87

5/07/2020 to 6/30/2020

FINAL MATCHUPS

Updated 06/16/2020

Mike Brophy takes the Top!  And Jim Kramer takes it away this Round!

1.Mike Brophy (Axis) vs Jim Kramer (Allies-1.5) ALLIED VICTORY by 1.5!

2. Jonathan Lockwood (Allies-2.5) vs Mircea Pauca (Axis) Allied Victory

3. Phil Watkins (Axis) vs Vince Meconi (Allies-?) TIE! Phil Watkins advances

4. Jim Bodenheimer (Allies-1.5) vs Bob Hamel (Axis) Allied Victory

5. Robert Drozd (Allies-1.5) vs Mike Kaye (Axis). Allied Victory

6. Karl Bodenheimer (Allies-1.5) vs Jeff Lange (Axis) Allied Victory

7. John Pack (Axis) vs Scott Beall (Allies-1.5). Allied Victory by 0.5!!!

8 Andy Gardner (Allies-2.0) vs Eric Anderson (Axis) Allied Victory by 3.0

9 Robert Frisby (Axis) vs Denis Nicholson (Allies-2.0) Allied Victory by 2.0

10 Avi Solomon (Allies-1.5) vs Lee Kendter (Axis) Allied Victory

11 Andy Choptiany (Allies-?) vs Greg Hultgren (Axis) Axis Victory Turn 2!

12 Tal Seaman (Allies-2.5) vs Robert Dragan (Axis). Allied Victory

13 Bruce Monnin (Axis) vs Rick Vrost (Allies-1.5) Axis Victory

14 Tom Thornsen (Axis) vs Tim Tow (Allies-1.5) Allied Victory Turn 8

15 Hilton McManus (Axis) vs Nicholas Markevich (Allies-1.0) Allied Victory

16 John Sharp (Allies-1.0) vs Dave Elkin (Axis) Axis Victory

17  Mike Morrison (Axis) vs Greg Wong (Allies-0.0) Axis Victory

Extra Games

Mircea Pauca (Allies-1.5) vs Mark Bayliss (Axis) Axis Victory

Mircea Pauca (Axis) vs Mark Bayliss (Allies-1.5) Axis Victory

Jonathan Lockwood(Allies-2.5) vs Robert Frisby (Axis) Axis Victory Turn 2!

Allied Victories          12                    Axis Victories        7                        Ties. 1

56 Comments to “87”

    
  1. JONATHAN LOCKWOOD
    June 15, 2020 at 8:01 am

    The WAS 2020 BPA PBEM tournament will begin in July. For those of you who have not yet committed to signing up for the tournament, you still have time to sign up prior to the 28 June deadline. Please send your email direct to me at jsl552009@hotmail.com to indicate your desire to participate. We have 31 players already signed up, and I would like to make it to 40 players in order to make this a really solid tournament to help make up for the cancellation of WBC 2020.

    Reply
  2. Robert Frisby
    June 9, 2020 at 10:07 am

    In an off-ladder match, Robert Frisby’s Axis defeated Jonathan Lockwood’s Allies (bid of 2.5 POC). The Allies conceded at the close of turn two after the Axis controlled the Barents for the first two turns to take a 6 POC lead before the bid. Luftwaffe and German surface fire proved very effective in the two Barents fleet engagements. The Allies lost their three battle cruisers along with a BB and seven cruisers while sinking only three Germans ships and one U-boat.

    Reply
  3. Nicholas Markevich
    June 6, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    In match 15 Nicholas Markevich (Allies-1.0) defeated Hilton McManus (Axis) by 5 POC before the bid (4 POC after the bid). This was the first time we played WaS against each other. Hilton sent the Axis fleets to the South Atlantic on turn 1, but lost 3 U-boats and several surface units. All 3 convoys made it to Russia amassing enough points to overcome the initial Axis gain in POC. The reduced German fleet was not able to break Allied control of the North and Barents Seas throughout the game.

    Reply
  4. Mircea Pauca
    June 6, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    Mircea Pauca (Axis) has defeated Mark Bayliss (Allies, bid 1.5) in our 2nd off-Ladder training game.
    T1: Mark starts with a well deterrent Barents-in-2. My Germans pick the free POC in Barents, Baltic and Med. RAF sinks Italian cruiser Gorizia. POC 2 Axis raw.
    T2: Allies extend to 4 areas with good North Sea and Barents (Allied speed rolls succeed). I pick the weaker North ATL (4BB,1CA,1CV) and control it, sinking 3BB,1CA,1CV vs Scheer sunk and 3 other heavies damaged. U-boats train in Baltic. RAF sinks Fiume. Axis gain 2 POC, total 4 Axis.
    T3: Convoy1A starts in NATL with strong escort. Barents is weaker right now (2 missing SR) so I throw the full fleet, damage and all. They sink 2BB,3CA,1CV but Bismarck and Blucher get sunk for the trouble. Okt. Rev. sails to Baltic but is disabled by the 5U wolfpack. RAF sinks Zara! Axis gain 1 more, total 5.
    T4: I find another weak spot in NATL (3BB,1CV) so I send the fleet after it, sinking 2BB,1CV vs only disabled Germans, no new damage. U-boats split and uncontrol NSEA and SATL having weaker ASW. Strongly escorted Convoy 1A is crippled by airstrikes, but the key load of… radio valves that got through are enough to make Stalin glow with thanks for tanks (3 Guards Armies worth of radio-equipped T-34). Axis gain 1 again, total 6.
    T5: The preventive cover of Barents with 4BB,1CV (all fast ships) is weak enough to tempt again. Germans sink only 1 battlecruiser and 1 carrier and disable the rest with heavy damage, mostly during great airstrikes, so again suffer only 2 disables in returns. U-boats split to neutralize the Baltic and SATL and suffer heavy losses (3U sunk), just enough to be replaced by the intense production. RAF finishes the Italian fast force by sinking Pola. Axis gains 2 PoC, total 8.
    T6: Allies are low on ships, despite massive US entry. Another weak spot was inevitable somewhere, now North Sea. Germans prevail yet again at the cost of Tirpitz. After losing 2 carriers (Eagle in this battle and Ark Royal in Barents by planes in Norway) the Allies surrender now.
    With Convoy 2A brought intact to Russia, score would remain at 8 Axis.

