Hatsuzuki -11 Soyru 20-31 Hiryu 21-52 Val 10-62 Type 99 11-73 Kate 13-86 A6M 6-92 Elite 8-100
Allies Marblehead 9-9 Northampton 12-21 Helena 14-35 Indinapolis 14-49 Phoenix 12-61 Houston 14-75 Salt Lake City 14-89 Boise 13-102
Representative of the Pearl Harbour Attack:
Turn 1- US Wins initative and begins moving to engage IJN carriers.
In the airphase, 1 Elite Zero squadron attempts to strafe Marblehead but is aborted. The concentrated air attack comes against Salt Lake City and Northampton. Defensive AA is inneffective as the lead flight of B5N Kates crippled the Salt Lake City, and D3A Vals finish her off. T99s and A6M Zeroes fail to damage the Northampton, a fact that will haunt the IJN
Turn 2- US win initative. Hiryu, Soyru sail north to try and keep out of range. Allied cruisers advance.
The main air attack switches to Houston/Marblehead. Houstons gunners abort the lead squadron of Kates, the following squadron of T99s miss. The vals are pitched against the Marblehead for minimal damage. Strafers attacking the Northampton without success.
Turn 3 - US initative
Japanese carriers reach the the north edge of the map, the cruisers are still closing.
A single strafe mission versus the Northampton has no effect. The main attack against the Houston and Marblehead does better. Houston takes 2 torpedoes from the swarming Kates and rolls over quickly. Suddenly alone, the Marblehead is hammered by attacks, a T99 torpedo finishes her off.
Turn 4 - US Initative. The Northampton sights the enemy at long range. The escorting japanese destroyer gallantly tries to buy the carriers time by dashing to meet Helena and Boise as they close.
Northampton weathers the main air attack with minor damage. Roving fighters are chased away by the Boise.
The Hatsuzuki looses her torps and guns at the Boise who evades both and rips the destroyer to shreds. To the north, Northampton begins firing on the Soyru causing minor damage.
Turn 5- US Initiative Harrassed by strafing Zeros, the Northampton takes no damage but the fighters are forced to retreat to the carrier. No longer in fighting shape. The main attack goes against the Boise and Helena. Though one wave of torpedo bombes is repulsed by the Boise, it is not enough. Two torpedoes slam into Helena and set her ablaze stem to stern. Boise takes bomb damage.
Boise opens Rapid-Fire at long range without success and the northampton only manages splinter damage on the Soyru.
Turn 6 Boise and Northampton close in on the fleeing carriers. The carriers ready thier guns for last ditch defence.
The bombers try to defend thier ships, the kates aborted by boise, the T99s, Vals and remaining fighters have no luck.
Boise penetrates the Soyru's forward magazine, a massive explosion disintergrates the ship forward of the island and she swiftly rolls under the waves. Hiryu's powerplant is pushed to the limit as she tries to dodge the Northamptons shells, though a fire is started. The plume from the Hiryu is spotted by the Phoenix as she sprints to join battle. At absolute maximum range she fires, the angle of the shella flight perpendicular to the fight deck. 1 shell plunged through the aft elevator and starts a fire. To the crews horror, the main pumps have been crippled by other damage. With no way to fight the hangar fire, the Hiryu is quickly abandoned, taking virtually its whole airwing with it.
United States Bagley 7 Wainwright 9 Smith 8 Monaghan 8 Gwin 7 S-37 8= 53
Using adapted rules for a non grid map. Range 1 equals 4inches- Ie standard movement is 8", range echelons for attacks 4,8,12,16(range 3) Targets are assigned before attacking, ships have -1 attack dice in the for an rear arcs. Aircraft must make a 4+ search roll before attacking.
TURN 1, Japan wins initiative: USN Destroyers move at full speed to try and close the combat distance. Japans heavy cruiser do likewise, the auxiliary Chitose, turns out of formation and attempts to circle the enemy and stay out of danger while conducting flight ops. Scouting aircraft conduct as sweep for submarines without success.
Tones spotting aircraft marks the USS Wainwright, the Tone fires at extreme range but falls well short. Hagaro tests its luck against distant enemy with the same result. Neither cruiser can bring its torpedoes to bear.
S-37 moves to periscope depth and launches 2 torpedoes. They are spotted by lookouts and the Hagaro avoids them.
TURN 2 USN Wins the initiative and the Japanese heavies turn to bring their long lances into action. Chitose moves as far from the action as communications allow. Chitoses aircraft search in vain for the attacking submarine.
The abrupt turn allows the slow moving S-37 to maintain contact with Hagaro, as the destroyer division splits to engage the cruisers. Bagley and Monaghan turn to meet tone, Smith, Wainwright and Gwin the Hagaro.
Tones spotting aircraft marks the Monaghan for attack, now at maximum effective range, the guns do crippling but not fatal damage to the destroyer, lighting fires along half the ship. A torpedo spread is loosed against the Bagley at 14" but the destroyer evades.
Hagaro's mains and seconds are beared on the Wainwright with savage efficiency. The flimsy escort it cut to shreds. The smoke from the Wainwright obscures approaching torpedoes until the last second. Gwin is hit and ripped in half. Gwin does not go without a fight. The USN destroyers have already launched their own torpedoes and Gwins find the mark and Hagaro is slowed to a crawl. Luckily for her, the enemy gunfire inaccurate as engineers and damage repair crews try to get her underway once more. They efforts are a success, she builds enough speed to avoid another attack by the S-37
TURN 3: Japan wins initiative and the weakened allied destroyer press as close as they can to even the odds. The pair of heavy cruisers make efforts to maintain the longer range that suits them, but are hampered by the Hagaros damage. Chitose, emboldened by the rapid success closes in on the Smith, to cover the Hagaro.
Frustrated by the inability to find the sub, Chitoses aircraft make an attack upon the crippled Monaghan, only one flight is able to make an attack and is savaged by the enemy anti-air gunnery.
Mongahan turns to bring all her guns and torpedoes on the Tone. Scoring minor damage on the superstructure. Bagley resolves her torpedo attack issues and launches a maximum range attack without success, her gunfire is inaccurate as well.
Of the southern division reduced to one ship, and facing two, Smith splits her fire, gunnery against the slow moving Hagaro nearly knocks the cruiser out entirely, but not nearly enough. Her remaining torpedoes are loosed at the less agile seaplane cruiser, but the solitary torpedo to find the mark fails to go off.
Tone rebuffs the measly destroyers who bother her. Quick firing secondary guns, reignite the Monaghan's fires and force her crew to abandon ship. And the tones mains stop the Bagley dead, and with added insult scores a long range torpedo hit that makes the destroyer vanish in flash. Smith is caught in a withering crossfire between the Hagaro and the Chitose, 8" shells punching straight through the hull and causing uncontrollable flooding, while the high explosives rained in by the Chitose demolish the superstructure. What few of the crew survive the onslaught abandon ship and hope they can be found.
S-37 seeks to avenge the topside losses and continues to stalk the Hagaro. For tense hour and half, she is subjected to no less than 7 anti-sub attacks by the Chitoses aircraft. The last finding the mark. Though not before the Hagaro was consumed by massive magazine explosion, courtesy of an obliging Mark-14 torpedo.
Japan Tone, Chitose 38 points
Allies 0 Points
(because of photobuckets issues, i wont post the photos but i can provided them if requested)