Matrix Games Forums

Dear all I don't think any of us have seen a fighter sweep a TF certainly not on December 8, 1941. The scenario we are playing is focus Pacific scenario 78, PBEM2 day turns I and the Japanese side



Morning Air attack on TF, near Pearl Harbor at 181,106

Weather in hex: Partial cloud

Raid detected at 72 NM, estimated altitude 14,000 feet.
Estimated time to target is 33 minutes

Japanese aircraft
A6M2 Zero x 87
A6M2-N Rufe x 6

Allied aircraft
P-36A Mohawk x 23
P-40B Warhawk x 37
F2A-3 Buffalo x 10
F4F-3 Wildcat x 15
SBD-1 Dauntless x 12

Japanese aircraft losses
A6M2 Zero: 1 destroyed
A6M2-N Rufe: 1 destroyed

Allied aircraft losses
P-36A Mohawk: 7 destroyed
P-40B Warhawk: 4 destroyed
F2A-3 Buffalo: 4 destroyed
F4F-3 Wildcat: 2 destroyed
SBD-1 Dauntless: 1 destroyed

Aircraft Attacking:
6 x F4F-3 Wildcat sweeping at 17000 feet
3 x P-40B Warhawk sweeping at 17000 feet
4 x P-40B Warhawk sweeping at 17000 feet
3 x P-40B Warhawk sweeping at 17000 feet
3 x P-40B Warhawk sweeping at 17000 feet
2 x P-36A Mohawk sweeping at 9000 feet
1 x P-40B Warhawk sweeping at 17000 feet

CAP engaged:
Ryukaku-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 6 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 10000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 14000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
Kaga-1 with A6M2 Zero (3 airborne, 8 on standby, 0 scrambling)
3 plane(s) intercepting now.
Group patrol altitude is 15000
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
Soryu-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 15 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 3 being recalled, 4 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 5000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 26 minutes
Hiryu-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 10 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 10000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
Shokaku-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 12 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 6 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 2000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 19 minutes
Zuikaku-1 with A6M2 Zero (0 airborne, 10 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 4 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 15000 , scrambling fighters between 3000 and 15000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 20 minutes
790 Ku-K-1 with A6M2-N Rufe (0 airborne, 4 on standby, 0 scrambling)
0 plane(s) not yet engaged, 2 being recalled, 0 out of immediate contact.
Group patrol altitude is 6000 , scrambling fighters to 7000.
Time for all group planes to reach interception is 17 minutes

Please note when the raid came in it said it was a sweep in the combat animation.

I think I'm surprised that more Allied fighters were not shot down, let alone got off the ground after the PH strike. I think Jaco set it up. If not, I have no clue....GP

Me too I think a lot of them got damaged. Certainly none of the dive bombers got through how they can be in a sweep also eludes me.

The DB's are a strange addition to a sweep....GP

Maybe they were set to Sweep mission at start by the scenario designer?

DBs cannot sweep, maybe some squadrons were on sweep, some on naval attack?

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Maybe they were set to Sweep mission at start by the scenario designer?

Nope. The DB's are set to Naval though....GP

ORIGINAL: Yaab

Maybe they were set to Sweep mission at start by the scenario designer?

A CAP mission type can be set either as Escort or Sweep. I use Sweep when I do not want my defending aircraft diluted by doing bomber escort as well.
I don't know what the setup for that scenario is but if house rules did not specify no changes at PH, the Allied player could have set Sweep CAP.

The SBD-1s could have been set on a training mission and "Caught up in the attack".

I have seen this occur when the fighter escorts for the raid clear the opposition. It normally occurs over bases... the last time I saw it was a few weeks ago, a fighter unit set to Escort beat away the CAP and it said "sweeping at 15000 feet" in the text file.

If you ask me, this is a good way for the US player to lose pilots who might have survived if the action was over Pearl Harbor.

The Buffaloes were escorting the DBs, not sweeping. In reality, DBs and Avengers were on occasion ordered to escort or provide CAP, as best they could. Avengers sometimes used their transom turret to strafe ships.

Sweep ahead...not common, but not rare, perhaps infrequent? if care is taken in the selection of fighters on escort with respect to the bombers they are escorting you can get it quite often.

ORIGINAL: Lokasenna

I have seen this occur when the fighter escorts for the raid clear the opposition. It normally occurs over bases... the last time I saw it was a few weeks ago, a fighter unit set to Escort beat away the CAP and it said "sweeping at 15000 feet" in the text file.

well i could explain better than this but my english i got learned in USA at Davis with my brother in law always smoking marihuana, sorry for my english

he was laughfin all the time while i was not when smoking pope, and no marihuana him he was acting as a BIG brother

Daniel was talking all the time marihuannoin and me silence with no marihuana

surprise why nobady response on this forum me half and one year

many post and no answers or debate

.

That's just your normal Naval bombing raid, with some of the escorting fighters arriving like sweepers, that is away from bombers I guess. Happens sometimes. Does not relate to the Sweep orders except for text in the report

Did the SBDs attack?

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

That's just your normal Naval bombing raid, with some of the escorting fighters arriving like sweepers, that is away from bombers I guess. Happens sometimes. Does not relate to the Sweep orders except for text in the report

I thought this was a new thread when I responded because I forgot thread necromancy was a thing.

ORIGINAL: GetAssista

That's just your normal Naval bombing raid, with some of the escorting fighters arriving like sweepers, that is away from bombers I guess. Happens sometimes. Does not relate to the Sweep orders except for text in the report

Yep, the Dauntless DBs are not in the combat report. The fighters arrived without the bombers and their mission changed from Escort to Sweep.