WW2 Coastal Wargaming Scenarios

This is a genre I wanted to try having seen the films Hell Boats and They Were Expendable the latter stared John Wayne! I recently found a second hand copy of The Battle of The Torpedo Boats (by Brian Cooper, Pan  1971) which tells us everything about the PT boat battles in the English Channel, Med and Pacific. With the release of Cruel Seas in 2019 coastal wargaming was played at many wargames clubs. Having seen the 1/300 scale boats I feel that 1/600 would be my preferred scale and cost. Mostly because I'd like to try convoy actions. Or something different like boats taking on a cruiser like the Scipio Africanus, or a destroyer e.g. the Terezuki. Perhaps something really big like the US attacks on the Japanese battlecruisers at Surigoa Strait.

A rummage through the wargames cupboard finds two 1/300 Warlords sprues given away with copies of Wargames Illustrated - sigh! 

Meanwhile here are some scenarios to get you started if you have collections and rules. The pics are shamelessly staged from my 1/1800 Axis & Allies collection. The board is a sheet of ply, spray painted and the squares marked from coloured stickers from WH.Smith. Or as I call it, my naval wargames wobble board. 

1. The Channel Dash

(Prinz Eugen & Gneisenau sweep pass with heavy S Boat and torpedo boat screen) 

This was a dramatic dash by three German capital ships (Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen) up the English channel from Brest to German home waters. The German ships were heavily escorted by S Boats and Destroyers plus had intensive air cover from the Luftwaffe. The British were surprised and unresponsive but eventually mustered attacks by Swordfish, Dover Guns, MTB's, Destroyers and finally bombers. However the most damage caused was when Scharnhorst hit a mine off the Belgian coast.

As the German task force passed Dover they were attacked by a small force of torpedo boats led by Lt Cmdr Pumphrey. His boats had poor engines and this plucky force could not break through the heavy screen of S Boats and Destroyers. They launched their torpedoes at 4,000 yards and missed. Breaking off the attack when a German Destroyer the Freidrich Inn intervened. At this point two supporting Motor Gunboats finally turned up covering the MTB's escape.

For this scenario the German escorts are reduced as the British are attacking the port side of the German escort screen. To give the British a fighting chance (1) their engines are in good condition and (2) the motor gunboats are with them. The substantial German air cover is distracted by an inbound Swordfish and Spitfire attack.

British

Deploy: Western table edge, players choose speed and formation 

Mission: to get 1-2 boats off east table edge with torps left

6th MTB Flotilla

x2 Vosper MTB's 70 feet

x3 White MTB's 

x2 MGB's (British Power Boat 63 feet)

Germans

In line ahead centre of the table heading north 20kts. The Jerry Destroyer is off table and arrives in five minutes onto the east table edge

x5 S Boats (type 38)

1x Destroyer: Freidrich Inn (Narvik Class)

Models of the German capital ships are not necessary. If you have some of them they can be set dressing. The British MTBs are trying to break through the screen of escorts to good launching positions. 

2. Action off  the Dutch coast (15/03/1942)

A group of British MTB's encounter a lone S38 Boat (no.111) with engine trouble but with reinforcements on the way.

British

Ltn J.B.R Horne, 7th MGB Flotilla

2x MGB's (No.s 87 and 88)

1x MGB (No 9 an Elco 70 feet)

German

x1 S38 (green, poor crew) 

x4  S38 Boats (off table: arrive four minutes on)

Special rules: the green S boat starts the game stationary.  If it loses the helmsmen and captain, or guns, or reduced to 10 knts it will surrender on a 4-6. Can be boarded and taken in tow as a prize if rules permit. West table edge is British, East table is to German controlled waters 

3. Convoy, Lyme Bay, 7 July 1942

S Boats creep up on a tanker (1/1800 ships by Axis & Allies War at Sea)

The convoy is in the mid / south half of the board. The Germans are place on the edge of the board (north) approaching the head of the convoy

British

x2 armed trawlers (crew: good / alert)

x3 Merchantmen

x1 Tanker

German

Kapitan Leutnant, Klauss Feldt

x2 S Boats (S100)

x2 S Boats (S38 with aft 37mm guns)

4. Action off Cherbourg 01/08/1942

British

Leutenant Hitchens (8th MGB Flotilla)

Deploy heading North, speed: players choice

x4  MGB's (British Powerboat 71/6)

German

Deploy heading South at 20 knots.

x2 S Boats (S38)

x2 S Boats (S100) 

x2 Coastal batteries (two 90mm guns each)  

Note: the gun batteries have to spot the British and go to action stations. To make things simple roll of a 6 on a D6 for each fort.

5. Operation Scylla, The Med  (17/08/1943)

Scipio Africanus, Taranto 1943, photo by USA sailor (Wikipedia)

With the Allied invasion of Scicily the Italians anticipate a naval blockade. They sent the Scipio Africa to make up for a lack of light cruisers in the Ionian Sea. Four British Elco boats are lying in wait for axis gunboats and transports. They get more than they bargained for when they are picked up by an approaching cruiser's Gufo radar. The Italian captain accelerates to top speed and opens up with the ships machine light armaments upon finally identifying the rapidly approaching Allied MTB's. A fast gun battle ensues with the loss of two boats. The Scipio Africanus luckily evades the torpedoes and finally escapes to harbour

Regia Marina

Captain Emesto Pellegrini

x1 Light Cruiser: Scipio Africanus (Capitano Romani Class)

It is night time but the Italians have spotted the MTBs on their Gufo radio and are ready. They have increased speed to 24 knots / full speed to evade or break through the British.

Royal Navy

Leutenant Dennis Jermain, 10th MTB Flotilla

x 4 Elco MTB's 

The British are stationary, idling, visibility is good and a it's a calm sea. They are unaware of the cruiser. 

6. Loss of the Terezuki, Guadalcanal, 12/12/42

Terezuki takes damage

Previously Terezuki had been successful at the 'Bar Room Brawl' wrecking USS Cushing with gunfire and torpedoing USS Laffley.

A month later Terezuki had been part of a convoy of destroyers dropping supplies, to the Japanses army, in watertight drums off Guadalcanal Island. As the convoy turned away she remained to cover their withdraw when she was attacked by two or three PT Boats. American naval historians dispute which boats attacked and which one caused the fatal torpedo damage.

American

x2-3 PT 20 Boats

Japanese

x1 Destroyer Teruzuki (Akizuki class)

7. Surigao Strait, Leyte Gulf 

03.23am PT boats 469 & 524 shadow the damaged battlecruiser Fuso

This 'mega game' is similar to the Channel Dash. A PT boat attack precedes a destroyer attack on an Japanese task force of three battlewagons escorted by destroyers. But the PT Boats are trying (1) to desrupt the formation of a task force and (2) radio approach of the Japanese to US Admiral Ordendorf's battleships. The Japanese capital ships are in line ahead flanked by destroyers. The Americans must sink or cripple one Japanese battleship or cruiser. A way of doing this game is in 1/1800 scale e.g. 3D prints. 

Japanese

x 2 Battlecruisers Fuso and Yashimaro (Fuso class)

x 1 Heavy cruiser Mogami (Mogami class)

x 4 Japanese destroyers

America

x 39 Elco Boats (any formation)

Sources:

GHQ Scenarios, free stuff,  WW2 Micronauts, Battle of Surigao Strait

Coastal Forces Wargaming, Miniature Wargames Magazine, p.20-21 June 1991,

The Battle of The Torpedo Boats (by Brian Cooper, Pan  1971)

Operation Scyllia (Wikipedia)