#battle of the malta convoy

[ltwilliammowett]

Battle of the Malta Convoy (18th February 1800), HMS Success attacks Généreux. HMS Foudroyant follows up in the background, by E.H. Dyason, 1885-1886

#naval art #battle of the malta convoy #1800 #age of sail

[usafphantom2]

British torpedo bomber Fairey Albacore at Luqa Malta 1942.

The Fairey Albacore was a British single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm and used during the Second World War. It had a three-man crew and was designed for spotting and reconnaissance as well as level bombing, dive bombing and as a torpedo bomber. The Albacore, popularly known as the "Applecore", was conceived as a replacement for the aging Fairey Swordfish, which had entered service in 1936. However, the Albacore served with the Swordfish and was retired before it, being replaced by the Fairey Barracuda and Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers, The Albacore prototypes were built to meet Specification S.41/36 for a three-seat TSR (torpedo/spotter/reconnaissance) for the FAA to replace the Swordfish. The Albacore was designated TBR (torpedo/bomber/reconnaissance) and unlike the Swordfish, was fully capable of dive bombing: "The Albacore was designed for diving at speeds up to 215 knots(400 km/h) lAS with flaps either up or down, and it was certainly steady in a dive, recovery being easy and smooth. and the maximum under wing bomb load was 4 x 500 lb bombs. The Albacore had a more powerful engine than the Swordfish and was more aerodynamically refined. It offered the crew an enclosed and heated cockpit. The Albacore also had features such as an automatic liferaft ejection system which triggered in the event of the aircraft ditching.

The first of two prototypes flew on 12 December 1938 and production of the first batch of 98 aircraft began in 1939. Early Albacores were fitted with the Bristol Taurus II engine and those built later received the more powerful Taurus XII. Boscombe Down testing of the Albacore and Taurus II engine, in February 1940, showed a maximum speed of 160 mph (258 km/h), at an altitude of 4,800 ft (1,463 m), at 11,570 lb (5,259 kg), which was achieved with four under-wing depth charges, while maximum speed without the depth charges was 172 mph (277 km/h). An Albacore fitted with the Taurus II engine and carrying a torpedo weighed 11,100 lb (5,045 kg).

A total of 800 Albacores were built

No. 826 Naval Air Squadron was specially formed to operate the first Albacores in March 1940, being used for attacks against harbours and shipping in the English Channel, operating from shore bases, and for convoy escort for the rest of 1940. Formidable's 826 and 829 Squadrons were the first to operate the Albacore from a carrier, with operations starting in November 1940. Initially, the Albacore suffered from reliability problems with the Taurus engine, although these were later solved, so that the failure rate was no worse than the Pegasus that equipped the Swordfish. It remained less popular than the Swordfish, however, as it was less agile, with the controls being too heavy for a pilot to take effective evasive action after dropping a torpedo.

Eventually, there were 15 first-line FAA squadrons equipped with the Albacore which operated widely in the Mediterranean. Albacores played a prominent role in the ill-fated raid on Kirkenes and Petsamo in July 1941. More successfully they participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan and the fighting at El Alamein as well as supporting the landings at Sicily and Salerno. During the period September 1941 to end of June 1943, No. 828 Squadron, based at RAF Hal Far, Malta, operated a squadron of Albacores under some of the most severe blitz conditions imaginable during the siege of Malta, mainly against Italian shipping and shore targets in Sicily.

Albacore in flight. The markings place it around 1940.On 9 March 1942, 12 Albacores from HMS Victorious were launched to attack the German Bismarck class battleship Tirpitz at sea near Narvik. Based on information from one of six radar equipped aircraft already launched, Albacores from 817 and 832 Squadrons launched torpedoes and some also attacked with their machine guns. A courageous attack came within 30 ft of success at the bow but ultimately the FAA's only torpedo attack on the Tirpitz at sea failed with the loss of two aircraft and damage to many of the others.

In 1943, the Albacore was progressively replaced in Fleet Air Arm service by the Barracuda. The last FAA Albacore squadron, No. 841 Squadron, (which had been used for shore based attacks against shipping in the Channel for the whole of its career with the Albacore),disbanded in late 1943.

The Royal Air Force deployed some Albacores; No. 36 Squadron based at Singapore acquired five to supplement its Vickers Vildebeests at RAF Seletar in December 1941.The remnants of the squadron was captured by the Japanese in March 1942. In 1943, No. 415 Squadron RCAF was equipped with Albacores (presumably ex-FAA) before the Flight operating them was transferred and reformed as 119 Squadron at RAF Manston in July 1944. The squadron deployed later to Belgian airfields. Their Albacores were disposed of in early 1945 in favour of ASV-radar equipped Swordfish Mk.IIIs that the squadron kept until the end of the war in May. The Aden Communication Flight used 17 Albacores between the middle of 1944 and August 1946. Some of these were delivered by sea on the SS Empire Arun in December 1945 (all from Royal Navy stock).

The Royal Canadian Air Force took over the Albacores and used them during the Normandy invasion, for a similar role until July 1944.

Via Flickr

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 4.16 (after 1940)

1941 – World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships. 1941 – World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected. 1942 – King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism. 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19. 1944 – World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter. 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights. 1945 – The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz). 1945 – More than 7,000 die when the German transport ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine. 1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, United States, to catch fire, killing almost 600 people. 1947 – Bernard Baruch first applies the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. 1948 – The Organization of European Economic Co-operation is formed.[8] 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism. 1963 – U.S. civil rights campaigner Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. writes his open letter from Birmingham Jail, sometimes known as "The Negro Is Your Brother", while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama, for protesting against segregation. 1972 – Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2001 – India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border. 2003 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union. 2007 – Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho guns down 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide. 2008 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the Baze v. Rees decision that execution by lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment ban against cruel and unusual punishment. 2012 – The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway. 2012 – The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced, it was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize. 2013 – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others. 2013 – The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga. 2014 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities. 2016 – Ecuador's worst earthquake in nearly 40 years kills 676 and injures 6,274. 2018 – The New York Times and the New Yorker win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for breaking news of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal.

#Events

[nebris]

Watercolour depicting French-occupied Valletta and Manoel Island as seen from Għargħar Battery, a rebel artillery position during the blockade 

The siege of Malta, also known as the siege of Valletta or the French blockade (Maltese: L-Imblokk tal-Franċiżi), was a two-year siege and blockade of the French garrison in Valletta and the Three Cities, the largest settlements and main port on the Mediterranean island of Malta, between 1798 and 1800. Malta had been captured by a French expeditionary force during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, and garrisoned with 3,000 soldiers under the command of Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois. After the British Royal Navy destroyed the French Mediterranean Fleet at the Battle of the Nile on 1 August 1798, the British were able to initiate a blockade of Malta, assisted by an uprising among the native Maltese population against French rule. After its retreat to Valletta, the French garrison faced severe food shortages, exacerbated by the effectiveness of the British blockade. Although small quantities of supplies arrived in early 1799, there was no further traffic until early 1800, by which time starvation and disease were having a disastrous effect on health, morale, and combat capability of the French troops.

In February 1800, a significant convoy under Contre-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée sent from Toulon made a determined effort to resupply the garrison. The blockade squadron under Rear-Admiral Lord Nelson intercepted the convoy within sight of the starving troops on Malta. Perrée was killed and his flagship captured in the ensuing and brief Battle of the Malta Convoy (1800); no supplies reached Malta. The following month, the ship of the line Guillaume Tell set sail from Valletta to Toulon, laden with soldiers, but this too was intercepted and in a hard-fought battle was forced to surrender to a larger British squadron. These defeats rendered the French position on Valletta untenable, and its surrender inevitable. Although Vaubois held out for another five months, he eventually surrendered on 4 September and Malta was taken by Britain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Malta_(1798%E2%80%931800)

[bouncinghedgehoginblackandwhite]

Of the various Allied cruiser types that participated in World War II’s Mediterranean campaign, the Leander-class was particularly prevalent in the early stages of the conflict. Built in the early 1930s, the Leander-class light cruiser displaced between 6,980 and 7,270 tons and had a main armament of eight 6-inch guns. While many Leanders provided valuable service during the course of the war, four were particularly successful in the opening actions fought against the Regia Marina (Italian navy), those venerable vessels being HMS Orion, HMAS Sydney, HMS Ajax and HMS Leander.

