Getting into the Channel early in 1916

[PeriscopeDepth]

So my strategy for this 1916 campaign as Germany will be to get into the channel and sink as much shipping as possible. I'm going for ending the campaign by June by raiding the Allied SLOC to France. Just wondering how others have gone about it: U-boats, BC raids on light forces, single CLs as raiders?

Obviously I'm going to have to do a fair amount of mining. Any ideas?

PD

[Bullethead]

I'm going for ending the campaign by June by raiding the Allied SLOC to France. Just wondering how others have gone about it: U-boats, BC raids on light forces, single CLs as raiders? Obviously I'm going to have to do a fair amount of mining. Any ideas?

Well, it depends on how realistic you want to be. One of the minor areas where the game's realism could be better is that there's nothing stopping you from driving the whole HSF in wide cruising formation out past Dover. This couldn't have been done in real life, so you'll have to come up with your own rules for what you think is a believable size of force to get deep into the Channel.

That said, you'll probably need at least a few capital ships going down to about the lattitude of the Thames to exterminate Harwich Force. Just remember that sending them that far from home will likely result in encounters with Beatty and Jellicoe on the way back.

After Harwich Force, you've got Dover Patrol and a scattering of mostly old French DDs and TBs, plus a French AC or 2. Dover Patrol is no match for German CLs and DDs, except for the larger monitors.

If you raise too much Hell in the Channel, the Brits WILL send reinforcements down there. This includes stuff besides 3BS. OTOH, the German shore batteries in Flanders are a great equalizer, at least in daylight. OTOH, the Brits and French have some pretty nasty batteries themselves.

[Task Force]

Everytime i send anything in the channel, the brits pounce it like crazy. (Id stick with U boats.)