    This shows the need to balance forces against threats, not to leave weak spots. Also luck sided with my Germans more than usual lately 😉
    Thanks to Mark for his kind words, British stiff upper lip and fair play!
    He will be a worthy contestant in the Ladder, so Welcome!

    Reply
  5. JONATHAN LOCKWOOD
    June 4, 2020 at 8:48 am

    Greg Wong:

    Send me an email at jsl552009@hotmail.com so I can confirm your signup for the WAS PBEM tournament.

    Reply
  6. Andy Gardner
    June 2, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    Hi Greg, Thanks for running the ladder! I am in for round 87.

    Reply
  7. Andy Gardner
    June 2, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    Eric(Axis) and I(Allies) played a T8 nail-biter. I was fortunate that Eric is fairly new to the game as I would have lost had this game taken place in 2021. Eric is a quick study so people had best not underestimate him! I won narrow victories in both the NATL and Barents on T8 to gain one POC for the turn and end the game +5, +3 after the bid.

    Reply
  8. JONATHAN LOCKWOOD
    June 2, 2020 at 11:14 am

    As a Public Service announcement to all WAS gamers on this ladder, the BPA has just approved the running of the WAS 2020 PBEM Tournament that will begin in July! All those who are interested in playing in this tournament should email me directly to indicate your desire to be signed up. Minimum of BPA Associate membership (cost of $10) is a prerequisite for playing in the tournament. Darren Kilfara and I are co GMs for this tournament. See the BPA June Newsletter for more details.

    Reply
  9. Mike Morrison
    June 1, 2020 at 9:29 am

    WAR AT SEA – LADDER REPORT – ROUND 87

    Players:
    Allies – Gregory Wong
    Axis – Mike Morrison

    POCs at end of turn: (“G” for Axis, “B” for Allies)

    BID: 0

    G/B
    VAL TURN > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
    V
    2/1 BAR B1 B1 G2 G2 B1 B1 B1 B1

    3/1 N AT B1 B1 B1 B1 G3 B1 B1 B1

    1/2 BAL 0 G1 B2 0 G1 0 G1 G1

    3/1 NOR G3 B1 B1 0 B1 0 B1 B1

    3/1 S AT B1 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 0 B1

    2/1 MED G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2
    —
    1/3 CON X X X X B3 0 0 0
    ^
    ENG/RUS

    TURN TOTAL G2 G3 G3 G5 G4 G3 0 B1
    GAME TOTAL G2 G5 G8 G10 G10 G10 G10 G9

    Although the POC chart looks like a blowout, it didn’t feel that way during the game, in large part due to a pretty big Axis mistake on turn 6. The Axis player had not played the game in 30 years, and forgotten quite how strong the Allies can get in the last few turns. (He had checked the consimworld forums for strategies and the like before the game, and played a few turns of a solo game, but he really should have finished that solo game to remember that detail!) Also forgotten was that it makes much more sense to not throw your surface fleet into battle unnecessarily. Uboats can keep the North Sea path open without risking any shots at the Bismarck or Tirpitz. He’d held back until turn 6, but then seemed to lose his marbles.

    One of his uboat commanders was yelling at him: “There’s gold in the North Sea!”
    But that turned out to be a lie.

    Turn 1:

    Allies played for Barents. Axis player poured all the German ships (sans uboats, which sat out the first couple turns) into North, which seemed less garrisoned. He knew attrition would be bad for him, and he’d not be getting the fast British ships, but he was also thinking that North has more movement value than Barents as well, being adjacent to the South Atlantic. He figured putting all the surface vessels to the fight was more important than the 1 POC in Baltic.

