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Written by: Erich Msybsum

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 03 June 2009

Hits: 20

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Murderer's Row: The Marianas Turkey Shoot

June 19th, 1944

"It was a gorgeous day for a battle. The nineteenth dawned at 0430, casting a semitropical light over the enormous expanse of the Philippine Sea. At that hour Mitscher's group lay a hundred miles northwest of Guam. Not quite ninety minutes later the sun appeared behind Saipan, revealing beautiful flying conditions: a warm morning with the evening's clouds dissipating before noon." 

              From Clash of the Carriers by Barrett Tillman

The first battle of the Philippine Sea is the largest carrier versus carrier battle in history, with 15 US Navy carriers and over 900 carrier aircraft, facing 9 Imperial Japanese Navy carriers and just under 500 carrier aircraft. Japan, realized that Saipan, would give the Americans a base for the new B-29's to expand the bombing campaign made it the highest priority to reinforce and defend the island. The Japanese navy made a series of maximum effort attacks to thwart the invasion with all available forces. At this time the IJN was still a formidable force with over a dozen aircraft carriers, and hundreds of planes and pilots to place into battle. Admiral Ozawa launched the first attack on the American carriers at 0600 on the morning of 19 June 1944. At that time the Admiral had almost 500 carrier aircraft under his command. By the end of the battle, late in the evening the next day, he had only 35 serviceable aircraft left. The blow was something the Japanese Navy would never recover from. Just five months later, the only thing the remaining carriers could be used for was as a decoy for Admiral Halsey at Leyte Gulf.

This FSO Setup will attempt to recreate the air battle that took place over the Philippine Sea on the 19th and 20th of June, 1944.

• Frame 1- July 10th, 2009- (0600 Tower Time)

• Frame 2- July 17th, 2009- (1100 Tower Time)

• Frame 3- July 24th, 2009- (1700 Tower Time)

Axis:

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Written by: Darren F. Gideon

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 31 January 2009

Hits: 21

1943: Operation Husky, The Invasion of Sicily

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DESCRIPTION

At the Yalta Conference in Feb 1945, Joseph Stalin had agreed to end the non-aggression pact with Japan, immediately followed by a declaration of war, three months after Germany would be defeated. On 8 Aug 1945, exactly three months after the German surrender, Russia abided by her promise and invaded Japanese puppet state Manchukuo in northeastern China. The three Russian Armies (Fronts) of the Far Eastern Command was under the overall command of Marshal A. M. Vasilevsky. In the field, Marshal R. Y. Malinovsky commanded the Transbaikal Front, Marshal K. A. Meretskov the 1st Far East Front, and General M. A. Purkayev the 2nd Far East Front. Fielding over 1.5 million men in 80 division with the support of over 5,000 tanks and 4,300 aircraft, the Russian forces completely outnumbered General Otsuzo Yamada's Kwangtung Army's 600,000 men in 25 divisions with a 40,000-strong Manchukuo Defense Force in 8 divisions, supported by 1,215 tanks and 1,800 aircraft.

The main invasion came across the Gobi desert, a desolate region that the Japanese did not expect any army to march through. Aside from the numerical superiority, the Russian invasion came at a total surprise to the unprepared Japanese troops in western Manchuria, which was further exploited by the Russian usage of airborne units at key airfields and population center. Within two weeks, major Manchurian cities of Mukden, Changchun and Qiqihar were under Russian control.

While the main invasion came across from the west, the eastern pincer made several amphibious landings on 18 Aug in northern Korea, Sakhalin, and in the Kuril Islands. The northern Korean landing was undeniably military in nature, but the landings made in southern Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were likely more political in nature, aiming for a long term occupation of Japanese territories.

On 14 Aug 1945, through a radio address, Emperor Hirohito of Japan declared his wish to surrender to the Allied powers. By this time, Russian troops reached the vicinity of the northern bank of the Yalu River, but stiff Japanese resistance prevented them from reaching it even though a small Russian contingent were probing behind the Japanese lines in northern Korea while the Japanese 17th Army marched north to meet them.. They failed to secure all of the Korean Peninsula before the 2 Sep Japanese surrender ceremony in order to establish a solely-Russian occupation area. On 8 Sep, American troops landed at the port city of Inchon, ending the Russian dream of being the sole occupier.

The Japanese northern-most home island of Hokkaido was in the invasion plans along with an air campaign of striking against the Japanese islands from the mainland, but Japan surrendered before Russian forces were ready to mount such an invasion.

