running gunfight, torpedoes are fired by both sides without effect, but the two British destroyers receive several hits with no damage to the German ships. The Hunt III class DEs (1000 tons, 2 twin 4" mounts, 3 TT) are not in the game, and there really isn't anything that comes close (I suppose I could use the Wickes-40 class but didn't want to use USN ships), and they didn't take much part since their slow speed (29 kts) meant they were left behind, but I decided to throw in an 'O' class DD to stand in for the three ships (but with speed reduced).
Death of Charybdis 23 October 1943: German TBs sent to escort the German blockade runner Münsterland encounter a British force sent to intercept it. The German ships torpedo and sink the cruiser HMS Charybdis and the Hunt class escort Limbourne with no loss to themselves. Two 'O' class DDs (with speed reduced to 29 knots) represent the four Hunt III class DEs.
Île de Vierge 27 April 1943: Two torpedo boats catch the Canadian destroyers Haida and Athabaskan by surprise. Athabaskan takes a torpedo and blows up, but her sister gets revenge by turning T27 into a blazing wreck (and which subsequently runs aground). There are two versions of this scenario- side 1 is the player side (nationality of side 1 indicated in parentheses in the file name).

[asnrobert]

Calabria 13 July 1940: Also known as the battle of Punto Stilo. An Italian force screening a convoy encounters a British force screening a convoy. Fire is exchanged with minor damage to both sides. Both sides claimed victory, but in reality was a draw. During the battle the Warspite scored a hit on the Giulio Cesare at a range of 26,000 yards, a record for hitting a moving target. Side 1: RM Side 2: RN
Cape Spada 19 July 1940: British destroyers lure two Italian CLs into a trap comprised of the Australian light cruiser Sydney (represented by a Leander class CL) and additional destroyers. The Aussie ships sinks the Bartolomeo Colleoni. Side 1: RN Side 2: RM
Cape Passero 12 October 1940: The cruiser Ajax is providing distant screen for a convoy at night when she is attacked by a force of Spica class torpedo boats and Soldati class destroyers. Due to the poorly coordinated attacks of the Italian force, the British ship is able to sink two of the TBs and badly damage the destroyer Artigliere, which is finished off the next day by the cruiser York. Since the Spica class TBs aren't yet present, the scenario focuses on the battle with the destroyers. Side 1: RN Side 2: RM
Cape Bon 13 December 1941: Two Italian light cruisers are loaded with supplies for the troops in North Africa when they are ambushed by four destroyers (three British, one Dutch) and sunk with heavy loss of life. As the Italians are surprised, there are two versions of this scenario, with the navy in parentheses in the filename as side 1 (the player side).

I plan to upload more Mediterranean scenarios in the next couple days.

[asnrobert]

For the following scenarios, the RM (Regia Marina- Italian Navy) is Side 1 and the Royal Navy is Side 2, except as noted below.

Spartivento 27 November 1940: The battle of Cape Spartivento (aka Cape Teulada) occurred when the Italian fleet attempted to intercept a Malta bound convoy. The sides were evenly matched, but the Italian commander, Admiral Iachino, withdrew when he received orders to disengage. One Italian destroyer was disabled and had to be towed home, and the heavy cruiser Berwick had X turret knocked out. The battle lasted less than an hour.
Sirte I 17 December 1941: The First Battle of Sirte. A British force screening a convoy encounters a much larger Italian force also screening a convoy. The British disengage, and the Italians choose not to pursue, as the sun was setting and Admiral Iachino did not wish to get involved in a night action due to British radar superiority. The Royal Navy loses the light cruiser Neptune and destroyer Kandahar to mines.
Sirte 2 22 March 1942: The Second Battle of Sirte. The Italians engage a screening force for another Malta bound convoy during a storm. Several British ships are damaged, and the screening force has to return to Alexandria after losing contact with the convoy. The convoy reaches Malta but is savaged by Axis air attacks, so most of their cargo is lost. The Italians lose two destroyers to the weather.
Duisberg Convoy 9 November 1941: A British force of two light cruisers and two destroyers take advantage of radar and moonlight to get the drop on a convoy consisting of 7 German and Italian freighters and tankers escorted by 6 destroyers, with a distant screen of 2 heavy cruisers and 4 destroyers. Despite being heavily outnumbered, poor coordination among the Italian forces along with superior tactics and shooting of the British ships enable them to annihilate the convoy along with an escorting destroyer with minimal damage to themselves. The Italians lose an additional destroyer the next day when it is torpedoed by a British submarine while attempting to pick up survivors. The Italians are surprised in this scenario, so there are two versions- as usual, player is side 1 in each (nationality indicated in parentheses in the filename. For those who are interested, forum member Vince O'Hara has an essay on this battle at the link below:
http://www.regiamarina.net/detail_text.asp?nid=67&lid=1

[asnrobert]

The Italians are Side 1 and the British side 2 except as noted below...