Highlights of this laudatory performance include the first open ocean surface action of the Mediterranean conflict. On 28 June 1940 RAF Sunderland reconnaissance aircraft from Malta located three Italian destroyers some 50 miles west of Zante as these vessels were ferrying an artillery unit to Tobruk. Based upon the subsequent sighting reports, the British 7th Cruiser Squadron, which happened to be in the area covering British convoy operations to Malta and the Aegean, altered course to intercept the Italian warships. At 1830 hours this British force, commanded by Vice-Admiral John Tovey and consisting of the cruisers Orion, Neptune, Sydney, Liverpool and Gloucester, came into contact with the Italian destroyers and commenced fire three minutes later at a range of 18,000 yards. The Italian destroyers immediately took to flight, and a running battle ensued. Eventually, the British succeeded in slowing the Italian leader, Espero, which then turned to cover the withdrawal of its two compatriots. In a one-sided contest, the British quickly overwhelmed and sank the brave Espero, but its sacrifice was not in vain as the other two destroyers made good their escape in the fading light.

Three weeks later on 19 July HMAS Sydney and five destroyers encountered the Italian light cruisers Bartolomeo Colleoni and Giovanni delle Bande Nere off Crete’s Cape Spada. After initially engaging four of the British destroyers, the Italian cruisers were put to flight when Sydney and the fifth British destroyer arrived on the scene. In a running battle, Sydney scored a number of well-placed hits that immobilized Bartolomeo Colleoni and allowed the destroyers Ilex and Hyperion to close on and sink the disabled cruiser with torpedoes. Meanwhile, Sydney continued to pursue Giovanni delle Bande Nere, but the Italian light cruiser eventually made good its escape despite receiving further hits from Sydney’s guns. For its part, Sydney only received one superficial hit during the engagement.

In October two Leander-class cruisers attained further successes during two separate engagements fought in conjunction with varied convoy operations. The first occurred during the second week in October when the British successfully delivered a four-ship supply convoy to Malta while returning three empty merchant ships back to Alexandria. Early on the morning of the 12th a mixed force of Italian destroyers and torpedo boats attacked the cruiser Ajax off Cape Passero as the latter was providing flank security for the returning British ships. Despite being outnumbered, the lone British cruiser effectively defended itself sinking the torpedo boats Ariel and Airone and severely damaging the destroyer Artigliere. With the coming of dawn other British ships arrived on the scene, and the cruiser York finished off the crippled Artigliere. For its part, the gallant Ajax did not sustain substantial damage despite being hit by several 3.9-inch and 4.7-inch shells.

Eight days later on the night of 20/21 October the British fought a second action in defence of a 32-ship convoy passing through the Red Sea carrying valuable cargo for the British forces in Egypt. Attacked by four Italian destroyers out of Massawa, the convoy’s escort, which included the cruiser Leander and the destroyer Kimberley, successfully repelled the attack and drove the destroyer Francesco Nullo aground. In turn, this allowed the convoy to pass through the restricted area unscathed. The next morning Kimberley finished off the crippled Francesco Nullo, but was itself damaged by Italian shore batteries.

Finally, on the night of 11/12 November the British augmented their Fleet Air Arm strike against Taranto (Operation Judgment – which will be the topic of a future post) with a sortie of a cruiser squadron under Vice-Admiral H.D. Pridham-Wippell into the Strait of Otranto to search out Italian shipping. This effort was rewarded when the British force, consisting of the cruisers Orion, Ajax and Sydney and the destroyers Nubian and Mohawk, encountered a four-ship convoy proceeding from Valona to Brindisi. After driving off the convoy’s escort, the British squadron destroyed all four merchant ships worth 16,938 tons for no loss to themselves.

Through these actions, the British Mediterranean Fleet and affiliated forces scored a number of minor victories that collectively signalled a growing British ascendency over their Italian adversaries. Through the remainder of the conflict, the Leanders would continue to provide much valuable service both within and outside the theatre. Pictured here is a pre-war view of the aforementioned HMAS Sydney. Allan C. Green 1878 - 1954, Public Domain. For more information on this and other related topics, see Blue Water War, the Maritime Struggle in the Mediterranean and Middle East, 1940-1945.

[capitan-blood]

It had been flown from a mast at the stern of the ship during the Battle of the Nile in August 1798 - the conflict that cemented Nelson's reputation as Britain's greatest Admiral. The ship had ultimately escaped Nelson's men but they caught up with the vessel during the Battle of the Malta Convoy and seized the Tricolour.

The flag from the French ship Genereux was taken by Lord Admiral Nelson and his men in 1800 and is believed to be one of the earliest Tricolours in existence. - Norwich Castle Museum.

#flag french ship #trafalgar #tricolour #genereux #vessel #history #lord admiral nelson #battle of the malta convoy

[bookloversofbath]

Malta Convoys 1940-1943 :: Richard Woodman

Malta Convoys 1940-1943 :: Richard Woodman

Malta Convoys 1940-1943 :: Richard Woodman soon to be presented for sale on the sparkling BookLovers of Bath web site! London: John Murray, 2000, Hardback in dust wrapper. Includes: Black & white photographs; Diagrams; Maps; From the cover: From the day Mussolinis Italy declared war on Britain in June 1940, the island of Malta was under siege. Its strategic importance was obvious to both sides,…

View On WordPress

#0-7195-5753-4 #1939 1945 war #1940 1943 #battle calabria #battle matapan #books by richard woodman #british naval campaigns #cunningham #first edition books #force h #history royal navy #hm cruiser euryalus #james somerville #malta #military history #mincemeat #minelayer hms welshman #naval actions #naval battles #naval convoys malta #naval history #operation collar #operation halberd #operation pedestal #siege malta

[pinturas-sgm-marina]

1942 06 15 Pantelleria, Oriani sinks tanker Kentucky - Paul Wright

At the Battle of Pantelleria on June 15, 1942, the RM committed a small force to stop the passage of the Operation Harpoon convoy to Malta. In a confusing daylight action, two Italian light cruisers, supported by five destroyers, attempted to get through the British escort to attack the convoy. On this day, the gunnery of the Italians was accurate. Although several British ships were damaged by gunfire, the Italian force was unable to attack the convoy directly. As the RM battled the convoy escort, Italian dive-bombers appeared and sank one merchant ship and damaged the tanker Kentucky, which was taken under tow. Another merchant ship was later damaged by air attack. The British commander decided to scuttle Kentucky and the other damaged merchant. The Italians carne across the burning ships, and the Oriani and Ascari were ordered to finish them off. This scene shows Oriani shelling Kentucky from a distance of 13,000 yd. Later in the action Oriani torpedoed the tanker, but the torpedo that hit the ship failed to explode. The Battle of Pantelleria was one of the most successful actions by the RM's surface forces during the war.

#regia marina #Paul Wright

[greatworldwar2]

• Unsinkable Sam

Unsinkable Sam (also known as Oskar or Oscar) is the nickname of a ship's cat who purportedly served during World War II with both the Kriegsmarine and the Royal Navy and survived the sinking of three ships.

