# The Cruel Sea Version 1.1

## A scenario for Civilisation II Fantastic Worlds

### By Nick ‘Case’ Dowling

(nick_dowling@hotmail.com)

This scenario is dedicated to my Grandfather and the thousands of other sailors who manned the Allied Merchant Navy in World War Two.

Contents:

1. Installation

2. Overview

3. Hints and Tips

4. ‘House Rules’ and scoring system

5. Historical Notes

6. Units

7. Credits

8. Sources

9. Distribution & Contact Information

1. Installation

Simply unzip all the files into a subdirectory of the scenarios directory (eg the same as every other scenario), and you’re ready to go. Please note that this scenario has no sound files, so unless you want to hear battleships galloping into battle, turn your speakers off J

2. Overview

This scenario covers the ‘Battle of the Atlantic’ between late 1940 and 1944. The scenario is designed to be played as the Germans, though other civilisations may also prove entertaining (if a bit easy).

This scenario covers naval warfare only-there is almost no use of land units, nor is there much in the way of city improvements or research.

Scoring is achieved by comparing loss to kill ratios.

This scenario is designed to be hard. This is intended to simulate the fact that Germany never really had a chance of winning the Battle of the Atlantic (as Admiral Donitz conceded after the war).

3. Hints and Tips

*Make sure you send your U-boats and surface warships to the training centre in the northern Baltic before sending them into the Atlantic

*Hitler dreamed of attacking New York, and will reward you if a successful attack is carried out (note: all other cities contain invincible units)

*Use Condor aircraft for long ranged scouting, and try to keep them away from enemy fighters – escort them with JU-88’s whenever possible.

*Keep a careful lookout for mines. The easily visible mines are invincible, all the other types can be defeated by powerful units.

4. ‘House Rules’

-Invincible mines are included in this game to prevent the AI making pointless attacks on coastal cities, and I consider it cheating to sit your units on your mines and take advantage of the invulnerability this gives. Anyway, it’s a lot more fun fighting it out in the Atlantic.

-At some stage in the Game the Germans will become unable to build ‘heavy’ warships. If you’re playing as the Germans when this happens please cancel the construction of any heavy warships that are being built in your ports.

Scoring system:

Note: This system is designed for the Germans only. If you play as any other Civ you are on your own.

I’ve included a MS works spreadsheet with this scenario. I recommend that you use it to work out your score. If the score is positive then you are winning and if its negative then you are losing.

To use the system, call up the defence minister casualty report and enter the resulting numbers in the spreadsheet. As all the Allied losses will have been caused by the Axis navies, don’t worry about discounting ships sunk by the Italians.

Here are the point values for every ship:

German Kills:

Freighter: 10 pts

Tanker: 15 pts

Liberty Ship: 10 pts

Liner: 20 pts

LST: 10 pts

Patrol Boat: 1 pt

Corvette: 5 pts

Old Destroyer: 5 pts

Destroyer: 10 pts

Fleet Destroyer: 15 pts

Light Cruiser: 20 pts

Heavy Cruiser: 30 pts

AA Cruiser: 30 pts

Old Battleship: 35 pts

Battleship: 45 pts

King George V/ US Battleship: 50 pts

Escort Carrier: 20 pts

Carrier US: 45 pts

US Carrier: 50 pts

German losses:

Type II: -15 pts

Type VII: -30 pts

Type IX: -45 pts

Uboat Flak: -45 pts

Elektro Boat: -60 pts

E Boat: -15 pts

Z Class Destroyer: -35 pts

Light Cruiser: -50 pts

Hipper Class: -100 pts

Pocket Battleship: -125 pts

Scharnhorst Class: -150 pts

Graf Zepplin Class: -175 pts

Bismarck Class: -250 pts

5. Historical Notes

I have tried to make this scenario as historically accurate as possible, but due to the confines of the Civ 2 game engine I have had to make a few compromises. For example, Germany did not conquer and set up naval bases in Greece and the Balkans until early 1941. The Americans did not set up bases in Greenland, Iceland, Newfoundland and Northern Ireland until 1941, and the base in the Azores was established in 1943. Also, Jerusalem was ruled by Britain, but I’ve ‘donated’ it to the Americans to entice them into the Mediterranean If you believe that I have made any major mistakes that can be fixed within the confines of Civ 2, please contact me at the email address at the end of this document.

Also, the events in the scenario aim to recreate the war as it occurred. I am aware that by doing this I run the risk that the events won’t ‘match up’ with the progress of the simulated war. However, I have attempted to make the scenario difficult in order to prevent major discrepancies. Again, if there are major problems please let me know.

6. Units

German

Type II: A very small prewar U-Boat. Though mainly used for training, many Type II’s carried out patrols in costal waters, and some were shipped to the Black Sea, and had the Germans reached the Caspian Sea some Type II’s were planned to operate there as well.

Type VII: Germany’s primary U-Boat. Though somewhat small and short ranged, over 700 of these subs entered service during WW2, making up the vast majority of the German submarine fleet.

