Somewhere in the South Atlantic 1939, Game 2

The carrier HMS Hermes was built on a cruiser hull, and was therefore somewhat smaller than the later WW2 fleet carriers, but she was purpose built to carry planes (sea-planes initially) and had fore and aft lifts.  She carried a squadron of twelve Swordfish torpedo bombers, and in my second game, with the Kriegsmarine capital ships Blucher and Scheer being shadowed by HMS Cumberland I decided that it is the swordfish that will be next to have a go at the Germans.

Two of the aircraft failed to get onto the tabletop, one being lost in a catapult accident, and another having engine problems and ditching.  That is annoying since I had painted up all twelve.  Come to think of it I painted the carrier as well, and that doesn't get on table. .  That left me with two formations of, five aircraft to take on the Germans, Red Flight and Blue Flight.  They entered the table at mid ceiling, level 3, dropping quickly to level 2 height.   

Red flight was first to attack, taking the port side of the German ships.  The Nord-Reich as a Merchant ship was an easy target, but not the priority here.  She turned and moved off to the east.  I divided red flight into two waves.  The first three dived to level 1, 100 feet, and moved in.  The German AA Flak should have dealt with this easily.  

The Swordfish was a notoriously slow aircraft, and almost immediately young Ginger, leading red Flight, found himself exploding at 100 feet, failing to drop his torpedo.  The remaining two in the first wave did manage to drop and began to climb to level two trying to avoid the flak.

Ginger comes to a quick end.

As I turned the Kriegsmarine ships away the second wave dropped from level 1, and also turned away climbing.  Miraculously, apart from the loss of their red headed leader, Red Flight had four of its aircraft regrouping for the return to Hermes.

I turned the Blucher and Scheer sharply to port, as Blue Flight dropped to level 1.  Sly old Squadron leader Quigglesworth, leading Blue Flight in two waves, dropped the first torpedoes cleanly.  Then the havoc started as Bertie's Swordfish lost its engine to flak and dropped into the sea astern of Scheer.  Another of Quiggles flight exploded as it failed to climb away quickly enough, and the Squadron Leader himself had an oil fire in his engine.  That however has never stopped a hero like Quiggles, and he probably made it back to the Hermes with a blazing engine, smoking a woodbine and drinking a horse`s neck of gin!

Quiggles loses half his flight to Flak

I suddenly realised that Quiggles had spread his torpedoes so that one was aimed at Blucher, the rest at Scheer.  Amazingly the Scheer took two torpedoes to the stern, exploded and rolled over.  Blucher took a torpedo midships, essentially undamaged, but critically in game terms, slowed.

Not sure why that lead Destroyer is going the wrong way!

So it seems that the campaign will come down to HMS Renown and her Task Force B.  With Blucher damaged that is probably overkill. (to put it mildly)

Please note that the model of HMS Hermes is in perfect proportion, being the same size as the Cruiser Cornwall in this picture.  My Ark Royal is of a similar length to Renown.  

With the South Atlantic out of the way I will probably turn to the cruise of the Bismarck!