Europa Games and Military History

Category: Campaign for Norway (Page 2 of 2)

Apr II 40 Axis Turn

Initial Phase

The Axis player rolls a 2 on the GE Weather Table; this means mud in weather zones A, B, and C. All scenario map seas are calm. With an eye towards the future, both sides notice that on the May I 40 game turn there’s a 50-50 chance of clear or mud weather in the critical C weather zone in Norway. The weather here on the May I turn could make or break either side’s chances for victory.

Although it is not mentioned on the SoS Master Sequence of Play Summary, Rule 24A-Disruption says that “a unit that becomes disrupted remains so until the start of the next friendly initial phase.” This situation certainly applies to the German forces in the Oslo hex and to the two 2-6 Inf IIIs C at clear terrain coast hex 10B:3117, adjacent to the now Allied occupied and controlled Bergen hex (3016). The later German stack is also isolated per Rule 3F-Isolation. Presumably at this time, after the disruption markers are removed, both the Oslo hex and the clear terrain coast hex at 10B:3117 become definitely Axis controlled. If so, then at the Oslo hex the at start Norwegian “fort marker in coastal hex” with an intrinsic CD strength level of 1 is now removed from the map.

Next is to determine the isolation and supply status of units, hexes, and airbases. In the far north, facing the Norwegian Sea, I believe the German forces in the Axis controlled Narvik major port hex (5C:1010) are in supply. The same is so along the Skagarrak coastline in southern Norway for the Ger 2-6 inf III F at Tonsberg (10B:4310) via an overland route to the Axis controlled minor port at Larvik at adjacent hex 4311, and also for the German forces on the same coastline a little farther to the west at hex 10B:4415, where there is the at start 1-cap permanent airstrip. The Axis forces at the airstrip woods coast hex get their supply via an overland route to the Axis controlled standard port of Kristiansand at adjacent hex 4416.

However, the German forces in SW Norway seven overland hexes away from Kristiansand at clear terrain coast rail hex 10B:3720 (adjacent to Stavanger), where there is a 3-cap permanent airfield, are still red U-1, but not isolated. There are also in this hex 4 supply points, which were delivered via air transport to this hex on the Apr I 40 Axis turn. These 4 supply points can now provide supply for up to four of the six units in the hex for rest of the German turn. But these supply markers, and the others delivered the same turn to the Narvik hex and to the previously mentioned airstrip at hex 10B:4415, will be removed from the map at the end of the current initial phase. Accordingly in hex 3720, the Axis player indicates as in special supply the two Ju 88A1 (S code) air units, the Ju 52 air unit, and the wint 2-6 Inf III E. This leaves fully red U-1 in the 3-cap permanent airfield hex the LW Me 109 E air unit and the 1-5 Para II I/1.

The two isolated and unsupported 2-6 Inf IIIs C at 10B:3117 are still red U-1, and will likely become red U-2 in the Apr II 40 Allied initial phase.

At the Oslo partial city hex the unsupported 2-6 Inf III F and the LW 1-5 Para II II/1 remain fully red U-1; the Germans were unable to deliver supply points to Oslo their previous turn. However, they are not isolated per Rule 3F-Isolation, as last turn the Norwegians managed to leave unoccupied adjacent forest hex 10B:4107, to the SE of Oslo. Per Rule 12D-Supply Effects, this small fact will enable the Ger 2-6 Inf III F at the Oslo hex to attack at normal (but unsupported) strength, if decides to do so.

All other Axis and Allied forces in the map are in supply, I believe.

Next in the initial phase comes the Axis reinforcement activities. Per the German North Theater, 1940-1945 Europa OB, on the Apr II 40 Axis turn the two LW 1-5 Para IIs I/1 and II/1 “transfer to Greater Germany.” Per Rule 40A-Reinforcements a transfer is the same as a withdraw. Here it says to “simply remove the withdrawing unit from the map or replacement pool.” It also says here “if possible the withdrawing unit should not be isolated,” but no VP penalty is stipulated anywhere in the SoS rules if the unit to be withdrawn is in fact isolated, I believe. Accordingly both LW para IIs are withdrawn from play on the game maps.

After making all his inoperative air units operative, the Axis player then flips to inoperative the Me 109E F type air unit at the 3-cap airfield at hex 10B:3720, adjacent to Stavenger, with the two Ju 88A1 B type (S code) air units and the Ju 52 T type air units also based there remaining operative.

Neither player flies CAP or naval patrol missions.

Movement Phase

1st Naval Movement Step

Finally this turn, the Kriegsmarine combat naval group at all-sea hex 10B:4320 that the German high command had pegged its high hopes on for righting all that went wrong in their invasion of Norway on the Apr I 40 Axis turn spends 18 MPs to sail back to the Northern Germany holding box, where there it then expends 12 MPs beginning its replenishment. Prior to sailing back to Greater Germany the task force rolls a 3on the Danger Zones Chart.

At the Danish Protectorate major port of Aahrus at 13A:0616, two NTPs spend 30 MPs embarking the Ger 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 there. At the standard port of Frederikshavn (10B:5013) on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula, two NTPs spend 30 MPs embarking the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 1-10 Mot MG II 13 there. At the Danish minor port of Nybrog (13A:1017), on the isle of Fyn, a NTP spends 30 MPs embarking the 1-8 Art X 109 there. Finally, at the Northern Germany holding box, a NTP spends 30 MPs embarking the 2-1-10 Pz 40 there.

2nd Naval Movement Step

In the Northern Germany holding box the affected German naval units there spend 18 MPs finishing their replenishment. Then the two 3-pt DD light TFs Flotillas-1 and Flotilla-2 each spend 12 MPs to begin embarking the wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E and F there, respectively. The 3-pt CL light TF Cruiser-1 sails out of the Northern Germany holding box and via the Kaiser Wilhelm canal spends its last 12 MPs moving eastwards in the Baltic Sea to all-hex 13A:1517, two hexes north of the German standard port of Rostok (1719).

The 2 NTPs carrying the 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 embarked at Aahrus and the NTP carrying the 1-8 Art X 109 embarked at Nybrog all sail northwards to the Axis held Norwegian minor port of Larvik (10B:4311) on the southern Norwegian coast, using a sea route conveniently avoiding the firing range of the 2 strength level intrinsic CD located at the Allied held minor port hex of Fredrikstad (4309), on the eastern shore of the Oslofjord’s entrance. Upon their arrival at the Larvik port these NTPs begin disembarking their ground unit cargoes. The unimportant rote sea movement and disembarkation MP cost details of this naval transport operation can be omitted here because the main point is that the disembarkation MP costs will be completed by the 3rd naval movement step, whereby the disembarked German ground units’ important remaining MPs done in the ground movement sup-phase (in the mud weather) can be calculated using the Naval Transport Costs Summary found on SoS Play Chart 2.

The 2 NTPs carrying the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 1-10 Mot MG II 13 embarked at Frederikshavn sail to the Axis held Norwegian minor port of Kristiansand (10B:4416) on the Norwegian Skagarrak coastline and subsequently begin disembarking their ground unit cargo there. Similar to the Larvik sea transport operation, the disembarkations will the completed by the 3rd naval movement step.

Back at the Northern Germany holding box, the Axis player’s sixth NTP carrying the 2-1-10 Pz II 40 spends its 30 MP naval movement step allowance to sail into the Baltic Sea via the Kiaser Wilhelm canal and veer northwards through the Danish archipelago and end its movement at 10B:4614, two hexes SE of Kristiansand.

3rd Naval Movement Step

In the Northern Germany holding box the two Flotillas-1 and 2 DD TFs each spend 18 MPs to finish embarking the wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E and F, respectively, and then together, as a combat naval group carrying their two inf IIIs as cargo, use the Kaiser Wilhelm canal to sail into the Baltic Sea and end the naval movement step at all-sea hex 10B:1117, in between the Danish isles of Sjaelland and Fyn.

The Cruiser-1 CL TF at the Baltic Sea hex 13A:1527 spends 12 MPs to enter the Danish minor port of Helsingor at 13A:1012, where it begins embarking the wint 1-6 Inf III G there, expending its remaining 18 MPs of the naval movement step doing so.

At the port of Larvik the three NTPs finish disembarking there the 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 and the 1-8 Art X 109. In the following ground movement sub-phase the c/m unit will have 4 MPs and the art X will have 3 MPs left, in mud weather.

At Kristiansand (10B:4616) the two NTPs carrying the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 1-10 Mot MG II 13 finish disembarking their ground unit cargo there. In the ground movement sub-phase these two c/m units will have 4 MPs left, in mud weather. Then the NTP carrying the 2-1-10 Pz II 40 at 4614 in the middle of the Skagarrak spends 3 MPs to enter the port of Kristiansand and then begins disembarking its cargo there.

4th Naval Movement Step

At Kristiansand, on the southern coast of Norway, the NTP carrying the 2-1-10 Pz II 40 finishes disembarking its c/m ground unit cargo. The pz II will have 2 MPs left in the movement phase, in mud weather.

At all-sea hex 13A:1117 in the midst of the Danish archipelago in the Baltic Sea, the two Flotillas-1 and 2 DD TFs carrying the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E and F (w/out heavy equipment) continue sailing northwards 21 MPs to the beach at the German controlled clear terrain Larvik hex at 10B:4311. Here per the Naval MP Cost Summary found on SoS Game Play Chart 2 they now expend the remaining 9 MPs of their naval movement beginning to disembark their non-amphibious ground unit cargo at the friendly-owned beach. Interested players might review the Rule 30B (Beaches, addition to rule) clauses found in the SoS Errata Sheet 18 Jan 1999. Note per the Naval MP Cost Summary it will take a total of 60 MPs to to disembark non-amphibious cargo at the friendly-owned beach, which in this situation means the disembarkation of the non-mot ground units will not be complete until the 2nd naval movement step of the Axis exploitation phase.

At the Danish Protectorate minor port of Helsingor at hex 13A:1527 the Cruiser-1 CL TF spends 12 MPs to finish embarking the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf III G (w/out heavy equipment) there and then sails to all-sea hex 10B:4411, one hex south of Larvik, where it ends the 4th naval movement step.

5th Naval Movement Step

At the Larvik beach hex at 10B:4311 the two Flotillas-1 and 2 DD TFs carrying the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E and F each spend 30 MPs to continue disembarking their non-amphibious cargo (w/out heavy equipment) at the friendly-owned beach, for a tally of 39 MPs each, so far. Then the Cruiser-1 CL TF at adjacent all-sea hex 10B:4411 which is carrying the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf III G spends 2 MPs to enter the Larvik beach hex, where it expends the rest of its 28 MP naval movement step allowance to begin disembarking its non-amphibious cargo (w/out heavy equipment) at the friendly-owned beach.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase

The first ground unit the Axis player moves is the wint 2-6 Inf III E at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720. The Ger wint inf III moves one hex northwards to the hitherto Allied controlled Stavanger reference city/standard port hex at 3619, and then back to the 3-cap permanent airfield. In addition to gaining control of the important Stavanger hex, the Axis player also eliminates the intrinsic CD with a strength level of 1 present there as a reinf since the Apr I 40 Allied initial phase.

Then the Axis player rails the 1-6 Inf III C in the Northern Germany holding box to the Danish Protectorate dot city of Aahrus (13A:0616) where two Ju 52 T type air units air transport it to the newly Axis controlled Stavanger reference city airbase. This unit will likely become the Axis 1 RE occupation garrison per Rule 37G-Occupation for this Norwegian reference city while Norway remains hostile. The two Ju 52 air units return to base in the Danish Protectorate. To conserve space the purely rote details of the staging and rebasing of each LW T type air unit will be skipped, unless deemed necessary to understanding the Axis player’s turn.

Next a Ju 52 T type air unit from the Aahrus dot city airbase stages to the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, and along with the operative Ju 52 air unit already based there air transport the wint 2-6 Inf III E (in special supply) also at hex 3720 to the Oslo hex airbase (10B:4007). Afterwards the two Ju 52 air units return to base at Aahrus on the Danish peninsula. This turn the Axis player is not particularly concerned about rebasing his LW air units stacked in excess of an airfield’s capacity as many of these air units will be withdrawn in the initial phase of the May I 40 Axis turn.

Then the two unsupported 3-8 Mtn IIIs A at the Northern Germany holding box rail to Aahrus, where four more Ju 52 T type air units stage and air transport the two mtn IIIs to the Oslo airbase. The four Ju 52 air units rebase in the Danish Protectorate.

The wint 2-6 Inf III G at Kjobenhavn (13A:1113) rails to Aahrus, where the last two operative Ju 52 air units based at Kiel stage to and then air transport the inf III to the Oslo hex. Afterwards the LW T type air units rebase at Aahrus.

Then the 0-1-5 Const III 6 at the 1-cap permanent airstrip at woods coast hex 10B:4415, adjacent to Kristiansand, spends 4 MPs to repair a hit of damage at the airstrip there, essentially upgrading it to a 3-cap permanent airfield with one remaining damage hit on it. After this the wint 2-6 Inf III E at Kristiansand spends 6 MPs to regular move east two hexes in mud weather along the southern Norway Skagarrak coastline. It ends its movement at the point city/minor port of Arendal, at 10B:4413, capturing it for the Axis side. Then the LW 0-8 Lt AA II I/611 at the airfield at 4415 moves one coast hex west to enter and guard the Kristiansand point city/standard port at hex 4416.

The 1-10 Mot MG II 13 and the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 2-1-10 PZ II 40 at the Kristiansand port hex all move inland one hex to woods road hex 4316. The pz II moves into the hex via admin movement after the first two mot IIs regular move into the hex, gaining control of it for the Axis side.

At the point city/minor port of Tonsberg (10B:4310) the wint 2-6 Inf III F, which began the turn there, regular moves three rail hexes northwards along the western shore of the Oslofjord and ends its move at the reference city/minor port clear terrain coast rail junction hex 4009 (Drammen). Afterwards the sea transported 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 at Larvik regular moves north one hex to woods rail coast hex 4210, on the west bank of the Lagen River. Finally the 1-8 Art X 109 admin moves one coast hex east to enter and guard the Tonsgberg point city/minor port hex on the west side of the entrance to the Oslofjord.

The He 111H4 (S code) B type air unit based at the southern Norway coastal 2-cap permanent airfield at 10B:4415, utilizing Rule 23D2-Bombers as Transports, picks up as cargo 2 supply points at the supplied airfield and then flies them to the target hex at clear terrain coast hex 10B:3117, SW of Bergen, where it attempts to air drop the 2 supply points to the two isolated and red U-1 Ger 2-6 Inf IIIs C there. The Disruption Table is used with a -2 die roll modifier for Mud weather; one supply point is successfully air dropped, the other is scattered. The He 111H4 (S code) air unit returns to base at the 2-cap permanent airfield on the southern Norway coastline adjacent to Kristiansand.

Then the long range He 115B (SF code) floatplane air unit based in the Northern Germany holding box performs the same supply point air drop mission to hex 10B:3117 and successfully drops a second supply point there, the other supply point being scattered. It returns to base at the Northern Germany holding box. The two isolated and red U-1 Ger Inf IIIs C at hex 10B:3117 adjacent to Bergen now have 2 supply points with them at the beach hex.

The Axis units in the Oslo hex still cannot trace a supply line to a functioning Axis controlled port in southern Norway per Rule 12-Supply. Nor can a naval-element supply line be traced from the Oslo port hex itself back to Greater Germany due the the blocking naval combat zones of the Norwegian intrinsic CDs along the Oslofjord at 4108, 4109, and farther south at Fredrikstad, at 4309. So first the Axis player stages from the Sylt holding box the Mxd T (F code) floatplane air unit to the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014 in NE Denmark, where it picks up 2 supply points as cargo and air transports them to Oslo. The LW floatplane air unit returns to base at the reference city airbase at the major port hex of Aalborg(10B:5115) in northern Denmark. Then the He111 H1 NB type air unit at the Felnsburg reference city airbase stages to the same 3-cap airfield on the NE Danish coast, picks up 2 supply points as cargo and air transports them to Oslo. The He 111H1 NB type air unit bases at the Oslo airbase. Finally the three He 111P4 B type air units at the Kjobenhavn full city airbase load up 6 supply points as cargo and air transport them to Oslo. Two of the three He 111P4 B air units return to base at Aahrus and one returns to base as Esbjerg (10B:0621) on the western Danish coast.

In Denmark both the wint 6-6 inf XX 198 and the 6-6 Inf XX 214 are able to regular move to the dot city/major port of Aahrus. The three suported inf IIIs D also move to Aahrus and assemble back into the 6-6 Inf XX 170.

The wint Inf XX HQ unit G and the wint 2-6 Inf III G stacked with it move to the reference city/major port of Aalborg in NE Denmark. Then the two wint Inf XX HQ Units E and F and the Mtn XX HQ unit A all rail to Aahrus from the Northern Germany holding box.

The Inf XX HQ unit C and the LW 1-10 Hv AA II I/132 leave the Northern Germany holding box and rail to point city/standard port Frederikshavn (10B:5013) in NE Denmark.

Finally the 1-10 Mot MG II 4 at 10A:5020 clear terrain coast hex in NW Denmark moves to the railway in the Danish peninsula and rails back to the Northern Germany holding box.