    Turn 1: Allies went Barents (plus NAtl,SAtl,Nor).
    Axis challenged North. Allied LBA in Med snagged Pola. 7 German ships versus 6 British ships:

    AXIS ALLIES
    357(x2) 553
    225(x3) 444(x4)
    127(x2) 016(2)

    First surface round favored the Axis, resulting in:

    SUNK: Valiant, Warspite, Rodney

    DISABLED: Malaya, Barham, 5 German ships

    DAMAGED: Scharnhorst (3), Graf Spee (2), Lutzow (1)

    LEFT IN ZONE: Admiral Hipper, Blucher, Courageous

    We made a mistake at this point, and allowed the Germans to sink Courageous without rolling. Of course, with only two 127s chasing the Courageous, there was a very good chance it would have been disabled had we rolled. When the mistake was discovered the following turn, the Allied player claimed the Courageous had sunk from “water under the bridge”. Magnanimous indeed!

    By turn 6, the Axis player was apparently feeling cocky enough to throw away a large portion of his surface fleet on a meaningless battle in the North Sea.

    “Full steam ahead! There’s gold in that seabed!”

    7 uboats and:
    496(x2), 357(x2), 225(x2), 127, 128(2)

    vs.

    456(x2), 444(x3), 443(x2), 027(2), 016(2)

    Of the German fleet, only 3 surface vessels (496, 357, 357 w/ 2 dam) and 4 uboats survived.

    Only one British ship was sunk that turn.

    So it did look like the Allies might come back at that point, but maybe needed (in the opinion of one amateur) to make a more aggressive move on turns 7 and 8. It would have been tough to get 10/11+ POC in two turns, but with American ships coming in, the whittling of the German fleet, and lucky rolls from Russia, it might have been possible, particularly after the boneheaded attack on the North Sea in turn 6.

    Both players had great fun, and were grateful to the ladder for giving them the opportunity to play this wonderful game again.

    Reply
  10. markatquentaaolcom
    May 31, 2020 at 10:11 am

    Non ladder game. Mark Bayliss v Mircea Pauca 1st competitive game.
    Newbie to WAS, decided to give the ladder round 88 a go, Greg kindly suggested I ask Mircea for a game to wet my feet so to speak, Mircea kindly accepted and offered plenty of advice

    Mircea bid 2.5 to play the allies, I guess this might be generous, we’ll see!

    Turn 1: Allies head for Barents on one, with both 336’s making SR, in fact it was Barents in two, three, four, five,six, seven and eight!! Decided that as the allies get ever stronger despite Bismarck and Tirpitz appearing later, best to confront now whilst only one aircraft carrier.
    Well I was very smug as my LBA sank Ark Royal, that Condor Legion could win the war on its own! I also had the best of the surface and the allies with drew loosing Renown and a cruiser, whilst Gneisenau went down. Axis +1 poc
    Incidentally the North Sea was so strong all game I never ventured there

    Turn 2 : Allies head back again…stronger again, though POW failed its SR. Plenty disabled and again the allies with drew, this time Hood and two cruisers sank, though Scharnhorst was also lost Axis +3 poc

    Turn 3 : Allies back to Barents, convoy sails and both Russian ships available. Now I would have sailed them, but Mircea didn’t and keep them in port…hmmm a cunning plan. Well having won the Barents the last two turns, you can have too much of a good thing going! So i rested and repaired and sent 5 u boats to track down the convoy, who had just Courageous and Victorious as escort. Well the 9 ASW all missed, so I had a choice, but if the ASW can go astray so can my torpedoes, so i lined up all 5 subs v the convoy and sank it three times! Axis still +3

    Turn 4: Yes you guessed it allies to Barents, now repaired and with Tirpitz we met head on, however the allies were on target with these annoying disables at least and I had to with draw, though sank POW and DOY and a cruiser, for the loss of Admiral Hipper. In the North Atlantic I now had 7 u boats to target convoy 2, the ASW was an upgraded model and only 3 subs were able to fire, all missing! things change so quickly in this game. Still though +3 Axis

    Turn 5: Convoy arrives in Barents with massive ASW, also Oct Revolution decides to pop up, these ruskees can pop up at the most inopportune moment, So decide to deal with hassle in Baltic, refit and try my 7 subs and LBA against the convoy, the heavy ASW sees of 6 boats and the one left and LBA all miss, so convoy land in Murmansk and celebrates with herring and snaps for all. Also Oct Rev sank Admiral Scheer! My end of day report to High command was not looking good. Poc now even

    Turn 6: The allies seem so strong despite the sinkings, again hide in the Baltic whilst our Italian friends pick up two Poc for cruising the med, what a jolly. 7 subs head to North Atlantic to confront the all important convoy 3, 3 U boats take aim and at least disable the convoy..though of course that annoying other minor navy , the Americans, keep adding to the convoy defence..minor navy …how us Brits love that saying… Poc still even

    Turn 7: Marat turns up this time, these are a good time for the allies for this to happen when the German has so much to do, so again have to deal with this, and 6 subs try again to deal with convoy, 4 u boats dodge the depth charges and again disable and one damage, whilst Marat is dealt with.. Poc even

    Turn 8: Well the convoy can only get to GB, this is me thinking out loud and has 18 ASW, so decide to send subs to South Atlantic to confront 4 BB and also I had 3 Italian cruisers, just as a long shot. Then of course the big battle in, yes you guessed it, the Barents. Well the subs were not effective, though denied the POC of course. I was confident in the Barents with 5 Air strikes to 2, but best laid plans. Tirpitz was disabled, whilst my 5 shots just sent Barnham packing, Oh dear! I was then out numbered, the allies grabbed the points..So allies +2 POC but then a German 0.5 win after the bid.

