™ SCENARIOS CREATED BY RICHARD BAX www.victoryatsea.co.uk © 2021 Warlord Games. All Rights Reserved. Warlord Games, Bolt Action, Pike & Shotte, Hail Caesar, Cruel Seas, Black Powder, Black Seas, Black Powder Epic Battles, Epic Battles, Warlords of Erehwon, Blood Red Skies, SPQR, Beyond the Gates of Antares, Gates of Antares, Algoryn, Boromite, Lavamite, Isorian Shard, Concord, Ghar, NuHu and Freeborn are either ® or ™, and/or © Warlord Games Limited, variably registered around the world. The German plan to take Narvik night. In the interim, the destroyers Norwegian and the Norwegians spoke depended on both force and guile. In were scattered around the fjord to no English but, despite their limitations, the early morning of 9 April, 1940, a lessen the danger of aerial attack. The they determined that at least six force of German destroyers, packed Germans also deployed a group of German destroyers had sailed into with ground troops, steamed up U-boats off Ofotfjord as a picket against Narvik along with a submarine. Vestfjord under total darkness, relying British naval attack. They reported only on dead reckoning, a tough four British destroyers on a southwest Despite being joined by a fifth navigational feat. After destroying the course – away from Narvik. Reassured, destroyer, Warburton-Lee was still two ancient coastal defence warships the Germans settled in for a long night outnumbered, but had orders to act with torpedoes, the destroyers of refuelling and waiting. aggressively. In the grandest of Royal moved quickly to unload their Navy tradition Warburton-Lee decided troops. Its defences disorganised and The four destroyers spotted by the to attack at dawn, utilising the high overwhelmed, Narvik fell swiftly to the U-boats were the Royal Navy’s 2nd tide to get him over the reported invading Germans. Destroyer Flotilla, commanded by minefields (there were none) and gain Captain Bernard Armitage Warburton- maximum surprise. Having succeeded in their mission, the Lee, who had orders to go to Narvik German destroyers now had a problem. to prevent any German troops At 0300, the German destroyer They were low on fuel and only one landings. They were heading southwest Diether von Roeder headed for the of the two ex-Norwegian whalers to await high tide before steaming into entrance to Narvik harbour to take (converted to makeshift tankers) that the fjord. over patrol duties from Anton Schmitt. were supposed to be in Narvik ahead Thirty minutes later Diether von Roeder of the invaders was present. With only As he waited, Warburton-Lee was inexplicably turned back to Narvik one freighter present, it would take informed by the Admiralty that the harbour, despite having orders to twice as long to refuel the destroyers. Germans had managed to seize Narvik remain on patrol until 0420. The plan had been for all the destroyers with only one ship. Sceptical that the to leave that night of 9 April, but only Germans could do so much with so At 0343, with visibility near zero, the three destroyers had been refuelled by little, he contacted the Norwegian British force, unaware that they were midnight. Obviously, they would have Tranoy Lighthouse on the east side less than a mile behind Diether von to wait another day, and leave the next of Vestfjord. The British spoke no Roeder, headed for Narvik. 1 Victory at Sea SCENARIO: FIRST BATTLE OF NARVIK Royal Navy Fleet f d • H-Class Destroyers (Hardy, Hotspur, 1) Hardy; 2) Hunter; 3) Havock; 4) Hotspur; 5) Hostile e Hostile, Havock, Hunter) a) Bernd von Arnim (Z11) b) Georg Thiele (Z2) c) Diether von Roeder (Z17); d) Wolfgang Zenker (Z9); e) Erich Koellner (Z13); f) Erich Giese (Z12); Kriegsmarine Fleet g) Anton Schmitt (Z22); h) Hans Ludemann (Z18); i) Hermann Kunne (Z19); • Type 1934-class Destroyers j) Wilhelm Heidkamp (Z21); k) Tanker (Jan Wellem) (Georg Thiele (Z2), Wolfgang Zenker (Z9), Bernd von Arnim (Z11), Erich c Giese (Z12), Erich Koellner (Z13)) g NARVIK 3 1 h 5 k • Type 1936A-class Destroyers (Diether 2 l von Roeder (Z17), Hans Ludemann 4 j (Z18), Hermann Kunne (Z19), Wilhelm Heldkemp (Z21); Anton Schmitt (Z22)) • Tanker (Jan Wellem) a b Pre-Battle Preparation 6" All fleet units are placed on the table as shown on the chart. The Diether von Roeder is headed into the harbour. to get underway (Diether von Roeder • On a 11–12 the torpedo hits a can behave normally). British freighter and the Royal Navy loses 25 Victory Points. Scenario Rules At the end of each turn, every ship not The battle occurs during the day in under way makes a Crew Quality Check, The Royal Navy has the Initiative for the good weather. At the beginning of each on a success the ship gets under way and first three turns. turn roll 1D6. On a roll of 1–2 a snow may move as normal. The refueling ships flurry rolls in (use the night battles are at a -1 