BatRep: Road to Rabaul Campaign Book, 1st Mission: Air Raid @ Darwin

First of all, I apologize.  This is my 2^nd attempt at this battle report.  Sadly, I lost most my notes due to a computer failure and am working off the Maneuver Sheets (which I hadn’t cleared off yet)!  Fortunately, the pictures survived!

This is the first mission of the Road to Rabaul Campaign book.  Graham and I played the first mission a week or two ago.  Once again, Graham decided to play the Allied Air Forces while I played the Japanese.

 

Mission Description:

The Japanese attacked Darwin in hopes of forcing the Allies to defend Australia, rather than try to retake the islands that the Japanese had just secured.  The Australians were unable to re-allocate resources fast enough so the Americans moved a force to protect Darwin while the Australians re-organized.  The Japanese, expecting light to no resistance were caught by surprise…

 

The Japanese launched 3 flights of 3 Val Dive Bombers to attack shipping in Darwin Harbor.  (My Dystopian War Fleets provided the convenient targets!)  Escorting the Vals are two flights of 3 Zeros.  The Americans had a flight of 5 P40 Warhawks providing CAP over the Harbor.  Another flight of 3 P40’s were quickly climbing to the Combat Altitude Level the Japanese were flying.  They would arrive Turn 2.

The P40s would make quick work of the Vals unless the Zeros could stop them.  Unfortunately, the mission begins with the Zeros all to the west of the Vals and the P40s more or less straight ahead.  The P40s would decimate the Vals in a head-on pass with their 6 Heavy Machine Guns.  Fortunately, a Japanese ace was just flying back home and was in the same area as the American CAP, so he would be able to “distract” the Americans (I hoped!).  While the American Cap was set up pointing more or less at the Japanese bombers, the Ace Zero setup flanking the American formation!

 

Mission Objectives:

Standard CY6! – earn more Victory Points than your opponent! 

Damaged fighters and bombers were worth 1 point each, destroyed were worth 4.  Extra 2 VP for a veteran shot down or +3 for an ace shot down.  Finally, the Japanese would get 1 VP for every point of bomb damage to a ship, 6VP if they sank a ship (each ship would take 3 hits to sink).  The Bombers would be carrying a Medium Bomb load and would make a Dive Bombing attack – flying out of the combat zone after the dropped their bombs (and dropped below TAL1).  The ships would get 2 “free” Light AA attacks on each bomber as it made its bombing attack below TAL1.

 

The Game:

 

Initial Game Setup
Counters were used for the P40s and Val Bombers.
Two-sided tape kept the counters attached to the flight stands.

Japanese Ace "bouncing" the Allied CAP

After Turn 2: Ace forgot to drop altitude so couldn't shoot!
Two fighters from the CAP break off  the formation

Japanese Ace gets his first kill!

Japanese Ace failed to damage CAP as they do Airframe Damage to a Val

Japanese ace causes Engine Damage while another VAL takes Airframe Damage!

Japanese escorts engage the Reinforcements, causing Engine Damage to one!

The P40s with Engine damage disengaged by diving,
The Japanese Ace failed to shoot down the damaged P40
while a Val is shot down in another formation!

Another P40 shot down while a Val takes Airframe Damage

Vals sink a ship!

The Furball fully developed!

P40s get another VAL
A number of damaged fighters and fighters without ammo have disengaged

The P40s attack the Vals while the remaining Zeros are out of position

 

 At the end of the game, 1 ship was sunk and 2 were damaged.  The last few dive bombing attacks missed completely!  The American fighters all disengaged when the last of the Vals completed their Dive Bombing. 

 

Three American fighters were shot down or crashed on landing.  Five Vals were Shot down or crashed but all the Zeros survived.  Sadly, I lost track of which aircraft were damaged...

 

The final score was a win for the Americans!  (Sorry, I lost the score sheet!)

 

It really was a close game.  The Japanese would have won if they had sunk another ship or even inflicted 4 more hits on the ships (which they missed in the last 2 turns of the game).  The Japanese Ace ran out of Ammo late in the game, but if he hadn't disrupted the CAP at the beginning, I'm pretty sure the Vals would have suffered more losses before they could have made their attack runs.