Admiral Kid's Response at his Board of Inquiry, 1942

Admiral Kid's Response at his Board of Inquiry, 1942 (Full Version)

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siRkid -> Admiral Kid's Response at his Board of Inquiry, 1942 (2/2/2002 3:50:00 AM)
Well..um.. (pause) Damn it, it was a good plan! It should have work! (Looking out the window nervously wringing his hat) I had the submarines lay mine fields along the northern approaches and the coast watches only reported light cruisers and destroyers making their normal supply run down the slot. The PBYs were conducting around the clock patrols. There was no indication that (voice drops) their carriers were in the area. (Looking at the board members, voice becoming more defiant) I had to do something. The marines were running low on supplies and the nightly shelling and daily bombing were beginning to take a toll. The Japs were using the Tokyo Express to build up their forces while ours were dwindling. I moved our only carriers south of Guadalcanal in the hope of derailing the express. Things when well at first. We smashed several convoys. (Pause gets a faraway look) I should have withdrawn but the taste of victory was sweet. Just one more day…one more convoy. (Gives the board a pleading look) I didn't know their carriers were out. I didn't! Hello all. My name is Rick and I am one of the lucky few who get to beta test Uncommon Valor. The results of my first serious attempt to win a scenario were not very successful. However, I did get my crippled carrier back to port (thanks to good damage control teams and some luck). I am very pleased to announce that turn based strategy games are not dead. If you were a fan of the classics like Pac War, Guadalcanal, and Carrier Force then you will love this game. At first I was disappointed that I did not get to select each and every plane and tell them exactly what target to attack, but a few turns into the game cleared that up. There is enough detail in the game to keep even the most hard core gamers happy. The computer handles the minute details and makes sure the escorts keep up with the bombers and the patrol planes do their job. Well I just wanted to let you all know that the game is coming along nicely and that it will be worth the wait.

siRkid -> (2/2/2002 3:58:00 AM)
By the way Kid is my username.

Snigbert -> (2/2/2002 4:31:00 AM)
My first carrier battle (as the Japanese): I create a task force at Rabaul composed of the Shokaku(CV), Zuikaku(CV), Haguro(CA), Myoko(CA) and 6 destroyers. I have submarine screens to the south of the passage between Rabaul and the western-most islands of the Solomons, and a couple of submarines in the Slot. As the task force leaves port I have recon flights out of Rabaul, Lae and Shortland and none have detected any surface ships, only a few Allied submarines. Two days out of port the task force is about 60 miles (2 hexes) Southwest of Guadalcanal, and a task force which has been loading troops and supplies at Shortland looks like it will be safe to travel down the slot under the cover of the carrier force. Suddenly out of nowhere (well, actually from an enemy task force about 150 miles to the Southwest of Guadalcanal) the skies above the two carriers are full of Divebombers and Torpedo Bombers with a fighter escort. My CAP of 15 zeros engages them but manages to only knock a couple of enemy planes out of the sky before their bombing run commences. In groups of 4 at a time they come at the Shokaku and Zuikaku, many of the enemy bombers being shot down or damaged as they approach. Bombs score several near-misses to the Zuikaku but miraculously both carriers come out of the attack unscratched, as well as the Myoko which was also attacked. Knowing the location of the enemy task force we launch a counter attack, but it doesn't reach the enemy task force before the second wave of allied bombers reaches us. Again the torpedo bombers make attack after attack, but it is the Dauntless dive bombers that draw the first blood against us. A thousand pound bomb hits flight deck of the Zuikaku and penetrates the deck armor. A critical hit, and she's on fire. Moments later another bomb hits near the bow of the Zuikaku, penetrating the belt armor and scoring another critical hit which causes flooding. However the attack is soon over and as I sit there wondering whether she will make it back to port, my planes find the Allied task force and move in to take revenge. The first carrier we spot is a Yorktown class and it quickly receives a hit from a 250kg bomb amidships which destroys an AA gun and starts a fire. Soon afterwards a torpedo from a Kate hits home and penetrates the belt armor, causing a critical hit. I see she is on fire but I get no more information about how badly she is damaged. A few futile attacks by dive bombers on the Minneapolis are followed by more Vals and Kates going after a Lexington Class Carrier. In rapid succession she is hit by two torpedos, both critical hits. As my planes fly off I wonder whether either of those allied carriers will sink. I'm informed that airgroups from the Zuikaku will be forced to land at Rabaul. As the next orders phase arrived I assess the damage on the Zuikaku. 40% systems damage, 20% flooding. She's down to 22 knots, but the fire is out. I order the task force back to Rabaul and luckily they make it back without any further attacks from allied planes. Upon reaching Rabaul I send the Zuikaku in to dock, they quickly have the flooding situation under control. I add the Shoho to the task force and return to the location of the battle but find that the Allied carriers have also withdrawn. So, my first battle...not sure if I sank either of the American carriers. I know it will be awhile before the Zuikaku is ready to set sail again. I thought it was interesting that I was probably just as clueless about the results of the battle as the my real life counterparts were after the battle of the Coral Sea. I guess I will radio back to Japan that I sank to American carriers and sustained minimal losses.

