Towards the end of WWI, the Royal Navy was planning a Taranto style raid on Friedrichshafen using Furious (still I think with one 18"gun) and Argus, which could probably carry 20 Sopwith Cuckoos at a pinch.
Big mouth here, looked at Geof's 2400 scale model of the Furious and said ………………….
So I now have the task of organising the game. What I have in mind is that the carriers launch their planes which fly off to the german edge of the board, disappearing for a few turns. The High Seas fleet comes out to look for the incursion appearing on the table edge by divisions (I'm thinking D12 for each division, each turn). Visibility will be poor but will lift randomly over the game, all invisible ships will be blinds, representing 4DD, 2CL or one major unit.
Screening the carriers will be the battlecruiser fleet.
Has anyone any real knowledge of this planned operation?
The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
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grizzlymc
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
The narrative
In the early months of 1919, victory was inevitable, but how to get there was not so clear. Lights had burned late in every capital in Europe for over four years, and in the Admiralty, they burned yet again:
“The Americans want to do more with the fleets than slowly strangle Germany.”
“The Americans want to do everything yesterday, they have spent so much time on the sidelines, they don’t realise that it’s different being in the game.”
“Have we any rabbits to pull out of the hat?”
A youngish man, his sleeve adorned with somewhat less in the way of gold rings than his companions, spoke nervously:
“Tom Sopwith says he should have enough of the new torpedo planes by the end of February.”
“But then we have to train the pilots man, we need this to act this spring”
“They have been training on the prototypes, we have the pilots and the Argus is fully worked up sir”
“Do you think we can launch Operation Phillip by April young man?”
“Yes sir, Argus can launch 15 to 20 Sopwith Cuckoos, Furious will carry the fighter escort, her landing facilities won’t handle a cuckoo.”
The First Sea Lord smiled and looked relaxed for the first time in a while. He beamed at the assembled company.
“Young man, keep those pilots of yours training dawn till dusk, rain fog or gale, we cannot be sure that the weather will be kind to them on the day. Now, give me the bones of a plan by Monday morning.”
In Friedrichshafen, a very similar group of men sat around a table.
“The only honourable thing to do is to form the fleet up and sail to Cromarty, there we bombard their battlecruisers at anchor and die fighting the British and American fleets”
“You know as well as I do that the sailors will only fight to defend the Reich. We must wait for the enemy to come to us.”
“But the army cannot hold against the Spring offensive, only General mud is holding the line, and our men a dropping from influenza like flies. We will fall to the allied armies without firing a shot.”
“Franz, we cannot risk another mutiny, keep patrolling, if the enemy come, the men will fight. We can only do our duty.”
Monday morning saw a young Commodore sitting in the First Sea Lord’s ante room, freshly pressed uniform but dark rings under his eys.
The first Sea Lord will see you now sir.”
He rose and marched into the First Sea Lord’s office.
“Godfrey, kind of you to come, you know the First Lord of the Admiralty, of course”.
The first Lord rose and shook the young man’s hand.
“So, you are going to singe the Kaisers beard with your new aeroplanes, show us your plans.”
A little non plussed to be addressing, not only the professional head of the Royal Navy, but also his political master, the young man started producing charts and plans with time plots. The First Sea Lord remained quiet till the end.
“You will need the carriers, the entire battle cruiser fleet, and we will do a sweep with the Grand Fleet off the coast of Norway. You realise that we risk choosing between sacrificing the battle cruisers or the aircraft, and their irreplaceable crews, if the Hun gets steam up too quickly?”.
“Yes sir, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. We may destroy several of his heavy units at their moorings, for the cost of a few torpedoes and we can keep hitting him with raids like this all through the summer. Even if they are only damaged, they won’t be counters at the peace table and, with the Americans based at Scapa, we could lose all the battle cruisers and still retain a comfortable margin over the High Seas fleet.”
The First Lord looked at the young man and nodded.
“Capital, let it be done! I shall obtain cabinet approval this week, but there is no time to waste, make detailed plans and preparation now.”
In the early months of 1919, victory was inevitable, but how to get there was not so clear. Lights had burned late in every capital in Europe for over four years, and in the Admiralty, they burned yet again:
“The Americans want to do more with the fleets than slowly strangle Germany.”
“The Americans want to do everything yesterday, they have spent so much time on the sidelines, they don’t realise that it’s different being in the game.”
“Have we any rabbits to pull out of the hat?”
A youngish man, his sleeve adorned with somewhat less in the way of gold rings than his companions, spoke nervously:
“Tom Sopwith says he should have enough of the new torpedo planes by the end of February.”
“But then we have to train the pilots man, we need this to act this spring”
“They have been training on the prototypes, we have the pilots and the Argus is fully worked up sir”
“Do you think we can launch Operation Phillip by April young man?”
“Yes sir, Argus can launch 15 to 20 Sopwith Cuckoos, Furious will carry the fighter escort, her landing facilities won’t handle a cuckoo.”
The First Sea Lord smiled and looked relaxed for the first time in a while. He beamed at the assembled company.
“Young man, keep those pilots of yours training dawn till dusk, rain fog or gale, we cannot be sure that the weather will be kind to them on the day. Now, give me the bones of a plan by Monday morning.”
In Friedrichshafen, a very similar group of men sat around a table.
“The only honourable thing to do is to form the fleet up and sail to Cromarty, there we bombard their battlecruisers at anchor and die fighting the British and American fleets”
“You know as well as I do that the sailors will only fight to defend the Reich. We must wait for the enemy to come to us.”
“But the army cannot hold against the Spring offensive, only General mud is holding the line, and our men a dropping from influenza like flies. We will fall to the allied armies without firing a shot.”