Cape Matapan 27-29 March 1942: The British learn from Ultra that the Italian fleet is in the Eastern Med and sorties to intercept it. The surface forces skirmish briefly, and later British carrier planes damage the battleship Vittorio Veneto and cripple the cruiser Pola. Pola's sisters (Zara and Fiume) and four destroyers are left behind to aid her. During the night they are ambushed by British battleships; all three cruisers and two of the four destroyers are sunk. The battle is covered by two scenarios: the first one covers the daytime engagement and the second one the nighttime battle. In the second one, the Italians are surprised (NOTE: WC-NAW 1.05, due out soon, fixed the surprise issue doing away with the need to have two separate scenarios; the Italian side will always be surprised regardless of which side the player chooses). Play the Italians if you want to see if you can do better, or play the British if you're just in the mood to kick some butt.
Operation Halberd 26 September 1941: The Regia Marina sorties to intercept a convoy that left Gibraltar for Malta, but breaks off when the Italians learn the British have battleships as escort. The PoW and Rodney attempt to engage the Italian ships but are unsuccessful.
Pantelleria June 1942: The British run Operation Harpoon, a convoy from Gibraltar to Malta, which is engaged by surface units of the Regia Marina, as well as air and submarine attacks. Only two of the merchantmen in the convoy reach their destination. During this same period, The British also ran Operation Vigorous, another convoy that left Alexandria for Malta, and which was forced to turn back after being mauled by air and submarine attacks. These two convoys were the high-water mark for the Regia Marina. After this time, fuel shortages hampered the Italian Navy's ability to operate. NOTE: A Coventry class CL is used to represent the minelayer Welshman which was about the same size and carried the same type of 4" HA gun (although it only carried six, not 10 guns, but I figure the extra firepower could be said to represent some of the Hunt class DEs present). It was also much faster (38 knots) so the speed has been edited to reflect this. On the Italian side, the destroyer Premuda was the ex-Yugoslav Dubrovnik, which had four 5.5" guns and six TT. I chose the French destroyer L'Adroit to represent her. The Premuda was 37 knots (compared to 33 for the French ship) so her speed in the scenario has been edited as well.
Nightmare Nostrum 8 August 1943: I first saw this scenario in Ubisoft's Destroyer Command game. According to the description in that game, two Italian cruisers and some destroyers were sent to interfere with the Allied landings off Palermo, but turned back when they saw "three cruisers." A while back I recreated the scenario for WCDB. I've recently done some research, and from what I've gathered, the Italian cruisers that were in the scenario did in fact leave Genoa for this purpose, but aborted the mission when a British sub sank one of the destroyers. From what I could find, the US ships in the scenario were operating off Palermo at the time. In any case it is a fairly balanced scenario. The OOB in this scenario is identical to the one in Destroyer Command. Side 1 is the USN, side 2 the Italians.

[asnrobert]

Komandorski Island 27 March 1943: US Intelligence learned of a Japanese supply convoy headed for Attu. Admiral McMorris sortied with the heavy cruiser Salt Lake City, light cruiser Richmond and four destroyers. He was expecting easy pickings, but to his surprise the convoy was escorted by 2 heavy cruisers and 2 light cruisers and four destroyers under Admiral Hosogoya. Thus began a long range gunnery duel, primarily between the heavy cruisers. The Salt Lake City was hit a few times, and at one point wwas disabled, but Hososgoya failed to take advantage of the situation and withdrew. Side 1 is the USN, Side 2 the IJN. When playing the USN, I recommend setting the AI aggressiveness to low to reflect Hosogoya's timidity. Forum member Vince O'Hara has an essay on this battle at http://microworks.net/pacific/battles/kommandorski_islands.htm
Ormoc Bay 3 December 1944: Three brand-new destroyers of the Allen M. Sumner class (Allen M. Sumner, Moale, and Cooper) enter Ormoc Bay to attack Japanese transports. They engage two Matsu class destroyer escorts (Kuwa and Take). The Kuwa is reduced to a blazing wreck, but the Take unleashes a spread of torpedoes, one of which hits the Cooper and blows her in two. This was the last successful attack using Long Lance torpedoes in the war. Side 1 is the IJN, Side 2 the USN. NOTE: The Matsu class DEs are not in WCNAW so I used the Kamikaze-41 class, as they are similar in size and armament (although they had 5" instead of 4.7" guns, and they were installed in two mounts, a single forward and a twin aft). The US ships crew quality is Fair as they were brand new ships and most of their crews had never been to sea before.
Last Battle off Penang 16 May 1945: Five British destroyers attack the heavy cruiser Haguro and destroyer Kamikaze. The Haguro is hit by several torpedoes and sinks; the Kamikaze is able to escape. This was the last surface action of WW2. Side 1 is the RN, Side 2 the IJN.

[asnrobert]

While searching through Vince O'Hara's website on the Pacific war, I came upon a page covering some of the other battles in the NEI: http://microworks.net/pacific/battles/other_ABDA_engagements.htm

I thought the first one would make for an interesting WCNAW scenario. Four old four-stacker destroyers (the only ones to escape the Java Sea battle) were proceeding through Bali Strait at night when they were challenged by four Japanese Hatsuharu class destroyers. The two sides exchanged fire for about an hour before the strait widened and the American forces were able to make good their escape, arriving in Australia three days later. For a more challenging battle, refrain from using torpedoes when playing the USN (Side 1) as they had expended their torpedoes during the battle of the Java Sea (according to the web page account, they had stopped in Surubaya after the Java Sea battle, but gives no indication on whether or not their torpedoes had been replenished- I would guess not).

[Kyle Holgate]

I have built 3 scenarios with the focus on hypothetical surface combat that ‘could’ have taken place during the invasion of Leyte Gulf. In all 3 the US force is force 1. I gave the Japanese Average skill, but performance at the actual morning battle where Kurita’s force attacked the Taffy carriers wasn’t particularly good. Fair or even poor may be more accurate but I give them the benefit of the doubt.
Fast BB’s at Samar: This one pits Admiral Lee in task force 34.5 against Kuritas forces that survived the bombings the previous day.
Lee Vs Kurita: The Musashi survived the previous day, but Lee has the entire task force 34 with 6 modern battleships. I gave the Japanese Musashi just to balance the scenario out, historically she was sunk the day before by aircraft.
Oldendorf vs Kurita: The forces that historically were blocking Surigao strait – old BBs, many Pearl Harbor attack survivors are tasked with blocking San Burnadino strait instead. No Musashi for Kurita in this one!

