BPA 2001-2002 War At Sea PBeM Championship Final
Game
Jonathan Lockwood (Allies) over Bruce Reiff (Axis)
Intro- Lockwood initially bid 2
POC for the Allies, which Reiff accepted. Since Lockwood had the
higher VP total from the Swiss rounds, a tie would result in an Allied
win (effectively making it the equivalent of a 1.5 POC bid).
Turn 1- Allies deploy in a modified
Barents on One, with 7 1-1-7s, 2 3-3-6s (both made it), the Hood and Ark
Royal to the Barents, and relatively equal forces in NATL and SATL, with
the strongest force in the North Sea. Axis goes for the NATL with
7 ships, making all speed rolls. Allied LBA kills the Pola, while
Allied airstrike in the NATL sinks Lutzow. In surface combat, Allies
disable Gneisenau, while the Axis sinks the Queen Liz, Norfolk, and Courageous,
and disables Nelson and Barham to take the area. Axis oils 4 ships,
trapping the Blucher in the neutral port. Axis take a 2 POC lead
(4 POC with handicap).
Turn 2 Rather than try to hold four
areas, Allies elect to "herd" the Axis fleet back to Germany by strongly
holding NATL, SATL, and North Sea, conceding the Barents. Axis takes
what is given, and Blucher is sunk by a massive volley (43 points damage!)
as it emerges from the neutral port. Axis gains 2 POC to take a 4
POC lead (6 POC with handicap)
Turn 3 Allies try to impose the
blockade for Turn 4 in Barents and North Sea, with a kill group of 3 BBs
(Nelson, Rodney, Barham) and 2 CVs (Victorious, Eagle) guarding Convoy
1A in the NATL (relying on a combination of speed roll attrition, airstrikes,
and the first volley from the 3 BBs, Eagle, and convoy to either
deter an Axis foray or defeat it). Axis goes for the knockout by
sending all eight German ships to NATL, and 3 Italian cruisers to SATL
supported by 5 U-boats. German ships made all four speed rolls, while
all Allied carrier strikes missed. U-boats in the SATL sank 1 battleship
and disabled a second, leaving 1 4-4-4 and 1-1-7 facing 3 Italian cruisers.
After heavy fighting, the British sink 2 cruisers and disable the third
to prevent an Axis takeover of the SATL. Meanwhile, surface combat
in the NATL resulted in Scharnhorst and Gneisenau sunk for the Axis (Bismarck
and Tirpitz also took significant damage), while the Allies lost Victorious,
Eagle, Rodney, and Barham, while taking heavy damage on the Nelson, which
was disabled. Going for the kill, the Axis directed all of its remaining
fire at Convoy 1A, but disabled it back to the US with 1 point damage.
Axis LBA puts 2 points of damage on the Ark Royal. Axis takes the NATL
by sinking the damaged Rodney with its two remaining cruisers. Axis
gains 3 POC to take a 7 POC lead (9 POC with handicap)
Turn 4 Allies try to maintain the
blockade while providing some coverage for Convoy 2B as it enters the NATL,
while Convoy 1A repairs in the US. The Okt Rev comes out in the Baltic
to distract the German fleet (now at 7 ships, with Bismarck and Tirpitz
undergoing repairs from the previous turn's battle). The Axis again
goes for the knockout blow by sending 7 U-boats against 12 ASW guarding
the convoy in the NATL. Allied ASW sinks 3 U-boats and disables 2
more, leaving 2 U-boats to fire at Convoy 2B, which both miss. Meanwhile,
Axis LBA sinks the previously damaged Ark Royal in the Barents, while the
Graf Zeppelin sinks the Okt Rev in the Baltic before surface combat.
The POC count is even for the turn, and Convoy 2B heads for the Barents.
Axis lead remains at 7 POC (9 POC with handicap).