“Franz, we cannot risk another mutiny, keep patrolling, if the enemy come, the men will fight. We can only do our duty.”
Monday morning saw a young Commodore sitting in the First Sea Lord’s ante room, freshly pressed uniform but dark rings under his eys.
The first Sea Lord will see you now sir.”
He rose and marched into the First Sea Lord’s office.
“Godfrey, kind of you to come, you know the First Lord of the Admiralty, of course”.
The first Lord rose and shook the young man’s hand.
“So, you are going to singe the Kaisers beard with your new aeroplanes, show us your plans.”
A little non plussed to be addressing, not only the professional head of the Royal Navy, but also his political master, the young man started producing charts and plans with time plots. The First Sea Lord remained quiet till the end.
“You will need the carriers, the entire battle cruiser fleet, and we will do a sweep with the Grand Fleet off the coast of Norway. You realise that we risk choosing between sacrificing the battle cruisers or the aircraft, and their irreplaceable crews, if the Hun gets steam up too quickly?”.
“Yes sir, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. We may destroy several of his heavy units at their moorings, for the cost of a few torpedoes and we can keep hitting him with raids like this all through the summer. Even if they are only damaged, they won’t be counters at the peace table and, with the Americans based at Scapa, we could lose all the battle cruisers and still retain a comfortable margin over the High Seas fleet.”
The First Lord looked at the young man and nodded.
“Capital, let it be done! I shall obtain cabinet approval this week, but there is no time to waste, make detailed plans and preparation now.”
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FreddBloggs
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
Fascinating plan.
Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
Wasn't there also a plan to use the big Short' seaplanes (Type 184?) to attack the German fleets?
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grizzlymc
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
You mean fat? No need for PC here.
I think they had the range, but they were slow and I doubt they carried a bomb that could damage a major unit. Once they dropped their torp, cuckoos could do 105 mph, making a tail chase difficult for a fighter.
Beatty suggested converting merchies to flattops and launching 100 cuckoos, in 1917 it was suggested that furious, glorious and courageous be used to launch 100 cuckoos. I'm giving the RN the opportunity to strike a blow before the Spring Offensive takes out all the Rhineland and Hanoverian cities with a 5 mph blitzkrieg.
I think they had the range, but they were slow and I doubt they carried a bomb that could damage a major unit. Once they dropped their torp, cuckoos could do 105 mph, making a tail chase difficult for a fighter.
Beatty suggested converting merchies to flattops and launching 100 cuckoos, in 1917 it was suggested that furious, glorious and courageous be used to launch 100 cuckoos. I'm giving the RN the opportunity to strike a blow before the Spring Offensive takes out all the Rhineland and Hanoverian cities with a 5 mph blitzkrieg.
Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
I did a quick check. The type 184 carried bombs and torpedoes & had success with both. They had 300 odd in service at the end of the war
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World2dave
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
Great idea for a game Grizz. It's a fascinating subject, and there was plenty of invention going on alongside the development of carriers. The Russians actually operated the first ever carrier strike group (OK, 4 rickety floatplane carriers), launching missions together in the Black Sea.
One idea: in August 1918 a Camel successfully took off from a lighter towed at speed behind a destroyer, and intercepted and shot down a Zeppelin. How about giving your Cuckoo strike force some fighter cover provided by a flotilla or two of destroyers towing lighters/Camels? Apparently the lighters could be towed at up to 30 knots without throwing up spray, but needed men to sit on the bows to keep them level!
Keep up posted on developments!
One idea: in August 1918 a Camel successfully took off from a lighter towed at speed behind a destroyer, and intercepted and shot down a Zeppelin. How about giving your Cuckoo strike force some fighter cover provided by a flotilla or two of destroyers towing lighters/Camels? Apparently the lighters could be towed at up to 30 knots without throwing up spray, but needed men to sit on the bows to keep them level!
Keep up posted on developments!
Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
Way back when Miniature Wargames had a series on the planned 1919 RN operations in the Baltic. They're somewhere stored but there's Buckleys chance of finding them soonish.
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grizzlymc
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
I was going to use Furious for the fighters because she couldn't launch, and def can't recover cuckoos till they give her a flush deck. 300 fat short bombers is a formidable force. I didn't realise they could carry a torpedo, where would they have carried it?
The Brits actually launched a raid on the Zeppelin sheds early war using a flotilla of seaplane carriers. They seem to have decided that the limited returns didn't justify a return match.
I see this as a chance to use the battlecruisers as a delaying force against the piecemeal attack by the High Seas fleet. It isn't a simple case of putting your battle line between the Hun and the carriers because, with the low visibility, the Hun can work around and hit the carriers. I'm thinking that planes get 1 point each, DD 1 point, CL 2 points, BB or BC 4 points, CV 10 points. The only way planes get lost is if their carrier gets sunk after recovering, or is out of visibility of the plane's launch place when recovery has to happen
The Brits actually launched a raid on the Zeppelin sheds early war using a flotilla of seaplane carriers. They seem to have decided that the limited returns didn't justify a return match.
I see this as a chance to use the battlecruisers as a delaying force against the piecemeal attack by the High Seas fleet. It isn't a simple case of putting your battle line between the Hun and the carriers because, with the low visibility, the Hun can work around and hit the carriers. I'm thinking that planes get 1 point each, DD 1 point, CL 2 points, BB or BC 4 points, CV 10 points. The only way planes get lost is if their carrier gets sunk after recovering, or is out of visibility of the plane's launch place when recovery has to happen
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Slugbalancer
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Re: The planned air attack on the High Seas Fleet - 1919
Here's a couple of pics of Short S.184 with a torpedo.
