Um, excuse me, but why does Norway have a ship far more advanced than anything we’ve seen from Germany or Austria?
This campaign was recorded using Admiralsnackbar’s balance mod which you can find here https://forum.game-labs.net/topic/40790-uad-rebalancing-mod-for-13-v1/
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Captain of the 1st Company: Treefrog
Lieutenants: Armande Christoph
Veteran Sergeants: 1stplaceonion, LCG Canyon, Welshy
Sergeant: Jackie, Twitchyknees, Alerik Rahl, paga1985s, Haytor
Veterans: Telemonian Dan, Sunless Sky Nova, Threadoflength, Darth Vendar.
Battle Siblings: Jacky Chan, nagebenfro, scurvekano, Cpt Graftin, Icd, Iroey, Zadrias, JT Bismarck.
source
7:45
Consider me appeased.🙂
16:55 sure sounded like you said “Regensburg is very slowly gonna get caught by the bollocks.”
26:53
Wie sagt Man auf Deutsch “thinking?”
Surprisingly competent BB by Norway! Didn't look half bad, either.
24:22 the Norsemen are having a go at you? What did you do, tell them you don’t like lutefisk?
31:27
Yeah but AI still pays no attention to fore-aft balance.
36:10
Oh no, not the return of the cork-hulled torpedo boat!
I really hope that Norwegian battleship is a sign of things to come. If it is, I may actually (finally) put down the cash for a gaming PC and run the game.
49:48
Nor do they 😂😂😂
Can't wait till you make the HMS Furious with single barreled 18-inch guns.
When firing at TB i just set the gund to aggressive. Otherwhise they wont shoot
02:31: It was the HMS Nestor we lost to the Austrians.
30:23 Germans really missed a trick making their light cruisers out of T-72s….
Have you given RTW3 a try on steam yet?
In total we have lost 1 armoured cruiser and 3 destroyers
47:16: At the Report 06:51 mark it says a German warship lost 18 crew. From what? Did they die of fright?
How Long will this Alliance Last?
The Times: 25 July 1909
As we predicted the Kaiser did send King Haakon VII and his Royal Norwegian Navy a “Stern Note” regarding the failure of the HNMS Markgraft to protect another German convoy returning from Norway with critically needed materials to continue the war effort. We know this because the Norwegian Government has published both this note and the one following the Battle of Weser and their reply to both stating that the S-1 class torpedo boats S-6 and S-8 had abandoned the convoy in the Battle of the Weser and again had abandoned a convoy carrying another shipment of critical materials in the Baltic Sea, even though the Royal Navy A-class destroyer that attacked it was armed with only four 3” guns and a twin deck torpedo launcher while the S-1 torpedo boats each carry two 4.2” guns as well as three torpedo tubes giving them an advantage not even included the two 4.3” guns carried on each of the four Roon class 14 thousand ton armed transports. The Crown of Norway “politely” suggested the Kaiser look to the conduct of his own Kaiserliche Marine before complaining about the performance of the Royal Norwegian Navy which lost three ships in the North Sea.
Reports from the Royal Navy confirm what the Norwegian government have claimed. While operations in the Baltic Sea are generally not reported by the Admiralty, as the ships operating there are terribly vulnerable and have been very successful in sinking unescorted merchant ships and transports, this apparently was the first time a Royal Navy destroyer attacked a convoy theoretically under escort by warships. The Captain of the HMS Alarm was rewarded for his bold action, first destroying one of the 4.3” guns on the Amazone III before sinking the Frankfurt, Medusa, and Roon, then turning back and forcing the Amazone III to surrender after her 4.3” magazine exploded. In all the Germans lost 54 thousand tons of shipping capacity and vital war materials from the Kingdom of Norway as well as 240 merchant seaman and officers killed and seventy-two captured and taken as prisoners of war having resisted with armed ships.
A Stern Note from the Kaiser
The Times: 8 July 1909
Rumours abound in the diplomatic corps of a “Stern Note” sent by the Kaiser himself to the Royal Norwegian Navy about the conduct of the HNMS Prinzess Wilhelm at the battle of the Weser. Clearly the Kaiser had good reason to be displeased to have reports that a German built 6” armed armoured cruiser couldn’t engage against an Argonaut armoured cruiser and a Tribune semi-armoured cruiser when supported by the Berlin class protected cruiser Bremen. So when responding to a report from the scouting squadron led by the HMS Adder that they had found a convoy of fifteen Yorck class merchant ships with a heavy escort the HMS Indomitable and her sister the HMS Indefatigable, lead ship of the world’s first battlecruiser class, sortied with the HMS Pollux, an Argonaut class armoured cruiser not yet assigned to colonial station, encountered the HNMS Markgraf, a German built 13.5” armed Bayern class dreadnaught accompanied by two Freya class armoured cruisers, Blücher and Gneisenau, two protected cruisers, the HNMS Kolberg and the class lead HNMS Cöln, the S-1 class torpedo boat S-7, and the aforementioned Michel class armoured cruiser HNMS Prinzess Wilhelm, they were not surprised that the whole force remained to engage them.
