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NimitsTexan -> Short Midway AAR (6/22/2007 6:45:05 PM)
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So on my second time through the Battle of Midway (after losing all three carrier in exchange for only 2 IJN flattops), I finally felt I knew what I was doing. Mimicing Fletcher and Spruance, I decided to keep my flattops NE of Midway and out of range of any IJN strikes until the Japanese had reveale themselves. I initially still bit off on the wrong sighting, sending my Midway planes off on what I assumed was the reciprocal bearing of an IJN strike on Midway, only to discover that it was instead part of the Japanese supporting surface forces that had somehow leaped in front of Kido Butia. Fortunately for me, another search plane soon revealed the real location of the IJN carriers, and a strike from Enterprise and Hornet was soon winging its way towards them, with the Yorktown birds about 30-60 minutes behind them and a second strike from Midway after that. Long and short of it, I managed to get my first strik on the IJN carriers while most of their planes were still on their way back from Midway, sinking Kaga, Soryu, and Hiryu, and damaging Akagi. The Japanese did manage to recover and launch a 100 plane strike in between the Enterprise/Hornet attack and the Yorktown followup, which unfortunately broke through the CAP to plant a bomb on Yorktown and sink Enterprise and Hornet, though at the cost of over 50% of the attacking force (including just about all the remaining Zeros). The Japanese would have been well advised to quit while ahead though, as on 5 June Yorktown caught and easily finished off the damaged Akagi, while a futile retaliatory strike was anhilated while only managing to score a hit on a cruiser. After spending the rest of battle mopping up the various surface groups that strayed within range of Midway or Yorktown, I had a decisive victory, losing Enterprise, Hornet, and a heacy cruiser in exchange for Kaga, Akagi, Soryu, Hiryu, Mogami, Chitose, and another seaplane carrier.
However, I do not flatter myself that my victory at Midway was in itself particularly singular. However, the circumstances of its accomplishment are, I wager unique, in as much as I suspect that I am the first person to score a decisive victory in CaW Midway while flying in a B-52H over the central Pacific . . .
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