    Well great fun, learnt a lot, though remembering is another matter. I can see why some of your sharks have over 400 games under your belt….many thanks to Mircea, very generous with his tips and knowledge

    Reply
  11. Jim Bodenheimer
    May 30, 2020 at 7:24 am

    Jim Bodenheimer’s Allies defeated Bob Hamel’s Axis in a hard-fought campaign. The main fight early on was for control of the Barents. Axis took control in turn 1 but lost it in turn 2 only to regain it in turns 3 & 4. For whatever reason, the dice seemed to favor British cruisers early on and the little terriers did a lot of damage to the German fleet while taking a lot of casualties. By turn 5, the German fleet had been whittled down enough that the Barents was secure for the British. All 3 convoys landed, though not without some close calls. In turn 7 half the remaining 4 German ships sortied to the South Atlantic, though with no Italian cruisers available to help. Bob conceded as Convoy 3 landed safely and the British southern squadron disabled his 2 ships, POC was at Allies 4 before bid of 1.5.

    Reply
  12. Dennis Nicholson
    May 29, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    I have defeated Robert Frisby in our game. The final score was Allies +2 after the bid. The Allies ASW sunk 2 U-boats on turn 1 and that allowed the Allies to build up a lead that they never gave up.

    Reply
  13. Robert Drozd
    May 28, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    The Drozd (Allies for 1.5 POC) vs Kaye match went the full 8 turns. All 3 convoys made it to Russia and Allies had a 4 POC lead going into Turn 8. Earler in the game, 12 bonus shots disabled Okt.Rev. with 3 damage. Now, with 1 damage, the Russian appears in the Baltic, drawing 2 U-Boats, LBA, and Prinz Eugen. Axis still had enough to take control of SATL and Med. However 8 ASW dispatched 4 U-Boats in the Barents and the Russian sunk 1 Boat, survived the undersea and air attacks, and got rid of Eugen in the first round. The Russian allowed the Allies to win by 0.5 POC.

    Reply
  14. Vince Meconi
    May 28, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    Phil Watkins (Axis) and Vince Meconi (Allies, 2.0) tied. We have played previously.

    Everybody reading this knows that a lot of War At Sea games are blowouts. Lately, this writer has played a whole bunch of games that were basically decided on turn 1. Not this one.

    With POC even before the bid after 5 turns, herewith the final 3 turns.

    Turn 6 again saw the Allies at a disadvantage. With the N. Sea open and the Allied graveyard showing 2 carriers, 9 BBs, and 3 CAs, the Allies again simply didn’t have enough ships against 7 undamaged German ships, 7 U-boats, and 3 Italian CAs. 4 Americans sailed, but no Russkies through 6 turns. 3rd Convoy sat in port. Their move was Barents: convoy, carrier, 456, 2×444, 4×117; N. Sea: 2 carriers, 2×456, 444, 443, cruiserized BB; N. Atlantic: carrier, 3xUSA BB, 1xUSA CA; S. Atlantic: Eagle, 444, 2×443, 2×117. Once again it was an all or nothing for the Axis, sending all 7 ships in the German surface fleet and 7 U-boats to the Barents. The Axis player described the ensuing battle as carnage; the Allies player felt that massacre was the more appropriate term. The Allies got the Bismarck, a 225 and 3xU-boats, but the Axis claimed a convoy, a carrier, 2 more BBs, and a cruiser. Axis +1 (+3 including the bid).

    Turn 7 saw the Allies with a dead pile of 21 ships, and a slim chance to win if they could both land the final convoy and hold control of 4 areas against the U-boat horde on either turn 7 or turn 8. Another American came out as did — finally — a Russian. Allied deployment was Barents: carrier, 3×456 (one -4), 2×117; N. Sea: 2 carriers, 2×444, 2×443; N. Atlantic: Convoy 3C, 5xUSA; S. Atlantic: Eagle, 443, 117, cruiserized BB. The 5 remaining German ships went to the Baltic to dispatch the Russian, while the U-boats broke control in the Barents and Axis LBA sank another cruiser. In the Baltic, the Graf Zeppelin missed the Russian, which promptly sank the Lutzow and survived 10 Axis bonus shots, disabled with -3 damage. POC still Axis +3 after the bid.

    Turn 8 saw the same situation as the previous turn; Axis could win by taking an area or sinking or disabling the convoy, while the Allies needed to deny the U-boats and land the convoy. Landing the convoy but the U-boats breaking control would mean a tie. The last American sailed, but neither Russian. The Allied fleet consisted of 22 ships (exactly as many as in the graveyard) and only 32 ASW factors. Their unsatisfactory deployment was Barents:
    convoy, carrier, 3×456 (one -4), 2×117; N. Sea: Courageous, Eagle, 2×444, 443; N. Atlantic: 6xUSA; S. Atlantic: carrier, 2×443, cruiserized BB. The Axis kept their 127 in the Baltic for the 1 POC, then sent their 3 remaining surface ships and their 5 U-boats to the N. Sea. The 9 ASW sank 3 U-boats and disabled another, but the one survivor meant the Allies were playing only for a tie. To add insult to injury, the U-boat sank the British 016/2. Axis LBA missed the convoy in the Barents, which meant it all came down the N. Sea. The Eagle and Graf Zeppelin missed their airstrikes. Allied gunnery came up small, damaging both German capital ships but missing the GZ. German return fire, however, was almost worse. They sank a 444 but missed the other ships. In round 2 the Axis fired first and removed every ship but a 444; however, granted an almost miraculous 2nd round, the Allies disabled all 3 Germans to prevent German control and preserve a tie.