As a demonstration of the supposed superiority of German naval technology, the Markgraf opened fire first, making us wonder why the Kaiserliche Marine does not seem to possess any ships of this class. The first hit came from the Markgraf on the HMS Indomitable, penetrating her main deck and causing flooding aft. The HMS Indomitable was ordered to retreat from the battle with thirty-four casualties, though she would continue to fire on targets as she withdrew. However questions have been raised in Parliament on the wisdom of ordering away one of the two 13.5” armed ships from a battle so newly joined, and clearly with a close competitor firing the same caliber of shells, the danger of which was seen when two 13.5” shells from the Markgraf hit the HMS Acorn, the ship being lost to fire along with her entire crew complement of 104 officers and ratings. The importance of our 13.5” armed ships was the immediate reply of three 13.5” shells sinking the HNMS Cöln, her magazines exploding sending turrets flying into the sky.
The A-class destroyer HMS Attack was hit and ordered to retreat, having lost five men. The HMS Pollux sank the Gneisenau which sank with 603 of her 670 man crew. The A-class HMS Adder retreated with 20 casualties just as she reported sighting the merchant ships of the convoy. The HMS Pollux with supporting fire from the remaining destroyers sunk the HNMS Prinzess Wilhelm who went down with 553 of her 590 man crew. The B-class destroyer HMS Beaufort took torpedo hits from the Blücher which then took a 13.5” shell from the HMS Indefatigable. The HMS Beaufort sank with 98 of her 131 man crew after taking a hit from the Markgraf and the Blücher sank with 628 of her crew from additional hits by the HMS Pollux.
With the Blücher gone the A-class HMS Argyll and the B-class HMS Berfleur were now clear to make their run at the convoy. The HMS Indefatigable would engage the remaining enemy warships while the HMS Pollux, having taken a 13.5” shell from the Markgraf, joined the attack on the merchant ships. The Markgraf and the HMS Indefatigable exchanged 13.5” hits, with the Markgraft losing a secondary magazine and the Indefatigable taking more flooding. The HMS Indefatigable began to withdraw, attempting to draw the Kolberg and S-7 away from the remaining destroyers as they began their attacks.
The HMS Argyll closed so near the transports that she was actually rammed by the unarmed Mecklenberg II. In total she and the HMS Barfleur would sink fifteen merchant ships, the Madgeburg II, König, München, Yorck II, Ägir, Falke, Stier, Leipzig II, Komet, Mecklenberg II, Kaiser William II, and Prinz Adalbert, 1 total of 40 thousand tons of shipping capacity, along with 316 of their 450 officers and merchant seamen, the König and München being sunk with all hands. The HMS Argyll suffered five casualties in the ramming. The HMS Barfleur suffered one.
The convoy being gone the Royal Navy ships did a little cleanup. The HMS Indefatigable hit and sunk the HNMS Kolberg, which went down with 240 of her 276 man crew. The HMS Pollux, after the torpedo boat had taken an incredible pounding, sank the S-7 which had only three survivors of her 50 man crew. The HMS Pollux retired having lost 28 men. The HMS Indefatigable had lost 125. The HNMS Markgraf was left with the wreckage of eighteen German and Norwegian ships, 63 casualties, and probably another pending “Stern Note” regarding her performance.
At the Mouth of the Weser
The Times: 27 June 1909
The Argonaut class armoured cruiser HMS Priasus and the Tribune class semi-armoured cruiser HMS Vindictive went hunting for German convoys in the very mouth of the river Weser. There they found a convoy of fifteen transports escorted by the Norwegian owned German built Michel class armoured cruiser Prinzess Wilhelm accompanied by the Berlin class protected cruiser Bremen defending her namesake home port and three S-1 class torpedo boats, the S-6, S-7, and S-8. The prize clearly outweighing the odds, the Priasus and Vindictive immediately closed to attack with the Vindictive getting the first hit at range. However only the Bremen sought to engage, and the Prinzess Wilhelm headed north for home and the torpedo boats headed for the safety of the harbour.