elmo3 -> (2/2/2002 8:16:00 AM)
Keep 'em coming guys.

rough44 -> (2/2/2002 1:15:00 PM)
my god why am I not a beta tester... why I can't wait. You lucky guys just keep the stories coming till the game comes out. I still can't believe it's this close... pacwar's offspring is here, is it really true?

siRkid -> (2/2/2002 5:49:00 PM)
Yes its true. Pcwar’s big brother is on its way. I stated earlier that I was disappointed that I cold not tell each plane what to attack. Well guess what? Located on each ship and squadron’s Information screen is a “Select Target” button. First you assign your squadrons a primary and secondary mission, then you can either let the computer decide on the best targets (I normally do this) or you can select them for yourself. The AI is great and a base or ship will launch several sorties a day. In the last game I played I selected the targets only on two occasions. One, there were some crippled Jap ships I wanted to make sure didn’t get back to port and the other was to assign CAP over my transports as they unloaded troops and supplies. Well back to the war. Kid

Snigbert -> (2/2/2002 11:47:00 PM)
My first surface battle: I am playing the Guadalcanal scenario as Americans. Can't remember the title, something like 'Long Road Ahead'. I send two carrier task forces, one consisting of the Enterprise and Wasp with cruiser and destroy escorts, to patrol on station about 60 miles directly south of Guadalcanal. A second carrier task force with the Saratoga, North Carolina and some cruisers/destroyers is ordered to patrol on station 150 miles northeast of Guadalcanl. A transport task force is formed and I load the 1st and 5th Marine Regiments, the 1st Marine HQ and the 1st Marine armored bat. and set their destination for Lunga on Guadalcanal. Intelligence shows the Japanese only have an engineer unit there. I actually meant to load the entire 1st Marine Division but I left behind teh Raiders, Marine Paratroopers and a 2nd Marines regiment accidently. No problem, they would be a follow up attack on Tulagi. Screening this landing force I create a surface task force consisting of five cruisers: Australia, Canberra, Quincy, San Francisco, and Chester..along with 3 destroyers, Ralph Talbot, Alwen and one other I can't recall. They are also sent to the hex of Lunga to cover the transports. Everything goes along fine, the carrier task forces move into place and I have a task force of oilers ready to replenish them at sea if required. The transports move up to Lunga and begin unloading, the island is easily taken by the Marines (73 Marines KIA, 463 Japs KIA). The surface force had been set to 'follow' the transport tf, so they are also present. Then night falls and bad things start happening. From seemingly nowhere, a Japanese task force consisting of Chokai, Aoba, Kaku, Furutaka a destroyer appear only 6000 YARDS! from my cruiser surface TF. Before my jaw has time to drop the San Francisco is on fire with several shells penetrating her belt armor, and the destroyer Alwen is sinking. I think the Japanese ships fired several rounds before my ships started to respond. Obviously they have a much higher night combat rating. By the time we do start to return fire the Japanese ships have moved out to 9000 yards, and the San Francisco, Alwen, Quincy and Australia are all on fire. Some of our return fire scores hits on the Furutaku, but it is too little too late and the Japanese ships are withdrawing. Immediately after the battle the Alwen sinks, and the San Francisco has to be scuttled during the next orders phase. The Quincy and Australia will make it back to New Caledonia, but they will be unavailable for the rest of the scenario. Not surprisingly, when the sun came up there was no sign of the Japanese cruisers for my Carriers to retaliate against. I made a new surface task force consisting of a mere 5 destroyers to rush to Lunga and cover the unloading of supplies, but for several days and nights my transports were hanging in the breeze there with no cover. I begin preparing myself for the court martial waiting for me back in the states. 6000 YARDS!6000 YARDS!