Near the end of the movement phase the Axis player announces two CAP air missions. The Me 110C1 F type air unit at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014 in NE Denmark flies a CAP air mission to target hex 10B:3907, just NE of the Oslo hex. Next the Me 110C1 F type air unit based at the Aalborg reference city airbase at 10B:5115 in NE Denmark flies the CAP air mission to target hex 10B:4108, just to the SW of the Oslo hex. The certain implication of these two Axis CAP air missions is that the Germans intend to attack these two hexes, each containing Norwegian ground units, with units in the Oslo hex in the combat phase, possibly in conjunction with GS. The purpose of the Me 110C1 F type air units on their CAP missions is to hopefully prevent by the threat of interception the Norwegians from attempting to use for DAS their C.V A type air unit based at the 1-cap permanent airstrip at 10B:3908, just NW of Oslo.

The Allied player, after pondering the situation in the Oslo zone, studying the SoS Air Combat Results Table, and reviewing the large array of still operative LW air units in range of the zone, decides to do a non-phasing air op and flies the C.V A type air unit based adjacent to the Axis held Oslo hex on an air transfer mission to the Bergen dot city airbase at 10B:3016.

Combat Phase

At clear terrain coast rail hex 10B:4108 the Norwegians have the 1-6 inf III 1/1 Of, the 0-1-8 Cav II 2 Op (both unsupported), and an intrinsic CD with a strength level of 2. Overhead the Me 110C1 F type air unit is already flying a CAP air mission. The Axis player sends on the GS air mission to the hex the two Ju 88A1 B type (S code) air units based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 3720 in SW Norway and the Ju 87R D type air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 5014 on the NE Danish coast. From the Oslo hex the Axis attacks with the two unsupported 3-8 Mtn IIIs A and the unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III E (red U-1 but in special supply since the initial phase). The attack appears to be a 9 to 1 -2 for mud weather. The die roll is a 6, which modifies to a 4: DE. The Axis advances after combat the wint 2-6 Inf III E into hex 4108. The two Ju 88A1 B type air units return to base at the 3-cap airfield at 3720, adjacent to Stavanger. The Ju 87R D type air unit bases at the Oslo hex.

At woods rail hex 10B:3907 the Norwegians have the unsupported 1-6 Inf III 5/11Mo. Overhead is the second LW Me 110C1 F type air unit flying the CAP air mission. The Axis player sends to 3907 on the GS air mission the He 111H4 B type (S code) air unit at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 5014 in NE Denmark. Next he stages to the same 3-cap permanent airfield the He 111P1 B type air unit based at the Sylt holding box and then sends it on the GS air mission to hex 3907, adjacent to Oslo. From the Oslo hex the Axis player attacks with the unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III G and the unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F (at red U-1 but unisolated). The attack appears to be an 8 to 1 -3 (-2 for Mud weather + -1 for woods). The die roll is a 3, which modifies to a 0: DR. The lucky Nor 1-6 Inf III 5/11Mo retreats to wooded rough hex 3806. The Axis player advances into 3907 after combat both the attacking wint 2-6 Inf IIIs F and G. The Axis player bases the He 111H4 B type (S code) air unit at the 2-cap permanent airfield at 4415, in southern Norway adjacent to Kristiansand, where the other He 111H4 B type (S code) air unit is also based. The He 111P1 B type air unit bases at the Oslo hex.

For the time being the two Me 110C1 F type air units flying their CAP missions linger at their respective target hexes.

Exploitation Phase

1st Naval Movement Step

At the Larvik beach hex at 10B:4311 the two Flotillas-1 and 2 DD TFs carrying the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E and F each spend 21 MPs to finish disembarking their non-amphibious cargo (w/out heavy equipment) at the friendly-owned beach, for a grand total of 60 MPs per the Naval MP Cost Summary. Afterwards the two DD flotilla TFs pull anchors and spend their last 9 MPs sailing south back towards Greater Germany, ending the 1st naval movement step at NE Danish coast hex 10B:5113.

Back at the Larvik beach the Cruiser-1 CL TF spends its 30 MP naval movement step allowance continuing to disembark the wint 1-6 Inf III G at the friendly-owned beach, for a tally of 58 MPs, so far.

2nd Naval Movement Step

The two Flotillas-1 and 2 DD TFs at NE Danish coast hex 10B:5113 spend 24 MPs continuing south through the Danish archipelago and use the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal to enter the Northern Germany holding box. They each then spend their last 6 MPs to begin replenishing at the naval base there.

At the Larvik beach the Cruiser-1 CL TF spends 2 MPs to finish disembarking the wint 1-6 Inf III G at the beach and then expends its remaining 28 MPs sailing back to Greater Germany through the Danish archipelago, ending the movement phase at beach hex 13A:1319 of the Danish isle of Langeland.

3rd Naval Movement Step

The two DD flotilla TFs finish replenishing at the Northern Germany holding box naval base, and then linger there with the rest of the Kriegsmarine fleet. The Cruiser-1 CL TF spends 5 MPs to enter the Northern Germany holding box via the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal and then spends 25 MPs beginning to replenish at the naval base.

4th and 5th Naval Movement Step

The Cruiser-1 CL TF finishes its replenishment at the naval base and then remains there with the rest of the German fleet. The consensus ashore is not to sally forth onto the high seas during the Apr II 40 Allied turn when the Allies will have a huge naval force available for operations off Norway. There may be better employment for the Kriegsmarine on the May I 40 Axis turn.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase (c/m units only)

The 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 at woods rail coast hex 10B:4210 just north of the minor port of Larvik moves northwards two rail hexes to wooded rough rail hex 4010, just west of the wint 2-6 Inf III F at Drammen, at the point of the southern Norway front line facing the Norwegians arced around the northern perimeter of the German held Oslo hex. At Larvik are stacked the three recently beach disembarked wint 1-6 Inf IIIs E, F, and G.

The LW Mot Inf II GG, the 2-1-10 PZ II 40, and the 1-10 Mot MG II 13 move as a stack two rail hexes east to woods rail junction hex 4314, NW of Arendal, which is guarded by the wint 2-6 Inf III E.

Then the Axis player stages the two He 111H4 B type air units at the Kjobenhavn airbase to the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014 on the NE Danish coastline and performs a rail marshaling yard strat bombing air mission against the Allied controlled dot city/major port hex of Bergen (10B:3016). The LW rolls two dice using the “2” column (for mud weather) on the Bombing Table and gets a 5 and 1: good for one strat bombing hit on the Bergen rail marshaling yard and also a hit marker on the Bergen hex rail line. Both He 111H4 B type air units rebase at the 3-cap airfield at 5014 in NE Denmark.

A preliminary check of the Scandinavian Rail Net capacity may be in order. Per the SoS Campaign for Norway Allied OB the Allies begin the scenario with a Scandinavian Rail Net capacity of 10. Right now in the game the Norwegians have lost two standard ports: Stavanger and Kristiansand, and two major ports: Narvik and Oslo. Note that all these Norwegian port hexes have rail links to the Scandinavian Rail Net. Pere Rule 7A-Railroads, I believe this equates to a current usable Allied Scandinavian Rail Net subtotal of 4. With the rail marshaling yard strat bombing hit just done by the LW at the Allied controlled Bergen major port/rail hex, this rail net capacity will be temporarily reduced to 3 on the Apr II 40 Allied turn. The Axis player appears to currently have a captured, but fragmented Scandinavian Rail Net capacity divided up as follows: 1 RE at the Narvik rail zone, 1 RE at the Oslo rail zone, ½ RE at the Kristiansand rail zone, and ½ RE at the Stavanger rail zone. Note that the Kristiansand and Stavanger rail zones have not yet been linked together by a contiguous chain of Axis owned rail hexes; the same goes for each of the other aforementioned Axis controlled rail zones.

From Narvik the Axis player air transfers the Mxd T (LR) T type air unit there to the Northern Germany holding box.

Near the very end of his exploitation phase the Axis player rebases his two Me 110C1 F type air units on the CAP mission over the two hexes adjacent to the Oslo hex. One lands at the Oslo airbase and the other bases at the 3-cap airfield at 5014 in NE Denmark.

At the end of the Axis exploitation phase the Allied player announces a non-phasing air transfer of the Well 1C and the Whit 5 NB type air units in the Orkney Islands holding box to the 1-cap permanent airstrip at 5C:2431 and the Trondheim reference city airbase (5C:2432), respectively.

Apr I 40 Allied Turn

Initial Phase

Plunging deeper into the wargame, we use the SoS Master Sequence of Play Summary in an effort to play the game accurately.

One of the first things needing to be done is to determine the exact current game status of Denmark. Initially, it was thought here that Denmark would “surrender” in the Apr I 40 Allied turn initial phase per Rule 38A6-National Surrender. But subsequent SoS rules study has come up with Rule 38D2-The Danish Protectorate, as perhaps the correct answer regarding Denmark’s exact status in the reported game. Per this rule all the metropolitan Denmark map hexes evidently automatically become “German-controlled” since that point in the Apr I 40 German turn combat phase when the Danish capital was captured per Rule 38A3-Governments, along with the proviso that by then all Danish major and dot city hexes are German controlled. Rule 38D2-The Danish Protectorate, indicates that since that time there should be some new “Danish Protectorate” forces set up on the map per the SoS Danish OB. These new forces are at “Protectorate Neutrality Watch.” Also, “the Greenland and Iceland holding boxes and the hexes in the Faeroe Islands are now owned by neither side.”

Next the supply status of the German forces in Norway needs to be scrutinized and determined. Some are in supply, some are not. Red U-1 supply status markers from the old FitE game will be used to indicate units out of supply in the Apr I 40 Allied turn; black supply status markers from the same game will be used to indicate a unit’s designated out of supply status in subsequent Axis turns.

The German forces in the Narvik hex (5C:1010) can “trace a naval-element supply line” back to a German port, I think, per Rules 12B-Tracing Supply and 34F-Naval Supply Lines, and therefore are all in supply.

The disrupted 2-8* Mtn III B at Trondheim (5C:2432) is red U-1, as its naval-element supply line is pinched off by the naval combat zones of each of the Norwegian intrinsic CDs at the adjacent fjord coast hexes 5C:2333 and 10B:2302.

The two disrupted 2-6 Inf IIIs C at Bergen (10B:3016) are out of supply by virtue of the still functioning Norwegian intrinsic CD located at the Bergen hex, which exerts a naval combat zone in the Bergen hex itself, thus blocking there the naval-element supply line back to a German port. It does have a naval hit, but it takes two naval/air hits to knock it out with a damage hit marker.

At Oslo (10B:4007) the disrupted wint 2-6 Inf III F and the LW 1-5 Para II II/1 are also both red U-1, because of the still functioning Norwegian intrinsic CDs two hexes to the south at coast hexes 10B:4108 and 4109 on the Oslofjord, each exerting their blocking naval combat zones there across the fjord’s waterway. To be sure, in the particular Oslo hex situation the Norwegian intrinsic CD level of 1 associated with the at start placed “fort marker in coastal hex” at this point in the Allied initial phase is still knocked out with the damage hit marker.

The wint 2-6 Inf III F at Tonsberg (10A:4310), at the mouth of the Oslofjord is in supply not via the minor port at Tonsberg itself, which is in the blocking naval combat zone of the Norwegian intrinsic CD at Fredrikstad (4309) across the fjord, but rather via an overland element westwards to the adjacent minor port at Larvik, at 10B:4311. Similarly, the wint 2-6 Inf III E, the 0-1-5 Const III 6, the LW 0-6 Lt AA II I/611, and the He 111H4 B type (S code) air unit at woods coast hex 10B:4415 (w/ a 1-cap permanent airstrip) on the southern Norwegian coastline are in supply via an overland element to the adjacent German controlled minor port of Kristiansand (4416).

However, seven overland Norwegian controlled hexes away from Kristiansand to the NW at the 3-cap permanent airfield at coast hex 10B:3710, next to Stavanger, the German forces there need to draw on the four available flown in supply points also in the hex. The Axis player elects to put into supply the two Ju 88A1 B type (S code) air units, the Me 109E F type air unit, and the wint 2-6 Inf III B. Keep in mind we’re using Optional Rule 44C1-Airbase Supply in this game. This leaves the Ju 52 T type air unit and the LW 1-5 Para II I/1 fully red U-1, although to be sure technically all the German forces in the hex are in fact U-1, but the four designated units are considered in “special supply” this turn per Rule 12C2a-Supply Points.

All other German and Norwegian forces are in supply this turn, I believe.

Next comes the Allied reinforcement activities for the Apr I 40 Allied turn. Per the SoS Norway: 1939-1945 OB, the Norwegians receive a certain amount of general mobilization +0 ground units at various cities throughout Norway. Note, however, a few of them from this list are already on-map per the separate SoS Campaign for Norway scenario at start OB, as evidently historically Norway mobilized five of them when they went to partial mobilization after the Winter War began in December of 1939. The implication here is that in a full-fledged SoS NTO scenario the Finnish/Allied player could mobilize five particular Norwegian ground units of their own choosing rather than the historical ones evidently indicated in the SoS Campaign for Norway scenario. Maybe we have here the legitimate makings of a limited Norwegian “free deployment set-up” for a future Campaign for Norway scenario variant. The Norwegians receive no special replacements for the recently eliminated 0-1-6 Inf II 2/HMKG in the replacement pool or the sunken CD TF Norge. The Norge army also gets as reinforcements three 2-3-6* Mtn X builds they can assemble if they can stack together the correct units. They also get 3 pts naval transport and a significant increase in their intrinsic CDs. By the end of the initial phase the Norwegian coastline now bristles with menacing coastal artillery.

The Western Allies get a very powerful array of British navy warships, along with a French 5-pt CL TF. The British naval fleet comes with the (2)-pt CV CG (AA=3) Furious. The Br Fleet Air Arm provides a Sword 1 A type (code VC) air unit, and per the SoS Errata Sheet 18 Jan 1999 also the Skua DF type (code C) air unit, the later unit presumably appearing at the Orkney Islands holding box. Note that per Rule 27A4-CGs and Aircraft, only one Fleet Air Arm air unit can base on the aircraft carrier Furious; the other unit must be land based somewhere (eg., at a holding box, for now). I am assuming that the aircraft carrier Furious arrives loaded with either the Sword 1 and Skua air units, or neither, and that one or both of the Fleet Air Arm air units arrive based at the Orkney Islands holding box. In this game the Furious arrives with the Sword 1 A type Fleet Arm air unit on board and the Skua is based at the Orkney Islands holding box. Also included in the reinforcements are a Br Well 1C and a Whit 5 NB type air unit, two unsupported British inf Xs in the Scotland holding box, and a mine point. However, in the SoS OB booklet, the 3-6 Inf X 5 reinf indicated for this turn on p. 4 of the Campaign for Norway Allied OB is, I think, almost certainly meant to be the 3-6 Inf X 24 G, the 3-6 Inf X 5 possibly getting mixed up with the Br 8-6 Inf XX 5 indicated in the Nordic Adventure Allied OB found on the next page. In this game we use the 3-6 Inf X 24 G as the reinf unit this turn. Otherwise the SoS Campaign for Norway Allied OB found on pp. 4-5 of the OB booklet appears to quite accurately dovetail with the Allied OB found in Appendix B of T.K. Derry’s dated (1952) but otherwise apparently semi-official British history book, The Campaign in Norway, at least from the British/Western Allied perspective.

After the Allied reinforcement activities are done, the Norwegians must decide what to do about their capital marker in the contested Oslo hex (10B:4007). At this point in the initial phase they decide to “evacuate the government, moving it to another city” in Norway, per Rule 38A3-Governments. They evacuate their Norwegian capital marker out of the contested Oslo hex and move it into the contested Trondheim hex (5C:2432), stacking the govt marker there with the just arrived Norwegian 1-6 Mtn III 5/12 ST reinf and the disrupted and red U-1 German 2-8* Mtn III B. The Norwegians obviously intend to take back completely the contested Trondheim hex by the end of the combat phase, no doubt with the assistance of Royal Navy NGS.

Next the naval hit marker is removed from the intrinsic CD at the Bergen hex. The damage hit marker is also removed from the intrinsic CD associated with the at start placed “fort marker in coastal hex” at Oslo. At this point in the initial phase (eg., after the reinforcement activities) the intrinsic CD at the Bergen hex has been strengthened to a factor of 3 per the Allied OB instructions.

Late in the Allied initial phase both sides’ inoperative air units become operative; then the German side at least must make inoperative at each airbase LW air units in excess of the base’s capacity. At the reference city airbase at Narvik the Mxd T (LR) T type air unit is made inoperative. At the important 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, next to Stavanger the German player makes inoperative the Ju 52 T type air unit. At the reference city airbase at Esjberg, on the west coast of the Danish peninsula, one of the two Ju 52 T type air units based there becomes inoperative.

Neither side flies any CAP missions in the initial phase.

Because the Axis player has a combat naval group at sea this turn, the Allied player assigns to the naval patrol air mission (Rule 20G2i-Naval Patrol) the Sword 1 A type (code VC) air unit, currently based aboard the Br aircraft carrier Furious at the Orkney Islands holding box.

The Axis player assigns to the naval patrol air mission only the He 111H B type (S code) air unit and the Ju 87R D type air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014, on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula.

