Webster, J.D. - Dec 20, 2003 10:41 pm (#5900 Total: 5900) Whistling Death Scenario recap Gents, inaugurated my WD game by playing the introductory scenario "Fleet Defender"...solo... On set up discovered a piece of errata, the bomb line marker goes in hex 3527, not 3525. Its a pretty obvious typo given the set up and flight restrictions of the japanese. Fleet Defender puts 3 D4Y2 Judy's in trail on a line of approach at 12,000 feet about 20 hexes from a destroyer. The Judy's are restricted to flying down the line of approach until they drop their bombs at the destroyer (mere target only, no AAA) from within four hexes of its bow and between 4,000 and 3,000 feet. They all start in level flight at speed 5.0. One Hellcat (Ltjg Vraciu) is closing in only a few hexes away and to their left rear in a shallow dive at 12,300, speed 7.0 and banked left. While it looks like a cake walk for the Hellcat, it proved to be a good exercise for me in how not to intercept Judy's. The scenario is intended as a two player, so initiative was used, and although the Japanese cannot stray from the line of approach until dropping their bombs, they can vary their vertical flight path a bit and give the Hellcat some troubles. I didn't realize this until too late, but on a future play I know I will be able to cause the American a lot of trouble by splitting the three japs vertically. However, in this solo game I just had the Japanese go pell mell, throttle to the wall, balls out for the destroyer. To win, the Japanese must have at least two Judys release bombs from within assigned parameters, irrespective of whether the planes survive or not. Vraciu wins by preventing this. Turn One: Hellcat wins initiative (all Japanese are green pilots). All Judy's push over into shallow dives, but only the leader takes a VFP putting him lower than the others and the second one takes some optional altitude loss. The Hellcat turns in behind the Judys and falls in line. I make a tactical error with the Hellcat by not going to idle immediately, I end up a hex behind and same altitude as the trailing Judy and can't shoot him as I'm in a shallow dive so I strafe the second Judy instead which is further ahead and a little lower. Defensive Fire: The tail gunners in Judys 1 and 2 combine fire for a 1-2 attack but roll a 65 and being green crews they miss. I am in the blind spot of Judy no. three. Offensive Fire: Firing at 6-1 odds with a tracking shot, the Hellcat rips the Judy for 8 hits (almost severe damage) inflicting critical hits that shoot out the Judy's instruments, give it sluggish controls and +1 to rolling and slipping. Turn Two: Hellcat tails no.2 Judy, and initiative moves the Judys in order. Leader pushes over into a steep dive at emergency power and really heads downhill. No. two Judy only eases over (free transition) to a steep dive giving some vertical separation between the two. The Hellcat now realizes that being at speed 7.0 in trail with Judy three at speed 5 is complicating things, especially since the Judy will move last. Oh well, war is hell. The Hellcat passes Judy Three and tracks the wounded Judy two. A delighted Judy three follows the Hellcat and takes a tracking long burst shot at it. Defensive fire: Judy's 1 and 2's gunners team up for a 1-1 attack and do better, rolling well and scoring 3 hits on the Hellcat. Offensive Fire: the Hellcat has closed into range 0 for 12-1 tracking shot on Judy 2 from slightly above. The burst inflicts 14 hits and 4 criticals which simply shred the Judy out of existance. The crits are hollow, two wings and a fuel hit, but none of the hits cause any explosions which would threaten the Hellcat at range 0. The real threat is the green guy sitting on his tail at range 2 who has a 3-1 attack with the two 7.7mm nose guns after adding in tracking and long burst modifiers. Sadly for the IJN pilot, a 97 is rolled, resulting in a miss and one of the N guns jamming. Lucky break for the F6F. Turn 3: One Judy down, one to go! the US Navy fighter tails Judy 1, and is tailed by Judy three obviating any need for init rolls. The Lead Judy pushes on over into a vertical dive and takes all available altitude loss. The Hellcat, having dispatched Judy two from a shallow dive must negative gee push into a vertical dive to get into shot paramaters on Judy 1 at range 3. Judy 3 must do the same to shoot the hellcat and thus cannot clear the jammed gun this turn. Defensive fire: The lead Judy's gunner fires his last burst from his first ammo drum at 1-4 odds and misses. Those paltry 7.9mm guns are useless beyond range 1 or 2. Offensive fire: Despite the +30 negative gee modifier, the Hellcat's six guns still provide a hefty attack when combined with -10 for gun harmony, -20 for being on the target's six line and -10 for a crack shot pilot. A medium roll results in 6 hits on the lead Judy with two critical hits, one causing a fuel leak, the other killing the gunner. The trailing Judy, still manages a 1-1 attack with his single nose gun after doing tracking and long burst. The roll is an exciting 00, even, rats! The other nose gun is jammed. Turn Four: The movement sequence is the same, Hellcat tails Judy one and is tailed by Judy three. The lead Judy, having gone steeper earlier, is really moving and will be at speed 10 in a steep dive by the end of its move and rapidly closing in on the destroyer. The Hellcat must pull out into a steep dive to keep the Judy in its sights as the target shallowed its dive angle using minimum VFPs in the steep dive. This prevents the Hellcat from gaining as much speed. To the rear Judy three also pulls out into a steep dive since it cannot clear its guns while in a vertical attitude. Defensive fire: Gunner 1 is dead. Offensive fire: Only the Hellcat can fire, desperate to get the lead Judy, the Hellcat resorts to another tracking long burst and rolls poorly but even at 5-1 odds he scores 5 hits and a single crit. making the Judy's controls sluggish. That Judy is now severely damaged with 11 of 12 hits taken. Turn Five: The movement sequence remains the same, however, being severely damaged, the max safe dive speed of Judy one is reduced to 9.0. It is in a dangerous dive! Select idle to put Judy at speed 9.5. roll dice. 72 results, +05 for being 0.5 above safe dive speed, +20 for severe damage = 97...oops, wings snap off and Judy one is destroyed at the start of the turn. Vraciu wins! but play continues to see what will happen with Judy three. The Hellcat stays in a steep dive and at speed 9 is slow to roll back into a bank angle. It banks to the right and gets one BT facing out. Judy three meanwhile dives for the destroyer while clearing both gun jams. No combat ensues. Turn Six: Hellcat then Judy moves. The Hellcat starts a steep diving right spiral to come around behind Judy three. However to do so, I play less vertical and more horizontal FPs and swing through 120 degrees of turn. The Judy ends at 5,000 feet in a steep dive only hexes from its release area. No combat is possible. Turn Seven: Judy then Hellcat moves. Judy drops to altitude 3.1, eases over into a vertical dive and releases its bomb in parameters. The Hellcat swings around through the second half of its turn. The circle is almost complete but the Judy is now 2,000 feet below and 7 hexes away at speed 7.5 with a carry while the Hellcat has slowed to speed 7.0. Turn Eight: Judy then Hellcat. The Judy pulls out into a shallow dive and exits the game map with its last FP. Scenario ends. A US Navy win. I enjoyed this solitaire and will probably try it again, perhaps adding in the destroyer's AAA and IJN freedom rule. This will be a fun scenario if the full freedom of movement rule is used, allowing the Japanese to split up and fly where they please. JD