Castles in the Sky- Balkan Uprisings Campaign- Breakthrough
at Salonica
Forces
The Ottoman League
Ottoman Empire
Sultan Mehmed II- Fatih Captain:
Seydi Al Reis Command:
3- Flagship
Class: Sultan Osman-I Evvel Category: Battleship Armor: 9
Basra Captain:
Hasan Rami Pasha Command:
2
Class: Barbarous Heyreddin Category: Heavy Cruiser Armor:
8
Mecidiye Captain:
Medvid Reis Command:
1
Class: Hamidiye Category:
Cruiser Armor:
8
Barbaros Captain: Murat Pasha Command:
2
Class: Berk Efsan Category:
Torpedo Boat Armor:
4
Austro-Hungarians:
Prince Eugen Captain:
Anton von Sterneck Command:
2
Class: Tegethoff Category:
Battleship Armor:
9
Bravo Captain: Anton Pock Command:
4
Class: Huszar Category:
Destroyer Armor:
6
Italians:
San Bartolomeo Captain:
Paolo Revel Command:
1
Class: Vettor Pisani Category:
Armored Cruiser Armor:
8
Total Points: 52 Armor Points
The Balkan League
Russians:
Poltava Captain: Pyotr Senyavin Command: 2 - Flagship
Class: Imperatrista Mariya Category: Battleship Armor:
8
Oleg Captain:
Aleksey Rozhestvensky Command:
2
Class: Bogatyr Category:
Cruiser Armor:
7
Vityaz Captain:
Georgy Vysotskiy Command: 2
Class: Bogatyr Category:
Cruiser Armor:
7
Albatros Captain:
Feliks Golokov Command: 3
Class: Krasnoye Category:
Gunboat Armor: 5
Sova Captain:
Vladimir Greig Command: 1
Class: Krasnoye Category:
Gunboat Armor: 5
French:
Brennus Captain:
Theo Aube Command:
4
Class: Charles Martel Category:
Heavy Cruiser Armor:
8
Primauguet Captain:
Jean de Vienne Command:
4
Class: D’iberville Category:
Cruiser Armor:
7
Total Points: 54 Armor Points
This attack and defense are so important, each fleet has
their admiral present for the battle.
The Mission
The Ottoman forces are trying to force their way past the
blocking Balkan League ships. If
successful, they will be able to target and attack key Command and Control and
Logistic centers behind enemy lines.
This could cause the Balkan attack to crumble.
The Ottoman’s timed their attack to occur during a storm
lashing the area. The clouds for the
storm are at Altitude 3, and anyone below the cloud cover is considered in the
storm. The normal rules found in Castles in the Sky apply.
Set-Up
The Ottoman League set-up on a long board edge in a wedge
formation intent on smashing their way past the Balkan defenders and to
victory. The attack was spearheaded by
the Ottoman flagship the Sultan Mehid-II Fatih/
To the flagship port was the Italian San Bartolomeo, the Austrian Prince
Eugene, Bravo Destroyer, and Barbaros Torpedo Boat. The Starboard side is the Mecidiye and the
Basra. They are mostly at mid-heights
going full speed, but above the cloud line.
The Balkan League defenders are split into two
groups. They appear eager to close the
center gap and cross the T of the Ottoman attackers. On the south side is the Russian Poltova
flagship, followed by the Brennus and the Sova.
On the North side is the Vityaz, Primauguet, Oleg, and then the
Albatros. They are also at various
altitudes, but they are move much slower to try to time their T-cross
appropriately.
Turn 1-3
Initiative: The Ottoman’s win and choose to go
first. Admiral Seydi Al Reis has a
better command rating and that is helping the Ottoman’s win.
Move:
The Ottoman battle line presses forward methodically at
speed 5 with no altitude changes. The
Balkan League creeps c bit closer, but looks ready to close the trap.
Shooting:
None. No one has
the range. At the end of Turn 3, long
range is in play but no one fires in fear of jamming or failing ammo rolls
before the shots are truly needed.
Turn 4:
Initiative: Ottoman’s win and choose to go first
again. They have 3 orders available
while the Balkan League gets none.
Moving:
Admiral Al Reis orders all Ottoman ships to full speed
ahead! The ships begin to break up their
line formation. The Escorts race ahead
and move to bypass the Balkan battle line.
In addition, the Sultan and Prince stoke their boilers enough to
generate a smoke screen for protection.
The Balkan League slow and prepare to receive and deliver
fire as they have crossed the T of the inbound Ottoman ships.
