The Ottoman ground forces have been pushing
their way back into Europe. They have planned an offensive to
re-take the Greek city of Salonica. The generals had requested the
aid of Admiral Al-Reis to support the attack with a heavy bombardment
of the Balkan lines. Admiral Al-Reis was reluctant to help, but an
order from the Sultan overrode his objections.
In the meantime, the Balkan League fleet was
also assembling near the city. With the Balkan ground troops being
slowly pushed back, Capt. Aube counselled Admiral Ivanov that the
next obvious objective for the Ottoman’s would be Salonica.
Therefore, Admiral Ivanov began to mass nearby to help repel the
ground offensive and attempt to smash the Ottoman League forces in a
decisive battle.
The stage was set for one of the largest air
clashes of the Uprising.
The Ottoman League has seen their lead slip in
the last battle, but they are one decisive victory away from winning
the campaign. They still have a strong lead and seem to have the
edge in resources. Admiral Ivanov of the Balkan League has been
given clear instructions by the Tsar to try and achieve the Russian
dream of access to the Mediterranean via the Dardanelles at any cost.
Both Admirals reveal their strategy for the turn, and the Balkan
League is Offensive, while the Ottoman’s switch to the Defensive.
Forces
Balkan League: 48 Armor Points
Russian
Imperator Pyotr Captain: Pavel
Ivanov Command: Flagship- 1
Class: Imperatrista Mariya Category:
Battleship Armor: 8
Experience: 6
Pallada Captain: Matija Yumashez Command: 1
Class: Bayan Category: Cruiser Armor: 7
Experience: 2
Albatros Captain: Feliks Golokov Command: 3
Class: Krasnoye Category: Gunboat Armor: 5
Experience: 5
Kondor Captain: Nikolay Konovalov Command: 3
Class: Krasnoye Category: Gunboat Armor: 5
Experience: 4
French
Brennus Captain: Theo Aube Command: 4
Class: Charles Martel Category: Heavy
Cruiser Armor: 8
Experience: 13- Blow Smoke
Primauguet Captain: Jean de Vienne Command:
4
Class: D’iberville Category: Cruiser Armor:
7
Experience: 13- Marksmen
Greek
Georgios Averoff Captain: Sofoklis
Dousmanis Command: 3
Class: Vettor Pisani Category: Armored
Cruiser Armor: 8
Experience: 5
Ottoman League: 48 Armor Points
Ottoman Empire:
Sultan Mehmed II- Fatih Captain: Seyid Al
Reis Command: 3- Flagship
Class: Sultan Osman-I Evvel Category:
Battleship Armor: 9
Experience: 13- Disciplined Crew
Basra Captain: Hasan Rami Pasha Command: 2
Class: Barbarous Heyreddin Category: Heavy
Cruiser Armor: 8
Experience: 6
Turgut Reis Captain: Abdul Kadir Command:
1
Class: Resadye Category: Battleship Armor:
8
Experience:
Austro-Hungarians:
Prince Eugen Captain: Anton von
Sterneck Command: 2
Class: Tegethoff Category:
Battleship Armor: 9
Experience: 8
Bravo Captain: Anton Pock Command: 4
Class: Huszar Category: Destroyer Armor: 6
Experience: 5
Italians:
San Bartolomeo Captain: Paolo Revel
Command: 1
Class: Vettor Pisani Category: Armored
Cruiser Armor: 8
Experience: 13- Airship Handling
Mission:
The Balkan League will be the attacker in a
Fleet Action between the two fleets near Salonica. The board is
covered by a layer of clouds at Altitude 3. This battle will last 8
turns, and then the fleet with the highest remaining Armor points is
the winner. Severe damage counts as a -1 to armor points.
Set-up:
Both fleets are set-up on opposite board edges.
