Operation Nostalgia: Naval Battle Assessment and Map Moves

As ships completed the task of rescuing survivors from sunken ships, a roll call was made to assess the current state of the 1st Army Brigade and the viability of continuing to land what was left of them.

To assess casualties I created a system calculating losses dependent on the amount of damage suffered and if the ship sinks. If a ship does sink then the numbers who survive will depend on how long it takes for it to slip beneath the waves. In the rules a D12 is rolled with the result being the number of moves it takes to sink. So 10 - 12 moves = 90% saved down to 1 move = 10% saved. These percentages are of the total number of survivors from ship damage.

In the battle the Transports Leeds and Sepoy were torpedoed. The former took 5 moves to sink and the latter 1 move. That equates to 50% lost in the Leeds and 90% in the Sepoy with all equipment lost in both.

The Landing Ship, Prince David, survived but suffered significant damage. All 3 cargo holds, two of which contained troops and the 3rd equipment, were damaged with 2 set on fire. It also lost 3 of its 6 hull boxes. This equated to the loss of 40% of its men, 75% of its equipment and 6 of its 10 landing craft.

Of the 3 infantry battalions, there were now only the equivalent of just over one left with the 2nd battalion suffering particularly badly (being transported on the Sepoy). Only 2 infantry rifle platoons survived. The motorised battalion lost a third of its number and was no longer effectively motorised. The Brigade HQ survived.

Of the Brigade supports, the following were lost:
1 tank squadron (3 Sherman tanks)
Recce Squadron
Light AA battery
Field Artillery Battery (25pdrs)
1 of the 2 Sextons in the SP Field Artillery Battery
Both Forward Artillery Observers
1 of 2 Forward Air Controllers
The entire Supply company

The Biter, Sheffield and Aldenham were now carrying the survivors from the sunken transports.

Many of the surviving warships had suffered heavy damage, particularly the destroyers and the cruiser Sheffield.

It was felt that to continue would be inviting disaster and it would be wiser to return to Cyprus to conduct repairs and give the troops a chance to recover.

Continued -




So we move on to map moves:

DAY 2 DAY MOVE 2

Weather - Fine

Overall situation at the end of the first day move with the exception of the contact at the top of the map which I will cover below. No new radio intercepts for either side this turn.

An Arado floatplane overflew Kasos but failed to detect any untoward movement. Neither did it detect the British sub (red 5).

Following the naval battle, the surviving Axis fleet have departed to repair their vessels in port. With daylight arriving the British survivors (red 3) were now en-route back to Cyprus when a German submarine, U515, located and identified them. It slipped below the surface to make its attack run. This will form the basis of the next naval action.

With fine weather now arrived, aircraft on both sides can take to the air. Both carriers have 2 x CAPS each in the air. In the case of HMS Biter, 4 Grumman Martlets operating in pairs circle the fleet.

I will cover air movements and actions separately following the submarine action.