This FSO is a what if scenario which posits that Japan did not surrender on Sep. 2nd but instead fought on for several months afterwards. Allowing the Russians to push into parts of south Korea while trying to eradicate large pockets of  resistance in North Korea, conduct air strikes on the Japanese home islands, and interdicting naval and merchant marine traffic in the Sea of Japan.

NOTE: We will be using the Japan terrain for this event.

COUNTRY PERCENTAGES

Roughly 50 / 50 with the Axis having slightly more.

SCORING

CA - 40 points
DD - 20 points

5 pts - Single Engine AC with 1 crew
10 pts - Single or double engine AC with 2 crew
15 pts - Double Engine AC with 3+ crew

192 - Small Airfield
264 - Medium Airfield
381 - Large Airfield
TBD - Port
146 - Vehicle Base

ARENA SETTINGS

- Japan Terrain
- Fuel 1.0
- Icons short
- 0.5 Ack
- Fighter and Bomber warning range 52,000 (about 10 miles)
- Tower range set to 52,000 (for display only to match the above setting)
- Clouds / visibility
      Frame 1, 13 miles
      Frame 2, 23 miles
      Frame 3, 16 miles
- Radar off
- Formations off - Friendly collisions off
- Kill shooter off
- Calm winds
- Time: 11 AM

SPECIAL RULES

Note special rules sent out with the objectives trump these special rules.


1. Nobody on the allied life gets a second life flying a plane.

2. Bomber formations are enabled / available.

3. A minimum and maximum number will be assigned to each aircraft type. The CiC of each side must deploy the designated minimum per aircraft type and can not more than the maximum per aircraft type. Outside of that the CiCs can deploy the aircraft types anyway the want (i.e. can have squads fly 2 aircraft types and in split they wish as long as squads are assigned same objective).

4. If both CiCs agree they may have the setup CM end the frame early. This is usually done if one side wipes out the other side (i.e. 60 versus 5).

5. Dead pilots may gun bombers. They may not man the guns of airfields or ships.

6. Ships can maneuver by the allied side during the frame as long as they stay in their containment area. Ships must stay in containment area defined in the objective orders. If they go outside of the containment area a penalty will be assessed.

7. All targets must be attacked within the first hour of the event. Both CiCs should include sending their battle plans to me so that I have proof that they planned to attack their targets by T+60.

8. All targets must be attacked by a credible force. I define a credible force to be at the very least 2 x 4-6 squads (so 8-12 planes) or 1 7x10 squad. Obviously CiCs can deploy a larger force per target as their plan dictates but no defending or attacking with just 1 x 4-6 squad.

9. All targets must be defended by a credible force. I define a credible force to be at the very least 2 x 4-6 squads (so 8-12 planes) or 1 7x10 squad. Obviously CiCs can deploy a larger force per target as their plan dictates but no defending or attacking with just 1 x 4-6 squad. 

GROUND RULES

A ground combat element will be incorporated into the event. Specific rules regarding the ground combat will be forth coming. Basically I will be using the same rules and capture the flag idea that was used in the Tunisia FSO

First off the ground combat will be a type of capture the flag. Both sides will spawn outside of a base not controlled by either and will be tasked with capturing the neutral (third party base) and holding it until end frame (so a sort of capture the flag but with a stationary flag).

Also GV life might either be a one life affair for those assigned to GVs or if I determine that the GV players get a second life in planes later in frame they will not be allowed to up in planes until after a specific time marker (i.e. T+40 or T+50, etc.   ... it is to TBD). However dead GV players may man the guns of other tanks and vehicles.

Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 26 December 2008

Hits: 18

BOUGAINVILLE PRIVATEERS: Solomons 1943

As 1943 drew on Imperial Japan was forced to rethink its war strategy in view of the Allied successes in New Guinea and Guadalcanal, especially on the heels of her catastrophic defeat at Midway the previous year. Everywhere in the Pacific Japan's forces were stretched too thin. Contraction of the Empire's territories seemed the only answer while buying time for defensive preparations to thwart the renewed Allied strategic offensives Japan's GHQ knew would come. In the Pacific Area Nimitz was preparing to assault the Gilbert Islands. In the South West Pacific Area MacArthur was continuing the clearance of the New Guinea coast supported by Halsey's South Pacific Area which aimed to overrun the Bismarck Archipelago. In the Solomons Halsey was driving up the island chain to capture New Georgia and Bougainville and further isolate Japan's fortress base at Rabaul in New Britain.

Details

Written by: Steven Jackson

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 13 October 2008

Hits: 19

MIRACLE AT MIDWAY!

USS Yorktown takes a direct hit from a Japanese aerial torpedo

June, 1942...