Allied Movement Phase

1st Naval Movement Step

First thing in the movement phase the non-phasing Axis player says “I’d like to do some non-phasing air missions at the first opportunity.” The phasing player, having no no momentous moves of his own needing to be done now, says “Go right ahead, but do each air mission one at a time and let me know, just in case as a result of your air mission I, as the phasing player, suddenly decide I want back the phasing initiative in order to do a movement of my own.” The non-phasing player replies: “Yes, of course.” The non-phasing Axis player then air transfers both the He 115B B type (code SF) air unit at Narvik and the operative Ju 52 T type air unit at Esjberg (13A:0621) in Denmark back to the Northern Germany holding box.

After this the Allied player begins embarking a number of 1RE ground units located at the British Game Chart holding boxes or at friendly Norwegian ports onto either Norwegian NTPs or aboard Allied light TF naval units.

At Tromso (5C:0307) the at start Norwegian 1-6 Inf III 16TR spends 30 MPs embarking on a newly arrived Norwegian NTP. At Mosjoes (5C:1622) the at start Norwegian 1-6 Mtn III 6/14SH embarks on the second newly arrived Norwegian NTP. The third available Nor NTP is put on hold, for now.

At the Scotland holding box the Br 5-pt CL TF Cruiser-4 spends 30 MPs embarking the Br 3-6 Inf X 24G reinf located there.

The Br 5-pt CL TF Cruiser-3 spends 17 MPs off-map to move from the Orkney Islands holding box to the Scotland holding box, where there it spends its remaining 13 MP naval movement step allowance embarking the Br 2-6 Inf X 148 reinf. The Allied player decides that it is too early to load up onto a heavy TF the mine point at the Orkney Islands holding box. The mine business will come after the big initial Allied naval reaction to the German invasion of Norway.

The 7-pt BB TF Rodney and the French 5-pt CL TF Cruiser-1 leave the Orkney Island holding box and sail eastwards 30 MPs towards Trondheim, ending the 1st naval movement step at all-sea hex 10B:2005, two hexes NE of the Norwegian controlled port of Kristiansund (10B:2206). This is surely the Allied combat naval group that will provide the powerful NGS for the impending Norwegian/Western Allied attack against the beleaguered and disrupted 2-8* Mtn III B at the Trondheim hex. For the first time the Allied player rolls on the Danger Zones Chart for the German-exerted DZ in the Atlantic Sea Zone: the dice show 7; but only 12 = Contact. The combat naval group has left the British Isles quickly on the somewhat long voyage to Trondheim because it must begin the 90 MP cost required to “prepare to provide NGS for the next combat phase” by the beginning of the 3rd naval movement step, at the latest. They are safely out of range of the He 111H4 air unit on sea patrol from the airfield on the north Denmark coastline; nor can their voyage cause any unwanted reaction from the non-phasing Kriegsmarine combat naval group at faraway hex 10B:4320. Although the Fr CL TF’s strength points are likely not needed in the combat calculations for the impending ground attack at Trondheim, it goes along the voyage to perhaps take the hit for the Rodney in case the Allied combat naval group takes a bad die roll on the Danger Zones Chart.

Sensing that things could come to a head quickly in the 2nd naval movement step, the Axis player now sends the Me 110C1 HF type air unit based at the Aalborg reference city hex (10B:5115) on the CAP mission over all-sea hex 10B:4320, where the large Kriegsmarine combat naval group waits to draw fire from the expected Allied attack against the German amphibious assault force stranded at the Bergen hex.

2nd Naval Movement Step

North of the Arctic circle, the Norwegians spend 28 MPs to sea transport their 1-6 Inf III 16Tr from Troms (5A:0307) to Mosjoen (5C:1622). This leaves it with 5 MPs in the movement phase. Then the 1-6 Mtn III 6/14SH at Mosjoen spends 23 MPs to sea transport northwards to Harstad (5A:0712), three hexes away from the Norwegian 1-2-6* Inf III 6/15NH, next to Narvik at mountain coast hex 5C:0910. It wants to eventually stack with this unit and then assemble into the 2-3-6* Mtn X 6. Per the Naval Transport Costs Summary it too, should have 5 MPs in the movement phase. Both Norwegian cargo naval groups roll no contact on the Danger Zones Chart.

The Allied combat naval group at all-sea hex 10B:2005, comprising the 7-pt BB TF Rodney and the Fr 5-pt CL TF Cruiser-1, spend 11 MPs to finally enter the Trondheim hex (5C:2432). They do not enter the port, but rather stay off-shore “at sea.” For the rest of the 2nd naval movement step they linger there, waiting. No problem for them this naval movement step on the Danger Zones Chart.

At the Scotland holding box the Br 5-pt CL TF Cruiser-3 spends 13 MPs finishing the embarkation of the Br 2-6 Inf 148; then it spends its remaining 17 MPs of the naval movement step to leave the Scotland holding box and reaches all-sea hex 10B:2329, one hex south of the southern tip of the Shetland Islands, where there is a 1-cap permanent airfield. It stays out of range of He 111H sea patrols and in particular the 15 hex reaction radius of the Kriegsmarine combat naval group off the southwest coast of Norway. The Danger Zones dice roll is a 10: no contact.

Then the British Navy begins a significant naval operation. A large combat naval group leaves the Orkney Islands holding box, expending 1 MP per the Allied Game Chart to enter map 10B at all-sea hex 2433. This combat naval group consists of the following British naval units:

  • Furious CV TF (carrying the Sword 1 A type FAA air unit)
  • Valiant BB TF
  • Warspite BB TF
  • Renown BC TF
  • Repulse BC TF
  • Cruiser-1 CA TF

After rolling a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart, it moves two more hexes to 2532, where the aircraft carrier Furious remains while the rest move SE to all-sea hex 10B:3029.

After this initial manoeuvre the Br Cruiser-4 CL TF (w/ Br 3-6 Inf X 24G) and the Br 5-pt CA TF Cruiser-2 leave together the Scotland holding box and expend 13 MPs to also move into hex 10B:3029. This combat naval group successfully rolls no contact on the Danger Zones Chart. The two British fleets combine at hex 3029 into a single large combat naval group per Rule 28-Naval Movement: General. This hex is one hex west of both the 15 hex reaction radius of the Kriegsmarine combat naval group at 10B:4320 and the sea patrol radius limit of the He 111H air unit at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014, on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula. Not sure exactly how the Axis player will handle the unfolding naval warfare situation, the Allied player cautiously announces that the next MP will be the first MP of night movement, and proceeds to move at night 10 hexes due east to all-sea hex 10B:3019, three hexes due west of Bergen, for a naval movement step subtotal of 23 MPs, so far for this combat naval group. The Axis player does nothing. Then the Allied player moves the Furious CV TF, carrying the Sword 1 FAA air unit, westward 13 hexes to all-sea hex 10B:2619, five hexes NW of Bergen. Next the Allied player expends 1 MP to move in daylight the main force at 3019 one hex west to all-sea hex 3018 and pauses; the British sailors scour the sky for Heinkels on the torpedo run; but the Axis player does nothing. Seeing the emerging pattern, the Allied player then goes ahead and moves his entire main combat naval group two more hexes into the Bergen hex, the main combat naval group thus expending a grand total of 28 MPs. The Cruiser-4 CL TF (w/ Br 3-6 Inf X 24G) enters the Bergen harbor and expends its last 2 MPs to begin disembarking the Br inf X at the hex; but the rest of the British combat naval group lingers off-shore “at sea” in the hex. The combat naval group in the Bergen hex consists of the following British naval units:

off-shore “at sea:”

  • Valiant BB TF
  • Warspite BB TF
  • Renown BC TF
  • Repulse BC TF
  • Cruiser-1 CA TF
  • Cruiser-2 CA TF

disembarking in the Bergen port:

  • Cruiser-4 CL TF (w/ Br 3-6 Inf X 24G)

3rd Naval Movement Step

At the Trondheim hex (5C:2432) both the Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF expend 30 MPs preparing to provide NGS for the next combat phase. This Western Allied combat naval group is off-shore “at sea.” It rolls a 7 on the Danger Zones Chart: no contact.

The Br Cruiser-3 CL TF (w/ Br unsupported 2-6 Inf X 148) at all-sea hex 10B:2328 spends 30 MPs to reach all-sea hex 10B:2102, three hexes WSW of Trondheim. It rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart.

At the perhaps increasingly dangerous Bergen hex (10B:3016), the Cruiser-4 CL TF (w/ Br unsupported 3-6 Inf X 24G) expends 28 MPs to complete the disembarkation of its infantry unit cargo at the Bergen port. Then it stays put in the harbor till the end of the current naval movement step.

The large British combat naval group off-shore “at sea” in the Bergen coast hex first rolls a 7 on the Danger Zones Chart. Then the Renown BC, the Repulse BC, and the Cruisers-1 and -2 CA TFs expend their 30 MP naval movement step allowance preparing to provide NGS for the next combat phase. Per the Naval MP Summary found on SoS Game Pay Chart (2) it takes a total of 90 MPs to complete the preparation for NGS. Those EA members interested in the unfolding Bergen hex SoS naval warfare game play may wish to study and ponder Rule 33A-Naval Gunfire Support [NGS]. The big Royal Navy warships comprising the Valiant BB and Warspite BB TFs do not prepare to provide any NGS for the next combat phase, but definitely linger off-shore “at sea” in the Bergen hex, evidently providing added protection to the rest of the large combat naval group there in the hex, of which they are of course also a part of.

Then the Allied player rolls the dice on the Danger Zones Chart for the solitary Furious CV TF (carrying the Sword 1 A type (code VC) air unit) at all-sea hex 10B:2619, five hexes NW of the Bergen hex. The dice show 5: no contact. The Allied player would have liked to have provided the Br CV TF with some protection TF escort, but so far none has been available on the busy and big Allied reaction turn to the Nazi invasion of Norway. The implication is that the Allied player believes the risks are worth it in terms of Allied wargame campaign victory.

Finally, in a perhaps dangerous and risky move, the Allied player does something to increase the tension and up the ante in the escalating naval war gamble unfolding in the North Sea. Using the 3rd and last available Norwegian NTP, the Allied player begins to embark on it the Nor 1-6 Inf III 8RI reinf located at the important standard port of Stavanger at the southwestern Norwegian coast hex at 10B:2619, expending 30 MPs to complete the embarkation by the end of the current naval movement step.

4th Naval Movement Phase

At the Trondheim hex the Western Allied naval combat group consisting of the Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF add another 30 MPs preparing to provide NGS for the next combat phase. However, at the start of the combat naval movement phase this task force rolls a 12 on the Danger Zones Chart. A random drawing picks the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF as the naval unit “check[ed] for damage from the danger zone [contact]” per Rule 34D2-Danger Zones. The “1” column of the Naval Combat Table us used and the die result is 2: a Miss.

The Br Cruiser-2 CL TF (w/ unsupported Br 2-6 Inf X 148) at nearby all-sea hex 10B:2102, expends 6 MPs to sail through the narrow Norwegian fjord coast hexes and eventually enter the Trondheim port hex, where its expends its remaining 24 MPs for the current naval movement step proceeding with the disembarkation of its ground unit cargo at the Trondheim hex. At the start of the naval movement step it rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart.

Next the Br Furious CV TF (carrying the Sword 1 A type FAA air unit) at all sea hex 10B:2619 rolls the dice on the Danger Zones Chart and gets a 9: no contact. For the second naval movement step in a row it remains stationary here, 5 hexes to the NW of the Bergen hex. However, in the current naval movement step the Furious CV TF is joined by the Br Cruiser-4 CL TF, which now leaves the port of Bergen after completing in the previous naval movement step the disembarkation of its 3-6 Inf X 24G cargo at the Bergen port hex. After rolling a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart upon leaving the Bergen port, the Br CL TF spends 6 MPs to join the Br CV TF at 10B:2619 and combines with it to form there a new somewhat larger combat naval group.

Back at the Bergen hex the particular assigned TFs of the large Br combat naval group there off-shore “at sea” expend another 30 MPs preparing to provide NGS for the next combat naval phase. The two exceptions to the NGS preparation are the Valiant and Warspite BB TFs, which evidently intend to screen the Br naval units providing the NGS. At the start of the current naval movement step this combat naval group rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart. If the Germans are going to do something about the unfolding Allied naval operation at the Bergen hex time is running out. This is the third Allied naval movement step in a row that the Axis player has neither flown the available and in range He 111H B type (S code) air unit on the sea patrol air mission it is assigned to, nor attempted a reaction movement die roll per Rule 28B-Reaction Movement to Allied naval group MP expenditures within the reaction range of the non-phasing Kriegsmarine naval group at 10B:4320.

Then, at the Norwegian held Stavanger standard port hex at 10B:2619, the Allied player announces that he is sea transporting the Nor 1-6 Inf III 8RI reinf which was embarked on the Norwegian NTP during the last naval movement step. A little unsure as to the best way to handle the tricky and dangerous sea transport operation, the Allied player decides first to do the sea transport using exclusively inshore waters per Rule 34A1-Inshore Waters in order to prevent this particular sea transport movement from triggering any reaction movement by Axis naval group at 10B:4320. Secondly, the Allied player says that the first 10 MPs of the inshore waters sea transport will be done using night movement in order to avoid for a time any possible sea patrol activity by the He 111H B type (S code) air unit. Accordingly, the Nor NTP sea transports the Nor ground unit 10 MPs at night movement using exclusively coastal hexes to the Norwegian coastal island of Bolmo, at hex 10B:3218. Then it expends 2 MPs in daylight to sea transport to the Norwegian coastal island of Huftor, at adjacent hex 3118. Pausing for a moment to see what the Axis player will do, the Allied player notes that the LW does nothing. Now having to sail in daylight but still utilizing inshore waters, the Allied player goes ahead and sea transports the Nor ground unit to the port of Bergen, expending a total of 16 MPs in doing the sea transport voyage. The NTP then expends its remaining 14 MPs of the naval movement step to begin disembarking its ground unit cargo at the Bergen port hex.

5th Naval Movement Step

At the Trondheim hex the combat naval group there consisting of the Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF add their final 30 MPs preparing to provide the NGS for the next combat phase, reaching the 90 MP cost at the last MP of the current naval movement step. The Danger Zones Chart dice roll indicates a no contact result.

The Br Cruiser-2 CL TF (w/ Br unsupported 2-6 Inf X 148) in the Trondheim port spends 6 MPs to complete the disembarkation of its ground unit cargo there. Then it spends 24 MPs to sail out of the Trondheim hex and voyage westwards to all-sea hex 10B:2417, three hexes to the NE of the Br combat naval group comprising of the Br Furious CV TF and the Br Cruiser-4 CL TF. Upon leaving the safety of the friendly Trondheim port hex harbor the Br Cruiser-2 CL TF rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart.

At all-sea hex 10B:2619 the Br combat naval group comprising the Furious CV TF and the Br Cruiser-4 CL TF also rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart. This naval group remains in its hex throughout the naval movement step.

At the Bergen hex the Allied player first says that he is expending 16 MPs to complete the disembarkation of the Nor 1-6 Inf III 8RI there. Then he rather quickly announces “the end” of the preparations of providing NGS for the next combat naval phase by the particular assigned naval units of the large Allied combat naval group in the Bergen hex, and in the same breath says “the end” of the naval movement sub-phase itself is in fact a done deal. The Axis player says “Wait a minute, countdown the last 30 MPs of the NGS preparation, and let me know when you get to the 29th MP.” Then, as if aiding and abetting the enemy, he also blurts out “Do you want to use night movement at or near the end of your naval movement step MP activity at the Bergen hex?” From all this war game subterfuge an array of important and critical rules issues is about to spring forth.

We will pause for a moment for the EA audience and will attempt to explain what the Allied player is trying to do at the Bergen hex in the naval movement sub-phase. First, in having the Renown BC, the Repulse BC, and the Cruiser-1 and 2 CA TFs (all being 5 strength pt TFs) prepare NGS for the next combat phase, the Allied player is providing up to a possible total of 20 NGS strength attack points to be added to any accompanying ground unit attack tally. If I am understanding Rule 33A-Naval Gunfire Support correctly, each 1 RE of ground units attacking means 4 NGS strength points can be added to the attack, along with 1 extra NGS strength point possibly added, if available. The Allied player already has 3 REs of ground units at the Bergen hex even before the ground movement sub-phase. The Germans have a disrupted and unsupported factored defense strength total of 1 at the Bergen hex, with up to 3 factored DAS tac factors by two Ju 88A1 air units flown in from the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, for a possible grand total of 4 defense factors. The projected Allied attack against the two disrupted and unsupported Ger 2-6 Inf IIIs at the Bergen hex will be done with a -3 modifier: -2 for mud and -1 for the rough terrain at the Bergen hex. A hard look at the SoS Ground CRT indicates that, under the circumstances of the phasing player conducting combat within a hex also containing disrupted enemy units, any combat with a -3 modification is likely unwise/risky at 5 to 1 or less, because of possible AR and AS results; but attacking at 6 to 1 or greater is OK, as it guarantees the Allies complete control of the hex after combat.

In this situation it appears the only available defense strategy for the Axis player is either the 3 tac factor DAS mission and/or by somehow “removing” by naval combat this naval movement step some or all the available Allied NGS for the projected combat.

