Coral Sea, Day 2, Fight 8

All,

1200

8 May 1942

Greetings, and welcome to my return to the Pacific!  Both the US Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy are on the prowl in the southwestern Pacific; the Japanese have their eyes on Australia, or at least cutting off the lines of communication between the US and Australia, and the Americans are looking to not allow that to happen.  On 3-4 May 1942, while fighting raged on New Guinea, the Japanese attempted secure their flank, sending an invasion fleet into the Solomon Islands to put troops ashore on Tulagi (across the channel from Guadalcanal), in order to conduct an amphibious assault on Port Moresby on 10 May.

But the Americans noted the Japanese invasion force in the Solomons, and the USS Yorktown launched strike aircraft that sunk or damaged several Japanese warships, though now the Japanese were aware the US carriers were in the vicinity, made doubly worse by the fact the Americans were shorthanded: they had only the Yorktown and the Lexington in the area because the Hornet and Enterprise had just returned to Pearl Harbor following the Doolittle Raid.  These were faced by the Japanese fleet carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, and the light carrier Shoho.  The two opposing forces marshalled their troops, refueled, consolidated, and began searching in earnest for each other.

This morning, Lt(jg) Casey led the fighter escort for the Lexington strike force which, combined with the Yorktown's strike force, managed to sink the Japanese light carrier Shoho.  But the Killer Pelicans' escorts had a rough go: they downed three Zeros and damaged another, but they lost one Wildcat, had the other three damaged, and five of their six assigned dive bombers were shot down, the sixth returning to the Lexington, damaged.  Lt Casey scored two more kills to become a Veteran (total of four kills), but he was shot down and badly wounded, which will cause him to miss the Battle of Midway.

Both sides carried out preparation for battle throughout the night, then launched scouts shortly after 0600 the next morning, to find the other side's carriers.  The Americans got lucky first, sighting the Japanese carriers at 0820, though the Japanese were only two minutes behind.  Both sides hurried to turn into the wind and launch their strike groups!  The Japanese launched 18 fighters, 33 dive bombers, and 18 torpedo bombers, while the Yorktown and Lexington launched a combined 15 Wildcats, 39 Dauntlesses, and 21 Devastators, though the Lexington's contingent was about 10 minutes behind the Yorktown's.

At 1055 the Lexington's air search radar acquired the inbound Japanese strike group at a range of 68 nautical miles and vectored nine Wildcats to intercept; it was 1113 local time when Lt(jg) Fitzsimmons again led the Lexington CAP into battle.  And this time he found the enemy, but it didn't work out very well for the Americans.  Lt Fitzsimmons and Lt Allen saw their aircraft damaged, Ens Chipman had to disengage and retreat, but that wasn't the worst of it.  Three Wildcats were shot down, with Ensign Camili being wounded, but Ensigns Gordon and Mann were killed in action, while no Japanese aircraft were shot down, and enemy torpedo bombers managed to put three torpedoes into the USS Lexington.

At 1123, radar contact acquired another Japanese strike group, comprised of Val dive bombers escorted by Zeros, and vectored the Lexington's Combat Air Patrol to intercept.  The six Wildcats charged headlong into the Japanese formation, suffering two aircraft lost (and one pilot KIA) and one damaged in brutal action that saw Ensign Head awarded the Navy Cross for shooting down four enemy aircraft!  Lt Allen added another two kills, and Ensign Chipman added one, with the rest of the Japanese aircraft breaking off the attack, so not a single Val dive bomber was able to press home the attack.  However, the Lexington is still in trouble caused by the torpedo hits earlier.

At 1130, LtCmdr Case led a four-ship escort for "Scouting Two's" SBD Dauntless dive bombers to attack the Japanese carrier Shokaku.  The Japanese CAP was successful, shooting down four of the SBDs and forcing the last two to return to base, damaged, though they lost four of their own (two to defensive fire from SBDs!), with LtCmdr Case and Ens Riggins both scoring kills.

At 1140, LtCmdr Case re-formed his flight of Wildcats and had them escort Bombing Two's SBD Dauntlesses into an attack on the Japanese carrier Zuikaku.  In a wild fight that saw two Dauntlesses shoot down enemy Zeros, then four Dauntlesses arrive over the target but fail to land a single bomb on the target's deck, LtCmdr Case's fighters came through unscathed while downing a single Japaanese fighter.

At 1150, the remaining members of the Lexington's CAP (Lieuntenant (Junior Grade) Allen, Ensign Chipman, and Ensign Head) found themselves between the Japanese strike group and their carrier, so they threw themselves once again at the enemy.  In the end, Ens Chipman scored two kills and Lt Allen scored one, but both were shot down, while three Kates, a Val, and a Zero escaped to fight again.

