GOEBENASDREADNOUGHT Might-Have-Beens in the Mediterranean by Edward Heinsman

, 26 SCENARIOS AND VARIANTS GOEBENASDREADNOUGHT Might-Have-Beens in the Mediterranean by Edward Heinsman Quite a while ago, SPI did a game called Lord Winston Churchill's words) that even compiished by their (the Germans') com Flight of the Goeben which, for its day, was a when it was apparent that the Goeben and mander ... " After the war, Winston Chur pleasant little bit of unique design (by Dave Breslau were headed east away from the con chill acknowledged that the Goeben's adven Williams, incidentally), A lot of the game, voy, the British squadron, including the bat ture resulted in "more misery, 'more however, depended upon having a luck tlecruisers Inflexible. Indomitable and Inde slaughter and more ruin than has ever before lock. Here, Mr. Heinsman presents us with fatigable, hung back to intercept the antici been borne within the compass of a ship." Dreadnought situations that have placed pated German turn about, thus missing Yel, C.S. forester points out, in his in most of that luck offstage, as it were several opportunities to bring the Germans troduction 10 Richard Hough's Dread - RAS to battle. nought, that as bitter a disappointment and In fact, after shelling the French North Afri politically important as the Goeben's arrival can ports of Phillippeville and Bone, the task in Constantinople was, a battle during those As any devotee of Simulation Publication's of the German Mediterranean squadron first days of the war might have proven even Dreadnought knows, the inventory of actual changed considerably. On the eve of war, more significant. A smaller and less powerful encounters between the steel monsters of the Germany and the Olloman Empire had con sister of the Goeben, the Von der Tann, battleship era is a bit thin. As George Lyon cluded a treaty which made Turkey a demolished the Indefatigable in a one-on so aptly put it in his article "A Mediter member of the Central Powers. Germany one encounter during the battlc of Jutland. ranean Excursion" (Moves 1130), the ad hoped to close the Dardenelles to Russia, cut Had Souchon turned on his British pursuers mi rals of 1906-1946 failed to take the needs ting off Russia's only year round ice free or broken into the North African Corp's of today's wargamer into account in plan western connection with her allies. The convoy and scored a stunning victory in the ning and executing their operations. While Turks wanted help against an expected Rus Mediterran..:an, in the first week of the war, very true, this need not limit the Dread sian effort to use a European war to satisfy the consequences, to quote Forester, "defy nought player to an exceedingly small her age-old desire to control the Black Sea's calculation. ' , number of scenarios. European history for outlet to the Mediterranean. On the declara The following scenarios portray some of the the first half of the twentieth century tion of war, August 4, 1914, Souchon was possible situations which might easily have abounds with "near misses" and "might ordered to Constantinople to rcinforce the occurred in those early days of August, 19 14. have been" situations which could very easily Turks and seal off the Dardenellcs. Players can leave to their imaginations the have resulted in a clash of dreadnoughts on Souchon chose to ignore this order to carry consequences of the results from these bat the high seas. Such historical situations, with out the above mentioned bombardments. By tles. a little research, can lead to some very in the time he had turned eastward for Constan SCENARIOS terest ing Dreadnough t scenarios. tinople, the'German High Command found 0930 Hours Augnst 4, 1914 One "near miss" situation fraught with that it had a recalcitrant ally on its hands. German Player hex/facing/speed "might have been" consequences occurred When the reality of a war arrived, the Turks Goeben (672) ElI05/NE/6 had second thoughts and did not declare war. in the Mediterranean Sea during the opening Breslau (L51) ElOO5/ NE/ 6 hours of World War I. The German Mediter Advised by wireless that entry into Constant British Player ranean squadron, commanded by Admiral tinople was temporarily inadvisable due to Indomitable (193) Wilhelm Souchon, captured the imagination political considerations, Souchon decided to BI01I1SW/6 Indefatigable (201) and headlines of the world at the outbreak of again disobey orders and, as he put it "force 81111 / SW/6 the war. Souchon's command consisted of the Turks, even against their will, to spread GAME LENGTH; 15 turns two new fast ships, the battlecruiser Goeben the war to the Black Sea against their ancient BASE VISIBILITY; 9 hexes and the light cruiser Breslau. Originally enemy, Russia." The German squadron was