The Solomons Campaign 2017

[paulr]

Ancients game finished, one of the tightest ancients games we have had

The dodgy Roman left became demoralised but with a bit of help from the center managed to kill enough warband to break the British right.
Romans 2 Britians 1 for a Roman home win, a couple more Roman loses and it would have been 2-1 the otherway 

Another Baroque test game next week so the US patrol will have to wait nervously a little longer

[pierre the shy]

We finally played the next campaign encounter last night......another night action around Savo Island between a Japanese bombardment force made up of 5 heavy cruisers plus 3 destroyer divisions and a US patrol force with 2 battleships, 4 heavy cruisers and a destroyer flotilla. 

Looked rather one sided for most of the game but ended up as a somewhat Phyrric victory to the Americans after the Japanese managed to hit the Washington with two Long Lance torpedoes with one of their final torpedo salvos. Washington is heading back to port for major repairs that will take some months to complete which means she is out of the campaign. To balance this out the Japanese had 3 heavy cruisers sunk outright by 16" fire from the Washington and South Dakota.

I'm sure the USN press release will be available soon with a more detailed report         

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Sounds like one hell of a scrap!

[paulr]

It was a hell of a scrap, great fun for the Americans 
Until the end 

The US Battleships thought they were fairly safe as they were over 8,000 yards from the Japanese destroyers and maneuvering fairly radically...
More to come in the USN press release

[paulr]

United States Navy Press Release - November 4, 1942

US forces to the south south east of Savo Island detected ships approaching between Savo and Cape Esperance. They were too far away to determine numbers or types as yet. It looks like the Tokyo Express might have arrived.

The US task force learning from the lessons of the last engagement with the Tokyo Express deployed in one task group of seven destroyers, two battleships and four heavy cruisers. The plan was for the superior radar of the battleships to detect the enemy and allow the task force to deploy favourably.

The weather was good. The cloudless sky revealed the moon and visibility was 16,000 yards reducing the Allied radar advantage.

As the task force headed south west at 15 knots initial radar reports indicated that two initial contacts were ghosts, then three 'small' Japanese ships were detected with more probable ships further north west. As the task force began accelerating radar reports of individual 'large' Japanese ships started to come in.

Out of the darkness the US battleships and lead destroyers spotted two Japanese heavy cruisers. The Washington immediately opened fire on the leading Japanese heavy cruiser. The Japanese reacted slowly not aware of the American approach.

The US battleships turned north towards Savo Island to open their firing arcs. As the second US destroyer division fell into line astern with the leading division the first two US destroyers were caught in the glare of Japanese star shells. Both destroyers were hit hard by 8" shells and the Balch was stopped by a critical hit to steam line. Washington shifted fire to the second Japanese heavy cruiser, scoring 16" hits, as the South Dakota opened fire on the lead cruiser.



The Washington scored more 16" hits on the second Japanese cruiser causing what appeared to be a magazine explosion. The South Dakota continued to range in on the lead Japanese cruiser. Two more Japanese heavy cruisers came into sight as the US destroyers attempted to close the range. The entire Japanese force was turning away while firing more star shells to illuminate the US destroyers. This aided the shooting of the Japanese 8" guns and more US destroyers took damage. Two of the Japanese destroyers near Savo Island fired torpedoes at the US battleships at over 9,000 yards. The leading two Japanese cruisers also fired torpedoes.



Both US battleships turned south west away from Savo Island and to stop the range opening to rapidly. The Washington shifted fire to the furthest Japanese cruiser with the aim of slowing her before she escaped. The South Dakota got some 16" hits on the leading Japanese cruiser. The US destroyers all withdrew to avoid further fire from the Japanese heavy cruisers. The US heavy cruisers picked a path through the withdrawing and damaged US destroyers and the San Francisco opened fire on the fourth Japanese cruiser. The Japanese cruisers continued to inflict damage on the withdrawing US destroyers. The Japanese destroyers near Savo Island fired a second salvo of torpedoes, the rear destroyer who hadn't been able to fire in the first salvo fired all eight torpedoes.

Despite the radical course changes by the US battleships the Japanese had successfully predicted the course of their targets. The Washington narrowly avoided two spreads of four torpedoes from the destroyers and the South Dakota the same from the cruisers, both at over 8,000 yards.



The US battleships turned north west to close the range and hopefully avoid more Japanese torpedoes. The US destroyers continued to withdraw while the US heavy cruisers continued to deploy. The Washington scored more 16" hits on the slowing Japanese cruiser and sank her as she was passed by her withdrawing companion who managed to disappear into the darkness.   The South Dakota, San Francisco and Portland concentrated on the now limping lead Japanese cruiser. Unable to escape her commander ordered her scuttled as the Emperor's picture was taken to safety.



As the surviving Japanese ships withdrew to the north west and the US ships regrouped the South Dakota avoided two more spreads of four torpedoes at over 8,000 yards. The Washington was not so lucky, she was the target for the last desperate salvo of eight torpedoes by the last Japanese destroyer able to fire.