But it's now 1200, and the Lexington's strike group is on the way back to the carrier when it spots the Japanese strike group returning to their carrier.  LtCmdr Case calls "Tally Ho!" and the four Wildcats zoom in to take one last running shot at the enemy.

This is my arena for aerial combat; simple, yet durable and, to me, beautiful (in a simple, durable way).  I'm using tiny aircraft designed by my buddy Thomaston; not sure what size they are, just that they are much smaller than 1/600.  They're 3D printed models that I mounted on cut-down bases from Litko, and I'm using a very simple rules system called "Battle of Britain," which I found for free over on The Miniatures Page (I've already played a good 20 or so fights with them).  Left is north, with the American strike group there, and the Japanese strike group at right.

The US strike group, from top:

Ensign Riggins, a Regular with two kills (and a Bronze Star) on three sorties

Lieutenant Commander Case, an Ace with eight kills (and the Medal of Honor!) on four sorties

                Dauntless 04

Dauntless 06               Dauntless 02

                Dauntless 03

Ensign Dahlgren, a Regular with one kill on three sorties

Ensign Didier, a Regular with one kill on two sorties

The Japanese strike group, from top:

Zero 01 (Veteran)

        Kate 02
Kate 01
        Kate 04

Val 02

Zero 02 (Regular)

I set it up this way because there were one Zero, three Kates, and one Val left over after fights #3, #4, and #7. I even gave the Japanese an extra Zero, figuring they picked up a straggler somewhere along the way.

We fast forward through the first two turns, and now the battle is met. Let's get it on!

*I knocked damage off of everyone, and sped all the bombers up to four MPs per turn, figuring they'd be lighter without their bombs/torpedoes.

Ens Riggins charges straight in on Zero 01...

While LtCmdr Case is a bit more measured.

Ensign Dahlgren pushes ahead.

And Ens Didier stays with him.

Zero 02 comes around the flank...

While back up top, Zero 01 cuts right, into LtCmdr Case, and takes a front quarter shot, though he misses!

The Dauntlesses take a right to avoid the Japanese formation (though maybe I shouldn't have done this, as well as SBDs have been doing in these games, and as well as they did in real life, as pseudo-fighters).

And the Japanese bombers do the same thing.

Inspiring Ensign Riggins to come right, going head to head with Kate 01.  Both pilots fire, and both pilots miss.

LtCmdr Case comes right around Zero 01, defensive, each fighter pilot with an eye on the enemy sheep, I mean bombers, but one eye on their adversary.

While at the bottom, Ensign Dahgren comes right and takes a front quarter shot on Zero 02...

He squeals with glee as the Zero comes apart under the weight of his .50-cal machine guns!

So Ensign Didier comes hard left to help with Zero 01 (top right).

Zero 01 cuts hard left, in behind LtCmdr Case, but in good shape on the Dauntlesses (far left), keeping his options open, though a bit tentative given the fact he's the sole remaining fighter.

The Dauntlesses come left, straightening out.

And the Japanese bombers follow suit, though they have to split their formation to avoid Ensign Riggins.

Ensign Didier does his job, coming in right and taking a front quarter shot on Zero 01, damaging the enemy fighter!

Ensign Dahlgren cuts hard left, looking to help with Zero 01 (top center) or get after those Japanese bombers (far/top right).

LtCmdr Case figures the situation is well in hand with Zero 01, so he cuts hard left to get after the bombers, though this is really leaving him vulnerable to the damaged enemy bird!

But wait, he flips an Immelman, then lines up a full deflection shot on Zero 01 and cuts loose, though he fails to apply the correct lead and misses!

*Only Aces and NBKs can pull an Immelman and fire in the same turn.  And no, I didn't just make that up, that's always been the case, just haven't had an opportunity, as the way I play it, he has to move at least one square before and after the Immelman in order to be able to fire.  He rolled a '6,' then added one for his Wildcat and one for being an Ace, so he was able to swing it.

Ens Riggins is in amongst the chickens: he cuts hard right but can't line up a shot, but does manage to get close enough to Kate 04 to allow her tail gunner to engage, though he misses.

Zero 01 is in big trouble and is having a hard time figuring a way out, and ends up sputtering ahead, trying to be defensive, trying to make it so the only viable attack on him is a head-to head run by Ens Dahlgren (bottom center right), and though there's no way Ens Didier (far left) can get on him, there's a very good chance LtCmdr Case (top center left) can pull hard left onto his tail.

The SBDs run for home.

As do the Japanese bombers.

As predicted, LtCmdr Case comes on the net: "stand aside boys, and watch how this is done," as he hits the rudder and flips over 90 degrees, onto Zero 01's tail.  He looks down: "damn, my guns are almost dry, better go easy."  With that, he coolly lines up the zero deflection shot.  The damaged Zero attempts evasive maneuvers, but no dice; the US Ace lined up the shot and gave the trigger a gentle squeeze...

