IJN Carrier attack on Hawaii - January 1942. Wargame for thread in progress.
- Thread starter Glenn239
- Start date
TY.
All it would take is for everyone to get the same counters both Dilvish & I got, with only the player & GM having the TF dispositions & actual positions.
That could work.
I would agree that it would probably have been better to shell Oahu - or generally to skip the big air raid on Pearl Harbor - but I think that you've performed rather well overall. We'll see how this ends!
I agree with both of those two points. This seems like it could be the start of something cool and interesting.
Argh. Coastal artillery rules. I could sidestep them with Midway by saying that bombardment was out of range of shore guns.
The US army had 4 x 16" pieces on Oahu in two batteries. Fire control was very good - done by way of observation stations in the mountains. With plunging fire, these would be very dangerous unless supressed by gunfire or dive bombers. IJN doctrine at Midway was that battleships don't fight coastal guns. But at Oahu there is a viable target that makes it worth the potential loss of a BB to coastal guns - Saratoga in drydock.
Thx. All considered, if I can successfully put troops ashore on Midway, I'll consider I've done really well, VP or no.RCTFI said:
For this game, IDK if staff is really needed, if the game files are routinely updated & dropped (& player-only update file links could easily be PMd). Perhaps two players a side would be good, to keep everything co-ordinated, but IMO more than that is a bit overkill. Unless anybody wants to simulate genuine chain of command...& I'm not sure I want that frustration.RCTFI said:I agree with both of those two points. This seems like it could be the start of something cool and interesting.
(Not unless I also have the option to fire you, too.)Nothing like a neutral observer to keep things in perspective, eh, Groucho?zert said:Darn Murphy! He realltblikes to screw things up.
I just realized.
Something else: we don't have counters for our notional (or located) positions of enemy ships. Maybe we should.
One last thing. Dilvish, when you went after Chitose, did you get any impression where she was bound? I had hoped to use her to lure you toward Midway & my BBs.
I assumed Chitose was running away, with the northwest being the safest direction to run towards. I did consider sending in cruisers to finish Chitose off. She was too far away for my fuel state though. Plus my cruisers may have sailed into range of your carriers. Your BBs would have come as a really nasty shock.
I sortied the BBs because I didn't like all that combat power just sitting there. As it turns out though, their AA batteries would have been useful when you raided Oahu. I wasn't even thinking about my BBs being a compass to Lexington.
I was also hoping to cripple one or more carriers enough that my BBs could catch up to your cripples.
You missed the gag line, didn't you?
Ok, you got me. I DID miss it, but I will take the egg on my face in stride sir.
When the war-game is done, does anyone want to write up a description of the POD and resulting battles and post them in a separate thread to see where things progress from there?
I would love to read such a thread, if someone else writes it. My own writing ability is enough to entertain myself, and that is about it.
TY.
All it would take is for everyone to get the same counters both Dilvish & I got, with only the player & GM having the TF dispositions & actual positions.
I can tell you now I've mostly been reacting to events. I had a broad plan of attack, but circumstances dictated. In retrospect, I think I'd detail the heavies for shelling Oahu, instead.
I second phx1138's second paragraph. The map itself is a large excel page. One possibility is to post the map, minus any positions, at the start of the thread. Glenn could then post the zone numbers of units known to both sides.
i've been mostly reacting to events myself. That is funny.
That did seem to be the way Coral Sea and Midway played out historically. I am now regretting that last B17 strike against your fleet. That was a lot of searching capability lost. Though it was probably true to US tactics at the time.I would love to read such a thread, if someone else writes it. My own writing ability is enough to entertain myself, and that is about it.
It wouldn't have to be very detailed. Start out by saying something like how the Battle of Oahu began when the First Air Fleet (or whatever the unit is called) was dispatched for a follow-up raid on Hawaii rather than supporting whatever the OTL invasion they supported.
Summarize the battle and then we can discuss what happens from there. If Midway falls, that'd be the First Battle of Midway, with the second being the liberation of said island. I imagine that'd be a priority, since Midway could be used as a base for any follow-up harrying of Hawaii, spying on U.S. fleet movements, etc. If it doesn't fall, this would be the Second (or perhaps Third?) Bombardment of Midway.
That was essentially what I was thinking. Everybody gets the same map & counters file to start, with players also getting the organization counters.Dilvish said:
I think it has to be. You've got to take account what the enemy will do, & is doing, & of your own losses. My own broad intent hasn't changed, so in that sense, the plan is succeeding.Dilvish said:i've been mostly reacting to events myself. That is funny.
You think it cost you the ability to detect the transport force?Dilvish said:
What say you, Glenn?
I think I'd probably have attacked with them, too. (Except I'd have had no real confidence in their success, based on OTL,
so maybe not...)Glad to hear you're not offended.zert said:I DID miss it, but I will take the egg on my face in stride sir.
It serves me right for doing really old jokes.For right now, I can send onlookers the map via offline email. Bit late in the game for that though.
Mike's Midway garrison had insufficient resources to do large scale sweeps out to 600nm. So his pattern was covering more horizon to only 300 miles. The funny thing was, the IJN transport and covering forces were hovering out at about the 500 mile range. Then, when they started to close, the US search coverage switched directions in response to the carrier actions to the east.
Kevin's tactics validate some of the fundamentals to the IJN doctrine of splitting forces and causing confusion. However, if this game were testing the US INTEL advantage, I would have secretly provided Mike with better INTEL on Japanese movements and intentions, and in that case one of Mike's options was to pounce on the transport group when the IJN carriers were far away.