Good stuff!
Only one minor comment for consideration. Where there is more than one counter for a country e.g. Egypt, it would be worth having a short opening "standard" paragraph that explains the brief high-level detail that puts what follows into context. The problem of course being that the write-ups may be read at random and not by "group".
For example:
Egypt had been conquered by the British in 1882, and its importance to the British Empire lay almost solely in the Suez Canal that linked India and other eastern outposts and Dominions of the Empire to Britain. [maybe one or two lines on the protectorate and Independent Constitutional Monarchy to round off].
This opening paragraph makes clear the important background before reading the individual counter detail but this detail is contained in only one unit.
Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Moderator: Shannon V. OKeets
RE: Need help!!!
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
-
paulderynck
- Posts: 8476
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 5:27 pm
- Location: Canada
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
I really don't know but the words convey the following to me:ORIGINAL: mariandavid
Territorial versus Militia: I am working on the multiple territorial/militia Indian units. What do people consider to be the distinction/difference between these two classes in WiF terms? Input gratefully received!
Militia - often volunteers who practice soldiering a few times a year, commanded by their own officers who are also part-timers, they can form into regular army formations in wartime and likely see the majority of their officers replaced by "regular" army types although most militia officers are utilized somewhere in the military infrastructure and can reemerge as valued commanders later on.
Territorials - often conscripts from third world colonialized countries commanded by regular army officers of the colonial power.
Paul
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Here is my first draft of the Saratoga-class carrier Lexington. As usual, I would be grateful for the spotting of any spelling, grammar or historical inaccuracies please.
[4037 Lexington - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 180,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 33.25 knots
.B Main armament: 48 x 1.1-inch (28mm), 32 x 20mm guns
.B Aircraft: 88
.B Displacement (full load): 47,700 tons
.B Thickest armour: 7-inch (belt)
.P The two ship Saratoga-class were originally battlecruisers that were
designed for the United States Navy (USN) in response to the British Hood and the
Japanese Amagi-class. Under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, the
USN decided to convert the two ships into aircraft carriers.
.P They were the USN`s first "real" carriers, following in the wake of the
experimental Langley, and were both completed at the end of 1927. These were very
large ships, which featured a full-length flight deck; 888 feet in length. Not
until the Midway-class carriers were constructed at the end of the war, would a
flight-deck be built this long on any carrier, in any navy. Despite their size,
they were very fast ships thanks to their enormously powerful machinery which was
capable of producing 180,000 hp.
.P Defensive armament originally boasted eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets,
but these were removed on both ships in early 1942. They were replaced on
Saratoga with four twin 5-inch dual-purpose guns, but there were none available
for her sister at that time. Lexington received instead, twelve quadruple
1.1-inch anti-aircraft (AA) guns.
.P The ship had just one voluminous hangar which was served by two lifts. Despite
the hangar`s size, these carriers still required the use of a deck park in order
to have sufficient space for all their aircraft. From 1942, two catapults were
fitted, capable of launching 16,000lbs at 74 knots, although Lexington was sunk
before she had the chance to receive hers. Eight arrester wires assisted aircraft
landing.
.P Both ships of the class were named after famous battles from the American War
of Independence.
.P USS Lexington began her war with a lucky escape; as part of Task Force (TF)
12, she had left Pearl Harbor on the 5th December with an escort of cruisers and
destroyers. TF12 sailed for Midway in order to deliver aircraft to the island
and so missed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of the 7th
December 1941 (see USS Arizona). Having arrived back at Pearl after the raid,
Lexington was ordered to the island of Wake to the south-west of Midway, (see USS
Chicago) although she was able to do nothing to save the heroic defenders of that Pacific
outpost which surrendered to the Japanese on the 23rd December.
.P Lexington`s next operation, a raid on Wake Island, was part of a series of
carrier strikes designed to take the war to the Japanese, however TF11, as her
task force was now designated, had their part of the operation cancelled on the
23rd January (see USS San Francisco). At the end of January, TF11 was tasked with
covering two troop and supply convoys into the South West Pacific (see USS
Trenton).
.P With TF11 now in that region, the US Navy decided to launch a strike against
the port of Rabaul, on the island of New Britain. On the 19th February, like the
Wake Island raid before it, the operation was cancelled, this time because the
task force was spotted by land-based Japanese bombers while some distance from
the target. TF11 then withdrew and joined up with ANZAC Force (See USS Chicago)
for a period of patrol in the Coral Sea and TF11 were then tasked with launching
an air strike, in conjuction with TF17, against Japanese positions in northern
New Guinea. The air strikes were carried out from a position south of the island
and was successful in sinking or destroying a number of Japanese ships, including
the cruiser Yubari which was damaged.
.P At the start of May, Japanese expansion was at last checked by the Allied
forces. Although they were to suffer a tactical defeat at the Battle of the Coral
Sea - losing Lexington in exchange for the converted small carrier Shoho - the
Americans inflicted two important blows against the Japanese; firstly, the
Japanese invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea was postponed, and secondly, two
fleet carriers were removed from the Japanese order of battle for the forthcoming
Midway operation. The absence of the carriers proved fatal to Japanese hopes.
.P After their stunning early successes, the Japanese were at a loggerheads over
what to do next. The Army were not prepared to commit large ground forces to any
"Navy" operation, given their commitments in China, and this ruled out an
invasion of Australia or Ceylon. What was finally agreed upon was for a series of
operations that would expand the Japanese defensive perimeter and at the same
time, cut off Australia from the US. This latter objective meant in the first
instance, occupying the whole of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
.P The Americans became aware of the Japanese intentions through their superior
code-breaking activity and in response to discovering that the 5th Carrier
Division was being sent to assist the Japanese operation, Admital Nimitz ordered
all four fleet carriers and their support units to the Coral Sea to intervene.
Two of the carriers, Hornet and Enterprise, had only recently returned from the
raid on Tokyo (see USS Hornet) and so were not able to make the Coral Sea in time
for the battle. That left TF17 and TF11, that were already nearby, to take on the
Japanese. For the forthcoming battle TF11 became part of an enlarged TF17,
commanded by Admiral Fletcher. TF17 consisted of the carriers Yorktown and
Lexington; the cruisers Minneapolis, New Orleans, Astoria, Chester and Portland
and five destroyers. Under the command of the Australian Rear-Admiral Crace, were
a cruiser force containing two heavy cruisers: HMAS Australia and USS Chicago;
the light cruiser HMAS Hobart, and two destroyers. There was also a Fuelling
Group, consisting of two tankers escorted by two destroyers and finally, around
a dozen US submarines were in the area.
.P The overall command of Operation MO was entrusted to Vice-Admiral Inoue,
commander of the 4th Fleet, who commanded the battle from his flagship, the
cruiser Kashima, based at Rabaul, New Britain. The Japanese order of battle
consisted of the following units: The Tulagi Invasion Group consisted of a mixed
force of transports, minesweepers, destroyers and sub-chasers. They carried the
troops of the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) that were tasked with
securing the island. Covering this convoy were the Support Group and Close Cover
Force. These contained two light cruisers, a seaplane tender and a number of
smaller vessels. The Port Moresby Invasion Group contained eleven transports
carrying a further 5,500 troops. This convoy had the light cruiser Yubari and a
number of destroyers and other smaller vessels for a close escort. The Covering
Group and Main Body Support Force was commanded by Rear-Admiral Goto, aboard the
cruiser Aoba, and also consisted of the light carrier Shoho, the heavy cruisers,
Kako, Kinugasa and Furutaka and a destroyer. Last, but by no means least was Vice
-Admiral Takagi`s Carrier Striking Force which contained the fleet carriers
Shokaku and Zuikaku; the heavy cruisers Myoko and Haguro, and six destroyers.
Supporting these groups were seven submarines and numerous land based aircraft
from Rabaul, Lae and later Tulagi.
.P What ensued was a confused affair; the first naval battle fought between two
fleets that never sighted each other. All the fighting was carried out by the
aircraft of both sides.
.P The Japanese operation, code-named MO, began behind schedule, but as the
various groups entered the Coral Sea, they were unmolested by TF17 as Fletcher
decided to keep a watching brief and attack when he felt the time was right.
After re-fuelling, Fletcher ordered Yorktown and her escorts south of Tulagi from
where a number of air strikes were launched against the Tulagi invasion force on
the 3rd May. These strikes did not stop the taking of the island - which had
already been evacuated - but did cost the Japanese, one destroyer and three
smaller vessels, for the loss of three US aircraft. Yorktown then returned to
join Lexington and her escorts; all three Allied task forces joined up on 6th
May.
.P For the Japanese, this was the first indication that at least one US carrier
was in the area, and Goto`s Covering Group sailed west to cover the Port Moresby
Invasion Force that was due to enter the Coral Sea a couple of days later, having
left Rabaul on the 4th May. Meanwhile, Takagi`s Carrier Strike Force had sailed
from Truk three days earlier. Takagi sailed down the eastern side of the Solomon
Islands and entered the Coral Sea south of Guadalcanal. The plan was that from
there, they would be able to eliminate any enemy forces that entered the Coral
Sea seeking to interupt the New Guinea Operation.
.P Both fleets now made incorrect decisions as to what the other would do. The
Japanese believed the US forces would have attacked Tulagi from east of the
Solomons, while Fletcher thought that Takagi`s carriers would enter the Coral Sea
from the north to protect the invasion shipping. In fact, on the night of the 6th
May, they were sailing north on a parallel course less than 100 miles apart!
.P The following morning, Fletcher detached Crace`s cruisers and destroyers and
sent them to guard Jomard Passage, south-east of New Guinea, to keep watch for
the invasion fleet. It was a risky decision given their lack of air cover, but
one that paid off as although the force was attacked, they were only subjected to
light damage. Because both Fletcher and Takagi were completely wrong about the
other`s whereabouts, the reconnaissance aircraft failed to find what they were
looking for, although both found different targets.