Incidentally, he did all that while dodging defensive fire from Kate 04.

The .50-cal rounds set the fuel tank on fire, which almost immediately ripped a wing off.  "Splash one bogey, boys!"

Ens Riggins comes right, giving chase.

Ens Dahlgren jinks over to fire a full deflection shot on Val 02 and misses.

Now it's a turkey shoot, no enemy fighters left, four Wildcats on three Kates and a Val.

Ensign Didier performs the same maneuver to line up a full deflection shot on Kate 02, taking defensive fire from Kate 01, but both miss.

The Dauntlesses are nearly away.

While, against the odds, the Japanese bombers are making good headway.

Then I missed a photo: LtCmdr Case (center) comes hard right and gets straight on Kate 04's tail.  Dodging defensive fire from the torpedo bomber as well as the Val next door (both at left), he lines up another shot and squeezes off another small burst...

He splashes Kate 04, then cuts right, near Kate 01 and 02!

Ens Didier comes left onto Kate 02's tail, dodging defensive fire to line up a shot and damage the enemy torpedo bomber.

As Ensign Riggins comes right onto Val 02's tail, but can't reach...

And Ensign Dahlgren sort of just sputters ahead, starting to worry if he's got enough fuel to make it back to the Lady Lex.

The Dauntlesses run south, nearing the finish line.

While the Val runs north.

As do the two remaining Kates, but as they do they run straight into LtCmdr Case's guns.  The US Navy Ace opens fire on Kate 01...

And damages here, which convinces Kate 02 to turn right to avoid the fire.

*At this point I'm feeling magnanimous, like anything else would be unsporting, so...

With their guns and their fuel tanks nearly drive, LtCmdr Case forms up his Wildcats and they rejoin the Dauntlesses for what they hope will be an uneventful trip back to the Lexington.

As do the Japanese forces, which now consist only of a Val and two damaged Kates.

Hmmm, could have been better, but in the overall scheme of things, the Americans knocked down three Japanese aircraft and didn't lose any, so gotta call that a win.  The US strike group returned home without incident, arriving at approximately 1250 local time, just in time for the Lexington to resume air operations, so they (unlike Ensign Head) got to land at home, rather than on the Yorktown.  By that time, the damage control parties seemed to have everything under control, despite an explosion below decks just several minutes before.

LtCmdr Case scored two kills

Ensign Riggins failed to score

Ensign Dahlgren scored one kill

Ensign Didier failed to score

And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes the aerial dogfights over the Coral Sea on 7 and 8 May 1942.  Here's how it shook out:

Sorties: 37
Losses: 12 F4F Wildcats, with 3 pilots KIA and 4 pilots WIA
Kills: 22 (13 A6M Zeros, 6 D3A Vals, and 3 B5N Kates)

The Killer Pelicans led three strikes that lost 10 of 18 SBD Dauntlesses.  The Killer Pelicans had one pilot awarded the Navy Cross (Ensign Head) and two pilots receive the Bronze Star with 'V' device (Lt Casey and Ensign Riggins).

But back to real life: while damage control had gotten the fires on the Lexington largely under control, gas fumes and electrical fires/sparks were becoming an issue.  Beginning at 1247 there were several sparks that caused explosions, the first killing 25 sailors and starting a fire.  This began a sequence of getting fires under control, only to have an electrical device spark and catch gas fumes on fire; the third and final explosion occurred at 1525, and by 1538 the crew reported the fires were out of control, so at 1707 Lexington's CO, Captain Sherman, ordered his crew to abandon ship.  At 1915 the destroyer Phelps hove to and put five torpedoes into the burning ship, ending her misery at 1952 by sending her to a watery grave 2400 fathoms deep.

Shokaku was sent home to Japan to have its battle damage repaired, while Zuikaku also returned to the home islands in order to replenish its aircraft and pilots.  The Yorktown was ordered back to Pearl Harbor, vice the continental US, for emergency repairs, and this was significant because the Shokaku and Zuikaku would miss the upcoming Battle of Midway, but the Yorktown would not.  The Battle of the Coral Sea was a tactical defeat for the United States, in that it lost a fleet carrier (which it could little afford to lose), but a strategic victory as it stopped the planned amphibious invasion of Port Moresby.  In the fight, the US lost 656 men and 69 aircraft, while the Japanese lost 966 men and 92 aircraft.

The series of fights was a lot of fun; well, okay, not a lot of fun, I sure took my lumps!  But it was fun, and the process worked.  This series of fights was really a great laboratory to figure out exactly what I wanted/needed to do to balance aircraft capabilities and pilot skills.  I think I've got it down, and so I'm ready to keep it rolling.  Next up, I need to play a few fights over New Guinea with my Army squadron, the Chickenhawks, then it's time to stage the invasion of Guadalcanal, finally.

V/R,

Jack