Two torpedoes found their target causing significant damage. What had been an overwhelming US victory was suddenly a costly victory.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Wow!
Love be the starshells idea too, will be stealing that!

[pierre the shy]

Love be the starshells idea too, will be stealing that!

They are from "The Fights on!" range Leemey. The 10cm circles are cut out of a transparent yellow/orange file cover I got from a local stationery shop.

[Ace of Spades]

A great read as always! These LL torpedoes really should be forbidden by law...
What were the sunken IJN CA's names if I may ask?

Cheers,
Rob

[pierre the shy]

They were Myoko, Haguro and Kinugasa.

The GQ2 torpedo system is the most elegant one I have used in a set of C20 naval rules. The Japanese torpedoes have long range (90cm over two turns) but the launching player has to guess the correct arc that the target ship will be in each turn at the time the torpedoes are launched. Roy, our Japanese player, seems to have mastered this skill well     

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Thank you

[paulr]

They were Myoko, Haguro and Kinugasa.

The GQ2 torpedo system is the most elegant one I have used in a set of C20 naval rules. The Japanese torpedoes have long range (90cm over two turns) but the launching player has to guess the correct arc that the target ship will be in each turn at the time the torpedoes are launched. Roy, our Japanese player, seems to have mastered this skill well     

I also really like the torpedo system, a good balance of skill and luck. It also forces the commander fired at to make some tough decisions on how to react to the torpedoes

It was definitely a very impressive bit of second guessing my course changes by Roy. He managed to guess two lots of my course changes seven times

Fortunately with only four torpedoes per spread he couldn't manage to roll the 1 he needed to get a hit (at long range and my battleships doing 28 knots). Unfortunately the last spread was 8 torpedoes which improved his odds and a roll of 2 was good enough to get the two hits

[Ace of Spades]

So you didn't get it for free but a damaged BB against those three IJN CA's is a very good deal strategically! IJN fuel supplies are so minimal at this point in history that it will be hard for them to ge their BB's into action while the much more economic CA's are being sunk. Hats off to the USN again...

Cheers,
Rob

[pierre the shy]

So you didn't get it for free but a damaged BB against those three IJN CA's is a very good deal strategically! IJN fuel supplies are so minimal at this point in history that it will be hard for them to ge their BB's into action while the much more economic CA's are being sunk. Hats off to the USN again...

Cheers,
Rob

Quite correct Rob about the fuel, TSC campaign book limits the number of Japanese capital ships that can sortie to 5 or 6 each monthly turn. If Yamato sorties it counts as 3 sorties!! She has not been sighted by the Americans.......so far 

Points wise the loss of the Washington is about equal to the 3 CA's.

[paulr]

She's not lost, only resting

Not even damaged enough to count half towards Victory Points... or so I'll tell the other American commander when I see him next

[Ace of Spades]

Interesting with the fuel points and all that! Don't worry about the Yamato too much; Henderson wasn't bombed this month apparently so should be able to get some good air cover back up and running. If she comes at night on a bombing mission I would avoid surface action and take the losses on the Cactus AF. She won't be back soon with that amount of fuel consumption. Then again; if she uses up that much fuel there won't be many escorts... maybe you should oppose her?

Cheers,
Rob

[paulr]

You've nicely captured just one of the many dilemmas this campaign throws up

It manages to do so with very little book keeping and generates a wide array of battles all with different challenges

All of which is why I am enjoying it so much

I wonder who is winning

[Poggle]

I'm enjoying these campaign accounts a lot. Thanks for sharing. 

[paulr]

The rest of the November turn was less eventful

• USN bombarded Japanese positions west of Henderson field
• some supplies may have arrived for the hard pressed Marines (can't say too much, loose lips and all that)
• Reconnaissance aircraft from Henderson spotted withdrawing Japanese supply ships, the strike by the Cactus air force could not locate them due to bad weather

Then, on Thursday Pierre the Shy, our umpire, asked if Vandegrift was feeling confident

Before our Dunkirk themed game last night Pierre and the Japanese players spent some time in a huddle



The Japanese did indeed launch a major assault on the Marine positions around Henderson Field 



The Marines held 

The land part of the campaign is resolved by dice rolls, the odds are impacted by the value of the Tactical Index

The Tactical Index is influenced by the arrival (or not) of supplies and bombardments (results of which are known only by the recipient and umpire)
Neither side knows what the index is unless they use one of their limited 'missions' to launch a 'reconnaissance in force'

[lowlylowlycook]

This whole thing sounds very interesting and very fun.

Jelly.

[paulr]

Yes and yes

But you missed out a few:

• nerve wracking
• surprising
• frustrating  
• fascinating
• tense

But most of a whole lot of fun

We are using Old Dominion GameWorks, "The Solomons Campaign" and I would highly recommend it to any group with an interest in WW II naval
We are using General Quarters I/II for the battles rather than GQ III