The cat's original name is unknown. The name "Oscar" was given by the crew of the British destroyer HMS Cossack that rescued him from the sea following the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck. "Oscar" was derived from the International Code of Signals for the letter 'O', which is code for "Man Overboard". The black and white patched cat was supposedly owned by an unknown crewman of the German battleship Bismarck and was on board the ship when she set sail on Operation Rheinübung (German for Rhine Exercise), Bismarck's only mission. Bismarck was sunk after a fierce sea-battle on May 27th, from which only 115 from her crew of over 2,100 survived. Hours later, Oscar was found floating on a board and picked from the water by the British destroyer HMS Cossack.

The cat served on board Cossack for the next few months as the ship carried out convoy escort duties in the Mediterranean Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. On October 24th, 1941, Cossack was escorting a convoy from Gibraltar to Great Britain when she was severely damaged by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-563. 170 Crew were transferred to the destroyer HMS Legion, and an attempt was made to tow the badly listing Cossack back to Gibraltar. However, worsening weather conditions meant the task became impossible and had to be abandoned. On October 27th, a day after the tow was slipped, Cossack sank to the west of Gibraltar. The initial explosion had blown off one third of the forward section of the ship, killing 159 of the crew, but Oscar survived this too and was brought to the shore establishment in Gibraltar.

Now nicknamed "Unsinkable Sam", the cat was soon transferred to the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, which coincidentally had been instrumental in the destruction of Bismarck (along with Cossack). However, Sam was to find no more luck there, and when returning from Malta on November 14th, 1941 this ship too was torpedoed, this time by U-81. Attempts were also made to tow Ark Royal to Gibraltar, but the unstoppable inflow of water made the task futile. The carrier rolled over and sank 30 miles from Gibraltar. The slow rate at which the ship sank meant that all but one of the crew could be saved. The survivors, including Sam, who had been found clinging to a floating plank by a Motor Launch and described as "angry but quite unharmed", were transferred to HMS Lightning and the same HMS Legion which had rescued the crew of Cossack. The loss of Ark Royal proved the end of Sam's shipborne career. He was transferred first to the offices of the Governor of Gibraltar and then sent back to the United Kingdom, where he saw out the remainder of the war living in a seaman's home in Belfast called the "Home for Sailors". Sam died in 1955. A pastel portrait of Sam (titled Oscar, the Bismarck's Cat) by the artist Georgina Shaw-Baker is in the possession of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Some authorities question whether Oscar/Sam's biography might be a "sea story", because for example there are pictures of two different cats identified as Oscar/Sam. The sinking of Bismarck and rescue of a limited number of survivors took place in desperate conditions; British ships were ordered not to stop as there was believed to be a U-boat in the area, and many survivors were left to die of exposure.

#second world war #world war 2 #cats #cat story #british navy #royal navy #naval history #funny history #ww2 #wwii #biography #sea stories

[satoshi-mochida]

Nippon Ichi Software has released the first official information and screenshots of its recently announced Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk followup Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Dusk for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita.

Get the details below.

■ About

Title: Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Dusk

Genre: RPG

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PS Vita

Release Date: July 25, 2019 (Japan)

Players: One

Cross-Save: Supported

PlayStation 4 Pro Enhanced: Supported

Price:

-PlayStation 4

Standard Edition: 7,200 yen (without tax) / 7,776 yen (with tax)

Limited Edition: 9,200 yen (without tax) / 9,936 yen (with tax)

Digital Edition: 7,200 yen (without tax) / 7,776 yen (with tax)

-PS Vita

Standard Edition: 6,200 yen (without tax) / 6,696 yen (with tax)

Limited Edition: 8,200 yen (without tax) / 8,856 yen (with tax)

Digital Edition: 6,200 yen (without tax) / 6,696 yen (with tax)

Challenge the “underground labyrinth” and experience the story of the “Witch Brigade” once more…

A group of loving and courageous adventures, in search of wonders—.

Nippon Ichi Software will release Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Dusk for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. We are working hard to develop an exploration-type dungeon RPG played from the first-person perspective.

The director and scenario writer is Tatsuya Izumi, who worked on our very own The Witch and the Hundred Knight and Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk games. Additionally, The Witch and the Hundred Knight and Disgaea series veteran Takehito Harada is handling character design, and Tenpei Sato, who composed for the same series, is in charge of the music.

We hope you can look forward to this new RPG from Nippon Ichi Software.

■ Story

—The story of somewhere not here.

“Clear the underground labyrinth full of mysteries.”

As the “Necrolamp” owned by the witch Madam Malta, the player will obey her commands and make their way through an untrodden, underground labyrinth.

The player commands magical beings called puppet soldiers that are neither human nor beast.

The puppet soldiers born of magical power and the strange lantern Necrolamp make form a unique group…When the “witch brigade” challenges the labyrinth, the curtain will rise on a mysterious adventure in search of treasures.

■ Characters

Eureka, The Exploration Assistant

A girl who came to Galleria in response to a poster seeking an exploration assistant. She is energetic, cheerful, and positive in any situation. As the witch Madam Malta’s assistant, she helps with labyrinth exploration by becoming an anchor to the real world for wandering souls.

Necrolamp, The Strange Lantern

The player’s avatar, in which “wandering souls” and the “player’s soul” are sealed. It cannot move on its own, and its above ground actions occur together with Eureka as it’s vessel. Though it can express its intentions, it does not speak or express emotion. Its name is can be set by the player.

Madam Malta, The Old Witch

An old witch with long gray hair who goes by the nickname Grandma. At the request of the ruler of Galleria, she searches the underground labyrinth using puppet soldiers in order to find treasures.

Perico, The Witch’s Granddaughter

The witch Madam Malta’s granddaughter, who travels with her. While energetic, she is always ill-humored and you cannot tell what she is thinking. There are things that she does not understand, which tend to surprise her. She also likes cats.

■ World

Galleria, A Mansion with a Mysterious Underground Labyrinth

A mansion built in a remote area and the setting of this story. It can be found in the depths of a thick forest, at the furthest end of the remote countryside where rural landscapes fill the area. In its basement is a “complicated and mysterious gallery” called “The Underground Labyrinth of Galleria.”

Underground Labyrinth

An underground labyrinth—a “gallery” created by demons, according to legend—deep below Galleria. Nowadays, its existence is ignored, and the method to enter the labyrinth has been lost. But inside there are said to be treasures that possess mysterious powers.

Treasures

A collection of mysterious treasures of unknown origin and mysterious powers that are said to bring the possessor misfortune.

Facets

Facets refers to the “type of puppet soldier,” as there exist various categories and each has different strengths and weaknesses. Even if the same puppet soldier has a different facet, its stats and skills will change in a big way, so it is necessary to adequately utilize and combine them based on the situation.

Witch Brigade and Puppet Soldiers

Puppet soldiers are created by witches using a wooden puppet and an anima (soul). A group consisting of puppet soldiers is called a coven, but a larger group is called a witch brigade. Puppet soldiers are magical beings (Manania) and can only take on the form of a human in the underground labyrinth where there is a high concentration of magic.

■ Facets

Wonder Corsair

Combat professionals that are experts in the martial arts and the use of all weaponry. While they courageously challenge even enemies that are difficult to defeat, they are emphasize helping the party and survival. They are all-purpose attackers that specialize in well-balanced offense and defense more than attack power, and can adapt to any situation.

—Male

—Female

Shinomashira

The Mashira clan comes from a country in the east. Among the clans that work in assassination, they specialize in group battles. They attack at close range with a striking-style weapon called the “Blunt Hammer,” and move their body according their skilled taijutsu, making them good at disrupting the front lines. They are an attack-specialized facet that controls the enemy’s focus and dominates the battlefield.

—Male

—Female

■ System

The player takes on the role of Necrolamp, a lantern owned by the witch Madam Malta, and obeys her command to clear the labyrinth. Puppet soldiers created by the witch join the party. Each puppet soldier has different combat abilities and fight in place of the player (who cannot directly attack).