Type IX: A large, long ranged sub. These subs were generally superior to the Type VII (especially in terms of range), but had a corresponding price tag. Over 300 of these subs were built and they saw service in all the worlds oceans, with some being temporarily based in the Dutch East Indies, where one Type IX was sent on a patrol that reached New Zealand!

Uboat Flak: Donitz’s answer to the threat of Allied aircraft attacking U-Boats crossing the Bay of Biscay was too fit several U-Boats with heavy anti-aircraft armament and use them to escort other U-Boats.

Elektro Boat: Germany’s last (and perhaps only) chance of winning the Battle of the Atlantic. The U-Boats used a combination of efficient engines and a sleek hull to move swiftly underwater. These submarines were developed too late too play any major part in the war, but had they been developed earlier they may have been decisive. On the other hand, Clay Blair argues that the boats were poorly made and had they ever entered service in serious numbers, would never have achieved much. As only a few Elektro Boats entered service, we will never know how effective they may have been (though it is worth mentioning that the Allies quickly scrapped most of the complete Elektro Boats they captured at the end of the war).

Blockade Runner: A lightly armed merchant ship carrying war related materials (typically from Japan). Try to get these ships back to German ports and disband them for some bonus shields.

Auxiliary Cruiser: A long ranged merchant ship fitted out for raiding. Though weakly protected these ships could put a good fight, with the raider Kormeran sinking the Australian light cruiser Sydney in 1941.

E-Boat: A large, fast torpedo boat.

Z-Class: These heavy destroyers posed a significant challenge to Allied shipping.

Light Cruiser: German light cruisers were well armed but suffered from short range and a somewhat unconventional design. Most of these ships were sunk in the Norway campaign of 1940.

Hipper Class: Germany’s heavy cruiser class. The best known of this class was the Prinz Eugen which escorted the Bismark, and went on to survive the war. Though well armed, these ships were too short ranged to be effective raiders.

Pocket Battleship: Small battleships designed to raid British shipping. The best known of these ships was the Graf Spree.

Scharnhorst Class: These two fast battleships were very effective raiders, but were inferior to the Royal Navy’s larger battleships.

Bismarck Class: Whilst the Bismarck class was bigger and more heavily armed then any British battleships, their armour was inferior to the British ships, and the ships were impossible to steer if the rudders were jammed.

Note: Hitler values these ships highly and will loss confidence in the Keigsmarine if any are destroyed.

Graf Zeppelin: The only aircraft carrier ever built by Germany. Due to inter-service rivalry and a shortage of dockyard space, this ship was never completed.

Note: Please only operate fighters and Stukas off the Graf Zeppelin.

JU-87 Stuka: This famous dive bomber proved successful against ships, sinking a number in the Mediterranean. Had the Germans ever finished the carrier Graf Zeppelin Stukas would have operated off her.

FW-190: Long ranged versions of these single engined fighters were pressed into service in an attempt to counter the growing Allied air power. However, due to the Luftwaffe’s heavy loses on the Eastern Front and over Germany to few of these aircraft were ever available to make a difference.

JU-88: A two engined medium bomber that was also modified to serve as a heavy fighter. These aircraft were very successful.

Condor: A big four engined converted airliner used as a maritime patrol aircraft. These aircraft never reached their full potential as only a small number were in service at any time, and their crews were poorly trained at over ocean navigation.

Saboteur: German submarines landed dozens of saboteurs in Allied countries throughout the war. However, this scheme achieved nothing more then providing the allies with a steady source of double agents.

British

Old Battleship: Britain entered the war with the majority of its Battleships having been built before 1930. As a result these ships gave mixed service, with some being vulnerable to modern weapons and others performing well.

King George V: Big, well armoured and armed battleships. The most famous of this class was the Prince of Wales which carried Churchill to his first meeting with Roosevelt off Newfoundland, and was later sunk by Japanese aircraft off Malaya in 1941.

Carrier: British armoured carriers were well protected against bombs and torpedos, but suffered from a airwing only half that of an American fleet carrier

Swordfish: A obsolete biplane operated by the Fleet Air Arm. Despite its age these aircraft made a major contribution to the war effort, and served until the end of the war.

Blenheim: A slow, two engined bomber. Modestly successful against enemy shipping and submarines

Mosquito: A fast, two engined bomber. Hugely successful both as a bomber and a fighter.

Wellington: A big two engined bomber. Equipped with radar and a Leigh Light searchlight, these aircraft were very successful at hunting submarines by night.

American

US Battleship: Faster and better armed then British battleships, they were not as well armoured as the King George V class.

US Carrier: Big fast carriers. Mainly used in the Pacific.

P-38 Lighting: A long ranged, two engined fighter. One of these aircraft fired the USAAF’s first shots against Germany when it attacked a Condor near Iceland on the 10th of December 1941.

TBF Avenger: Flying from carriers and land bases, these single engined torpedo bombers played a vital role both in the Atlantic and Pacific theatres.

B-26 Marauder: A two engined tactical bomber. Not really an anti sub aircraft, these aircraft (and other tactical bombers) made countless patrols out of bases on the American mainland which were often flown by trainee crews.

