85

Round 85 of the War at Sea Ladder

2/03/2020 to 3/31/2020

FINAL COPY

Updated 03/20/2020

Congratulations to Robert Frisby, STILL King of the Ladder!

1  Robert Frisby (Axis) vs Jim Bodenheimer (Allies-1.5). Axis Victory by 0.5)

2. Mike Brophy (Axis) vs Bob Hamel (Allies-1.0) Axis Victory

3. Denis Nicholson (Axis) vs Robert Dragan (Allies-2.5) Axis Victory

4. Avi Solomon (Allies-1-5) vs Robert Drozd (Axis) Allied Victory by 1.5

5.  Bruce Monnin (Axis) vs Jim Kramer (Allies-1.5) Allied Victory by 0.5

6. Ken Pascoe (Axis) vs Lee Kendter (Alles-1.5) Allied Victory

7. Jonathan Lockwood (Allies-2.5) vs Tim Tow (Axis) Allied Victory

8 Andy Choptiany (Allies-2.0) vs Hilton McManus (Axis) Allied Victory

9 Mircea Pauca (Allies-2.0) vs Mike Ussery (Axis) Allied Victory by 1.0

10 Vince Meconi (Axis) vs Bob Jameli Allies-1.0) Axis Victory by 2.0

11 John Sharp (Axis) vs Greg Hultgren (Allies-1) Allied Victory in ONE turn!

12  Jeff Lange (Allies-1.0) vs Dave Elkin (Axis) Allied Victory

13 Eric Anderson (Allies-0.0) vs Tal Seaman (Axis) Axis Victory

Extra Games

14 Mircea Pauca (Allies-2.5) vs Jonathan Lockwood (Axis) Axis Victory

15 Eric Anderson (Axis) vs Tal Seaman (Allies-0.0) Allied Victory

16 Karl Bodenheimer (Allies -2.0) vs Scott Beall (Axis) Axis Victory

 

Allied Victories    9                       Axis Victories   7       Ties

47 Comments to “85”

    
  1. Dennis Nicholson
    March 20, 2020 at 11:23 am

    I have defeated Robert Dragen in our game. I was the axis and got 2.5 POC. The final score was Allies 1 before the bid. The game went the full 8 turns, with the game decided on the last when a combined German-Italian fleet won in’
    the South Atlantic.

    Reply
  2. Mircea Pauca
    March 17, 2020 at 1:48 pm

    Mircea Pauca (Axis) defeated Michael Ussery (Allies; bid 2.0) by 1 PoC after the bid (Allied 1 PoC raw).

    T1: Michael starts with a Barents-in-1 with weaker Barents (3BC,6CA,1CV) but as both battlecruisers arrived, I do not contest. POC 1 Allied raw.
    T2: King George V misses speed roll (and again only 6CA) so Germans fight in Barents. A massacre, Allies lose 3BC,5CA,1CV at the cost of Adm, Scheer and 3 other German ships damaged. Axis gain back 1 PoC, total 0 raw.
    T3: Barents again, Allies lose 1BB,1CA,1CV vs both German battlecruisers (3+57). Germans remain in control U-boats open the way of Italian cruisers forcing weak South Atlantic. Ramillies vs 1 Italian cruiser sink, Italians withdraw to Neutral port. Axis gain 2 PoC.
    T4: Barents yet again. Allies lose Convoy1A to airstrikes, a BB and sea control vs. only more damage on Bismarck and Tirpitz. 5U’s sink Eagle in SATL, Italians go back to the Med. Axis gain 2 PoC, total 4 Axis raw.
    T5: Barents yet again! Alles lose 2CA and sea control vs yet more German damage. U-boats sink Marat in Baltic and uncontrol SATL. Axis gain 2 PoC, total 6 Axis raw.
    T6: Barents YET again!! Allies lose 2BB vs German Lutzow, 2 cruisers after a superb British air attack (all 4 German targets removed). Allies remain with the flag. U-boats uncontrol SATL again and the Baltic. Axis lose 1 PoC, total 5 Axis raw.
    T7: Barents YET YET again!!! Very battered Germans now lose decisively, 3 ships sunk vs only 2 Germans damaged. Convoy 2B unloads to Russia. Allies gain back 4 PoC, total 1 Axis raw.
    T8: Germans fight with last 2 battered ships in the Baltic, sinking Okt.Rev. U-boats uncontrol NSEA and NATL. Convoy3C unloads to Russia. Allies gain back 2 PoC, total 1 Allied raw.
    This is 1 PoC less than the Allied bid.

    Thanks to Michael for his patience and fair play!