Shooting:
The Ottoman fleet opens fire across the line as they
rapidly close the distance! Admiral
Senyavin is deeply saddened by the fact that he will not be able to Brace! The Italian armored cruiser blasts the
Brennus with a barrage of Air Torpedoes.
The PD get two, but two more crash into the side of the ship and cause
damage. The Brennus is then plastered by
the guns and bow torpedoes of the Prince Eugene as well. It is left with 5 blasts and two hits.
The Sultan fires on the Poltava and hits her once,
leaving a blast. Admiral Al Reis is glad
he has the smokescreen to protect him from the return fire.
Air Torpedoes from the Mecidiye and the Basra blast the
two Bogatyr class cruisers, but leave only bursts as the Point Defense gunners
do their jobs admirably. However, medium
battery fire hits the Vityaz twice from the Mecidiye.
The Basra uses her broadsides on the approaching French
cruiser, Primauguet and cause two bursts and two hits!
The Brennus fires on the Tegethoff with her full
broadside, but the smokescreen and bursts keep the shells from finding their
mark! In addition, the hits caused the
Brennus’s forward ammo loaders to jam.
The Primauguet’s bow torpedoes mostly miss the Basra, but the PD kills
one and the other strikes a vulnerable place on the ship.
The Poltova fires on the Sultan, but the smokescreen and
height difference spare her from any serious damage and instead she takes a
burst. The Oleg fires on the Mecidiye,
and inflicts a burst as well.
End:
Apply damage. The
Brennus’ rudder was jammed in the barrage, and she lost two Armor. The Vityaz had its screw fouled and lost two
armor points. The D’iberville lost two
armor and had the bridge hit!
The Basra lost 1 armor point and the Port Light Battery
was disabled.
No Repair rolls due to Bursts on the ships.
Burst removal.
Both sides rolled a 1! The
Ottoman’s took it off the Sultan, while the Balkans took one off the
Poltava.
Turn 5
Initiative: Ottoman’s win and choose to go first again. Both sides have 1 order.
Movement:
The Ottoman’s do not let up speed and plow ahead. The Sultan races just over the Poltova and
the Mecidiye is almost right under her as well.
The battle is turning into a knife fight as the lead Ottoman forces
crash through the Balkan battle line.
Shooting:
Admiral Al Reis orders the crew of the Mehmed Il-Fettih
to lock onto the Poltova, which they do.
The guns on the Ottoman battleship roar to life in a full point-blank
broadside. Admiral Senyavin orders the
Poltova to Brace for Impact, but the crew fails to respond in time! 4 bursts and 3 good hits from the
barrage.
The Mecidiye, also fires her bow battery at the Poltova,
but her turret jams and can not come to firing position. However, her stern medium battery hits the
Vityaz two more times, and the light batteries pepper her with three
bursts. The Primauguet dove under the
altitude of the Basra to get out of firing range of the Heavy Cruiser.
The Prince Eugene’s main
guns hit the Brennus for another hit and two more bursts! The San Bartolomeo has no forward guns and
does not try to re-load ordinance.
The Vityaz and the Oleg fire on the Mecidiye and manage
to land two hits (Vityaz) and 4 bursts.
The Sova also manages to land two bursts on the Bravo at the edge of the
battle despite fighting in the stormy cloud cover.
End:
Apply damage! In addition to losing two armor (taking her
to 3), the Vityaz catches on fire! The
Poltova loses three armor (down to 5), and also loses her rear medium
battery. The Brennus also loses another
point of armor down to 5. The Mehmed
Il-Fatih is reduced to 8 armor. The
Mecidye is reduced to 5.
No repair rolls are possible since all ships have bursts
on them.
Burst removal.
Ottoman’s roll 3 and Balkan’s roll 5.
Ottman’s remove bursts from the Mehmed il-Fatih and the Bravo. The Balkan/s remove bursts from the Poltova
and 1 from the D’iberville.
(Note, I ran out of burst markers so I switched to a d10
to show how many on each ship!
Turn 6:
Initiative: Ottoman’s win again and go first again. 1 order each.
Moving:
The Barbaros Torpedo Boat escapes off the board, giving
the Ottoman’s 4 armor and it looks like the Huszar will escape next turn. The rest of the Ottoman fleet plows
forward. The Oleg and Poltava try to
pull up parallel to the Mehmed Il-Fatih to slow her escape. Meanwhile the San Bartolomeo and Prince
Eugene try to get by the immobilized Brennus.