penalty on their Crew Quality rules). Continue to a roll a 1D6 at the Check due to the presence of fuel hoses Optional Rules beginning of each turn and on a 1–2, crisscrossing their decks. Diether von Roeder on patrol: Place the flurry ends. the Diether von Roeder within 10" of the Each torpedo fired into or out of the Royal Navy force, heading north. German destroyer Wilhelm Heldkemp harbour region (next to Narvik) that has only four torpedoes loaded in misses has a chance of hitting a civilian one rack. ship also in anchor. Roll 1D6 for each Game Length such torpedo. The game ends when all German With the exception of Diether von destroyers are sunk or the British exit Roeder, all other German destroyers • On a roll of a 6, the torpedo hits the left side of the chart. are at anchor. Hermann Kunne and a civilian ship. If a Civilian ship is Hans Ludemann are alongside Jan struck, roll 2D6. Wellem refuelling. Victory and Defeat • On a 2–6 the torpedo hits a If one fleet manages to earn twice as All of the German ships must use German freighter and the Royal many Victory Points as the other it will night battles rules until the British Navy gains 25 Victory Points. gain a Major Victory. ships are spotted, score a successful torpedo hit, or open fire with their • On a 7–10, the torpedo hits a Otherwise, the fleet that earns the most guns, and with the exception of neutral freighter and the Royal Victory Points will gain a Minor Victory. Diether von Roeder, may then attempt Navy loses 5 Victory Points. Type 1936A-class destroyers 2 HMS Warspite meets the Kriegsmarine head on The initial British attack by the 2nd At 0840, 10 April, Wolfgang Zenker battery on the north side of Ofotfjord, Destroyer Flotilla had been quite successful, and Erich Giese, now refuelled, made while Diether von Roeder would be used destroying two German destroyers and a break for open sea only to turn near Narvik harbour. severely damaging several others. A back when British ships were spotted. follow up reconnaissance by HMS Bedouin The next day saw all four undamaged The British tried a couple of airstrikes and HMS Penelope noted no signs of destroyers refuelled and ready to which resulted in no hits and the loss reinforcement and no new minefields. break out but the weather was of three Swordfish. A naval assault lead Their recommendation to the Admiralty determined to be unfavourable, so the by the light cruiser HMS Penelope was was to go in again and finish the job. decision was to delay again. It did not then authorised but on the way in she work out well. was severely damaged when she ran The German situation was dire as the aground, halting the attack before it destroyers had not been able to refuel. That evening, Erich Koellner and began. At this point British Admiralty Additionally, Wilhelm Heidkamp was Wolfgang Zenker separately ran lost all patience and sent in a battleship. sinking, Diether von Roeder was immobile aground while on patrol. Koellner The battleship in question was HMS and only usable as a floating battery, was left unseaworthy and Zenker’s Warspite, a veteran of the Battle of Anton Schmitt was sunk, and two other propellers were damaged, cutting her Jutland, under Captain Victor A.C. destroyers were badly damaged and speed. Now there were only two Crutchley, escorted by the destroyers one mildly damaged. The remaining operational destroyers, three that Icarus, Hero, Forester, Cossack, Kimberly, four destroyers were undamaged but could do 28 knots, one that could do Foxhound, Bedouin, Punjabi, and Eskimo. not refuelled. Amazingly, the tanker Jan 20 knots, and two so severely damaged This time there would be no surprise Wellem was still intact and could refuel they were no longer seaworthy. Erich assault at dawn; the British force simply the surviving destroyers. Koellner was to be used as a floating stormed into the fjord. 3 Victory at Sea SCENARIO: SECOND BATTLE OF NARVIK Royal Navy Fleet • Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship 1) Warspite; 2) Foxhound; 3) Icarus; 4) Hero; 5) Forester; 6) Kimberly; (Warspite) 7) Cossack; 8) Punjabi; 9) Eskimo; 10) Bedouin a) Hermann Kunne (Z19); b) Erich Koellner (Z13); c) Wolfgang Zenker (Z9); Bedouin, • Tribal-class Destroyers ( d) Bernd von Arnim (Z11); e) Hans Ludemann (Z18); f) Georg Thiele (Z2); Punjabi, Eskimo, Cossack) g) Diether von Roeder (Z17); h) Erich Giese (Z12) • H-Class Destroyer (Hero) h • I-Class Destroyer (Icarus) 5 6 7 NARVIK • F-class Destroyers (Forester, Foxhound) 2 1 4 c d e g • J, K & N-Class Destroyer (Kimberly) 3 a b f 8 9 10 Kriegsmarine Fleet • Type 1934-class Destroyers (Georg Thiele (Z2), Wolfgang Zenker (Z9), Bernd von Arnim (Z11), Erich Giese 6" (Z12), Erich Koellner (Z13)) • Type 1936A-class Destroyers (Diether von Roeder (Z17), Hans Ludemann Optional Rules Add two Type VIII U-boats.