Covens

In Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Dusk, a group of characters called a coven makes up a single unit in battle. There are many types of covens, and a witch brigade can be formed by placing characters in covens.

The abilities of a coven is determined by the characters in the coven and the traits of the coven itself. Depending on the compositions, you can create all sorts of witch brigades. Up to five covens can make up your party. Battles against enemies unfold through the offensive and defensive powers of multiple covens.

—Not only can you set a puppet soldier’s nature, visual type, and name, you can also set their preferred stat growth, color, skill selection, and flavor text.

Freely Explore the Underground Labyrinth

The labyrinth is a 3D dungeon the player explores in the first-person perspective. Enemies are represented by symbols on the map, and touching a symbol triggers a battle. Both enemies and allies can move one square at a time. By fully utilizing your field of vision and map, you can avoid encountering strong enemies while also getting your hands on the rare items that lie asleep in the labyrinth’s depths.

■ Battle System

In battle, the player commands several covens, and each coven can launch an attack on the enemy. You can utilize various tactics to defeat the enemy, such as going full-offensive with a coven full of attackers, utilizing specialized techniques activated by coven units, and employing formation effects.

Only three characters in each coven can directly participate in battle. But depending on the coven, up to eight characters can be assigned to a single coven. Five covens x eight characters = a maximum of 40 characters (plus additional strength) that can participate in battle. This is the true power of the witch brigade.

—What is the “Liberation” displayed above each character?

—For those that prefer a small party, you can also register just one character to each coven.

■ Critical Gore

If a critical hit occurs when attacking an enemy, there is a chance that it will destroy a vital part of the enemy’s body. This is known as a Critical Gore.

The enemy’s stats will severely decrease depending on the destroyed part. The occurrence of criticals are affected by various factors, including the characteristics of the coven. Focusing on critical hits to gain the upper hand in battle is a good strategy, as there are many ways for a coven to generate critical hits.

However, allies can also experience a Critical Gore and have their parts destroyed. While a puppet soldier can continue fighting even if its arms or torso is destroyed, if its head is destroyed, it will be incapacitated with one hit. Destroyed parts will only return after being repaired at the base, and you must be careful as losing parts will lower your stats.

■ Formations

Your covens fight in a single formation that is split into a vanguard and rearguard.

Covens can assume different types of formations, each of which produce different effects.

The All-out Attack formation puts all covens in the vanguard.

The Pincer formation puts the left and right covens in the vanguard, and the center covens in the rearguard.

The Convoy formation puts all covens in the rearguard.

■ Miramachina

By summoning a character called a Miramachina, they are placed in front of a coven to act as its shield. While the player cannot issue individual commands to Miramachina and there is a limit on the number of turns one can stay on the field, they support the battle in various ways with their unique abilities.

Miramachina are also resistant to physical attacks and fight as self-thinking defensive wall types known as “independent puppet soldiers.”

—The gallery room “Red Tribuna” at the heart of Galleria acts as your base from which you can head into the labyrinth.

—Apart from exploring the underground labyrinth, a main story that revolves around the daily happenings above ground in Galleria will unfold.

—Destroy walls in the labyrinth to create new paths using the “Wall Breaker” skill.

■ Limited Edition and First-Print Bonuses

Limited Edition

The limited edition of Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Refrain will include the following content:

A copy of the game

Soundtrack (by Tenpei Sato) featuring various music from the game

Unannounced item

Three-sided spine box

First-Print Bonus

First-print copies of Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Refrain will include an original theme for PlayStation 4 or PS Vita.

View the screenshots at the gallery.

#Labyrinth of Galleria: Coven of Dusk #Labyrinth of Galleria #Nippon Ichi Software #PS4 #PS Vita #Gematsu #I'm sure it'll come to the Switch eventually. #Don't read the site's comment section. #long post

[ltwilliammowett]

Battle of Malta Convoy, HMS Success attacks the French ship of the line Genereux, 18. February 1800, by E.H. Dyason, late 19th century

#naval art #battle of malta convoy #1800 #age of sail

[today-in-wwi]

Karl Dönitz Captured

Karl Dönitz (1891-1980), on his first submarine assignment in late 1916 or early 1917.  He would head Germany’s submarine forces in World War II, and, as Hitler’s successor, would sign Germany’s unconditional surrender in that war.

October 4 1918, Malta--Convoys had dramatically reduced the effectiveness of U-boats in the last eighteen months of the war.  It was essentially as difficult to find a convoy as it was to find a single ship, and then the U-boat could perhaps sink one ship in the convoy before it passed by, and was under threat of immediate attack by the naval ships in the convoy.  Karl Dönitz, commanding UB-68 (after having started the war on the Breslau during its dramatic escape to Turkey), learned this the hard way on October 4, encountering a convoy in the Mediterranean.  He did sink the British cargo ship Oopack; while attempting to escape, his boat experienced mechanical difficulties and was forced to surface.  It was soon destroyed by British gunfire, and most of its crew, Dönitz included, were taken prisoner.  He remained in British PoW camps until the summer of 1920, leaving him plenty of time to consider how to better attack convoys.

Today in 1917: Battle of Broodseinde Today in 1916: U-35 Sinks Troopship Gallia Today in 1915: Our Dumb Friends League Today in 1914: Churchill Offers to Take Command in Antwerp; Rebuffed Immediately

#wwi #ww1 history #ww1 centenary #ww1 #world war 1 #world war i #world war one #the first world war #the great war #anti submarine warfare #unrestricted submarine warfare #mediterranean #submarine warfare #submarine #u boat #october 1918