[asnrobert]

French Connection October 1939: The Dunkerque class battlecruisers were built in response to the German '"pocket battleships." At the outbreak of war in 1939, they were used to help search for the Graf Spee and in this hypothetical scenario, one of them meets up with her. Side 1 MNF, Side 2 KM.
Mers-el-Kebir 3 July 1940: British warships under Admiral Somerville open fire on the French fleet after they refuse the ultimatum to sail their ships to England. The old battleship Bretagne blew up with heavy loss of life, and several other ships were damaged. Side 1: RN. Side 2: MNF.
Casablanca 8 November 1942: During the Operation Torch landings in North Africa, the French sortied the light cruiser Primaguet and seven destroyers to attack the landing fleet. They are intercepted by the heavy cruiser Augusta, light cruiser Brooklyn and two destroyers. By the end of the day, all the French ships were sunk or disabled (with help from the Ranger's air wing). Side 1: USN Side 2 MNF. NOTE: When I first created this scenario for WC-WW2 (and later for WCDB), I included the battleships Massachusetts and Jean Bart. In adapting the scenario for WCNAW, I left them out since the Massachusetts historically played only a minor part in this battle (although she did sink one of the destroyers toward the end) and the Jean Bart was little more than a floating gun platform.
Casablanca Nightmare 8 November 1942: According to Samuel Eliot Morison's volume on the North African campaign, there were fears that the Vichy French battleship Richelieu and other warships might sortie from Dakar to attack the landing forces. In this hypothetical scenario, their fears are realized. Side 1: USN Side 2: MNF.
Mare Romanum 1941: Hypothetical scenario between the French and Italian navies originally created for WCDB by another forum member. Side 1: MNF Side 2: RM.

[asnrobert]

In all of the following scenarios, Side 1 is the USN/RN, and Side 2 the KM.

Short of War 1, 2, 3 1941: In the summer of 1941, President Roosevelt authorized "short of war" measures which involved American warships patrolling the Atlantic and escorting British convoys. Three New Mexico class battleships and the carrier Yorktown were transferred from the Pacific to the Atlantic to assist in protecting British convoys. Germany was angry over a supposedly neutral nation assisting a belligerent, but at the same time did not wish to draw America into the war, so U-boat commanders were ordered to refrain from attacking American ships. Nevertheless, several incidents occurred: The destroyer Greer played cat-and-mouse with a U-boat for several hours, exchanging depth charges and torpedoes; Kearney was damaged and Reuben James sunk by U-boat attacks. The battleship Texas was spotted by U-203 but was unable to get into position for a torpedo attack. In these hypothetical scenarios, German surface raiders tangle with American warships. Scenario 1 involves the Texas and USN, RN destroyers versus a pair of pocket battleships; scenario 2 is a night action pitting the Arkansas and destroyers versus the Lutzow and Prinz Eugen; scenario 3 has New Mexico and destroyers up against the Tirpitz.
The next two scenarios are in a similar vein:
Old Sheepdogs: Originally created for WCWW2 by fellow NWS beta tester Kurt Schofield. A young wolf (Bismarck) is confronted by three old sheepdogs (New York, Texas, and Arkansas).
North Carolina intervenes: FDR decides to send the brand new battleship North Carolina to intercept the Bismarck during Rheinubung.

[asnrobert]

Relief of Wake December 1941: After the first attempt by Japan to take Wake Atoll failed, Admiral Kimmel planned a relief effort. However, the expedition experienced various delays, and while underway, Kimmel was sacked by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox. He was replaced by Admiral William S. Pye (acting as interim commander of the Pacific Fleet until Nimitz could arrive), who decided to pull the plug on the relief expedition and recalled it. Some felt that Admirals Fitch and Fletcher (commanding the relief forces) should have "been like Nelson and turned a blind eye" to the recall order. In this scenario, the US force does just that, and a group of cruisers and destroyers proceed and attempt to engage the second Japanese invasion force.
Crace's Cruisers May 1942: During the battle of the Coral Sea, Admiral Crace had a squadron of Australian and American cruisers and destroyers in the area assigned to repel the Japanese invasion force. They did not make contact, but in this scenario, they encounter Admiral Goto's invasion force.
Midway II June 1942: I first saw this scenario for Fighting Steel on the old wargamer.com site 10 years ago. I adapted it for WCDB (and now for WC-NAW). Nagumo decides to press on with his surface forces and engage the USN in a night action.
Night of the Long Lances Fall 1942: The Kuma class cruisers Kitakami and Oi were modified to carry forty of the deadly Type 93 "Long Lance" torpedoes, yet during the Solomons campaign they were deployed in the Aleutians. In this scenario, they are sent to take part in the "Tokyo Express" supply runs.
Cruiser Killer 1944: I believe this scenario was originally created for WCDB by forum member Ed Rotondaro. The Alaska gets to fulfill her raison d'être and takes on a Japanese cruiser force.

[asnrobert]

I originally created these scenarios for WCDB...

