Wednesday, December 11, 2013

BatRep: Road to Rabaul Campaign Book, Fool Me Once

So it’s the 4th mission in the “Road to Rabaul” Campaign Book.  Graham was happy with the last battle’s results; the Americans totally munched the Japanese in an overwhelming victory.  If he wins this one, he’ll have guaranteed that he’s won the first part of the campaign.  I’m not willing to just let him just “take it”, though…

Historical Background:
April 27, 1942.
The Japanese had been fooled on the previous mission, not anticipating the increased fighter strength defending Darwin.  Their arrogance had cost the Japanese 8 of their 24 bombers.  They weren’t going to make the same mistake next time…

Bombers were setup 1st (naturally).  They had to cross the table to exit out of the middle table edge.  Due to the hex pattern of the table mat, this meant the Betties were going to have to side-slip (must have been a windy day!) across the width of the table, 2 hexes at a time, to exit the proper table edge.  The formation of 9 Betty Bombers (once again in a single “V” formation) were still loaded down.  The Americans would be on the offensive, this time with 8 P40 Warhawks in 2 flights of 3 and one flight of 2.  Unfortunately, one of those flights of 3 wouldn’t arrive on the map until Turn 3!  So Americans set up second, one flight of 2 (the flight leader was an “Ace” rating : +3 modifier on all dice rolls) to the right, the flight of 3 on the left, heading more or less straight to the bomber formation’s left edge.

(Note: The P40’s on the right look a lot like P39 Aircobras because they are!  I was short P40 models so the P39 did proxy duty!)

The Japanese Escorts set up last; 3 flights of 3 Zeros each.  Per mission guidelines, one flight on each side of the bomber’s “V” and the 3rd flight was set up in front of the bombers.  However, while height and speed are given, orientation was not specified.  So, Flight #3 was set up on the left – going head-to-head with the Americans on that side.  Flight #2 in front of the bombers were turned to face towards the bombers (they had obviously spotted the P40s earlier and had turned to intercept) facing where they hoped the Americans would be at the end of turn 1 while Flight #1 lined up behind the bombers, facing forward, adjacent to the 3 hex zone covered by Flight #2.  This created a 6 hex zone “Kill Zone” that the Americans on the right had to fly through. 

The Battle Begins...

By overwhelming and killing the 2 P40’s on the right with 2 full flights, I had hoped that Flight #1 would continue to fly straight ahead (without having to turn) and engage the American reinforcements as they came onto the table while Flight #2 kept the survivors (if any) busy or fly to the left and help out flight #3 on the left.  I didn’t realize at the time that the American Ace was in the smaller flight.  Also, this was the first mission (EVER) that the Japanese had GREEN pilots (no bonus for any dice rolls) and I wasn’t sure how well they would perform against the American fliers.  Historically, this was the start of when the Japanese war machine was unable to keep up with the demands for pilots due to their losses and fighting techniques.

Another cosmetic issue had to be dealt with: I had 24 flight stands and 26 aircraft on this mission.  The last 2 bombers on the end of the “V” formation were left to sit on the ground as a result.  If you see them in the photos, they haven’t run out of gas or flown too low – we just ran out of flight stands!  Sorry!  :-}

We rolled for mission variable rules:
Americans rolled “Hill of Beans” – no special rules.
Japanese rolled “Java Veteran” – one Skilled Zero is promoted to Veteran.  I chose to promote the flight leader from Team #3.

Turn 1:
So, the game started!

The Betty Bombers side-slipped to the right (as I explained earlier), towards the middle of the opposite table edge. 

Hind sight being 20/20, I think this took Graham off-guard as suddenly his P40’s on the left were no longer facing the bombers, but Fighters!  He flew straight forward towards Flight #3 as the Zeros also closed in for a Head-to-Head pass.

On the right side of the map, the American Pair turned to engage Flight #2 in a point-blank, Head-to-Head pass while the Zeros of Flight #1 could only fly forward, unable to provide supporting fire this turn.

Tracer fire was hypnotic between the fighters as the bomber crews watched in fascination.  On the right, the flight leaders failed to damage each other from a range of 1 but 2 Green wingmen blasted each other out of the sky – First Blood on both sides!  (Got to love simultaneous fire!!!)

First Blood!  (I got you 1st!  NO! I got you 1st!!!)


On the left, again in a head-on-pass, most of the tracer fire was ineffective but the Zero’s Flight Leader managed to get a good solid cannon hit and another American P40 disintegrated under the heavy-hitting cannon fire. 

Another Head-To-Head Encounter Ends Badly...


Ouch!  Two P40’s shot down in the first turn!  This left just 3 American fighters on the table against 5 Zeros!  Worse, the ace was left by himself against 5 Zeros!  The bombers hadn’t been threatened or damaged yet and the American reinforcements were still 2 turns away before they even got on the table!

End of Turn 1


Turn 2:
Once again, the bombers continued their right Side-Slip.  And waited…

On the right, the Lone P40 Ace did a hard-left turn, sliding out of the firing arc of the Zero leader who had done a Split-S while the surviving wingman flew forward and out of the way.  Flight #1 continued straight ahead, prepared to intercept the American as he engaged the bombers next turn.

The American Ace Gets Away!

 On the left, the two American fighters did a hard left turn towards the bombers,  The Zeros of Flight #3, anticipating some sort of trickery, had broken their formation.  The flight leader had done a Split-S maneuver and just managed to get the lead P40 in his (narrow) gun arc.  His wingmen had both done hard turns, one to the left, the other to the right, just to clear off any P40’s that might have maneuvered onto the other’s tail.