.P The Japanese had found the oiler USS Neosho and her destroyer escort USS Sims.
Thinking that they had located the main US carrier force, a full strike was
launched against the two vessels at 0800hrs and in the face of overwhelming odds,
Sims was quickly sunk. Neosho would later be scuttled (see Transport Counter
4243).
.P Meanwhile, the Americans had a sighting of their own; and this really was a
carrier. The US aircraft had stumbled across the Tulagi Covering Force, and the
carrier Shoho. Fletcher could only assume that this was one of the two fleet
carriers, and he too ordered a full strike to take place immediately. Shoho did
not stand a chance, hit by numerous bombs and torpedoes, she sank within just a
few minutes for the loss of three aircraft. Inoue, fearing further attack,
decided to withdraw the invasion fleet and await further developments. The
sinking of the Shoho produced one of the most famous signals of World War II;
Lt-Commander Dixon, a Dauntless pilot from Lexington famously radioed "Scratch
one flat top!" at the demise of the Japanese vessel.
.P With daylight coming to an end, the Japanese launched twenty-seven aircraft,
as using some of their most experienced pilots, they hoped to find the US
carriers, even though it meant these aircraft would need to find their carrier
and then land in the dark. It was a disaster; no less than twenty-one aircraft
failed to make it back. Eleven had crashed trying to land and ten had been shot
down when they stumbled across the Yorktown and, thinking her their own ship, had
tried to land on her.
.P Both Fletcher and Takagi retired and waited for the morning; and the
inevitable battle that would be fought. At first light, scout planes from both
sides were in the sky and at 0820hrs one of Lexington`s pilots found the Japanese
carriers. Almost at the same time, the Japanese found Fletcher`s force and the
race began to get aircraft in the sky to attack. The two fleets were just over
two hundred miles apart and they began to close on each other.
.P Yorktown`s aircraft were first into the attack, targeting Shokaku as her
sister ship was partially hidden behind cloud. Shokaku took three bombs that
caused huge damage to the ship, but were not to prove terminal. Fortunately for
her, many of the US aircraft failed to find the carriers, and none of the torpedo
-bombers found their target. Just after midday, she withdrew from the battle, her
flight-deck rendered completely out of action.
.P The Japanese in-coming aircraft meanwhile had been picked up on Lexington`s
radar at 1055hrs and twenty minutes later, the Japanese attacked both ships, with
Lexington attracting the most attention. Two torpedoes struck her port side,
damaging her aviation fuel tanks, but Yorktown was missed by her attackers. The
dive-bombers arrived shortly after and again the bulk of the attacking aircraft
were directed toward the larger carrier. Two bombs smashed into Lexington and a
third hit Yorktown, causing major internal damage. Yorktown was also rocked by a
number of near misses that caused hull damage.
.P After they had spent their deadly cargoes, the fighter and bomber aircraft
returned to their carriers during the early afternoon. Incredibly, Lexington and
Yorktown were both able to recover their aircraft while Shokaku`s aircraft had to
put down on Zuikaku. With damage to both carriers and a shortage of fuel
following the loss of Neosho, Fletcher decided to withdraw. Things were equally
as bad for the Japanese as Zuikaku could report less than forty aircraft fit for
operations; Takagi too withdrew. In doing so, the Port Moresby invasion was
postponed, and the ships returned to Rabaul.
.P Unfortunately for Lexington, although the damage done earlier was seemingly
non-fatal, sparks from an electric motor ignited the aviation fuel vapour that
had been leaking since the first torpedo struck. A huge fire was started and this
was followed by two further large explosions in mid-afternoon that caused the
ship to become an inferno. Just after 1700hrs, Lexington was abandoned and two
hours later she was torpedoed and sunk by the destroyer Phelps. 216 officers and
men were lost.
.P The Lady Lex was gone, but the next major encounter would see her avenged and
more. For the Japanese, checked in the Coral Sea, the initiative they had held
since December 1941 was to end for good almost exactly one month later, at a
point a few hundred miles north-west of an island in the Central Pacific.....an
island named Midway (see USS Yorktown).
[4037 Lexington - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 180,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 33.25 knots
.B Main armament: 48 x 1.1-inch (28mm), 32 x 20mm guns
.B Aircraft: 88
.B Displacement (full load): 47,700 tons
.B Thickest armour: 7-inch (belt)
.P The two ship Saratoga-class were originally battlecruisers that were
designed for the United States Navy (USN) in response to the British Hood and the
Japanese Amagi-class. Under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922, the
USN decided to convert the two ships into aircraft carriers.
.P They were the USN`s first "real" carriers, following in the wake of the
experimental Langley, and were both completed at the end of 1927. These were very
large ships, which featured a full-length flight deck; 888 feet in length. Not
until the Midway-class carriers were constructed at the end of the war, would a
flight-deck be built this long on any carrier, in any navy. Despite their size,
they were very fast ships thanks to their enormously powerful machinery which was
capable of producing 180,000 hp.
.P Defensive armament originally boasted eight 8-inch guns in four twin turrets,
but these were removed on both ships in early 1942. They were replaced on
Saratoga with four twin 5-inch dual-purpose guns, but there were none available
for her sister at that time. Lexington received instead, twelve quadruple
1.1-inch anti-aircraft (AA) guns.
.P The ship had just one voluminous hangar which was served by two lifts. Despite
the hangar`s size, these carriers still required the use of a deck park in order
to have sufficient space for all their aircraft. From 1942, two catapults were
fitted, capable of launching 16,000lbs at 74 knots, although Lexington was sunk
before she had the chance to receive hers. Eight arrester wires assisted aircraft
landing.
.P Both ships of the class were named after famous battles from the American War
of Independence.
.P USS Lexington began her war with a lucky escape; as part of Task Force (TF)
12, she had left Pearl Harbor on the 5th December with an escort of cruisers and
destroyers. TF12 sailed for Midway in order to deliver aircraft to the island
and so missed the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the morning of the 7th
December 1941 (see USS Arizona). Having arrived back at Pearl after the raid,
Lexington was ordered to the island of Wake to the south-west of Midway, (see USS
Chicago) although she was able to do nothing to save the heroic defenders of that Pacific
outpost which surrendered to the Japanese on the 23rd December.
.P Lexington`s next operation, a raid on Wake Island, was part of a series of
carrier strikes designed to take the war to the Japanese, however TF11, as her
task force was now designated, had their part of the operation cancelled on the
23rd January (see USS San Francisco). At the end of January, TF11 was tasked with
covering two troop and supply convoys into the South West Pacific (see USS
Trenton).
.P With TF11 now in that region, the US Navy decided to launch a strike against
the port of Rabaul, on the island of New Britain. On the 19th February, like the
Wake Island raid before it, the operation was cancelled, this time because the
task force was spotted by land-based Japanese bombers while some distance from
the target. TF11 then withdrew and joined up with ANZAC Force (See USS Chicago)
for a period of patrol in the Coral Sea and TF11 were then tasked with launching
an air strike, in conjuction with TF17, against Japanese positions in northern
New Guinea. The air strikes were carried out from a position south of the island
and was successful in sinking or destroying a number of Japanese ships, including
the cruiser Yubari which was damaged.
.P At the start of May, Japanese expansion was at last checked by the Allied
forces. Although they were to suffer a tactical defeat at the Battle of the Coral
Sea - losing Lexington in exchange for the converted small carrier Shoho - the
Americans inflicted two important blows against the Japanese; firstly, the
Japanese invasion of Port Moresby in New Guinea was postponed, and secondly, two
fleet carriers were removed from the Japanese order of battle for the forthcoming
Midway operation. The absence of the carriers proved fatal to Japanese hopes.
.P After their stunning early successes, the Japanese were at a loggerheads over
what to do next. The Army were not prepared to commit large ground forces to any
"Navy" operation, given their commitments in China, and this ruled out an
invasion of Australia or Ceylon. What was finally agreed upon was for a series of
operations that would expand the Japanese defensive perimeter and at the same
time, cut off Australia from the US. This latter objective meant in the first
instance, occupying the whole of New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
.P The Americans became aware of the Japanese intentions through their superior
code-breaking activity and in response to discovering that the 5th Carrier
Division was being sent to assist the Japanese operation, Admital Nimitz ordered
all four fleet carriers and their support units to the Coral Sea to intervene.
Two of the carriers, Hornet and Enterprise, had only recently returned from the
raid on Tokyo (see USS Hornet) and so were not able to make the Coral Sea in time
for the battle. That left TF17 and TF11, that were already nearby, to take on the
Japanese. For the forthcoming battle TF11 became part of an enlarged TF17,
commanded by Admiral Fletcher. TF17 consisted of the carriers Yorktown and
Lexington; the cruisers Minneapolis, New Orleans, Astoria, Chester and Portland
and five destroyers. Under the command of the Australian Rear-Admiral Crace, were
a cruiser force containing two heavy cruisers: HMAS Australia and USS Chicago;
the light cruiser HMAS Hobart, and two destroyers. There was also a Fuelling
Group, consisting of two tankers escorted by two destroyers and finally, around
a dozen US submarines were in the area.
.P The overall command of Operation MO was entrusted to Vice-Admiral Inoue,
commander of the 4th Fleet, who commanded the battle from his flagship, the
cruiser Kashima, based at Rabaul, New Britain. The Japanese order of battle
consisted of the following units: The Tulagi Invasion Group consisted of a mixed
force of transports, minesweepers, destroyers and sub-chasers. They carried the
troops of the 3rd Kure Special Naval Landing Force (SNLF) that were tasked with
securing the island. Covering this convoy were the Support Group and Close Cover
Force. These contained two light cruisers, a seaplane tender and a number of
smaller vessels. The Port Moresby Invasion Group contained eleven transports
carrying a further 5,500 troops. This convoy had the light cruiser Yubari and a
number of destroyers and other smaller vessels for a close escort. The Covering
Group and Main Body Support Force was commanded by Rear-Admiral Goto, aboard the
cruiser Aoba, and also consisted of the light carrier Shoho, the heavy cruisers,
Kako, Kinugasa and Furutaka and a destroyer. Last, but by no means least was Vice
-Admiral Takagi`s Carrier Striking Force which contained the fleet carriers
Shokaku and Zuikaku; the heavy cruisers Myoko and Haguro, and six destroyers.
