The whole Jap[anese] Navy !

[Maserati]

So it's mid-June. Coral Sea went well, the Japanese took Gili Gili and traded the Shokaku for the Lexington, so I think I'm doing well. My Submarines are sinking transports willy nilly. I put Australian forces into Lunga late in May, wiping out the construction batallion and provoking two night battles with the Mutsu anchoring the IJN forces. I had major reinforcement operation going, the one to Lunga shielded by the Yorktown N of Lunga and Enterprise and Hornet to the SSW. Come daylight I start getting reports of IJN CVs actually in the Slot. "Goody" says I and watch the airstrikes develop.

64 Zeros on CAP.

Sweet Fanny Adams, we're all gonna die ! And, as it turns out, I was right. My strike groups were slaughtered short of the carriers (four hits on Kaga and Zuiho - total reported, not actual), and then came my turn to take a hit. Enterprise was sunk immediately, then Hornet the next day. The second day after the debacle the Yorktown, unable to launch planes, reacted back into striking range of the surviving Japanese carriers. That settled the debacle. It was over, and gruesome in its execution. I'd have taken her off of "React", but with no launch capablility I didn't think she'd react towards anything.

I can grit my teeth and suffer acceptable losses amongst the transports, I can forget to set up LR CAP over said transports once or twice, I can watch aptiently as my Aussies march up the Golden Stair but I can't deal with that. Yorktown plus Long Island isn't much, but the combo can escort transports. Yamamoto must have a hair up his... anyway, how was I to expect FIVE CARRIERS were going to walk into my little trap ? Sure, two were CVLs, but the force still managed to put up the aforementioned 64 Zeros on CAP. Let's say that again together, Sixty Four Zeros. Plus the Vals and Kates to go along with that number. 64 Zeroes, and every single one of them was pissed off. They kicked my butt and sent me home to momma.

Five carriers. Sheesh. Waste of a perfectly good trap.

Has anyone else gotten burned that badly ?

[LargeSlowTarget]

Of course, and worse. That's the fun part of the game [:D].

[CMDRMCTOAST]

My first PBEM I lost the entire carrier fleet two weeks into the war every single
ship.
But now is were you learn grasshopper watching the IJN smack you all the way back to
brisbane.
Play the game out as there is so much to learn being on the defensive, you learn
how to pull a rabbit out of your a$$ in several creative ways.[:D]
It all comes in handy for the next PBEM game, just think now you don't have to worry about the IJN carriers sinking your carrier fleet anymore. ( thats a lot of pressure lifted)

[CMDRMCTOAST]

Oh yah 64 zero's is nothin compared too 140.[:D]

[Larz6235]

What about the other way. I had 120 F4-F Wildcats, 157 Dauntlass, 76 Avengers. Bombing ships in Shortland. Cap 12 AGM2, 9 AGM3. I lost 17 Wildcats, to his 2.

I wanted to cry. Wildcats were falling from the sky. I thought just the shear numerical advantage I would have wiped them out. Wasn't meant to be.