1942 was a pivotal year for fortunes in the Pacific and saw the earliest Allied counterstrokes to Japanese expansion. General Douglas MacArthur having been given the directive to capture the Solomons and eventualy the fortress base of Rabaul decided that he needed to capture Port Moresby on Papua to support future combat operations. The Japanese prized Port Moresby for similar aims but the attempted troop landings there were frustrated by their losses during the Battle of the Coral Sea. The Allies had no doubt that they would try again. Their fears proved correct and the Japanese landed an invasion force at Buna in New Guinea starting the long campaign of Papau-New Guinea in earnest. 

 

After the decisive naval victory at Midway the Americans were eager to exploit their success. To that end the landings on Guadalcanal commenced to capture the airstrip the Japanese were building in overall support of the Allied strategy of ousting the Japanese from the Solomons. By the end of 1942 Allied and Japanese land forces were engaged on Papau-New Guinea and Guadalcanal in heavy fighting. The future of the Pacific War would be decided on and around the remote islands of the South West Pacific. 

 

Early air operations in the theater included both U.S. and Australian forces facing the IJN and IJAAF. Both sides operated in inhospitable terrain with supplies and replacements hampered by the distance of the supply lines. Aces such as Joe Foss (USMC), "Buzz" Wagner (USAAF), Les Jackson (RAAF), Hironojo Shishimoto (IJAAF) and Satoshi Yoshino (IJN) all made their names at this time. This FSO recreates the action in the SW Pacific during 1942.

 

Country Percentages:
 
Axis 52%
Allied 48%
 
Field Assignments:
 
Axis Bishop
Allied Knight
CM Rook
 
OOB:
 
Axis (IJAAF/IJN):

 

A6M3
A6M2 (min 20)
Ki-43 (min 40)
D3A1
G4M1 (min 30 players)
 
Allied (USAAF/USN/USMC/RAAF):

 

P-40E
P-39D (min 24)
F4F-4 (min 24)
SBD-5
TBM-3
B-25C

Boston III
 
Special Rules and Ordnance Restrictions:
 
* All aircraft types must be used by a minimum of 12 *players* unless otherwise noted.

* Allied bombers may carry 500 lb bombs and smaller and torpedos only.
* The F4F has the 4 gun loadout disabled.
* All bombers are limited to 20,000 feet.
* Formations are enabled for all bombers.
* ALL AIRCRAFT ARE TO BE LANDED AND THE PLAYERS TOWERED OUT BY FRAME END OR WILL BE CONSIDERED SHOT DOWN AND THE CREWS KIA.
 
Scoring:
 
Aircraft Pts
------------
AXIS:
Bomber = 10 pts
Dive Bomber = 8 pts
Fighter = 4 pts
Landing Bonus = 2 pts
 
ALLIED:
Bomber = 15 pts
SBD and TBM = 10 pts
Fighter = 5 pts
Landing Bonus = 2 pts
 
Target Pts
-----------------

Destroyer = 50 pts
Cruiser = 100 pts
Carrier = 200 pts
Gun = 0.5 pts
Hangar = 25 pts
All Others = 3 pts
 
Arena Settings:
 
- Coral Sea terrain
- Fuel burn 1.5
- Icons friendly 3k/enemy 3k
- 0.2 Ack
- Fighter and Bomber warning range 42,000 (about 8 miles)
- Tower range set to 42,000 (for display only to match the above setting)
- Haze/fog full visibility (17 miles)
- Radar off
- Enemy collisions on
- Friendly collisions off
- Killshooter off
- Time: 15:00 ( 3PM ) Game Clock
- Formations: On
- Bomber calibration: Manual
- Wind: 0K-18K SE TO NW - Speed 5
            18K-24K SE TO NW - Speed 10
            24k+ SE TO NW - Speed 15
        
Designer's Notes: The P-39D represents the P-39 and P-400. 
 
Design by Warloc

 

Before an all out invasion of Japan's main islands could be attempted it was apparent to both American and Japanese war planners that the island fortress of Okinawa would need to be captured. As part of the Ryukyu Islands chain it lay between Luzon in the Phillipines and Kyushu. It's airfield was the main prize as it allowed a wide area of air operations to whomever held it.  As the main striking force of the US Navy the Fast Carrier Task Force would provide the air cover and striking power to the invasion forces of Operation ICEBERG. The British Pacific Fleet (Task Force 37) would also play a part in the campaign being solely responsible for operations in the Sakashima Islands to the south west. In March of 1945 Allied naval forces closed in.

 

Japanese air power on Okinawa was a mix of both Imperial Navy and Imperial Army Air Forces. In addition to these units the Japanese could also sortie air groups from Kyushu to attack the invasion forces. The IJAAF and IJN fighter crews were made up of surviving veterans of earlier campaigns and intermixed with green pilots. In addition to interception duties they flew a gauntlet of CAP fighters and anti-aircraft guns to escort their charges to within striking distance of the Allied fleets.

 

Some of the most intense fighting of the Pacific War was fought during this campaign. Ultimately the island fell to the invaders in June of 1945 but at great cost. 368 Allied ships and some 768 U.S. planes were lost. The Japanese lost 16 combat ships and a further 7,830 aircaft to all causes, many of them Kamikaze. Added to that grim figure were 62,000 U.S. serviceman killed and 107,539 Japanese dead. The campaign marked the last major invasion of the war in the pacific as two months later Imperial Japan surrendered unconditionally after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic raids.

