Gruppe Nord 2012 Standard

The Kriegsmarine in World War II

by Paul French

with Tim Charlesworth, Michael W. Harris, Jay Wissmann

Edited by Larry Bond and Chris Carlson

Maps by Tim Schleif

published by The Admiralty Trilogy Group

Copyright ©2008, 2012, 2015, 2019 by the Admiralty Trilogy Group, LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA. Made in the USA. No part of this game may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the pub- lisher.

Command at Sea is a registered Trademark by Larry Bond, Christopher Carlson, and Edward Kettler, for their WW II tacti- cal naval wargame. The Admiralty Trilogy is a registered Trademark by Larry Bond, Christopher Carlson, Edward Kettler, and Michael Harris for their Twentieth-Century tactical naval gaming system.

The designers of Command at Sea and Gruppe Nord are prepared to answer questions about the game system. They can Samplebe reached in care of [email protected]. Visit their website at http://www.admiraltytrilogy.com. file This version of Gruppe Nord has been updated to include all corrections from errata through February 2019.

Cover: German destroyer Z 24, by Mal Wright, with layout by Tim Schleif 2 Gruppe Nord Table of Contents

Page Table of Contents 2 Acknowledgments 3 Annex Notes 3

Graf Spee’s Greatest Battle 13 Dec 39 Graf Spee vs. cruisers 5 Wounded Raider 17 Dec 39 Graf Spee tries to escape 7 The Norwegian Campaign Norway as a Target of Strategies 8 Action off Skomvoer, First Capital Ship Action 9 May 40 German vs. British battlecruisers 8 We've Come to Protect You - The Occupation of Narvik 9 May 40 Destroyers vs. coast defenses 10 First Battle of Narvik, Part 1: So Far, So Good 10 May 40 German vs. British destroyers 13 First Battle of Narvik, Part 2: The Withdrawal 10 May 40 German vs. British destroyers 15 Fight in the Fjord: The Noose 10 May 40 German destroyers break out 16 Needless Loss: The Sinking of HMS Glorious 8 Jun 40 The Germans find a carrier 18 Gallant Defense: The Attack on Convoy HX-84 5 Nov 40 German BC attacks a convoy 20 Excessive Caution 8 Feb 41 Two German battlecruisers vs. a heavily defended convoy 22 Lost Opportunity? 7 Mar 41 Two German battlecruisers vs. a heavily defended convoy 24 Thor’s Hammer Thor vs. Alcantara 28 Jul 40 Raider vs. merchant cruiser 27 Thor vs. Carnarvon Castle 5 Dec 40 Raider vs. merchant cruiser 27 Thor vs. Voltaire 4 Apr 41 Raider vs. merchant cruiser 28 Operation Sportpalast 7 Mar 42 German heavy units attack a defended convoy 29 Definitely No Survivors 14 Oct 42 Allied forces vs. an escorted raider 31 Operation Stonewall 28 Dec 43 Night action with light forces vs. two cruisers 32 Bismarck An introduction to the Bismarck scenarios 36 First Blood 24 May 41 The most famous capital ship duel in history 36 Wake-Walker’s Plan 24 May 41 Surface attack on Bismarck 39 Airstrike from Victorious 24 May 41 Air torpedo attack 41 Sting of the Swordfish: Airstrike from Ark Royal 26 May 41 Air torpedo attack 43 Picadores: Vian’s Night Destroyer Attack 26 May 41 Night destroyer attack on Bismarck 43 Finale - The Death of Bismarck 27 May 41 Battleship engagement 44 Valiant Futility: The British Destroyer Assault During Operation Cerebus 12 Feb 42 Destroyers vs. escorted battlecruisers 45 The Loss of Edinburgh 2 May 42 Destroyers vs. escorted cruiser 47 Operation Regenbogen: The Battle of the Barents Sea 31 Dec 42 Escorted battlecruisers attack an escorted convoy 48 The Death of Scharnhorst: The battle of North Cape 51 The First Cruiser Action 26 Dec 43 Cruisers intercept a battlecruiser 52 The Second Cruiser Action 26 Dec 43 Cruisers and destroyers pursue a battlecruiser 53 Bear at Bay 26 Dec 43 Battleship and escorts pursue a battlecruiser 54

