Command Modern Ops - The Final Countdown - Option 2

 Here goes the 2nd test. This time the strategy is to wait until the Japanese actually start attacking Pearl before declaring hostilities. But that doesn't mean the Nimitz won't be "locked and loaded" at that point - just like in the movie.

Below is the initial detection of the IJN fleet on December 6th.

During most of the day on the 6th the Nimitz steams NNE at 25kts to close the IJN Fleet for a strike the next morning. Later in the night she turns East to split the range equally between the IJN Fleet and Pearl.

Dawn slowly breaks over Pearl and Battleship Row…

0600 Dec 7th - over the next 2hrs history will be dramatically changed (so much for my Histrionics).

At 0600 the IJN starts launching their First Wave. In anticipation, the Nimitz launches an air group (9 F-14's, 1 A-6D Tanker, 1 E-2C) to patrol off of Oahu to the west. Their mission is to watch the IJN First Wave and then attack it after the first bomb/torpedo is dropped.

Below is an image at 0646. The IJN First Wave is on its way to Pearl, while the Nimitz air group is mostly in position patrolling west of Pearl. E-2C/VA-124 is still enroute.

As the IJN First Wave closes Pearl the Nimitz next launches its IJN Fleet Strike Group. The AC move to a Patrol/Staging area west of the IJN Fleet to be ready to attack after the Pearl attack.

IJN First Wave feet dry over Oahu. To the west, the Nimitz Fighter Group is standing by to attack.

The IJN Pearl attack begins.

The US BBs are already opening fire w/AAA - next time around I will try to prevent/minimize this to be more realistic.

In response the Nimitz F-14s salvo their Phoenixes.

Against Vals and Kates the Phoenixes get a better percentage to hit - 60% vs the 30% against the more agile Zeroes in the first test.

Eventually, the F-14's start reaching Pearl and a real free for all starts - wonder what the sailors on the BBs are thinking seeing all this?

The First Wave finishes its attack - most damage to the USS Tennessee - minor damage to a number of other BBs. Then they start their return flight to the IJN fleet - chased by a few F-14s until I RTB them.

Below is the tally:

SIDE: IJN

LOSSES:

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12x Nakajima B5N2 Kate

52x Aichi D3A2 Val

45x Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 Zero

SIDE: Nimitz

LOSSES:

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4x F-14A Tomcat

The Pearl Attack got busy but my computer was able to chug thru it. During the heat of the battle, I could not pause the game or change the zoom (but at least no crashes). Because of this, I decided to wait until the battle was over before releasing the Nimitz IJN Fleet Strike Group.

Below is an image of the first stage of the attack on the IJN Fleet. The 12 F-14's of VF-213 are sent in first to clear out the IJN CAP. Missiles are flying, dogfights are starting, and the rest of the IJN CAP is reacting in support.

And another free for all ensues as the fighters begin their dance.

Next the A-6's launch their AGM-62 Walleyes at standoff range. I tried to auto target just the carriers but the mission settings overrode and picked the closest targets instead. Luckily the first pair off Walleyes nailed the Hiryu and sank it outright (already gone on the below image). The rest of the Walleyes started targeting the IJN screen although a few locked on to a number of IJN carriers. I will manually target the A7's when it's their turn…

Later AAA was getting thick over the IJN Fleet. In the image below the F-14s are low and slow (relatively) because they were taking out just launched Zero's trying to help with the IJN CAP.

Now that the IJN CAP has been decimated and the A-6/Walleyes have softened the IJN Fleet, I send in the A-7's with their iron bombs (Mk82). For the A-7's I first unassigned them from the strike mission and then manually assigned the weapons/bombs to their targets (IJN CVs) to ensure they attacked the desired targets.

The lead A7's score some hits starting to damage the IJN carriers. Then the one I call "John Wayne" in an A7 (VA-87 #11) nails the Soryu - 4 out of 6 Mk82s score hits and sends her to join her sister the Hiryu on their way to the bottom…

Wave after wave of A-7's streak thru the IJN Fleet focusing on the carriers. Below you see hits on the Zuikaku and Akagi with more A-7's inbound.

As the last group of A-7's start their run only the Akagi was left of the Kido Butai. She had been attacked as many times as the other IJN carriers but had been only moderately damaged. Maybe it was because she was closely escorted by the two BB's in the fleet. The last 3 A-7's all targeted the Akagi - and her luck was about to run out.

Below the first 2 A-7's have finished their runs - the white circles are their misses. The third A-7 has just released its bombs…

The last A-7 of the strike radios to the Nimitz:

"Scratch 6 Flattops!"

And as the Nimitz strike group returns home the IJN First Wave is starting to return, low on gas, but with nowhere to land…

And below is the tally:

SIDE: IJN

LOSSES:

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144x Nakajima B5N2 Kate

133x Aichi D3A2 Val

108x Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 Zero

1x IJN Hiryu

5x IJN Kagero

1x IJN Tone

1x IJN Soryu

1x IJN Zuikaku

1x IJN Kagi

1x IJN Shokaku

1x IJN Akagi

SIDE: Nimitz

LOSSES:

-------------------------------

10x F-14A Tomcat

11x A-7E Corsair II

Some serious losses to the Nimitz Air Group - especially if they don't return to 1980.

This ending lends itself better to the strategic big picture.

1. The Japanese attacked first and when added to their attacks in other areas of the Pacific will probably generate the same public outcry. Perhaps the rallying cry will be "Remember the Tennessee!"

2. The IJN striking power has been gutted with its 6 main carriers on their way to the bottom. The naval battle against the IJN going forward will be much more manageable - especially if the Nimitz sticks around.

3. If the Nimitz sticks around she will definitely give the US a leg up technology-wise against the Axis - but if not FDR can use smoke and mirrors to intimidate the Axis with the US's alleged superweapons.

This run thru was a lot of fun. Got frustrated with my mistakes over Pearl but by the time of the A-7 runs on the IJN Fleet I was on the edge of my seat with each bomb run. The last A-7, on the last bomb run, sank the last IJN carrier - can't get better timing in a movie.

Some Lessons Learned:

1. When launching a large strike/many AC - first send to a patrol staging area to wait for all AC to get airborne before releasing on the actual strike mission. Ensures strike does not go out in smaller packets as AC launch and instead goes out all together.

2. If tankers present set AC/mission to no refueling when actual strike starts to prevent an early return to the tanker.

3. If want Fighter AC to use guns turn off RTB Winchester to prevent RTB on AAM exhaustion

4. Computer chugging to run everything at 1 sec - impossible to stop/change elevation but no crash w/recorder off.

5. Auto targeting specific ships does not appear to override the Mission target list BUT Manual targeting weapons AFTER unassigning from missions does work.

6. Wish for scenario events system - assign same AC to multiple sequentially triggered missions. Or is this possible now?

One more test to do - redirect the IJN First Wave to attack the Nimitz.

Maybe the CO of the Nimitz contacts the IJN Fleet and tries to "talk" them out of their attack. Instead, the IJN Fleet somehow locates the Nimitz and sends the first wave against her instead of Pearl. 24 F-14s vs the First Wave. At least I won't have to manually target the IJN Vals and Kates…