AAR Coral Sea

[Stejones82]

Greetings all, I just finished a most entertaining scenario of Midway: "Coral Sea Full" - - the historical Coral Sea scenario. What follows is a brief After Action Report. It was quite exciting.

First, I had not played this scenario for awhile and did not remember where the IJN forces were. So I mistakenly searched from Southwest to due north of my two CV battlegroup. Big, BIG mistake. Fortunately, I realized my blunder and began to recall the scouts. I also realized that the Japanese must be to the North-Northeast/ Northeast - - but all my scouts were out. So what to do? Knowing that with each passing minute, I had no doubt been found and a raid was inbound!!

1. I took the three northernmost scouts and manually sent them eastwards in a blind attempt to find something.
2. I took my CAP under manual control (and perhaps a wee bit gamey) and flew them to the NE and ENE in hopes of finding IJN scouts.

Voila!! The F4Fs did indeed find the scouts and splashed them. But was it in time? I knew raids had to be inbound!!

Conducted a radical course change for the BG. Was heading westwards and changed to SE which was near Flight course of ESE and put the pedal to the metal.

The recalled scouts were approaching so had to go to Flight Corpen (course) ESE to retrieve them.

GOT LUCKY! ! ! ! ! my manually diverted scouts found a DD and a CA, a minor correction discovered one CV

Now my problem was flight deck management - - the incoming scouts were fouling the deck for the VB dive-bombers and fighter escorts. While sorting that fiasco, I kept expecting to get radar contact on a big inbound strike - - but no. Apparently my radical course change and blinding the scouts fooled the AI !?!?!

Finally got a few scouts fueled and out to relieve the one scout flight on the IJN CV so the one on station which was getting low on fuel could bingo.

Managed to get a DB strike out with F4Fs from Hornet, but still a flight deck mess on Yorktown. Took 25 minutes or so to sort that out and finally a strike from Yorktown began forming in the air. The IJN were dangerously close now as the IJN forces were on a SSW course for intercept on the surface. A glitch?

Hornet's DBs arrived and took some casualties from Zeroes, but three flights got through - - - NO HITS! Ugh!

Yorktown's strike is finally organized and headed towards the enemy CVs. Apparently the IJN was having flight deck issues also. Was expecting to see the CV on a flight course to launch and retrieve flights, but they continued SSW. I wish I had done some saves, so we could review the logs. Also, was curious that IJN fighter flights in a landing orbit around a CV not on Flight course did not break away to intercept inbound USN strikes.

Yorktown's escorted strike arrived and got hit on one CV. As they were approaching I took manual control of 3 DB flights and sent them to the other carrier: 2 hits! Both IJN CVs afire!

Launched TBs from both Yorktown and Hornet: one hit!

By now had recovered strikes but the IJN surface assets were approaching visual range. Not Good! IJN DDs began to engage the screen ships. Man - - talk about a click-fest: controlling a surface action AND attempting to get new strikes off the flight deck! Whew I was busy! Launched two more DB strikes and sunk both CVs. Lost two escorts to guns and IJN torpedoes, while sinking, I think, four IJN DDs. And then, with the game clock running out, I get a radar contact on the big raid I'd been expecting for so long. Out to the west, but now inbound since the surface ships had spotted the carriers.

Thankfully for me, but very gamily, the clock ran out just as the Vals had Yorktown in their sights. USN Major Victory!!

I hope you enjoyed reading this brief AAR. Midway battles are not always this exciting, but they are more often than not. They do take a bit of real time to play (this battle extended over two days as I had to save and exit). Midway is a fun game to play - - - Enjoy!!

Steve J.

[parmenio]

Enjoy!!

And I did

For anyone who enjoyed the above, Steve did another one on The Blitz about a year ago...

https://www.theblitz.club/message_board ... ?tid=75599

[parmenio]

Was expecting to see the CV on a flight course to launch and retrieve flights, but they continued SSW. I wish I had done some saves, so we could review the logs. Also, was curious that IJN fighter flights in a landing orbit around a CV not on Flight course did not break away to intercept inbound USN strikes.

Yes, interesting - the jar.log would be useful for that.

[Stejones82]

Good Morning ANdy!

I do have one save, not sure if it will tell you anything of interest but here goes. Thanks!

[ivanmoe]

This is great fun to read. Taking screenshots (or capturing some video) would make it even better. Of course, the exercise requires a level of premeditation that well-grounded individuals don't typically exhibit! Nonetheless, very well done Stephen.

[Stejones82]

Whoops - - - kindly substitute Lexington in the above AAR wherever Hornet appears. Thanks for the polite heads-up Ivanmoe!

You'd think I would remember Lady Lex - but there you go