Supporting these groups were seven submarines and numerous land based aircraft
from Rabaul, Lae and later Tulagi.
.P What ensued was a confused affair; the first naval battle fought between two
fleets that never sighted each other. All the fighting was carried out by the
aircraft of both sides.
.P The Japanese operation, code-named MO, began behind schedule, but as the
various groups entered the Coral Sea, they were unmolested by TF17 as Fletcher
decided to keep a watching brief and attack when he felt the time was right.
After re-fuelling, Fletcher ordered Yorktown and her escorts south of Tulagi from
where a number of air strikes were launched against the Tulagi invasion force on
the 3rd May. These strikes did not stop the taking of the island - which had
already been evacuated - but did cost the Japanese, one destroyer and three
smaller vessels, for the loss of three US aircraft. Yorktown then returned to
join Lexington and her escorts; all three Allied task forces joined up on 6th
May.
.P For the Japanese, this was the first indication that at least one US carrier
was in the area, and Goto`s Covering Group sailed west to cover the Port Moresby
Invasion Force that was due to enter the Coral Sea a couple of days later, having
left Rabaul on the 4th May. Meanwhile, Takagi`s Carrier Strike Force had sailed
from Truk three days earlier. Takagi sailed down the eastern side of the Solomon
Islands and entered the Coral Sea south of Guadalcanal. The plan was that from
there, they would be able to eliminate any enemy forces that entered the Coral
Sea seeking to interupt the New Guinea Operation.
.P Both fleets now made incorrect decisions as to what the other would do. The
Japanese believed the US forces would have attacked Tulagi from east of the
Solomons, while Fletcher thought that Takagi`s carriers would enter the Coral Sea
from the north to protect the invasion shipping. In fact, on the night of the 6th
May, they were sailing north on a parallel course less than 100 miles apart!
.P The following morning, Fletcher detached Crace`s cruisers and destroyers and
sent them to guard Jomard Passage, south-east of New Guinea, to keep watch for
the invasion fleet. It was a risky decision given their lack of air cover, but
one that paid off as although the force was attacked, they were only subjected to
light damage. Because both Fletcher and Takagi were completely wrong about the
other`s whereabouts, the reconnaissance aircraft failed to find what they were
looking for, although both found different targets.
.P The Japanese had found the oiler USS Neosho and her destroyer escort USS Sims.
Thinking that they had located the main US carrier force, a full strike was
launched against the two vessels at 0800hrs and in the face of overwhelming odds,
Sims was quickly sunk. Neosho would later be scuttled (see Transport Counter
4243).
.P Meanwhile, the Americans had a sighting of their own; and this really was a
carrier. The US aircraft had stumbled across the Tulagi Covering Force, and the
carrier Shoho. Fletcher could only assume that this was one of the two fleet
carriers, and he too ordered a full strike to take place immediately. Shoho did
not stand a chance, hit by numerous bombs and torpedoes, she sank within just a
few minutes for the loss of three aircraft. Inoue, fearing further attack,
decided to withdraw the invasion fleet and await further developments. The
sinking of the Shoho produced one of the most famous signals of World War II;
Lt-Commander Dixon, a Dauntless pilot from Lexington famously radioed "Scratch
one flat top!" at the demise of the Japanese vessel.
.P With daylight coming to an end, the Japanese launched twenty-seven aircraft,
as using some of their most experienced pilots, they hoped to find the US
carriers, even though it meant these aircraft would need to find their carrier
and then land in the dark. It was a disaster; no less than twenty-one aircraft
failed to make it back. Eleven had crashed trying to land and ten had been shot
down when they stumbled across the Yorktown and, thinking her their own ship, had
tried to land on her.
.P Both Fletcher and Takagi retired and waited for the morning; and the
inevitable battle that would be fought. At first light, scout planes from both
sides were in the sky and at 0820hrs one of Lexington`s pilots found the Japanese
carriers. Almost at the same time, the Japanese found Fletcher`s force and the
race began to get aircraft in the sky to attack. The two fleets were just over
two hundred miles apart and they began to close on each other.
.P Yorktown`s aircraft were first into the attack, targeting Shokaku as her
sister ship was partially hidden behind cloud. Shokaku took three bombs that
caused huge damage to the ship, but were not to prove terminal. Fortunately for
her, many of the US aircraft failed to find the carriers, and none of the torpedo
-bombers found their target. Just after midday, she withdrew from the battle, her
flight-deck rendered completely out of action.
.P The Japanese in-coming aircraft meanwhile had been picked up on Lexington`s
radar at 1055hrs and twenty minutes later, the Japanese attacked both ships, with
Lexington attracting the most attention. Two torpedoes struck her port side,
damaging her aviation fuel tanks, but Yorktown was missed by her attackers. The
dive-bombers arrived shortly after and again the bulk of the attacking aircraft
were directed toward the larger carrier. Two bombs smashed into Lexington and a
third hit Yorktown, causing major internal damage. Yorktown was also rocked by a
number of near misses that caused hull damage.
.P After they had spent their deadly cargoes, the fighter and bomber aircraft
returned to their carriers during the early afternoon. Incredibly, Lexington and
Yorktown were both able to recover their aircraft while Shokaku`s aircraft had to
put down on Zuikaku. With damage to both carriers and a shortage of fuel
following the loss of Neosho, Fletcher decided to withdraw. Things were equally
as bad for the Japanese as Zuikaku could report less than forty aircraft fit for
operations; Takagi too withdrew. In doing so, the Port Moresby invasion was
postponed, and the ships returned to Rabaul.
.P Unfortunately for Lexington, although the damage done earlier was seemingly
non-fatal, sparks from an electric motor ignited the aviation fuel vapour that
had been leaking since the first torpedo struck. A huge fire was started and this
was followed by two further large explosions in mid-afternoon that caused the
ship to become an inferno. Just after 1700hrs, Lexington was abandoned and two
hours later she was torpedoed and sunk by the destroyer Phelps. 216 officers and
men were lost.
.P The Lady Lex was gone, but the next major encounter would see her avenged and
more. For the Japanese, checked in the Coral Sea, the initiative they had held
since December 1941 was to end for good almost exactly one month later, at a
point a few hundred miles north-west of an island in the Central Pacific.....an
island named Midway (see USS Yorktown).
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
-
mariandavid
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 5:05 pm
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Very good. However I think it wise for all aircraft-carrier descriptions (should have mentioned this earlier) to give the number of aircraft that could normally be carried (they were the 'main battery'). In this case noting that the number was less than that of the considerably smaller Essex class. The reason being that she had the same layout as RN carriers - closed not open hanger and no deck-side elevator. Not sure what her air group was in 1942 (no doubt someone can comment) but I think 18 fighters, 18 torpedo bombers and 26 dive bombers.
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Warspite1ORIGINAL: mariandavid
Very good. However I think it wise for all aircraft-carrier descriptions (should have mentioned this earlier) to give the number of aircraft that could normally be carried (they were the 'main battery'). In this case noting that the number was less than that of the considerably smaller Essex class. The reason being that she had the same layout as RN carriers - closed not open hanger and no deck-side elevator. Not sure what her air group was in 1942 (no doubt someone can comment) but I think 18 fighters, 18 torpedo bombers and 26 dive bombers.
Mariandavid - most of my technical specs for the US carriers (and indeed the Japanese) have these two numbers, but I could not find anything remotely consistent for the Saratoga`s [&:]. Some sources I cam across were still suggesting that 90 aircraft could be operated during WWII [X(] This compares to a low of 63. I quite agree that 63 seems the more believeable figure and happy to take advice on this to get an accurate number here. Cheers [:)]
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Please see the write-up for a US "What If" counter; the Montana-class battleships.
[4088 Montana - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 172,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 28 knots
.B Main armament: 12 x 16-inch (406mm), 20 x 5-inch (127mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 70,500 tons
.B Thickest armour: 16.1-inch (belt)
.P The Montanas were a class of five battleships that were ordered for the
United States Navy (USN) in July 1940. They would have been the largest
battleships ever built by the Americans but work was cancelled in July 1943,
before construction had begun; or indeed any of the ships had even been laid
down. However, World in Flames gives the US player the chance to build all five
ships.
.P The design process for this class began in 1939, and plans were based on the
need to provide the USN with a counter to the Japanese Yamato-class battleships,
about which the USN had little real facts. The failure of the Japanese to honour
the 1936 London Naval Treaty meant that the preceeding Iowa-class could be built
to a revised 45,000 ton limit (although were actually some way in excess of this),
but the coming of war meant that the gloves were off as far as displacement limits
were concerned going forward. The Montanas would have been over 70,000 tons.
.P The Montanas were to have been bigger, better armed and armoured versions of
the Iowa-class battleships. They would have featured twelve rather than nine 16-
inch guns thanks to the addition of a fourth main turret. The anti-aircraft (AA)
armament would have seen the same number of 5-inch guns as the Iowas, although
the Montana-class would have used a newer version. Close-range protection would
have no doubt borne little similarity to the original design and weaponry would
have been beefed up considerably.
.P The armour protection was designed to withstand 16-inch shells and so was
heavier than that fitted to the Iowas. Their armour belt would have been 4-inches
thicker and similar levels of improved protection was mirrored throughout every
area of the ship.
.P All this came at the expense of speed and at 28 knots, the Montanas would have
been relatively slow ships and so less useful in escort operations with the fleet
carriers than the Iowas proved to be. By the time the Montanas were due to be
laid-down, war experience had confirmed that the battleship was no longer the
primary ship of the fleet and they had given way to the aircraft carrier in
importance.