With all the above in mind the Allied player countdowns his NGS preparation expenditure to the 29th MP and says so to the Axis player. Then the Axis player initiates the sea patrol air mission by the He 111H B type (S code) air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014, on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula, 17 hexes away from Bergen. We assume that per Rule 20G2i-Naval Patrol, all naval patrol air ops are, in the final analysis, triggered by any particular MP spend of an enemy naval group during a naval movement step done in “any hex within an air unit’s naval patrol zone.” Evidently a naval unit that does absolutely nothing but linger in a hex during a naval movement step nevertheless “spends” its 30 MP allowance in the hex. Per the Success Table Die Roll Modifiers there appears to be a +3 for the calm sea conditions at the Bergen hex per Rule 41B1-Campaign for Norway Scenario: Starting Conditions, and an added total of -3 “for every 5 hexes (or fraction thereof) after the first 5 flown to the target hex.” The Success Table die roll is a 2: failure. The He 111H returns inoperative to the 3-cap airfield at 10B:5014.

The Axis player then says “Proceed, if you’re ready.” The Allied player says “Yes, and it’s still daylight.” Even this ominous news tells the Axis player a lot about the Allied player’s intentions in the naval warfare operation at the Bergen hex. When the Allied player says he has expended the 30th MP of his NGS preparation the Axis player says “I wish to attempt a naval group reaction per Rule 28B-Reaction Movement to the 30th MP done at the Bergen hex by the phasing naval group there, which is 15 hexes (traced by sea) away from the Kriegsmarine naval group at 10B:4320.” After some rules quibbling the die roll is done and the Success Table is consulted; a 2: a Failure.

Had the reaction attempt been successful, the non-phasing Axis player would have moved his combat naval group 15 hexes to 10B:3017, at the Norwegian isle of Sorta. This would have instigated combat with the Allied combat naval group in the adjacent Bergen hex, along with the intrinsic CD with a strength of 3 in the Bergen hex per Rule 28C-Movement and Combat, and along with a sea patrol air op mission by the Sword 1 A type air unit aboard the aircraft carrier Furious five hexes away to the NW. The ensuing big naval battle would likely have been quite hurtful to the Kriegsmarine combat naval group, whose survival would have been contingent on an eventual successful disengagement die roll per Rule 29D-Disengagement. But the German naval attack might well have forced the Allied player have his TFs “prepared for NGS” come to the aid of the two battleship TFs Valiant and Warspite and draw their fire too, into the naval combat shoot-out. Per Rule 33-Naval Gunfire Support, this untimely Allied naval combat firing would have undone the NGS preparations of the four Br TFs in the hex and would have certainly frustrated the impending Allied attack against the two disrupted Ger inf IIIs in the hex, compelling the Allies to evacuate the Bergen hex in their ground movement sub-phase and abandon the dot city/major port Bergen hex to the Nazi amphibious assault force remaining in the hex. For those who may wish to ask, an Axis disengagement die roll would perhaps take place after the end of the second round of naval combat, after possibly an unsuccessful initial but timely British attempt to disengage after the first round using just the two BB TFs Valiant and Warspite as the screen and the four TFs prepared for NGS as the main body. At the second round of naval combat the Allied player may have been compelled to make their entire combat naval group the screen if the Valiant and Warspite TFs had taken a hard pounding in the first. This would have been the certain signal to the Axis to attempt disengagement at the end of the round with what would have been left of the Kriegsmarine task force, having by then done the intended damage to the projected Allied ground attack at the Bergen hex. I believe a successful Axis disengagement die roll in this particular situation would have meant the end of the 5th naval movement step; and that per Rule 29D the non-phasing Axis player could/would have moved 15 MPs southwards at the very start of the 1st Allied naval movement step of the exploitation phase. By the way, in this case in the wargame the last Axis non-phasing MP would have been at night movement.

After this the Allied player says “Now, the Allied movement phase naval movement sub-phase is certainly over.” “Yes, of course,” replies the Axis player.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase

Beginning in the far north above the A weather line and in snow weather, the Nor 1-6 Mtn III 6/14SH which sea transported earlier to the point city/minor port of Harstad (5C:0712) on the twisted Norwegian isle of Hinn appears to be able to admin move two hexes eastwards across a narrow straits hexside onto the European mainland and hence along a fjord coast road to wooded rough coast road hex 5C:0911, one hex west of the Nor 1-2-6* Inf III 15NH at mountain road junction coast hex 0910, next to German occupied Narvik (5C:1010).

A little farther to the south, the Nor 1-6 Inf III 16Tr, which sea transported earlier to the point city/minor port of Mosjoen (5C:1622), admin moves northwards in the mud weather to mountain road Swedish border hex 5C:1518. Note that per the SoS Campaign for Norway initial conditions what might be called the Norwegian coast railway’s northernmost hex is at the point city/transportation line junction hex at 5C:2226 (Grong). Per the scenario’s initial conditions a road exists from Grong to point city/minor port Bodo, at hex 5C:1217. North of Bodo towards Narvik there exists in this scenario six rugged overland hexes with no road whatsoever along with four narrow straits hexsides. Transportation line markers from Wavell’s War are used to here designate the scenario’s deviations from the SoS game map’s indicated features.

One hex east of Trondheim (5C:2432), at clear terrain rail junction coast hex 5C:2431, where there is also a 1-cap permanent airstrip, the at start Nor 0-1-8 Cav II 3Tdl regular moves two hexes west along the Norwegian coastal rail line through the Trondheim hex and ends its move at at woods rail coast hex 5C:2433, adjacent to Trondheim to the west. In doing so it leaves the at start 1-6 Mtn III 5/13NT at 5C:2431 to hold the airstrip adjacent to Trondheim. From the Trondheim hex, the Nor 1-6 Mtn III 5/12St reinf moves inland one hex SE to adjacent woods coast hex 5C:2532; this maneuver will completely hem in the besieged and disrupted Ger 2-8* Mtn III B in the Trondheim hex, blocking all three possible DR routes. At the reference city/major port woods coast rail Trondheim hex, the following forces remain:

  • Br 2-6 Inf X 148
  • Nor govt capital marker
  • Br Rodney 7-pt BB TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • Fr Cruiser-1 5-pt CL TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • disrupted Ger 2-8* Mtn III B, at red U-1.

At Trondheim the Allied player appears to easily have the makings of an 8 to 1 -3 combat in the combat phase, thanks to the powerful NGS of the Western Allied naval combat group off-shore in the hex. This combat also includes the unsupported attack factors of the Nor inf III, the mtn III, and the 0 attack strength cav II in the three adjacent land hexes.

From the Trondheim zone we focus next on the Oslo region in our description of the Apr I 40 Allied turn ground movement sub-phase activities. One of the preliminary things we do is study the GE Weather Table in order to better anticipate what the Apr II 40 Axis turn weather will be like in weather zone C, which is where the Oslo region is located; also in the C zone are the Bergen, Trondheim, SW Norwegian coastline, and Namsos (5C:2129) zones. A glance here tells us that there’s a 5 in 6 chance of Mud next turn in the C weather zone. A die roll of 1 means Clear weather.

Also, after reviewing Rule 7A-Railroads, the revised conclusion is that the Allied player has a Scandinavian Rail Net capacity this turn of 7 instead of 10. This is due to -2 for the 2 rail marshaling yard hits done by the Axis player last turn and a -1 beginning this turn for the Allied loss of the major port of Narvik. Technically the Axis player has a captured Scandinavian Rail Net capacity of 1 this turn, but it must be linked up with the captured rail marshaling yard at the Axis controlled Narvik major port hex, and so it appears for now to be a moot point.

At this instant the Axis player says that he’d like to perform a non-phasing air op. The Allied player says “Wait until I do an air op of my own that I have in mind now. As phasing player I have the immediate initiative.” The Allied player then does an air transfer mission of the Nor C.V A type air unit based in the Oslo hex to the 1-cap permanent airstrip located at adjacent wooded rough coast rail hex 10B:3908. With a sigh, the Axis player sends the Me 110C1 HF type air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014, on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula, on the CAP mission over the Oslo hex (4007).

Then the Allied player rails the primo Nor 1-2-6* Mtn III 7Ag reinf at 10B:4116 in southern Norway to the 1-cap airstrip hex at 3908, adjacent to the Oslo hex to the NW. One wonders if, on their rail journey along the Allied controlled rail hexes, the Norwegian soldiers can see through the railway coach windows facing south any signs of German activity at the adjacent Norwegian coast hexes at 10B:4416 (Kristiansand) or 4415. At Oslo, the Nor 1-6 Inf III 2Jk reinf there expends 3 MPs in the Oslo hex to inflict one damage hit on the 6-cap Oslo partial city hex airbase, per Optional Rule 44B7-Variable Demolition Costs, and then spends 2 MPs using the transportation line as a road to end its move stacked with the 1-2-6* Mtn III 7Ag at the 1-cap permanent airstrip hex 3908, where the Nor C.V A type air unit is now based inoperative. Here the two Nor ground units stacked together then assemble into the Nor 2-3-6* Mtn X 3. Note that the Oslo hex already has a rail hit marker on it due to the rail marshaling yard bomb hits done to it by the Luftwaffe on the Apr I 40 Axis turn. This rail break here makes it harder this turn for the Norwegian army to maneuver in the important Oslo zone.

Next the Nor 1-6 Inf III 2/5 Ol reinf at 10:3604 and the Nor 0-1-8 Cav II 2 Op reinf at the adjacent Hamar point city hex 10B:3605 both rail to woods rain junction hex 4006, one hex due east of Oslo. The 0-1-8 Cav II 2 Op then expends 3 MPs at regular movement to move one hex to forest hex 4107, to the SE of Oslo, and then expends 3 MPs at regular movement to move another hex to clear terrain Oslofjord coast rail hex 10B:4108, to the SW of Oslo. The 1-6 Inf III 2/5 Ol remains at 4006, east of Oslo. Right afterwards the two Nor reinf ground units stacked at 10B:3906, the 1-6 Inf III 2/4Ak and the 0-1-8 Cav II 1Ak, both expend 3 regular MPs to move together west one hex to woods rail hex 3907, one hex NE of Oslo. The 1-6 Inf III 2/4Ak entrains and rails all the way to the Bergen hex. The 0-1-8 Cav II 1Ak also entrains and rails two hexes to guard Honefoss at 10B:3808. Then the Nor 1-6 Inf III 5/11Mo reinf at far-off Andalsnes (10B:2407) rails to 10B:3906, from where it spends it last 3 MPs regular moving to adjacent woods rail hex 10B:3907, to the NE of Oslo.

The Nor 1-6 Inf III 2/Vl reinf at Honefoss (10B:3808) then regular moves one hex west on the transportation line to woods rail hex 3809, where it expends 4 MPs to demolish the Drams River bridge per Optional Rule 44A1-Bridges. Similarly, the Nor 1-6 Inf III 1/3Tm reinf at 10B:4010 rails to woods coast rail hex 4008, where it also spends 4 MPs to demolish the Drams River bridge there. Although the temptation is great, the Norwegians decide not to venture any of their precious few ground units down to the southern Norway Skagerrak coastline to retake either Larvik (10B:4111) or Kristiansand (10B:4416).

Finally, the Nor 1-6 Inf III Of reinf at Fredrikstad (10B:4309) regular moves NW two hexes up the Oslofjord coast transportation line to clear terrain Oslofjord coast rail hex 10B:4108, SW of Oslo, stacking there with the Nor 0-1-8 Cav II 2Op. This hex, which is adjacent to Oslo, is important to the Norwegians not only because of its intrinsic CD with a strength of 2, but also because the Nor 1st Inf XX HQ unit reinf arrives there next turn. If the Axis player attacks this Norwegian stack next turn so much the better for the other imperiled Norwegian forces in the Oslo region. These light Norwegian forces in the Oslo region are as wispy as small dry leaves on a dry sidewalk. Only mud weather will save them from being blown away next turn.

By the end of the ground movement sub-phase the Norwegians have no forces remaining in the Oslo hex, which the Allied player in fact still controls. The Allied player has remaining in the Oslo hex an at start Nor “fort marker in coast hex” with an intrinsic CD strength of 1.

In the Bergen zone the stout Nor 1-2-6* Mtn III 4/10Fj reinf at mountain rail hex 10B:3014, two rail hexes east of Bergen (10B:3016), regular moves one hex west to forest rail hex 3015, adjacent to Bergen. This is to prevent any of the disrupted Ger Inf IIIs in the Bergen hex from DR’ing to there after combat. This supported Nor mtn III intends to join in from here the anticipated attack at the Bergen hex. And the Nor 1-6 Inf III 2/4Ak reinf railed into the Bergen hex from the faraway Oslo region gives the Allies 4 REs of ground units inside the Bergen hex. This will evidently allow them to utilize up to 17 of the 20 NGS strength points available there in the upcoming impending combat attack. This should be enough to give the Allied player a grand total of 24 attack factors for the combat at the Bergen hex, enough for a 6 to 1 -3, assuming 3 factored LW DAS tac factors added to the factored Ger ground unit defense total of 1, for a factored defense grand total of 4.

At the end of the ground movement sub-phase the following forces are found in the Bergen hex:

  • Nor 1-6 Inf III 2/4Ak
  • Nor 1-6 Inf III 9Hl
  • Nor 1-6 Inf III 8Rl
  • Br 3-6 Inf X 24G
  • Warspite BB TF off-shore “at sea”
  • Valiant BB TF off-shore “at sea”
  • Repulse BC TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • Renown BC TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • Cruiser-1 CA TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • Cruiser-2 CA TF off-shore “at sea;” prepared for NGS
  • Nor intrinsic CD w/ a strength level of 3
  • 2 x disrupted and unsupported Ger Inf IIIs C, at red U-1.

Near the end of the ground movement sub-phase the Axis player sends the Me 109E F type air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720 on the CAP mission over the Bergen hex.

By now I believe the Allies have expended all 7 their available Scandinavian Rail Net capacity this turn.

Combat Phase

First comes the battle for Trondheim (5C2432). The Axis player has defending at this reference city coast woods hex the disrupted and isolated 2-8* Mtn III B, at red U-1. It has a defense factor of 1, halved for disruption. The U-1 doesn’t affect its defense factor. The Allied player attacks with an attack factor of 8, including 5 Br navy NGS factors in the hex, the Br 2-8 Inf X 148 in the hex and supported by the NGS, the two unsupported Nor 1-6 mtn IIIs in two adjacent hexes, and even the 0 attack strength Nor cav II in a third adjacent hex, which equates to a combat at 8 to 1 -3 (-2 for mud weather plus -1 for woods terrain). The die roll is a 5, which modifies to a 2: DH, which in this case is as good as a DE. The unfortunate and isolated Ger 2-8* Mtn III B is placed in the German Replacement Pool. After combat the Nor 1-6 Mtn III 5/12St at adjacent woods hex 2532 moves into the Trondheim hex.

Certain of the Bergen attack, the German player flies to the Bergen hex on the DAS mission the two Ju 88A1 type B (S code) air units based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720. The LW air units’ individual tac factor of 3 are halved to 1.5 due to the mud weather, for a combined total of 3 DAS factors. The two disrupted and unsupported Ger 2-6 inf IIIs combined defense factors total to 1, making a grand total of 4 Germandefense factors at the Bergen hex. The Allied player attacks with a total of 24 factored attack factors and with no GS, which equates to a 6 to 1 -3(-2 for mud weather plus -1 for rough terrain). The die roll is 4, which modifies to a 1: a DR. The two forlorn and disrupted 2-6 Inf IIIs C retreat onto the narrow spit of land found at the adjacent clear terrain coast hex at 10B:3117. After combat the Nor 1-2-6* Mtn III 4/10Fj advances into the Bergen hex. The two Ger Ju88A1 air units return to base to the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, but for now the Me 109E air unit remains on its CAP mission over the Bergen hex.

Exploitation Phase

1st Naval Movement Step

The Western Allied combat naval group comprising the Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF proudly leaves the Allied held Trondheim hex, which is also the current seat of the Norwegian govt capital marker. Per Rule 34B2-Ammo Depletion a U-3 supply status marker is placed on each TF to indicate its ammunition is depleted due to providing naval gunfire support in the previous combat phase. After rolling an 8 on the Danger Zones Chart, the combat naval group sails westwards and ends its 30th MP naval movement step allowance at all-sea hex 10B:2423.

The Br Cruiser-3 CL TF at all-sea hex 10B:2417, after rolling no contact on the Danger Zones Chart, moves 17 hexes west and enters the Orkney Islands holding box, where it spends its remaining 13 MP naval movement step allowance replenishing.

The Br combat naval group comprising the Furious CV TF (carrying the Sword 1 FAA air unit) and the Br Cruiser-4 CL TF at all-sea hex 10B:2619 first rolls a no contact on the Danger Zones Chart. Then this combat naval group spends 16 MPs sailing westwards to eventually enter the Orkney Islands holding box. There it spends its remaining 14 MP naval movement step allowance replenishing.

The Axis player then tells his opponent that he wishes to conduct a non-phasing naval strike air mission per Rules 20G2h-Naval Strike and 27B2-Naval Group against those naval units in the large Br combat naval group off-shore “at sea” in the Bergen hex which provided NGS the previous combat phase and which have not yet moved. The Axis player intends to fly to the Bergen hex the He 111H4 B type (S code) air unit based at the 1-cap permanent airfield at woods coast hex 10B:4415, next to Kristiansand. After some rules quibbling he does so, and with his He 111H4 tac factor halved to a 1 for mud weather rolls on the “1” column of the Bombing Table, with a +1 modifier for being a S code. The Axis player manages to roll a 2: a Miss. The He 111H4 air unit returns to base at the airstrip at 10B:4415 and lands inoperative.