The Balkan League is to the west, while the Ottoman’s are arriving
from the East. These are the long board edges respectively. The
Ottoman League has brought a number of their heavy hitters to the
party, including their latest reinforcements in the form of the
Turgut Reis a Resadye class battleship.
The Russian gunboats, the French cruiser, and
the Greek cruiser are on the extreme left flank of the Russian force,
acting as a smaller flotilla. The Greek, Captain Dousmanis is placed
in command of that wing of the fleet. They are moving at altitude 3
for stealth. Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet is center right on the
board, and arriving in echelon with the Imperator Pyotr leading the
way. Their slanted approach should allow them to get broadsides in
early. They are at Altitude 5 and Speed 4.
The Ottoman force is stretched across the board
with the battleships anchoring their right steaming forward, and
looking for the right time to make the turn into line of battle or
alternatively use their better armor and guns to simply close and
Melee with the Balkan Fleet.
Turn 1:
Unsurprisingly the Ottoman's win initiative and
have the Balkan fleet act first. Admiral Al-Reis is eager to see how
the Balkan attack unfolds. The Ottoman's have 3 orders, with the
Balkan fleet 1.
Movement:
The Balkan fleet maintains its speed and
altitude as the battle approaches. The smaller flotilla stays in the
clouds for cover. Meanwhile, The Ottoman's also steam forward,
trying not to let the enemy in on their plan to early. Admiral
Al-Reis orders the Sultan and Princ Eugen to go All Ahea Full but the
Austro-Hungarian ship fails its command roll and does not respond.
However, the Sultan surges ahead to speed 7. In addition, the
Austro-hungarian destroyer dives into the cloud cover and breaks for
the main Balkan fleet using its greater speed and maneuver ability.
Shooting:
The fleets are still closing and not in range.
End:
No action.
Turn 2:
Admiral Al-Reis again beats Admiral Ivanov.
The Ottoman's get 2 Commands to 0 for the Balkan fleet. They elect
to allow the Balkan fleet to go first again.
Move:
The Balkan main battleship line begins to turn
to the west. The Pallada speeds up to potentially chase off the
Austro-Hungarian destroyer. Meanwhile, their smaller flotilla forces
are still approaching the Ottoman's in the clouds to limit the enemy
firepower, a trick that they learned from the Ottoman League.
This time, the Prinz Eugen gets the order and
the stoke the boilers. The ship jumps forward to keep up with the
Turkish battleship. The Turkish Heavy Cruiser's begin to slow to
straggle out a battleline, while the Italian cruiser speeds up to try
and get across their bow and out of the way of the Balkan big ships.
Shoot:
The Balkan League can shoot first. However,
the Ottoman League fleet is out of range still of the main heavy
battleline. The smaller flotilla are still in the clouds so their
shooting is also limited.
Ottoman's knowing they are out of range, the
Ottoman fleet is content to hold fire and prepare for the big battle
to come.
End:
None
Turn 3:
Both fleets score 1 Command each. This time
the Ottoman League decides to move (and then shoot) first.
Move:
This time, the Ottoman center (Turgut Reis and
Basra) proceed forward leisurely, allowing the Italian Cruiser to
pass in front of them towards the small flotilla. Meanwhile, the
Ottoman League battleships drop into the clouds and turn into the
flotilla of oncoming smaller ships. The Destroyer continues to go
very wide of the Balkan heavies.
The sudden interest from the Ottoman heavies
cause the Balkan flotilla to suddenly scatter! The French Primaguet
dives down below the clouds to Alt 1 and readies her air torpedo
launchers. The two Russian gunboats try to veer way from the Ottoman
flagship. Meanwhile, the Greek Armored Cruiser speeds up and heads
for the center. The Balkan Flotilla looks pretty broken up.
Shooting:
Despite the aggressive maneuvering the Ottoman
and Austro-Hungarian Battleships do not have a clear line-of-sight or
altitude on the Balkan targets. Admiral Al-Reis curses in
frustration as the smaller and lighter craft evade his big guns.