Turn 5 The Allied reinforcements
of 2 additional US ships allow the Allies to both strengthen their blockade
and provide better coverage for Convoy 1A in the NATL and Convoy 2B in
the Barents. Axis attention turns to attempting to break the blockade
in the North Sea by sending 6 U-boats against 13 ASW. Allied ASW
sinks 4 U-boats and disables the remaining two to hold the blockade, while
Axis LBA misses its strike on Convoy 2B. Allies gain 4 POC for the
turn to cut the Axis lead to 3 POC (5 POC with handicap)
Turn 6 With Convoy 1A in the Barents,
Convoy 3C in the NATL, and a stronger Allied blockade, the Axis decides
the moment has come to commit maximum effort to stopping the Barents convoy.
Axis sends 5 U-boats, LBA, and its entire remaining fleet of 7 ships (Bismarck,
Tirpitz, Graf Spee, Adm Scheer, Prinz Eugen, Adm Hipper, and Graf Zeppelin)
to face an Allied fleet of seven battleships (totaling 26 attack factors)
and the Illustrious guarding Convoy 3C. Allied ASW sinks 2 U-boats
and disables 2 more, breaking control of the Barents and leaving 1 U-boat
to fire at the convoy, which misses. Axis LBA and carrier strikes,
however, disable Convoy 3C back to the US, but fail to take out any of
the seven battleships. Allied airstrikes on the Graf Spee and Adm
Scheer also miss. In the ensuing round of surface combat, the Allies
sink Graf Spee, Adm Scheer, Prinz Eugen, Adm Hipper, and disable the Tirpitz,
while the Axis damages Anson for 1 point and the Hood for 4 points (crippling
it to a 1-0-3). The Bismarck and Graf Zeppelin retreat separately,
and the Allies pursue the Bismarck with three battleships, disabling it
with 6 points damage before Bismarck sinks the Renown with its return fire.
Allies gain 1 POC for the turn to trim the Axis lead to 2 POC (4 POC with
handicap).
Turn 7 With all but the New York
activated, the Allies are now better able to protect the convoys in the
Barents and NATL against a German fleet reduced to three ships (Bismarck
(-6), Tirpitz, and Graf Zeppelin). Marat finally activates this turn
in the Baltic, drawing the attention of all three German ships. Graf
Zeppelin's airstrike disables Marat back to Leningrad before surface combat,
where it will remain for the rest of the war. The Axis decides to conserve
its 4 U-boat fleet for Turn 8 by sending it against 3 BBs and 2 CAs in
the SATL to support the last foray of the Fiume into the SATL. 5
Allied ASW sink 1 U-boat to keep Axis U-boat strength at 4 U-boats for
Turn 8, while the U-boats miss their fire on the battleships, which in
turn sink the Fiume, but not before it sinks the Exeter. Meanwhile,
Axis LBA again disables Convoy 3C back to the US, leaving the POC count
even for the turn. Convoy 1A again heads into the Barents for Turn
8, while Convoy 3C reenters the NATL for Turn 8. Axis lead remains
unchanged at 2 POC (4 POC with handicap)
Turn 8 The final turn has the Axis
committing its 4 U-boats to the NATL to either sink or disable Convoy 3C,
which is guarded by 13 Allied ASW, including the newly activated New York.
Meanwhile, in the Barents, the Axis commits the Tirpitz, Graf Zeppelin,
and LBA to the Barents in a last ditch effort to disable or sink Convoy
1A (guarded by 14 ASW in the form of 6 BBs, 2 CAs, and the Illustrious),
leaving the heavily damaged Bismarck to garrison the Baltic. Allied
ASW sinks 3 U-boats and disables the fourth to ensure control of all four
sea areas and the protection of Convoy 3C on its way to England for 1 POC.
Meanwhile, the Axis LBA and airstrikes all miss their targets, including
Convoy 1A, and the two remaining German ships strike their colors and retreat,
conceding the Barents to the Allies. The Allies gain 5 POC on the
final turn to win the game with 3 POC (1 POC with handicap). Both
Bruce Reiff and I agreed that this was the most exciting game of WAS we
each have ever played.
Last Updated March 8, 2003
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