    The 26 dead Allies is not my personal worst (Don Greenwood nailed 28 of mine at the WBC one year), but it’s certainly the most ships I’ve ever lost while not losing.

    As the Axis player, Phil moves on given the tie. However, I can claim to have the most ties in WAS tournament play (this is my 9th).

    Reply
  15. John Sharp
    May 24, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    Sharp vs Elkin – Dave Elkins wins as his Axis whollop John Sharp’s Allies in an 8 turn game that featured a first for John in his 196 rated games. Dave played a skillful game, disabling two convoys with the score after 7 turns at Axis +3. On T8, John sent his last convoy to sea, heading for a POC by successfully docking in England. John also sent the Allied LBA plus five (5) 444s and five (5) 443s plus five (5) 117s and Illustrious to the Mediterranean in a vain attempt to at least clear the Regia Marina and save the two POC. In addition, the Oktober Revolutia sailed the Baltic AND enough fleet remained to keep three of the four Atlantic sea areas. All was to no avail. The single U-Boat sent to the Baltic along with the damaged Bismarckwas sufficient – the U-Boat surviving depth charges and rolling boxcars vs OR. The remaining U-Boats negated the North Sea, and of course the Italians kept the Med, giving Dave a final after-the-bid score of Axis +3 for the match. Congratulations, Dave!

    Reply
  16. Karl Bodenheimer
    May 23, 2020 at 7:36 pm

    Karl Bodenheimer (Allies) defeats Jeff Lange (Axis), bid of 1.5 for allies. Axis conceded at the end of T4.

    Allies definitely had the upper hand in the dice department. 3 U-boats sunk on T2 with only about 6 ASW. Then T3 and T4 the Axis sallied forth into the Barents but each time was on the losing end.

    Reply
  17. James F. Kramer Jr.
    May 20, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    Jim Kramer (allies – bid 1.5 POC) has defeated Mike Brophy (axis) in an 8 turn game. Jim opened with his usual Barents in 2 option (guarding NA/SA/NS only) giving up 2 POC to the axis to start. The axis kept to the safe areas (MED/Barents/Baltic) to score. Turn 1 combat saw allied LBA hit Pola for 1 damage in the MED. Game score axis +2.

    T2: Allied deployment – NA: Rodney, Nelson, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign, Courageous. SA: Valiant, Warspite, Exeter, Eagle. NS: 3 4-4-4 BB, 3 R-class BB, Kent, Sussex, Glorious, Formidable. Barents: 5 CA, Ark Royal, Hood, SR(KGV, POW, Repulse, Renown). KGV failed speed. Axis deployment – MED: 2 4-6-6, 2 4-3-5, 2 CA. Remaining ships stay in Italy and Pola repairs. SA: 4 subs. Baltic: Adm. Hipper. Barents: LBA and remaining DKM fleet (8 ships). Combat – SA: ASW misses and the 4 subs disable Eagle. Italy: LBA cripples a 4-3-5 in port. Barents: Ark royal disables Bismarck and axis LBA disables Ark Royal. In surface combat round 1, allies disable Scharnhorst, Lutzow and Gneisenau (with 4 damage) and hit Adm. Scheer (2d). Axis return fire sinks Hood, Repulse and Renown, disables Norfolk and damages POW (4d) and Suffolk (1d). Both sides stay for a second round. Allied fire disabled Graf Spee and sink the 2 CA’s. Axis return fire only adds another point of damage to POW. The crippled A.S fights on and is sunk without causing any more damage. POC is a 3 to 3 push, allies Barents, NA, NS – axis Baltic and MED. Game score still +2 axis.

    T3: USSR has no commitment. Allied deployment – NA: Convoy 1A, Courageous, Glorious, Suffolk (1d). SA: 3 R-class BB and Eagle. NS: Rodney, Nelson, Valiant, Warspite, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign, Devonshire, Dorestshire, Victorious, Formidable. Barents: 5 CA, Ark Royal, SR(KGV, DOY, QE, Barham, Malaya). KGV fails back to England, Barham and Malaya fail to Russia. POW repairs in England. Axis deployment – MED 2 4-6-6, 2 4-3-5. Italy: remaining 2 4-3-5 with cripple repaired. SA: 5 subs and the 4 Italian CA. Baltic: the damaged Gneisenau. Barents: LBA and the rest of the German fleet (2 BB, 1 BC, 2 PB and a CA). Combat: MED – Allied LBA cause no damage. SA: ASW misses. The 5 subs fire disables Revenge and Resolution, Eagle was missed. Eagle misses it’s air strike.
    Surface combat sees Pola hit for 1 damage. Italian return fire disables the remaining BB and then sinks Eagle. Barents: Allied CV strikes disable Tirpitz with axis LBA missing all targets. Surface combat – Allied round 1 sees Graf Spee sunk with Bismarck, Scharnhorst and Lutzow disabled. Axis fire sinks Sussex and Norfolk, disables QE and Kent and hits DOY for 2 damage. The remaining DKM CA retreats but pursuit only sees disables for both sides. The POC for the turn is 6 to 3 axis, allies Barents, NS, NA, axis MED, Baltic, SA. Game score is now +5 axis. The 4 Italian CA base in France. Convoy 1A will move to the Barents.