Meanwhile, the heavy guns of his core ships are out of range of the
oncoming Balkan League heavies.
Frightened by the sudden interest of the enemy
Battleships, Captain de Vienne of the Primaguet to open fire with the
full battery of Air Torpedoes at the Ottoman flagship. The Sultan
plows through the incoming ordinance with a combination of armor and
point defense. Two strays even make their way to the Prinz Eugene,
but they are batted away by point defense weapons.
End:
All friction is removed in the end phase.
Turn 4:
The Ottoman League earns 1 Command to the
Balkan 0. This time, the Ottoman's decide to let the Balkan League
go first.
Move:
The Balkan Flotilla is still desperately
scattering with the Krasnoye gunboats dropping to 1 and the
Primaugaut trying to steam away at low altitude. Their flight brings
them into clear view of the troops on the ground as they are below
the cloud banks. The Georgio Averhoff breaks for the center and a
possible chance to use her broadsides to help the Balkan Heavy line
which is turned back and heading towards the Ottoman Center as fast
as possible.
The Sultan Il-Fatih drops to altitude 2 in
pursuit of the smaller Balkan ships. Admiral Al-Reis orders his
crews to clear for action and Lock-on to the French cruiser. Captain
von Sternek follows close behind and drops into the cloud cover. His
spotters call-out the position of the Greek cruiser astern. The
Italian San Bartolomeo also drops into the clouds to engage the Greek
ship.
Meanwhile, the Ottoman Turgut Reis and Basra
slowly steam forward and prepare to engage and delay the Balkan big
ships. The Bravo Destroyer turns about and prepares to harass the
Balkan big ships with a mine run.
Shooting:
In desperation, the French Cruiser and Russian
gunboats open fire on the Ottoman Flagship causing three bursts of
friction. The lack of Commands means the Primaugaut can not reload
ordinance.
The Georgios Averhoff fires on the closing
Italian Armored Cruiser and manages to find her with several shells,
but fails to cause serious damage. Instead, the ship takes 2
friction tokens.
Long range fire from the Brennus and Imperista
Pyotr manage to cause friction on the Basra, but no true damage.
Return fire from the two Ottoman ship's hit nothing and fell
harmlessly to the earth below.
The Prinz Eugen and San Bartolomeo had the poor
Georgio Averhoff caught between them They opened fire with their
cannons. Even through the cloud cover and altitude difference many
shells found their mark. The Armored Cruiser took 6 friction markers
and 3 hits.
Finally, the Locked-On Sultan fired at the
Primaugaut at close range and with 1 altitude difference. The Sultan
needed 6 to hits, but the Locked-On Command paid off. The weaker
cruiser took 3 friction hits and 3 real hits.
End:
Resolve Hits-
The Georgios Averhoff lost 3 armor points (to
5) and her Starboard light batteries
The Primaguaet lost 3 armor points taking her
to 4. Ouch!
Remove friction the Ottoman's remove 1 from the
Sultan il-Fatih. The Balkan League removes 3 from the Primaugaut.
Turn 5:
The Ottoman admiral Al-Reis cotinues to out
command Ivanov with 2 success to 0. No commands for the Balkan
League again! The Ottoman's again allow the Balkan forces to move
and then shoot first.
Move:
Damaged French Cruiser uses her speed to try
and escape the Ottoman ship and circle back on the tail of the
Ottoman forces fleet, however she is unable to reload her torpedo
tubes as no commands are available. The two Krasnoye gunboats try to
cover her escape. The Georgios Averoff is stalled due to friction.
Meanwhile, the Balkan heavies begin to form up to batter the Turgut
Reis and Basra.
The Ottoman center continues slowly trudging
forward, ready to duke it out with the Russian and French ships. The
San Bartolomeo moves in to trade broadside fire with the Georgios
Averoff while the Prinz Eugen begins to turn to get behind the Greek
ship and possibly back into the fight.
