Genesis of Beneath the Med

After The Hunters was released, numerous requests came in for an Italian expansion. At the time I didn’t really know much about their fleet or operations. After doing some initial research, I was amazed at the size and scope of the Italian submarine effort. No less astounding was the fact that the Italian boats even participated in Operation Drumbeat, sinking ships in the Caribbean and South Atlantic. There were at least 27 boats operating out of the Bay of Biscay at the BETASOM base there.   Intrigued, I continued research, and became quickly convinced there was a full-fledged game to be had here.

Figure 1. The Leonardi Da Vinci, the most successful Italian submarine of the war. A Marconi class, she was the top tonnage non-German submarine of the war.

Design Challenges

Obviously, there were some design challenges….I wanted this game to continue with the “look and feel” of The Hunters, yet there were some significant differences with the Italian fleet and the German U-boat fleet. Additionally, there was a huge difference between the Mediterranean fight and the BETASOM fight. So I went with split Patrol assignment charts, with patrol assignments being based on where the patrol is stationed. This worked extremely well. Another curious historical fact I had to work with – the Italians had great luck in passing the Straits of Gibraltar, very rarely having problems. I had to tone down the danger in that event to historical levels.

An interesting research issue was the actual designation of the Italian torpedoes…they had about as many designations as they had classes of submarine! There were two main factories, at Fiume and Naples, producing 36 different types during the war. I went with calling them by two of the more standard designations …W270 and W200 for the 21” and 18” torpedoes respectively, the “W” standing for Whitehead.

Figure 2. Playtest map for Beneath the Med. (Note that this map uses playtest art, not final).

Another issue was the fact the Italian boats, for the most part, didn’t rack up the numbers the U-Boats did. There are a variety of issues at work here, and I’ve tried to represent them to keep the tonnages “in the historical ballpark.” Fire control issues, boat handling and large superstructures, and even the hunting areas where they were assigned all contributed to reduced tonnages. Adding to this the fact that the Germans would assign a lot of the much-despised weather reporting duties to their allies, it’s a wonder they sank as many as they did. The main thing the Italian boats did have in their favor, however, is they were not plagued by duds like the early war German torpedoes. Still, the tonnage situation for the game was a definite issue. Players will notice the “to hit” probabilities have been greatly reduced to reflect the fire control issues.

Lots of Different Bling

More research was required to determine what types of Italian medals were given to their commanders and what the requirements were for each award. It wasn’t always cut and dry, but I was able to come up with a reasonably historical set of requirements, based on actual events.  Although some of the medals have no real game impact, I have always felt the “role playing” aspect of the series lends a lot of the appeal, as they help to flesh out the “narrative” which is told when playing the game.

Figure 3. Some prototype Medals and Awards – from upper left to lower right, the Cavaliere dell’Ordine Miliare di Savoia (Knight of the Military Order of Savoy); the Croce al Merito di Guerra (War Merit Cross); the Sommergibili badge (Submarine service); the Medaglia d’Oro al Valor Militare (Gold Medal for Gallantry) followed by the d’Argento and d’Bronzo versions (Silver and Bronze); and finally the Iron Cross (from Germany, it was sometimes awarded to Italian commanders.) A small number of Italian submarine commanders also earned the Knight’s Cross.

Manned Torpedoes – a new dimension to the Mediterranean conflict

Probably the most unique aspect of the game is the inclusion of the Italian manned torpedo operations against Alexandria and Gibraltar. The term “manned torpedo” is perhaps a bit misleading, as they were not suicide weapons. Rather it was a torpedo guided by a team of two frogmen, who penetrated the target harbor, attached it to a large ship (hopefully a battleship), then attempted escape. These weapons were called “S.L.C.” for short – in Italian, Siluro a Lento Corsa – “Low Speed Torpedo.” They were attached to the top deck of a specially-fitted delivery submarine, although some were delivered by a modified destroyer. The SLCs were responsible for the sinking of several ships and damage to the battleships Queen Elizabeth and Valiant. In fact, they were successful enough that the British copied the concept for their “Charioteer” manned torpedo program. Curiously enough, due to bad luck and other issues, they were never really as successful as the Italians.

Obviously these operations are perfect for inclusion in the game as a “special mission,” using the same mechanism as special missions in “The Hunters.” Other special missions include minelaying, supply runs, commando team delivery, and weather reporting, but I think the SLC missions will provide the most tension to the players, as they have to make several decisions which will impact on the success of the operation.

Figure 4. An S.L.C. with its two operators seated. Due to difficulties in handling, it was nicknamed “Maiale” (pig).

Conclusion

My goal was to give The Hunters players a new and exciting sequel that wasn’t just a carbon-copy of the original game, but was updated and modified to reflect the unique situation in the Mediterranean. In addition, I felt the actions in the Atlantic needed coverage as well, so the BETASOM submarines were included in what almost amounts to a second game, as the play there and tactics are different from operations in the Med.

Certain aspects of the conflict have been avoided on purpose to keep the design clean. For example, I have not included the small coastal boats. Additionally, I decided to focus on the 10 most prevalent classes of submarine. Several classes of submarine (which were essentially identical to another class) have been left out as they just didn’t add anything.

I hope players will enjoy operating Italian submarines as much as I have, and most importantly, I hope that they will learn some history in the process.

Author: Greg Smith