Visiting Ravenscar

At the end of October, my partner Emma and I had a few days' holiday in Whitby, Yorkshire. We attended the Whitby Goth Weekend and had purchased tickets for Tomorrow's Ghosts. We also take the opportunity to walk along the coastline and visit many of the local attractions. In previous years, we've visited Mulgrave Castle amongst other hidden gems along the Yorkshire coast. 

This year, we decided to take a visit to Ravenscar, the town that never was. The story of the failed seaside town is well worth a read, but outside the scope of this blog.

So, what does this have to do with wargaming? Wait a minute, read on and all will become clear...

Nestled in the scenic landscape of Ravenscar lies a fascinating historical site from World War 2. Down the coast from Ravenscar, there are the remains of a radar station dating from 1941 to 1944. The ruins stand as a testament to the area's strategic importance. Interestingly, the Romans also recognised the significance of the site and built a signal tower nearby.

 While exploring the National Trust site, an intriguing idea began to take shape.

The National Trust information boards gave a fairly comprehensive rundown of the site, the number of personnel, and which buildings served what purpose. There was everything needed to build a scenario...

During Lockdown, I listened to a talk by Richard Clarke of the TooFatLardies. He said that when he went on long walks, he used to imagine the tactics an infantry section would use when attacking across a field or in defence, based on the terrain. I found myself imagining a German raid on Ravenscar, something akin to the Bruneval Raid but with the roles reversed.

Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy has covered Operation Biting, and it is available for free download. The article, written by Ian Beal, could easily be adapted with the British being the defenders.

The scenario would entail the Germans landing a force of Brandenburgers either by U-boat or E-Boat further down the coast, possibly at Hayburn Wyke. They would then shadow the railway line up to Ravenscar before attacking the station and, if successful, grabbing the British radar components before retreating over the cliffs to their awaiting vessel.   

I decided to look at the Sarissa Precision website. The Sarissa Quonset huts for the accommodation and main radar building would be a good start, and some square concrete buildings from Warbases would round it off. Add some barbed wire for the perimeter and some sentires, and you have a perfect scenario for 0200 Hours or a WW2 version of Black Ops. 

Ravenscar is worth a visit, just for the amazing views. The WW2 history was definitely a welcome bonus. My only word of advice is to pick your weather carefully and dress accordingly; it can be biting cold at times, and there is little to break up the wind when it blows.

It certainly gave me some food for thought. Next time I visit a historical site, I'll be playing through the scenarios that could have occurred there and how they might be transferred from the ground to the tabletop.

Try a little imagineering when you are out and about. You'll be amazed at what you can come up with.