.P The consequence of all this was that when a decision on the Montanas future
had to be made in 1942, the battleships were considered likely to be surplus to
requirements, and work on getting the materials together was initially suspended.
At the end of that year two additional Iowas were laid down, although these ships
were subsequently cancelled, followed seven months later by the Montanas.
.P In line with naming convention for USN battleships, the Montanas would have
been named after States of the US, in this case: Montana, Ohio, Maine, New
Hampshire and Louisiana.
[4088 Montana - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 172,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 28 knots
.B Main armament: 12 x 16-inch (406mm), 20 x 5-inch (127mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 70,500 tons
.B Thickest armour: 16.1-inch (belt)
.P The Montanas were a class of five battleships that were ordered for the
United States Navy (USN) in July 1940. They would have been the largest
battleships ever built by the Americans but work was cancelled in July 1943,
before construction had begun; or indeed any of the ships had even been laid
down. However, World in Flames gives the US player the chance to build all five
ships.
.P The design process for this class began in 1939, and plans were based on the
need to provide the USN with a counter to the Japanese Yamato-class battleships,
about which the USN had little real facts. The failure of the Japanese to honour
the 1936 London Naval Treaty meant that the preceeding Iowa-class could be built
to a revised 45,000 ton limit (although were actually some way in excess of this),
but the coming of war meant that the gloves were off as far as displacement limits
were concerned going forward. The Montanas would have been over 70,000 tons.
.P The Montanas were to have been bigger, better armed and armoured versions of
the Iowa-class battleships. They would have featured twelve rather than nine 16-
inch guns thanks to the addition of a fourth main turret. The anti-aircraft (AA)
armament would have seen the same number of 5-inch guns as the Iowas, although
the Montana-class would have used a newer version. Close-range protection would
have no doubt borne little similarity to the original design and weaponry would
have been beefed up considerably.
.P The armour protection was designed to withstand 16-inch shells and so was
heavier than that fitted to the Iowas. Their armour belt would have been 4-inches
thicker and similar levels of improved protection was mirrored throughout every
area of the ship.
.P All this came at the expense of speed and at 28 knots, the Montanas would have
been relatively slow ships and so less useful in escort operations with the fleet
carriers than the Iowas proved to be. By the time the Montanas were due to be
laid-down, war experience had confirmed that the battleship was no longer the
primary ship of the fleet and they had given way to the aircraft carrier in
importance.
.P The consequence of all this was that when a decision on the Montanas future
had to be made in 1942, the battleships were considered likely to be surplus to
requirements, and work on getting the materials together was initially suspended.
At the end of that year two additional Iowas were laid down, although these ships
were subsequently cancelled, followed seven months later by the Montanas.
.P In line with naming convention for USN battleships, the Montanas would have
been named after States of the US, in this case: Montana, Ohio, Maine, New
Hampshire and Louisiana.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
-
brian brian
- Posts: 3191
- Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:39 pm
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
I always thought the Jewish Brigade made an assault contribution when they finally made it to the front in ..... Italy? .... so is the Senio River in Italy? I'm not familiar with that one.
Edit: forgot to add, the intricacies of the British Empire were handled with aplomb in those entries, well done.
Edit: forgot to add, the intricacies of the British Empire were handled with aplomb in those entries, well done.
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
should not this be "Montanas' future"?...that when a decision on the Montanas future...
Cheers, Neilster
Cheers, Neilster
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Warspite1ORIGINAL: Neilster
should not this be "Montanas' future"?...that when a decision on the Montanas future...
Cheers, Neilster
Yes it should - thanks [:)] Amendment to the master file made.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
-
mariandavid
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 5:05 pm
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Re Lexington: The figures I gave you are correct IF you state that they are for early 1942. In almost all navies what mattered was not the theoretical total but the number of squadrons assigned and their paper strength. In this case 4 squadrons each of 18 aircraft for a total of 72. When you do Saratoga the number has increased by 1944/45.
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Next US carrier class with a completed write-up is the Yorktown-class. Please see the Yorktown herself which feature the Battle of Midway.
[4056 Yorktown - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 120,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 32.5 knots
.B Main armament: 8 x 5-inch (127mm), 16 x 1.1-inch (28mm) guns
.B Aircraft: 90 (Operational Maximum 81)
.B Displacement (full load): 25,484 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4-inch (belt)
.P The three ships of the Yorktown-class were the first of the modern United
States Navy (USN) carriers; the previous four having been a mixture of the
experimental Langley, two battlecruiser conversions and the disappointing USS
Ranger. The first two ships were built between 1934 and 1938, while the third
ship, Hornet, was built between 1939 and 1941, as a counter to the Japanese
refusal to abide by the 1936 London Naval Treaty.
.P The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 had allowed the USN an allowance of 69,000
tons for the purposes of building new carriers. After the disappointing
performance of USS Ranger, two larger carriers of the Yorktown-class were
constructed. It was hoped that this design would provide a better balance between
the size of the ship, its protection and the air group that could be carried. In
Yorktown and Enterprise, the USN achieved this, and these ships influenced the
design of the subsequent Essex-class.
.P These carriers could carry around ninety aircraft, although operationally the
optimal number was around eighty. The ships had two hangars, served by three
lifts. Three catapults were fitted, designed to launch 5,500lb aircraft at 40
knots. Two were fitted on the flight-deck forward, while a third was fitted at
hangar deck level, but this was rarely used. Nine arrester wires were provided to
assist landing.
.P The Yorktowns armour protection consisted of a belt, 4-inches thick at its
maximum, that gave horizontal protection to the machinery spaces, magazines and
aviation fuel. Underwater, anti-torpedo protection was provided by a layer of
three tanks that were designed to cushion the impact of any torpedo. The outer
two tanks were filled with liquid, while the middle one was filled with air.
Vertical protection was limited to a 1.5-inch armour deck.
.P Defensive armament was provided by eight 5-inch dual-purpose guns which gave
these ships excellent anti-aircraft (AA) defence. For close-range defence, four
quadruple 1.1-inch guns were fitted.
.P Most USN aircraft carriers have been named after famous battles or famous
Americans. Yorktown was named after one of the most decisive battles of the
American War of Independence, fought and won by a combined Franco-American force
against the British in 1781.
.P Yorktown was completed in September 1937. She was in Norfolk, Virginia in
December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor, but was
quickly despatched through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet after the losses
suffered in that attack (see USS Arizona). Yorktown arrived in San Diego at the end of
December, whereupon she became the Flagship of Task Force (TF) 17 under the
command of Rear-Admiral Fletcher. In the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor
TF17 was one of three task forces, each built around a carrier, that would seek
to take the war to the Japanese.
.P Her first operation began at the start of January 1942, escorting a convoy
taking the 2nd Marine Brigade to Pago Pago in Samoa. She was joined in TF17 by
the cruisers Louisville and St Louis and their escorting destroyers.
.P From Samoa, TF17 then joined up with Vice-Admiral Halsey`s TF8 in order to
undertake air strikes against the Japanese held islands in the Marshalls and the
Gilberts (see USS Salt Lake City). These strikes, carried out at the beginning of
February, caused only slight damage to the Japanese, but they were carried out in
order to show the Japanese that the losses at Pearl Harbor would not stop the US
from fighting back at every opportunity; they were also seen as a way of boosting
morale and providing valuable combat experience for the men of the USN. A further
strike against Eniwetok a couple of weeks later was cancelled as TF17 were needed
to provide escort for convoys taking reinforcements to the south-west Pacific.
.P Upon arrival in that region, TF17 joined with TF11, containing the carrier
Lexington and together, they were tasked with launching an air strike against
Japanese positions in northern New Guinea. The air strikes were carried out from
a position south of the island and was successful in sinking or destroying a
number of Japanese ships, including the cruiser Yubari which was damaged.
.P At the start of May, TF17 and TF11 were merged to form an enlarged TF17 under
Fletcher and this force was stationed in the Coral Sea. This was in response to
US intelligence finding out that the Japanese intended to invade Port Moresby in
the south of New Guinea as well as Tulagi in the Solomons. The battle that ensued
became known as the Battle of the Coral Sea, during which Japanese expansion
plans were checked for the first time (see USS Lexington). Yorktown took a bomb
hit that did serious damage and would have ordinarily kept her from taking any
part in combat operations for many weeks to come. However, the USN did not have
the luxury of time as the Japanese were planning their next operation for the
start of June. Thanks to a super-human effort, Yorktown was patched up and was
thrown into her next, and last operation; the Battle of Midway.
.P Midway was to be the most decisive naval battle since Trafalgar, 137 years
previously, but sadly Yorktown was not to survive the engagement. The battle was
fought as an indirect result of the Doolittle raid the previous April (see USS
Hornet). This attack had convinced the Japanese of the need to push their
defensive perimeter even further east and to quickly destroy the US carriers they
had missed at Pearl Harbor. Although Admiral Yamamoto had the Midway operation in
mind before the Doolittle Raid, he had failed to win sufficient support for the
operation; the bombing of Tokyo won the argument in his favour.
.P The Japanese plan was to attack Midway using aircraft from their 1st Air Fleet
which would neutralise the island`s air defences. The Japanese would then be free
to invade Midway, forcing the Americans to bring their carriers into battle to
defend the island; at which point they would be sunk. Simple. However, a number
of factors combined to ensure that what happened, was very different from what
the Japanese had planned for. Firstly, the plan was overly complex, calling for
diversionary landings in the Aleutians that achieved nothing save dispersing the
Japanese forces; secondly, damage done to the carrier Shokaku, and her sister
Zuikaku`s loss of aircraft at the Battle of the Coral Sea had cost Yamamoto two
of his six fleet carriers; thirdly, the "victory disease" that the Japanese had
exhibited during the Coral Sea encounter remained on display at Midway. This
evidenced itself in massive over confidence and a complete certainty that the
USN would react exactly as Yamamoto expected them to. That the USN may have
advance warning of the Japanese plan, was not considered; even in the face of
evidence to the contrary.