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 4.16

1457 BC – Battle of Megido - the first battle to have been recorded in what is accepted as relatively reliable detail. 69 – Defeated by Vitellius' troops at Bedriacum, Otho commits suicide. 73 – Masada, a Jewish fortress, falls to the Romans after several months of siege, ending the First Jewish–Roman War. 1346 – Stefan Dušan, "the Mighty", is crowned Emperor of the Serbs at Skopje, his empire occupying much of the Balkans. 1520 – The Revolt of the Comuneros begins in Spain against the rule of Charles V. 1582 – Spanish conquistador Hernando de Lerma founds the settlement of Salta, Argentina. 1746 – The Battle of Culloden is fought between the French-supported Jacobites and the British Hanoverian forces commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, in Scotland. After the battle many highland traditions were banned and the Highlands of Scotland were cleared of inhabitants. 1780 – Franz Friedrich Wilhelm von Fürstenberg founds the University of Münster. 1799 – French Revolutionary Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor: Napoleon drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre. 1818 – The United States Senate ratifies the Rush–Bagot Treaty, limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. 1838 – The French Army captures Veracruz in the Pastry War. 1847 – Shooting of a Māori by an English sailor results in the opening of the Wanganui Campaign of the New Zealand Wars. 1853 – The Great Indian Peninsula Railway opens the first passenger rail in India, from Bori Bunder to Thane. 1858 – The Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is dissolved. 1862 – American Civil War: Battle at Lee's Mills in Virginia. 1862 – American Civil War: The District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act, a bill ending slavery in the District of Columbia, becomes law. 1863 – American Civil War: During the Vicksburg Campaign, gunboats commanded by acting Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter run downriver past Confederate artillery batteries at Vicksburg. 1878 – The Senate of the Grand Duchy of Finland issued a declaration establishing a city of Kotka on the southern part islands from the old Kymi parish. 1881 – In Dodge City, Kansas, Bat Masterson fights his last gun battle. 1908 – Natural Bridges National Monument is established in Utah. 1910 – The oldest existing indoor ice hockey arena still used for the sport in the 21st century, Boston Arena, opens for the first time. 1912 – Harriet Quimby becomes the first woman to fly an airplane across the English Channel. 1917 – Russian Revolution: Vladimir Lenin returns to Petrograd, Russia, from exile in Switzerland. 1919 – Mohandas Gandhi organizes a day of "prayer and fasting" in response to the killing of Indian protesters in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre by the British colonial troops three days earlier. 1919 – Polish–Lithuanian War: The Polish Army launches the Vilna offensive to capture Vilnius in modern Lithuania. 1922 – The Treaty of Rapallo, pursuant to which Germany and the Soviet Union re-establish diplomatic relations, is signed. 1925 – During the Communist St Nedelya Church assault in Sofia, Bulgaria, 150 are killed and 500 are wounded. 1941 – World War II: The Italian-German Tarigo convoy is attacked and destroyed by British ships. 1941 – World War II: The Nazi-affiliated Ustaše is put in charge of the Independent State of Croatia by the Axis powers after Operation 25 is effected. 1942 – King George VI awarded the George Cross to the people of Malta in appreciation of their heroism. 1943 – Albert Hofmann accidentally discovers the hallucinogenic effects of the research drug LSD. He intentionally takes the drug three days later on April 19. 1944 – World War II: Allied forces start bombing Belgrade, killing about 1,100 people. This bombing fell on the Orthodox Christian Easter. 1945 – World War II: The Red Army begins the final assault on German forces around Berlin, with nearly one million troops fighting in the Battle of the Seelow Heights. 1945 – The United States Army liberates Nazi Sonderlager (high security) prisoner-of-war camp Oflag IV-C (better known as Colditz). 1945 – More than 7,000 die when the German transport ship Goya is sunk by a Soviet submarine. 1947 – An explosion on board a freighter in port causes the city of Texas City, Texas, to catch fire, killing almost 600. 1947 – Bernard Baruch first applies the term "Cold War" to describe the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. 1948 – The Organization of European Economic Co-operation is formed. 1961 – In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist–Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism. 1963 – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pens his Letter from Birmingham Jail while incarcerated in Birmingham, Alabama for protesting against segregation. 1972 – Apollo program: The launch of Apollo 16 from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2001 – India and Bangladesh begin a five-day border conflict, but are unable to resolve the disputes about their border. 2003 – The Treaty of Accession is signed in Athens admitting ten new member states to the European Union. 2007 – Virginia Tech shooting: Seung-Hui Cho guns down 32 people and injures 17 before committing suicide. 2008 – The U.S. Supreme Court rules in the Baze v. Rees decision that execution by lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment ban against cruel and unusual punishment. 2012 – The trial for Anders Behring Breivik, the perpetrator of the 2011 Norway attacks, begins in Oslo, Norway. 2012 – The Pulitzer Prize winners were announced, it was the first time since 1977 that no book won the Fiction Prize. 2013 – A 7.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran, killing at least 35 people and injuring 117 others. 2013 – The 2013 Baga massacre is started when Boko Haram militants engage government soldiers in Baga. 2014 – The South Korean ferry MV Sewol capsizes and sinks near Jindo Island, killing 304 passengers and crew and leading to widespread criticism of the South Korean government, media, and shipping authorities. 2016 – Ecuador's worst earthquake in nearly 40 years kills 676 and injures 6,274. 2018 – The New York Times and the New Yorker win the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for breaking news of the Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal.

#Events

[nebris]

The Second Battle of Sirte was a naval engagement on 22 March 1942 in which the escorting warships of a British convoy to Malta frustrated a much more powerful Regia Marina (Italian Navy) squadron. The British convoy was composed of four merchant ships escorted by four light cruisers, one anti-aircraft cruiser, and 17 destroyers. The Italian force comprised a battleship, two heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and ten destroyers.[1] Despite the initial British success at warding off the Italian squadron, the battle delayed the convoy's planned arrival before dawn, which exposed it to intense air attacks that sank all four merchant ships and one of the escorting destroyers in the following days.[2] The battle occurred in the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Gulf of Sidra and southeast of Malta, during the Second World War.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Sirte

[diversegaminglists]

Historical World War 2 Games

Started out as a content warning list but needed to become its own list because of the sheer size of it.

This is still a WIP and all suggestions and corrections are encouraged.

101: The Airborne Invasion of Normandy

1939

1941: Counter Attack

1941: Frozen Front

1942: Joint Strike

1942: Pacific Airwar Franchise

1943: Kai

1943: The Battle of Midway

1944: The Loop Master

1945: Airwar

1945 I & II: The Arcade Games

‘43 - One Year After

50 Mission Crush

Ace of Aces

Aces of the Deep Franchise

Aces of the Pacific Franchise

Aces of War

Aces over Europe

Achtung Panzer: Kharkov 1943

Achtung Spitfire

Achtung Panzer: Operation Star

Across the Rhein

Action in The North Atlantic

Action Stations!

Admiral Graf Spee

Advanced Destroyer Simulator

African Desert Campaign

Afrika Korps

Airborne Assault Franchise

Airborne Hero D–Day Frontline 1944

Air Conflicts: Aces of World War

Air Conflicts: Air Battles of World War

Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers

Air Conflicts: Secret Wars

Air Duel: 80 Years of Dogfighting

Airfix: Dogfighter

Air Legends

Air Raid: This is Not a Drill

Allied General

Anglo-German War 39-45

Ardennes Offensive

Ardeny

Ardeny 1944

Armageddon Squadron

Arnhem: The 'Market Garden’ Operation

Artillery Brigade

Assault Wings 1944

Atlantic Patrol

Attack on Pearl Harbour

At the Gates of Moscow 1941

Avalanche: The Struggle for Italy

Avalon Hill’s Squad Leader

Axis & Allies Franchise

B-17 Franchise

B-24

Battle Academy Franchise

Battlefield 1942 Franchise

Battlecruiser

Battle for Midway

Battle for Normandy

Battlefront

Battleground 1: Bulge - Ardennes

Battleground: Ardennes

Battle Group

Battlehawks 1942

Battle Islands

Battle of Britain (1982)

Battle of Britain (1985)

Battle of Britain (1999)

Battle of Britain: 303 Squadron

Battle of Britain II: Wings of Victory

Battle of Britain: Memorial Flight

Battle of Europe

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge: Tigers in the Snow

Battleship 88: Iron Hero

Battles in Normandy

Battlestations: Midway

Battlestations: Pacific

Battlestrike: Force of Resistance

Battlestrike: The Road to Berlin

Battlestrike: The Siege

BBC Battlefield Academy

Beyond Normandy: Assignment: Berlin

Beyond Pearl Harbor: Pacific Warriors

The Big Three

Birds of Steel

Bismarck

Bismarck: Death of a Battleship

Blazing Angels

Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII

Blitzkrieg Franchise

Bomb Alley

Breakthrough in the Ardennes

Brothers in Arms Franchise

The Bulge: Battle for Antwerp

Call of Duty

Call of Duty 2

Call of Duty 3

Call of Duty: Finest Hour

Call of Duty: Legacy

Call of Duty: Road to Victory

Call of Duty: United Offensive

Call of Duty: World at War

Call to Arms

Campaign

Cannon Strike

Carrier Strike: South Pacific 1942-44

Carrier Aces

Carrier Force

Carriers at War

Chain of Command

Chain Of Command: Eastern Front

Clash of Steel: World War II, Europe 1939-45

Close Assault

Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far

Close Combat: Cross of Iron

Close Combat: Gateway to Caen

Close Combat III: The Russian Front

Close Combat: Invasion: Normandy - Utah Beach to Cherbourg

Close Combat: Last Stand Arnhem

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog

Close Combat: The Battle of the Bulge

Close Combat: The Longest Day

Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein

Codename: Panzers Franchise

Combat Command

Combat Command 2: Danger Forward

Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord

Combat Mission 3 - Afrika Corps

Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers

Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines

Commandos: Strike Force

Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Commandos 3: Destination Berlin

