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Admiral Von Gerlach · 08-21-09, 06:13 PM

He is correct on the rangefinders and the German fleet has the superiority there due to german high quality optics...also remember that the battlfield was obsucred by the immense amount of coal smoke of that era, in addition to the weather, fog and cloud can and did come up fast in the North sea. So the factoring of all of that in the game as it operates i feel is very accurate and appropriate. The fog of war at that time included the poor quality of rangefinders ......and the training of the spotters on board ship.

Jutland: during the Engagment at Sea

Grand Fleet enroute to Jutland

Remember in this era, ships were commanded in squadrons and strictky and often ridgedly kept in those fleet formations. There were few examples of independent commnand. So to allow for commands from unit commanders to be seen, rigid lines and formations were kept to allow flag signals to be seen, for radio was uncertain in that era. So the lines of battle and movment even when formed for battle meant that ships behind the foremost units could and would be obscured by smoke from the lead elements if the wind was blowing wrong, and this could be and would be a factor impeding gunnery.

Battle of Jutland
Photos of the Great War
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/coppermi...ls.php?album=3

HMS Lion leading out the Battlecruiser Squadron

There is also the question of night time gunnery doctrine which the Germans practiced a great deal for and English did not as much, using searchlights and speical coloured light signals, this too affected the effectivness of what optical range instruments were available and used.

This is not Jutland but the British and French Fleet units bombarding Turkish gun positions in the Dardenelles campaign, Churchill's disasterous failure of an attempt to force passage to the Black Sea and to liberate units of the Russian Navy for the Allied efforts... it shows the rigid lines of battle strictly maintained at the cost of careers if it was violated.

SMS Fraunelob, light cruiser of the German High Seas Fleet, showing the funnel smoke typical of a ship underway at speed at sea, multiply this by hundreds of ships and you can imagine the smoke of battle impeding gunnery and visibility in even the best of weather. Add the smoke from guns, shell splashes, damage smoke and fires and you have some idea of the impediment to gunnery that I feel that Storm Eagle has factored in quite well indeed.

08-21-09, 06:13 PM	#31
Admiral Von Gerlach Seasoned Skipper Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Colorado and California Posts: 726 Downloads: 358 Uploads: 0	He is correct on the rangefinders and the German fleet has the superiority there due to german high quality optics...also remember that the battlfield was obsucred by the immense amount of coal smoke of that era, in addition to the weather, fog and cloud can and did come up fast in the North sea. So the factoring of all of that in the game as it operates i feel is very accurate and appropriate. The fog of war at that time included the poor quality of rangefinders ......and the training of the spotters on board ship. Jutland: during the Engagment at Sea Grand Fleet enroute to Jutland Remember in this era, ships were commanded in squadrons and strictky and often ridgedly kept in those fleet formations. There were few examples of independent commnand. So to allow for commands from unit commanders to be seen, rigid lines and formations were kept to allow flag signals to be seen, for radio was uncertain in that era. So the lines of battle and movment even when formed for battle meant that ships behind the foremost units could and would be obscured by smoke from the lead elements if the wind was blowing wrong, and this could be and would be a factor impeding gunnery. Battle of Jutland Photos of the Great War http://www.gwpda.org/photos/coppermi...ls.php?album=3 HMS Lion leading out the Battlecruiser Squadron There is also the question of night time gunnery doctrine which the Germans practiced a great deal for and English did not as much, using searchlights and speical coloured light signals, this too affected the effectivness of what optical range instruments were available and used. This is not Jutland but the British and French Fleet units bombarding Turkish gun positions in the Dardenelles campaign, Churchill's disasterous failure of an attempt to force passage to the Black Sea and to liberate units of the Russian Navy for the Allied efforts... it shows the rigid lines of battle strictly maintained at the cost of careers if it was violated. SMS Fraunelob, light cruiser of the German High Seas Fleet, showing the funnel smoke typical of a ship underway at speed at sea, multiply this by hundreds of ships and you can imagine the smoke of battle impeding gunnery and visibility in even the best of weather. Add the smoke from guns, shell splashes, damage smoke and fires and you have some idea of the impediment to gunnery that I feel that Storm Eagle has factored in quite well indeed. __________________ Erlaubnis an Bord zu kommen. Last edited by Admiral Von Gerlach; 08-21-09 at 06:42 PM.