Debacle in the South Pacific!
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2004 9:02 pm
I've been playing a post Midway scenario vs. the AI for a while now. And despite initial problems involving bombing runs and Tokyo Express bombardment against PM (I lost more darn B17s that way...), plus a lucky sub crippling my Battleship before it could do anything particularly useful (not that said sub survived the vengence of the BBs escorts), I had generally been doing pretty well.
I had one carrier skirmish, his air groups got shot to hell plus damge to all his carriers, and my two (Saratoga and Enterprise) were moderately damged and withdrew for repairs. So we'd been sans CVs for a while.
I got Hornet and Wasp, who proceeded to aquit themselves admirably, smashing several IJN surface battle groups, sending a BB to the bottom, and many (MANY!) more ships limping home for repairs. The Japanese land based level bombers were a shadow of their former self (although their numbers of fighters were simply impressive), many a transport had gone to the bottom (although I had taken significant surface asset losses myself including 2 CAs and a CL), although only 5 IJN subs were sunk, this seemed to have been adequate to scare away any further submarine harrassement. Guadalcanal had fallen to an invasion of an Australian division, plus a USMC division, supported by heavy bombers and surface assets. And I was forming up to invade GG.
In short the game was going pretty well. I figured the game was already decided, it was merely the formalities of actually accomplishing victory. Being as it was only September 42, I was rather disappointed really.
I figured oh well, the AI was pretty good, but it is just an AI.
Suddenly my recon units spot an IJN carrier group of two fleet carriers and a CVL near GG. His carriers had not been heard from since the original skirmish with Saratoga and Enterprise.
So his carriers putting in a surprise appearance near New Guinea was a development. Pretty sneaky too for them to get that close without being detected.
'Ah!' I thought, 'something for my carriers to do!'
Hornet and Wasp had just docked in Australia to refuel and give the crews a little shore leave, but I sortie the carrier group as soon as the enemy was detected, in relatively close proximity.
The nearby land based air fdecided that the carriers weren't very important, and so went off to bomb the crap out of a lone minsweeeper and two transports (thanks... ya dweebs), but I figured 'the carriers can handle it. Probably end up in drydock for theoir trouble though'.
The carriers engaged. Planes were launched.
I knew things were going badly when maybe 2/3 of the planes that should have been there actually appeared. Even though I had something like 60 Wildcats, less than 20 escorted the attack runs, and maybe another 25 were actually acting as CAP).
I assume that those pilots wouldn't actually say 'nah, I don't feel like flying today. I'll just stay here in my bunk while we get bombed by the enemy'. More likely they hadoperational losses, or got lost, or something.
Anyway. My fighter escorts shoot down nothing, but several of my Dauntlesses are shot up and about half of the Air Group runs from the battle (they would have been shot for cowardice in he face of the enemy, except it turned out not to be necessary).
Finally the attack run begins. I barely scratched his carriers, denting a light carrier and putting a large hole in the deck of one of his two fleet carriers.
And then his air strike comes in. My fighters, who had been superb in previous engagements, suddenly find that they launched without ammo. And the Kates and Vals are allowed almost unrestricted access to the carriers below.
Both Wasp and Hornet are pounded into scrap metal, and new homes are made for the South Pacific sea life.
Eep.
Suddenly the game is no longer even remotely in the bag!
- - - -
I think I know why it happened. There was a certain degree of bad luck involved, no question. Both my carrier and nearby land based planes performed very badly (assuming they participated at all), that was obvious - and his seemed to perform particularly well (hit a lot, and out of 16 ships in my task force, his bombers all do runs against my carriers and 1 DD).
But my air groups were relatively fatigued with moderate morale. Now I've had air groups perform admirably at these levels, apparently I had been lucky before - or unlucky this time.
And of course, his planes were fresh.
So now they suddenly find they cannot hit their targets, they cannot even find the battle, and in the face of the enemy my pilots suddenly remember that they left the iron on.
Bad, very bad…
The game suddenly becomes much more interesting.
I had one carrier skirmish, his air groups got shot to hell plus damge to all his carriers, and my two (Saratoga and Enterprise) were moderately damged and withdrew for repairs. So we'd been sans CVs for a while.
I got Hornet and Wasp, who proceeded to aquit themselves admirably, smashing several IJN surface battle groups, sending a BB to the bottom, and many (MANY!) more ships limping home for repairs. The Japanese land based level bombers were a shadow of their former self (although their numbers of fighters were simply impressive), many a transport had gone to the bottom (although I had taken significant surface asset losses myself including 2 CAs and a CL), although only 5 IJN subs were sunk, this seemed to have been adequate to scare away any further submarine harrassement. Guadalcanal had fallen to an invasion of an Australian division, plus a USMC division, supported by heavy bombers and surface assets. And I was forming up to invade GG.
In short the game was going pretty well. I figured the game was already decided, it was merely the formalities of actually accomplishing victory. Being as it was only September 42, I was rather disappointed really.
I figured oh well, the AI was pretty good, but it is just an AI.
Suddenly my recon units spot an IJN carrier group of two fleet carriers and a CVL near GG. His carriers had not been heard from since the original skirmish with Saratoga and Enterprise.
So his carriers putting in a surprise appearance near New Guinea was a development. Pretty sneaky too for them to get that close without being detected.
'Ah!' I thought, 'something for my carriers to do!'
Hornet and Wasp had just docked in Australia to refuel and give the crews a little shore leave, but I sortie the carrier group as soon as the enemy was detected, in relatively close proximity.
The nearby land based air fdecided that the carriers weren't very important, and so went off to bomb the crap out of a lone minsweeeper and two transports (thanks... ya dweebs), but I figured 'the carriers can handle it. Probably end up in drydock for theoir trouble though'.
The carriers engaged. Planes were launched.
I knew things were going badly when maybe 2/3 of the planes that should have been there actually appeared. Even though I had something like 60 Wildcats, less than 20 escorted the attack runs, and maybe another 25 were actually acting as CAP).
I assume that those pilots wouldn't actually say 'nah, I don't feel like flying today. I'll just stay here in my bunk while we get bombed by the enemy'. More likely they hadoperational losses, or got lost, or something.
Anyway. My fighter escorts shoot down nothing, but several of my Dauntlesses are shot up and about half of the Air Group runs from the battle (they would have been shot for cowardice in he face of the enemy, except it turned out not to be necessary).
Finally the attack run begins. I barely scratched his carriers, denting a light carrier and putting a large hole in the deck of one of his two fleet carriers.
And then his air strike comes in. My fighters, who had been superb in previous engagements, suddenly find that they launched without ammo. And the Kates and Vals are allowed almost unrestricted access to the carriers below.
Both Wasp and Hornet are pounded into scrap metal, and new homes are made for the South Pacific sea life.
Eep.
Suddenly the game is no longer even remotely in the bag!
- - - -
I think I know why it happened. There was a certain degree of bad luck involved, no question. Both my carrier and nearby land based planes performed very badly (assuming they participated at all), that was obvious - and his seemed to perform particularly well (hit a lot, and out of 16 ships in my task force, his bombers all do runs against my carriers and 1 DD).
But my air groups were relatively fatigued with moderate morale. Now I've had air groups perform admirably at these levels, apparently I had been lucky before - or unlucky this time.
And of course, his planes were fresh.
So now they suddenly find they cannot hit their targets, they cannot even find the battle, and in the face of the enemy my pilots suddenly remember that they left the iron on.
Bad, very bad…
The game suddenly becomes much more interesting.