Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 04 December 2006

Hits: 17

                   

April 8th, the Japanese would lay out the plan to defend the Japanese Home Islands. Ketsu-Go which went into effect April 18th, would never happen the way Japanese Command planned it. Although the movements and planning continued until the end of hostilities, The Allies ended the war with Atomic weapons and the Japanese would formally surrender September 2nd, 1945.

 

Plane Set:

 

Only Aircraft with Minimums must be flown.

Details

Written by: Darren F. Gideon

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 29 September 2006

Hits: 19

 

 

DESCRIPTION

This FSO will recreate the invasion of Burma in 1942. Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies have already fallen but the Americans in the Phillipines are still holding out versus the Japanese. While the Japanese now have set their sites on Burma.

There were two reasons for the Japanese invasion of Burma. Firstly the Japanese knew it would serve them well if they cut overland access to China from Burma via the famed Burma Road. Along this road a steady stream of military aid was being transported from Rangoon, over the mountains of the 'Hump' and into Nationalist China, but if this supply route was closed, the Japanese could deprive Chiang Kai Shek's Kuomintang (Nationalist Chinese) armies of their life-blood, permitting the Japanese to conquer all China.

'The troops were raw, lacked combat experience, and were inadequately trained ...'

Furthermore, possession of Burma would place the Japanese at the gate of India, where they believed general insurrection against the British Raj would be ignited once their troops had established themselves in Assam, within reach of Calcutta. To this end they cultivated the services of the dissident Bengali politician Chandra Bose, who recruited thousands of Indian troops captured in Singapore into his Indian National Army - to fight the British.

Only 1 squadron of the Flying Tigers, some obsolete Buffalo Brewster fighters, Blenheim bombers and Hurricane MKIIBs rushed to the Burma are in place to try to slow the Japanese tide of conquest.

Entering Burma from Thailand, the Japanese quickly captured Rangoon, cutting off the Burma Road at source, and depriving the Chinese of their only convenient supply base and port of entry. In response, General Sir Archibald Wavell, in supreme command of the Far Eastern theatre, formed two scratch divisions, the 1st Burma and 17th Indian, into Burma corps (Burcorps).

He ordered his commanders, against their better judgement, to defend well forward. They, however, were aware, as he was not, of the deficiencies of their commands. The troops were raw, lacked combat experience, and were inadequately trained and equipped to take on the aggressive and bold invaders.

Apart from two experienced light tank regiments and an infantry battalion brought in from the Middle East, whose presence in the long retreat up-country undoubtedly saved Burma Corps from total destruction, no other reinforcements reached Burma Command. (The British 18th Division, destined for Burma, was redirected to Singapore on Churchill's orders, reaching it just in time to march into Japanese prison camps.)

Operating a scorched-earth policy as it went, Burcorps, now under command of Lieutenant General William Slim, fell back up the Irrawaddy river, accompanied by tens of thousands of wretched Indian refugees, harassed and murdered by the Burmese population as they struggled to gain Indian soil. In May 1942 the retreat finally ended, and the shattered remnants of Burcorps began to prepare for return to Burma.

1. Only 15 P40Bs are allowed per frame



2. B5N2 pilots get a second life in an aircraft assigned to them by their CiC (it can be any of the available Japanese plane types).



3. No bomber formations



4. No torpedoes may be used by TBM-3s or JU88s. B5N2s can use torpedoes.



5. 50/50 rule is NOT being used.



6. 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 or more aircraft types and in split they wish).



7. 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).



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



9. If ships are used in a frame each side can maneuver the ships as long as they stay in their containment area.



10. All targets must be attacked within the first hour of the event.

 

For more information on the Invasion of Burma and later campaigns in this theater (which are not covered in this FSO). Click on http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/interactive/animations/wwtwo_map_burma/index.shtml  

 


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Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 03 September 2006

Hits: 19

 

 

As the Guadalcanal Campaign came to an end Operation Cleanslate saw the unopposed capture of the the Russell Islands on 21st February 1943. It was clear to see that the Allies were planning on taking the war right up the Solomons to Rabaul. The Allies would call their Island hopping campaign Operation Cartwheel. Operation Cartwheel would consist of 13 individual operations and a set timetable for their launching. Of the Thirteen, Rabaul, Kavieng and Kolombangara were not undertaken leaving the Allies with 10 different Landings.

From November 1942 to February 1943 the Allies would see the introduction of several new aircraft into the theater. Aircraft like the P-38G, P-40F, and the F4U-1 were replacing the war weary F4F-4 and the P-39D. To the Northwest of Guadalcanal, The Allies were finding Rabaul a veritable hornet's nest and the Japanese would launch more long range strikes on Guadalcanal under the operation I-Go. These initial months of 1943 saw the Japanese grip on the Solomons slipping but the situation was still uncertain.

