Battle of Midway, Fight #3

All,

0645 local time
4 June 1942
Midway

It's 4 June 1942, the dawn of the epic "Battle of Midway," a clash of giants, three US carriers vs four Japanese carriers that proved to be the turning point of the war in the Pacific. For more information, both real-life and how I'm running this campaign, please check here:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2019/11/battle-of-midway-campaign-plan.html

Yesterday at 0900 a US Navy PBY Catalina spotted Japanese ships 500nm west southwest of Midway; B-17s from the island were dispatched but failed to hit anything. US Navy PBYs continued to shadow the Japanese surface force, and actually attacked at 0100 this morning, scoring a torpedo hit on a Japanese merchant ship. Unbeknownst to US personnel, the Japanese carrier task force, as yet still unspotted, launched its first strike group against Midway at 0430. At 0530, the PBYs spotted the Japanese carriers, and noted their strike group inbound.

At 0610 the VMF-343 "Dirt Divers" scrambled six F4F Wildcats to intercept an inbound group of six D3A "Val" dive bombers escorted by four A6M "Zeros," but were roughly handled, having three Wildcats shot down and the other three damaged, as the Japanese lost one Zero and one Val. The Japanese aerial attack caused 18/30 damage points.

At 0625 Captain Haynes led six Wildcats to intercept an inbound group of six B5N "Kate" torpedo bombers escorted by four A6M "Zeros."  Again it was rough: the Marines lost five of six aircraft, with one pilot KIA, one MIA, and two WIA, while the Japanese lost four of their six torpedo bombers, which did light damage to Midway's shore installations (26/30, total).

So it's now 0645 and the Dirt Divers are escorting a flight of six TBF torpedo bombers to attack the Japanese carriers, running right into the Japanese CAP of six Zeros.

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 Japanese strike group there, and the American interceptors at right.

The US strike group, from left to right:

2nd Lt Higbe, a Regular on his first combat mission
Major Chandler, a Veteran with two kills on three sorties

      TBF 02       TBF 05
TBF 01       TBF 04
      TBF 03       TBF 06*

Captain Broussard, a Regular with no kills on his second sortie

2nd Lt Offerdahl, a Rookie on his first combat mission

*The story is that, at this point, the Grumman torpedo bombers were just known as "TBFs," but after Midway they got the name "Avengers."

My Grumman TBF Avengers, first time seeing the table.  That's gotta be a good omen, right?

The Japanese CAP, from top right:

Zero 03, a Veteran
Zero 01, an Ace
Zero 02, a Veteran

Zero 06, a Regular
Zero 04, a Veteran
Zero 05, a Veteran

We fast forward through the first three turns in order to bring you straight into the action. Time to fight!

And we get straight into action, with Major Chandler, Squadron Leader of the Dirt Divers, pulling hard left onto Zero 03's tail.  He lines up his shot and pulls the trigger...

Jammed!  He curses and pulls left, in big trouble with Zeros 01 and 02 behind him.

His wingman does his job, rather valiantly, I might add, pulling left to cover his tail!

Lt Offerdahl is experiencing some engine troubles, but tries to catch up.

As Captain Broussard pulls over with the TBFs, eyeballing Zero 06 coming in high and fast.

Zero 02 laughs at Major Chandler's ineptness (right), then, deciding he poses no threat, cuts right to get after the TBFs (just visible at far right).

Zero 03 laughs at Major Chandler, too, then jinks over and goes head to head with TBF 01.  Both pilots open fire...

But both pilots miss and Zero 03 flashes past, now going head to head with TBF 04.  Again both pilots open fire, but this time TBF 01's tail gunner joins in as well...

Zero 03 scores, knocking TBF 04 into the sea, but his Zero took several hits and he's damaged, too.

Still chuckling at Major Chandler's abortive attack (right, above Zero 02), he respects Lt Higbe's noble gesture to protect his leader, but he doesn't want to run through Higbe's guns, so he jinks over, into a tailing position on the young Lieutenant.

Down below, Zero 06 jinks past Captain Broussard, into oncoming traffic.

While Zero 04 is more direct, coming left and opening fire on Captain Broussard...

20mm cannon rounds thrash the hell out of Captain Broussard's Wildcat, showering him with shards of glass and shell splinters.  He bails out and is picked up; slightly wounded, he'll be out for a couple weeks.

Zero 05 cruises ahead, eyeballing Lt Offerdahl (bottom right).

*Okay, stick with me here, this is about to get complicated.  The TBFs are moving up, but the Japanese fighters have positioned themselves so that the TBFs are going to run through their fields of fire.

The TBFs move up their 1st step, which causes Zero 04 (bottom left) to take a frontal quarter deflection shot at TBF 03, damaging the American torpedo bomber.

Moving up their 2nd step causes this:
1) Avengers 05 and 06 (the two tail-end Charlies, center right)have their tail gunners fire on Zero 03 (right), but both miss.
2) Zero 02 (top left) takes a front quarter deflection shot on TBF 02 and misses.
3) Zero 06 (left bottom) goes head to head with TBF 03, with both pilots opening fire...