The Sultan il-Fatih swings around after the
French Primaugaut and Russian gunboats. However, friction slows her
pursuit. The Friction markers make it unable for her to take
Commands.
Shooting:
The Balkan League gets to fire first. The
Krasnoye gunboats fire off their Air Mines at Altitude 2 to try and
dissuade the Ottoman Flagship from chasing them.
The duel between the Italian and Greek Armored
Cruiser has the Georgios Averoff miss all their shots due to friction
and combat damage.
The Pytor and Brennus fire on the
Turgut Reis. The Russian flagship manages to land 2 friction
markers. The Brennus' forward guns also manage to cause another
friction marker. Admiral Ivanov had been hoping for better results
from his big guns.
The Ottoman League decided to start their
shooting with the San Bartolomeo. The fusillade of broadsides causes
the Greek Cruiser to take 2 more friction markers and 1 more hit.
The Georgios Averoff is in rough shape.
Unfortunately the Prinz Eugen is out of range
or altitude of the Greek Cruiser or Russian Gunboats. However, the
Sultan fires on the Kondor with her broadsides. The Russian takes 3
friction markers and 2 hits.
Now the Ottoman Turgut Reis and Basra get to
respond. The Basra fires on the Russian Flagship. The main bow
heavy battery had a problem with the firing mechanism and is out of
action due to a failed ammo roll. The Port light battery also
suffers a malfunction. The Turgut Reis manages to land 3 more
friction markers on the Russian Flag to give her 5 total friction
markers.
End:
Resolve Hits:
The Kondor loses 2 armor, has its Point
defenses destroyed, and the rudder jammed.
The Georgios Averoff loses another armor point
to 4.
Stalls/Sinking:
Georgios Averhoff drops 1 altitude due to stall
from friction.
Remove Friction:
The Ottoman League removes two from the Basra,
while the Balkan League removes 4 from the Georgios Averoff to avoid
losing altitude due to stalling.
Turn 6:
Ottoman's score 2 Commands to the Balkan 1.
The Ottoman's decide to let the Balkan League go first again.
Move:
The Primaugaut manages to reload ordinance and
raises back up into the cloud banks for cover. The Albatros follows
into the clouds, but the friction and damage to the Kondor keep her
flying more limited.
The Georgios Averoff manages to limp forward,
but can not regain the cloud bank for cover.
The Pallada breaks off to deal with the
stalking Austro-Hungarian destroyer. Meanwhile, the Brennus
overtakes the Imperator Pyotr who is floundering with Friction
markers.
The Prinz Eugen uses a command to Come to a
New Heading and swings around back to pursue the Greek Cruiser. The
San Bartolomeo also pursues and begins to circle her.
The Turgut Reis and Basra continue to face-off
with the Brennus and Pyotr.
Shooting:
The Pirmaguat does not have LOS to the Basra or
Turgut Reis due to the cloud bank it is in. Therefore, it can not
fire its torpedo barrage.... yet. The Georgios Averoff also does not
have a shot due to fire arcs and altitude. The Kondor does get an
unexpected popshot at the San Bartolomeo but misses.
The Imperator Pyotr fires at the Basra. Again,
she does not land a telling hit and instead only gets three friction
markers. The Brennus fires her bow Air Torpedoes at the Basra, but
her PD takes them out easily. The rest of the Brennus' guns add 2
more friction markers on the Turgut Reis.
The Pallada can't get a bead on the
Austro-Hungarian destroyer as it gained too much height too fast.
The Bravo Destroyer launches a bunch of air
mines behind it at alt 5 to dissuade the Pallada from pursuing it
further.
The Sultan Mehmed Il-Fatih's broadsides cause
three more hits on the stricken Kondor. That should reduce her to 0
armor.
The San Bartolomeo manages to hit the Georgios Averoff with another broadside and causes 1 hit and 2 friction
markers. The forward battery of the Prinz Eugen also manages to sink
a shot into the heavily damaged Georgios Averoff.