By June 1943 the Allies had launched Operation Toenails, The Landings on New Georgia and By November the Allies would land on Bougainville during Operation Cherry Blossom. Operation Cartwheel would last into 1944 and used the strategy of avoiding major concentrations of enemy while cutting Japanese communications and supply lines. Although Rabaul would remain in Japanese hands until the Japanese surrender in 1945.

This FSO is a revisit to 68KO's 2006 setup and depicts the situation in the Solomons and Rabaul beginning in February 1943.

 

AIRCRAFT

 

 

- Maximums indicate total number of Aircraft for all three frames. 

- TBM-3 - Rockets, 1000lb and 2000lb Bombs disabled.

- SBD-5 - 1600lb bomb disabled.

- F4U-1, P-38G and P-40F - 1000lb bombs disabled.

- B-25C Glass nose only. Strafer Disabled.

- Only aircraft with minimums must be flown.
- Requirements Indicate # of Pilots.
- Formations are enabled but not required.
- Certain Aircraft will only be active from certain fields. Please refer to the Objectives and Orders.
- Pilots may refuel and rearm at ANY FRIENDLY FIELD.
- All Aircraft must land successfully at ANY FRIENDLY FIELD before T+120 or you will be counted as lost.

 

AIRCRAFT SCORING

 

 

OBJECT SCORING

 

 

 

 

ACE MISSIONS:

Each side will have one mandatory Ace mission per frame. These frames will represent notable pilots of the time and theater. One pilot from each side will designated an "Ace" Pilot. They must fly the Aces listed aircraft. The Aces must be relayed to the Admin CM before launch. They will be scored as follows.
 
Ace Pilot = 20 Points
Ace Pilot Kills = 20 Points
 
So for example if an Ace Pilot is shot down they are worth 20 points to the other side. Like wise, every victory an Ace Pilot lands they will be rewarded 20 points.

 

ALLIED ACES

 

FRAME 1 – P-40F - Robert "Westy" Westbrook was flying a P-40 Warhawk with the 44th Fighter Squadron when he was sent into Guadalcanal. He would score his first kill during his first major engagement on January 27th 1943. He would reach 5 victories on June 12th and ultimatley shoot down 7 total while flying the P-40 in the Solomons. He would transition to the P-38 and would score 13 more victories before being killed in action, strafing a ship in the Makassar Strait, Philippines.

FRAME 2 – F4U-1 – Kenneth Walsh was one of the most experienced pilots in the USMC's first Corsair squadron when they arrived at Guadalcanal in February 12th 1943 and they were  thrown right into combat the day they arrived. He claimed his first three Japanese planes on April 1st and would become the first Corsair ace on May 13th. He would be awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions against the Japanese on August 30th. Walsh retired a Lt Colonel and passed away in 1998.

FRAME 3 – P-38G - Murray "Jim" Shubin, a Pittsburgh PA native, Shubin scored his first victory on February 2nd with another on June 7th. During a huge raid on Guadalcanal on June 16th he would shoot down 5 enemy Zeros and claim another probable. He would claim two more enemy aircraft bringing his total to 11 enemy before being sent back to the states. He was awarded the Silver Star and the DFC. Shubin was killed in a vehicle accident in France in 1956.   

AXIS ACES

FRAME 1 – A6M3 Model 32 – Kenji Yanagiya was sent to Rabaul in October of 1942 with the 204th AG and recorded his first victory on January 5th 1943. On April 18th he took part in the ill-fated escort mission of Yamamoto. Yanangiya continued flying and while on a mission to the Guadalcanal was seriously injured by F4Fs. With his right hand nearly shot off, he flew all the way back to Munda on New Georgia Island fighting blacking out from loss of blood. Yanangiya was credited with at least 8 victories and passed away in 2008.

FRAME 2 – A6M3 Model 32 – Masaaki Shimakawa claimed his first victory on the opening day of the war against the US in the Philippines. A pilot in the famed Tainan Air group of Rabaul he was aboard the Carrier Kaga when it was sunk during the Battle of Midway. He was rescued and then began flying in the Solomons where he would down a total of 8 aircraft and share in another 12-13 before coming down with Malaria and being shipped home in March 1943. Shimakawa passed away in 1997.

FRAME 3 – A6M3 Model 32 – Ryoji Ohara was sent to Buin in October of 1942 and immediatley began claiming victories, his first on October 23rd. His fellow pilots dubbed him the killer of Rabaul and was credited with shooting down the F4U-1 of VMF-124 CO, William Gise on 13 May 1943. Ohara was later transferred back to Japan where he would serve until the end of the war with the Yokosuka AG. Ohara would claim 48 kills and would later serve in the JSDAF.

