Heligoland fortifications and a ruddy great bang.

A bit more research turned up some interesting data and photos of Heligoland Island's fortifications circa 1918. The main armament appears to have consisted of two battleship-type gun turrets mounting two 12"/30.5cm guns apiece, along with a number of smaller turrets mounting 8.25"/21cm guns.

30.5cm turrets. Note the ventilator hoods for the magazines and tunnel network connecting the turrets.

A view from the western side of the island. The turrets are marked by the pale circles surrounding them.

From what I can see the fortifications underwent a major upgrade immediately before and during the First World War, the guns above probably replacing older and less potent ordinance. The two main turrets were sited at the highest point of the island, about 160 feet above sea level. What with this and their low profiles, it would've made the turrets hard to hit by seaborne artillery and given the four guns a large measure of plunging fire capability. I believe there were smaller guns of around 4.1"/105mm calibre covering the harbour and anchorage.

All of the above pieces were dismantled following the 1918 Armistice. In the 1930s the Nazis evacuated the islanders and refortified Heligoland again, and the batteries were referred to as the Nordgrüppe. An extensive network of tunnels was constructed throughout the island to link most of the gun positions, which now included a sizable AA component. It was intended to base a number of U-Boats on Heligoland. Although one pen was built to house the submarines the plan was scaled down when French bases became available after 1940.

Britain took control of Heligoland again in 1945, and again it was decided to demolish the fortifications. In one of those rather bizarre experiments that followed the Second World War, the British Army took one third of the surplus explosives left after the war and packed it all into the tunnel system. They then touched it all off at once...

Bang.

In the scale of things the explosion is rated as the largest non-nuclear event in history, with roughly one third the power of the Hiroshima bomb. Some predicted that Heligoland would be obliterated. As it was, the poor little island shook down to its roots and the eastern third collapsed. As if that wasn't enough, the RAF used Heligoland as a bombing range up to 1952, at which time Britain handed over what was left of it to then-West Germany.

(Thankfully the island is at peace now. The collapsed eastern half was leveled and a new community with harbor facilities built on the site, although the craters left from wartime and subsequent bombing are still visible on the top of the island. One part of the old above-ground fortifications remains: In 1952 a former WW2 flak tower was converted to create the island's lighthouse. Due to Heligoland's no cars policy, a lack of significant vegetation to create pollen, and the mild climate, it's a good place for people with allergies and respiratory ailments to visit. It also features an almost unique duty-free economy, and a world recognised guillemot sanctuary on the western cliffs).

So, some interesting features to consider in a naval campaign. Situated some 43 miles from the mainland the island was an effective outwork for the German naval bases and ports of Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven around the shores of the German Bight. By the same criteria it also made a potential blocker for the same.

At roughly half a mile long and a quarter mile wide it's not too big to represent Heligoland on the table in 1/2400 scale since (unless my math is off - which is entirely possible) it'll be about 13 inches long.

A few weeks ago, Peter at Grid based Wargaming played out his St. Nazaire raid project using simple but effective scratch-built buildings, emplacements and landing craft. A similar approach would work well for a hypothetical attack on Heligoland. Hmm...

Battlefleet prep

One thing that tends to differentiate naval gaming from land-based gaming is the need for a bit more in the way of equipment. In the case of Battlefleet 1900 rules from War Times Journal, this means turning circles, angle of fire templates, and record sheets. I printed off a couple of examples of the record sheets that are part of the Battlefleet rules, but the sheer number required for even a small fleet action showed me I'd be better off getting with the technological revolution. So it was to take the donkey work out of the project I consigned the lot as modified GIF files to the computer's Paint program. This will allow me to move swiftly between the ships involved in the game to make entries on damage inflicted and save copies for campaign use. I'm still working up records for all the ships I have available, but a working example is shown below.

Format © WTJ, chart modified for personal use.

Since I want to set this up as a campaign, I'm looking beyond the rules mechanics to the potential theatre of war - the North Sea and Atlantic approaches. One interesting area is the Island of Heligoland in the German Bight.

Once belonging to Denmark, the island was seized in 1807 by the Royal Navy after the Danes were forced to fight for Bonaparte as part of his 'Continental blockade' policy. Heligoland was formally ceded to Britain during the Congress of Vienna in 1814. It remained a British possession up to 1890 when it was basically swapped for German territorial claims in Zanzibar and Africa. The island had - and still has - a reputation as one of the healthiest places on Earth, especially for those suffering respiratory illnesses. Under Imperial German ownership, it was developed into the 'Gibraltar of the North Sea,' with a naval base, dockyard installations, underground fortifications and coastal batteries.

All of which makes it a lovely juicy target for a hypothetical campaign.

Heligoland, circa 1890-1910. Image credit: United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division

 

The island has changed a great deal in the years since WW2 - especially in the extension of the harbor and the enlargement of Düne to act as the island airport - but the map and image above are close enough to the period I want to game in. Apart from the site of the kaserne (barracks) and military lighthouse, I can't find much information relating to the kind of fortifications and armament of shore batteries on Heligoland. I might just make an educated guess. 