 

This FSO focuses on the initial phase of the Okinawan campaign as the Allies engage Japanese air power in a struggle for air and naval supremacy around the island.

 

Country Percentages:

 

Axis 50%
Allied 50%

 

Field Assignments:

 

Axis Bishop
Allied Knight
CM Rook
 
OOB:
 
Axis (IJN/IJAAF):

 

Ki-84 Hayate (max 36)
Ki-61  Hien
Ki-43 Hayabusa
N1K2 Shiden (max 24)
A6M5b Zero-sen (min 36)
Ki-67 Hiryu 

 

Allied (USN/USMC/RN): 

 

F4U-1D Corsair
F4U-1C Corsair (max 12)
F6F-5 Hellcat (min 48)
FM-2 Wildcat
Seafire (max 24)
TBM-3  Avenger

Recon Aircraft: F4U-1P (F4U-1A, 4 per frame) *Special mission aircraft (OPTIONAL)

 

Special Rules and Ordnance Restrictions:

 

* All aircraft types must be used by a minimum of 12 *players*.
* Bomber formations are off.
* 1000 lb bombs are disabled for the Allies.
* Air-ground ordnance is disabled for the F4U-1C and FM-2. 
* Recon missions are OPTIONAL. Recon missions are filmed (ALT-R) over a strike target at 4000 ft or less within light flak range and/or over the center area of the target after the strike is completed but within 60 min of frame start.

* ALL AIRCRAFT ARE TO BE LANDED AND THE PLAYERS TOWERED OUT BY FRAME END OR WILL BE CONSIDERED SHOT DOWN AND THE CREWS KIA.

 

Scoring:

 

Aircraft Pts
------------
Fighter = 5 pts
Bomber = 10 pts

Recon= 25 pts
Landing Bonus = 2 pts

 

Target Pts
----------
Gun = 0.5 pts
Hangar = 25 pts
Carrier = 200 pts
Cruiser = 100 pts
Destroyer = 50 pts

Recon Mission = 50 pts

 

Arena Settings:

 

- Okinawa terrain
- Fuel burn 1.5
- Icons friendly 3k/enemy 3k
- 0.2 Ack
- Fighter and Bomber warning range 42,000 (about 8 miles)
- Tower range set to 42,000 (for display only to match the above setting)
- Haze/fog full visibility (17 miles)
- Radar off
- Enemy collisions on
- Friendly collisions off
- Killshooter off
- Time: 15:00 ( 3PM ) Game Clock
- Formations: Off

- Formation Autopilot: On

- Bomber calibration: Manual
- Wind: 0-2k NO WIND
           2k-10K NW TO SE - Speed 5
           10K-18K W TO E - Speed 10
           18k-26K W TO E - Speed 20
           26k+ SW TO NE - Speed 40

 

Designer's Notes:

 

* The F4U-1C and FM-2 are representing fighters assigned to Combat Air Patrol and escort duty only.
* The F4U-1Ps were varients of the Corsair with field modification recon cameras added.

* Although the bulk of the Japanese offensive air operations in 1945 were Kamikaze sorties in this setup they will be represented by conventional attack methods.  

 

Design by Warloc

 

May 2013 some 71 years after the original battle we will have the opportunity to relive this historic battle.  

The Japanese Port Moresby Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kōsō Abe, included 11 transport ships carrying about 5,000 soldiers from the IJA's South Seas Detachment plus approximately 500 troops from the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF). Escorting the transports was the Port Moresby Attack Force with one light cruiser and six destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Sadamichi Kajioka. Abe's ships departed Rabaul for the 840-nautical-mile (1,556 km) trip to Port Moresby on May 4 and were joined by Kajioka's force the next day. The ships, proceeding at 8 knots (9 mph; 15 km/h), planned to transit the Jomard Channel in the Louisiades to pass around the southern tip of New Guinea to arrive at Port Moresby by May 10.[19] The Allied garrison at Port Moresby numbered around 5,333 men, but only half of these were infantry and all were badly equipped and undertrained.

 

Leading the invasion of Tulagi was the Tulagi Invasion Force, commanded by Rear Admiral Kiyohide Shima, consisting of two minelayers, two destroyers, six minesweepers, two subchasers, and a transport ship carrying about 400 troops from the 3rd Kure SNLF. Supporting the Tulagi force was the Covering Group with the light carrier Shōhō, four heavy cruisers, and one destroyer, commanded by Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō. A separate Cover Force (sometimes referred to as the Support Group), commanded by Rear Admiral Kuninori Marumo and consisting of two light cruisers, the seaplane tender Kamikawa Maru, and three gunboats, joined the Covering Group in providing distant protection for the Tulagi invasion. Once Tulagi was secured on May 3 or 4, the Covering Group and Cover Force were to reposition to help screen the Port Moresby invasion.Inoue directed the MO operation from the cruiser Kashima, with which he arrived at Rabaul from Truk on May 4.

 

Gotō's force left Truk on April 28, cut through the Solomons between Bougainville and Choiseul and took station near New Georgia Island. Marumo's support group sortied from New Ireland on April 29 headed for Thousand Ships Bay, Santa Isabel Island, to establish a seaplane base on May 2 to support the Tulagi assault. Shima's invasion force departed Rabaul on April 30.[24]

 

 

 

 

 

The Japanese: 

AircraftÂ	MinimumÂ	MaximumÂ
A6M3 Model 32Â	12Â	Â
A6M5 ( A6M3 Model 22 Sub)Â	12Â	40
Ki-43IIÂ	24Â	Â
Ki-61Â	12Â	 36Â