The Turgut Reis stern battery is out-of-ammo
due to a failed ammo check. However, it does land another friction
marker on the Brennus. The Basra's port medium battery also runs
out-of-ammo and fails to hit the Brennus.
End:
Resolve Hits:
Kondor the armor is reduce to 0, the bridge is
destroyed, and ultimately it explodes.
Georgios Averoff loses two more armor points to
bring her to 2.
Stalls/Sinking:
The Pyotr sinks into the clouds at altitude 3
due to a friction stall.
Repairs:
None
Friction:
Both sides roll a 6 for friction. The Ottoman's reduce the Friction on Turgut Reis and Basra by two to
avoid stalling. Two are also removed from the San Bartolomeo to
bring it back to normal.
The Balkan League removes it completely from
the Brennus and Pyotr essentially writing off the Georgios Averoff as
lost.
Turn 7:
Ottoman's score 2 Commands to the Balkan 1.
This time the Ottoman's will go first.
Move:
The Bravo destroyer fails to reload ordinance
as it moves forward. The San Bartolomeo and Prinz Eugen circle the
stricken Georgios Averoff. The Basra and Turgut Reis keep plodding
across the sky. Admiral Al-Reis and his flagship are out of the
fight for now on the far edges of the battle.
However, the Brennus, Primagaut and Pyotr all
move in to barrage the Basra with firepower. In addition, the
Pallada chases down the Bravo.
Shoot:
Prinz Eugen fails to lock-on to the Georgios
Averoff. Combined fire from the Prinz Eugen and the San Bartolomeo
blow the Georgios Averoff sky high. The captain had begun evacuating
the ship, so some sailors escaped, but most were killed in the
massive explosion.
The Basra sees the Primaguet try to get the
drop on her. Her port weapons may mostly be out of ammo, but not the
starboard yet. She fires them. This causes 2 friction markers and spares her
from the Torpedo barrage.
The Turgut Reis targets the Brennus and fires.
Several shells smash into the ship to cause friction, but no damage.
The return fire from the Brennus and the Pyotr
manages to inflict 6 friction markers on the Basra and 1 actual hit.
The majority of the damage coming from Admiral Ivanov and his
flagship.
The Pallada also chase down the Bravo and puts
a couple shells on target. The Destroyer takes 1 hit and 1 friction
marker.
End:
Resolve Hits:
Georgios Averoff is overkilled and explodes
killing the majority of the crew.
Basra is crippled and begins to sink from a
single well placed hit!
Bravo loses 1 armor.
Stalling:
Basra drops 1 altitude into the cloud banks.
Repair:
None
Friction:
Ottoman's get 5 and Balkans get 2. Turgut Reis
removes all her friction markers, 1 from Bravo, and 1 from the
Sultan. The Balkan League removes 1 from the Primaguet.
Turn 8- Final Turn
Both sides score 0 Commands for the final turn.
Ottoman's choose to let the Balkan League move and shoot first.
Move:
The Pallada tries to cut-off the Bravo, but it
easily out maneuvers the cruiser and drops below firing range.
The Brennus and the Pyotr look set to pour fire
into the crippled Basra. The Primaguet tries to get the torpedo drop
on the Turgut Reis.
The Prinz Eugen and San Bartolomeo seem out of
the fight, while the Sultan moves to try and get some long range pot
shots at the French Cruiser.
Shoot:
The Primaugaut's torpedo attack pays off with
one shot getting through and causing a damaging hit and landing three
friction markers.
The Brennus fires at short range on the Basra.
Since she is in the cloud bank at 3 from stalling, only short range
shooting is effective. The French manage to land a good hit.
The Ottoman Turgut Reis returns fire on the
French Cruiser. The return fire only causes friction markers. The
Sultan uses her last main gun ammo on the French Primagaut cruiser
but misses. Her light batteries manage to strike home and cause 1
damage.
