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All,
It’s noon on 19 February 1942, at an Allied airbase at Koepang, Dutch Timor, on the eastern edge of the Dutch East Indies (DEI). The Killer Pelicans have scrambled three Wildcats to meet the enemy.
Yesterday the Pelicans shot down one Oscar and one Helen, at the cost of two of their own precious Wildcats (Ensign Radecek made it back to base, but Lieutenant Collins, the Squadron Commander, was KIA), and a nearby munitions factory was nearly destroyed (10 more damage points, 29/32).
Two days ago the Pelicans shot down one Helen and lost their only Wildcat engaged, with Lt Dapper being declared Missing In Action. Two Japanese bombers bombed the munitions factory, causing moderate damage (11 more points, 19/32).
Three days ago the Pelicans shot down one Oscar and three Helens, at the cost of three of their own precious Wildcats (Lt Case made it back to base, shot, Ensign Green made it back safely, and Ensign Davis was KIA), and the radar station at Koepang was destroyed while a nearby munitions factory was lightly damaged (8/32).
Four days ago the Pelicans shot down one Oscar and one Helen, at the cost of two of their own precious Wildcats (Lt French made it back to base, burned badly, Ensign Bordagaray was KIA), and the radar station at Koepang was lightly hit (another ten damage points, 23/32).
Five days ago the Pelicans shot down one Oscar and four Helens, at the cost of one of their own precious Wildcats (and the pilot, Ens Bruce, is missing), and the radar station at Koepang was not hit (still 13/32), and one of their pilots (Lt Case) won the Medal of Honor, scoring five kills to become the Pelicans’ first ace.
Six days ago 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.
Last run out of the poster board playing surface, thanks for bearing with me! Three Wildcats climbing to intercept three Helens escorted by two Oscars.
As usual, it’s an aerial melee! To see the fight, please check the blog at:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2018/12/dutch-east-indies-18.html?m=1At this stage of the game, the Killer Pelicans are down to 5 serviceable aircraft and Koepang is in danger of being overrun by Japanese landing forces, and so the evacuation is ordered and they boarded a ship for northern Australia, hoping to re-group and get back in the fight to halt the Japanese onslaught across the Pacific.
Total score:
Japanese fighters shot down: 8
Japanese bombers shot down: 13US Navy fighters shot down: 13
Land Targets destroyed: 2.44 of 3.00My next campaign stop is with the USAAF Chickenhawks, flying their P-40s out of Australia and then New Guinea, but back to the USN Killer Pelicans for action in the Coral Sea and Midway, then linking up with the USMC Dirt Divers out of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. By that point I’ll be working the ground side of the Solomons as well, maybe back to some cruiser actions on the water. Stay tuned!
V/R,
JackAll,
So I’ve gotten deep into Thomaston’s “Tiny Air Combat,” having bought and mounted a slew of them:
The whole mess, a ton of WWII and Post-WWII stuff.
I finished up all the WWII stuff. I’d been playing a makeshift gaming surface; I’m happy to report that I’ve finished my new, permanent gaming surface, which you can see under the box holding the aircraft.
A closeup of an SBD Dauntless on the new gaming surface. What, you’re 1/900-1/1200 aircraft don’t have red and white tailstripes? 😉
To see a bunch more pics, please check the blog at:
https://blackhawkhet.blogspot.com/2018/12/tiny-air-combat-wwii.htmlAnyway, wanted to show off what I’d finished in terms of aircraft and my new board, and I’m looking at getting those USAAF P-40s into the action this weekend.
V/R,
JackI didn’t know you spent that much on my planes. That’s a lot of aircraft, what are your plans for the modern stuff?
The European aircraft are done. Are you after 6 each?F6F for scale
All,
It’s noon on 19 January 1942 (yes, we’ve gone back in time about a month from the seven Killer Pelicans dogfights I just posted), and only days before a squadron of US Army Air Force P-40 Warhawks under Captain Brian Jordan was sent to Makassar on the southwest tip of the island of Celebes, to aid in the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) defense of the Dutch East Indies (DEI) from the marauding forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. Captain Jordan and his men with their eighteen sleek, Curtiss Warhawks quickly settled into life on the dusty tropical airfield, happy be in the fight and ready to avenge Pearl Harbor!
As a matter of fact, just yesterday Captain Jordan and three of his pilots took to the air and managed to shoot down three enemy fighters and two enemy bombers, at the cost of only one P-40 damaged! But the Japanese are keen on making Celebes theirs (in the Killer Pelicans games, the enemy aircraft were flying out of Kendari, Celebes), and the Army pilots expect their stay at Makassar to be short-lived as Japanese landing forces are sure to arrive any minute now.
The new setup. North is left, where the Imperial Japanese Army aircraft are, south is right, where the U.S. Army Air Force is. East is up, West is down. The Japanese are charging in, intent on destroying Dutch coastal artillery batteries covering the Japanese Navy’s intended landing beaches on Celebes.
The Americans, six P-40 Warhawks, from top to bottom:
Chicken 22: 2nd Lt Macon, his first combat sortie
Chicken 21: 1st Lt Pace, 2 kills in his first sortie
Chicken 23: 2nd Lt McKyer, his first combat sortie
Chicken 52: 2nd Lt Verdin, his first combat sortie
Chicken 51: 1st Lt Potts, his first combat sortie
Chicken 53: 2nd Lt Beach, his first combat sortie
The Japanese, from top to bottom:
Oscar 02
Oscar 01
Left: Helen 06, Helen 04, Helen 05
Right: Helen 03, Helen 01, Helen 02
Oscar 03
Oscar 04Still using Bettys as Helens, but actually got the Oscars on the table this time.