.P The Japanese forces were split into a dozen groups, five of which were
assigned to the Aleutian operation. For Midway - Operation Mi - the First Carrier
Striking Force would lead the attack. This force, under Vice-Admiral Nagumo,
consisted of the fleet carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu; the battleships
Haruna and Kirishima; the cruisers Tone and Chikuma and a screening force led by
the cruiser Nagara with three destroyer flotillas. The remaining forces were to
play little part in the events to come.
.P Prior to the launch of the Japanese operation, an American intelligence unit
based at Hawaii, and led by Commander Joseph Rochefort, had correctly worked out
the Japanese target. This allowed Admiral Nimitz to bring his three remaining
carriers back to Pearl Harbor to await the Japanese attack. Thanks to the
incredible turnaround of Yorktown, Nimitz was able to deploy all three carriers.
These ships were split into two task forces, under the command of Fletcher. TF17
consisted of Yorktown, the heavy cruisers Astoria and Portland and six
destroyers. TF 16 was commanded by Rear-Admiral Raymond Spruance, who was
promoted to the role due to the ill-health of Vice-Admiral Halsey. This was to be
Spruance`s first such command, and the faith shown in him was to be amply repaid.
TF16 was made up of the carriers Enterprise and Hornet; the heavy cruisers
Minneapolis, New Orleans, Northampton, Pensacola and Vincennes; the light cruiser
Atlanta and nine destroyers.
.P Spruance sailed on the 28th May for the rendezvous point, which was 325 miles
north-east of Midway; Point Luck. Fletcher followed the following day and the two
task forces met up on the 2nd June. The plan was that the aircraft on Midway,
approximately one hundred and fifteen aircraft, would be used in the following
way; the long range Catalina aircraft would search for the enemy carriers and
once found, the bombers would be used to attack them, escorted by the fighters.
In addition, the carrier planes would also be used to attack Nagumo`s carriers;
on Midway it would be left to the AA defences alone to defend itself.
.P The Japanese forces had sailed from their various bases in the last week of
May, the First Carrier Strike Force left Japan on the 27th. Essentially, the
Japanese forces were split in two, sailing parallel with each other toward their
target. To the north were Nagumo`s carriers and Yamamoto`s 1st Fleet Main Body,
which contained his Flagship, the giant battleship Yamato. To the south were the
Midway Invasion Force, the 2nd Fleet Main Body and the Midway Support Force.
.P On the 3rd June, about six hundred miles from Midway, contact was made when a
Catalina spotted what turned out to be the Midway Invasion Force. Two attacks
were launched from Midway despite the long range. Firstly, a flight of nine B-17
bombers carried out a high level attack, but failed to deliver any bombs on
target. Secondly, in the early hours of the 4th June, four Catalina`s launched
torpedoes against the enemy transports and one of these hit and damaged the
transport Akebono Maru, although she was able to continue with the convoy.
.P The knowledge that the Invasion Fleet had been spotted much earlier than
planned did not cause the Japanese to alter their plan of action; in fact Nagumo
was not even made aware of this development, while on the American side, Nimitz
was not tempted to send his carriers or their aircraft south to meet this threat;
he still firmly believed his intelligence, and that Nagumo`s carriers would
appear to the north-west of Midway, from where they would launch their air
assault on the island. That night, Nimitz ordered his carriers to sail from Point
Luck to a position two hundred miles north of Midway; the 4th June would be a
busy day.
.P The Japanese carriers were in position to begin their attack in the early
hours of the 4th. At 0430hrs the first of one hundred and eight aircraft took off
from the four carriers. At around this time the Japanese also launched their
reconnaissance flights. Once again though, the Japanese plan was tardy in both
its design, and its execution. The reconnaissance forces allocated to the task
were insufficient, too limited in scope and, when problems were encountered with
some of the aircraft, there was no back-up plan. The USN may have had the
advantage given to them by Rochefort`s intelligence unit that confirmed roughly
where the Japanese would appear, but it was the actions of the officers and men
of the Imperial Japanese Navy that sowed the seeds of their defeat.
.P From Midway that morning, long-range reconnaissance aircraft were sent into
the sky to begin their search for Nagumo`s carriers, while the aircraft of the
First Wave, closed in on the island. The carriers were found by a Catalina at
around 0520hrs and shortly after, another Catalina spotted the in-bound strike
aircraft. Contrary to Nimitz`s orders, some of the fighter aircraft remained at
Midway to attack the attacking aircraft, although they were soon to lose out in
the dogfights that developed and the bombers were left largely intact to attack
targets on the ground. With no aircraft on the ground to destroy, this first
attack was only partially successful and it was clear that a further strike would
be required to neutralise Midway`s defences.
.P Meanwhile, aboard the US carriers, Fletcher had decisions to make. He decided
to order Spruance, with Enterprise and Hornet, to close the gap to the Japanese
carriers as he desperately wanted to attack them when they were at their most
vulnerable - between the recovery of the First Wave and the launching of the
second. Spruance kept thirty-six fighters to guard his carriers and the remaining
one hundred and twenty-one aircraft began taking-off from 0700hrs and flew to
seek out the enemy. An hour and a half later Yorktown, sailing behind TF16 as she
had to recover her scout planes that had been sent out that morning, launched
thirty-five of her aircraft too.
.P With his First Wave in the air, Nagumo ordered the Second Wave to be prepared.
This strike force would include torpedo armed "Kate" aircraft to sink the USN
carriers. There was just one problem; the Japanese had not spotted the carriers,
and Nagumo was probably convinced there were none in the area. Then at 0700hrs,
the commander of the First Wave, Lt Tomonaga, radioed Nagumo to request a second
strike against Midway. Nagumo agreed and ordered that the Kates have their
torpedoes swapped for bombs.
.P At around this time, the first of the Midway based aircraft had reached the
Japanese carriers. Four B-26 Marauders and six TBF`s (later to be named Avengers
as a result of this action) attacked Akagi, but scored no hits for the loss of
seven aircraft. Just before 0800hrs another group of aircraft from Midway arrived
on the scene. First to attack were sixteen Dauntless dive-bombers that attacked
the Hiryu, but again no hits were scored and half the aircraft were shot down.
This attack was followed by the arrival of a flight of B-17s that had originally
been ordered to attack the invasion convoy, but had been diverted north once the
carriers had been spotted. As had happened the day before however, the high level
attacks proved fruitless. The final attack from Midway was launched by obsolete
Vindicator aircraft with predictable results.
.P Having survived all that the American airmen could throw at him, at 0830hrs
Nagumo could be forgiven for feeling invincible. If he did, that feeling was to
last only a short time. Picture the scene: the First Wave had returned to their
carriers and were waiting to land; the Second Wave was on-deck, armed with bombs
waiting for the order to launch against Midway...and now, to his horror, came
news that could not have been more threatening. One of the scout planes had
spotted an American carrier.
.P Nagumo, not unreasonably, did not want to launch his bombers against the enemy
carrier as they had no fighter escort ready. The decision he took was for the
aircraft of the second wave to be taken below, have the bombs on board the Kates
replaced with torpedoes, and allow the First Wave to land. At just after 0900hrs
all aircraft of the First Wave had been recovered. Now was the time for the
Japanese to head for where the American carrier had been sighted in order to send
her to the bottom of the Pacific.
.P After the carriers changed course, so the first of the one hundred and fifty-
six US carrier planes, launched earlier, came into view of the look-out on board
Chikuma. Not all the aircraft had found the Japanese however; caught out by their
previous change of course. The Dauntless and Wildcat crews from Hornet fell
victim to this mistake and while the longer range dive-bombers mostly made it
back to Midway or Hornet, the fighters had to ditch. Lt-Cdr Waldron, also from
Hornet, guessed correctly that the Japanese would change course and his squadron
of fifteen Devastator aircraft came upon the enemy at 0920hrs. Bravely, without
fighter cover, he led his men, in their out-dated aircraft toward the carriers.
Waldron and his men had no chance and they were blown out of the sky by a
combination of Zero fighters and AA hits before even getting close to Akagi.
There was just one survivor.
.P Next on the scene were fourteen Devastators from Enterprise. Just four managed
to make it back to their carrier and their attack on Hiryu achieved not one hit.
Another Devastator attack, this time from Yorktown, cost ten out of twelve
aircraft. Things were going badly for the American airmen; but events were about
to change rather dramatically.
.P At 1020hrs, the next aircraft to arrive were Dauntless dive-bombers from
Enterprise and Yorktown. The sacrifice of the torpedo bomber crews was not to be
in vain as although they had not achieved hits on the Japanese carriers, they had
pulled the Zero fighter cover out of position. As a result, there was little to
stop the dive-bombers that were about to fall on the carriers. The first target
was Kaga. The thinly armoured Japanese carriers were vulnerable to bombs at the
best of times, but with fully armed and fuelled aircraft on their deck ready to
take-off, they only needed a single hit to turn them into fireballs.
.P Kaga was hit no less than four times and she was almost immediately on fire
the full length of the ship. It would take until the early evening for her to
slip beneath the waves, but she had been put out of action when the first bomb
had landed on her crowded flight-deck. Nagumo`s Flagship suffered a similar fate
as two bombs tore into Akagi`s aircraft awaiting take-off. One of these bombs
caused the aft lift to collapse onto the hangar deck, causing further explosions
amongst the Second Wave aircraft there being readied for launch. Nagumo survived
and transferred to the light cruiser Nagara, but his thoughts at that moment can
only be imagined. His Flagship was scuttled early the next morning by torpedoes
from a destroyer. The story on Soryu was much the same; three bombs, huge fires,
and a ship that finally sank only in the early evening, having been abandoned
many hours before.