Sidebars The Kriegsmarine 4 Norway as a Target of Strategies 8 German Merchant Raiders 26 The Bismarck Mystique 34 SampleExtracts from Prinz Eugen’s Diary file38 Gruppe Nord 3

Annexes Index of Ship Classes A-1 A Ships A-3 B Aircraft B-1 C Guns C1 & C2 Naval Surface and Coast Defense Guns C-1 C4 Naval AA Guns C-4 E ASW Weapons E1 Depth Charges E-1 E1a Surface Ship DC Attack Patterns E-1 E1c German Airborne ASW Bomb Attack Table E-1 F Torpedoes F-1 G Mines G-1 H Air Ordnance H1 Unguided Air Ordnance H-1 H2 Guided Air Ordnance H-2 H3 Aircraft Guns H-3 J Radars J1 Naval Radars J-1 J2 Land Radars J-2 J3 Aircraft Radars J-3 K Sonar K1 Search Sonars K-1 K1a Sonar Range Bands K-2 W Environment W-1 Y Ship Classifications (GNST) Y-1 Z Conversion Factors & Scales Z-1

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Tim Charlesworth, John Gresham, John Hall, Mike Harris, Pat Hreachmack, Christoph Kluxen, Peter Grining, Jim Sperling, Steve Thorne, and Jay Wissmann. Their work made this book possible.

The 2012 Damage Point Standard: This version of Gruppe Nord has been updated to use the “2012 Standard” to calculate a ship’s damage points. This method, described in the April 2012 issue of the Naval SITREP (hence the name) matches historical results more closely than the older “2006 Standard” used in earlier versions of this supplement. All of the ship damage points in this supplement have been changed. Other corrections and updates have been made through- out the booklet as well, including adding a new scenario. The updated .pdf of Gruppe Nord is available as a free download to earlier purchasers. If you have purchased the print-on-demand edition, you will have to either purchase a new copy, or make pen and ink changes using the Damage Point Summary, available as a free download from The Wargame Vault and our website. It lists the damage points for all the ships in the Admiralty Trilogy system, as well as background on how we calculate damage points, and the new formula. If you are using ship data from more than one Admiralty Trilogy publication, make sure that the damage points have all been calculated using the 2012 Standard.

Annex Notes: The information on the platforms, weapons, and sensors in this annex has been standardized so that it is compatible and consistent with all Admiralty Trilogy games. Equipment that was used in more than one era will have the same statis- tics in all games. The Annex designations are standardized for all three Admiralty Trilogy games: Fear God & Dread Nought, Command at Sea, and Harpoon. Gaps in the sequence are caused by annexes that are not applicable to the era or the product. If there is information in another Trilogy publication that conflicts with the data printed in this publication, use the infor- mation in the product with the newest copyright date, since new information and corrections can change statistics. If you have a question about the conflict, or about any other data listed, please contact us. Except for Annex A, systems are listed in their Annexes alphabetically, first by country, then by name. The ships in An- Samplenex A are listed in traditional order, with capital ships first, followed by minor combatants, submarines,file mine warfare craft, auxiliaries, then civilian vessels. An alphabetical list of ships by class name is provided on the next page. Systems listed in italics never entered service. They existed only in prototype or developmental form. The designers can be reached in care of [email protected]. 4 Gruppe Nord