Even though the Japanese invasion of Port Moresby had been repulsed in the Coral Sea, things continued to look bleak for the Allies in the Pacific.  The U.S. Navy was still recovering from the loss of so many ships at Pearl Harbor a mere 7 months prior.  The USS Lexington had been sunk, and the USS Yorktown heavily damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea.  With just a fraction of its former naval strength, the US Pacific Fleet was badly in need of a reprieve.  Unfortunately, the Imperial Japanese Navy would not allow time for the US Navy to recouperate.  The IJN staff had planned their operations precisely, with the objective of either spreading the US Navy too thin or destroying its carrier fleet in a progression of battles that spanned the entire breadth of the Pacific Ocean.  The next part of their plan was a two-pronged thrust into the middle and north Pacific, with one attack into the Aleutians and another attack aimed at capturing Midway Island.  The attack on the Aleutians was planned to either pull the U.S. Fleet north and away from Midway, or to provoke a full-scale battle where the Japanese could both destroy the US Pacific Fleet, and capture Midway unmolested.

For Admiral Nimitz, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, it seemed a miracle was needed...

In Pearl Harbor, US Naval intelligence had given Admiral Nimitz his first glimmer of hope--they had successfully broken the IJN signal code used to encrypt messages between their commands.  Through a saavy signals intelligence effort, Admiral Nimitz was armed with early warning of Japanese intentions.  Knowing that Midway was going to be attacked, Nimitz was able to make a deliberate plan on how to engage and defeat the Japanese. A second cause of encouragement was that the USS Yorktown, through one of the most improbable repair efforts in the history of naval warfare, was made sea-worthy and operationally ready in just four days in dry dock.  Perhaps the needed miracle was taking shape?

This setup will attempt to recreate the events of 4 June, 1942 in three frames. 

Frame 1:  07 November, 2008 (1000 T - Time)
Frame 2:  14 November, 2008 (1200 T - Time)
Frame 3:  21 November, 2008 (1400 T - Time)

Scoring:

Objective based scoring will be used.  50% of each frame's score will be for air-to-air kills, with the remaining 50% being divided between 4 air-to-ground objectives each frame.  Each air-to-ground objective will be worth a total of 12.5 points.  Objective scores will be based on victory criteria that will be published in each frames objectives.

Air-to-Air

Air-to-air score will be worth 50 potential points each frame.  The total number of aircraft that lift for each side will be tallied and added together using their respective point totals.  That number is the total aircraft potential for each side.  All single engined fighters will be worth 1 point.  All aircraft with multiple crewmembers will be worth 1.25 points.  To reach the percentage score, the total points scored will be divided by total aircraft lifted.  For example, if 60 F4F, 20 SBD, and 14 TBM aircraft launch, and 20 F4F, 10 SBD, and 2 TBM aircraft are shot down, the Japanese would score (20) for F4F, (12.5) for SBD, and (2.5) for TBM.  The total value destroyed (35) is divided by the total number launched (94) to get a percentage (37%).  That percentage is used to modify the 50 potential air-to-air points i.e. (35) / (94) = 37%; 50 X .37 = 18.5.  So, in this example, the IJN would score 18.5 points for air-to-air victories.

Air-to-Ground

Air-to-ground score will be worth 50 potential points each frame.  Each of the 4 target objectives will be worth 12.5 points to either side.  The USN and IJN will be awarded points based on victory conditions listed in each frame?s objectives.  Target objectives will consist of ship targets for the USN and ship targets and the airfield and installations on Midway for the IJN only.  Each objective will have its own victory conditions that will define who receives points, and for what destruction criteria.  Both sides will have an equal potential to score the same points for each objective.

Plane Set:

US Navy

F4F-3    (80 maximum; 4X.50 cal armament only)
SBD-3   (96 minimum)
TBM-3   (36 minimum; torpedoes only--no rockets, no bombs)

Japanese Navy

A6M2 (100 maximum)
D3A   (120 minimum)
B5N2 (50 minimum)

Special Rules:

 Manual calibration will be used for bombers

Arena Settings:

 --Midway Map
 --Fuel Burn 1.25
 --Icons Short
 --.2 Ack
 --Fighter and Bomber Warning Range 48,000 (~8 nautical miles)
 --Tower Range 48,000 (~8 nautical miles, To Match Warning Range)
 --Visibility 17 Miles
 --Wind speed will vary with altitude
 --Radar Off
 --Enemy Collisions On
 --Friendly Collisions Off
 --Killshooter Off
 --Takeoff time per frame descriptions above

Contact all the squads on your side at:   

http://ahevents.org/fso/view_assignments.html

Updated FSO Rules at:

http://ahevents.org/fso-related/fso-rules.html