Company of Heroes

Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor

Company of Heroes 2

Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault

Company of Heroes 2: Theater of War - Case Blue

Company of Heroes 2: Theater of War - Southern Fronts

Company of Heroes 2: Theater of War - Victory at Stalingrad

Computer Air Combat

Computer Ambush

Computer Bismarck

Computer EastFront

Counter Action

Crete 1941: Fallschirmjager

Crusade in Europe

Daisenryaku Franchise

Daitōa Mokushiroku: Goh

Damage Inc.: Pacific Squadron WWII

Dam Buster

The Dam Busters

Das Boot: German U-Boat Simulation

Day of Defeat

D-Day (2004)

D-Day (1984)

D-Day (1992)

D-Day: America Invades

D-Day: Normandy

D-Day: The Beginning of the End

Deadly Dozen

Deadly Dozen: Pacific Theater

Decision in the Desert

Decisive Battles of WWII Franchise

Deep Strike

Desert Commander

Desert Fox

Desert Rats Franchise

Destroyer

Destroyer Command

Dive Bomber

Dnieper River Line

Dogfight 1942

Dogfight: Battle for the Pacific aka Pacific Warriors II: Dogfight

Dogs of War (Unlicensed Axis & Allies adaptation)

D: Ōshū Shinkirō

Down in Flames

Dreadnoughts

Dunes of War

Enemy Front

East Front & East Front 2

Eastern Front

Elite Forces: WWII - Iwo Jima

Elite Forces: WWII - Normandy

Empire

Eric Young's Squad Assault: West Front

Escape from Colditz & the remake Coldiz Escape! (Not affiliated with the 1970s Coldiz TV show)

Europe Ablaze

European Air War

Europe in Flames

Faces of War

Fall Weiss

Fall Weiß 1939

Fathom's 40

The Few

Field of Fire

Fighter Ace 3.5

Fighter Command: The Battle of Britain

Fighter Duel

Fighter Squadron: The Screamin' Demons over Europe

Fighting Steel

Fire Brigade

Fire Mustang

First Battalion

First Over Germany

Fortress Europe: The Liberation of France

Frontline Franchise

Gary Grigsby's Pacific War (1992)

Gary Grigsby's Pacific War (2000)

Gary Grigsby's War in Russia

Gary Grigsby's War in the East: Don to the Danube

Gary Grigsby's War in the East: Lost Battles

Gary Grigsby's War in the East: The German-Soviet War 1941-1945

Gary Grigsby's World At War

GATO

Germany At War: Barbarossa 1941

Gewetensvragen

G.I. Combat: Episode 1 - Battle of Normandy

Goh II

Great Battles of WWII: Stalingrad

Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic 1939-1943

Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic 1939-43 - America in the Atlantic

Great Naval Battles: North Atlantic 1939-43 - Super Ships of the Atlantic Great Naval Battles Vol. II: Guadalcanal

Great Naval Battles Vol. III: Fury in the Pacific, 1941-44

Great Naval Battles Vol. IV: Burning Steel, 1939-1942

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal Campaign

Guderian

Hearts of Iron Franchise

Hidden & Dangerous Deluxe

Hidden & Dangerous 2

Hellcat Ace

Hellcats Over the Pacific

The Heroes of the 357th

Heroes of the Pacific

Heroes of WWII

Heroes Over Europe

Hidden and Dangerous Franchise

High Command: Europe 1939-'45

The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific

The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific

History Legends of War: Patton

HMS Cobra: Convois pour Mourmansk

Hunter Killer

iBomber

iBomber Defense

iBomber Defense Pacific Il-2 Sturmovik Franchise

iPanzer '44

Iron Aces

Iron Aces: Heroes of WW2

Iron Cross

Iron Front: Liberation 1944

Iron Storm

Iron Tank: The Invasion of Normandy

Iwo jima

Jagdstaffel

Jagdverband 44: Screaming Eagles

Jane's Combat Simulations: Attack Squadron

Jane's Combat Simulations: WWII Fighters

Kampania wrześniowa

Kampfgruppe

Kikō Shidan

Kishi Densetsu

Knights of the Desert

Lancaster

Lead Soldier

Legends of War: Patton's Campaign

Liberty Wings

London Blitz

Luftwaffe Commander: WWII Combat Flight Simulator

Making History: The Calm & The Storm

Making History II: The War of the World

Malta Storm

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault

Medal Of Honor: Airborne

Medal of Honor: European Assault

Medal of Honor: Frontline

Medal of Honor: Heroes

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2

Medal of Honor: Infiltrator

Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun

Medal of Honor: Underground

Medal of Honor: Vanguard

Men of War

Men of War: Assault Squad

Men of War: Condemned Heroes

Men of War: Red Tide

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 2: WW II Pacific Theater

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator 3: Battle for Europe

Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator: WWII Europe Series

Midway Campaign

Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan

Military History: Commander - Europe at War

Mortal Skies: Modern War Air Combat Shooter

Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege

Mud and Blood 2

Muzzle Velocity

Nations

Naval Assault: The Killing Tide

Night Gunner

Norm Koger's The Operational Art of War Vol 1: 1939-1955

North Atlantic Convoy Raider

No Surrender: Battle of the Bulge

Objective: Kursk

Offensive

Officers

Operation Apocalypse

Operation Europe: Path to Victory 1939-45

Operation Crusader

Operation Iceberg: The Battle for Okinawa

Operation Market Garden

Operation Thunderstorm

Operation Whirlwind

Order of Battle: Pacific

Order of Battle: World War II

Order of War

The Outfit

Out of the Sun

Overlord (1994)

Overlord: The Invasion 6th June 1944

Over the Reich

P-38 Lightning

P47 Thunderbolt

Pacific Fighters 

Pacific Gunner

Pacific Storm

Pacific Storm: Allies

Pacific Strike

Pacific War

Panthers in the Shadows

Panzer Attack

Panzer Battles

Panzer Campaigns: Bulge '44

Panzer Campaigns VI: Korsun '44

Panzer Campaign VII: Kursk '43

Panzer Commander

Panzer Command: Ostfront

Panzer Corps Franchise

Panzer Elite

Panzer Front

Panzer Front Ausf. B

Panzerfront: Barbarossa 1941-1945

Panzer General Franchise

Panzer Grenadier

Panzer-Jagd

Panzer Killer!

Panzerkrieg: Burning Horizon 2

Panzers East!