The Kriegsmarine

At the start of the war, the German Navy was very modern, With German expansion in Europe and a realization that although rather small in comparison to the raw numbers of ultimately, Germany’s goals “could only be solved by means of Germany’s primary enemies of France and Great Britain. Until force,” the leadership made plans for strong surface navy. In 1938, Germany’s primary anticipated foe was France. 1938, the blueprint for German naval construction (Plan Z) The German Navy in 1939 had four missions; to defend was completed. It provided for a significant naval force to be the coasts of Germany, defend German and attack enemy sea completed by 1947. Designed to fight Britain not by a massed communications, support land and air operations along the fleet engagement, but by threatening her widespread shipping coast, and serve as a political or strategic instrument of war. This lanes – the plan was to build a fleet that could fight through an later mission was mainly aimed at ensuring the neutrality and anticipated British blockade and then cripple her commerce. compliance of the Scandinavian nations. The fleet would include 8 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 4 The German strategy at sea was to avoid a traditional, aircraft carriers, 8 heavy cruisers, 13 light cruisers, 22 scout Mahanian naval battle, but to attack the British or Allied cruisers, 68 destroyers, 90 torpedo boats, 249 U-boats, and merchant shipping with surface raiders and U-boats in virtually scores of support craft. However, with outbreak of the war in every theater of operations. This would spread limited Royal Navy 1939 and early successes on land, Plan Z was tabled and its assets to the far corners of the globe. Destroying Allied shipping resources used elsewhere. would also weaken the Allied struggle on land against the German At the start of the war, the German Navy comprised 5 Army. battleships/battlecruisers, 2 heavy cruisers, 6 light cruisers, 22 To implement this strategy, a number of surface warships destroyers, 10 torpedo boats, 57 submarines and a few score and disguised raiders were deployed to prearranged locations and mine warfare and support craft. initiated commerce warfare as soon as war was declared. Graf Before the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union Spee was the best example of this. A cordon of U-boats was also in 1939, the German Navy had been organized to deal with stationed around England to attack coastal shipping and vessels the two main threats – Russia and France. Thus there two entering or leaving port. were Naval Group Commands, East and West. Naval Group Although outlawed under the Versailles Treaty, the German Command East was located in Swinemunde, although it later navy recognized the strategic value of the submarine and the effect shifted to Kiel. Naval Group Command West was located at it had on Britain in WW I. A secret program was implemented Wilhelmshaven. Likewise there were two Commanders-in- to develop and build submarines using foreign shipyards for the Chief (CinC) for the afloat forces, however after the treaty with actual construction. the Soviets, the CinC East remained unassigned. The entire The commander of the U-boat rebuilding program was U-boat Fleet was under the command of Admiral Döenitz, who Admiral Karl Döenitz. Not only did Döenitz embrace new maintained his command post at Wilhelmshaven as well. technologies in the development of the U-boat force, but a The German Naval Staff anticipated that England new grand tactical concept was developed as well. First called would resort to the same tactics as in the previous war and Gruppentaktik (group tactics) and later Rudeltaktik (wolf pack immediately impose an open blockade in the North Sea. tactics), Döenitz wanted to use lines of U-boats to fall upon and However, that tactic could be made costly for the British. A rend Allied convoys with prolonged and dedicated attacks instead blockade would draw British forces away from German raiders of the hit and run attacks used by surface ships. While the single and U-boats operating in the Atlantic, and allow occasional ocean raiders could disappear into the ocean wastes, massed operational control for breakouts by Atlantic combat forces. U-boat groups were to take advantage of their stealthy nature. One crippling problem for the German Navy was the Under Hitler, the entire German Navy underwent a inability to control its own aviation arm. The Luftwaffe significant transformation and resurgence. In 1935, the name controlled all aviation assets, including development of new changed from Reichsmarine to Kriegsmarine, or “War Navy.” This aircraft and logistics support. Under the Luftwaffe very little should have left little doubt regarding its intended use. innovation occurred in the area of naval aviation. Although Further expansion occurred as Hitler negotiated the Anglo- there were a number of different aircraft in the Naval inventory German Naval Agreement of 1935, which permitted the German when the war broke out, the majority of aviation operations Navy to increase in size to roughly one-third of the British Royal were still under Luftwaffe domination. Navy. The agreement also permitted Germany to build roughly Coordination between the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe 60% of British strength in submarines. This brought Germany’s was poor throughout the war. Although not unique, the lack of U-boat construction program out in the open. At the same time, interservice coordination in Germany was especially acute. Just the British would completely withdraw from the Baltic, leaving getting air support for maritime operations was problematic Germany the dominant power in that area. This gave Hitler and rarely on time. control of critical trade routes in the Baltic – especially the iron Like most navies of the time, the German Navy also failed ore routes from Sweden. to appreciate the deadliness of aerial attacks and did not provide This was important, since along with France, Russia was a strong anti-aircraft armament on most ships. Vulnerability to seen as the most probable enemy and the Baltic would become aerial spotting and aerial attack would prove to be a significant a private battlefield between German and Russian warships. The strategic disadvantage as the war progressed – both for surface signing of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact in August 1939 and subsurface forces, crippling the ability of the German Navy thenSample allowed Hitler to reallocate Baltic naval forces to focus on to accomplish most of its goals. file Poland, and if necessary, on France and England. Gruppe Nord 5 Graf Spee’s Greatest Battle

by Michael W. Harris

Location: Off the River Plate estuary, approximately 240 miles east of Cape Santa Maria, 13 December 1939, 0612 hours.

