Dutch East Indies #13

All,

It's noon on Valentine's Day, 14 February 1942, at an Allied airbase at Koepang, Dutch Timor, on the eastern edge of the Dutch East Indies (DEI).  The VF-63 Killer Pelicans, led by Lieutenant Shawn Collins and sporting brand new F4F Wildcats, were on the way to Philippines when the decision was made three days ago to cancel that trip and instead divert them to the DEI, so the USS Langley made a quick detour to Timor, dropped them off, and headed to Australia.  The Naval aviators had just enough time to get settled in and check their aircraft out before incoming bogeys of the Japanese 1st Air Fleet, operating out of Kendari, Celebes (captured 24 Jan 1942), were spotted.  The Killer Pelicans immediately scrambled four Wildcats to meet the enemy.

Yesterday the Pelicans shot down three Oscars and two Helens, at the cost of three of their own precious Wildcats, and the radar station at Koepang suffered moderate damage (13/32), though one of their pilots (Fitzsimmons) won the Navy Cross, scoring three kills before getting shot down.

My new setup.  Yes, it's homegrown and ugly, and I'll get it fixed, but bear with me, this and the following five fights are all on some posterboard that I gridded myself and my daughter colored.  Hey, it works...

I'm using some amazing, but teeny-tiny aircraft from "Thomaston," whom I met over on The Wargames Website when he posted some pics of what he calls "Tiny Air Combat" (https://www.thewargameswebsite.com/forums/topic/tiny-air-combat/page/3/), and I'm using some simple rules posted by "Tango" over on The Miniatures Page (http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=489811). 

Part of the cool thing with the rules is the campaign set up: the campaign starts with the Japanese having six sets of two fighters and six sets of three bombers, while the Americans have six sets of three fighters.  Each game you roll 2D6 per set to determine which 'flights' will be present in the fight, and if that 'flight' previously fought and suffered casualties, that is reflected in the current fight.  For example, the Americans have four fighters on the table; this is because they have one three-plane 'flight' that has not fought before, but they have one one-plane 'flight' because that flight fought in the last game and lost two of its three aircraft.  The Japanese have four fighters because they have two two-plane 'flights' that have not fought before, but they have four bombers because one three-plane flight has not fought before, but the other lost two of its three aircraft in the last game.

Rather than go 'one flight of three and one flight of one,' I opted to split the USN into two two-plane sections (which is how they flew in real life anyway).  From left to right:
Pelly 16, Lt (jg) French
Pelly 12, Ens Bruce
Pelly 10, Lt (jg) Case
Pelly 11, Ens Green

The incoming Japanese of the 1st Air Fleet: four Ki-49 "Helens" escorted by four Ki-43 "Oscars".  Because I'm dumb, lazy, and cheap I am using G4M Bettys as the Helens and A6M Zeros as the Oscars.  I have since purchased some actual Ki-43 Oscars, working on getting them painted up.  The Japanese, from left to right:
Oscar 02 and 01
Helen 02, 01 (top), 04 (bottom), and 03
Oscar 03 and 04

Turn 1.

Turn 2.

Turn 3.  Tally Ho!!!

Oscar 01 and 02 cut right...

Ensign Green turns into them, going head to head with Oscar 02, guns blazing...

He misses and flashes by (top left), as Lt Case turns hard right into Oscar 01, head to head, guns blazing, and the Japanese fighter crashes into the sea!  Splash one for Lt Case; it shan't be the last!

With the Japanese fighters in the south (bottom center) taking a much more passive approach, Ens Bruce and Lt French say 'hell with it' and charge straight in on the bombers (center right).

Forcing them to break formation.

Looking to avenge his wingman, Oscar 02 goes head to head with Lt Case, guns blazing...

But misses and flashes by (bottom right).

While in the south, Oscar 03 and 04 cut left (bottom center) in pursuit of Ens Bruce and Lt French.

Ens Green (top center) and Lt Case (bottom right) loiter, biding their time to allow the Japanese bombers to come around.

While Ens Bruce (top right) and Lt French (bottom left) turn into the Japanese bombers.
*Lt French is clearly in position to fire on the Japanese bomber, not sure why I didn't, or if I did, I certainly didn't annotate it in my notes...

And the Japanese bombers press east.

Oscar 02 pushes through the bombers (far right) while Oscars 03 and 04 cut right behind Lt French's Wildcat (top left).

And Oscar 03 makes his move, coming left and taking a deflection shot on Lt French...

The Japanese pilot misses and pulls alongside Lt French.