Panzer Strike

Panzer Tactics DS

Panzer Tactics HD

Pathway to Glory

Pathway to Glory: Ikusa Islands

Patton Strikes Back: The Battle of the Bulge

Patton vs. Rommel

Pearl Harbour

Pearl Harbor: Defend the Fleet

Pearl Harbor Encounter

Pearl Harbor: Strike at Dawn

Pearl Harbor Trilogy: 1941: Red Sun Rising

Pearl Harbor: Zero Hour

Pegasus Bridge

The Perfect General Scenario Disk: World War II Battle Set

Piotrków 1939

Plane Arcade

Power at Sea

Protivostoyanie: Opaleonniy sneg

PT-109

P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations

P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations II

P.T.O.: Pacific Theater of Operations IV

The Pure Wargame

Pursuit of the Graf Spee

Red Orchestra Franchise

Reach for the Skies

Red Skies

Red Skies: Von Stalingrad nach Berlin

Red Thunder

Rising Storm

Rising Sun

Rising Sun: Imperial Strike

Road to Moscow

Rommel: Battles for North Africa

Rommel: Battles for Tobruk

Rowan's Battle of Britain

RUSE: The Art of Deception

Rush for Berlin

Rush for the Bomb

Russian Front II: The Kursk Campaign

Russia: The Great War in the East 1941-1945

S2: Silent Storm

S3: Silent Storm - Sentinels

Sands of Fire

Search and Destroy

SeaWolves: Submarines on Hunt

SeaWolves II

Second Front: Germany Turns East

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe

Secret Weapons Over Normandy

Sega Ages 2500: Vol.22 - Advanced Daisenryaku: Doitsu Dengeki Sakusen

Sherman M4

Sid Meier's Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies

Silent Heroes: Elite Troops of WWII

Silent Hunter Franchise

Silent Service

Silent Service II

Sniper Art of Victory

Sniper Elite Franchise

Soldiers at War

Soldiers: Heroes of World War II

Special Operations

Spitfire

Spitfire '40

Spitfire Ace

Spitfire Attack

Spitfire: The Battle of Britain

Spring 1944

Squad Assault: Second Wave

Steel Fury: Kharkov 1942

Steel Panthers Franchise

Storm Across Europe

Strategic Command 2: Blitzkrieg

Strategic Command 2: Patton Drives

Strategic Command 2: Weapons and Warfare Expansion

Strategic Command: European Theater

Strategic Command: WW II Global Conflict

Strategic Command: WWII Pacific Theater

Strategic Simulations: Commander's Collection

Strategic War in Europe

Strikers 1945

Sub Battle Simulator

Sudden Strike Franchise

TAC: Tactical Armor Command

Talonsoft's 12 O'Clock High: Bombing the Reich

Talonsoft's West Front

Tanke Da Juezhan

Tank Operations: European Campaign

Tanktics

Tank Warfare: Tunisia 1943

Task Force 1942

Team Assault: Baptism of Fire

Theatre of War

Theatre of War 2: Africa 1943

Theatre of War 2: Centauro Theatre of War 2: Kursk 1943

Theatre of War Collection

Their Finest Hour: Battle of Britain

Time of Fury

Third Reich (1992)

Third Reich (1996)

Tiger Hunt

Tigers on the Prowl

Time of Fury

Tobruk: The Clash of Armour

Torpedo Fire

Total Victory: Victory or Defeat

Trench Warfare - Mod for Wolfenstein 3D

Typhoon of Steel

Unity of Command

UMS II: Nations at War

Uncommon Valor: Campaign for the South Pacific

Under Fire

Under Southern Skies

Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign

Up Periscope (1983)

Up Periscope! (1986)

U.S.A.A.F. - United States Army Air Force

V for Victory: Utah Beach

V for Victory: Gold-Juno-Sword

V for Victory: Market Garden

V for Victory: Velikiye Luki

Vulcan: The Tunisian Campaign

War Birds Franchise

WarCommander

War Diary: Burma

Wargame Construction Set II: Tanks!

War in Russia

War in the Pacific: The Struggle Against Japan 1941-1945

War in the South Pacific

Warship

War Times

War Thunder

WarZone 3: WWII Edition

Western Front: The Liberation of Europe 1944-1945

White Death

Winds of Steel

Wings of Destiny

Wings of Fury

Wings of Prey

WolfPack

World at War: Volume II - Stalingrad

World War II Combat: Iwo Jima

World War II Combat: Road to Berlin

World War II: Frontline Command

World War II General Commander: Operation: Watch on the Rhine

World War II: Pacific Heroes

World War II: Panzer Claws

World War II: Panzer Claws 2

World War II: Sniper - Call to Victory

World War II Trivia

World Wars: European Conflicts

World Wars II: Pacific Conflicts

Wulfpack

WW2 Air Force Commander

WW2: Time of Wrath

WWII: Battle Over the Pacific

WWII Battle Tanks: T-34 vs. Tiger

WWII: Desert Rats

WWII GI

WWII Online: Blitzkrieg

WWII Tank Commander

#world war 2 #historical games #nazi mention #list actually

[greatworldwar2]

• HMS Prince of Wales

HMS Prince of Wales was a King George V-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She had an extensive battle history, first seeing action in August 1940 while in her drydock when she was attacked by German aircraft.

In the aftermath of the First World War, the Washington Naval Treaty was drawn up in 1922 in an effort to stop an arms race developing between Britain, Japan, France, Italy and the United States. This treaty limited the number of ships each nation was allowed to build, and capped the tonnage of all capital ships at 35,000 tons. These restrictions were extended in 1930 through the Treaty of London, however, by the mid-1930s Japan and Italy had withdrawn from both of these treaties, and the British became concerned about a lack of modern battleships within their navy. As a result, the Admiralty ordered the construction of a new battleship class: the King George V class.

The main armament of the class was limited to the 14-inch (356 mm) guns prescribed under these instruments. They were the only battleships built at that time to adhere to the treaty, and even though it soon became apparent to the British that the other signatories to the treaty were ignoring its requirements, it was too late to change the design of the class before they were laid down in 1937. Prince of Wales was originally named King Edward VIII but upon his abdication the ship was renamed before she had been laid down. This occurred at Cammell Laird's shipyard in Birkenhead on January 1st, 1937, although it was not until May 3rd, 1939 that she was launched. She was still fitting out when war was declared in September, causing her construction schedule, and that of her sister, King George V, to be accelerated. During early August 1940, while she was still being outfitted and was in a semi-complete state, Prince of Wales was attacked by German aircraft. One bomb fell between the ship and a wet basin wall, narrowly missing a 100-ton dockside crane, and exploded underwater below the bilge keel. Buckling of the shell plating took place over a distance of 20 to 30 feet (9.1 m), rivets were sprung and considerable flooding took place in the port outboard compartments in the area of damage, causing a ten-degree port list. The flooding was severe, due to the fact that final compartment air tests had not yet been made and the ship did not have her pumping system in operation. The water was pumped out through the joint efforts of a local fire company and the shipyard, and Prince of Wales was later dry docked for permanent repairs. This damage and the problem with the delivery of her main guns and turrets delayed her completion. As the war progressed there was an urgent need for capital ships, and so her completion was advanced by postponing compartment air tests, ventilation tests and a thorough testing of her bilge and fuel oil systems.

She was powered by Parsons geared steam turbines, driving four propeller shafts. Steam was provided by eight Admiralty boilers which normally delivered 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW). This gave Prince of Wales a top speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). She also carried 180 long tons (200 t) of diesel oil, 256 long tons (300 t) of reserve feed water and 444 long tons (500 t) of freshwater. Prince of Wales had a range of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph). Prince of Wales mounted 10 BL 14-inch (356 mm) Mk VII guns. The 14-inch guns were mounted in one Mark II twin turret forward and two Mark III quadruple turrets, one forward and one aft. The secondary armament consisted of 16 QF 5.25-inch (133 mm) Mk I guns which were mounted in eight twin mounts, weighing 81 tons each. Along with her main and secondary batteries, Prince of Wales carried 32 QF 2 pdr (1.575-inch, 40.0 mm) Mk.VIII "pom-pom" anti-aircraft guns. She also carried 80 UP projectors, which were short range rocket firing anti-aircraft weapons used extensively in the early days of the Second World War.

