Opening Day: 7- Aug-42

Background: At dawn, the Allies achieved a complete strategic surprise on teh japanese by showing up with nearly 70 ships, including 3 aircraft carriers, in the sound between Tulagi and Guadalcanal. The USN's carrier aircraft launched a dawn air raid that pulverized Tulagi's flying boat base, destroying several H6K4 Mavis and A6M2-N. While the landings proceeded on Tulagi and Guadalcanal, the carrier aircraft performed CAP and ground support missions for the balance of the morning.

The Japanese area command (and South Seas Area fleet command and 11th Air Fleet command) in Rabaul heard the reports from Tulagi and were apalled, but reacted with speed. A bombing mission due to attack Port Moresby (New Guinea), already weaponed (for land attack) and fueled was retasked to hit this invasion fleet. 27 G4M1 Betty bombers of the 4th Kokutai escorted by 18 A6M2 Zeros of the elite Tainan Kokutai flew off at about 0900 hrs on their way to Guadalcanal some 560 miles away - at the extreme edge of the Zero's range (even further away than the Tainan-to-Manila run on the first day of the war). The escort included Saburo Sakai and Nishizawa, two of Japan's top scoring aces of the war.

Over Guadalcanal, the fighter pilots were feeling quite confident and even a little bored as they began to circulate in to refuel and then return to CAP. The total number of aircraft remained constant - but most of them remained over the aircraft carriers.

At about 1315 hrs, the bombers went into a shallow dive at about 16,400 ft. into the clouds, with the 1st & 3rd Chutais of the escort about 3500 ft above them; 2nd Chutai was at 27,900 ft. The bombers closed into a line of squadrons. The bombers, diving, popped out of the clouds barely 500 yds from Scarlet 2 (4 F4F).

Map: Blue Sky

Set Up: Initial placement as follows:

• There is a cloud layer from 13.0. to 14.5 feet.
• Japanese bomber placement: arrange the bombers in 3 vics: 1908, 2009, 2108, 2309, 2410, 2509, 2708, 2809, 2908. All are at altitude 12.9, speed 4.5, in a shallow dive, wings level, heading W. Altitude is 12.9, having just broken through the cloud ceiling at 13.0.
• The first CAP flight (Scarlet 2) is at altitude 12.0, speed 5.0, in level flight, wings level, heading S in hexes 3409, 3518, 3710, 3810.
• The Japanese escort enters per Special Rule 3.
• The second US CAP flight (Scarlet 8) appears per Special Rule 4.

Game Length: 20 turns

Special Rules

1. The Japanese bombers can only fly straight ahead in a shallow dive remaining in fixed formation (they are concentraing on approaching the fifty-odd vessel invasion fleet). The Japanese player receives 2 points for each bomber that crosses the map with its bombload intact.
2. At the beginning of the game, the Japanese player and the US player roll 1 D10 apiece and write down the result without showing it to the other.
3. The Japanese escort appears during turn 2-4 per the result of its D10 roll on the Delayed Entry Table. For each shotai (vic), roll 2 D10: Add 15 to the first roll - this is the column for the vic's leader. The second D10 is the row number. (For example, rolls of 7 and 4 mean the leader starts in hex 2104). This is where they pop out of the clouds. The A6M2s enter as shotai in fixed formation (see Special Rule #5). The Japanese can select any speed between 5.0 and 7.5, any heading, any bank, and either a shallow or steep dive. Their initial altitude is 12.9 (wingmen can be +.1 or +.2 higher).
4. The second US CAP flight (Scarlet 8) appears 1-3 turns after the Japanese escort enters the game per the result of its D10 on the Delayed Entry Table. Scarlet 8 flies on from the northern edge of the board at speed 5.5, wings level in level flight anywhere between row 01 and row 20. The second pair only use 3 MPs on the board for the turn of entry, though the first two MPs can be used to begin turns or count toward transition requirements.
5. To reflect the training of the Japanese fighter pilots:
   • Treat each of the Japanese flight leaders independently (for initiative), ignoring their lack of a radio.
   • Japanese wingmen flying in fixed formation parameters with their leader move immediately after their leader if their own individual initiative is not better.
   • Japanese wingmen out of fixed formation parameters with their flight leader have their initiative developed normally (that is, as wingmen out of radio contact).

Additional Rules:

1. Pilot Quality :

   Japanese bombers : Japanese escort :	3rd chutai / 4th Kokutai 2nd chutai / Tainan Kokutai	all Regular Vet, Vet, Reg, Vet, Reg, Reg
   USN Fighters:	Scarlet 2 Scarlet 8	Vet, Reg, Reg, Green Reg, Green, Reg, Reg

   Roll for other pilot characteristics as desired.

2. The bombers are loaded with 2x 250 Kg + 4x 60 kg bombs each.
3. The Japanese fighters do not have radios. However, see special rule #4.
4. US has Air/Sea rescue available. The Japanese do not.

ADCs:

• The G4M1 is available at Uncle Ted's ADC collection.
• The A6M2 Zero and F4F-4 Wildcat were published in Air Power #45

Historic Outcome

Scarlet 2 turned immediately after the bombers, but was bounced by Kawai's 2nd fighter chutai before they could close. Still, Lt. James Southerland got among the bombers and heavily damaged two before being chased out of the formation. Two of his division were shot down and the third survived with 49 holes in his aircraft. Scarlet 8 (4 F4Fs) was a bit further behind Scarlet 2, and so missed being pounced on by the Zeros. They began to tail the bombers, but the 1st chutai of the escort tried to bounce them. Scarlet 8 split up, one pair taking on the fighters, the other continuing after the bombers. (The appearance of the 1st chutai is why this game ends at 20 turns; see Variants below).

The sudden display of 50+ naval vessels, the US fighters, the ship-based AAA was startling. The Japanese bombers all dropped short, hitting nothing. Had they been re-armed with torpedos, they might have been more effective.

After the bombers turned and were heading back through the cloud cover toward Florida Island, the 3rd chutai of the escort came down. Saburo Sakai's wingmen had already left formation, and were involved with chasing down James Southerland a few thousand feet over the sea. Sakai joined them, finished off Southerland's badly damaged F4F, and then came upon what he thought were a pair of F4Fs from behind. They were Avengers, whose defenseive guns opened up at close range, savaging his Zero and badly wounding Sakai.

As the bombers turned for home, more and more fighters finally began to arrive from the carrier CAP some 40 miles to the south. Some, freshly fuelled and carrying drop tanks, chased the Japanese a long way up the Slot (indeed, it took some of them 45 minutes to catch them) - and some were jumped upon by the reformed escort.

All told, 4 G4M1 were shot down, 2 crashed on the way back. 2 Zeros were shot down, 1 crashed, 4 landed at Buka on the way back. 9 F4F were shot down or ditched.

Variations:

Widen the battle:

• Extend the combat to 30 turns.
• Double the entry delay times
• Double the length of the board (80 rows instead of 40)
• Subtract the Vet leading the 2nd shotai of the 2nd chutai (he had historically had engine damage and missed the battle).
• Add the 3rd chutai of the escort: two shotai (Vet, Vet, Reg, Vet/Ace/Hero/CS/GF, Reg, Reg). Have them enter after Scarlet 8 using the same entry points as the 2nd chutai.

Sources:

• Lundstrom, The First Team at Guadalcanal
• Frank, Guadalcanal.

Return to the Guadalcanal Campaign.