Lt French cuts inside him (bottom left), heading for the bombers, while Ensign Bruce actually cuts hard right (bottom center right), back through the bomber formation, to get a bead on Oscar 02.  He fires and misses...

In the north, Lt Case (center) and Ens Green (top left) are having a hard time getting their stuff together to engage the damn Japanese bombers...

And the bombers press east, happy to let the fighters duke it out.

Oscar 02 is desperate to get away from Ens Green (right), so he cuts hard right (center), but it puts him right in front of Lt French (left).  Oscar 04 finds himself getting left behind so he cuts hard right, back east (bottom left), while Oscar 03 cuts right (center top left), trying to get in position to help Oscar 02 out.  Very interesting that the Japanese fighters all got forced into purely defensive maneuvers this turn.

Ens Bruce gets tired of messing with the enemy fighters and kicks it into gear, moving on the bombers (bottom right from bottom left).

As Oscar 02 (right) feared, Lt French pushes straight in on him, guns blazing, but he misses!

Then cuts hard left, between Oscar 03 and Oscar 02.

In the north, Lt Case cuts hard left and takes a terrible deflection shot on Helen 02...

He misses Helen 02 (left), but pushes over hard left and fires on Helen 03, braving defensive fire from both.  The six .50-cal MGs rip the Helen to shreds!  Splash two for Lt Case!

And with Lt Case leading the way (bottom right), Ens Green pushes in on Helen 02.  Both aircraft open fire, and both are damaged!

And the bombers push east, less one of their own.

Oscar 04 pushes left (center bottom), but can't quite reach Ens Bruce (far right)…

While Oscar 02 cuts right (center top) in pursuit of Lt Case (far right), ending up just below Ens Green's damaged Wildcat.  Oscar 03 (left) finds himself to close to Lt French, he's going to overshoot...

So he shoots past French (top left) and pounces on Ens Bruce (far right), with Oscar 04 (bottom center) looking on and thinking 'hey, that's my target!'  Oscar 03 opens fire on Ensign Bruce...

But misses, and again he overshoots!

In the north, Ens Green cuts left, placing his damaged (yellow bead) Wildcat between Oscar 02 and his leader, Lt Case, like a good wingman.

Which allows Lt Case to bounce Helen 02, finishing her off, though Lt Case's Wildcat was damaged by defensive fire!  Splash three for Lt Case!

Lt Case is licking his chops: he immediately zooms in on Helen 04, guns blazing, and shoots it down!  Splash four for Lt Case!

With Ens Green shielding Oscar 02 (top center), Lt Case tearing it up in the center (far right), and Ens Bruce (center bottom right) in a bit of trouble with two enemy fighters (center right bottom), Lt French cuts right (center) to help him out.

The last remaining Japanese bomber, Helen 01, pushes east, running for his life.

In the south, Oscar 04, jumps Ens Bruce's tail, guns spitting lead, but he misses!

While Oscar 02 leaves Ens Green (top center), cutting right (center) and lining up a shot on Lt French...

But he also misses, and so he cuts left (top left) to tail Lt Case (top right).  Oscar 03 comes left (bottom right), hoping to stop Lt Case's reign of terror.
*I've never seen so many 1s and 2s, I'm actually starting to feel bad for the Japanese.  They need some range time, bad!

But he (bottom left) can't.  He watches helplessly as Lt Case pushes his damaged Wildcat through the tracers snapping out of the tail gun, and the Wildcat's .50-cals do their bloody work, turning the Helen into so many matchsticks.

Splash five for Lieutenant Case!  Quite incredible, we have an instant ace.

But the fight's not over: Ens Bruce has got enemy fighters all over him and panics, sputtering forward (center).  Lt French (top left) curses under his breath...

Then jinks left and right, putting his bird between the two!

But Ens Green (top center) is flustered, too, and doesn't manage to get into the fight to help his comrades out, which leaves the door open for Oscar 02 (center)…

The veteran Japanese pilot pushes over (center top) and lines a shot up on Ens Bruce (bottom right), splashing him.

And with that, three Japanese fighters head west, and three US fighters head east, towards home.  A successful action for the Yanks, nary a bomb fell on the Koepang radar station today!

The Japanese lost one fighter and four bombers, while the Americans lost only one fighter.  So the worse news is, Ensign Bruce's parachute was spotted, but he's now listed as MIA.  The bad news is that only one American pilot scored a victory, and the good news is that it was Lt Case, and he got five of them, becoming the Killer Pelicans' first ace, and, in a country desperate for good news and heroes, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Case was awarded the Medal of Honor and meritoriously promoted to Lieutenant.

Next fight coming right up.

V/R,
Jack