After rolling the dice and getting a 6 on the Danger Zones Chart, the Allied player then moves the large combat naval group “at sea” at the Bergen hex one hex west to the Norwegian isle of Sorta hex at 10B:3019, when the Axis player says he wants to attempt a non-phasing naval group reaction attempt per Rule 28B-Reaction Movement. Those Br TFs that provided the naval gunfire support in the previous combat phase have U-3 supply status markers on them. Rule 34B2-Ammo Depletion says “An ammo-depleted TF has its NGS strength halved when providing NGS in subsequent combat phases.” Right now this doesn’t make sense to me. Could the intended meaning of this rule be that the affected TFs have their naval combat strengths halved in naval combat done in subsequent naval movement steps, prior to replenishment? Using the Success Table with no modifiers the Axis player rolls a 4: Failure. The frustrated Kriegsmarine combat naval group remains inherit at all-sea hex 10B:4320, where it’s been the entire Allied turn; and without further ado the Allied player happily sails his large combat naval group westwards 22 MPs to the Orkney Islands holding box, where it spends its last 8 MPs of the naval movement step replenishing.

2nd Naval Movement Step

After rolling no contact on the Danger Zones Chart, the combat naval group comprising the Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CL TF spends 11 MPs sailing west and enters the Orkney Islands holding box, where it spends 19 MPs replenishing.

The rest of the Allied naval units in the Orkney Islands holding box finish their replenishments per Rule 34B-Naval Supply Considerations. At the Admiralty there is talk of perhaps sending a big naval task force out to sea again this turn to go after the hitherto ineffective Kriegsmarine naval group at 10B:4320 and sink the whole Nazi German fleet; others scheme to have a large Allied non-phasing naval combat group at sea maybe somewhere in the North Sea in the Apr II 40 Axis turn, with the intentions of thereby frustrating any German naval operations in that sea. Some push for a more modest mine laying operation somewhere on the southern Norwegian coast, say at the point city/standard port Haugesund, at 10B:3319. But in the end the British navy decides that it has already accomplished plenty this turn, and that the wisest course now might be that they aim to consolidate and preserve their naval forces both for the defense of what they’ve won this turn and as a powerful reaction weapon against German counter thrusts certain to be occurring in the near future.

3rd Naval Movement Step

The Br Rodney BB TF and the Fr Cruiser-1 CF TF each spend 11 MPs finishing their replenishments at the Orkney Islands holding box.

4th and 5th Naval Movement Step

All Allied naval forces in the game remain at the Orkney Islands holding box; by now all Allied TFs are replenished.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase (c/m units only):

The Allies have no c/m units in play to move in the exploitation phase. But both sides do some air ops before the end of the Allied turn.

First however, per Rule15-Breakdowns/Assemblies the Nor 1-2-6* Mtn III 4/10Fj and the 1-6 Inf III 4Ak stacked at the Bergen hex assemble into the 2-3-6* Mtn III 4.

Then the Br Well 1C and Whit 5 NB type air units in the Bomber Command holding box do the air transfer mission to the Orkney Islands holding box. Because of the distances indicated on the British Game Chart, the Bomber Command holding box must represent the London zone.

At the end of the exploitation phase the LW Me 109 E air unit on the CAP mission over the Bergen hex returns to base at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, on the SW coastline of Norway adjacent to Allied controlled Stavanger.

The Me 110C1 air unit on the CAP mission over the ineffective Kriegsmarine combat naval group still lingering “at sea” at North Sea hex 10B:4320 returns to base at the reference city airbase at Aalborg (10B:5515) in NE Denmark.

The Me 110C1 air unit on the CAP mission over the Oslo hex returns to base at the 3-cap permanent airfield at hex 10B:5014, on the NE coast of the Danish peninsula.

 

Apr I 40 German Turn

Initial Phase

Per Rule 41B1-Campaign for Norway Starting Conditions, the first turn weather “is automatically a ‘2’.” This means it is clear weather in the Denmark zone (in weather zone D), mud in the central and southern Norway regions, which includes Oslo, Bergen, and Trondheim (in weather zones B and C), and snow in northern Norway, which includes Narvik (in weather zone A). All on-map seas are calm.

I believe the German player starts the scenario with no available ARPs, and apparently receives none until the May I 40 air cycle. Per the Grand Europa German NTO OB, 1940-1945, the Germans evidently have accumulated 4 inf RPs and 2 resource points and receive these in the SoS North Theater “from Greater Germany” in the German Apr I 40 initial phase. See pp. 45-46.

German players will likely want to become acquainted with the Conditional Reinforcements part of the German North Theater OB, including the Stripping Down Units section found on p. 47 of the SoS OB booklet.

The Axis player flies no CAP missions in the initial phase.

Movement Phase

1st Naval Movement Step

A “mixed naval group” (Rule 27B2-Naval Group) leaves the Northern Germany holding box and enters map E10B(SW)/10B at hex 5122. The mixed naval group’s map entry 15th MP (per the German Game Chart) is here considered the last MP of night movement (Rule 34A2-Movement at Night). Although we will here admit to knowing that the SoS Errata Sheet dated 18 Jan 1999 says to “ignore the -1 modifier for night” stipulation of the Naval Combat Table found on the Combat Charts and Tables sheet, we wonder if this “ignoring” is supposed to apply only to combat situations between naval units and/or CDs. But should Naval Combat Table die rolls involving Danger Zones (Rule 34D2-Danger Zones) also ignore the -1 night modifier? In any event we use the Danger Zones Chart (found on the back page of the SoS OB booklet) and roll dice for entering a “British-Exerted” danger zone hex and roll an 8 without the night modifier: no contact. The mixed naval group then continues bearing due north another 15 MPs in daylight until it expends its 30th MP naval movement step allowance (Rule 28A-Naval Movement: General) at all-sea hex 10B:3621, two sea hexes due west of Stavanger. This mixed naval group consists of the following naval units:

  • Scharnhorst BC TF (w/ 1 mine point)
  • Gneisenau BC TF (w/ 1 mine point)
  • Hipper CA TF
  • Cruiser-1 CL TF (w/ unsupported 2-6 Inf III C)
  • Flotilla-1 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B)
  • Flotilla-2 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B)
  • 1 NTP carrying unsupported 2-6 Inf III C.

At this point in the German 1st Naval Movement Step a mixed naval group leaves Kiel and sails northwards into the Danish archipelago in the Baltic Sea. This mixed group consists of the following naval units:

  • Lützow BP TF
  • Blücher CA TF
  • NTP carrying unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III G
  • NTP carrying unsupported wint 1-6 Inf III G
  • NTP carrying unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III E
  • NTP carrying unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F
  • NTP carrying unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F.

Here I believe we must come to a complete stop in the wargame commentary and commence a rules deposition. At Rule 41B2-Special Conditions the SoS rules say “Axis naval units in the Northern Germany off-map holding box may embark cargo at no MP cost during the Axis movement phase of the first game tun (only).” Right now I think this special embarkation cut-rate should also apply to cargo embarking at the Baltic Sea German ports on map E13A(NE) during the movement phase of the Axis first game turn (only). If this cannot be, either because of some Norwegian campaign historical reality that I’m not aware of, or if in any event law abiding Europa players must wear the RAW chain-hobble because “rules is rules,” then perhaps there is a second-rate alternative. Maybe the above mentioned mixed naval group can indeed embark in the Northern Germany off-map holding box and then, using the Kiaser Wilhelm Canal, expend 2 MPs to sea move from the holding box to the Kiel partial city/major port coast hex. Rule 28A1a-Kiaser Wilhelm Canal says this canal “connects” the off-map holding box to the game map; so presumably it may cost 2 MPs (see the Naval MP Cost Summary on Game Play Chart 2) of sea movement to move from there to the Kiel sea coast hex. If this is OK at the EA, then simply add the 2 additional MPs at the appropriate places below. If this alternative cannot be because “rules is rules” and the Kiaser Wilhelm Canal in fact has no relevance in SoS because specific instructions for its actual use are apparently not spelled out anywhere in the game literature (ie., nothing on the German Game Chart), then assume for now a home brew house rule for the relevant activity below. Note that overland ground unit movement between the Northern Germany Holding Box, the Sylt Holding Box, and map E10B(SW) [northern Germany and most of Denmark] has evidently been overlooked on the SoS German Game Chart. In this game we will use FtF map 13A as a play aide to resolve these particular ground movement issues as they arise.

From Kiel, this Kriegsmarine mixed naval group expends 19 MPs to sail in daylight to hex 13A:0714. Care is taken to stay clear of the CD placed at the Korsar hex, and so here the mixed naval group skirts along the eastern coast of the Danish isle of Fyn. At hex 0714 the mixed naval group splits into two groups. A cargo naval group (Rule 27B2-Naval Group) consisting of the two NTPs carrying the two wint 2-6 Inf IIIs G moves 1 MP east to all-sea hex 0713 and then expends 5 more MPs to finally enter the Danish point city/minor port clear terrain coast hex of Helsingor at 13A:1012. Here the two NTPs begin an amphibious landing of their cargo at the Danish port hex, starting the spend count of “45 MPs to disembark cargo at an enemy owned port,” per the “addition” to Rule 37H-Surprise, found in the SoS Errata Sheet 18 Jan 1999. By the end of the 1st Naval Movement Step, this cargo naval group has expended 5 MPs towards the disembarkation of the two unsupported wint Inf III G breakdowns.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Kiel mixed naval group at hex 13A:0714 continues northwards through the Danish archipelago and expends its 28th naval MP to enter all sea hex 10B:4912, right on the C weather line cutting across the Skagerrak, aka the Nordic Straits per Rule 3E6-Sea Zones. Here the mixed naval group again splits into two groups. A small cargo naval group comprising only the NTP carrying the unsupported 2-6 Inf III E angles NW towards Kristiansand and expends its 30th MP naval movement step allowance at all-sea hex 10B:4713. The now somewhat reduced mixed naval group main force from Kiel veers NE and bears towards Oslo, ending its 30th MP naval movement step allowance at all-sea hex 10B:4711.

2nd Naval Movement Step

Back at beleaguered Helsingor minor port hex 13A:1012 the two German NTPs carrying the two unsupported wint Inf IIIs G expend their entire 30 MP naval movement step allowance continuing there the amphibious disembarkation of their cargo. By the end of the 2nd Naval Movement Step they’ve tallied 35 of the 45 MPs required to complete the disembarkation.

The old Schlesien B TF leaves the port of Kiel and spends 18 MPs to reach the Danish coast hex at 13A:1114, containing the point city of Roskilde and situated one hex seaward to the west of the Danish capital, Kjobenhavn. Here at its 19th MP it utilizes Rule 33A-Naval Gunfire Support and begins the 90 MP expenditure to “prepare to provide NGS for [the] next combat phase” (Naval MP Cost Summary on Game Play Chart 2). By the end of its naval movement step it has tallied 12 MPs towards this preparation.

Meanwhile, the large Kriegsmarine mixed naval group at sea in daylight at hex 10B:3621, two hexes due west of Stavanger, is obliged per Rule 34D2-Danger Zones to now check for enemy contact on the Danger Zones Chart; an 11 is rolled: Contact. Perhaps Vice-Admiral Lutjens becomes worried when the Scharnhorst is then randomly picked as “contacted,” but is surely relieved when the Allies roll low on the “1” column of the Naval Combat Table used in Danger Zone contacts, and the Scharnhorst safely sails on after its brush with danger.

The mixed naval group then proceeds 5 hexes northwards to all-sea hex 10B:3119, which is exactly 20 MPs away from the last hex this group used night movement during the previous naval movement step. The 6th MP is to all-sea hex 3018 and is considered here the first MP of night movement. At the next MP this naval group splits into two separate mixed naval groups. Still at night movement, one group proceeds east to the Norwegian island hex of Sorta (10B:3017), just west of Bergen, expending 2 MPs to enter a coastal hex. This mixed group consists of:

  • Hipper CA TF
  • Cruiser-1 CL TF (w/ unsupported 2-6 Inf III C)
  • 1 NTP carrying unsupported 2-6 Inf III C.

The larger naval combat group spends its 7th MP entering all-sea hex 10B:2919 (2nd MP of night movement) and continues northwards until it expends its 29th MP entering all-sea hex 10B:2002. Here this combat naval group splits into two separate naval groups. A small combat naval group consisting of the Flotilla-2 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) expends its 30th MP entering all-sea hex 10B:2102, bearing towards Trondheim. The larger combat naval group expends its 30th MP entering all-sea hex 5C:2033. This second naval group consists of:

  • Scharnhorst BC TF (w/ 1 mine point)
  • Gnesinau BC TF (w/ 1 mine point)
  • Flotilla-1 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B).

Both these two adjacent combat naval groups have moved exactly 20 hexes in daylight since their last night movement in hex 10B:2617.

Back at the Norwegian island of Sorta, one hex west of Bergen, the Kriegsmarine mixed naval

group here first rolls for contact on the Danger Zones Chart and comes up with a 9: no contact. It then expends 2 MPs at night movement to move east into the adjacent Bergen dot city/major port rough terrain coast hex at 10B:3016. At this point the mixed naval group, which so far has done 5 MPs of night movement, enters the naval combat zone of the 1 strength level intrinsic CD found here per the Coast Defenses Chart. Per Rule 34A2-Movement at Night “a CD has its gunnery strength halved at night.” Evidently this means a 1 strength level CD halved at night has no effect against enemy naval units in its naval combat zone, because it can’t roll on the “1” column of the Naval Combat Table. In theory the A. Hipper CA TF and the Cruiser-1 CL TF (w/ the C inf III) could form into a naval screen, and the NTP carrying the unsupported 2-6 Inf III C would be designated the main body. We assume that the two Kriegsmarine TFs can fire their naval strengths against the CD either together or separately. Of course the SoS Errata Sheet says to “ignore the -1 modifier for night” on the Naval Combat Table, but Rule 34A2-Movement at Night says “a naval unit has its gunnery strength quartered at night.” In the night’s darkness the CA TF and the CL TF (w/ the unsupported C inf III) could combine their quartered (the CL already halved for carrying the inf III breakdown) naval strengths (3 x 1/4 + 3 x 1/8 = 1 1/8) and fire at the Bergen CD using the “1” column on the Naval Combat Table. But there is a -1 modifier for a “TF vs Non-firing CD,” which appears to make the effort superfluous. After all this mulling the NTP and the Cruiser-1 CL TF, at the 11th MP of the 2nd Naval Step, begin to amphibiously disembark the two unsupported 2-6 Inf IIIs C at the Bergen hex and are still counting at the 30th MP naval movement step allowance, for a total of 20 tallied so far. In every surprise German amphibious disembarkation at a Norwegian port on the Apr I 40 German turn it is assumed that the Kriegsmarine NTPs and/or light TFs disembarking their ground unit cargo in enemy port hexes per Rule 37H-Surprise, are not inside the enemy port itself, but are in fact “at sea” outside the enemy port throughout the German player turn.

In the Skagerrak the small cargo naval group at 10B:4713 comprising only the NTP carrying the unsupported Inf III E spends its first 6 MPs of the 2nd Naval Movement Step to move to and enter the Kristiansand point city/standard port clear terrain coast hex at 10B:4416 in southern Norway. At this point it begins to amphibiously disembark its cargo at the port, by the end of the 2nd Naval Movement Step expending a total of 24 MPs doing so

At the start of the German 2nd Naval Movement Step the Kriegsmarine mixed naval group at 10B:4711 resumes its voyage towards the dangerous Oslo zone. But first a small cargo naval group comprising a NTP carrying one of the unsupported Inf IIIs F splits from it and angles NW, spending 5 MPs to enter the Larvik point city/minor port clear terrain coast hex at 10B:4311, where at the 6th MP it begins to amphibiously disembark its cargo at the port; at the end of the 2nd Naval Movement Step it has tallied a total of 24 MPs for this embarkation.

Meanwhile, the mixed naval group main body exits 4711 and continues north towards Oslo, and spending 5 MPs (the first MP in daylight, the next 4 at night movement) presently enters the point city/minor port clear terrain coast hex of Fredrikstad (10B:4309), at the mouth of the Oslofjord, where there is an intrinsic CD level of 1. Since it is night and the CD has a level of 1, the mixed naval group can evidently safely sail past it in the dark. The German mixed naval group then spends 2 MPs at night movement to move into the next coast hex at 4208 (Moss). This group then moves another 2 MPs at night into adjacent coast hex 4108, where there is another Norwegian intrinsic CD level of 1 in store for them. Perhaps this intrinsic CD represents the historical defenders of the Drobak narrows and the larger intrinsic CD with a strength level of 2 to the west at adjacent hex 4109 represents the sure-firing historical cruiser sinkers at Oscarborg. Here the combat at night between the naval units and the 1 level CD again appears to be superfluous, just as at Bergen and at Fredrikstad; and so the mixed naval group spends another 2 MPs at night to move into the adjacent Oslo partial city/major port coast hex at 10B:4007. Once again, the CA and BP TFs are evidently faced with yet another superfluous night standoff with the at-start “fort marker in coastal hex” CD level of 1 placed at Oslo. Things liven up with the next MP of 1 in daylight done by the German mixed naval group in the Oslo hex, when the NTP starts amphibiously disembarking its unsupported 2-6 Inf III F cargo at the port. Forthwith the CD level of 1 at Oslo fires at the Lutzow BP TF and the Blucher CA TF naval screen; the unloading NTP becomes the main body. It is assumed that per SoS rules at least one level of available CD strength points must fire at the naval screen; any available excess CD levels can then fire at the main group. The CD aims at the Lutzow TF and rolls a 5, which modifies to a 6: a hit. The two TFs each roll on the “3” column (or does the Lutzow now roll on the “2” column?) and the Blucher scores a naval hit on the CD. With the single round of combat done between the naval units and the CD, the NTP continues its disembarkation MP count, arriving at a tally of 19 MPs by the end of its 2nd Naval Movement Step.