.P One of the fleet carriers had managed to avoid the carnage, and aircraft from
Hiryu were launched at 1100hrs to attack the Yorktown which had remained under
surveillance since the initial sighting. Eighteen "Val" dive-bombers were sent to
attack with an escort of six Zeros. Although Yorktown was able to counter with a
large number of fighters and a heavy AA barrage, five aircraft got through; three
of whom hit their target. The superb damage control parties did their job, and
soon the carrier was patched up. The Japanese launched a second strike soon
after, although they could muster only ten "Kate" torpedo bombers and six more
Zeros. Once more, five survivors from the AA and fighter screen got through to
Yorktown. Lt Tomonaga crashed his aircraft onto the flight-deck and two torpedoes
found the port side of the American carrier. But still the Yorktown would not
die. She had been abandoned after the second strike, but by the next morning it
was thought she could be saved. Despite two torpedoes and four bombs (including
one at the Coral Sea), the Japanese naval air arm had not been able to sink this
remarkably defiant ship. Sadly however, her fate was to be sunk; albeit at the
hands of a Japanese submarine rather than the Japanese naval air arm.
.P I-168 had been one of the submarines ineffectively deployed off Midway Island,
but she was now ordered to destroy Yorktown. At 1300hrs on the 6th June, she
launched four torpedoes, hitting the damaged carrier with two, while a third slammed
into the destroyer Hamman that was moored next to the carrier, assisting with the
salvage work. The destroyer sank immediately, but even with two more torpedoes
having hit her, Yorktown only finally sank in the early morning of the 7th June!
.P Yorktown had at least managed to outlive Nagumo`s last remaining fleet
carrier. Hiryu sank at 0820hrs on the 5th June having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, she was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier. With Hiryu gone, Yamamoto`s last
hope of salvaging something from the Midway operation had disappeared. For Japan,
the war was now quite simply un-winnable...if indeed it ever had been otherwise.
[4056 Yorktown - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 120,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 32.5 knots
.B Main armament: 8 x 5-inch (127mm), 16 x 1.1-inch (28mm) guns
.B Aircraft: 90 (Operational Maximum 81)
.B Displacement (full load): 25,484 tons
.B Thickest armour: 4-inch (belt)
.P The three ships of the Yorktown-class were the first of the modern United
States Navy (USN) carriers; the previous four having been a mixture of the
experimental Langley, two battlecruiser conversions and the disappointing USS
Ranger. The first two ships were built between 1934 and 1938, while the third
ship, Hornet, was built between 1939 and 1941, as a counter to the Japanese
refusal to abide by the 1936 London Naval Treaty.
.P The Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 had allowed the USN an allowance of 69,000
tons for the purposes of building new carriers. After the disappointing
performance of USS Ranger, two larger carriers of the Yorktown-class were
constructed. It was hoped that this design would provide a better balance between
the size of the ship, its protection and the air group that could be carried. In
Yorktown and Enterprise, the USN achieved this, and these ships influenced the
design of the subsequent Essex-class.
.P These carriers could carry around ninety aircraft, although operationally the
optimal number was around eighty. The ships had two hangars, served by three
lifts. Three catapults were fitted, designed to launch 5,500lb aircraft at 40
knots. Two were fitted on the flight-deck forward, while a third was fitted at
hangar deck level, but this was rarely used. Nine arrester wires were provided to
assist landing.
.P The Yorktowns armour protection consisted of a belt, 4-inches thick at its
maximum, that gave horizontal protection to the machinery spaces, magazines and
aviation fuel. Underwater, anti-torpedo protection was provided by a layer of
three tanks that were designed to cushion the impact of any torpedo. The outer
two tanks were filled with liquid, while the middle one was filled with air.
Vertical protection was limited to a 1.5-inch armour deck.
.P Defensive armament was provided by eight 5-inch dual-purpose guns which gave
these ships excellent anti-aircraft (AA) defence. For close-range defence, four
quadruple 1.1-inch guns were fitted.
.P Most USN aircraft carriers have been named after famous battles or famous
Americans. Yorktown was named after one of the most decisive battles of the
American War of Independence, fought and won by a combined Franco-American force
against the British in 1781.
.P Yorktown was completed in September 1937. She was in Norfolk, Virginia in
December 1941 when the Japanese attacked the naval base at Pearl Harbor, but was
quickly despatched through the Panama Canal to join the Pacific Fleet after the losses
suffered in that attack (see USS Arizona). Yorktown arrived in San Diego at the end of
December, whereupon she became the Flagship of Task Force (TF) 17 under the
command of Rear-Admiral Fletcher. In the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor
TF17 was one of three task forces, each built around a carrier, that would seek
to take the war to the Japanese.
.P Her first operation began at the start of January 1942, escorting a convoy
taking the 2nd Marine Brigade to Pago Pago in Samoa. She was joined in TF17 by
the cruisers Louisville and St Louis and their escorting destroyers.
.P From Samoa, TF17 then joined up with Vice-Admiral Halsey`s TF8 in order to
undertake air strikes against the Japanese held islands in the Marshalls and the
Gilberts (see USS Salt Lake City). These strikes, carried out at the beginning of
February, caused only slight damage to the Japanese, but they were carried out in
order to show the Japanese that the losses at Pearl Harbor would not stop the US
from fighting back at every opportunity; they were also seen as a way of boosting
morale and providing valuable combat experience for the men of the USN. A further
strike against Eniwetok a couple of weeks later was cancelled as TF17 were needed
to provide escort for convoys taking reinforcements to the south-west Pacific.
.P Upon arrival in that region, TF17 joined with TF11, containing the carrier
Lexington and together, they were tasked with launching an air strike against
Japanese positions in northern New Guinea. The air strikes were carried out from
a position south of the island and was successful in sinking or destroying a
number of Japanese ships, including the cruiser Yubari which was damaged.
.P At the start of May, TF17 and TF11 were merged to form an enlarged TF17 under
Fletcher and this force was stationed in the Coral Sea. This was in response to
US intelligence finding out that the Japanese intended to invade Port Moresby in
the south of New Guinea as well as Tulagi in the Solomons. The battle that ensued
became known as the Battle of the Coral Sea, during which Japanese expansion
plans were checked for the first time (see USS Lexington). Yorktown took a bomb
hit that did serious damage and would have ordinarily kept her from taking any
part in combat operations for many weeks to come. However, the USN did not have
the luxury of time as the Japanese were planning their next operation for the
start of June. Thanks to a super-human effort, Yorktown was patched up and was
thrown into her next, and last operation; the Battle of Midway.
.P Midway was to be the most decisive naval battle since Trafalgar, 137 years
previously, but sadly Yorktown was not to survive the engagement. The battle was
fought as an indirect result of the Doolittle raid the previous April (see USS
Hornet). This attack had convinced the Japanese of the need to push their
defensive perimeter even further east and to quickly destroy the US carriers they
had missed at Pearl Harbor. Although Admiral Yamamoto had the Midway operation in
mind before the Doolittle Raid, he had failed to win sufficient support for the
operation; the bombing of Tokyo won the argument in his favour.
.P The Japanese plan was to attack Midway using aircraft from their 1st Air Fleet
which would neutralise the island`s air defences. The Japanese would then be free
to invade Midway, forcing the Americans to bring their carriers into battle to
defend the island; at which point they would be sunk. Simple. However, a number
of factors combined to ensure that what happened, was very different from what
the Japanese had planned for. Firstly, the plan was overly complex, calling for
diversionary landings in the Aleutians that achieved nothing save dispersing the
Japanese forces; secondly, damage done to the carrier Shokaku, and her sister
Zuikaku`s loss of aircraft at the Battle of the Coral Sea had cost Yamamoto two
of his six fleet carriers; thirdly, the "victory disease" that the Japanese had
exhibited during the Coral Sea encounter remained on display at Midway. This
evidenced itself in massive over confidence and a complete certainty that the
USN would react exactly as Yamamoto expected them to. That the USN may have
advance warning of the Japanese plan, was not considered; even in the face of
evidence to the contrary.
.P The Japanese forces were split into a dozen groups, five of which were
assigned to the Aleutian operation. For Midway - Operation Mi - the First Carrier
Striking Force would lead the attack. This force, under Vice-Admiral Nagumo,
consisted of the fleet carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu and Hiryu; the battleships
Haruna and Kirishima; the cruisers Tone and Chikuma and a screening force led by
the cruiser Nagara with three destroyer flotillas. The remaining forces were to
play little part in the events to come.
.P Prior to the launch of the Japanese operation, an American intelligence unit
based at Hawaii, and led by Commander Joseph Rochefort, had correctly worked out
the Japanese target. This allowed Admiral Nimitz to bring his three remaining
carriers back to Pearl Harbor to await the Japanese attack. Thanks to the
incredible turnaround of Yorktown, Nimitz was able to deploy all three carriers.
These ships were split into two task forces, under the command of Fletcher. TF17
consisted of Yorktown, the heavy cruisers Astoria and Portland and six
destroyers. TF 16 was commanded by Rear-Admiral Raymond Spruance, who was
promoted to the role due to the ill-health of Vice-Admiral Halsey. This was to be
Spruance`s first such command, and the faith shown in him was to be amply repaid.
TF16 was made up of the carriers Enterprise and Hornet; the heavy cruisers
Minneapolis, New Orleans, Northampton, Pensacola and Vincennes; the light cruiser
Atlanta and nine destroyers.
.P Spruance sailed on the 28th May for the rendezvous point, which was 325 miles
north-east of Midway; Point Luck. Fletcher followed the following day and the two
task forces met up on the 2nd June. The plan was that the aircraft on Midway,
approximately one hundred and fifteen aircraft, would be used in the following
way; the long range Catalina aircraft would search for the enemy carriers and
once found, the bombers would be used to attack them, escorted by the fighters.
In addition, the carrier planes would also be used to attack Nagumo`s carriers;
on Midway it would be left to the AA defences alone to defend itself.