Allied

Liberty Ship: A mass produced freighter. A very basic, but very successful freighter.

Corvette: A slow and lightly armed but effective anti submarine ship. Hundreds of these ships were operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy.

Fleet Destroyer: Large heavy destroyers intended in escort valuable convoys and capital ships, these destroyers were a threat to even the biggest enemy capital ships, with fleet destroyers making numerous attacks on battleships throughout the war.

Light Cruiser: Allied Light Cruisers were fast, well armed and long ranged.

AA Cruiser: A cruiser equipped with a large number of fast firing anti-aircraft guns and sophisticated fire control.

Escort Carrier: These ships were converted from large freighters and oil tankers. They carried about 12 aircraft and were a major threat to submarines.

Hudson: This medium bomber was used by all the Allied nations for maritime patrol. The Americans called this aircraft the Ventura.

PBY-Catalina: A long ranged amphibious aircraft. These aircraft saw extensive service in the Atlantic and Pacific.

B-24 Liberator: A very long ranged (VLR) four engined bomber. These aircraft, especially when fitted with radar, were the most successful aircraft against U-Boats, sinking 74 subs.

Common Units

Freighter: Medium sized ships. These ships are the most common in the scenario.

Tanker: These large ships carried oil around the world. They should be regarded as important targets.

Old Destroyer: A WW1 era destroyer. These ships were pressed into service with the Allied navies to meet shortfalls in destroyer numbers.

Old Battleship: Many WW1 and 1920’s era battleships served in WW2. Despite their age and lack of protection, many of these ships made very valuable contributions to their nations war effort.

Destroyer: A medium sized, fast warship designed to escort convoys.

Heavy Cruiser: A long ranged, powerful cruiser. Strong on attack and defence.

Battleship: A large, well armed and armoured warship.

Fighter: A single engined, short ranged fighter.

7. Credits

Most units, and all the terrain types and cities used in this scenario were originally created by Captain Nemo, and are taken from his excellent scenarios ‘2194 Days of War’, ‘Red Front’ and ‘Second Front’. Many of the surface warships pictures were drawn by Captain Nemo for Darthveda’s upcoming scenario about Japan in WW2 and were taken from posts on the Apolyton Message boards by Darthveda and The ANZAC

Nemo’s B-24 Liberator was modified by Darthveda

The Type II submarine was provided by John Petroski (who kindly sent me his uncompleted scenario ‘Wulfpack’ for inspiration)

The Condor was created by myself by extensively modifying Nemo’s B-17 graphic. I also created the tanker unit by modifying Nemo’s Liberty Ship.

I created the Hudson graphic by modifying a unit created by Allard.

The Liner, Bismarck, Scharnhorst class, Pocket Battleship, Z Class, E-boat, British and common old Battleships, Old Destroyer, Allied Light Cruiser and Admiral Hipper units were created by The ANZAC. I also wish to thank The ANZAC for the many ideas he suggested to me.

I wish to thank everyone who tested this scenario for me. Their enthusiasm and feedback were extremely helpful in spotting mistakes and inspiring me to complete this scenario. Thanks guys!

I also want to thank Henrik for converting the title picture for this scenario to gif format.

8. Sources

There are many good web pages covering the Battle of the Atlantic, but in my opinion www.uboat.net is by far the best. It contains an amazing amount of information about all aspects of the U-boat campaign.

Another very good site is www.german-navy.de/marine.htm This site has lots of interesting with information about the German Surface fleet of WW2 (which uboat.net lacks).

I also strongly recommend www.naval-history.net It has lots of very valuable timelines of the war at sea.

www.world-war.co.uk has a lot of information about cruisers of WW2 and is also well worth a look.

For every website on the Battle of the Atlantic, there are probably a thousand books on the subject. The best ones I’ve read are the two volumes of Clay Blair's ‘Hitler's U-Boat War’. These books contain mind numbing amounts of information about the Battle of the Atlantic, and in them Blair proves that U-Boats never even came close too defeating Britain, with only 1% of the shipping crossing the Atlantic between 1939 and 1945 being sunk!

If you’re interested in WW 2 submarines I also strongly recommend ‘Silent Victory’, Clay Blair’s equally good book on America’s hugely successful submarine campaign in the Pacific (where in contrast to the Germans, the American submarines sank 50% of the entire Japanese merchant marine!).

Other books that were useful were: ‘The Chronicle of the Second World War’, ‘One Day in a Very Long War’ by John Ellis and ‘Engage the Enemy More Closely’ by Correlli Barnett, the latter being a very arcuate and readable history of the Royal Navy in WW2.

9. Distribution and Contact Details

Please feel free to distribute or modify this scenario in any way you want, as long as you give me credit for my work, and the various artists credit for their graphics.

If you have any comments or questions about this scenario please leave a message for me on the Apolyton message boards or e-mail me at: nick_dowling@hotmail.com

Version History

1.0 - sent out July 2001

1.1 – Fixed problems with events and modified scoring system.