VICTORY CONDITIONS; well on its way to Constantinople before it ordered into the Mediterranean to establish a German Player must wreck or sink both dawned upon the British that the enemy was German naval presence there, the German British ships, or exit both Goeben and 'not heading west for the French troop con naval command had envis.ioned the Breslau into the North Safe Zone (Messina). Goeben's task in the event of war as a com voy but neeing eastward instead. Unsure of British Player must wreck or sink both Ger merce raiding one. Specifically, the Goeben Souchon's motives, hampered by Italian neutrality which was to be strictly observed , man ships. was to use her speed to evade French escorts and make for the troop convoy carrying the confused by orders from Churchill not to Historical Notes: risk battle with a 'superior' enemy force, and French North African Corps from Algeria to This is the most likely of all the scenarios to fearful of being cut off from their home base the Western Front. Plans being what they have really occurred. At 0930 hours on by an Austrian descent from the Adriatic, the were in 1914, the timing of the movement of August 4, 1914, the Goebcn and the Brcslau, every corps down to the minute was vital to British commanders. Admirals Milne and on their way east after bombarding Phillip Troubridge, gave chase. Although the light the French Plan 17. The very thought of the peville and Bone, passed within 8,000 yards cruiser Gloucester did exchange shots with delay or destruction of the oversized North of the Indomitable and the Indefatigable, lhe Germans, the Goeben and Breslau outran African Corps (80,000 men) struck paraly who had been dispatched by Milne to find the British and entered Constantinople on zing fear into the hearts of Entente military the Germans. Both sides trained their guns, August 10. Both eventually became part of planners. So concerned were British and declined the customary salute to each other, the Turkish navy, precipitating Turkey's en French military leaders about the Goeben be but passed silently. Prime Minister Grey's try into the war on November 5. ing "easily able to avoid the French battle ultimatum to Germany still had twelvc and squadrons and brushing aside or outstrip Barbara Tuchmann, in Guns oj August, one half hours to run, and the British were ping their cruisers, break in upon the trans wrote of the Goeben incident that "no other under strict orders not to open fire until the ports and sink one after another of these single exploit of the war cast so long a full time limit of the ultimatum had lapsed. vessels crammed with soldiers" (First Sea shadow upon the world as Ihe voyage ac- The British turned to trail the Germans, but 27 due to boiler problems were unable to keep destroyers. To make this scenario possible, it advantage had been lost. Fearing that the up. When the time limit of the ultimatum ran is assumed that French paranoia about the Goeben would simply remain outside of the out at midnight, they had lost contact. North African troop convoy had reached the range of his ships and pick them off one at a Actually, Grey had not dispatched his ulti point where both squadrons of dreadnoughts time, Troubridge conduded that the Goeben matum to Germany until several hours after had been transferred to Toulon. constituted a 'superior force' and he retired he had announced it in Parliamenl. Had As the scenario stands, the German player to his Adriatic picket post. Troubridge was Grey been more prompt or less irresolute, will have a tough time "outstripping" the court-martialled for his action and although this meeting would have been the war's first French escort and reaching the convoy as acquitted was never again given an active naval clash. This scenario assumes that Bri Churchill feared. The French fleet is strong, command. This scenario allows players to tain considered herself at war with Germany and German supply problems with coal judge Troubridge's discretion for and attempted to destroy German naval limited the time and distance they could go to themselves. presence in the Mediterranean. avoid the French. Hence, the 20 turn lime Players Notes: Players Notes: limit. Thc British are really up against it in this This is a surprisingly even, if usually shoTt, There are several ways this scenario can be scenario. In t.he position of Troubridge, the scenario. The German advantage in speed balanced to aid either player. 0 e of the British player has quite a formidable chore. and armor, not to mention hitting power, is French dreadnought squadrons could be left The British will need either a lucky shot, a offset by the fact that the Breslau is no match in Brest and deleted from the order of battle.

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