Nimitz: The Fight for the Fjords

For our last game of the year I wanted to put on something big and fun and not too demanding. Nimitz rules always give a fast and exciting game but just for the hell of it we crammed as many 1/700 ship models on the table as we could. A scenario set in a narrow and winding fjord addresses many of the table size issues in this scale. 

Balancing the scenario was a challenge. I only have 4 German DDs so far, whereas Darren has more Royal Navy destroyers than, well, the Royal Navy! 

Despite promising sceptics of this unfeasibly large scale that we would limit ourselves to destroyers, surely just one small Light Cruiser - Konigsberg - couldn't hurt and would push the Kreigsmarine needle up to half the British points... 

The British/Polish/Australian flotillas entered the fjord... 

Z-43 was duty guardship, patrolling the stretch between the two narrows and quickly spotted the oncoming armada. The officer of the watch's knuckles whitened on his binoculars as he leant over the voice pipe:  'Kapitan - Officer of the Watch. Multiple hostile vessels entering the fjord at Green Zero One Five - range 15 cables - speed fast. Am maintaining course and speed'. 

History does not record the skipper's response, but it is said he broke all records for ladder climbing as he immediately materialized on the bridge - without spilling a drop of his kaffee! After the Funkmeisters had broadcast a contact report, the remainder of the German flotilla anchored at the head of the fjord got under weigh.

Meanwhile Z-43 had scored a hit and some minor damage on the lead English destroyers, but had taken damage in return. The helm was thrown over and an attempt made to steal a lead over oncoming armada

Failing to draw clear, and with damage mounting...

Z-43 came about in a bid to launch torpedoes prior to beaching herself. The first salvo missed...

Reinforcements would not be forthcoming for some time!

Just as she was in position for a second launch, critical damage wiped out the remaining launcher, and she sank prior to making it to the beach... She had failed to make any worthwhile impression on the Allied flotillas!

At last the rest of the German force was arriving at the scene of action, 

struggling to form into formation.

With so many targets it was decided to simply attack the nearest formation...

The German gunnery was fair, and despite all torpedoes missing the lead British destroyer was sunk. Only 11 more to deal with!

As for Konigsberg by dint of a handbrake turn around the narrows she was able to bring all nine of her guns to bear, causing heavy but not crippling damage to HMS Afridi.

Meanwhile British gunfire, only sporadically accurate but causing massive damage when hits were scored, had sunk the remaining German destroyers.

Hard up against the granite edges of the fjord by the narrows, Konigsberg was unlikely to be able to come about and rejoin the action in time to influence events, so made a break for the open sea. 

This left the Allied fleet free to take their time knocking out the Heavy Water storage tanks with no opposition. Another setback for the Nazi Atomic program!