PQ-17's PQ12

[MengJiao]

   I played PQ-6 and PQ-12.  Pretty exciting even in solitaire mode ( assuming an optimal convoy intercept strategy for the KM via B-dienst
decoding of allied plans and then rolling for branching events off of that).  So far up in the Ice and darkness of late 1941 and early 1942, there
haven't been many sightings.  For PQ-6, the weather got so bad that there was no way anyone was going to find that convoy.

For PQ-12, heres' the situation on the first day.  The KM forces that seem to be in Kimo are just forces that might be in their potentially terrifying TF-2.  The RN won't know what's in TF-2 until they get some reconnaissance on it:

[MengJiao]

   I played PQ-6 and PQ-12.  Pretty exciting even in solitaire mode ( assuming an optimal convoy intercept strategy for the KM via B-dienst
decoding of allied plans and then rolling for branching events off of that).  So far up in the Ice and darkness of late 1941 and early 1942, there
haven't been many sightings.  For PQ-6, the weather got so bad that there was no way anyone was going to find that convoy.

For PQ-12, heres' the situation on the first day.  The KM forces that seem to be in Kimo are just forces that might be in their potentially terrifying TF-2.  The RN won't know what's in TF-2 until they get some reconnaissance on it:

Moving on to PQ13.  I've run 3 convoys (PQ-6, PQ-12 and a maximal KM effort PQ-12) -- they have all gotten through and the only fighting has been some unsuccessful air attacks on U-boats.  I now fully sympathize with the German officers who disengaged at the Battle of the Barents Sea because they could not see anything.  What did they have?  Two hours of twilight in the southern horizon and a sea crawling with aggressive destroyers and Cruisers all with radar.  The Germans of course had radar too but their big ships made much better targets and they could not sort out who was who amid all the other targets.

Anyway, the game is fascinating even in solitaire mode and I'm gaining an understanding of how hard it was to get at these convoys, at least in the winter.  PQ-17 in 24-hour light will be a different story, I think.

[MengJiao]

   I played PQ-6 and PQ-12.  Pretty exciting even in solitaire mode ( assuming an optimal convoy intercept strategy for the KM via B-dienst
decoding of allied plans and then rolling for branching events off of that).  So far up in the Ice and darkness of late 1941 and early 1942, there
haven't been many sightings.  For PQ-6, the weather got so bad that there was no way anyone was going to find that convoy.

For PQ-12, heres' the situation on the first day.  The KM forces that seem to be in Kimo are just forces that might be in their potentially terrifying TF-2.  The RN won't know what's in TF-2 until they get some reconnaissance on it:

Moving on to PQ13.  I've run 3 convoys (PQ-6, PQ-12 and a maximal KM effort PQ-12) -- they have all gotten through and the only fighting has been some unsuccessful air attacks on U-boats.  I now fully sympathize with the German officers who disengaged at the Battle of the Barents Sea because they could not see anything.  What did they have?  Two hours of twilight in the southern horizon and a sea crawling with aggressive destroyers and Cruisers all with radar.  The Germans of course had radar too but their big ships made much better targets and they could not sort out who was who amid all the other targets.

Anyway, the game is fascinating even in solitaire mode and I'm gaining an understanding of how hard it was to get at these convoys, at least in the winter.  PQ-17 in 24-hour light will be a different story, I think.

Here's my start for a version of PQ13:

[MengJiao]

   I played PQ-6 and PQ-12.  Pretty exciting even in solitaire mode ( assuming an optimal convoy intercept strategy for the KM via B-dienst
decoding of allied plans and then rolling for branching events off of that).  So far up in the Ice and darkness of late 1941 and early 1942, there
haven't been many sightings.  For PQ-6, the weather got so bad that there was no way anyone was going to find that convoy.

For PQ-12, heres' the situation on the first day.  The KM forces that seem to be in Kimo are just forces that might be in their potentially terrifying TF-2.  The RN won't know what's in TF-2 until they get some reconnaissance on it:

Moving on to PQ13.  I've run 3 convoys (PQ-6, PQ-12 and a maximal KM effort PQ-12) -- they have all gotten through and the only fighting has been some unsuccessful air attacks on U-boats.  I now fully sympathize with the German officers who disengaged at the Battle of the Barents Sea because they could not see anything.  What did they have?  Two hours of twilight in the southern horizon and a sea crawling with aggressive destroyers and Cruisers all with radar.  The Germans of course had radar too but their big ships made much better targets and they could not sort out who was who amid all the other targets.

Anyway, the game is fascinating even in solitaire mode and I'm gaining an understanding of how hard it was to get at these convoys, at least in the winter.  PQ-17 in 24-hour light will be a different story, I think.

Here's my start for a version of PQ13:

QP-9 gets bombed (one Ju-88 driven off, Float torpedo planes cripple one and sink another, other Ju-88s sink one):

[MengJiao]

   I played PQ-6 and PQ-12.  Pretty exciting even in solitaire mode ( assuming an optimal convoy intercept strategy for the KM via B-dienst
decoding of allied plans and then rolling for branching events off of that).  So far up in the Ice and darkness of late 1941 and early 1942, there
haven't been many sightings.  For PQ-6, the weather got so bad that there was no way anyone was going to find that convoy.

For PQ-12, heres' the situation on the first day.  The KM forces that seem to be in Kimo are just forces that might be in their potentially terrifying TF-2.  The RN won't know what's in TF-2 until they get some reconnaissance on it:

Moving on to PQ13.  I've run 3 convoys (PQ-6, PQ-12 and a maximal KM effort PQ-12) -- they have all gotten through and the only fighting has been some unsuccessful air attacks on U-boats.  I now fully sympathize with the German officers who disengaged at the Battle of the Barents Sea because they could not see anything.  What did they have?  Two hours of twilight in the southern horizon and a sea crawling with aggressive destroyers and Cruisers all with radar.  The Germans of course had radar too but their big ships made much better targets and they could not sort out who was who amid all the other targets.

Anyway, the game is fascinating even in solitaire mode and I'm gaining an understanding of how hard it was to get at these convoys, at least in the winter.  PQ-17 in 24-hour light will be a different story, I think.

Here's my start for a version of PQ13:

QP-9 gets bombed (one Ju-88 driven off, Float torpedo planes cripple one and sink another, other Ju-88s sink one):

AND then what do you know -- the Tirpitz gets sunk.

Historically, there wasn't enough fuel for the Tirpitz to go after PQ-13 and it looks like that might have been a good thing for the KM.  In my version the KM sends out all their ships hoping to wipe out the convoy before the RN shows up with big ships.
After spotting RN subs, I rolled to see if the Big T and the Prinz Eugen and their 4 destroyers would turn back.  But no.  The Big T pushed North through a long night of decreasing visibility and as morning twilight came up out of the south, 8 RN DDs sank 2 KM DDs and put two torpedoes into the Tirpitz, having achieved total surprise.  HMS King George V opened fire and got two more damaging hits on the Big T while the RN DDs got one more KM DD while the Renown and the Prinz Eugen sparred ineffectively.  Then the suriving KM ships withdrew and left the Big T dead in the water.