3rd Naval Movement Step

At the Danish minor port of Helsingor at hex 13A:1012, the two German NTPs carrying the two unsupported wint Inf IIIs G expend 10 more MPs to complete their amphibious disembarkation of the two inf IIIs at the minor port hex. After disembarkation, the two inf IIIs are rolled for disruption, using the Disruption Table found on Game Play Chart 1. Both inf III disruption rolls are high, and so they land undisrupted. Note that although the Danes have ground units adjacent to the Helsingor hex at Kjobenhavn, per Rule 37H-Surprise “its units may not react to enemy amphibious landings.” Although per Rule 3D-Ownership, the Germans now own the Helsingor minor port hex, the port itself evidently cannot be entered or used by German naval units this turn because Rule 30A-Ports says “a player may use a port in a turn only if he wons it at the start of his initial phase.” Also, evidently per Rule 31A-NTPs, once an NTP disembarks cargo at a port or beach, “the NTP is done for the player turn” and “a player need not track the location of NTPs from player turn to player turn.” and in the case here at Helsingor the two NTPs “could be used somewhere else in the next Axis player turn.”

The WWI vintage Schlesien B TF, biding its time at Danish coast hex 13A:1114, adds another 30 MPs in its preparation for NGS by the end of the naval movement step, upping the preparation tally to 42. It is certainly intending to provide NGS for a combat attack against the Danish units defending the adjacent Kjobenhavn hex 1113.

Much farther north, at all-sea hex 5C:2033, two hexes west of the fjord leading to Trondheim, the combat naval group comprising both the Schrnhrst and the Gneisenau BC TFs (w/ mines) and the Flotilla-1 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) first rolls on the Danger Zones Chart and gets a 6: no contact. Afterwards it continues sailing northwards, eventually crossing the Arctic Circle and then sailing into the funnel shaped island and coastline bordered waterway leading to Narvik. This combat naval group expends its 30th MP naval movement step allowance at the Norwegian sea isle of Tjelde, at hex 5C:0812, just three coast hexes away from Narvik.

Three hexes SW of Trondheim, at all-sea hex 10B:2102, the small combat naval group consisting of the flotilla-2 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) first rolls for British Danger Zone contact and gets an 8: no contact. Then it uses its first two MPs of night movement to enter coast/narrow straits hex 5C:2333, containing a 1 strength level intrinsic CD. The mountain troops laden DD flotilla evidently safely sails past the CD in the dark, and expends another 4 MPs to ultimately arrive at the reference city/major port coast hex of Trondheim (5C:2432). At the 7th MP of the 3rd Naval Movement Step it begins to amphibiously disembark its mtn III cargo at the port, expending a total of 24 MPs doing the unloading task by the end of the naval movement step.

At Bergen, at the start of the naval movement step in daylight, the mixed naval group does it dice roll on the danger Zones Chart and gets a 5: no contact. Following the order given in Rule 27D-Naval Movement Sequence, the CD then commences firing on the A. Hipper CA TF naval screen; the Cruiser-1 CL TF and the NTP both unloading the two unsupported 2-6 Inf IIIs C become the main body. The CD rolls low on the “1” column of the Naval Combat Table and misses, but the Hipper rolls a 6, a naval hit against the CD. Upon completion of the single round of combat between the naval unit and the CD, the CL TF and NTP continue their disembarkation counts; at 25 MPs they finish disembarking the two 2-6 Inf IIIs C at Bergen. After disembarkation, the two German Inf IIIs C are rolled for disruption; there is a -1 for a “non-suppressed enemy coast defense level in the hex.” The first roll is 1, which modifies to a 0: Disrupted; the second roll is 2, which modifies to a 1: another Disrupted. No doubt about it: the German player has suffered bad luck at Bergen after so much planning and hard work. At this point both the A. Hipper CA TF and the Cruiser-1 CL TF spend their remaining 5 MPs of the 3rd naval Movement Step to leave the Bergen port hex, sail past the narrow straits hexside, and head out to sea again. The combat naval group ultimately veers to the south, ending their 30th MP naval movement step allowance at all-sea hex 10B:3219, one hex NW of the Norwegian point city/standard port of Haugensund (3319). Evidently Rules 34B1-Low Fuel and 3-Replenishment, compel all the sailing Kriegsmarine naval units on the map to scurry back by the end of the Germany player turn to a “friendly-owned functioning naval base” (eg., a major or great port) that was German-owned at the start of the initial phase for the purpose of “replenishment.”

In southern Norway, at Kristiansand (10B:4416) the NTP unloading the unsupported Inf III E expends a total of 21 MPs to finish unloading its infantry cargo at the port. The roll for disruption is then done and the inf III lands undisrupted at this important invasion hex for the Nazi war effort.

A little to the east on the southern Norway Skagerrak coastline, at the minor port of Larvik (10B:4311), the NTP unloading the unsupported Inf III F continues disembarking its cargo, and finishes this labor at the 21st MP of its 3rd Naval Movement Step. At this point the amphibious landing die roll for disruption is done and the roll is 2: No Effect.

At the Oslo hex 10B:4007 at the start of the naval movement step in daylight the “fort marker in coastal hex” CD level of 1 immediately begins firing at the Lutzow BP (1 hit) and Blucher CA TF naval screen in the hex, the NTP amphibiously unloading the unsupported 2-6 Inf III F at the port becoming the main body. The CD again aims at the Lutzow and rolls a 6, which is a second hit on the pocket battleship. The two German naval units fire back separately and one scores a second naval hit on the CD; this enables the German player to finally place a damage marker hit on the CD. Per Rule 33B- Coast Defenses, “for every hit of damage, the CDs in a hex are reduced by 1 level.” With the single round of combat resolved between the naval units and the Oslo CD, the NTP carrying the inf III expends another 26 MPs to complete the disembarkation of its cargo. At this point the important die roll for disruption is done; there is a -1 “for landing in an enemy-occupied hex.” the roll is a 2, which modifies to a 1: Disrupted. Meanwhile, from the naval movement step’s 1st MP count (and of course in addition to firing at the CD), both the Lutzow BP and the Blucher CA TFs in the Oslo port hex begin to “prepare to provide NGS for [the] next combat phase” per the Naval MP Cost Summary.

4th Naval Movement Step:

At the Norwegian sea isle hex of Tjelde at 5C:0812, the powerful Kriegsmarine combat naval group comprising the Schrnhrst and Gneisenau BC TFs (w/ mines) and the Flotilla-1 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) rolls for Danger Zone contact and gets a 5: no contact. It then spends 6 MPs to move towards and finally enter Narvik, located at reference city/major port rough terrain coast hex 5C:1010. At the 7th MP the DD flotilla begins to amphibiously disembark its mountain troops cargo; by the end of the naval movement step it has expended 24 MPs towards completing the cargo disembarkation.

Farther south, at Trondheim, the Flotilla-2 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) rolls for Danger Zone contact and gets a 3: no contact. It then expends 21 MPs to complete the amphibious disembarkation of its mountain troops cargo at the port hex. Per Rule 32A-Disruption, the die roll for disruption is evidently done “after disembarkation;” and the result is a 1: Disrupted. Right after this, due to the same naval supply considerations mentioned above for the Kriegsmarine naval units involved in the Bergen operation, the Flotilla-1 DD TF lifts anchor and abandons the disrupted and perhaps doomed 2-8* Mtn III B at the remote and still Norwegian controlled Trondheim hex and heads back out to the Norwegian Sea. Night movement at sea is used to get past the pair of intrinsic CDs guarding the narrow fjord at hexes 5C:2333 and 10B:2302, and the DD flotilla expends it 30th MP naval movement step allowance at all-sea hex 10B:1905, three hexes NE of the Norwegian point city/standard port of Kristiansund (2206), heading south towards the Northern Germany holding box for “replenishment.”

At Bergen sit the two disrupted (and therefore immobile in the Movement Phase this turn per the Rule 37H-Surprise errata “addition”) and unsupported 2-6 Inf III B units. The combat naval group comprising the A. Hipper CA TF and the Cruiser-1 CL TF at nearby all-sea hex 10B:3219 first rolls for danger Zone contact and gets a 10: no contact. This combat naval group then continues to sail south and ends their 30th MP naval movement step allowance off-map 5 hexes from the Northern Germany off-map holding box, having exited map E10B(SW) on their 20th MP.

At Oslo sits the disrupted, therefore immobile, and unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F. In the same hex are the Blucher CA TF and the Lutzow BP TF (2 hits) naval units, both spending 30 MPs this naval movement step preparing to provide NGS for the next combat phase. At the end of the 4th Naval Movement Step they will have accumulated a total of 60 MPs towards this preparation.

At Krisitinsand (4416) sits the undisrupted and unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III E with 2 MPs left for the Ground Movement Sub-Phase per the Naval Transport Costs Summary found on Game Play Chart 2. Keep in mind it’s mud weather in southern and central Norway.

At Larvik (4311) sits the undisrupted and unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F with 2 MPs left for ground movement.

At Helsingor (13A:1012) in Denmark sit the undisrupted and unsupported wint 2-6 Inf III F with 2 MPs left in clear weather in zone D. Nearby, the Schlesien B TF, in the coast hex adjacent to Kjobenhavn, increases its NGS preparation tally to 72 by the end of the naval movement step.

5th Naval Movement Step

At the Narvik hex at 5C:1010 the combat naval group there first rolls on the Danger Zones Chart and comes up 8: no contact. The Flotilla-1 DD TF (w/ stripped down 2-8* Mtn III B) then expends another 21 MPs to complete the disembarkation of the 2-8* Mtn III B at the port. Right afterwards the unit is rolled for on the Disruption Table and gets a 4: No Effect. The mtn III successfully lands undisrupted at this important Norwegian major port, in snow weather and north of the A weather line.

At this point, after the undisrupted 2-8* Mtn III B has successfully disembarked at the Narvik hex, the Schrnhrst and Gneisenau BC TFs (w/ mines) spend 5 MPs to lay their respective mine points at the now German occupied and controlled Narvik coastal hex. Two black mine counters marked with a 1 from SF are used to mark the Narvik hex as mined by the German side. After this work is done the entire Kriegsmarine combat naval group leaves the Narvik hex, expending the last 4 MPs of their naval movement step allowance to end the naval movement step at Norwegian coast hex 5C:0912, on their way back to a German-owned functioning naval base per Rule 30A9-Naval Bases for replenishment.

Farther south in the Norwegian Sea at all-sea hex 10B:1905 the Flotilla-2DD TF rolls 2 on the Danger Zones Chart: no contact. The DD flotilla then expends 30 MPs to move south towards the Northern Germany holding box, and ends its naval movement step at all-sea hex 10B:4122, three hexes WSW of the southern Norwegian minor port of Egersund (10B:4019).

I suppose the combat naval group comprising the A. Hipper CA TF and the Cruiser-1 CL TF spends 5 MPs “off-map” in the naval movement step to actually reach the Northern Germany holding box, which is also a “naval base,” and by the end of the naval movement step expends there 25 of the 30 MPs needed to Replenish per the Naval MP Cost Summary. Since they are off-map no Danger Zones dice roll is done.

At Oslo the Blucher CA TF and the Lutzow BP TF (2 hits) add another 30 MPs to their NGS preparation tally, and by the end of the naval movement step have the total of 90 MPs needed to do the naval gun support at the still Norwegian occupied and controlled Oslo hex, where the disrupted and unsupported 2-6 Inf III F also in the hex will be forced to fight the sturdy Norwegian defenders of their capital. The CD there is suppressed for the rest of the Apr I 40 German turn; so for the time being there is no firing from it.

At Danish coast hex 13A:1114 the Schlesien B TF, adjacent to the Danish capital of Kjobenhavn, expends the final 18 MPs needed to reach the total of 90 MPs needed to prepare to provide NGS the next combat phase and then lingers in the hex till the end of the naval movement step. The two German wint inf IIIs G are poised close by at Helsingor (1012). The battle for Kjobenhavn is fast approaching.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase

We will first attempt to describe the German invasion of Denmark. Here the order of business seems to be to 1) capture certain Danish airfields important for the assault on Norway, 2) gain capacity for the German/Danish rail net (Rule 7A5-Rail Nets) by capturing Danish rail marshaling yards (Rule 7A-Intro), and 3) attack and capture Kjobenhavn, the Danish capital, which could bring into effect favorable consequences for the German player indicated at Rule 32A-Common Rules for Neutrals.

With the above in mind the units consisting of the tall German stack at Flensburg (13A:1121) on the German-Danish border begin their particular invasion moves. First the Danish 1-8 Bdr III PF at rail coast border hex 13A:1021 is overrun by two of the 2-6* Inf IIIs D. The Danish bdr III’s defense strength is ¼: halved once for being unsupported and halved again this turn (only) per Rule 37H-Surprise. The two overrunning German supported inf IIIs then regular move northwards, one ending its move at 0819 and the other at 0820.

The 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 then regular moves northwards 8 hexes along the same rail line to Aarhus, at Danish dot city/major port clear terrain coast rail hex 13A:0616, and then regular moves 2 more rail hexes to Randers at point city/minor port clear terrain rail junction coast hex 0416. The 1-6* Inf III D moves 6 hexes to 0620, taking care to enter Danish coastal hexes 0822, 0722, and Esbjerg, a reference city/standard port clear terrain coast hex at 0621.

The 6-6 Inf XX 214 regular moves 5 hexes up the Danish peninsula to Fredericia at point city/minor port clear terrain rail junction/causeway coast hex 13A:0719, where its divisional ZOCs presumably immediately extend across the causeway hexside, and subsequently it evidently immediately gains control of the adjacent Danish clear terrain rail causeway coast hex 0818, at the Danish isle of Fyn. This German inf XX then spends its last MP of regular movement to cross the rail causeway/all-sea hexside and enter into hex 0818. Afterwards the 1-8 Art X 109 follows along its hex path, crossing over the now German controlled causeway and then expending two more regular MPs along the rail hex route to enter first Odense at reference city/standard port hex 0918 and finally Nyborg at point city/minor port hex 1017.

Then the LW 2-10 Mot Hvy AA III 162 moves 10 regular MPs to secondary rail causeway clear terrain coast hex 13A:0218 in NW Denmark, taking care to enter on the way rail hexes 0417 and 0318 (Viborg). Afterwards the wint 6-6 Inf XX 198 admin moves 10 hexes along the German ZOC controlled hex pathway to the secondary rail causeway coast hex 0218 and stacks with the LW mot hvy AA III. Now, to be sure, per SoS Rule 6B-Administrative Movement a unit “…loses its ZOC for the remainder of the movement phase once it begins to use admin movement.” However, the division surely regains its ZOC exertion into adjacent hexes per Rule 5-Zones of Control in the subsequent Combat and, for this case, the Exploitation phase. This is when the LW mot hvy AA III can evidently cross the secondary rail causeway hexside and then move east to gain control of the important at start Danish 3-cap permanent airfield at clear terrain coast rail causeway hex 10B:5014 and also the point city/standard port clear terrain hex at 10B:5013, Frederikshavn. We say “evidently cross” the transportation line causeway hexside because Rule 37A1-Causeways says “ground units treat … [causeway] hexside[s] as a narrow straits hexside for all movement and combat purposes.” Here we must confess to perhaps importing into SoS the WW Rule 37A2-Narrow Straits Ferries verbage “If a player owns the transportation lines on both sides of such a narrow straits hexside, he may move units … across the narrow straits,” and ought to admit to the EA that I haven’t yet found in my studies of the SoS rules explicit clarification of whether or not say, a III sized unit can cross a narrow straits/causeway hexside if the other side is not yet owned by its side via ZOCs per SoS Rule 3D-Ownership.

On the Danish isle of Sjaelland, the German wint 2-6 Inf III G at the Helsingor hex adjacent to the Danish capital hex at Kjobenhavn maneuvers 2 hexes to Roskilde, at point city clear terrain coast rail hex 13A:1114, due west of the capital. In this same coast hex the old Schlesien B TF lurks offshore. The Ger wint 1-6 Inf III G remains at Helsingor.

From the point city Schleswig (13A:1221), one rail hex south of the main German invasion force at the Flensburg border hex (1121), the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 1-10 Mot MG II 13 first admin move northwards to Randers at 13A:0416 and then regular move north three more hexes northwards and end their move stacked at Aalborg, at reference city/major port clear terrain rail causeway hex 10B:5115. Having both admin moved, these two mot IIs definitely lose their ZOCs for the duration of the Movement Phase, but will certainly regain their ZOCs by the Exploitation Phase and, per Advanced Rule 43A2-Ownership, will then presumably control the important Aalborg hex.

