Post by Eric Farrington on Aug 23, 2023 19:38:37 GMT
Welcome back to the Castles in the Sky Indo-China campaign between the British and the French. When we last left off, the campaign was tied 5 to 5. The campaign ends when one player gets to 7, and is ahead by at least 2. That triggers a "final battle" scenario. This could be the decisive battle to get to 7, but it would require a decisive victory. Last time, the two forces met in a Patrol mission with the French Fabian strategy getting the best of the aggressive British commander. However, no lasting damage was done and both fleets are coming into this battle at full strength! With that in mind, British Commodore Duckworth of the Royal Navy of Siam is taking an Offensive strategy, while Commodore Aubre is staying on the Defensive.
i][Commodore Duckworth wanted those French ships removed from the vicinity of Siam. They had all ready caused issues as the French backed rebels had briefly taken over the Kra Isthmus. Thankfully, aggressive action of his own had allowed the rightful government to regain control. However, if the French were a force in being, they would continue to hamper his efforts to bring Siam under permanent British rule.
Therefore, he sent out a strong force of picket ships to locate the enemy. He was keeping the rest of his forces in reserve. Once the French were sighted, he would bring in the rest of his fleet. However, to avoid suspicion, he scattered them on routine patrol, waiting for the signal once the enemy force had been fixed. They would then all converge on and overwhelm the opponent.
Despite Commodore Duckworth's attempts at subterfuge, the French officer Commodore Aubre was wise to the British plan. He was under increasing pressure from Paris to neutralize the threat of the British fleet in the region. They endangered the French supply routes through the South China Sea, and access to the critical rubber plantations in Indo-china. They were pressing him for a decisive engagement and to go on the attack. As a result, Aubre sent out his own picket ships as the rest of his force took off from their bases around Indo-china.[/i]
Forces:
Both the British and the French are mobilizing their full fleets today for an outright battle.
L'Aire National
Camot- Commodore Aubre- Command 4
Charles Martel Class Heavy Cruiser (Battleship)
Cuchinchina - Captain Gourdon- Command 2
Gloire Armored Cruiser
Tourane- Captain de Genouilily- Command 2
Descartes Class Cruiser
Tonkin- Captain de Vence- Command 2
D'Iberville Class Cruiser
Hue- Captain Senez- Command 2
D'Iberville Class Cruiser
Fantassin- Captain Valjean - Command 4
Chasseur Class Destroyer- Torpedo
Tromblom- Commander Morice- Command 2
Chasseur Class Destroyer - Sky Mines
Their picket force will be the Fantassin, Tonkin, and Hue led by Captain de Vence of the Tonkin
The Royal Navy (of Siam)
HMS Malaya- Commodore Duckworth- Command 2
Queen Elizabeth Class Battleship
HMS Archeron- Captain Manby- Command 3
Duke of Edinburgh Class Cruiser
HMS Achilles- Captain Durham- Command 4
Warrior Class Cruiser
HMS Arrogant- Captain Knowles- Command 2
Arethusa Class Light Cruiser
HMS Medusa- Captain Butler- Command 2
Active Class Light Cruiser
HMS Corsair- Commander Montgomery- Command 4
Bull Finch Class Destroyer- Torpedo
HMS Hasty- Commander Rawley- Command 2
Bull Finch Class Destroyer- Sky Mines
The British picket force will be the HMS Corsair, HMS Arrogant, and the HMS Hasty led by Captain Knowles of the Arrogant.
Mission:
Today is an Escalation battle with the French as the attackers! Each force has a small 15 Operational Value picket force that will start on the table up to 12 MU in. Follow-on forces will need to make a command roll after turn 2 on a ship by ship basis to enter the table.
In addition, cloud cover is impacting the board at altitude 4.
Set-up:
This is a full fledged battle, so it will take place on a 72MU by 48MU board. The British are coming on above the cloud cover, and spaced out to try and track down and engage the French fleet.
The French are coming in on the corner, and clumped together in the cloud bank, but at high speed.
For this battle, we are using a standing white board to track the key details of the battle like ship speed, altitude, Command, damage, and special effects.
In addition, I am not going to be detailing every move and shot like previous game reports. Instead, I am going to give some high level details. The battle will be broken down by stage. These will be the Maneuver Phase, Battle Phase, and the End Phase.
If you are so inclined, you can read all the details on the Blood and Spectacles blog here:
bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2023/08/castles-in-sky-indo-china-campaign-vii.html