The first four 10 thousand ton Würtemberg class merchant ships were identified only after the battle from survivors. The Thetis, Sachsen, Hansa, and Mackensen were sunk by long range fire. Only nineteen of their two hundred eight officers and merchant seaman survived. The next four merchant ships were positively identified as the Kurfürst Friedrich Wilhelm II, Prinz Eitel Friedrich, Amazone II and Elbing. They had twenty-one survivors.
The Bremen was sunk next. Succumbing to 8” shells from the HMS Priasus, she sank with 485 of her 509 man crew. After the battle their survivors were taken prisoner before the HMS Priasus and HMS Vindictive left the area. But first they still had transports to sink. The Würtemberg and Graudenz were sunk with all hands. The Admiral Scheer II, Madgeburg, Deutschland, Goeben, and Nassau were sunk with fourteen survivors.
The HMS Priasus and HMS Vindictive took no damage and suffered no losses, the 7.6” shells of the Bremen proving ineffective. The German merchant seamen were released on their lifeboats to row back to Bremen as they served on unarmed merchant ships.
Attempting to Flee to the Dutch Coast
The Times: 6 June 1909
A convoy of thirteen Mecklenburg class 7 thousand ton transports armed with four 3.1” guns escorted by the armoured cruiser Freya, lead of her class, the protected cruiser Regensburg, and three S-1 class torpedo boats, the S-4, S-9, and S-10, attempted to find shelter in the neutral waters of the Netherlands before a squadron of Royal Navy ships led by the Argonaut class armoured cruiser HMS Pollux accompanied by the B-Class destroyer HMS Beaufort and the A-Class destroyers HMS Active and HMS Adder could close and engage. However the transports were a hindrance to this plan and the escorts had to stand and attempt to fight off the attackers.
The HMS Pollux closed on the starboard tack, taking on the S-10 as she attempted to close to torpedo range. The Pollux proved capable of dealing with this lighter craft, and though her two torpedo launches missed the shells did not, and the S-10 sunk with all fifty of her crew. The destroyers, led by the HMS Adder, were now in range of the convoy, and proceeded to sink the Beowulf, Yorck, Starm Bussard, Preussen, Kaiser, Stuttgart, and Pommern, killing 250 of their officers and merchant seamen, with twenty-two surviving to be picked up later. The Kaiser, Preussen, and Bussard were able to get 3.1” hits on the destroyers, though the Preussen’s magazine exploded, contributing to her sinking.
By this point the S-9 had worked her way up to the destroyers’ battle line and put two torpedoes into the HMS Adder. The HMS Adder was ordered to retire from the fight with two casualties as the HMS Active and HMS Beaufort sunk the S-9 with only one of her crew surviving. The HMS Active then moved on the remaining transports as the HMS Beaufort fenced with the Regensburg and the S-4. The HMS Pollux was now in range of the Freya and beginning to batter the ship, causing flooding aft.
The HMS Active was now engaging the remaining transports, taking hits from them but sinking the Arminius and Grosser Kurfürst (Great Elector) leaving only five survivors. The HMS Beaufort was drawing the S-4 and the Regensburg away from the Active so she could finish the transports when her 3” magazine exploded. With no torpedoes left she was ordered to retreat with her ten casualties. The HMS Pollux now had to engage the S-4 with her 4” guns while putting 8” fire on the Freya and attempting to hit the Regensburg with torpedoes, which struck but proved to be duds.
The HMS Active slowly worked her way through the remaining transports, sinking the Gazelle, Seydlitz, and Mecklenburg, leaving seven survivors. She was then ordered to retreat having suffered fourteen casualties. The HMS Pollux had just finished sinking the Freya, who suffered 603 casualties of her 670 man complement. With the Freya gone the HMS Pollux shifted her 8” guns on the Regensburg and when the S-4 was sunk with all aboard all the fire was put on the Regensburg, which was now attempting to retreat with the HMS Pollux chasing from astern and slowly closing. Finally she was able to sink the Regensburg which went down with all but six of her 501 man crew. The HMS Pollux suffered twenty-four casualties in a battle that saw the sinking of 16 thousand tons of enemy shipping, one armoured cruiser, one protected cruiser, and three torpedo boats.
A deck hit at that close range is kinda insane. Like did one of the secondary batteries plop a shell into the wooden deck toping?
Aw good to see the Germans made some better ships.