Background
The Malta convoys were Allied supply convoys of the Second World War. The convoys took place during the Siege of Malta in the Mediterranean Theatre. Malta was a base from which British sea and air forces could attack ships carrying supplies from Europe to Italian Libya. Britain fought the Western Desert Campaign against Axis armies in North Africa to keep the Suez Canal and to control Middle Eastern oil. The strategic value of Malta was so great the British risked many merchant vessels and warships to supply the island and the Axis made determined efforts to neutralise the island as an offensive base.
The civilian population and the garrison required imports of food, medical supplies, fuel and equipment; the military forces on the island needed reinforcements, ammunition and spare parts. British convoys were escorted to Malta by ships of the Mediterranean Fleet, Force H and aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force, during the Battle of the Mediterranean (1940–1943). British and Allied ships were attacked by the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) and Regia Marina (Royal Navy) in 1940 and from 1941, by the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) and Kriegsmarine (German Navy).
In 1942, the British assembled large flotillas of warships to escort Malta convoys, sent fast warships to make solo runs to the island and organised Magic Carpet supply runs by submarine. Hawker Hurricane and then Supermarine Spitfire fighters were flown to Malta from aircraft carriers on Club Runs from Gibraltar towards Malta. In mid-1942, Axis air attacks on the island and on supply convoys neutralised Malta as an offensive base and an Axis invasion, Unternehmen Herkules (Operation Hercules), was set for mid-July 1942.
The siege of Malta eased after the Allied victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein (23 October – 11 November 1942). The Axis retreat from Egypt and Cyrenaica brought more of the seas around Malta into range of Allied land-based aircraft. In Operation Stoneage, which began after Operation Torch (8–16 November), round the clock air cover was possible and all the merchant ships reached Malta. Mediterranean convoys were resumed to supply the advancing British forces, from which ships for Malta were detached and escorted to and from the island.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta_convoys
The Game
We through together a battle between British and Italian naval forces based on what ships and cards that we happened to have printed out. Based on what we had at hand, it seemed a fictional Malta convoy battle would make sense. So, the battle would represent a sortie by the Italian navy against a British convoy that was returning from Malta, after ferrying aircraft to the island.
The forces we somewhat small, but there were only a few players, so it worked out. The British would have to sail the long half of the board (six feet) and exit. The Italians would have to stop that from happening. The victory would be tied to the side with the most victory points, with the British getting a ten point bonus for exiting a capital ship from the far end.
The British fleet consisted of the carrier Eagle (without any planes, as these had been sent to Malta), the battleship Nelson, two C class AA cruisers and two flotillas of destroyers. The Italian force include two Doria class battlecruisers, a Trento class cruiser and a flotilla of destroyers. The British stared on one end of the table and the Italians entered the middle of the table on the far side from the British.
The British fleet strategy was to move their main elements straight up the side of the table at full speed, while diverting one of their destroyer flotillas to engage the Italians to slow them down. The Italian plan was to cut off the British escape with their lighter forces, while the battlecruisers sat at range and pounded the British force in a vice.
The game proceeded mostly according to plan for both side. However, the British slowly realized that their unsupported destroyer flotilla was easy pickings for the main Italian force. In addition, with the second flotilla of destroyers covering the rear, they were not in the best of position to cover the advance. As the fight developed, it was clear that the Italians were getting the better of the gun duel, as the Nelson was finding it difficult to concentrate its fire. Slowly, but surely, the Italians were able to sink the covering British light forces, leaving the British capital ships alone. The massed fire of the Italian battlecruisers finally crippled the Nelson (which was trying to stave off destroyers). Without the firepower to advance, the British quit the field behind smoke and the Italians got to claim the victory!
- Manteuffel