Both Zero 06 and TBF 03 score hits, smiting each other!

The four remaining TBFs move up their 3rd step, allowing Zero 04 (bottom left) to fire on TBF 06, and TBF 02 (center left top) to open fire on Zero 02...

Zero 04 (bottom center left) misses, but TBF 02 shoots down Zero 02 (top left)!!!

Lt Offerdahl continues to experience engine problems.  Or he's yellah!

Major Chandler, his confidence shaken by his guns jamming on his last attack (they didn't jam, he just missed an incredibly easy shot), suffers his own moment of indecision, and passes straight and level through the TBF formation, worthless...

The good, brave Lt Higbe does his best to stay with his flight leader, coming left, taking a full deflection shot on Zero 04 and missing.

Zero 03 is badly damaged enough that he needs to return to his carrier.

And Zero 05 continues plodding along towards Lt Offerdahl, both seemingly content to sit out the real fighting in order to shadow box with each other.

Dammit, I missed a picture: Zero 04 cuts hard left and takes a tailing shot on TBF 02, knocking her from the sky (puff at top center).  Zero 04 then cuts left, right onto TBF 01's tail, dodging tracers from the torpedo bomber's tail gunner as he presses home his attack...

Zero 04 splashes his second TBF on one pass and cuts left!

Zero 01 comes right and takes a front quarter deflection shot on TBF 05...

He misses the TBF (center), then jinks over onto Major Chandler's tail and opens fire, but misses that shot, too!  Guns jam, Mister Samurai?  Who's laughing now?  

*And check this @#$% out!  I've played a hundred of these dogfights now, and I still screw them up!  At first I though I missed a picture, but no, I missed the whole damn thing: the turn sequence is 1) escorts go, 2) interceptors go, and 3) bombers go.  I forgot to move the damn TBFs this move!!!

Determined to finally make something happen, or maybe he's just asleep at the wheel, Lt Offerdahl charges straight in, head to head, on Zero 05.  Both pilots open fire...

The Zero misses, but Lt Offerdahl hits him, damaging the flimsy Japanese fighter, then comes right.  He seems a bit too happy for only damaging the enemy aircraft, and just turned his tail to him...

Major Chandler cuts hard left, defensive.

Meanwhile, Lt Higbe jinks past Lt Offerdahl, over into a great tailing position on Zero 05, looking to finish him off...

But he misses and comes alongside.

*I'll be damned!  Why?  This is incredible.  It's like the American fighters just can't hit anything their first few games of each campaign.

Zero 05 is damaged badly enough to have to return to his carrier.

As the other damaged enemy fighter, Zero 03, keeps running for his.

But Zero 01 is still in the fight, and he's pissed: he comes right, directly onto TBF 06's tail.  The US tail gunner opens fire, as does the Japanese Ace...

TBF 06 burst into flames and rolls over onto its back before plunging into the ocean, as Zero 01 presses home his attack.  The Japanese pilot is again dodging incoming tracer rounds from an American tail gunner, and he sends tracers right back...

TBF 05 is damaged, and Zero 01 pulls alongside.

Zero 04 jinks past Lt Higbe, onto Lt Offerdahl's tail, where he locks in and opens fire, but he misses!

*I guess it's just fighters vs fighters where the dice aren't working today.  Must be that, because the TBFs are doing alright against the Zeros, and the Zeros are sure as hell doing alright against the TBFs.

Lt Offerdahl comes hard left, around Zero 04, defensive.

As Lt Higbe pulls hard right and takes a full deflection shot on Zero 01, missing.

Major Chandler comes left, looking to do something useful, maybe.

Turns out the last remaining TBF, 05, is damaged badly enough that she has to return to base, which ends the mission.

The Japanese Zeros disengage, looking to climb into position to intercept the next American attack, having suffered the loss of two Zeros and two more damaged.

As the three remaining F4F Wildcats to shepherd the damaged TBF to safety.

Good grief, another travesty of a fight.  Yes, the Marines only lost one Wildcat, but they lost five (5!!!) of their TBFs!  And sure, the Japanese lost two Zeros, but they were both shot down by the torpedo bombers!!!  Having said that, that's pretty historically accurate, as the Wildcats and TBFs were both savaged in real life.  Here's the tally:

Major Chandler failed to score and was overall worthless

Captain Broussard, a Regular with no kills on his second sortie

2nd Lt Higbe failed to score, but that's mostly because he was being a great wingman to Maj Chandler

2nd Lt Offerdahl failed to score, was mostly worthless, but did manage to damage a Zero and become a Regular

But the Marine escorts are right back in action, because SBD Dauntlesses of VMSB-241 (that's "Marine Scouting and Bombing Squadron 241') are on the way, looking to land some 500-pound bombs on the Japanese carriers.  Here's to hoping things get better with them Wildcat shooting dice.

V/R,
Jack