Tracer fire stitched across the sky, searching for a target.  The American Ace on the right took a medium range shot, but failed to damage a bomber this turn.  (WOW!  I FINALLY PASSED a Robustness Roll!)  Both P40s on the left also missed their targets.  The Japanese flight leader, however, made a successful hit on the lead P40 on the left.  Checking the damage tables, Graham needed to roll a 9+ to prevent damage to the plane.  BOX CARS!!!  Graham rolled a 12, handily passing his Robustness Save, BUT it was still a double, indicating a “Lucky Hit”.  So we rolled on the “Lucky Hits” table.  The result?  “Pilot Killed – Plane Crashed”!  So close but so far…

Death by Lucky Hit!

Sadly, the Zero that shot down the P40 had his own problems.  He had held down the trigger a little too long and was now out of ammo.  He had no choice now but to disengage…

This left the Americans with only 2 P40’s on the table.  While his reinforcements would arrive next turn, Graham’s flight of 3 P40s would be too far away to get involved for at least 3-4 turns.  And the bombers still were undamaged!

End of Turn 2


Turn 3:
Unsurprisingly, the bombers side-slipped to the right…

On the far edge, the flight of 3 P40’s came onto the table.  From a distance, they could only watch and encourage their comrades over the radio.  On the right, the P40 Ace charged head-first at the bombers, a Zero following not far behind while Flight #1 moved forward 3 hexes, flying over the bombers.

On the left, the American P40 turned to the left, just a little too soon, leaving all the bombers outside his firing arc!  Actually, it was a fortunate error as a Zero had anticipated the “proper” turn arc and would have had a shot if the P40 ended its move where it should have.  The Zero that ran out of ammo last turn did a power climb, effectively taking it out of the fight.  It would continue to climb out of the battle over the next two turns.  The last Zero, which had turned hard left last turn, was now well out of position and continued to turn to the left, hoping to get into the proper facing before the reinforcements could engage.

Bad Angle, But Safe From Zeros!

From Point-Blank range, the American Ace missed his target (He rolled Snake Eyes!)!  (Fortunately, because he rolled so low, his Ace was NOT out of ammo!).  Meanwhile, multiple bombers and two Zeros were shooting at the American Ace.  The nbombers failed to hit.  Both Zeros hit the hapless fighter, and though the Pilot made the Robustness Save against one hit, he just couldn’t dodge the damage of the 2nd hit.  The American Ace was down!  Sadly, the Zero that got the killing shot also ran out of ammo this turn.

Death of an Ace!

This would leave the Americans with only 4 fighters on the table, of which only one was in position to do anything next turn.

End of Turn 3


Turn 4:
In a Surprise Move; the bombers side-slipped to the Right!  (No!  Really!)

Basically, the last P40 fighter of the original force made an attack on the bombers, successfully hit one, but in a surprise (to BOTH of us), the bomber passed its Robustness test; no damage!  A Zero put the hapless P40 out of its misery.  The American Reinforcements could do nothing but watch hopelessly.

The Last Casualty

Looking at the table, Graham did the math; 3 P40’s against 6 Zeros and 9 bombers.  (The Japanese had started with 9 fighters, but 1 was shot down and 2 ran out of ammo.)  The bombers hadn’t been damaged yet and he was still 2-3 turns away from engaging.  By that time, the Zeros would have gotten back into proper position and approaching the bombers would have been near-suicidal.  Graham conceded the game and the remaining P40’s dove away for home…

End of Turn 4 & Game!



Victory Points:
Americans:         4 pts      (1 Zero shot down)
Japanese:            22 pts    (5 X P40s = 20, Ace shot down: +2)

Also, I was supposed to get points for the bombers getting off the table.   9 Bombers off the table successfully= 9 X D6 VPs which we didn’t bother to roll!  Another 9 to 54 points depending on how well I could roll!!!

Overwhelming Japanese Victory!

Wow!  Complete turn-around this mission.

You have to ask yourself: Why?

First off, obviously, the Japanese had more escort fighters.  That makes a huge difference.  More importantly, I got to choose where they were (somewhat) and what direction they were facing AFTER the Americans were deployed.  That was a HUGE difference.  Last mission I had less choice and placed 1st.  As a result, one flight never really got involved in the fighting - I was defending bombers with 3 fighters against 8 P40's.  There was no way to stop the American onslaught under those conditions.  This mission, with more fighters and better placement, every flight had at least 1 round of shooting and a kill.

Next, you have to discuss the American deployment.  Having 3 fighters delayed for 3 turns meant an uncoordinated, piecemeal attack.  Worse, it meant they were outnumbered from the beginning of the game thoughout to the end.  This is a complete reversal of the last mission and while Graham tried his best to pierce the fighter cover, he just didn’t have the time he needed to attack the bombers before his planes came under fire.

Finally, Graham’s unbelievable luck last game deserted him.  Last game he made countless Robustness Saves.  He just was unable to do that this game.  The one time Graham did make the save, the pilot was killed by a lucky hit.  The problem is, when you take a hit with a low velocity cannon (the Zeros all have 2), you need to have failed the roll by 1 or 2 to suffer only damage.  A difference of 3 or more will result in instant destruction due to the destructive power of the cannon.

Overall, I don’t think this or the last mission were truly fair.  Both missions were designed to make it nearly impossible for a fair fight.  As a historical perspective, they are both accurate as the battles turned out historically (in this battle, it was a historical failure for the Americans).  As a “teaching tool” or “historical experience”, it was a good mission.  As a fair fight – definitely not!

So where does that leave us?  Tied at 2 games each!  Next game will be the tie-breaker and the last mission of this phase of the campaign!


Unfortunately, it IS another bomber mission…

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