On May 22nd, 1941, Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser Hood and six destroyers were ordered to take station south of Iceland and intercept the German battleship Bismarck if she attempted to break out into the Atlantic. Captain John Leach knew that main-battery breakdowns were likely to occur, since Vickers-Armstrongs technicians had already corrected some that took place during training exercises in Scapa Flow. The next day Bismarck, in company with the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, was reported heading south-westward in the Denmark Strait. At 20:00 Vice-Admiral Lancelot Holland, in his flagship Hood, ordered the force to steam at 27 knots (50 km/h), which it did most of the night. His battle plan called for Prince of Wales and Hood to concentrate on Bismarck, while the cruisers Norfolk and Suffolk would handle Prinz Eugen. However the two cruisers were not informed of this plan because of strict radio silence. At 02:00, on 24 May, the destroyers were sent as a screen to search for the German ships to the north. At 05:37 an enemy contact report was made, and course was changed to starboard to close range. Neither ship was in good fighting trim. Hood, designed twenty-five years earlier, lacked adequate decking armour and would have to close the range quickly, as she would become progressively less vulnerable to plunging shellfire at shorter ranges. She had completed an overhaul in March and her crew had not been adequately retrained. Prince of Wales, with thicker armour, was less vulnerable to 15-inch shells at ranges greater than 17,000 feet (5,200 m), but her crew had also not been trained to battle efficiency.

At 05:53, despite seas breaking over the bows, Prince of Wales opened fire on Bismarck at 26,500 yards (24,200 m). There was some confusion among the British as to which ship was Bismarck and thirty seconds earlier Hood had mistakenly opened fire on Prinz Eugen as the German ships had similar profiles. Hood's first salvo straddled the enemy ship, but Prinz Eugen, in less than three minutes, scored 8-inch-shell hits on Hood. The first shots by Prince of Wales two three-gun salvoes at ten second intervals were 1,000 yards over. The sixth, ninth and thirteenth salvos were straddles and two hits were made on Bismarck. One shell holed her bow and caused Bismarck to lose 1,000 tons of fuel oil, mostly to salt-water contamination. The other fell short, and entered Bismarck below her side armour belt, the shell exploded and flooded the auxiliary boiler machinery room and forced the shutdown of two boilers due to a slow leak in the boiler room. Both German ships initially concentrated their fire on Hood and destroyed her with salvoes of 8- and 15-inch shells. Prince of Wales fired unopposed until she began a port turn at 05:57, when Prinz Eugen took her under fire. After Hood exploded at 06:01, the Germans opened intense and accurate fire on Prince of Wales, with 15-inch, 8-inch and 5.9-inch guns. A heavy hit was sustained below the waterline as Prince of Wales manoeuvred through the wreckage of Hood. At 06:02, a 15-inch shell struck the starboard side of the compass platform and killed the majority of the personnel there.

At 06:05 Captain Leach decided to disengage and laid down a heavy smokescreen to cover Prince of Wales's escape. Following this, Leach radioed the Norfolk that Hood had been sunk and then proceeded to join Suffolk roughly 15 to 17 miles (24 to 27 km) astern of Bismarck. Throughout the day the British ships continued to chase Bismarck until at 18:16 when Suffolk sighted the German battleship at 22,000 yards (20,000 m). Prince of Wales then opened fire on Bismarck at an extreme range of 30,300 yards (27,700 m), she fired 12 salvos but all of them missed. After losing Bismarck owing to poor visibility and after searching for 12 hours, Prince of Wales headed for Iceland and took no further part in actions against Bismarck.

Following repairs at Rosyth, Prince of Wales transported Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic for a secret conference with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. On August 5th, Roosevelt boarded the cruiser USS Augusta from the presidential yacht Potomac. Augusta proceeded from Massachusetts to Placentia Bay and Argentia in Newfoundland with the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa and five destroyers, arriving on August 7th. On August 9th, Churchill arrived in the bay aboard Prince of Wales, escorted by the destroyers HMS Ripley, HMCS Assiniboine and HMCS Restigouche. At Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Roosevelt transferred to the destroyer USS McDougal to meet Churchill on board Prince of Wales. The conference continued from 10 to 12 August aboard the heavy cruiser USS Augusta and, at the end of the conference, the Atlantic Charter was proclaimed.

In September 1941, Prince of Wales was assigned to Force H, in the Mediterranean. On September 24th, Prince of Wales formed part of Group II, led by Vice-Admiral Alban Curteis. The force provided an escort for Operation Halberd, a supply convoy from Gibraltar to Malta. On September 27th, the convoy was attacked by Italian aircraft, with Prince of Wales shooting down several with her 5.25-inch (133 mm) guns. Later that day there were reports that units of the Italian Fleet were approaching. Prince of Wales, the battleship Rodney and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal were despatched to intercept, but the search proved fruitless. The convoy arrived in Malta without further incident, and Prince of Wales returned to Gibraltar.

On October 25th, Prince of Wales and a destroyer escort left home waters bound for Singapore, there to rendezvous with the battlecruiser Repulse and the aircraft carrier Indomitable. Indomitable however ran aground off Jamaica a few days later and was unable to proceed. Prince of Wales reached Colombo, Ceylon, on November 28th, joining Repulse the next day. On December 2nd, the fleet docked in Singapore. Prince of Wales then became the flagship of Force Z, under the command of Admiral Sir Tom Phillips. Japanese troop-convoys were first sighted on 6 December. Two days later, Japanese aircraft raided Singapore; although the Prince of Wales's anti-aircraft batteries opened fire, they scored no hits and had no effect on the Japanese aircraft. A signal was received from the Admiralty in London ordering the British squadron to commence hostilities, and that evening, confident that a protective air umbrella would be provided by the RAF presence in the region, Admiral Phillips set sail. The object of the sortie was to attack Japanese transports at Kota Bharu, but in the afternoon of 9 December the Japanese submarine I-65 spotted the British ships, and in the evening they were detected by Japanese aerial reconnaissance. By this time it had been made clear that no RAF fighter support would be forthcoming. At midnight a signal was received that Japanese forces were landing at Kuantan in Malaya. Force Z was diverted to investigate. At 02:11 on December 10th, the force was again sighted by a Japanese submarine and at 08:00 arrived off Kuantan, only to discover that the reported landings were a diversion.

At 11:00 that morning the first Japanese air attack began. Eight Type 96 "Nell" bombers dropped their bombs close to Repulse, one passing through the hangar roof and exploding on the 1-inch plating of the main deck below. Despite reports to the contrary, Prince of Wales was struck by only one torpedo. Meanwhile, Repulse avoided the seven torpedoes aimed at her, as well as bombs dropped by six other "Nells" a few minutes later. The torpedo struck Prince of Wales on the port side aft, abaft "Y" Turret, wrecking the outer propeller shaft on that side and destroying bulkheads to one degree or another along the shaft all the way to B Engine Room. This caused rapid uncontrollable flooding and put the entire electrical system in the after part of the ship out of action. Lacking effective damage control, she soon took on a heavy list. A fourth attack was conducted, this one scored hits on Repulse and she sank at 12:33. Six aircraft from this wave also attacked Prince of Wales, hitting her with three torpedoes, causing further damage and flooding. Finally, a 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) bomb hit Prince of Wales's catapult deck, penetrated to the main deck, where it exploded, causing many casualties in the makeshift aid centre in the Cinema Flat. Several other bombs from this attack scored very 'near misses', indenting the hull, popping rivets and causing hull plates to 'split' along the seams and intensifying the flooding. At 13:15 the order to abandon ship was given, and at 13:20 Prince of Wales capsized and sank; Admiral Phillips and Captain Leach were among the 327 fatalities.

Prince of Wales and Repulse were the first capital ships to be sunk solely by naval air power on the open sea (albeit by land-based rather than carrier-based aircraft), a harbinger of the diminishing role this class of ships was to play in naval warfare thereafter. It is often pointed out, however, that contributing factors to the sinking of Prince of Wales were her surface-scanning radars being inoperable in the humid tropic climate, depriving Force Z of one of its most potent early-warning devices and the critical early damage she sustained from the first torpedo. The wreck lies upside down in 223 feet (68 m) of water at 3°33′36″N 104°28′42″E. A Royal Navy White Ensign attached to a line on a buoy tied to a propeller shaft is periodically renewed. The wreck site was designated a 'Protected Place' in 2001 under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986, just prior to the 60th anniversary of her sinking.

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