End:
Resolve Damage:
Primagaut loses an armor point down to 3
Turgut Reis loses a single armor point
Basra loses another armor point to 6
The rest is unimportant since this was final
turn.
Conclusion
The decisive battle of the war was fought
above Salonica. With the Ottoman League's convincing defeat of the
Balkan League fleet, the Czar's support for the Balkan Uprising
collapsed. Too many Russian volunteers had been lost and it was
clear that the Ottoman's were only growing in strength in Europe.
The Russians were not the only ones to lose heart, for the Greeks
themselves began to see the effort as hopeless for the same reasons.
Admiral Al-Reis and the Ottoman propaganda ministry made great use of
the destruction of the Georgios Averoff.
Days after the fleet battle above Salonica,
the Concert of Europe led by Sir Edward Grey of Great Britain pushed
for peace. The Russians and the other Balkan powers were glad to
attend. An armistice immediately went into effect. With the help of
their temporary allies in Italy and Austro-Hungary the Ottoman's were
able to have the borders of their empire restored to where they had
been previously. This was a great victory of the “Sick Man” of
Europe. The Peace of Salonica was signed a mere month after the
decisive battle.
Almost as soon as the ink dried on the
document, the Ottoman League collapsed from internal disputes. Italy
and Austro-Hungary had too much to gain by antagonizing the Ottomans
and nibbling at the edges of their empire. Soon, the Ottoman's,
Italians, and Austro-Hungarians were back to their old tricks in the Mediterranean. The Balkan League managed to last beyond the defeat,
as the need to expand pan-slavism and the Russian/French entente
were too great. Admiral Ivanov was recalled back to St. Petersburg
in disgrace, the Russian ambitions to reach the Mediterranean were
squashed. Admiral Al-Reis soon fell afoul of the politics of the
Sultan's court and was assigned to Libya. Almost immediately, he
came into conflict with the Italian forces and colonials in the
region. The Balkan people themselves were not happy with the status
quo, and it was only a matter of time before they would try to rise
up again to throw off the Ottoman's control.
Well, the new Friction rules worked better.
The adding of Friction became even more important as you could
potentially stall an enemy and force them to lose altitude. If they
lost enough altitude you could force a tough ship out of the battle.
It did not happen this battle BUT it was a consideration when
choosing when and where to remove Friction in the end phase.
I had hoped to complete the campaign before the
end of the year. With this decisive victory by the Ottoman League 17
Armor to 4 we can call it a campaign. The campaign total ends at 7
to 2. The big turning point of the campaign was the decisive win in
the initial battle and the loss of the Russian Admiral when his
battleship exploded under him! From there, the Balkan forces were in
a tough place.
You can read the rest of the campaign reports here:
For this last battle, the Balkan League deployed
particularly poorly. The Balkan Commander was hoping to distract me
with his main line units and then snipe me with air torpedoes from
the flotilla. He did not seem to consider that I would go for the
Flotilla of light ships with my heavies instead of trying to go after
his big ships. I guess it was a blind spot in his plan.
It might not have mattered. The Ottoman's had
the upper hand in the campaign in heavy units, and I knew Admiral
Al-Reis would consistently beat Admiral Ivanov in initiative. I
could dictate the terms of the battle.
Going into this battle, I had an idea to change
the activation method and create a chaining activation method to
allow more uncertainty in activation and play to flow between players
freely. However, after playing again, I realized that this new
system I devised was over-engineering the whole experience. I think
I will scrap the idea for this game.
One big mystery still remaining is how to make
light units useful and not just a waste of armor points? I have not
cracked that nut yet. Perhaps different scenarios that emphasize
speed or allowing lighter units to add to a Admiral's Command rating
for Initiative and Commands? I am not sure but am open to other
people's thoughts on the matter.
Cross another
2018 goal off the list!
