spence
Posts: 5400
Joined: 4/20/2003 From: Vancouver, Washington Status: offline
|
In Scenario 2 (Rising Sun) HIJMS KAGA enters the game around the 1st of February at Palau. IRL she arrived on the 8th and promptly struck a coral head in that harbor which caused substantial damage such that, for her forthcoming operations in the DEI, she was limited to a top speed of 18 kts. IRL, immediately after the conclusion of the DEI Campaign, she headed to Japan for drydocking and permanent repairs. Ordinarily "accidents don't happen" but in this case, since it involves Kaga's entire time in the scenario and seriously effects one of the ship's primary operational parameters, it seems to me that the damage suffered upon her arrival on the map, is important to include. If a ship's maximum speed is purely a linear relationship to SYS damage (with fractions generally rounded up) then Kaga should start Scenario 2 with 35 SYS Also in the Scen 2 time frame IRL Shokaku and Zuikaku were in the shipyard in Japan for the entire period of KB's participation in the DEI Campaign. It's interesting that the Japanese chose to employ their CARDIVS intact even though they could have substituted a fully operational 'Kaku's for Kaga to provide a similar aerial strike ability. So the proper Scen 2 Kido Butai reinforcements for the IJN should be Akagi, Hiryu, Soryu and Kaga with a max speed of 18 and about 35 sys damage. For those unfamiliar with the scenario you've got KB for about the last 40 days (ends March 16th 42). You're not overly blessed with BBs (the 4 Kongos and Yamato). You've got most of your CAs and a plentitude of smaller vessels and transports and plenty of LBA. The Allies have a jumble of dribs and drabs of this and that for air (no torpedo bombers and just one sqdrn of A-24s) with one possibly two RN CV's (which do come with torpedo bombers) and Hermes late in the game; a couple of R class BBs and maybe the PoW and Repulse still hanging about. For those with more experience with the IJN than I, any thoughts on employing the KB in this scenario?
|