    T4: US/USSR rolls sees no available ships. Allied deployment – NA: Anson, Royal Oak, 3 CA. SA: 3 R-class BB, Dorsetshire, Glorious. NS: Rodney, Nelson, Valiant, Warspite, Royal Sovereign, Suffolk (1d), Victorious, Formidable, Courageous. Barents: Ark Royal, Convoy 1A, QE, Barham, Malaya, DOY (2d), SR(KGV and POW). Both SR succeed. Convoy 2B did not sail. Axis deploy in Italy/MED as before. NS: The 7 subs available. Barents: LBA. Baltic: The 6 undamaged DKM ships. Gneisenau repairs in Germany and the 4 Italian CA stay in France with Pola repairing. Combat. Allied LBA strike France to no effect. Allied NS ASW manage to sink a sub and disable another. Axis LBA miss all targets. The 5 subs fire at the 3 NS carriers sinking Victorious and Courageous and crippling Formidable. With Convoy 1A getting thru to Russia POC for the turn is 6 to 3 allies. Game score moves back to +2 axis.

    T5: US/USSR rolls sees Okt. Rev. available and NY and Wichita on for the US. Allied deployment – Baltic: O.R. NA: Convoy 2B, NY, Wichita, Valiant, Warspite, Royal Oak, Royal Sovereign, Illustrious, Formidable (2d). SA: Rodney, Nelson, 3 R-class BB, 4 CA, Glorious. Barents: DOY (2d), Barham, Malaya. NS: Anson, Howe, Ark Royal, Cumberland, Suffolk (1d), SR from Russia(KGV, POW, QE). SR’s succeed. Axis deployment – Italy/MED as before. NS: 6 subs. Baltic: Bismarck, Graf Zeppelin and a sub. Barents: Tirpitz, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Lutzow, Adm. Hipper and LBA. Combat – Allied LBA again attack the CA in France with no success. NS: ASW sink 2 subs with return fire sinking Ark Royal. Baltic: The sub is sunk by ASW. G.Z. misses her air strike. The exchange of surface fire sees O.R. disable Bismarck before being sunk. Barents: Axis LBA adds 2 points of damage to DOY. Surface fire has the Tirpitz hit and crippled and Gneisenau disabled. Barham and DOY are sunk with Malaya disabled with 1 damage point. POC for the turn is 5 to 2 axis. Game score goes back to +5 axis. Convoy 2B will move to the Barents.

    T6: US/USSR rolls have Marat available and Washington, Texas and Augusta join the US forces. Allied deployment – Baltic: Marat. NA: Convoy 3C, 5 US ships, QE, Formidable (2d). SA: 5 R-class BB, Kent, Exeter, Suffolk (1d). NS: Rodney, Nelson, Valiant, Warspite, Howe, Glorious. Barents: Convoy 2B, Malaya (1d), 3 CA, Illustrious, SR(KGV, POW, Anson). All 3 succeed speed. Axis deployment – Italy/MED: 5 BB sail, 2 in port. Baltic: Bismarck, G.Z. and a sub. Barents: LBA. SA: 6 subs, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Adm. Hipper, 4 Italian CA, Lutzow which fails SR going to the neutral port. Tirpitz repairs down to (1d) in Germany. Combat – Allied LBA attack Tirpitz but miss. Baltic: ASW and sub miss their shots but Marat is sunk by G.Z. airstrike. SA: Allied ASW sink 3 subs and disable another. Sub return fire misses. Surface combat – Allied surface round 1 sinks Gneisenau, damages and disables Scharnhorst (4d), disables CA Zara. Axis round 1 disables Royal Oak, cripples Royal Sovereign, damages Revenge (2d). With only CA’s remaining the axis retreat. The 2 allied CA that can pursue do disabling Adm. Hipper. Exeter takes 1 damage in return and pursuit ends. Barents: Axis LBA sink Malaya and disable Illustrious but miss the convoy. POC for the turn is 6 to 3 allies. Game score back again to +2 axis. Convoy 3C moves to the Barents.

