MAD, Lorna and K-Class Blimps

[el cid again]

MAD means Magnetic Anomoly Detector. This is an ASW device of very short range - only 200 meters in WWII and about 300 meters today. It is problematical - it does not know a submarine from a surface ship, a sunk shipwreak or a load of iron ore (although a survey of the area can eliminate the latter two). It was developed by IJN and by USN - it is not clear if this was independent or if we got penetrated (as with the Japanese atom bomb - where Japan was able to keep its senior officials properly briefed throughout the war). Anyway, by mid-war the detector was becoming effective, but only as a tactical attack device - range was (and remains) too short for search.

It was first put in US service on the K-Class Blimps, and these were not in service on the West Coast when the war began. Almost none were operating in 1942 - by January 1943 there are only 3 - all out of Moffett Field, Sunnyvale (San Francisco). I have found slots for 20 of these airships - not quite the full 32 eventually operating (by 1945) but a reasonable number (covering 100% until mid 1944). They operate also out of Astoria (actually Tillimook) and Los Angelus (actually Santa Ana). I also converted Tiger Force HQ to Fleet Patrol Wing 3 HQ - there being NO US air HQ on the West Coast in our game EVER!

For Japan I assign the detector to the Q1W1 Lorna, available only in modest numbers midwar. It is an awful plane in every respect except it might be OK for sub hunting - with radar and MAD. Just as it was designed to be. It also served on an ASW version of the Ki-49 and the Kate - but we have no slots for these - and it seems wrong to put it on the early war bombers (which really didn't have it at a time it was not yet effective).

[m10bob]

The Japanese player gains another plane and "modern" ASW specific weapon and the U S west coast gets blimp protection, possibly freeing up some planes for elsewhere..
Seems like a "win/win" situation and some of us like the "chrome" of both the blimps and the new ASW detection device.....[:)]