Empire at Twilight 1942: In this hypothetical scenario, the Japanese refrain from attacking Pearl Harbor or any US possessions, and as a result the US remains neutral. The British are left on their own to defend Ceylon and India against a Japanese invasion.
Australia Alone 1942: This scenario is a development of the situation above. With the US neutral and Britain unable to defend Australia, the Australian government decides to recall its small naval fleet to home waters in order to repel a Japanese invasion force headed for Port Moresby. NOTE: Since the Australian Navy isn't yet in WC-NAW, I had to improvise. The heavy cruisers Australia and Canberra (Kent class CAs) and the N and Q class destroyers are already in the database, so they were no problem. For the light cruisers Sydney and Perth, I used the Leander class CLs as they were pretty similar in armament. For the old light cruiser Adelaide I used a 'C' class cruiser, and I used A/B/C/D class destroyers for the old V&W class DDs Stuart, Vampire, Vendetta and Voyager.
Admiral Scheer in the IO December 1941: A while back on the German Navy Forum there was a discussion about what would have happened if the HMAS Sydney had met the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer instead of the disguised raider Kormoran. Someone mentioned that the only other ships available to the British were three old 'D' class light cruisers at Singapore. So in this hypothetical scenario, the Sydney is able to shadow the Scheer until they are able to arrive and help out.

[asnrobert]

These were originally created by me or other forum members for WCDB.

Adriatic Encounter May 1940: In the fall of 1940 during the Italian assault on Greece, the aged Italian cruisers Taranto and Bari (The ex-German WW1 cruisers Strassburg and Pillau) were used off the Adriatic coast for bombardment and mine-laying missions. In this hypothetical scenario, they are challenged by a trio of Greek destroyers. Side 1: RHN Side 2: RM
I used a French Bourrasque class destroyer for the Ydra, a British A/B/C/D class for the Vasilissa Olga, and a Wickes-1940 for the old Aetos. For those who are curious, more info on the Greek Navy in WW2 can be found at the site below:

http://www.warshipsww2.eu/typy.php?l...riod=&stat=GRE

BTW, The British destroyer playing the part of one of the Greek destroyers has S1 radar, which may give the Greek side a slight edge. Recommend turning radar off for this scenario.

Ger-Us 1946: Someone on the old NWS forum created this scenario about four years ago for WC-WW2. I adapted it for WCDB, and now for WCNAW. The US Navy (side 1) takes on the Kriegsmarine (side 2) in a 1946 Battle of the Atlantic.
Heavy Metal 1945: Four Iowa class battleships take on four Yamato class battleships.
Treaty Cruiser Duel 1942: Originally created by Ed Rotondaro for WCDB. Here is his description of the scenario from his post:

Hi:

We've been batting this question around as to which Treaty Heavy Cruiser would prevail, so here's a nice little scenario to let you decide. I opted for dawn in 1942 with crew quality as good and sea conditions light. Two CAs per side. Have fun.
The scenario pits two New Orleans class heavy cruisers of the USN against two of the IJN's Takao class.
Yamato Death Ride April 1945: The Japanese super-battleship Yamato along with her cruiser and destroyer escort encounter two US battleships and their destroyer screen off Okinawa. The US OOB is pretty similar to the one I used for my "Death of the Yamato" scenario for Fighting Steel many moons ago.

[asnrobert]

A couple years ago on the old forum, someone posted a couple hypothetical scenarios for WCDB pitting the Swedish Navy against the Kriegsmarine (they were originally titled GESW38 and GEVSSE19382). Since the OOBs were virtually identical for both scenarios, I decided to create just one for WC-NAW.
Since the Swedish Navy is not currently in WC-NAW, I had to use other ships to represent them. For the Sverige class coast defense battleships, I used the German Schlesien class OBs. The British Arethusa doubles for the light cruiser Gotland, and the Minekaze class DDs represent the various Swedish destroyers (the WCDB scenario used the British A/B/C/D class, but I felt the Japanese ships were closer to the Swedish vessels in terms of firepower and size).

[asnrobert]

Recently I was browsing the WCDB scenario thread for any scenarios I haven't yet converted to WC-NAW, and came across this one by Ed Rotondaro. Here is his description from that thread:

Hi:

We've been debating possible alternatives to the epic surface battle at Guadalcanal in Novermber 1942. One suggestion was that the CA Pensacola replaces the two Atlanta class CLAAs. Another (my suggestion) was that Admiral Halsey releases one of his escorting BBs from his carrier task force (of course USS Washington under Admiral Willis Lee). I've chosen good crews for the IJN mainly due to their practice with night fighting (not many of the historical ships had seen night combat so far.) I've made the Washington crack based on her rigorous training. San Fransisco and Helena and Laffey are rated as good since they have seen action already. All other US ships are average. Conditions are based on research from Command at Sea's Rising Sun and Vincent O'Hara's book "The US Navy Against the Axis". I made some adjustments to IJN ship deployment to reflect the way they handled destroyers(mainly including the Nagara as a destroyer leader). This allowed me to fit the entire IJN task force into the game including the picket screen that eventually entered the battle. Feel free to modify as you please.
The WC-NAW scenario is pretty much the same, except I changed the sea state from moderate to calm (as the moderate sea state impedes speed much more in WCNAW than it did in WCDB).
This scenario got me to thinking. Last year I read John Lundstrom's Black Shoe Carrier Admiral, and the book mentions that in January 1942, Nimitz formed TF1 comprised of the old battleships New Mexico, Mississippi, Idaho, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Maryland (the last three survivors of Pearl Harbor) and stationed them on the West Coast. Admiral King wanted Nimitz to use them in some offensive manner, but Nimitz considered them more of a liability than an asset and relegated them to escorting convoys, which irked King (but then King declined to suggest how the ships could be used). During the battle of Midway and again during the Guadalcanal campaign, King wanted Nimitz to deploy the battleships, but Nimitz felt he lacked the air assets and destroyers to adequately protect the ships. In this hypothetical scenario (Alternate Gudalacanal 2), Nimitz gives in and deploys a couple of the old battlewagons in the Slot. The Tennessee and Pennsylvania provide adequate fire power to deal with Abe's battleships, but does their slow speed make them more vulnerable to Long Lance torpedo attacks?

