War @ Sea: Revised U-Boat Terror

I’ve discussed a couple U-Boat Terror fleets a couple times before. First was a 100pt fleet I devised and then a 200pt fleet created by Steve R. from Battleground Games.

This time I have a 100pt, tourney legal, list originally posted on the official War @ Sea message board by TheJudge.

The list is comprised of a battleship, 2 u-boats, and 4 aircraft. It uses the Bismarck, 2 U510 submarines, 3 FW200 Kondors, and 1 JU 87B Stuka. This differs from my 100pt list through the elimination of cruisers, 1 less submarine, and 1 more Kondor.

The game plan with this new fleet looks sound. The Bismarck uses its range 4 guns to take out surface vessels that get too close to the objective markers. The u-boats threaten anything the Bismarck cannot hit along with needed anti-submarine capabilities. The Kondors have a multi-purpose role of pinpointing vessels for u-boat attack, ASW, and taking out enemy ships from 1 space away (Antiship Missile SA). The Stuka is a nice land based dive bomber that can deal 9 dice of damage.

Your opponent is guaranteed to have an air shield. Wildcats, your likely fighter opponent, can wreck some havoc on you. But, the Bismarck has sufficient Anti-air capabilities (8 dice). Plus, at least 1 Wildcat will stay at home to protect the carrier or other vital ships. That leaves your Kondors free to stay 1 space away and drop 9 dice of bombs on a vessel.

A concerted American assault, think of the Iowa, Enterprise, and their ilk, will be problematic. Considering the American bias in the game this is perhaps one of the best Axis fleets you can field. It uses each of the 3 main game winners. It uses a battleship, aircraft, and submarines. Not too shabby.