Houston Beer and Pretzel Wargaming
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • After Action
  • What's Next
  • Spec-Ops
    • The Great White Whale
    • 75th Anniversary of Guadalcanal
    • Members Only
    • Bombing the Reich
    • Virtual Wargaming
    • Wargame at the Museum
  • Texas BROADSIDE!
    • About
    • News
    • Gaming >
      • Event Schedule
    • Photos
    • Documents
    • USS TEXAS

After Action Reports

​"We all have appointments with the past."
~W.G. Sebald

Marianas Turkey Shoot - June 19, 1944

3/28/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
January game night was held at Black Labrador and featured The Marianas Turkey Shoot, the greatest air battle in history.  Scenario was based on the morning intercepts of the first raid sent by Ozawa to the Saipan invasion fleet.  New guest Gunnar and Andy played US naval aviation with Matthew who faced his father Larry, and Barry who flew for the Japanese.

The Sons of Nippon were on a bomber escort mission, guarding a flight of four Judys with their four Zekes.  TF58 fighter direction vectored three sections of Navy Hellcats and the fight was on!  Scenario specific rules were a favorable tail wind for the Japanese bombers which gave them a free first move, and some of the US Navy planes had been in action prior to the scenario start and already had their First Fire box checked.


The Japanese got to place clouds on the table and surprisingly placed them closer to the entry point than the exit.  A different strategy would have been have the clouds on the exit side so the bombers could slip away from the interceptors before moving off the table.

The Judys bore straight in to reach their objective exit side while the USN angled in for a deflection intercept.  Zekes got right into the fight and shots were traded.  When the merge broke up, the outnumbered Zekes had fought well and downed three Hellcats and damaged a fourth.  Two Hellcats latched onto the tail of the bombers and were able to kill one and caused damage to a second which caused it to abort the mission. 

Final Victory Point tally 29 to 8 favoring the Japanese due to downing 3 Hellcats and 2 Judys successfully escaping.  USN scored only 1 kill (Judy) and damages to 3 Zekes and the other Judy.  USN guns just couldn't get the high damage rolls.

We had a fun time with a rule set we know very well.  I was happy to get my late war Pacific planes out and am already working up another scenario to take on the road to Historicon 2017.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Please Participate

    Please feel free to comment on what interests you.  

    ​Register with our site and contribute your own after action submissions.  
    ​We want to know what others are playing, and what beer or other libation you're enjoying whilst wargaming.

    Archives

    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    Air Combat
    Ancient And Medieval
    Battlegroup
    Black Ops
    Check Your 6!
    Combat Patrol
    Conventions
    Elbonia
    Great War
    Imperial Skies
    Modern
    Naval Combat
    Operational
    OwlCon
    Pirates
    Science Fiction
    Steampunk
    The Lost Squad (7TV)
    Virtual
    Western
    WWII
    Zombies

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • After Action
  • What's Next
  • Spec-Ops
    • The Great White Whale
    • 75th Anniversary of Guadalcanal
    • Members Only
    • Bombing the Reich
    • Virtual Wargaming
    • Wargame at the Museum
  • Texas BROADSIDE!
    • About
    • News
    • Gaming >
      • Event Schedule
    • Photos
    • Documents
    • USS TEXAS