[asnrobert]

In December 1943, the German battleship Scharnhorst and five destroyers put to sea to find convoy JW55B. After leaving her escorts, the Scharnhorst is detected by British forces and after several hours of battle is sunk with only 36 survivors.
The second scenario is an alternate where Admiral Bey doesn't send his destroyers home.

[asnrobert]

In April 1940, the HMS Glowworm had become detached from the British fleet while searching for a man overboard. In the process, she encountered the German invasion force headed for Norway. SHe became involved in a gun duel with the destroyer Bernd von Arnim, which radioed for help. The heavy cruiser Hipper arrived and scored hits which badly damaged the Glowworm. The British destroyer sank, but not before ramming the Hipper. The British CO, LCDR Roope, was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

[asnrobert]

Biak 8-9 June 1944: This scenario was originally created by Ed Rotondaro for WCDB. 5 Japanese destroyers are transporting troops to reinforce the garrison at Biak (a sixth, Harusame was sunk during the day by American aircraft). They encounter TF74, a group of Australian and American cruisers and destroyers under Admiral Crutchley, and fire torpedoes at the Allied ships before retiring.
Biak alternate 1: From what I've read, the heavy cruisers Myoko and Haguro were in the area to provide distant cover; the heavy cruiser Aoba and light cruiser Kinu were also in the area. In this hypothetical scenario they provide closer cover...

[asnrobert]

When Admiral Halsey heard that the escort carriers and destroyers of Taffy 3 were under attack, he sent his force south in a futile attempt to intercept Kurita. This operation is sometimes referred to as "Bull's Run." In this hypothetical scenario, Admiral Lee's TF34 meets up with Kurita in a nighttime engagement.

[JMS]

Having the "Lexingtons" in the DB and not using them would be a waste. This scenario pits the 1920s USN as it may have been against the Royal Navy as it was planned in 1918. Too bad we don't get some G3 battlecruisers!

[JMS]

Another what-if. The Washington treaty put France and Italy on equal footing and the dire state of both countries finances put a further hold on the modernisation of the battleships until the late 30s. Further, political pressures meant that naval airpower was residual or non-existant so rather by default, the cruiser occupied the capital ship niche for a time.

Although the French were preoccupied by Germany, the Italians nevertheless built up their fleet to match France and at the end of the day both countries made some interesting choices in the speed/armor equation - the idea of this scenario is to explore the idiosincracies of the Marine Nationale and the Regia Marina in an scenario based around 1935.

[asnrobert]

In late 1941, as the situation in the Pacific deteriorated, Britain sent the battleship Prince of Wales and battlecruiser Repulse under Admiral Phillips to Singapore. When war with Japan commenced on December 7, these two ships and their destroyer escort (designated Force 'Z') were sent out in an attempt to interdict Japanese invasion forces. However, both battleships were sunk by land based torpedo bombers three days later. In these hypothetical scenarios (originally created for WCDB), Admiral Phillip's ship get their chance to face off against the IJN (the night before the battleship's demise, Force Z and a Japanese force actually passed by each other without detection).
Note: the old V&W class destroyer HMAS Vampire and the even older 'S' class destroyer Tenedos are unavailable in WC-NAW, so I had to use the A/B/C/D class DD to represent them. Side 1 is the RN, side 2 the IJN in both scenarios.

[KG V]

Operation: Ten-Go

[1] Japanese
[2] United States

On April 6th 1945 Yamato’s Surface group (consisting of all available major Japanese surface units) while on route to the beaches of Okinawa to beach themselves and become unsinkable shore batteries, was spotted by two US Submarines. The position of this surface group was relayed to U.S. Fifth Fleet commander Admiral Raymond Spruance who then ordered the aging Battleships (mostly Pearl Harbor Vets) of Task Force 54's bombardment squadron, under the command of Admiral Morton Deyo, to intercept and engage Yamato and her escorts.

However the transmission was intercepted by Admiral Marc A. Mitscher’s group of aircraft carriers (TF 58), and he launched his aircraft against the Japanese surface fleet; who then proceeded to sink Yamato with air-strikes. Deyo, however, had made plans to intercept Yamato as ordered with the aging bombardment fleet and was the last Naval Officer to ever form a battle line as they began to steam towards the outnumbered Japanese fleet for the fight that Yamato was designed for... and a fight that would never happen.

This hypothetical mission pits the battleships of TF 54 "Iceberg" and a Destroyer Escort, against Yamato and her Ten-Go escorts. I left TF 54's Cruisers out of the fight (along with a few destroyers) as I assume the Navy would have wanted to keep some assets on hand for covering fire and general defense (plus this made the fight a little less one sided; although not by much). All ships and classes were researched and verified as present, and added into this scenario. The Japanese ships are set to exit directly forwards as I believe they would have made a “B-line” for Okinawa even had they been damaged, this being a Kamikaze mission and all.

For the Japanese:
Points aside, your whole mission is to get Yamato off the map and out of range of the US forces, if you did this, then your mission is a success. Don't forget that your escorts are armed with the Type 93 torpedo, so make sure you screen Yamato and give your opponent a wide birth so that you can use your superior range and gun power.

For the Americans:
Sink Yamato. You have more ships, and even though they are older designs, some are fitted with the Mk 13 radar set, so you will have the advantage in gunnery accuracy. But watch out for Yamato's big guns, as she will enjoy a longer range then you, and her guns will create havoc on your ships if they connect. And be sure to respect the Type 93 Torpedo of her escorts and use your better destroyers (Fletcher Class) to screen the Japanese skirmishers.

This is my first scenerio, so have fun with it!

