I know the outcome of this kriegsspiel is considered sacrosanct by the British members of this board, but I have some questions raised by the Wikipedia article and other material and most of the links there have long since died.
The game was played as a time-accelerated real-time match, characteristic of kreigsspiel, with the Germans declining to launch their first echelon on the first two simulated days. However, British ground forces were able to use those days to immediately begin the movement of reinforcements to the South East, largely negating the Luftwaffe's destruction of the railroads in Kent and Sussex. The British therefore had a two-day head start rather than the two-day late start they might have had if they began the movement of forces upon confirmation of a German landing along the entire Kent/Sussex front rather than concentrated around Dover. Did this movement of British forces happen in OTL September 1940, or would it have occurred upon confirmation of German embarkation or landing? The German assault points would not have been immediately known, so reinforcing units would have had to have been routed via staging points, likely south of the Surrey Hills, before moving directly to confront advancing German forces.
It's well known that, in the game, the German second echelon was stopped by a British force of 17 cruisers and 57 destroyers. We also know that the Home Fleet would not have sent battleships into the Channel unless the Germans sent their own battleships in. Where did these cruisers and destroyers come from? Was it the equivalent of the Great War Harwich Force? I find it hard to believe that the Home Fleet would have left their battleships alone in Scapa Flow, especially if they were concerned about a possible attempt by German battleships and cruisers to break out into the Atlantic.
The limitations of the unpowered invasion barges are well known, although I have also seen claims that such barges can be used in up to Sea State 5. Apparently, there were different shipping plans discovered after the 1974 wargame that implied the use of more than four thousand ships, including many powered ships, rather than the approximately 1,500 river barges used in the wargame. Is there anywhere to find more information about that?
I have also heard complaints about the inability of the German side to use the Luftwaffe for close air support as had been done in France, the fact that German air attacks were concentrated on London, ostensibly in some sort of attempt to draw off RAF fighters, and the fact that the Germans either did not or were not allowed to use captured airstrips in the South East as bases or even as pseudo-FARPs.
EDIT: Just to clarify the poll, I am talking about the initial assault itself. In the Hague option, German troops are unable to defeat the British garrison. In the Crete option, they defeat the garrison, regardless of whether the British attempt to retake the island.
The game was played as a time-accelerated real-time match, characteristic of kreigsspiel, with the Germans declining to launch their first echelon on the first two simulated days. However, British ground forces were able to use those days to immediately begin the movement of reinforcements to the South East, largely negating the Luftwaffe's destruction of the railroads in Kent and Sussex. The British therefore had a two-day head start rather than the two-day late start they might have had if they began the movement of forces upon confirmation of a German landing along the entire Kent/Sussex front rather than concentrated around Dover. Did this movement of British forces happen in OTL September 1940, or would it have occurred upon confirmation of German embarkation or landing? The German assault points would not have been immediately known, so reinforcing units would have had to have been routed via staging points, likely south of the Surrey Hills, before moving directly to confront advancing German forces.
It's well known that, in the game, the German second echelon was stopped by a British force of 17 cruisers and 57 destroyers. We also know that the Home Fleet would not have sent battleships into the Channel unless the Germans sent their own battleships in. Where did these cruisers and destroyers come from? Was it the equivalent of the Great War Harwich Force? I find it hard to believe that the Home Fleet would have left their battleships alone in Scapa Flow, especially if they were concerned about a possible attempt by German battleships and cruisers to break out into the Atlantic.
The limitations of the unpowered invasion barges are well known, although I have also seen claims that such barges can be used in up to Sea State 5. Apparently, there were different shipping plans discovered after the 1974 wargame that implied the use of more than four thousand ships, including many powered ships, rather than the approximately 1,500 river barges used in the wargame. Is there anywhere to find more information about that?
I have also heard complaints about the inability of the German side to use the Luftwaffe for close air support as had been done in France, the fact that German air attacks were concentrated on London, ostensibly in some sort of attempt to draw off RAF fighters, and the fact that the Germans either did not or were not allowed to use captured airstrips in the South East as bases or even as pseudo-FARPs.
EDIT: Just to clarify the poll, I am talking about the initial assault itself. In the Hague option, German troops are unable to defeat the British garrison. In the Crete option, they defeat the garrison, regardless of whether the British attempt to retake the island.
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