Now the two LW 1-5 Para IIs I/1 and II/1 at Schleswig admin move to the dot city Aarhus at 13A:0616. Immediately afterwards two Ju 52 T type air units based at the Northern Germany holding box stage to Aarhus. Picking up as cargo there the LW 1-5 Para II II/1 for an air drop mission, the pair of Ju 52 air units fly towards Oslo, their target hex being not the 1-cap permanent airstrip at rough terrain hex 10B:4108, but rather being the clear terrain coast hex at 4108, vacant except for the unmarked Norwegian intrinsic CD with a strength level of 1 there per the Coast Defenses Chart. Two Ju 52 air units are used to fly the para II air drop mission because of the mud weather at the target hex in the C weather zone. After executing the air drop the disruption die roll is done. A -2 is accounted for due to the mud weather, but an additional -1 for “dropping in a clear hex containing enemy fortifications” is not included in the modifier tally because intrinsic CDs alone are not listed under Fortifications at the Fortifications Chart found on the SoS provided GE TEC. In spite of this, the Germans still roll a 3, which per the Disruption Table modifies to a 1: Disrupted. Perhaps the disrupted LW para II must lay low to avoid the remaining intrinsic CD along with it in the still Norwegian controlled hex. And so at Oslo the Germans have a disrupted 2-6 inf III in the Oslo city hex, along with the array of enemy Norwegian forces and markers also there, and a disrupted LW para II at Oslo’s SE outskirts.

Next a second pair of Ju 52 T type air units based at the Northern Germany holding box stage to Aarhus, picking up as cargo the LW 1-5 Para II I/1 for an air drop mission. They fly to the target hex at Norwegian clear terrain coast rail hex 10B:3720, one hex SW of Stavanger (3619), where there is an at-start 3-cap permanent airfield. Here Luck finally smiles at the LW paratroopers and the German rolls a 5, which modifies to a 3 due to the mud weather: No Effect. The LW para II successfully air drops undisrupted at the important southwestern Norway airfield and the two Ju 52 air units return to base at Aarhus.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in southern Norway, the wint 2-6 Inf III E at Kristiansand (10B:4416) moves east 1 MP in the mud weather across the Otra River to the 1-cap permanent airstrip at woods coast hex 4415. Farther east, the wint 2-6 Inf III F at Larvik (4311) moves one hex east along the southern Norwegian Skagerrak coastline and enters the point city/minor port Tonsberg, at clear terrain coast rail hex 4310 at the mouth of the Oslofjord. This certainly eliminates the Norwegian 1 strength point intrinsic CD located here per the Coast Defenses Chart. This wargamer takes the liberty of now placing the old GRD Narvik game German swastika ownership markers at the unoccupied Kristiansand and Larvik point city/minor port hexes to indicate side ownership.

Then the 0-1-5 Const III 6 at Schleswig admin moves to Aahrus (0616). Two more Ju 52 air units from the Northern Germany holding box stage to Aahrus to pick it up as cargo and regular transport it to the just captured 1-cap permanent airstrip at 10B:4415, adjacent to Kristiansand, there stacking with the just moved in 2-6 Inf III E. The two Ju 52 air units return to base at the partial city hex of Kiel (13A:1421). From the Sylt holding box the Mxtd T type F code air unit based there conducts a regular transport mission carrying 2 supply points (Rule 12Ca-Supply Points) to the same 1-cap permanent airstrip and then returns to base at Sylt. The reorganized LW 0-8 Lt AA II I/611 admin moves from the Sylt holding box to the Kiel hex where it is regular transported by a Ju 52 air unit staged from the Northern Germany holding box to the same 1-cap permanent airstrip. The Ju 52 air unit returns to the Kiel partial city hex.

The wint 2-6 Inf III E at Kiel then admin moves to Aarhus, where it is picked up as cargo by two Ju 52 air units based at the Northern Germany holding box and is then regular transported to the just captured 3-cap permanent airfield at SW Norwegian coast hex 10B:3720 next to Stavanger. Afterwards one Ju 52 air unit returns to base at Aarhus and the other flies to the reference city airbase at Esbjerg at 13A:0621.

From the Northern Germany holding box the long range Mxtd T type air unit picks up as cargo the reorganized LW 0-8 Lt AA II II/83 and conducts a “…one-way regular transport mission with a range twice its printed movement range” per Rule 20F1-Regular Transport and lands its cargo at Narvik (5C:1010), where it bases. Then the long striding He 115B type B SF code air unit based at the Sylt holding box, utilizing its transport capability per Rule 23D2-Bombers as Transports, performs a one-way regular transport mission of 2 supply points also to Narvik, where it must base at the end of the mission.

At the end of the movement phase the remaining wint E and F Inf XX breakdowns (an inf XX HQ unit and a 1-6 inf III for each) at the Kiel partial city hex admin move to the Northern Germany holding box. The wint G Inf XX HQ unit and the 2-6 Inf III G breakdown unit stacked with it at the Kiel hex both regular move 6 hexes northwards to end their move stacked together at clear terrain rail hex 0921. This stack, along with the 2-6 Inf IIIs D at 0819 and 0820 are poised to hem in against the coastline the Danish 1-2-6 Inf III 1 Jyl/2 SF, placed at-start per the scenario’s Allied OB at minor port clear terrain coast hex 0920 (Haderslev), just in case Denmark for some reason does not surrender in the Apr I 40 Allied initial phase per Rule 38A6-National Surrender. The 1-10 Mot MG II 14 at Schleswig and the 2-1-10 Pz II 40 at Felnsburg linger where they are for at least the Movement and Combat Phases, in case Danish coast hex 1020 needs to be occupied in the Exploitation Phase to plug the last remaining gap.

Combat Phase

First comes the battle for Kjobenhavn (13A:1113). Here at this full hex city the Danes have defending it a 1-2-6 inf III and a 0-1-8 lt AA III (AA=1); both are halved for being unsupported and then halved again this turn (only) per Rule 37H-Surprise. Thus the Danish defense tally appears to be ¾. Also, per the SoS Errata Sheet 18 Jan 1999, this turn (only) the German player “treats major city hexes in the surprised country as if they were dot cities.” This also apparently means that this turn (only) neither Kjobenhavn nor Oslo can use their 1 factor of intrinsic AA per the Intrinsic AA Chart on the back cover of the SoS OB booklet.

The attacking German player, prior to any GS consideration, appears to have ½ attack factors attacking from the unsupported wint 1-6 Inf III G at the Helsingor minor port hex and 5 attack factors from the Schlesien 3-pt B TF and the 2-6 Inf III G stacked together at the Roskilde point city coast hex. Rules 33A-Naval Gunfire Support, 14B-Artillery, and 11-Support seem to indicate that at least the 2-6 Inf III G, attacking from the same (coast) hex containing the Schlesien TF adding NGS, adds its attack factor as “supported.” All the above seems to equate the German attack at Kjobenhavn to be a straight up 7 to 1, and so the German player sends in no GS. The die is rolled and comes up 4: DE.

After the successful combat die roll the German player advances after combat the wint 2-6 Inf III G into the Kjobenhavn hex. Forthwith an array of Danish forces and markers in the hex must be dealt with. The Danish 2-pt CD TF (1 hit) N. Juel attempts to escape from the just captured Kjobenhaven major port hex and rolls the die per Rule 34C-Scuttling and gets a 6: “fails to escape;” and so its single remaining strength point “is scuttled to prevent its capture by the enemy.” And “if all of a naval unit’s strength points are scuttled, the naval unit sinks.” Then both the Gaunt F type and the C.V A type Danish air units based at the Kjobenhavn major city hex airbase do their escape attempt die rolls per Rule 17B-Air Unit Escape. The C.V A type rolls a 4 and fails to escape and is eliminated; the Gaunt F type air unit rolls low, allowing escape, and does a transfer mission to the intrinsic 1-cap airbase at the Danish improved fortress of Mittelgrund at adjacent hex 13A:1112. Then the important die roll is done for the fate of the Danish government capital marker, using the Success Table per Rule 38A3-Governments. The roll is 2: Failure; and so the German player captures the Danish government and the Denmark capital marker is removed from the map. Interestingly, the Danish factory counter at Kjobenhavn remains there until the Apr I 40 Allied initial phase, when it “…is destroyed and removed from play if its hex is enemy owned…” per Rule 37D-Factories.

Next comes the battle for Oslo (10B:4007). Here the Norwegians have available for defense only the unsupported 0-1-6 Inf II 2/HMKG unit, with a defense factor this turn of ¼. Per Rule 37H-Surprise on the scenario’s first turn neither the A type air unit nor the Norwegian naval CD TF Norge based there can add to the Norwegian defense factor at Oslo.

The German side has attacking from within the Oslo hex the unsupported and also disrupted wint 2-6 Inf III F along with the NGS from the Blucher 3-pt CA TF and the Lutzow 3-pt BP TF (2 hits). Also attacking is the disrupted LW 2-5 para II from adjacent clear terrain coast rail hex 10B:4108. The combined German side attack factors appears to be 5 ½. That’s 1 for the disrupted 2-6 Inf III F, 4 total NGS from the Blucher and Lutzow TFs, which also give support to the disrupted Ger inf III in the hex, and ½ for the disrupted LW para II, which per Rule 24B3-Surprise is “…treated as being supported on the player turn…” it makes the airdrop.

Thus the German player appears to be able to attack the Norwegian inf II in the Oslo hex with the above mentioned forces without GS at an optimal 9 to 1 odds, but with a -2 for the mud weather. The German player does just that and rolls a 3, which modifies to a 1: DH. The valiant Norwegian 0-1-6 Inf II 1/HMKG unit is eliminated. After combat the disrupted LW 1-5 Para II II/1 moves into the Oslo hex and stacks with the disrupted wint 2-6 Inf III F already there. But the Norwegians still control the hex and thus evidently all the remaining Norwegian forces and markers in the Oslo hex remain there, which includes the Norwegian capital marker, the C.V A type air unit, the 2-pt CD TF (1 hit) Norge, and the “fort marker in coastal hex” which includes an intrinsic CD with a strength point of 1 (w/ 1 damage hit done by Kriegsmarine gunfire). Thus after all only the first phase of the battle for Oslo is over.

Exploitation Phase

German 1st Naval Movement Step

In darkness the Blucher CA and Lutzow BP (2 hits) TFs lift anchor and sail out of the Oslo hex, at night safely passing by the various Norwegian intrinsic CD hexes along the eastern coastline of the narrow Oslofjord. This combat naval force expends 30 MPs heading southwards in the Baltic Sea through the Skagerrak and the Danish archipelago back towards Kiel and the Kiaser Wilhelm Canal, ending its naval movement step movement allowance at all-sea hex 13A:1117, in between the Danish isles of Fyn and Sjaelland. Now moving in daylight, care is once again taken to stay one hex away from the still functioning enemy “fort marker in coastal hex” intrinsic CD placed at-start at nearby Korsar at Danish coast hex 1116.

The trusty old Schlesien B TF at the now German controlled Roskilde point city coast hex 13A:1114 also sails in the darkness back towards Germany, expending18 MPs to enter the Northern Germany holding box via the Kiaser Wilhelm Canal. There it begins its MP count for fuel and ammunition replenishment per Rule 34B3-Replenishment, tallying 12 MPs towards this labor by the end of the 1st naval movement step.

In the North Sea at all-sea hex 10B:4122, three hexes WSW of the still Norwegian owned minor port of Egersund (4019), the Flotilla-2 DD TF, on its voyage back from Trondheim, must first do the Danger Zones Chart dice roll and gets an 8: no contact. It then continues sailing south, exiting map E10BSW at 5122 on its 11th MP and arrives at the Northern Germany holding box at its 25th MP. It then spends its last 5 MPs of naval movement step movement allowance towards replenishment.

Far to the north, above the Arctic Circle at Norwegian wooded rough terrain coast road hex 5C:0912, the Kriegsmarine combat naval group consisting of the Schrnhrst, Gneisnau, and the Flotilla-1 DD TFs, first roll for Danger Zone contact and see a 12: Contact! A random pick is done of the intrepid German combat naval group and the DD flotilla is drawn. The die roll is done on the “1” column of the SoS Naval Combat Table and the result is 4: a Miss. The powerful Nazi combat naval group then sails southwards 30 MPs cutting through the Norwegian Sea to end the 1st naval movement step at all-sea hex 5C:1933, five hexes north of Norwegian controlled Trondheim (5C:2432).

2nd Naval Movement Step

At hex 13A:1117 the German combat naval group consisting of the Blucher CA and Lutzow BP (2 hits) TFs continues its voyage home, spending 11 MPs to reach Kiel and then going through the Kiaser Wilhelm Canal and finally lowering anchor at the Northern Germany holding box. There at the naval base it expends the remaining 19 MPs of its naval movement step allowance towards replenishment.

The important Kriegsmarine combat naval group containing their two battle cruisers and a flotilla of destroyers in the Norwegian Sea at 5C:1933 first rolls the dice on the Danger Zones Chart and gets a 3: no contact. This naval force then moves 30 MPs to 10B:3621, 2 hexes due west of the Norwegian controlled standard port of Stavanger (3619) on the Norwegian SW coastline.

Back at the Northern German holding box the Schlesien B TF and the Flotilla-2 DD TFs finish up their replenishment MP counts begun the previous naval movement step and then linger at the home base port, perhaps ashore recounting their previous Scandinavian naval sea voyage sagas. For now they impatiently and nervously await the return of the main Kriegsmarine naval combat group still voyaging in the dangerous North Sea. There will be no further sorties until they arrive and replenish, hopefully with no violent encounters from menacing British submarines, deadly Skuas, or audacious British naval vessels like the valiant destroyer Glowworm.

3rd Naval Movement Step

The powerful Kriegsmarine naval combat group at North Sea hex 10B:3621 first rolls for contact on the Danger Zones Chart: an 8 shows up on the dice: no contact. Relieved, the fleet sails south and arrives at its naval base in the Northern Germany holding box at exactly its last movement step allowance of 30 MPs.

4th Naval Movement Step

At anchor with the rest of the Kriegsmarine fleet at their naval base in the Northern Germany holding box, the Schrnhrst, Gneisnau, and the Flotilla-1 DD TFs spend their 30 MP movement step allowance replenishing their fuel and ammunition.

 

5th Naval Movement Step

No one at game-level German command is happy about the overall board map situation in Norway now. The German amphibious assault forces are disrupted at Trondheim, Bergen, and Oslo. For the rest of the Apr I 40 German turn both the Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe game play operations will be entirely reactive and contingent upon the best guess the Nazi aggressors can figure will be the Allied and Norwegian reaction next turn in Norway.

A host of SoS Campaign for Norway scenario rules issues spring forth from the situation of having disrupted German ground units in the Trondheim, Bergen, and Oslo hexes going on into the Apr I 40 Allied turn. This wargame player will now serve notice to the EA how he will play the game in the Allied turn at the Trondheim, Bergen, and Oslo hexes. In the Allied initial phase Norwegian general mobilization +0 reinforcements can be placed in the affected hexes per the OB. In the Allied movement phase Allied ground units can embark/disembark at the three ports, Allied air units can fly air missions to and from the three airbases, Allied ground units can regular move and even rail per SoS rules through, to, and from the three city hexes, and ground units may end their moves at the three hexes. Allied admin movement through the three hexes and/or the adjacent hexes appears to be forbidden. Any Allied ground units in the three city hexes at the end of the movement phase must attack the disrupted German ground units in the hex in the combat phase.  In the combat phase, if the Allied player attacks the disrupted German ground units in the three hexes and rolls an AS, then the Allied ground units in the city hex must retreat out of the hex, but Allied ground units attacking from adjacent hexes of course remain where they are. In any event other Allied forces (eg., not Allied ground units) and/or markers in the hex remain where they are, as the hex continues to be Allied controlled throughout the Apr I 40 Allied turn.

The Trondheim operation appears to be doomed, the disrupted 2-8* Mtn III B being too far away to receive effective help. A prudent and careful Allied command will surely strike here in the combat phase with adequate ground forces and British fleet NGS, knowing that the attacking forces will likely be safe from LW naval strikes or DAS.

In the Oslo partial city hex the disrupted 2-6 inf III F and the LW Para II II/1 are in trouble, but the -2 mud weather attack modifier, along with some LW DAS, and the partial city hex defense modifiers just might persuade the Norwegian army to demur from attacking next turn and opt to strategically maneuver slightly to the north of their capital, thereby consolidating their forces in the Oslo zone to fight another day. In particular, the Norwegians lack artillery or divisional HQ unit support. However, this wargamer currently believes that a successful kicking out of the Nazi invaders from the Oslo hex next turn in the combat phase would be the key to Allied victory in Norway.

The dangerous wild card is what the Allied player will do at the contested Bergen hex, where the two disrupted 2-6 Inf IIIs C await their fate. A bold an aggressive Allied player may land Br inf Xs and commit its powerful NGS in the combat phase at both Trondheim and Bergen, especially if the Germans give them a chance at the latter by not committing to an all-out fight there with what forces they currently have available that can still move into position. Accordingly, the German player feels bound to throw in everything he’s got available for the defense of the beleaguered Axis defenders in the Bergen hex. This means risking even the Kriegsmarine, weakening somewhat the maximum potential DAS strength for the sake of the troubled German assault force stranded in the Oslo hex, and pretty much nixing any other strategic considerations in figuring the important final basing of the available LW air units in southern Norway, Denmark, and northern Germany.