[asnrobert]

After Harwood had engaged the pocket battleship Graf Spee at the River Plate, Admiral Pound congratulated him and compared him in contrast to Admiral Troubridge (who had let the German battlecruiser Goeben escape at the beginning of WW1), saying, "Your action reversed has reversed the finding of the Troubridge court martial (Troubridge was acquitted of being negligent in his duty) and shows how wrong it was."
However, in all fairness to Troubridge, he was facing a ship that could outrun and outgun his ships (and was also better protected), whereas Harwood's foe was basically an overgunned heavy cruiser that was slower than his ships (and not much better protected). In this hypothetical scenario, he faces not the Graf Spee, but the Scharnhorst, a full-fledged battlecruiser...

[asnrobert]

Hypothetical: A major sortie by the Kriegsmarine encounters four old British battleships (two Queen Elizabeth and two Royal Sovereign class) and their escort. This is based on a scenario originally created by Grant Michaud for Fighting Steel. I adapted it for WCDB and now I've adapted it for WC-NAW.

Personally, I think the British would love to get the Kriegsmarine in this situation. I believe they would willingly risk four of their old battlewagons for the chance to bag even two German battleships.

[asnrobert]

This is a scenario that was originally created for WCDB. It is a hypothetical encounter between four US battleships (Iowa, North Carolina, Massachusetts and Alabama against four Japanese battleships (Yamato, Nagato, Kongo and Haruna) off Samar in October 1944.

The USN has a decided advantage is this scenario with their slight speed edge and ability to fire blind. Play as the IJN if you want a challenge, or, if you're like me and had a rough day and want to kick some naval a$$, take command of the US squadron.

[asnrobert]

I've recently been going through through my collection of Fighting Steel scenarios looking for those that be adapted for WCNAW. I've done five so far, I plan to do more in the future. Credits department (regarding the original FS scenarios): I created HMS Ulysses; Battlecruiser's Run was created by Davide Gambina; America Alone was by Michael Emmerich; I do not know who created the other two.


America Alone: Germany is able to successfully invade England, and in 1941 the Kriegsmarine (along with captured units of the Royal Navy) confront the US Navy in the North Atlantic. Side 1: USN. Side 2: KM/RN
Attack at Dawn: In 1945, a British cruiser/destroyer force tracks the superbattleship Yamato during the night and engages her at dawn. Side 1: RN. Side 2: IJN.
Battlecruiser's Run The US sends two Lexington class battlecruisers to the Med to help the British out. Side 1: USN. Side 2: RM.
Cruiser Killer (night) The Fighting Steel scenario was titled "Battle Cruiser," but I didn't care for it. As the scenario is similar to Ed Rotondaro's "Cruiser Killer" but takes place at night, I named it that. The scenario take place off Subic Bay in 1945- Two Alaska class BCs and their escort intercept a Japanese CR/DD force at night. Side 1: USN. Side 2: IJN.
HMS Ulysses: Based on Alistair Maclean's novel. A Dido class cruiser and other British ships defend a convoy against a Hipper class cruiser. The Caledon class CL in the scenario is named Stirling, same as it was in the novel. Side 1: RN. Side 2: KM.

[asnrobert]

Here are some more Fighting Steel scenarios that I've adapted for WCNAW. There are others that I'll probably do in the future, but as many of them involve convoys, bombardment, tactical transport, etc, I'll wait until WCNAW has those features to do those. As with the other FS-to-WCNAW scenarios, I try to give credit to the original creators if possible.

Java Sea Fantasy: In 1938, the Dutch drew up plans for a battlecruiser design. it would have had nine 11" guns like the Scharnhorst (indeed, the Dutch even solicited designs from Germany, including one based on the Gneisenau). However, the war intervened before any construction was begun. In this fantasy scenario, the Dutch are able to build one, where it is sent to the NEI and is deployed at the battle of the Java Sea. For this scenario I simply took my existing WCNAW scenario for the Java Sea battle and edited it to include the German BC Scharnhorst to proxy the Dutch ship.
Jutland IJN versus RN: In 1941 British and Japanese battlewagons slug it out in the Pacific. This scenario was originally created by the NWS team for FSP 3.0.
Le Détroit du Danemark: In this hypothetical scenario, Operation Menace (the British attack on Dakar) is successful, with the result that the French battleship Richelieu joins the Free French. At dusk on May 23, 1941, she and her escorts are patrolling the Denmark Strait when enemy vessels are encountered...
Operation Grog: On 9 March 1941, Operation Grog was the bombardment of Genoa by British carrier planes and Royal Navy warships. Units of the Regia Marina were sent out to intercept, but did not detect the British forces. In this hypothetical scenario, they make contact. Original FS scenario was by Davide Gambina. NOTE: In adapting it for WCNAW I made two changes: I left out the Repulse (since she wasn't there), and I left out the Vittorio Veneto for play balance.
Spanish Intervention: During the Spanish Civil War, German ships were involved in covertly assisting the Nationalists, and they later took part in the Non-intervention patrol. In this hypothetical scenario (created for FS by Grant Michaud), HMS Hood intercepts two German pocket battleships covering blockade runners.

[KG V]

A “What if...” scenerio.


The Battlecruiser was the brainchild of Admiral Jackie Fisher, a unit that was envisioned at around the same time as the HMS Dreadnought. The Battlecruiser was a unit that could go ahead of the man battle line scouting before an action, engaging opponents escort units during an action, and chasing down and sinking damaged Battleships and other heavy units after an action. They could outgun anything that could catch them, and outrun anything that outgunned them.

