Hypothetical: November 25, 1939, east of Iceland, 1pm

Started by MengJiao, March 31, 2020, 04:19:10 PM

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MengJiao


   Historically the two German battlecruisers narrowly escaped this trap due to a lucky stormfront.  If we suppose the visibility had been marginally better outside a squal line, then they might well have bumped into the jaws of the trap something like this (the battlecruisers are left of top center, HMS Hood is at the far upper right, the French fast battleship is at the lower left corner, the squal line is that sunny chain of op-scale clouds):

MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on March 31, 2020, 04:19:10 PM


  And 18 minutes into the action -- Scharnhorst and a French Destroyer Leader exchanged fire (maybe a minor nick on the battlecruiser, DL shaken and slowed)...the light cruiser Montcalm has two battlecruisers emerging from the rain curtain about 1000 yds away.  The French fast battleship has all 8 330mm guns trained forward -- guns with better penetration but less damage than the 280mm guns on the battlecruisers -- at 3500 yds.  I'll have all ships plot fire and then move with some randomization (3-5  courses per ship):

MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on March 31, 2020, 08:27:17 PM




  And 18 minutes into the action -- Scharnhorst and a French Destroyer Leader exchanged fire (maybe a minor nick on the battlecruiser, DL shaken and slowed)...the light cruiser Montcalm has two battlecruisers emerging from the rain curtain about 1000 yds away.  The French fast battleship has all 8 330mm guns trained forward -- guns with better penetration but less damage than the 280mm guns on the battlecruisers -- at 3500 yds.



  Six minutes later:  Montcalm tried to ram Gneisenau, missed, got off torpedoes and was overwhelmed by gunfire and sank.  Scharnhorst blew up and Dunkerque is on fire while Gneisenau is circling out of control and flooding.  A major victory for the Royal Navy (who missed the action), but not so much for the Marine Nationale or the Kriegsmarine.