The Mecidiye and the Basra are bogged down by the Vityaz and the
Primauguet tries to skirt around behind the battle.
Shooting: This time Admiral Al Reis fails to get his crew
to lock-on to the Poltova, but he again hits her with a close range
broadside. 5 solid hits this time,
however this time the crew of the Poltova are ready and Brace. All but one are ignored!
The Mecidiye slugs the Vityaz with another slew of shells
causing two hits. The Basra lands
another one! It looks like the Vityaz will start to sink into the storm next
turn.
The San Bartolomeo hits the Brennus for 1 burst and 1
true hit. The medium starboard battery
also hits the Poltova for a burst thanks to the Russian’s Brace order! The Prince Eugene lays in three more hits as
she tries to go under the stricken French ship.
The Balkan response is lively. The Poltova fires on the nearby Mehmed
il-Fatih and lands a hit. The Oleg also
adds her weight of fire but only manages 4 bursts on the Battleship.
The Vityaz forward batteries strike the Mecidiye for a
true hit and another burst. The light
batteries land three more bursts on the Basra as well to the Port side.
The Brennus’ forward battery and port batteries manage to
hit the San Bartolomeo for a pair of bursts and the other batteries put 4
bursts on the Prince Eugene. Very few
true hits, but enough to slow down the attackers with bursts and that is the
name of the game in this battle.
End:
Apply damage. The
Mecidiye loses an armor point bringing her down to 4. The Mehmed Il-Fatih also loses an armor point
bringing her to 7 overall.
The Vityaz is reduce three armor points to 0, and is
crippled and sinking, the captain orders all hands to abandon ship as she
begins to drop towards the storm raging below.
The Poltava the Russian flagship expodes! The Mehmed and Oleg are caught in the
blast. The Ottoman flagship takes a hit,
and the Oleg takes two more hits. This
is enough to cripple the Mehmed Il-Fatih!
The Oleg loses armor and has its crew fouled!
The Brennus loses 4 armor bringing her down to 2 armor
points. Her rudder is fouled, her screw
is fouled, and she has lost her stern heavy battery and her port medium
battery. Captain Aube decides to strike
her colors as she also has 14 bursts on her!
Her fighting days are over without a total overhaul.
Carnage!
Sinking
The Mehmed il-Fatih and the Vityaz all drop down an
altitude band.
Repair rolls.
All ships have bursts.
Burst removal.
The Balkan’s roll 6 and remove all bursts from the Oleg
and Primauguet. The Ottoman’s only get
1, and remove it from San Bartolomeo.
Turn 7
Initiative: With the Poltova destroyed Captain Aleksey
Rozhestvensky takes command in the Oleg.
Admiral Al Reis manages to score two orders and Rozhestvensky gets
1. The Ottoman’s choose to go first
again.
Move:
The Bravo scoots past the Balkan forces and off the
board, the Ottoman’s have escaped 10 armor points. At the end of turn 8, they need more off the
board than on. This will be close.
The Oleg with her fouled screw barely stays in play and
moves to attack the San Bartolomeo. The Primauguet
moves to take a stern torpedo attack on the Mecidiye. The Albatross also moves to pepper the
Ottoman cruiser.
Shooting:
The Italian armored cruiser meets the Oleg with an
accurate broadside attack landing 5 hits!
The Oleg has no choice but to try and Brace or be sunk! However, the Command test is failed!
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah273/EasynotEZE/IMG_1471_zpszh6linck.jpg
Mecidiye launches air mines behind her, and her stern
turret misses the Albatros. The prince
Eugene ignores the Brennus as she passes underneath. The Basra fires on the Albatros with her port
heavy batteries and light since her medium’s were knocked out. The gunboat takes a burst and a hit.
The Oleg’s return fire on the San Bartolomeo is also
accurate, landing 2 bursts and 2 hits.
The Albatross also manages to land two solid hits on the Mecidiye at
close range.
The acting officer in charge of the Primauguet orders
torpedo tubes to be readied and the order is carried out successfully. He fires a full barrage of air torpedoes at
the Mecidiye. Of the six, two hit air
mines and are destroyed en route. Two
more are taken out by Point Defense. 1
misses the cruiser. The last one strikes
home for a true hit.
End
Apply damage:
The Albatros is crippled from the hit it took. The Oleg is reduced to armor 0 and begins to
sink.