The Brandenberg Quartet*

*Technically these are the four battleships of the Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm class of the Kaiserliche Marine circa 1900, but I didn't let that get in the way of a good blog title.

Back row: Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm,Wörth. Front row: Brandenburg, Weissenburg.

These are all scratch built in 1/2400 scale, about the smallest scale limit for my abilities these days. All are mounted on clear acetate, with the wakes created using thick PVA mixed with white craft paint followed by a coat of gloss varnish.

I aim to clear the gaming table and try out a set of rules called Battlefleet 1900 by War Times Journal go get a feel for them. After that, the German fleet will need a few cruisers of one kind and another for the hypothetical 'Morocco Crisis turned hot' mini campaign scenario I have in mind.

Yak shaving & 280mm guns

For one reason and another I lost my wargaming mojo over the holiday season. I do enjoy reading other gamers' blogs, but a general feeling of "can't be arsed" and my general SAD dislike of the winter months overcame any inclination I had to clear my cluttered games table and put my own models into action.

Thankfully, I'm coming back into the scheme of things one small step at a time. Hence the 'yak shaving' title.

Yak shaving ~ Any apparently useless activity which, by allowing you to overcome intermediate difficulties, allows you to solve a larger problem.

The yaks in question take the shape of four 1/2400 scale German Brandenburg class battleship models, which have languished half-built in my to-do pile for months. The 280mm guns are the teeth of these beasts, and they're the penultimate step to be completed before the lot gets undercoated and painted. It'll be a fiddly but necessary job to do, and hopefully should revive my interest. Small steps, small steps... 

Boxing Day

'tis the Feast of Stephen! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas/Hanukah/Solstice, however you celebrate the season. I'm the cook in the family so I was busy preparing the Christmas dinner yesterday morning. My wife and I decided to buy our gifts for each other from local artists. I was given this nice little pottery flask, just right for a nip of something potable.

Gaming may resume this weekend, with the last raid of the season for the newly-minted Saxon Warlord Ebba and his men.

In the meantime I'm contemplating starting a model railway/road blog. It's interesting to note how many wargamers also have a model railway layout or are planning one. I'm in the track planning stage, having decided to go with HO scale. At the moment I'm thinking in terms of a simple oval with a spur line running off to serve an industry of some kind. For Steve-the-Wargamer in particular, here's a photo of some of my stuff so far.

The locomotive is of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe line. The general store was a charity shop find. Apparently it was part of a collector series from the movie Sarah, Plain and Tall, but it works perfectly for HO scale. Alongside it is a scratch-built meeting hut. The track needs cleaning. Months in cold storage during our house move didn't do it much good.

Merry Christmas!

A Merry Christmas to one and all!

Normandy '44: D-Day and the Battle for France, by James Holland.

I've just finished this book, which I borrowed from our local library when I saw it on the shelf. Holland states from the get-go that it's not a comprehensive review of the campaign, since it would take far too large a number of volumes to cover. Even so, he's done a pretty good job of covering the campaign in considerable detail. Some of the detail is graphic, since the Normandy campaign saw bitter fighting, so caution is advised if letting younger readers have access to the book.

It includes accounts of several episodes I didn't know about, or in scant detail. A number of the actions would translate very well for WW2 rules such as Chain of Command or I Ain't Been Shot, Mum. There are a couple of small errors in the text, which is down to an American not having quite the grasp of British culture. Two of the photographs are mislabeled. One of a British 5.5 inch howitzer is described as a 155mm gun, and King Tigers are incorrectly identified as Panthers. Working in the writing/publishing industry as I do, it's quite possible the fault for these latter mislabeling isn't down to the author but rather the publisher's research staff.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/normandy-44/james-holland/9781787631274

Gaming-wise, I'm in something of a lull. I find my interest in wargaming has waned lately, although I still like to read books and visit the various hobby blogs and websites. Nowadays I feel more involved in setting up my model railroad layout than getting figures on the table. I might play the next Dux Britanniarum game sometime over Xmas. We'll see.

Bracken Hill ~ post game

Bracken Hill had more than a degree of friction in the game; perhaps a bit too much to be quite enjoyable. Even so, the game added to the campaign narrative.

The fighting bogged down to a slogging match in a confined space as Ebba uncharacteristically forewent maneuvers and tried to bull his way through the Romano-British. The home team proved to be too stubborn for that, however, having had enough of the Saxons' deprivations. Gaius Menusius had also found some tactical nous in the down time since the last raid and deployed his levy to good effect. Result - Ebba withdrew unpursued to lick his wounds, leaving the field to the Romano-British along with a Beggar's Bowl of loot - the first time they've picked up any kind of wealth.

The Romano-British win meant the Saxon siege of Durobrivae was lifted, rendering the province safe at least for the rest of the year 472AD.* Ebba won't be able to contest for the province again since there won't be sufficient time before winter to try again.  