Turns 1 and 2 bring us to the merge. The sun is giving a nasty glare off the warm, South Pacific waters…
And this why they’re called the Chickenhawks! To see the U.S. Army Air Force have a very bad day (or, more appropriately, to see me get my butt kicked by my son), please check the blog at:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2018/12/dutch-east-indies-19.htmlThe boy and I immediately played another game, so next fight coming right up!
V/R,
JackAll,
It’s noon on 20 January 1942 (yes, we’ve gone back in time about a month from the seven Killer Pelicans dogfights I just posted), and only days before a squadron of US Army Air Force P-40 Warhawks under Captain Brian Jordan was sent to Makassar on the southwest tip of the island of Celebes, to aid in the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) defense of the Dutch East Indies (DEI) from the marauding forces of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. Captain Jordan and his men with their eighteen sleek, Curtiss Warhawks quickly settled into life on the dusty tropical airfield, happy be in the fight and ready to avenge Pearl Harbor!
As a matter of fact, two days ago Captain Jordan and three of his pilots took to the air and managed to shoot down three enemy fighters and two enemy bombers, at the cost of only one P-40 damaged! But the Japanese are keen on making Celebes theirs (in the Killer Pelicans games, the enemy aircraft were flying out of Kendari, Celebes), and the Army pilots expect their stay at Makassar to be short-lived as Japanese landing forces are sure to arrive any minute now.
Yesterday was a black day, indeed, for the Chickenhawks, with two Japanese fighters and two Japanese bombers shot down, but ALL SIX American fighters were shot down…
Bogeys, 12 o’ high! Lots of’em, too!
Finally learning to forget the fighters and go after the bombers.
Though this isn’t exactly where you want to be. The fight was still rough, but much better than yesterday for the Chickenhawks, with two pilots having multiple-kill days. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2018/12/dutch-east-indies-20.html?m=1I’m caught up on batreps, so now you just have to wait ;). But not too long, I’ve got plenty of gaming planned for this weekend!
V/R,
JackAll,
First off, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Now to the point.
Three days ago Captain Jordan and three of his pilots took to the air and managed to shoot down three enemy fighters and two enemy bombers, at the cost of only one P-40 damaged! But the Japanese are keen on making Celebes theirs (in the Killer Pelicans games, the enemy aircraft were flying out of Kendari, Celebes), and the Army pilots expect their stay at Makassar to be short-lived as Japanese landing forces are sure to arrive any minute now.
Two days ago was a black day, indeed, for the Chickenhawks, with two Japanese fighters and two Japanese bombers shot down, but ALL SIX American fighters were shot down…
Yesterday the Chickenhawks shot down three Oscars and four Helens, but two Japanese bombers quickly and easily finished the destruction of the Dutch coastal artillery batteries covering the intended invasion beaches, then shifted their runs to the actual beach fortifications, causing moderate damage, and the Army pilots had four of their P-40s shot down (10 in two days!).
Here come the Japanese bombers…
And here come the P-40s to meet them.
Lt Daniel pulls high, rolls over onto his back, and flashes through the enemy bomber formation, guns blazing. In typical Army fashion, he hits nothing… To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2018/12/dutch-east-indies-21.htmlThis fight went pretty well, but it was not enough to stave off the Japanese onslaught. Despite keeping the Japanese bombers from destroying the beach fortifications, Japanese amphibious forces were still able to land on Makassar, and with that it was necessary for the Chickenhawks to quit the Dutch East Indies. The squadron had only six of its eighteen aircraft left, and their pilots (Capt Biasucci and Lieutenants Kimble, Goode, Daniel, Sanders, and Gann) flew them out, escorting a gaggle of U.S., Dutch, and Australian bombers, patrol, and cargo aircraft south (one carrying Captain Jordan and Lieutenants Cotton, Potts, Dawkins, Banks, Beach, Kenn, Pace, and Macon) to Australia.
There the squadron was able to re-form in Darwin, receiving replacement aircraft but no new pilots. Just in time for Japanese aircraft of the “Kido Butai” to make their deadly attack on the port of Darwin, coming right up!
V/R,
JackAll,
The Army fighter squadron has fled the Dutch East Indies, ultimately arriving in Australia. There were new aircraft waiting to be uncrated and assembled, but no new pilots. Captain Jordan immediately set about getting the remnants of his squadron ready for combat, assuming they’d be striking back at the Japanese in the vicinity of Timor, or even New Guinea, which was now under threat. But it’s 1000 on 19 February 1942, in Darwin, Australia, and a massive air raid by Japanese carrier aircraft is inbound., the Japanese determined to reduce the threat from Australia to its landings in New Guinea. The Chickenhawks are down to 12 pilots and aircraft, but they scramble everyone, four pilots in three successive flights, rising to defend the myriad ships docked in the bay, nearly defenseless against the coming onslaught.
The Chickenhawks on the prowl, from top to bottom:
Chicken 02: 2nd Lt Beach
Chicken 01: 1st Lt Kimble
Chicken 03: 1st Lt Goode
Chicken 04: 2nd Lt Daniel
The Japanese 1st carrier strike, six D3A “Val” dive bombers escorted by two A6M “Zero” fighters.
Lieutenant Beach is the fox in the henhouse, finding himself all by his lonesome with three Vals. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
https://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2018/12/chickenhawks-in-darwin-1.htmlNext fight is the second flight of Warhawks, led by Captain Jordan, coming up to meet another group of Japanese bombers.
V/R,
Jack
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