    T7: The last US CA joins in. Allied deployment – NA: 6 US ships and Suffolk (1d), SA: QE, Royal Oak, Ramillies, Resolution, Revenge (2d), Exeter (1d), Glorious, NS: Rodney, Nelson, Valiant, Warspite, Howe, Illustrious, Formidable (2d). Barents: Convoy 3C, KGV, POW, Anson, Devonshire, Dorsetshire, Cumberland, Kent. Royal Sovereign repairs. Axis deployment – Italy: 2 BB. MED: 6 Italian BB, SR(Lutzow, Gneisenau (4d) – both succeed) Barents: LBA. Baltic: Bismarck and G.Z. SA: Adm. Hipper, 4 Italian CA, 5 subs. (???). Tirpitz finishes repairs. Combat – Allied LBA strike the MED sinking a 4-3-5 Italian BB. Axis LBA in the Barents sinks Dorsetshire. SA: ASW sinks 3 subs and disables the other 2. Allied CV now takes it’s airstrikes missing. At this point Mike realized that he had mislabeled his Atlantic deployment. He wanted North but sent it as South. With the game score likely to flip to the allies favor he considered resigning. After some thought he chose to continue the game. SA allied surface fire sinks Zara and Fiume, disabled Adm. Hipper and Pola and damages Gorizia. Axis return fire sinks Royal Oak and disables QE. The damaged Gorizia flees and is not pursued. POC for the turn is 7 to 3 allies. Game score moves to +2 allies.

    T8: Allied deployment – NA: 6 US ships. SA: QE, Royal Sovereign, Ramillies, Resolution, Revenge (2d), Exeter (1d), Formidable (2d). NS: Rodney, Nelson, Valiant, Warspite, Suffolk (1d), Glorious. Barents: KGV, POW, Anson, Cumberland, Devonshire, Kent, Illustrious. Howe attemps to move here but fails speed. Axis deployment – MED Italian Fleet. SA: Adm.Hipper, Pola, Gorizia (1d). Both Gneisenau (4d) and Lutzow fail SR’s to here from Italy. Barents: LBA, Bismarck, Tirpitz, G.Z. and 3 subs. Combat – The SA goes to the allies after 1 combat round. The only area of consequence is the Barents, axis win, axis win the game. Allied ASW disable 2 subs. The remaining sub hits KGV for 3 damage. The allied CV misses it’s air strikes. The 5 axis air strikes all miss. Surface round 1, allies disable Bismarck. Axis return fire sinks Anson and damages POW (4d). Round 2 sees the allies sink Tirpitz and disable G.Z. ending the game. POC for the turn is 3 to 2 allies. Games score is +3 allies reduced by the bid to a +1.5 allied victory.

    This was a close and intense game and in doubt right to the end. Mike’s T7 deployment typo allowed me to grab a lead going into the last turn. I reviewed the die rolls for the T7 combat results. I will keep my opinions to myself as to the NA result I believe would have occurred. Irregardless of that the game would still appear to have come down to the T8 Barents battle. Mike played a very challenging game an I feel lucky to have come out with a win.

    Jim Kramer Jr.

    Reply
  18. punditas
    May 16, 2020 at 10:58 pm

    Avi Solomon (Allies for 1.5 POC) played Lee Kendter in Game 10 of Rd 87. We have played before. This game was notable in that by the end of T6 only two ships (Ark Royal and Suffolk) and 3 U-Boats (on T6) had been sunk. As the POC was at Allies 5, on T7 Lee had to take a risk and after OR sunk the only UB in the Baltic and my fleet cleared all the remaining 5 U-Boats from the North Sea Lee conceded.

    Reply
  19. Rick Virost
    May 16, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Bruce Monnin (Axis) defeated Rick Virost (Allies, bid 1.5) in Match 13 of Round 87. The Axis made skillful use of their auxiliary forces, with the LBA sinking two carriers in the Barents while the U-Boats took out three battleships with boxcar rolls. The Axis controlled the South Atlantic on Turn 1, the North Atlantic on Turn 2, and almost controlled the South Atlantic again on Turn 4. The game concluded after Turn 5 when the Axis succeeded in controlling the South Atlantic with the last Axis small ship (an Italian cruiser), putting the POC counter at +8 Axis (+9.5 Axis with the bid) with only two convoys remaining for shipment to Russia. A contributing factor in the Axis victory was the poor Allies ASW effort, where only one U-Boat was sunk by nineteen ASW rolls over the five turns.

    Reply
  20. Tim
    May 15, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    TIm’s Allies with a bid of 1.5 defeated Tom’s Axis in 8 turns. A 5-4 casualty exchange on turn 1 kept the Axis fleet bottled up until turn 6 and 7 when German airpower proved superior and the Germans were able to sink a convoy. None of the modern UK carriers survived the war as air power and surface combat engaged them. The Allies were able to land two convoys and the Axis resigned mid-Turn 8 with the score +7 Allies before the bid.