In terms of casualties it was a Pyrrhic victory for the Romano-British. They came off worse by suffering heavy casualties to the Saxons' moderate losses. Ebba can recover sooner than they, and stage another raid come October - the last month in the campaigning season. The Romano-British will still be down a significant number of men. They lack the wealth to raise mercenaries and Gaius Menusius lacks the status to build watchtowers to warn against Saxon incursions.

So, what happens next? Ebba's taken care of the annual tribute he has to pay his king back home, so that's out of the way. He will raid again in October in search of more loot confident the Romano-British lack the strength to put up much of a fight. With more wealth he'll be in a good position to contest for Durobrivae next year, when the new campaigning season opens in March 473AD. On the other side of the hill, the Romano-British can attempt to stop the raid, even at the risk of taking more casualties, because they'll have the winter months to recoup their losses.

A roll of the die turns up Raid Scenario #1 ~ Raid on a Church. Ebba has his eye on a potentially lucrative target. The Romano-British will attempt to stop him cold before he can perpetrate such sacrilege on a holy site.

*According to the Dux Britanniarum rule book the Saxons should attack the province of Caer Lind Colun first, in 472AD. I feel given the extensive waterways that radiated off the Wash at that time, seaborne raiders like the Saxons and later Vikings would've used them to penetrate deep into Durobrivae.

The Battle of Bracken Hill ~ Dux Brit game report.

The two armies met close by a hill covered in bracken, a landmark for miles around. Ebba thought he had the whole province sewed up, but Gaius Menusius stole a march on him. As the early morning mists cleared, Ebba saw his opponent was closer than expected.

A cattle pen, a shallow, swampy pond and rocky outcrops restrict the field of battle

Gaius Menusius appealed to God for favour, and his piety had an immediate effect on his men. Determined to oppose these Saxon dogs who’d come to despoil their land, the blessing added stiffness to their backbones. They gripped sword, spear and shield and moved into position directed by their leaders.

Ebba found it difficult to maneuver well in the confined space. Although he had some idea of sending a group of warriors around through the woods to hit his enemy’s right flank, in the event he lost patience and took his hearth guard to the fore. On the Romano-British side, Gaius Menusius anchors his force on the wood and the pond. Levy commander Lord Barriventus has a rush of blood to his head and decides to attempt a fancy outflanking maneuver. Leading his levy into the rocky area he soon finds the going tougher than expected.

Ebba's not unduly concerned with the antics of the levy, but he's uncharacteristically impatient. Forming up his hearth guard he charges straight into the Romano-British warriors.

Faced with difficult terrain on each left flank the Saxons and Romano-British find their plans stymied.

At first the fight went well. Romano-British warriors fell under Ebba's attack, but their accursed shield wall held firm and he was repelled. The movement of the enemy’s levy to his right flank caused him increasing concern since they appeared to be finding a path through the rocks, but he felt one more good push would break the shield wall and render the levy's attempt irrelevant.

As his men charged in for another attempt Ebba recognised a familiar face moving to the front rank of the Romano-British warriors. Cynbel the Magnificent! He’d been a sorry if defiant sight when Ebba had captured and ransomed him two months earlier. Now it seemed he was out for revenge.

Petrified by the closeness of the nasty Saxons, the Romano-British archers fail to hit anything.

And Cynbel got it. Fighting hard in the front rank he held back the Saxon hearth guard then repulsed them.

Shock and casualties accumulate, especially on the Romano-British side, but they hold firm-for now.

 

Again Ebba sent his men into the attack, determined to break them once and for all. More Romano-British warriors fell, but again they held firm. The despised levy charged in on Ebba's flank, and this time Ebba felt the battle beginning to slip away from him. So apparently did Oeric the Insane. Living up to his nickname the young lord frothed at the mouth and hurled himself into the fray. He met Cynbel the Magnificent head-on—and died beneath his sword. Oeglath, Ebba’s Champion stepped into the way of an attacker and he too met his death by a spear thrust under his ribs.The mighty man fell like a stricken oak.

Suddenly Ebba found himself in the front line and fighting for his life. He held off one opponent but the other found a gap in Ebba’s armour and slashed open his forearm. Ebba gritted his teeth and fell back into the safe mass of his hearth guard. Bested by a poxed levy-man, by Thunir! The embarrassment of it.

The stuffing went out of the hearth guard then. With his warriors unable to deploy effectively because of the cramped area, Ebba withdrew from the field. He calculated that his enemy had lost more men, meaning he’d be vulnerable to raiding before Autumn and the close of the campaigning season in October. Saving what men he had left became vital. He’d have time to recoup his losses, probably before his opponent could do so, which made another raid in September a possibility. At least he had a beggar’s bowl worth of loot stashed safe in his hall, so tribute to his King was taken care of. Ebba thought he might even find a lord to replace the late demented Oeric. Ebba saluted his foe then walked away. He’d return when he was good and ready.

Lest We Forget

At the going down of the Sun,

And in the Morning,

We Will Remember Them.