Operational Situation: As the political situation in Europe deteriorated in the summer of 1939, the German “pocket battleship” Admiral Graf Spee sailed from Wilhelmshaven on 21 August and proceeded to open sea to await further instructions. Those instructions came on 26 September when Captain Langsdorff was ordered to commence operations against British merchant shipping. In the South Atlantic, from 30 September to 7 December 1939, Graf Spee sank nine ships totaling 50,089 tons. Amazingly, no one was killed in any of these operations.

Tactical Situation: Early in the morning, lookouts on HMS Achilles and Exeter spotted smoke from a ship over the horizon, while simultaneously lookouts on Graf Spee spotted the mast tops of one, two, and finally three warships. As Graf Spee cleared for action, Exeter confirmed her identity. Both sides continued to close and at 0618 the Battle of the River Plate began.

Environment Sea state 3. Wind from the SE at 13 knots. Visibility 100%. Sunrise was at 0556.

German Forces: Admiral Graf Spee (Deutschland class), Kapitän Zur See Hans Langsdorff

German Orders (extracted from Graf Spee’s “Start of War Orders”): 1. Reach the Atlantic unobserved, and even there, at first avoid every ship that appears on the horizon. These instructions must be obeyed even after hostilities have broken out between Great Britain and Germany, until you receive a radio order to go into action. 2. Disrupt and strangle enemy shipping by every available means. Avoid contact with enemy naval forces. Even inferior warships should only be engaged if such action is conducive to your main task of interference with the enemy’s supply lines. 3. Frequent change of location in the operational area will have the effect of bewildering the enemy and will at the same time obstruct shipping, even if no directly perceptible results are achieved. Evasive action from time to time in remote sea areas will likewise increase the enemy’s Admiral Graf Spee perplexity.