    Reply
  3. Lee A Kendter, Jr.
    March 16, 2020 at 5:48 am

    Lee Kendter vs Kenneth J Pascoe is over. I won with 5 PoC and 1.5 bid as Allies. Ken sitll had a slight chance T8 but a good ASW roll clear the subs in Natl. Convoy 3 landed in UK for 1 PoC.
    He needed to stop the convoy, and win a low odds Barents sea.

    Reply
  4. Mike Brophy
    March 1, 2020 at 5:41 am

    2. Mike Brophy (Axis) vs Bob Hamel (Allies-1.0)
    The Axis achieved victory by turning back Allied convoys. The first Allied convoy finally made it to Russia on T7. Axis victories in the N & S Atlantic and the North Sea, over the course of the game, kept the POC at 9 at the end of T7.

    Reply
  5. Jeff Lange
    February 23, 2020 at 10:34 am

    Jeff Lange (Allies) defeated Dave Elkin (Germans) when Axis forces conceded on T5. The bid was 1.0 and the Allies had 8 POC before the bid on T5. German forces were down to the GZ and PE to face all but the Russians. Dave suffered from horrible die rolls throughout and the Allies had much better luck, on their side.

    Reply
  6. Vince Meconi
    February 20, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    In an excellent game that went down to the last round of combat in the last sea area on turn 8, Vince Meconi’s Axis edged Bob Jamelli’s Allies (bidding 1.0) by a 2 POC margin. The Axis started well, winning 3 battles in the S. Atlantic on the first 3 turns to go up 9 POC. But by turn 5, they had lost almost the entire German surface fleet and most of their U-boats, plus Allied LBA sank 2 Italian 435s. From then on the Axis had limited ability to contest any of the Atlantic sea areas and an eventual Allied visit to the Mediterranean was inevitable. By turn 8 the Allies had landed all 3 convoys and the game came down to a climactic battle in the Med. Fortunately for the Axis, all of the slow British BBs failed their speed rolls, giving them almost a better fleet in Malta than the Med. The Italian BBs, aided by the Bismarck (making a rare appearance off the coast of Italy), prevailed. Bob remarked that the Allies perhaps should have moved south earlier, and upon reflection, he might be right. The game was marked by the fact that all of the surface combat occurred in the South Atlantic and Mediterranean and none elsewhere, plus the massive dead pile: between the 2 sides, 5 carriers, 18 battleships, 2 pocket battleships, 10 cruisers, and 10 U-boats went down. Bob and I have played previously.

    Reply
  7. chopper
    February 17, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    Andy Choptiany(Allies) defeated Hilton McManus(Axis) after a hard fought game by 5 POC after the bid of 2.Hilton had several bad breaks. This is the 1st time we have played.

    Reply
  8. Robert Frisby
    February 16, 2020 at 9:23 pm

    Robert Frisby’s Axis defeated Jim Bodenheimer’s Allies (bid of 1.5 POC) by a razor thin margin of 0.5 POC in a game featuring only three major fleet engagements. The Germans failed to take control of the Barents on turn one, sinking all three British BCs but losing five of their ships. Turns two through six featured U-boat and LBA strikes, along with unsuccessful Russian BB sorties. Convoy 1A arrived in Russia on turn six, but U-boats and the Luftwaffe disabled the other two convoys. Turn seven proved the pivotal turn, when the Germans committed their U-boats and all but one of their surviving ships to the North Atlantic. Only one German cruiser remained there to control the area at the end of five surface combat rounds. The Germans lost the Graf Zeppelin but sank Convoy 3C, two British CVs, a U.S. BB and two U.S. CAs. The Axis had a 0.5 POC lead due to the bid at the start of turn eight, and therefore the Allies needed to either control four areas or land Convoy 2B in England to win. Luckily for the Axis, two surviving U-boats denied Allied control of the North Atlantic and disabled Convoy 2B, securing the Axis victory. The Germans failed to control the Barents on turn eight, but it did not matter. The Germans lost eight surface ships and nine U-boats. The Italians lost one CA. The British lost two CVs, three BCs, and three CAs. The U.S. lost a BB and two CAs. The Russians lost both of their BBs.

    Reply
  9. punditas
    February 16, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Rob Drozd (Axis) played Avi Solomon (Allies, 1.5 POC) in a hard fought game where Avi had 7 POC (mainly from getting all 3 convoys to Russia) for about T4 to T7. On T8 I did not place my ships optimally and Rob played brilliantly to almost win after the bid by 0.5 POC. I won by 1.5 POC after the bid after managing to prevent Rob from controlling the Barents after he held the Med and the Baltic and took the SAO (by a whisker – GZ 2d ended up v an 027-2). We have played before.