elmo3 -> (2/3/2002 12:15:00 AM)
Sounds like The Battle of Savo Isalnd all over again.

USSMaine -> (2/3/2002 1:59:00 AM)
Great Stuff Guys !! Keep it coming !!!

Zakhal() -> (2/3/2002 2:12:00 AM)
Thanks for all teh reports, theyre great reads!

stubby331 -> (2/4/2002 12:43:00 PM)
Wow, it all sounds just so good. Rick (or any of the other Beta testers for that matter), I have a question that needs an answer. Can you assign shore based air-groups to run CAP over Task groups at sea? This is a question that been nagging at me for ages. Please come back to me...

Joel Billings -> (2/4/2002 1:31:00 PM)
Yes you can (long-range CAP), however it is less effective covering carrier TF's due to their erratic movements and radio silence. Joel

Dunedain -> (2/5/2002 12:08:00 AM)
Joel: Does that less effective CAP performance apply only to land-based fighter groups flying CAP over TF's or does it even apply to carrier-based fighter groups? Also, when assigning bombers (heavy, dive, torpedo, etc.) to automatically attack any TF's that might appear in the area of a base, and you assign 1 or more fighter groups to provide escort for those bombers should they fly off and attack, can you specify to the bomber group(s) to not go beyond the range of any fighters that might be assigned to escort them while looking for enemy TF's?

siRkid -> (2/5/2002 4:11:00 AM)
As far as I can tell, you can not specify the maximum range your bombers can attack. However, the AI is very good. I have noticed my bombers attacking without escorts on only a few occasions. This was always against small groups of ships (without CAP) or damaged ones limping home. Rick

siRkid -> (2/5/2002 4:15:00 AM)
As far as I can tell, you can not specify the maximum range your bombers can attack. However, the AI is very good. I have noticed my bombers attacking without escorts on only a few occasions. This was always against small groups of ships (without CAP) or damaged ones limping home. Rick PS if this shows up twice I'm sorry but it did not look like it took the first time.

Paul Goodman -> (2/5/2002 5:15:00 AM)
Snigbert: Your results are amazing! My father was a survivor of the Atlanta. The only order they received was: "Counter-illuminate, commence firing." Quickly, the Long Lance arrived and knocked out the ship's power. As the story was told to me (many years later), he attempted to manually train the turret (he was a turret captain on one of the forward 5"38 turrets) on an approaching destroyer. The destroyer apparently observed the attempt, and fired on the turret, striking it on the faceplate, destroying the turret and killing most of the crew. The survivors were evacuated to Guadalcanal. Paul

Snigbert -> (2/5/2002 9:15:00 AM)
Yeah, I thought it was pretty accurately portrayed. I could almost hear Admiral Mikawa laughing as the Japanese ships pulled away.

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