The Mecidiye has its rudder
jammed, but more importantly it is reduced to armor 0 and also begins to
sink. The San Bartolomeo loses 2 armor
points.
Sinking: The Vityaz, Mehmed,
Mecidiye, Oleg, and Albatros all lose one altitude band.
Repair:
The Captain of the Primauguet
wakes up from being unconscious and takes over command of his ship.
Burst Removal:
The Balkan league rolls 3, but
it doesn’t matter as all their ships are out of the fight. The Ottoman’s roll 3 and remove them from
Prince Eugene.
Turn 8: Final Turn
Initiative: The Ottoman’s win
with 1 command and choose to go first again.
Move:
The Ottoman fleet races to the
edge of the board. The San Bartolomeo
makes it off the edge of the board, giving the Ottoman fleet 18 armor off the
board. The prince Eugene and Basra are
far too slow. The Mehmed is crippled,
and the Mecidiye is sinking.
The Primauguet moves up by the
stricken Vityaz, Albatros, and Mecidiye and tries to rescue survivors.
Shooting:
None
End:
It’s all over but the crying
at this point.
Conclusion:
The Ottoman’s managed to push
18 armor points off the edge of the board, but left 33 on the board. They lost the battle. However, the Balkan League has no reason to
celebrate as their fleet was decimated by the Ottoman attack. The only craft to escape undamaged was the
Sova, a small gunboat who was at the fringe of the fighting.
Ottoman League Loses:
Mehmed Il-Fatih- Crippled
Mecidiye- Sunk
Balkan League Losses:
Poltova- Exploded along with
the Russian Admiral Sanyeviz
Vityaz- Sunk
Oleg- Sunk
Albatros- Crippled
Brennus- Struck Colors
The Balkan League probably can
not sustain more “Victories” like this one.
The Ottoman player may have lost the game by bringing so many big units,
but they delivered results in smashing the Balkan League fleet.
The storm around
Salonica began to abate, but the troops in the siege were recovering sailors
and their bodies for the next several days.
However, many more were captured when they landed on the wrong side of
the siege. It was even worse if you
ended up in No-Man’s Land. Many of the
troops were telling colorful stories about that night, and the battle in the
storm. Those who could would rush out to
the crash sites of the Mecidiye, Oleg, or Vityaz to gape at the great
wrecks.
Meanwhile, the
Balkan League had managed to thwart the Ottoman attempt to help break the siege
at Salonica. A few days after the air
battle, and the city fell to the Balkan troops.
They began to push forward again to drive the Turk out of Europe for
good. However, their path was
increasingly harried by air bombardment as the Balkan League fleets could do
little to contest the airspace.
Campaign Stuff:
Ottoman League is ahead 3 points to 0. The Balkan League chooses to turn in the one
they just earned to call for 8 DP of reinforcements. The Greeks offer their only armored cruiser
to the cause, the Georgios Averoff which
is a Vettor Pisani class armored
cruiser formerly of the Italian navy.
Damage:
The Albatros is repaired by the crew back to 4 armor
The Primauguet is repaired back to full armor
Brennus is repaired of critical damage and improved to
armor 3
Mehmed fails to repair any damage
Basra and San Bartolomeo repair back to starting
armor.
Strategic Assets:
No Strategic Assets change hands after this battle.
The Ottoman’s use 2 to repair the Mehmid back to full
armor, and the other three are banked for a total of 5 Assets in reserve.
The Balkan League uses all of their banked and current
assets to repair the Brennus back to full armor.
Experience:
Ottoman
Mehmed Il-Fatih +5
Basra +4 (=2) = 6 total
San Bartolomeo +9
Prince Eugene +4
Bravo +4
Barbaros +4 (+3) = 7 total
Balkan
Albatros +3
Sova +2 (+2) = 4
Total
Brennus +2
Primauguet +6
No ships earned enough for an experience upgrade. Some are very close.
The loss of so many
Russian sailors and ships has left the Tsar uncomfortable with the efforts in
the Balkans. To appease him and show
their good faith, the Greeks launch their only Armored Cruiser to join the
Balkan League fleet, just in time to help bolster the fleet’s efforts. The Tsar Nicolas is temporarily satisfied by
this gesture.
Meanwhile, Ottoman
high command has been busy transporting divisions to travel from Asia to
Europe. The Sultan has been suitably satisfied
with the Young Turks efforts to expand the airship capabilities of the Empire. He is satisfied that their investment is
paying off. The Balkan League fleet is
in no position to hamper the convoys ready to cross the Dardanelles.