    Reply
  10. James F. Kramer Jr.
    February 14, 2020 at 2:51 pm

    Jim Kramer (allies bid 1.5) has defeated Bruce Monnin (axis) in an 8 turn game. Playing the allies I again used my preferred Barents in 2 opening giving a 2 POC beginning to the axis. The only damage on T1 was the sinking of an Italian CA by allied LBA.

    T2: Allied deployment – SA: 2 R-class BB, a CA and Eagle. NA: Rodney, 3 R-class BB, a CA and Courageous. NS: Nelson, 5 BB, a CA, Glorious and Formidable. Barents: Hood, Ark Royal, 5 CA and making speed KGV, POW, Repulse and Renown. Axis deployment – The Italian fleet holds the MED with 2 CA remaining in port. Baltic: Lutzow. SA: the 4 subs. Barents: LBA. The rest of the German fleet moves to the NA with Adm. Scheer failing speed. Allied ASW sinks a sub and disables 2. Allied LBA miss in Italy and the NA CV disables Scharnhorst to Germany. The remaining sub missed on it’s shot but the axis LBA disable Ark Royal and sink Renown. NA surface round 1 sees the allied fire sink Graf Spee, disable Bismarck and Prinz Eugen to Germany and hit Gneisenau for 3 damage. Axis return fire scores 1 hit on each of the R-class BB’s but the damage is 1, 2 and 3 with no disables. Bruce decided a strategic retreat to Germany was in order. POC for the turn was a push with the game score remaining at +2 axis. The allies did get the blockade.

    T3: No Soviets sail. Allied deployment – SA: 4 R-class BB (2 damaged) and 2 CA. NA: Convoy 1A with CV’s Glorious, Courageous and Eagle. NS: Rodney, Nelson, 4 BB, the 3 damage R-class BB, a CA and the Victorious and Formidable. Barents: Hood, Ark Royal, 5 CA and trying speed, KGV, POW, DOY, Repulse and QE. POW and DOY failed speed. Axis deployment – MED as T2, SA: the 4 subs. Barents: The LBA and the German fleet (2 BB, 2 BC (1 damaged), 2 PB and 3 CA. The Baltic is not patrolled. Allied ASW sink a sub, LBA in Italy cause no damage and Ark Royal disables Tirpitz. Axis subs disable a CA in the SA and his LBA miss. Allied surface combat round 1 is good with Scharnhorst and Blucher sunk, Bismarck, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen disabled. Axis return fire sinks Hood and Repulse, disables QE and damages a CA. The allies and axis stay for round 2. The allies BB and 5 CA fire sink Adm. Scheer and Lutzow. Axis return fire sinks 2 CA but misses KGV. The surviving axis CA retreats and is not pursued. POC for the turn is 3 to 2 allies with the game score now +1 Axis. The blockade is still in force. Convoy 1A advances to the Barents.

    T4: US/USSR rolls see a US CA committed. Allied deployment – SA: The 4 R-class BB are back joined by Valiant and Warspite. NA: Convoy 2B, the carriers Glorious and Courageous, 2 UK CA and the US CA. NS: Rodney, Nelson, Anson, Barham, Malaya, Resolution (3 damage) and the carriers Victorious, Formidable and Eagle. Barents: Convoy 1A, Ark Royal, KGV, POW, DOY, QE, 4 CA (1 damaged). Axis deployment – MED/Italy as before. NS: 5 U-boats. Barents the LBA. Baltic: 2 BB, 2 CA and the CV. Gneisenau repairs in Germany. Allied LBA attack the 2 CA in Italy to no effect. The ASW successfully clears the NS with 3 subs sunk and the other 2 disabled. Axis LBA miss it’s 3 targets (Ark, convoy, damaged CA). Both convoys land this turn so the POC for the turn is 8 to 3 allies. Game score now moves to +4 allies.

    T5: US/USSR rolls sees Marat made available with another US CA. Allied deployment – SA: 4 BB, a 1 damaged R-class BB and Eagle. NA: A UK CA, 2 US CA and Glorious. NS: Rodney, Nelson, Anson, 4 R-class BB (2 damaged), carriers Courageous, Victorious, Illustrious. Barents: KGV, POW, DOY, QE, Ark Royal, Formidable, 5 CA (1 damaged) and Howe which made speed. Marat sails to the Baltic. Axis deployment – MED/Italy as before. NA: The 4 subs available. The LBA go to the Barents and the surface fleet (2 BB, BC, 2 CA, the CV) to the Baltic. Allied ASW sink a sub and disable 2. The LBA miss again in Italy. The axis sub disables Glorious. The axis LBA cripple Ark Royal and disable Formidable. Graf Zeppelin misses with her air strike and Marat is sunk in surface combat after disabling Gneisenau. The POC is a push again with the blockade still in effect.