The Admiral Class Battlecruiser was originally laid down as a class of 4 Units; HMS Hood, HMS Rodney, HMS Howe and HMS Anson. These ships would incorporate the tragic lessons learned at Jutland with the high attrition rate of the battlecruisers in that engagement. The class was at once to be the ultimate expression of the Battlecruiser concept, and the largest warships afloat. They were fast, well armoured and very heavily armed, they blurred the line between Battlecruiser and Battleship proper; and in the opinion of this writer, they laid the groundwork for the Fast Battleship concept that came later.

However after the War, only Hood was completed; only the fact that she was far more complete then her sisters and represented an already large investment in time and labor, saved her. However, her sisters were either scrapped on the slip, or never begun...

In this mission you take command of a surface group consisting of Hood and two of her never complete sisters, Howe, Anson, along with a group of escorts. You are to go bolster the crowns presence in the Mediterranean in the early part of WWII, were you encounter a group of ill prepared Italian heavy units steaming to North Africa.

Group [1]
The pride of the Royal Navy (The Mighty ‘ood”) is done with her refit, and is presented here with a Crack crew rating. Both Anson and Howe have yet to receive their refit and are presented here in their pre refit guise and a good Royal Navy crew. Norfolk and Suffolk are also in the mix (as they always found a way to be in the wrong place at the right time), along with a few destroyers led by HMS Grenville.

Group[2]
The Italians are not looking for a fight here, and their crews are not up to the same standards as their Brit counterparts, but for what they lack in finesse... they make up for in firepower. Their group consists of The Roma and Littorio (battleships Proper), along with Andria Doria and Conte Di Cavour (who are no pushovers either). As well as a larger Escorting force then the British that consists of a couple of the heavier Italian CA’s ( The Zara class, who you will find pack a punch, and have solid chins to boot), and a group of Destroyers.

Enjoy

[asnrobert]

Many moons ago I came across a now defunct website on the ships and battles of the Spanish Civil War (the website can still be seen at the following link: http://web.archive.org/web/20000229132243/http://web.forodigital.es/uphm/mgl/buques/spanishcivwar.htm )
I created a number of scenarios for Fighting Steel using the information gleaned from the site. I’ve finally decided to go ahead and recreate some of them for WC-NAW. However, many of the original scenarios were bombardment or convoy missions (which is what the bulk of naval operations during the war were) which are not yet available for WC-NAW, so here they will be straightforward engagement scenarios.

Cape Palos: In the early morning hours of March 6, 1938, three Nationalist cruisers were escorting two transports when it was attacked by a Republican force of two light cruisers and five destroyers. The Republican ships were able to sink the heavy cruiser Baleares and withdrew without loss, but did not prevent any of the transports from reaching their destination.
Cape Cherchell: At dawn on September 7, 1937, the Nationalist heavy cruiser Baleares encountered a westward bound Republican convoy consisting of 2 CL, 7 DD and 4 transports. The Baleares began a gun duel with the Republican cruisers which went off and on through a good part of the day. The Baleares suffered some minor damage but managed to keep the convoy from reaching its destination. NOTE: in the interest of play balance, the destroyers have been omitted from the OOB (they are assumed to be screening the convoy).
Malaga (hypothetical): One of the many missions besides blockading and convoy escort performed during the Spanish Civil War was bombardment. In April 1937 the old Republican battleship Jaime I and her escort are on a bombardment mission when they are harassed by Nationalist cruisers.
Catalan: Originally titled ‘Off the Spanish Coast’ in FSP. A hypothetical mission set June 1938- a group of Nationalist cruisers and destroyers are on bombardment mission when they are intercepted by Republican ships.
Gibraltar Strait I: On 29 September 1936, Nationalist cruisers spotted two Republican destroyers blockading the strait (Almirante Ferrándiz and Gravina). The Canarias opened fire against the Ferrándiz at 22 kyds and scored a fatal hit with the third salvo, sinking the destroyer in a few minutes. The Gravina managed to escape unscathed to Casablanca. (this scenario was not in FSP)
Gibraltar Strait II: In October 1936 a Republican force was returning to the Mediterranean thru the Gibraltar Strait after a month of operating in the Bay of Biscay. The Nationalist cruisers Canarias and Almirante Cervera were waiting for them, but neither side spotted the other.

