Questions about timeline

[SouthernAP]

I am confused about the timelines as it occurs in scenarios about operation MO and about scenario 17 (the campaign). According the reading that I have done about the Early Pacific battles after the fast carrier raids on the Marshalls and some other outlying outposts. US intel got sniffs of a possible operation against Port Moresbry and sent the Lexington (I) and Yorktown(I) down there to stop it. Along the way they raided Rabual, an attempt by the Japanese to build a sea plane base at Tulagi and sank a reinforcement convoy that went to Lae. All of this happened early May and just before the battle of Coral Sea which was the 4th of May thru the 7th historically.
However, as I play the scenarios that start May 1 the Japanese AI seems to make a mad dash for Gili-Gili. With that the Japanese carriers are coming south in support. There is no time to do the experience building raids against Rabual and Lae before, as the US player, I am force to start the defense of Port Morsebry and engage the enemy carriers usually around 2nd May or 3rd of May. Is this just a mistake and one of those things to shrug my shoulders and carry on the game or am I mistaken?

[Zeta16]

I am not sure, but I think the Lae raid over the Owen Stanley range took place in March or April. But don't quote me on that.

[tsimmonds]

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ShipsVol. IV, 1969, pp. 104-105

"Lexington patrolled to block enemy raids In the Oahu-Johnston- Palmyra triangle until 11 January 1942, when she sailed from Pearl Harbor as flagship for Vice Adm. Wilson Brown commanding TF 11. On 16 February, the force headed for an attack on R abaul, New Britain, scheduled for 21 February; while approaching the day previous, Lexington was attacked by two waves of enemy aircraft, nine planes to a wave. The carrier's own combat air patrol and antiaircraft fire splashed 17 of the attackers. During a single sortie Lt. E. H (Butch) O'Hare won the Medal of Honor by downing five planes.

Her offensive patrols in the Coral Sea continued until 6 March, when she rendezvoused with Yorktown's TF 17 for a thoroughly successful surprise attack flown over the Owen Stanley mountains of New Guinea to inflict heavy damage on shipping and installations at Salamaua and Lae 10 March. She now returned to Pearl Harbor, arriving 26 March."

From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Vol. VIII, 1981, pp. 533-38.

"On the morning of [May] 3d, TF 11[Lexington] and TF 17[Yorktown] were some 100 miles apart, engaged in fueling operations. Shortly before midnight, Fletcher received word from Australian-based aircraft that Japanese transports were disembarking troops and equipment at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. Arriving soon after the Australians had evacuated the place, the Japanese landed to commence construction of a seaplane base there to support their southward thrust.

Yorktown accordingly set course northward at 27 knots. By daybreak on 4 May, she was within striking distance of the newly established Japanese beachhead and launched her first strike at 0701-18 F4F-3's of VF-42, 12 TBD's of VT-5, and 28 SBD's from VS and BY-5. Yorktown's air group made three consecutive attacks on enemy ships and shore installations at Tulagi and Gavutu on the south coast of Florida Island in the Solomons. Expending 22 torpedoes and 76 1,000-pound bombs in the three attacks, Yorktown's planes sank a destroyer (Kikuzuki), three minecraft, and four barges. In addition, Air Group 5 destroyed five enemy seaplanes, all at the cost of two F4F's lost (the pilots were recovered) and one TBD (whose crew was lost)."

So the Rabaul and Lae raids are outside the scope of any of the scenarios in UV. The Tulagi action is within the time frame of the scenario, and so might take place, might not....

[LordHawke]

ORIGINAL: irrelevant

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ShipsVol. IV, 1969, pp. 104-105

"Lexington patrolled to block enemy raids In the Oahu-Johnston- Palmyra triangle until 11 January 1942, when she sailed from Pearl Harbor as flagship for Vice Adm. Wilson Brown commanding TF 11. On 16 February, the force headed for an attack on R abaul, New Britain, scheduled for 21 February; while approaching the day previous, Lexington was attacked by two waves of enemy aircraft, nine planes to a wave. The carrier's own combat air patrol and antiaircraft fire splashed 17 of the attackers. During a single sortie Lt. E. H (Butch) O'Hare won the Medal of Honor by downing five planes.

Old Flat Top players will remember this one as "Rings Around Rabaul". [8D]

[SouthernAP]

I remember "Flat Top" many an hour wasted playing it instead of doing my homework for school. So I remember a few of the scenarios there. That is why I asked the question.

Thanks for the answers. So the time line actually starts the few days before the actual battle of Coral Sea and the transports that should go to Tulagi are actuall 99% of the time going Gili-Gili.