With the above in mind a large and replenished Kriegsmarine combat naval group leaves the northern Germany holding box naval base and enters map E10B(SW)/10B at hex 5122. The Danger Zones Chart dice roll is done and an 8 comes up: no contact. The combat naval group then expends another 8 MPs to arrive at all-sea hex 10B:4320, four hexes south of the Norwegian controlled minor port of Egersund (4019) on the southwestern coast of Norway. This mixed naval group consists of the following naval units:

  • Scharnhorst BC TF
  • Gneisenau BC TF
  • A Hipper CA TF
  • Blücher CA TF
  • Crusier-1 CL TF
  • Flotilla-1 DD TF
  • Flotilla-2 DD TF.

The purpose of this admittedly risky venture into the dangerous North Sea is to further increase the risks and hazards for any British naval strategy of attacking the disrupted German infantry defenders at the Bergen hex, counting on the Royal navy’s decisive NGS ability to assist Allied ground forces to crush the German landings at both Bergen and Trondheim.

Ground Movement Sub-Phase

The first unit to move is the LW 1-10 Mot Hv AA III 162, stacked with the wint 6-6 Inf XX 198 at clear terrain secondary rail causeway coast hex 13A:0218, on the NW coast of the Danish peninsula. With the inf XX’s ZOCs now restored, the LW mot hv AA III should now be able to cross the causeway. It does so and then moves eastwards along the route of the secondary railway, taking care to also enter coast hexes 10B:4918, 5016, 5015, 5014 (where the important at start 3-cap permanent airfield is at), then to clear terrain point city/standard port coast rail hex 5013 (Frederikshavn), and lastly back to the 3-cap airfield at 5014.

Then the LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG and the 1-10 Mot MG II 11 at Aalborg (10B:5115) move stacked together and end their joint move stacked at Frederikshavn after “ZOCing” all the coast and narrow straits hexes in their movement range in the NE Denmark zone. The 3-10 Mot Inf X 11 at Randers does the same thing for the eastern Denmark peninsula zone in its vicinity and ends its move at Aarhus.

The 2-1-10 Pz II 40 and the 1-10 Mot MG II 14 in the Schleswig peninsula zone just south of the Danish borderline move SW into the Northern Germany holding box.

Then a Ju 88A1 B type code S air unit at the Northern Germany holding box stages to Kiel and conducts a Naval Strike air mission (Rule20G2h) at the Oslo hex, intending to bomb the 2-pt CD TF (1 hit) Norge (AA=0) in the port. With its 3 strength tac bombing factor already halved to 1 ½ for the mud weather at the target hex, the die is rolled on the “1” Bombing Strength column of the Bombing Table per the Naval Strike rule, but with a +1 modifier for the S code. Nevertheless a 1 is rolled: a Miss. It returns to base at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, on the SW Norwegian coastline by Stavanger.

The second Ju 88A1 code S air unit at the Northern Germany holding box then stages to Kiel and performs the identical Naval Strike mission, again bombing on the “1” Bombing Strength Column. This time a 3 is rolled: a Miss. It returns to base at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720, on the SW Norwegian coastline by Stavanger.

Then a He 111H4 B type code S air unit from the Northern Germany holding box stages to the Kjobenhavn airbase and does the same Naval Strike mission; another 1 is rolled: another Miss. The He 111H4 S code air unit returns to base at the recently captured 1-cap permanent airstrip at 10B:4415 in southern Norway, just east of Krisitiansand.

The second and last available He 111H4 code S air unit then stages to the Kjobenhavn airbase and does the same Naval Strike mission against the Norwegian coast defense TF anchored in the Oslo port hex. This time a 5 is rolled, which modifies to a 6: a hit. And so the 2-pt CF TF Norge sinks in the Oslo harbor from repeated LW air strikes against it. The He 111H4 S code returns to base at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:5014 on the NE Danish coastline.

Then two He 111H4 and three He 111HP4 air units from the Northern Germany holding box begin staging to Kjobenhavn. One at a time, they begin conducting strat bombing missions against the rail marshaling yards (Rule 20G1a) in the Oslo hex. The fifth LW bomber scores the 2nd hit on the target hex; 2 is evidently the current rail capacity of the Oslo hex and therefore this is the maximum number of effective hits at the hex. The two rail marshaling yard hits reduce the Scandinavian rail net from 10 to 8 the next Allied turn. All the bombing He 111 air units return to base at the Kjobenhavn full city hex.

The He 111H1 type NB air unit based at Kiel performs a transport mission to the 1-cap permanent airstrip at 10B:4415 in southern Norway and delivers 2 supply points to the airstrip. It returns to base at the reference city airbase at Flensburg (13A:1121). The He 111P1 B type air unit in the Northern Germany holding box stages to Aahrus and performs a transport mission to the 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720 in SW Norway, delivering 2 supply points there, and returns to base at the Sylt holding box, where the Mxd T type code F air unit is based inoperative. The last available Ju 52 T type air unit at the Northern Germany holding box stages to Aahrus. picks up 2 supply points there as cargo, and flies a one-way regular transport mission to the 3-cap permanent airfield in SW Norway adjacent to Stavanger, where it must base.

Finally, the Me 109E at Rostok (13A:1717) transfers to the important 3-cap permanent airfield at 10B:3720 on the SW Norwegian coastline. A Me 110C1 at Kiel transfers to the 3-cap airfield on the NE Danish peninsula coastline at 10B:5014, as does also the Ju 87R D type air unit based at the Flensburg reference city airbase. The second Me 110C1 at Kiel then transfers to the Aalborg reference city airbase at 10B:5115, which is located one hex south of the airfield at 5014.

End of Turn Positions

The following is a listing of the dispositions of German forces in Norway and a virtually complete listing of the German forces in Denmark and northern Germany at the end of the Apr I 40 German turn:

Norway

Narvik: at reference city/major port mountain hex 5C:1010:

  • 2-8* Mtn III B
  • reorganized LW 0-8 Lt AA II II/33
  • Mxd T (LR) T type air unit
  • He 115B B type (code SF) air unit
  • 2 supply points
  • 2 German mine points laid in the German controlled sea coast hex.

Trondheim: at reference city/major port woods rail hex 5C:2432:

  • disrupted 2-8* Mtn III B
    Note: Apr I 40 Allied turn Norwegian general mobilization +0 reinf arrives here: 1-6 Mtn III 5/12ST.

Bergen: at dot city/major port rough terrain rail hex 10B:3016:

  • 2 x disrupted 2-6 Inf IIIs C
    Note: Apr I 40 Allied turn Norwegian general mobilization +0 reinf arrives here: 1-6 Inf III 4/9 HI.
    Also here is a Norwegian intrinsic CD level of 1 (w/ one naval hit), which increases to 3 in the April I 40 Allied initial phase.

At clear terrain coast rail hex 10B:3720 w/ at start 3-cap permanent airfield, next to Stavanger:

  • LW 1-5 Para II I/1
  • wint 2-6 Inf III 3
  • 2 x Ju 88A1 B type (s code) air units
  • Me 109E F type air unit
  • Ju 52 T type air unit
  • 4 supply points.

Kristiansand: at point city/standard port hex 10B:4416:

  • German controlled hex.
  • At woods coast hex 10B:4415, next to Kristiansand:
  • wint 2-6 Inf III E
  • 0-1-5 Const III 6
  • reorganized LW 0-6 Lt AA II I/611
  • He 111H4 B type (s code) air unit
  • 4 supply points.

Larvik: at point city/minor port hex 10B:4311:

  • German controlled hex.
  • Tonsberg point city/minor port hex 10B:4310:
  • wint 2-6 Inf III F.

Oslo: at partial city/major port hex 10B:4008:

  • disrupted 2-6 Inf III F
  • disrupted LW 1-5 Para II II/1
    Also in the Oslo hex is the Norwegian government capital marker, a C.V A type air unit, and an at start fort marker w/ an intrinsic CD level of 1, with a damage hit marker.
    Note: Apr I 40 Allied turn Norwegian general mobilization +0 reinf arrives here: 1-6 Inf III 1/ 2 JK.

Denmark

At clear terrain coast hex 10B:5014 w/ an at start 3-cap permanent airfleld, on the NE coastline of the Danish peninsula:

  • LW 1-10 Mot HV AA III 162
  • Me 110C F type air unit
  • He 111H4 B type (s code) air unit
  • Ju 87R D type air unit.

Fredikshavn: at point city/standard port hex 10B:5013:

  • LW 1-10 Mot Inf II GG
  • 1-10 Mot MG II 13.

Aalborg: at reference city/major port hex 10B:5115:

  • Me 110C1 F type air unit.
  • At NW Danish coast hex 10B:5120:
  • 1-10 Mot MG II 4.

At NW Danish coast hex 13A:0218:

  • wint 6-6 Inf XX 198.

Aarhus: at dot city/major port hex 13A:0616:

  • 3-10 Mot Inf X 11
  • 3 x Ju 52 T type air units.

Esjberg at reference city/standard port hex 13A:0621:

  • 2 x Ju 52 T type air units.

At clear terrain coast rail causeway hex 13A:0818, on the isle of Fyn:

  • 6-6 Inf XX 214.

Odense: at reference city/standard port hex 13A:0918, on the isle of Fyn:

  • Ju 52 T type air unit.

Nyborg: at point city/minor port rail ferry hex 13A:0818, on the isle of Fyn:

  • 1-8 Art X 109.

Kjobenhavn: at full city/major port hex 13A:1113, on the isle of Sjaelland:

  • wint 2-6 Inf III G
  • 3 x He 111P4 B type air units
  • 2 x He 111H4 B type air units
  • Danish factory marker.

Helsingor: at point city/minor port hex 13A:1012, on the isle of Sjaelland:

  • wint 1-6 Inf III G.

At clear terrain rail hex 13A:0921:

  • wint G Inf XX HQ unit
  • wint 2-6 Inf III G

The three supported Inf IIIs C are in the neck of the Danish peninsula.

Germany

Flensburg: at reference city/minor port hex 13A:1121:

  • He 111H1 NB type air unit.

Kiel: at partial city/major port hex 13A:1421:

  • 3 x Ju 52 T type air units
  • 1 mine point
  • 1 resource point
  • 4 inf RPs.

Northern Germany holding box:

  • B Mtn XX HQ unit
  • 2 x 3-8 Mtn IIIs B
  • C Inf XX HQ unit
  • 1-6 Inf III C
  • wint E Inf XX HQ unit
  • wint 1-6 Inf III E
  • wint F Inf XX HQ unit
  • wint 1-6 Inf III F
  • 2-1-10 Pz II 40
  • 1-10 Mot MG II 4
  • LW 1-10 Mot Hv AA II 1/32
  • reorganized pos flk unit
  • Lutzow BP TF (2 hits)
  • Schlesien B TF
  • 1 mine point
  • 1 resource point.

Sylt holding box:

  • He 111P1 B type air unit
  • Mxd T type (code f) air unit
  • reorganized pos flk unit
  • at start pos flk unit.

Setup

Danish and Norwegian Set-up

We turn to the Campaign for Norway Allied OB on p. 4 of the SoS Orders of Battle (OB) booklet for the Apr I 40 set-up instructions of these two Scandinavian neutrals.

The Danish 1-8 Bdr III PF is placed at the rail line border hex 13A:1021. On the Danish isle of Sjaelland, at Kjobenhavn (13A:1113) are placed the Danish air force (eg., the Gaunt F type and the C.V A type air units), the 1-2-6 Inf III 1 Sja/LG, the 0-1-8 Lt AA III 1, the 2-pt CD TF (1 hit) N. Juel, and the Danish government capital marker. The full city hex also contains a 1 strength level intrinsic CD. Per Rule 41A-Initial Deployment the Danish factory counter is placed at Kjobenhavn. Per the SoS Allied OB for the scenario, the 1-2-6 Inf III 1 Jyl/2SF is placed at Haderslev (13A:0920), guarding the eastern portion of the southern neck of the Danish peninsula.

Perhaps important for the Danish at start set-up (at Neutrality Watch), the “fort marker in coastal hex” with an intrinsic CD level of 1 (see the Danish Coast Defenses Chart on p. 59 of the SoS OB booklet) is placed in this game at the point city/minor port of Korsar at 13A:1016, located on the west coast of the isle of Sjaelland. I believe this completes the at start Danish set-up.

Up in neutral Norway (at Partial Mobilization) at partial city hex Oslo (10B:4007) are the 0-1-6 Inf II 2/HMKG, the C.V A type air unit, the 2-pt CF TF (1 hit) Norge, the Norwegian government capital marker, and also the perhaps important optional placement “fort marker in coastal hex” with an intrinsic CD level of 1 (see p. 59 of the SoS OB booklet). The Norwegian factory counter is placed at hex 10B:3606 per Rule 41A-Initial Deployment; this is four hexes NE of Oslo. The rest of the at start Norwegian set-up is found on p. 4 of the SoS Allied OB for the Campaign for Norway scenario.

Per the Grand Europa Norway, 1939-1940 OB, it appears that Norway receives 1 ARP on its May I 40 air cycle (see p. 31). At General Mobilization +0 (eg., on the Apr I 40 Allied game turn in the Campaign for Norway scenario) Norway evidently receives 3 NTPs at “any friendly-owned major ports in Southern Norway or Central Norway” (see p. 32). Per the Coast Defense Chart additional intrinsic CD hexes appear or are added on to existing CD strength points on the Apr I 40 Allied turn in both Norway and Denmark. Check the GE Norway, 1939-1940 OB for further information regarding production, mobilization, and possible conditional reinforcements.

German at Set-up

(with first turn infantry and mountain XX breakdown information):

Rostock (13A:1717): dot city/standard port clear terrain coast hex:

  • 1 x ME 109E F type air unit.

Kiel (13A:1421): partial city/major port clear terrain coast hex:

  • 1 x 6-6 wint Inf XX 163 (breaks down to wint E Inf XX HQ unit and unsupported inf III breakdowns)
  • 1 x 6-6 wint Inf XX 181 (breaks down to wint F Inf XX HQ unit and unsupported inf III breakdowns)
  • 1 x 6-6 wint Inf XX 196 (breaks down to wint G Inf XX HQ unit and unsupported inf III breakdowns)
  • 2 x Me 110C1 F type air units
  • 2 x He 111P4 B type air unit
  • 1 x He 111H1 NB type air unit
  • 1 x He 111H4 B type air unit
  • 1 x 3-pt B TF Schlesien
  • 1 x 3-pt BP TF Lutzow
  • 1 x 3-pt CA TF Blucher
  • 5 pts naval transport
  • 1 mine point
  • 1 resource point; arrives in the Initial Phase
  • 4 inf RPs; arrive in the Initial Phase.

Flensburg (13A:1121) reference city clear terrain coast rail border hex:

  • 1 x 6-6 Inf XX 170 (breaks down to D Inf XX’s supported inf IIIs)
  • 1 x 6-6 wint Inf XX 198
  • 1 x 6-6 Inf XX 214
  • 1 x 3-10 Mot Inf X 11
  • 1 x 2-10 LW Hvy AA III 162
  • 1 x 2-1-10 Pz II 40
  • 1 x 1-8 Art X 109
  • 1 x Ju 87R D type air unit.

Schleswig (13A:1221) point city clear terrain rail hex:

  • 1 x 0-1-5 Const III 6
  • 2 x 1-5 Para II I/1 and II/1
  • 2 x 1-10 Mot MG II 13 and 14
  • 1 x LW Mot Inf II GG.

Clear terrain border hex 13A:1022:

  • 1 x 1-10 Mot MG II 4.

Northern Germany holding box:

  • 7-6 Inf XX 69 (breaks down to C Inf XX HQ unit and unsupported inf III breakdowns)
  • [reorganized/stripped down] 5-8* Mtn XX 3 (breaks down to A Mtn XX’s supported mtn IIIs)
  • 1 x 7-8 Mtn XX 2 (breaks down to B Mtn XX HQ unit and unsupported mtn IIIs)
  • 1 x 1-10 Mot Hvy AA II I/132
  • 1 x 0-8 Lt AA II II/33 and pos flk unit (from stripped down 1-10 Mot Hvy AA II II/33)
  • 10 x Ju 52 T type air units
  • 2 x Ju 88A1 B (code S) type air units
  • 2 x He 111H4 B (code S) type air units
  • 1 x He 111H4 B type air unit
  • 1 x He 111P4 B type air unit
  • 1 x He 111P1 B type air unit
  • 1 x Mxd T (LR) T type air unit
  • 2 x 4-pt BC TF Gneisenau, Schrnhrst
  • 1 x 3-pt CA FT A. Hipper
  • 1 x 3-pt CL TF Cruiser-1
  • 2 x 3-pt DD TF Flotilla-1, Flotilla-2
  • 1 pt naval transport
  • 3 mine points
  • 1 resource point; arrives in the initial phase.

Sylt holding box:

  • 0-8 Lt AA II I/611 and pos flk unit (from stripped down 1-10 Mot Hvy AA II I/611)
  • [at start] pos flk unit
  • 1 x Mixed T (F) T type (code F) air unit
  • 1 x He115B B type (code SF) air unit.
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