German Victory Conditions: British Orders: Engage Graf Spee sufficiently to sink or Decisive: Inflict at least 50% damage to each ship cripple her so as to prevent her escape. Pursue and report before disengaging from pursuit. if Graf Spee attempts to disengage. Tactical: Damage each cruiser enough to maintain a 5 knot speed advantage and disengage from pursuit. British Victory Conditions: Decisive: Sink Graf Spee. British Forces: Hunting Force G, HMS Ajax (Leander Tactical: Damage Graf Spee at least 25% and avoid Sampleclass, Captain C.H.L. Woodhouse), HMNZS Achilles damage sufficiently to allow a 5 knotfile speed advantage with (Leander class, Captain Edward Perry), HMS Exeter (Yo rk at least one cruiser and maintain contact with Graf Spee. class, Captain Frederick Bell). Commodore Henry Harwood aboard HMS Ajax 6 Gruppe Nord Setup: Admiral Graf Spee is on course 115° making cruisers had caused concern aboard Graf Spee which 24 knots. Hunting Force G is in column formation (Ajax, turned to avoid the pair and headed west in an attempt to Achilles, Exeter); 1000 yards separation between ships, on disengage. course 070° making 14 knots. Graf Spee bears 320° from Harwood pursued with Ajax and Achilles, despite Ajax Ajax with 25,000 yards between them. having sustained severe damage, including the loss of The Germans have Force G in sight, but the British two turrets. Harwood intended to shadow Graf Spee and have to roll normally for detection. maintain contact until nightfall, when he would attempt to close and fire torpedoes under the cover of darkness. Special Rules: Graf Spee’s Ar 196 spotting aircraft is out By 1915, the action had moved west to approximately of commission due to an engine failure. Disengaging from 15 miles southeast of Plata Del Este. At 2200 Graf Spee the enemy occurs when visual, radar, or sonar contact has turned from a course WNW to virtually West to get to been lost for two consecutive Intermediate Turns. Visual Montevideo, dogged by the cruisers the entire way. sighting includes stack smoke. Langsdorff came about several times and fired on his shadowers in vain attempts to drive them off. Finally, in Variations: the estuary of the River Plate, it became evident that Graf 1) Allow for Graf Spee’s Ar 196 to be operational and Spee was headed into Uruguayan waters where Langsdorff available for dawn launch. hoped to receive sanctuary and make repairs. Ajax dashed 2) Allow for HMS Cumberland (Kent class CA) to have forward but was unable to close for a torpedo attack. joined Hunting Force G in time to participate. Place her in By midnight, Graf Spee was safely anchored in column behind Exeter in the setup. Montevideo harbor. She had sustained only minimal 3) Instead of maintaining radio silence on Oct 5 and damage, but it was sufficient, coupled with a shortage of assuming Freetown heard the raider message from SS 28cm shells, to cause Captain Langsdorff to worry about Newton Beach, Cumberland passes on the report about safely crossing the Atlantic, providing he first could escape Graf Spee’s attack. Consequently, Hunting Force M from from Montevideo. Dakar with Foch and Dupliex (both Foch class CA) runs The battle had been much harder on the ships of south to catch the raider in her waiting area on Oct 16. Hunting Force G. Exeter was limping towards the Falkland Force M is on course 185° at 21 knots in column with Islands, staying close to the coast line of South America in 1000 yds between ships. Graf Spee is on course 300° at case she needed to run aground to avoid sinking. Achilles 12 knots. Visibility is 80%, sea state 3, wind from 045° at had sustained only moderate damage, but had exhausted 10 knots. Distance between ships is at maximum detection most of her 6-inch ammunition. Ajax had her two aft turrets range. Foch bears 345° from Graf Spee. Victory conditions out of commission as well as being low on ammunition. remain the same as above. Meanwhile, in Montevideo, Graf Spee became the 4. Following the raider signal from SS Trevanion on focal point of a diplomatic contest as fierce as the battle Oct 22, Hunting Force H with Sussex and Shropshire (both at sea. Britain wanted her interned or ejected out of port London class CA) head west from their patrol area off the immediately, whereas Germany demanded sufficient time Cape of Good Hope. At the same time, Graf Spee is now to make repairs. Ultimately the Uruguayan government headed east to try her luck in the Indian Ocean. authorized Graf Spee only seventy-two hours in port before Force I is on course 265° at 21 knots in column with being subjected to internment, a compromise between the 1000 yds between ships. Graf Spee is on course 095° at competing British and German demands. 15 knots. Visibility is 60%, sea state 4, wind from 325° at Captain Langsdorff found his position untenable. He 15 knots. Distance between ships is at maximum detection was under orders not to become interned in Uruguay and range. Sussex bears 090° from Graf Spee. Victory he thought the River Plate too shallow to allow Graf Spee conditions remain the same as above. to reach Buenos Aries, where internment was authorized. Rampant rumors and false sightings of British warships Historical Outcome: Graf Spee increased speed and incorrectly interpreted on board Graf Spee had convinced continued to close on Hunting Force G, opening fire at Langsdorff that a greatly superior British force awaited Graf 20,000 yards at 0618 with her 28cm guns. Harwood’s plan Spee once she entered the estuary, where lack of room to was executed immediately upon identification of Graf Spee maneuver and superior guns would sink the raider. by Exeter. Ajax and Achilles changed course and increased Instead, Langsdorff decided to sneak most of his crew speed to close on Graf Spee as quickly as possible from off during the night and scuttle his ship the next day just the south. Exeter also increased speed and altered course outside the harbor. The explosions stunned everyone who to approach Graf Spee from the southeast. was watching that afternoon on 17 December, and the By 0622 Exeter was close enough to return fire with fires from the burning warship illuminated the evening sky her 8 inch guns. Soon Ajax and Achilles were also close for hours. Two days later, once he had gotten his crew enough to engage with their 6 inch guns. While closing, to Argentina and with an ensign of the Imperial German Ajax had launched a Seafox aircraft to spot the fall of Navy wrapped about his shoulders, Captain Langsdorff shot. Graf Spee then began to split her 28cm fire between committed suicide with his pistol after having left letters for targets, but soon switched back to concentrating on Exeter. his wife, parents, and the German Ambassador. Exeter took a devastating pounding and by 0730 was crippledSample and in danger of sinking. By then Ajax and Achilles Best Book: The Battle of the River Platefile, by Dudley Pope had become a concern for Graf Spee whose guns once again shifted targets. Torpedo attacks by the two light