 

 

SETTINGS:

- Solomons Terrain

- Icon Range – Friendly 3k, Enemy 3k.
- No Radar
- Fighter and Bomber Warning Range - 63360 (12 miles)
- Tower Range – 63,360 (for display to match the above Fighter and Bomber Warning)
- External view for bombers (F3) - On
- Friendly Collisions - Off
- Enemy Collisions - On
- Kill Shooter - Off
- Fuel - 1.0
- Ack - 0.4
- Formations - Enabled
- Bombsite calibration - Main Arena Standard

- Stall Limiter Disabled

- Visibility - 17 miles
- Object Downtime – full (200)
- Winds - None
- Game Clock:
                     Frame 1: 06:00
                     Frame 2: 12:00
                     Frame 3: 16:00 

 

Original Design Bill "68KO" Bundesmann

Updated by Will "Nefarious" Hyman

Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Pacific Theatre

Published: 08 July 2006

Hits: 17

 

On August 7, in the Allies' first major offensive in the Pacific, U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal and seized the airfield being constructed by the Japanese. Renamed Henderson Field after a marine aviator Lofton Henderson who was killed in the battle of Midway, the airfield would be vital in the Solomons campaign.

 

Six separate naval battles were also fought in the area as the navies of both sides sought to land reinforcements. By January 1943 there were a total of 44,000 US Troops on Guadalcanal. At the end of February 1943 the Japanese evacuated its remaining troops and retreated to the North. The first offensive was finally won and set the stage for the future of the Pacific war.

 

The Japanese lost a total of 24,000 men killed in the Battle of Guadalcanal, while the Americans sustained 1,600 killed, 4,200 wounded, and several thousand dead from malaria and other tropical diseases. The various naval battles cost each side 24 warships: the Japanese lost 2 battleships, 4 cruisers, 1 light carrier, 11 destroyers, and 6 submarines, while the Americans lost 8 cruisers, 2 heavy carriers, and 14 destroyers.

 

In this revised version of Skernsk's 2006 setup we visit the initial invasion of Guadalcanal, the Japanese attacks on Henderson Field and the carrier engagement of the Eastern Solomons in August 1942.  

 

 

- A6M3 - Aircraft losses will not be replaced.

- P-39D - Not available in Frame 1. Aircraft losses will not be replaced.

- P-39D - 37mm gun option will be disabled.

- TBM-3 - Torpedoes Only (Bombs or Rockets will be disabled.)

- Only aircraft with minimums must be flown.
- Requirements Indicate # of Pilots.
- Formations are enabled but not required.
- Certain Aircraft will only be enabled from certain fields. Please refer to the Objectives and Orders.

- Pilots may refuel and rearm at any friendly field.
- All Aircraft must land at ACTIVE FRIENDLY FIELDS and must be down by T+120 or you will be counted as lost. 

 

Scoring:

AIRCRAFT

02 pts - Single Engine Aircraft

05 pts - Twin Engine Aircraft

BASES

 

Destroyer - 18

Cruiser   - 72
Carrier   - 144

200 - Town

288 - Small Airfield
396 - Medium Airfield
572 - Large Airfield
219 - Vehicle Base

 

NOTE: When a target is attacked the attacker gets the points for objects destroyed at the target while the defender gets the points for all objects not destroyed at the base.

 

Ace Missions:

 

Each side will have one mandatory Ace mission per frame. These frames will represent notable pilots of the time and theater. One pilot from each side will designated an "Ace" Pilot. They will be scored as follows.

 

Ace Pilot = 20 Points

Ace Pilot Kills = 20 Points

 

So for example if an Ace Pilot is shot down they are worth 20 points to the other side. Like wise, every victory an Ace Pilot achieves they will be rewarded 20 points.

 

Allied Aces - Wildcat Defenders of Guadalcanal

 

Frame 1 - Warrant Officer Machinist Donald Runyon (USN, Navy Cross)

Frame 2 - Captain Marion Carl (USMC, Navy Cross)

Frame 3 - Major John L Smith (USMC, Medal of Honor)

 

Axis Aces -The Clean-up Trio of Tainan Air Group

 

Frame 1 - Ensign Saburo Sakai (IJN)
Frame 2 - Warrant Officer Toshio Ota (IJN)

Frame 3 - Warrant Officer Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (IJN)

 

 

 

- Coral Sea terrain

- Icon Range – Friendly 3k, Enemy 3k.
- No Radar
- Fighter and Bomber Warning Range - 63360 (12 miles)
- Tower Range – 63360 (for display to match the above Fighter and Bomber Warning)
- External view for bombers (F3) - On
- Friendly Collisions - Off
- Enemy Collisions - On
- Kill Shooter - Off
- Fuel - 1.0
- Ack - 0.7
- Formations - Enabled

- Bombsite calibration - Main Arena Standard
- Time 11:00AM
- Visibility - 17 miles
- Object Downtime – full (200)
- Winds - None

- Extreme Downdraft at 24K

 

Original Design by Skernsk 2006

Edited by Nefarious 2012

 

Please take the time to contact your squads and ask what their choice of rides would be.

 

You can contact all the squads on your side here.

http://ahevents.org/fso_email/mail_address.html

 

Please note the updated rules.

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

 

 

 

Image from 96Delta 2006