Battle of the Ligurian Sea

Deployment: In the summer of 1940 the French and Italian fleets clash in this hypothetical battle of the Ligurian Sea. We are once again using our straight action scenario, with the long table edges unscrollable representing the Corsican coast and the mainland. Both sides may receive reinforcements but they do not know when or where they will arrive.

The Italians have deployed in 3 squadrons. The first comprising two heavy cruisers Zara and Bolzano, and led by the modern battleship Littorrio. The second made up of three light cruisers; Raimondo Montecuculi, Scipione Africano, and Luigi Cadorna. And the third comprising 3 destroyers.

The French are in four squadrons. The first comprising four destroyers. The second two heavy cruisers; Dupleix and Colbert. The third two obsolete dreadnoughts; Bretagne and Provence. And the fourth, another heavy cruiser Foch accompanied by a destroyer.


Turn 1: Still out of range, the Italian fleet steam's ahead together whilst the French send their destroyers and heavy cruisers racing ahead in an arc to the north.


Turn 2: The Italian light cruisers and destroyers swing to port to screen the Littorio. Most of the French fleet concentrates to the north east, but Foch cuts south across the bow of the Italians. Fortunately for Foch the Italians elect to concentrate their fire towards the dreadnoughts, but achieve limited results at long range. Foch is not so lucky at evading the Italian torpedos and multiple hits cause bad flooding, reducing her speed.


Turn 3: As the fleets approach each other, each squadrons splits off to create a confusing maelstrom. As the crippled Foch swerves to starboard she is caught in the deadly broadside of Zara and Bolzano, forcing her crew to abandon ship. Bretagne and Provence reply with their big guns, tearing into the two cruisers. Bolzano has a turret put out of action whilst Zara strikes her colours. Each side loses several destroyers, but for both fleets these ships punch above their weight and bring down the cruisers Colbert and Scipione Africano, as well as causing flooding with a lucky torpedo hit on Littorio. 

Turn 4: The Italian admiral cautiously orders the fleet away to the south east to regroup. Dupleix slips around to the west followed by the slower Bretagne and Provence to the north. The remaining French destroyers daringly cut through the Italian line to bring their port side torpedos to bear. They survive the withering storm of fire directed against them, but their hastily fired torpedos go wide of the mark. However thanks to their heroic distraction Bretagne has time to find the range and knock out Littorio's rear turret.


The Italian admiral is dismayed when it is radioed through that more French ships have been sighted approaching from the east!


Turn 5: The whole Italian fleet swings hard to starboard, with the partially flooded and slowed Littorio abandoning formation to cut in on the inside. As they pass they demolish the three battered French destroyers. Dupleix moves to cut off the Italians retreat, but is smashed apart and sent rapidly to the bottom by fire from Littorio. Bretagne and Provence continue to rain shells down, badly mauling Bolzano. Racing in from the east, the French reinforcements give chase. They are led by the battle cruiser Strasbourg, backed up by the heavy cruiser Algerie and a destroyer. While most of the shots go wide, Algerie's forward turret finds its mark and cripples the Raimondo Montecuculi.

Turn 6: Bolzano vears away to the north, but the alert captain of Algerie fires off torpedos in her path, sinking her.


Turn 7: Littorio's guns find the range on Bretagne, and her captain decides to bear away and give up the pursuit before she is crippled. Algerie's forward turret barks out once more, this time forcing the Luigi Cadorna to strike it's colours. Strasbourg's turrets repeatedly hit Littorio, causing bad flooding and dramatically reducing her speed. 


Turn 8: Strasbourg, Provence and Algerie all turn to bring their broadsides to bear on the crippled Littorio. As she keels over a swarm of life rafts fill the sea. The French fleet cease firing and start picking up survivors. French win!


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