    T6: US/USSR rolls see only Texas come out. Allied deployment – NA: the 3 US ships and Convoy 3C. SA: 6 undamaged BB’s. NS: Rodney, Nelson, Anson, 3 damaged R-class BB, a CA and the carriers Victorious, Glorious, Courageous and Eagle. Barents: KGV, POW, DOY, Howe, QE, 5 CA (1 damaged), the carriers Formidable and Illustrious. Ark Royal repairs in Russia. Axis deployment – MED/Italy no change. NA has 6 subs, the LBA goes to the Barents. The German fleet is in the Baltic. Allied LBA miss again in Italy. The ASW sink a sub and disable 3. The axis LBA miss but the 2 subs sink convoy 2C (no big deal, right?). The blockade remains and another POC push for the turn.

    T7: US/USSR rolls Okt. Rev. available and only Washington stays in port. Allied deployment – NA: The 5 US ships and a UK CA. SA: 6 BB (2 damaged R-class). NS: Rodney, Nelson, Anson, 3 R-class BB (1 damaged), carriers Illustrious, Victorious, Glorious, Courageous and Eagle. Barents: KGV, POW, DOY, Howe, QE, 5 CA (1 damaged), carriers Ark Royal and Formidable. Baltic: O.R. Axis deployment – MED/Italy: As before but BB Roma stayed in port (oversight?). NA: 4 subs. Baltic: 2 subs. Barents: LBA. NS: The German fleet (2 BB, BC, 2 CA, CV). Allied ASW NA, sink a sub and disable a sub, Baltic a miss. Allied LBA in Italy miss 2 CA but cripple Roma which remained in port. Allied CV’s in the NS sink Prinz Eugen, disable Adm. Hipper and damage Bismarck (1) and Tirpitz (2). Axis subs miss their shots. Axis LBA disable both CV’s. The Graf Zeppelin misses on both BB attacks. Things are looking good for the allies. Surface combat round 1 – Allies take 26 shots at 4 ships, 8 VS Bismarck / 8 VS Tirpitz / 5 VS Gneisenau / 5 VS Graf Zeppelin, Eagle withholds fire. Results, hit Tirpitz for 3 additional damage and Graf Zeppelin for 1. NO DISABLES! Axis return fire hits Rodney twice for 4 damage and disabled and sinks the undamaged Royal Sovereign. OK. Allies still have a good fighting force. Surface round 2. Allied fire, 5 VS Bismarck / 4 VS Tirpitz / 5 VS Gneisenau / 4 VS Graf Zeppelin. Results, Bismarck 2 additional damage, Gneisenau hit for 3 damage and Tirpitz disabled. Axis return fire sinks Royal Oak, Nelson hit for 2 and disabled, Anson hit for 1 damage and the damaged (3d) Resolution disabled by 1 shot from Graf Zeppelin. UH OH…… The remaining allied ships retreat at speed 4 looking to save the 5 CV’s here. The 2 available axis ships do not follow. POC for the turn is 5 to 2 axis. Game score now moves to +1 Allies. The bid now comes into play.

    T8: US/USSR rolls have O.R. and Washington come out but it is the ASW deployment that matters. Allied deployment – Baltic: O.R. NA: the 6 US ships and carriers Courageous and Glorious. SA: 3 damaged BB (Nelson, Resolution, Revenge), 2 undamaged BB, a CA, carriers Victorious and Eagle. NS: 3 damaged BB (Anson, Ramillies, Rodney), 2 undamaged BB, a CA, carriers Illustrious and Formidable. Barents: 5 BB, 4 CA (1 damaged) and Ark Royal. Having saved the CV’s on T7, each area has 12 ASW in defense. All that really matters now is those 6 subs Bruce has to deploy. The Italians stay in the MED and the German ships go to the Baltic to counter the USSR BB. The subs go to the NA. So, it’s 12 ASW rolls for the game. And the rolls are…….

    5 4 1 3 6 5 6 3 5 4 6 2

    WHEW! With that fortunate outcome no further actions are needed. POC for the turn will most likely be 4 to 3 allies. Game score moves to +2 allies adjusted by the bid to a +0.5 allied win. The game WAR AT SEA is often called DICE AT SEA by all who know it and this game again shows how hot or cold dice can greatly change players fortunes. Better luck next time Bruce.