.P The Japanese forces had sailed from their various bases in the last week of
May, the First Carrier Strike Force left Japan on the 27th. Essentially, the
Japanese forces were split in two, sailing parallel with each other toward their
target. To the north were Nagumo`s carriers and Yamamoto`s 1st Fleet Main Body,
which contained his Flagship, the giant battleship Yamato. To the south were the
Midway Invasion Force, the 2nd Fleet Main Body and the Midway Support Force.
.P On the 3rd June, about six hundred miles from Midway, contact was made when a
Catalina spotted what turned out to be the Midway Invasion Force. Two attacks
were launched from Midway despite the long range. Firstly, a flight of nine B-17
bombers carried out a high level attack, but failed to deliver any bombs on
target. Secondly, in the early hours of the 4th June, four Catalina`s launched
torpedoes against the enemy transports and one of these hit and damaged the
transport Akebono Maru, although she was able to continue with the convoy.
.P The knowledge that the Invasion Fleet had been spotted much earlier than
planned did not cause the Japanese to alter their plan of action; in fact Nagumo
was not even made aware of this development, while on the American side, Nimitz
was not tempted to send his carriers or their aircraft south to meet this threat;
he still firmly believed his intelligence, and that Nagumo`s carriers would
appear to the north-west of Midway, from where they would launch their air
assault on the island. That night, Nimitz ordered his carriers to sail from Point
Luck to a position two hundred miles north of Midway; the 4th June would be a
busy day.
.P The Japanese carriers were in position to begin their attack in the early
hours of the 4th. At 0430hrs the first of one hundred and eight aircraft took off
from the four carriers. At around this time the Japanese also launched their
reconnaissance flights. Once again though, the Japanese plan was tardy in both
its design, and its execution. The reconnaissance forces allocated to the task
were insufficient, too limited in scope and, when problems were encountered with
some of the aircraft, there was no back-up plan. The USN may have had the
advantage given to them by Rochefort`s intelligence unit that confirmed roughly
where the Japanese would appear, but it was the actions of the officers and men
of the Imperial Japanese Navy that sowed the seeds of their defeat.
.P From Midway that morning, long-range reconnaissance aircraft were sent into
the sky to begin their search for Nagumo`s carriers, while the aircraft of the
First Wave, closed in on the island. The carriers were found by a Catalina at
around 0520hrs and shortly after, another Catalina spotted the in-bound strike
aircraft. Contrary to Nimitz`s orders, some of the fighter aircraft remained at
Midway to attack the attacking aircraft, although they were soon to lose out in
the dogfights that developed and the bombers were left largely intact to attack
targets on the ground. With no aircraft on the ground to destroy, this first
attack was only partially successful and it was clear that a further strike would
be required to neutralise Midway`s defences.
.P Meanwhile, aboard the US carriers, Fletcher had decisions to make. He decided
to order Spruance, with Enterprise and Hornet, to close the gap to the Japanese
carriers as he desperately wanted to attack them when they were at their most
vulnerable - between the recovery of the First Wave and the launching of the
second. Spruance kept thirty-six fighters to guard his carriers and the remaining
one hundred and twenty-one aircraft began taking-off from 0700hrs and flew to
seek out the enemy. An hour and a half later Yorktown, sailing behind TF16 as she
had to recover her scout planes that had been sent out that morning, launched
thirty-five of her aircraft too.
.P With his First Wave in the air, Nagumo ordered the Second Wave to be prepared.
This strike force would include torpedo armed "Kate" aircraft to sink the USN
carriers. There was just one problem; the Japanese had not spotted the carriers,
and Nagumo was probably convinced there were none in the area. Then at 0700hrs,
the commander of the First Wave, Lt Tomonaga, radioed Nagumo to request a second
strike against Midway. Nagumo agreed and ordered that the Kates have their
torpedoes swapped for bombs.
.P At around this time, the first of the Midway based aircraft had reached the
Japanese carriers. Four B-26 Marauders and six TBF`s (later to be named Avengers
as a result of this action) attacked Akagi, but scored no hits for the loss of
seven aircraft. Just before 0800hrs another group of aircraft from Midway arrived
on the scene. First to attack were sixteen Dauntless dive-bombers that attacked
the Hiryu, but again no hits were scored and half the aircraft were shot down.
This attack was followed by the arrival of a flight of B-17s that had originally
been ordered to attack the invasion convoy, but had been diverted north once the
carriers had been spotted. As had happened the day before however, the high level
attacks proved fruitless. The final attack from Midway was launched by obsolete
Vindicator aircraft with predictable results.
.P Having survived all that the American airmen could throw at him, at 0830hrs
Nagumo could be forgiven for feeling invincible. If he did, that feeling was to
last only a short time. Picture the scene: the First Wave had returned to their
carriers and were waiting to land; the Second Wave was on-deck, armed with bombs
waiting for the order to launch against Midway...and now, to his horror, came
news that could not have been more threatening. One of the scout planes had
spotted an American carrier.
.P Nagumo, not unreasonably, did not want to launch his bombers against the enemy
carrier as they had no fighter escort ready. The decision he took was for the
aircraft of the second wave to be taken below, have the bombs on board the Kates
replaced with torpedoes, and allow the First Wave to land. At just after 0900hrs
all aircraft of the First Wave had been recovered. Now was the time for the
Japanese to head for where the American carrier had been sighted in order to send
her to the bottom of the Pacific.
.P After the carriers changed course, so the first of the one hundred and fifty-
six US carrier planes, launched earlier, came into view of the look-out on board
Chikuma. Not all the aircraft had found the Japanese however; caught out by their
previous change of course. The Dauntless and Wildcat crews from Hornet fell
victim to this mistake and while the longer range dive-bombers mostly made it
back to Midway or Hornet, the fighters had to ditch. Lt-Cdr Waldron, also from
Hornet, guessed correctly that the Japanese would change course and his squadron
of fifteen Devastator aircraft came upon the enemy at 0920hrs. Bravely, without
fighter cover, he led his men, in their out-dated aircraft toward the carriers.
Waldron and his men had no chance and they were blown out of the sky by a
combination of Zero fighters and AA hits before even getting close to Akagi.
There was just one survivor.
.P Next on the scene were fourteen Devastators from Enterprise. Just four managed
to make it back to their carrier and their attack on Hiryu achieved not one hit.
Another Devastator attack, this time from Yorktown, cost ten out of twelve
aircraft. Things were going badly for the American airmen; but events were about
to change rather dramatically.
.P At 1020hrs, the next aircraft to arrive were Dauntless dive-bombers from
Enterprise and Yorktown. The sacrifice of the torpedo bomber crews was not to be
in vain as although they had not achieved hits on the Japanese carriers, they had
pulled the Zero fighter cover out of position. As a result, there was little to
stop the dive-bombers that were about to fall on the carriers. The first target
was Kaga. The thinly armoured Japanese carriers were vulnerable to bombs at the
best of times, but with fully armed and fuelled aircraft on their deck ready to
take-off, they only needed a single hit to turn them into fireballs.
.P Kaga was hit no less than four times and she was almost immediately on fire
the full length of the ship. It would take until the early evening for her to
slip beneath the waves, but she had been put out of action when the first bomb
had landed on her crowded flight-deck. Nagumo`s Flagship suffered a similar fate
as two bombs tore into Akagi`s aircraft awaiting take-off. One of these bombs
caused the aft lift to collapse onto the hangar deck, causing further explosions
amongst the Second Wave aircraft there being readied for launch. Nagumo survived
and transferred to the light cruiser Nagara, but his thoughts at that moment can
only be imagined. His Flagship was scuttled early the next morning by torpedoes
from a destroyer. The story on Soryu was much the same; three bombs, huge fires,
and a ship that finally sank only in the early evening, having been abandoned
many hours before.
.P One of the fleet carriers had managed to avoid the carnage, and aircraft from
Hiryu were launched at 1100hrs to attack the Yorktown which had remained under
surveillance since the initial sighting. Eighteen "Val" dive-bombers were sent to
attack with an escort of six Zeros. Although Yorktown was able to counter with a
large number of fighters and a heavy AA barrage, five aircraft got through; three
of whom hit their target. The superb damage control parties did their job, and
soon the carrier was patched up. The Japanese launched a second strike soon
after, although they could muster only ten "Kate" torpedo bombers and six more
Zeros. Once more, five survivors from the AA and fighter screen got through to
Yorktown. Lt Tomonaga crashed his aircraft onto the flight-deck and two torpedoes
found the port side of the American carrier. But still the Yorktown would not
die. She had been abandoned after the second strike, but by the next morning it
was thought she could be saved. Despite two torpedoes and four bombs (including
one at the Coral Sea), the Japanese naval air arm had not been able to sink this
remarkably defiant ship. Sadly however, her fate was to be sunk; albeit at the
hands of a Japanese submarine rather than the Japanese naval air arm.
.P I-168 had been one of the submarines ineffectively deployed off Midway Island,
but she was now ordered to destroy Yorktown. At 1300hrs on the 6th June, she
launched four torpedoes, hitting the damaged carrier with two, while a third slammed
into the destroyer Hamman that was moored next to the carrier, assisting with the
salvage work. The destroyer sank immediately, but even with two more torpedoes
having hit her, Yorktown only finally sank in the early morning of the 7th June!
.P Yorktown had at least managed to outlive Nagumo`s last remaining fleet
carrier. Hiryu sank at 0820hrs on the 5th June having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, she was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier. With Hiryu gone, Yamamoto`s last
hope of salvaging something from the Midway operation had disappeared. For Japan,
the war was now quite simply un-winnable...if indeed it ever had been otherwise.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
...and now a "what if" battleship - I`m not certain whether she started WWII with 16 or 21 5-inch guns. Any help would be appreciated.
[4107 Wyoming - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 28,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 21 knots
.B Main armament: 12 x 12-inch (305mm), 16 x 5-inch (127mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 30,610 tons
.B Thickest armour: 11-inch (belt)
.P The Wyoming-class numbered two battleships that were designed and
built for the United States Navy (USN) in the years leading up to the First World
War. Both ships were laid down in early 1910 and completed in September 1912.
