Overview

This is the Battle of Jutland 1916 re-imagined to fit into the game of Grand Fleets v3 by Majestic 12 Games. The hard work of "recreating" the battle was done by Andy S. of our game group. We will be playing this in Tabletop Simulator with a simple mod built by me. 

Details

In 1916 the naval war between Britain and Germany seemed destined to lead towards a massive battle of main forces in the North Sea culminating at the Battle of Jutland. This was to be an all-out battle with the majority of both navies fighting over control of the North Sea. Total estimated tonnage of the warships to be involved in this potential battle was estimated to be 3:1 in favour of the Royal Navy. 

Strategic planners within the Kriegsmarine recognized the folly of this impending battle. To place any hope of success upon the outcome of a battle against such overwhelming odds was a fool’s gambit. They began searching for alternative courses of action.

Naval Planners stumbled upon a plan developed by imaginative officers of the Kriegsmarine Naval Academy Class of 1915.  The overall hypothesized operation was based on the principle of divide and conquer.  If the overwhelming British advantage in firepower could somehow be split in half, then the German Navy could potentially defeat their enemy piecemeal. An offensive further away from the main British fleet in Scapa Flow would ensure that the Kriegsmarine would face only the Battlecruiser Fleet based in Rosyth and potentially provide naval bombardment along the Flanders coastline.

Recognizing the imminent threat, the Royal Navy directed the ready-duty elements of the Scapa Flow fleet south as fast as possible to join with the Rosyth Battlecruiser Fleet forces. The majority of both navy’s lighter forces were deployed as scouting /harassing forces throughout the North Sea.

While the outcome of this gambit, codenamed Operation 29, is uncertain, it should provide the opportunity for an epic battle of Battlecruisers vs Dreadnoughts. Are you ready?

Units

All ships involved in the battle, victory conditions, as well as initial ship layout are here.

Outcome

Ship Conditions:

• Sunk - if all hull boxes destroyed.
• Crippled - if first and second areas destroyed.
• Damaged - if first area destroyed.
• Lightly Damaged - if there are hits in the first area.

Although this version of the battle was never fought in reality, the outcome of our play-through, will be considered canon for purposes.

Turns 1 - 3.

• Maneuvering

Turn 4.

• HMS Blanche was sunk.

Turn 5.

• HMS Broke, Tipperary, Hardy were sunk.
• SMS G38/G41, SMS G39/40 were damaged.
• HMS Orion, HMS Falmouth, HMS Spitfire, HMS Sparrowhawk, HMS Owl were lightly damaged.

Turn 6.

• SMS Schlesien was sunk.
• SMS Stuttgart, SMS G38/G41, SMS G39/40 was crippled.
• SMS Kaiser SMS Pommern, SMS Posen, SMS Hamburg, SMS Hessen, V4/V5, were lightly damaged.
• HMS Broke, HMS Tipperary, HMS Hardy were lightly damaged.

Turn 7.

• HMS Broke, HMS Tipperary, HMS Hardy, SMS Stuttgart, SMS Hamburg were sunk.
• SMS Hessen was damaged,
• HMS Orion was crippled.
• SMS Konig, SMS Rheinland, SMS Rostock, HMS Thunderer were lightly damaged.

Turn 8.

• SMS G38/G41, SMS Munchen, SMS Hamburg, SMS Stuttgart, SMS Schlesien, SMS Rostock were sunk.
• SMS Hessen was crippled.
• SMS Pommern, SMS Posen, SMS Kaiser, HMS Monarch, HMS Thunderer, HMS Glouchester were damaged.
• SMS Rheinland, SMS V1/V2, HMS Conqueror were lightly damage.

Turn 9.

• SMS Hessen, SMS G38/G41 was sunk.
• HMS Monarch was crippled.
• SMS Konig, HMS Warrior were damaged.

Images