    Reply
  21. JONATHAN Samuel LOCKWOOD
    May 13, 2020 at 5:43 am

    Jonathan Lockwood’s Allies (2.5 POC bid) have defeated Mircea Pauca’s Axis in a vigorously contested match that ended at the beginning of Turn 7 with an Axis concession and an Allied cumulative lead of 8.0 POC (5.5 POC with handicap applied). The Axis sortied with its entire starting German fleet into the NATL, disabling or sinking all four British battleships on the first volley. The British did manage to sink a pocket battleship and cruiser on its only return volley. The Allied blockade held for turns 2 and 3, trimming the cumulative Axis lead to 0 POC (2.5 POC .Axis lead with handicap applied). The Axis then challenged the blockade on Turn 4 in the Barents with 7 U-boats, breaking the blockade, and disabling Convoy 1A back to the US. Turn 5 was the decisive turn, as the entire Axis fleet (9 ships) sortied into the NATL against the British and American task force escorting Convoy 1A. Bismarck and Adm Scheer failed their speed rolls, while the Allied airstrike disabled Graf Zeppelin before surface combat. The initial Allied volley disabled Tirpitz, Scharnhorst (2 points damage), and Gneisenau (3 points damage), crippled the Lutzow with 2 damage, and hit Prinz Eugen for 1 damage. The Axis return volley sank the Howe and put 4 damage on the Washington, but otherwise failed to take the area and retreated without Allied pursuit. On Turn 6, the Axis repaired all damage to its ships, and attempted to break the blockade in the North Sea with 7 U-boats against 20 Allied ASW. This attempt failed, with Allied ASW sinking 4 U-boats and disabling the remaining three to hold the blockade. Allied LBA managed to cripple the newly repaired Scharnhorst in port with 5 damage. The Axis would concede at the beginning of Turn 7 when confronted with superior blockading forces in the Barents and North Sea, the former escorting Convoy 3C with three aircraft carriers, four battleships, two battle cruisers, and five cruisers, and the latter force comprised of five battleships and three cruisers screening three aircraft carriers. Another well played match on Mircea’s part.

    I am looking forward to the championship match in Round 88. And if you have not already voted for me for the BPA board, please do so before June 1. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to serve my fellow gamers on the BPA board!

    Reply
  22. Scott Beall
    May 10, 2020 at 6:14 pm

    Please correct my last name to Beall. Thanks

    Reply
  23. Nicholas Markevich
    May 8, 2020 at 10:16 pm

    Nicholas Markevich bid 1 POC for the Allies and Hilton McManus agreed to play the Axis.

    Reply
  24. John Sharp
    May 8, 2020 at 7:43 pm

    John Sharp bid for the Allies and gives 1.0 POC to Dave Elkin to play the Axis in their game.

    Reply
  25. Nicholas Markevich
    May 6, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    I would like to join the ladder for the next round. Thanks!

    Reply
  26. gregdocsmith
    May 6, 2020 at 11:08 am

    Tal, Mercea, Bob H, John S, Andy, & Robert D checked in on the Standings page.

    Reply
  27. Tom Thornsen
    May 6, 2020 at 8:31 am

    I will sign up for round 87. Action Stations!

    Reply
  28. Rick Virost
    May 6, 2020 at 5:42 am

    Rick Virost will play in Round 87, starting soon.

    Reply
  29. Mike Brophy
    May 6, 2020 at 5:41 am

    I’m in for round 87

    Reply
  30. Robert F Drozd
    May 5, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    I am in for Round 87

    Reply
  31. punditas
    May 5, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    Avi will play.

    Reply
  32. chopper
    May 5, 2020 at 10:04 pm

    In for rd 87

    Reply
  33. Bruce Monnin
    May 5, 2020 at 8:36 pm

    Count me in for this round.

    Reply
  35. Lee A Kendter Jr
    May 5, 2020 at 6:06 pm

    Playing

    Reply
  36. Dennis Nicholson
    May 5, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    I’m in for round 87.

    Reply
  37. David Elkin
    May 5, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    I will serve as cannon fodder again

    Reply
  38. Hilton McManus
    May 1, 2020 at 11:32 am

    I would like to play.

    Reply
  39. Greg Wong
    April 30, 2020 at 7:26 pm

    Never played PBeM. Like to try

    Reply
  40. Mike Morrison
    April 27, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    I’ll play.

    Reply
  41. Jim Bodenheimer
    April 26, 2020 at 4:20 pm

    I will play

    Reply
  42. James Kramer Jr.
    April 19, 2020 at 11:45 am

    I will play round 87.

    Reply
  43. Scott Beall
    April 18, 2020 at 8:18 am

    In for round 87

    Reply
  44. Gregory Michael Hultgren
    April 16, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    in for 87 … nothing else to do 😉

    Reply
  45. Robert Dragan
    April 13, 2020 at 11:54 am

    I am in for Round 87.

    Reply
  46. Jeff Lange
    April 12, 2020 at 2:12 pm

    I will play

    Reply
  47. Karl Bodenheimer
    April 10, 2020 at 12:21 pm

    I will play

    Reply
  48. Bob Hamel
    April 9, 2020 at 4:43 am

    I’m in for next round 87

    Reply
  49. Vince Meconi
    April 7, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    In for 87!

    Reply
  50. Robert Frisby
    April 4, 2020 at 11:17 am

    I will play too.

    Reply
  51. John R Pack
    April 2, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    I’ll play!

    Reply
  52. David M. Elkin
    April 2, 2020 at 6:18 am

    I will participate

    Reply
  53. JONATHAN LOCKWOOD
    April 2, 2020 at 4:13 am

    In for Round 87.

    Reply
  55. Eric Anderson
    April 1, 2020 at 7:50 pm

    Sign me up for Round 87!

    Reply
    

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