.P The preceeding three USN battleship classes were constructed with a 12-inch
main armament, and during the design stage for the Wyomings it was debated
whether a higher calibre should be fitted given that a 13.5-inch gun was believed
to be under development by the Royal Navy. Ultimately it was decided to continue
with the smaller gun, not least because of the delays that would be caused by
waiting for the 14-inch gun then being designed. However in compensation, the
Wyomings were around 20% bigger and contained an extra twin turret compared to
the preceeding Florida-class.
.P The USN were able to modernise most of their older ships during the inter-war
years and the Wyomings were no exception. They were converted to oil fired
boilers, having originally been a mix of oil and coal, but top speed remained a
lowly 21 knots; too slow compared to the fast battleships that would arrive in
the thirties.
.P The main and secondary armament remained essentially the same as the original
design, but additional anti-aircraft (AA) armament was added to Arkansas during
the Second World War.
.P Armour protection was beefed up, and to provide horizontal protection, a 3.5-
inch armour deck was added together with a 1.75-inch deck further down. Anti-
torpedo protection was also improved thanks to the adding of bulges.
.P Aircraft facilities were added by fitting a catapult to the midships turret.
.P In line with naming convention of the time, these battleships - Wyoming and
Arkansas - were named after states of the US. Both ships of the class operated
with the Royal Navy in World War I, after the US had joined the Allies in 1917, but
Wyoming was not to see active service in World War II. Under the terms of the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty, she was de-militarized and became a gunnery training
ship. Plans were made to convert her back into a battleship early in the war but
ultimately, such a conversion was not considered worthwhile.
.P As a result, in World In Flames USS Wyoming is a "what if" counter that starts
in the Construction Pool, so giving the US player the option of "performing that
conversion".
.P USS Wyoming was scrapped in 1947.
[4107 Wyoming - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine(s) output: 28,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 21 knots
.B Main armament: 12 x 12-inch (305mm), 16 x 5-inch (127mm) guns
.B Displacement (full load): 30,610 tons
.B Thickest armour: 11-inch (belt)
.P The Wyoming-class numbered two battleships that were designed and
built for the United States Navy (USN) in the years leading up to the First World
War. Both ships were laid down in early 1910 and completed in September 1912.
.P The preceeding three USN battleship classes were constructed with a 12-inch
main armament, and during the design stage for the Wyomings it was debated
whether a higher calibre should be fitted given that a 13.5-inch gun was believed
to be under development by the Royal Navy. Ultimately it was decided to continue
with the smaller gun, not least because of the delays that would be caused by
waiting for the 14-inch gun then being designed. However in compensation, the
Wyomings were around 20% bigger and contained an extra twin turret compared to
the preceeding Florida-class.
.P The USN were able to modernise most of their older ships during the inter-war
years and the Wyomings were no exception. They were converted to oil fired
boilers, having originally been a mix of oil and coal, but top speed remained a
lowly 21 knots; too slow compared to the fast battleships that would arrive in
the thirties.
.P The main and secondary armament remained essentially the same as the original
design, but additional anti-aircraft (AA) armament was added to Arkansas during
the Second World War.
.P Armour protection was beefed up, and to provide horizontal protection, a 3.5-
inch armour deck was added together with a 1.75-inch deck further down. Anti-
torpedo protection was also improved thanks to the adding of bulges.
.P Aircraft facilities were added by fitting a catapult to the midships turret.
.P In line with naming convention of the time, these battleships - Wyoming and
Arkansas - were named after states of the US. Both ships of the class operated
with the Royal Navy in World War I, after the US had joined the Allies in 1917, but
Wyoming was not to see active service in World War II. Under the terms of the 1922
Washington Naval Treaty, she was de-militarized and became a gunnery training
ship. Plans were made to convert her back into a battleship early in the war but
ultimately, such a conversion was not considered worthwhile.
.P As a result, in World In Flames USS Wyoming is a "what if" counter that starts
in the Construction Pool, so giving the US player the option of "performing that
conversion".
.P USS Wyoming was scrapped in 1947.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
[/quote] Deleted - mistake
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
ORIGINAL: warspite1
...and now a "what if" battleship - I`m not certain whether she started WWII with 16 or 21 5-inch guns. Any help would be appreciated.
ADG data says about the Wyoming that it is the "Version (Training Ship) shown at start of 1936. Reconversion to BB briefly considered.".P As a result, in World In Flames USS Wyoming is a "what if" counter that starts
in the Construction Pool, so giving the US player the option of "performing that
conversion".
.P USS Wyoming was scrapped in 1947.
ADG data says that it is equipped with 12 x 12-inch (305mm), 16 x 5-inch (127mm) guns, 26066 tons.
From the data, it looks like it is a sister ship of the Arkansas.
- Attachments
-
- WyomingBBUSA.gif (2.23 KiB) Viewed 198 times
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Ah... The Yorktown...ORIGINAL: warspite1
Next US carrier class with a completed write-up is the Yorktown-class. Please see the Yorktown herself which feature the Battle of Midway.
[4056 Yorktown - by Robert Jenkins]
- Attachments
-
- YorktownCVUSA.gif (2.53 KiB) Viewed 199 times
-
michaelbaldur
- Posts: 4805
- Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 6:28 pm
- Location: denmark
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Yorktown had at least managed to outlive Nagumo`s last remaining fleet
carrier. Hiryu sank at 0820hrs on the 5th June having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, she was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier
not clear if it is Hiryu that was attacked or the Yorktown that is finished off by american planes. bold looks like a inserted sentence
y
carrier. Hiryu sank at 0820hrs on the 5th June having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, she was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier
not clear if it is Hiryu that was attacked or the Yorktown that is finished off by american planes. bold looks like a inserted sentence
y
the wif rulebook is my bible
I work hard, not smart.
beta tester and Mwif expert
if you have questions or issues with the game, just contact me on Michaelbaldur1@gmail.com
I work hard, not smart.
beta tester and Mwif expert
if you have questions or issues with the game, just contact me on Michaelbaldur1@gmail.com
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Warspite1ORIGINAL: Froonp
ORIGINAL: warspite1
...and now a "what if" battleship - I`m not certain whether she started WWII with 16 or 21 5-inch guns. Any help would be appreciated.ADG data says about the Wyoming that it is the "Version (Training Ship) shown at start of 1936. Reconversion to BB briefly considered.".P As a result, in World In Flames USS Wyoming is a "what if" counter that starts
in the Construction Pool, so giving the US player the option of "performing that
conversion".
.P USS Wyoming was scrapped in 1947.
ADG data says that it is equipped with 12 x 12-inch (305mm), 16 x 5-inch (127mm) guns, 26066 tons.
From the data, it looks like it is a sister ship of the Arkansas.
Thanks - I will keep with sixteen 5-inch.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
Warspite1ORIGINAL: michaelbaldur
Yorktown had at least managed to outlive Nagumo`s last remaining fleet
carrier. Hiryu sank at 0820hrs on the 5th June having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, she was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier
not clear if it is Hiryu that was attacked or the Yorktown that is finished off by american planes. bold looks like a inserted sentence
y
Okay how about:
.P Yorktown had at least managed to outlive Nagumo`s last remaining fleet
carrier, which had sunk at 0820hrs on the 5th June, having been found the previous
afternoon by US aircraft. At just after 1700hrs, Hiryu was attacked by aircraft
from both Enterprise and Hornet and four bombs, all dropped by Dauntless dive-
bombers, slammed into the remaining carrier. With Hiryu gone, Yamamoto`s last
hope of salvaging something from the Midway operation had disappeared. For Japan,
the war was now quite simply un-winnable...if indeed it ever had been otherwise.
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
HELP REQUIRED PLEASE [&:]
I am trying to find out the main details - particularly the main and secondary armament but the other technical details too - for the California and Maryland class battleships both just pre Pearl Harbor and after their reconstruction. Can anyone assist please? When talking about the 5-inch gun I need to know whether this is the 51, 25 or 38 too.
My usual source - Conways - seems confused between pre-Pearl and post.
Thanks
I am trying to find out the main details - particularly the main and secondary armament but the other technical details too - for the California and Maryland class battleships both just pre Pearl Harbor and after their reconstruction. Can anyone assist please? When talking about the 5-inch gun I need to know whether this is the 51, 25 or 38 too.
My usual source - Conways - seems confused between pre-Pearl and post.
Thanks
Now Maitland, now's your time!
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
RE: Unit Descriptions: Air, Naval, Land
ADG Data :ORIGINAL: warspite1
HELP REQUIRED PLEASE [&:]
I am trying to find out the main details - particularly the main and secondary armament but the other technical details too - for the California and Maryland class battleships both just pre Pearl Harbor and after their reconstruction. Can anyone assist please? When talking about the 5-inch gun I need to know whether this is the 51, 25 or 38 too.
My usual source - Conways - seems confused between pre-Pearl and post.
Thanks
California
Version shown after Pearl Harbor reconstruction.
34,858 tons
Max speed : 20,5 knots
Range : 12,100 nm at 15 knots
Length : 190.2 m
12 x 14-inch, 16 x 5-inch, 56 x 40 mm AA guns, 80 x 20 mm AA guns
Crew : 2375
Max belt armor : 13.5 inch
Min belt armor : 8 inch
Max deck armor : 6.5 inch
Min deck armor : 5.5 inch
Max turret armor : 18 inch
Min turret armor : ? inch
Maryland
Version shown at start of 1936.
32,600 tons
Max speed : 21 knots
Range : 8,000 nm at 10 knots
Length : 190.2 m
8 x 16-inch, 14 x 5-inch, 4 x 3-inch
2 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
Crew : 1080
Max belt armor : 13.5 inch
Min belt armor : 8 inch
Max deck armor : 3.5 inch
Min deck armor : 3.5 inch
Max turret armor : 18 inch
Min turret armor : 5 inch