    Reply
  11. Hilton McManus
    February 13, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    Playing a game with Andy Choptiany, turn 5. I have the Axis and am really struggling as at the end of this turn, two convoys will have found mother Russia. So, trying to conserve before a final push, the remaining German fleet (Bismarck, Tirpitz, Scheer and Blucher) face off against Marat. Graf Zep has already missed with air. The results:

    Baltic Fleet v Marat
    > #11-5

    Roll: 1 3 2 3 2 4 3 1 3 2 2 (No hits, disabled)

    Sweeeeeet!

    Reply
  12. John Sharp
    February 12, 2020 at 1:45 pm

    In a quick game, Greg Hultgren’s Allies soundly whipped John Sharp’s Axis in a single turn. Great strategy backed by some great dice rolling allowed Greg to sink four Kriegsmarine ships and two Regia Marina cruisers in the South Atlantic AND trap three Axis ships in the Neutral Port/SATL for T2.

    Nicely done, Greg.

    Greg had bid 1.0 for the Allies and eased John to this rapid defeat with good humor and grace.

    Reply
    • Gregory Michael Hultgren
      February 12, 2020 at 3:31 pm

      Never have I seen such Axis devastation on T1. Contrary to John’s kind words above, I wish I could claim some brilliant strategy, but all I did was set up in one of my standard openings for the Allies and the Was/VITp dice roller sacrificed John’s navy to the dice gods to my benefit. All I had to do was watch the devastation in awe. Throughout it all, John was a perfect gentleman. I will be honored to play him again soon.

      Reply
  13. gregdocsmith
    February 4, 2020 at 8:36 am

    Tal, Greg needs a new email for you.

    Reply
  14. Philip Watkins
    February 4, 2020 at 1:08 am

    I’ll skip this round

    Reply
  16. David M. Elkin
    February 3, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    As a masochist, I will be back yet again.

    Reply
  17. wga8888
    February 3, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    I am not playing this round.

    Reply
  18. Daniel Blumentritt
    February 3, 2020 at 2:11 pm

    I’m out for this round

    Reply
  19. johnrpack
    February 3, 2020 at 1:39 pm

    I’ll skip this round.

    Reply
  20. Bob Jamelli
    February 3, 2020 at 11:57 am

    sign me up for 85

    Reply
  21. Michael Ussery
    February 3, 2020 at 8:36 am

    I am in for rd 85

    Reply
  24. Dennis Nicholson
    January 31, 2020 at 1:56 pm

    I’m in for rd 85.

    Reply
  25. ROBERT DROZD
    January 31, 2020 at 11:31 am

    I am also playing Round 85.

    Reply
  26. punditas
    January 30, 2020 at 5:29 pm

    Avi is in for Round 85.

    Reply
  28. gregdocsmith
    January 15, 2020 at 7:05 am

    Eric, please confirm your email address.

    Reply
  29. Eric Anderson
    January 14, 2020 at 5:51 pm

    Please sign me up for Round 85

    Reply
  30. Hilton McManus
    January 13, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    In for round 85

    Reply
  31. Tom Thornsen
    January 8, 2020 at 7:15 pm

    I am sitting out this round. I need to send out an expedition to find some six sided dice that have 6’s on them!

    Reply
  32. Robert M Frisby
    January 5, 2020 at 10:29 am

    I will play in round 85.

    Reply
  33. Robert Dragan
    January 1, 2020 at 5:17 am

    Robert Dragan is in for Round 85.

    Reply
  34. James F. Kramer Jr.
    December 23, 2019 at 1:10 pm

    I will play in R85.

    Reply
  35. John Sharp
    December 18, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    I am in for R85!

    Reply
  36. Bob Hamel
    December 18, 2019 at 7:21 am

    I’m up for next round

    Reply
  37. Rick Virost
    December 15, 2019 at 11:54 am

    Rick Virost will NOT play in the Round 85 matches running Feb-March 2020.

    Reply
  39. JONATHAN LOCKWOOD
    December 13, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    In for Round 85

    Reply
  41. tal seaman
    December 9, 2019 at 6:26 am

    Tal is in for round 85

    Reply
  42. Jim Bodenheimer
    December 5, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    I’m in for round 85

    Reply
  43. jeff Lange
    December 2, 2019 at 6:24 pm

    I am in for R85

    Reply
  44. Gregory M. Hultgren
    December 2, 2019 at 7:48 am

    Sign me up for Round 85

    Reply
  45. Vince Meconi
    December 1, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    I’m in for R85.

    Reply
  46. Mike Brophy
    October 30, 2019 at 5:59 am

    Sign me up for round 85.

    Reply
    

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