Proxy Notes:
As of yet, the Spanish Navy is not represented in WC-NAW. However, many of them were based on British warships, which made the job somewhat easier (although they differed from their counterparts in some respects).
España class BB: the España (Nationalist) and Jaime I (Republican) were the smallest battleships in the world, due to budgetary restrictions. They were not pre-dreadnoughts or coast defense ships but genuine dreadnoughts (perhaps they could be considered authentic “pocket battleships”). They were 16,000 tons and mounted eight 12” guns in four turrets (one forward, one aft, and the other two amidships, one on either beam). I chose the German Schleswig class OBB to represent them (as I did for FSP). I wasn’t really happy with the choice since the German ships had only half the firepower of the Spanish ships, but nothing else really fit.
Canarias class CA: The Canarias and Baleares were still under construction at the start of the war. They were seized by the Nationalists, who were desperate for ships, and hastily completed. They were based on the Kent class cruisers but with the following differences: they were slightly better protected (I could have used the London class since this had a belt armor of 2, but it also carried torpedoes, which the Spanish ships lacked), had eight 4” guns instead of four, and were slightly faster (33 knots, instead of 32; their speed has been adjusted in the game). They were also to be equipped with four triple torpedo mounts (as opposed to the two quadruple mounts carried by some of the British ships), but these were never installed.
Principe Alphonso class CL: The Libertad (ex-Principe Alfonso) and her sisters Almirante Cervera and Miguel de Cervantes were based on the British 'E' Class (Enterprise and Emerald). However, like the Canarias class, they were superior to the ships they were based on: The Spanish ships had eight 6" guns (arranged in 3 twin and 2 single mounts) and four 4" guns, whereas the British ships had seven 6" guns in single mounts, and three 4" guns. The Almirante Cervera served in the Nationalist navy, the other two were under Republican control.
Méndez Nuñez CL: This cruiser was based on the British ‘C’ class cruiser. However, she carried six 6” guns (instead of 5) and four triple torpedo tube mounts, making her more akin in capability to the ‘D’ class, which is what I used.
Navarra CL: This ship was based on the 1913 Birmingham class CL. At the start of the war she was obsolete and abandoned, but seized by the Nationalists who needed more ships, and overhauled, entering service in 1938, shortly after the loss of Baleares, but due to her obsolescence and slow speed was a poor replacement. In FSP I used a ‘D’ class cruiser to represent her as they had the same number of guns, but in WC-NAW I had a problem, as the Navarra had no torpedoes (the ‘D’ class carries 12), and unlike FSP, in WC-NAW I could not designate mounts as destroyed. So, after scouring the WC-NAW database, I decided on the Italian Bari class to represent her (reducing her speed from 28 to 25 knots).
Churruca class DD: all fourteen ships of this class served in the Republican navy. They were based on the British Scott class destroyer leader, which is not in the game, but they were functionally equivalent to the A-I class destroyers (albeit with six, not eight, torpedo tubes). One of them, the Jose Luis Diez attempted to evade a Nationalist patrol disguised as the HMS Grenville, so I used the ‘G/H’ class to represent this class. Some of the ships were originally equipped with five 4.7” mounts, but since most of them had the midships mount landed to arm the later ships, I decided to use the regular ‘G/H’ class instead of the five-gun ‘G/H leader’ class.
Alsedo class DD: The Alsedo, Lazaga and Velasco (the last one the only destroyer in the Nationalist navy at the start of the conflict) were based on the British WW1 era Lightfoot class destroyer leaders. This class is in WC-NAW; however it is in the WW1 database and thus no help. These ships were armed with three 4” guns and two twin torpedo tube mounts. I was going to use the American Wickes-40 class (which they strongly resembled), but in the end I opted for the Sella since they had the same number of TT (the American has 6 TT), plus I figured the torpedoes carried by the Italian ship was closer in terms of functionality to the 17.7” torpedo carried by the Spanish ships than the one carried by the American vessel.
Ceuta and Melilla DD: At the beginning of the war, the Nationalists had but a single destroyer in their fleet, so they purchased these two Italian destroyers (ex-Falco and ex-Aquila, respectively. They were equipped with four 4” guns and two twin 17.7” torpedo mounts (the Aquila class appears in the WW1 database, but with 6” guns as originally built). (I used the Sella class for these as well (interestingly, they were given a fourth dummy funnel in Spanish service in order to make them resemble the Velasco).
Spain also purchased two Poerio class DDs from Italy, but due to their small size and slow (31 kts) speed, they were of limited use.

ADDENDUM: In all scenarios, The Nationalist fleet is side 1, the Republican fleet is side 2.

[asnrobert]

After WW1, the Treaty of Versailles reduced the German Navy to little more than a coastal defense force. When Germany started to rearm in the 1930s, they drew up the Z-plan to rebuild their fleet. The outbreak of WW2 put an end to these plans, and thereafter, the focus was primarily on U-boat construction.
In this hypothetical scenario, WW2 is delayed, allowing Germany to go ahead with the Z-plan. Two H class battleships are completed; the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have their 11" guns replaced with 15" guns, and some of the O-class battlecruisers (also carrying six 15" guns) are constructed; additionally a new class of light cruisers enters service. However, Britain has not been idle; the Lion class battleships enter service, and the older battlecruisers are revamped. The two fleets meet in a climatic battle in 1946.
Since the Lion class battleships are not in the game, I used the Vanguard class to represent them. The H-class battleships aren't available either, so I used the Bismarck class to represent them (but gave them crack crews). The Scharnhorst-15 is used to represent the up-gunned S&G and the 'O' class BCs. The Renown is used to represent the Repulse as well (since it is assumed she would have been given a similar rebuild if not for the war), and all three British BCs are given crack crews. I used the Italian Capitani Romani to represent the new German cruisers, as they were similar to the ones to be built under Plan-Z (I also gave them the names of German cruisers that were lost in WW1).

[asnrobert]

Recently I created a couple scenarios for the WW1 database pitting the Royal Navy against the Marine National Française. I decided to do the same for the WW2 era. I was going to set it between 1935-40, but decided against it as the battleships would be pretty much the same as the 1915 scenario (at least from the French side), so I decided to set it in 1945. The British have four King George V class battleships, plus the battlecruisers Hood and Renown. The French are able to build all four Richelieu class battleships (technically, the fourth and final ship, Gascogne, which was projected but never commenced, would have been larger and had her main gun turrets in a more conventional fore-and-aft layout, but I figured the regular Richelieu is close enough) plus the two Dunkerque class battlecruisers. Both have one division of assorted heavy and light cruisers, plus two divisions of destroyers.

[asnrobert]

This scenario is based on one originally created for Fighting Steel by Davide Gambina.
In the 1930s, Japan built the Mogami class cruisers with fifteen 6" guns. The US responded by laying down the Brooklyn class with an identical number of guns. Later, the Japanese replaced the 6" guns with 8" guns (as they intended to do all along). The question is (as this scenario was intended to address), did the Japanese make the right move- are ten 8" guns better than fifteen 6"? The 8 inch guns have greater range and pack more punch, but the greater number of six inch guns and their higher rate of fire means they can put out more metal.