After-Action Report
7/18/2009
by Brooke, GL, VT-2
This was a scenario that ran in the multiplayer on-line air-combat simulation Aces High.
I was the Group Leader (GL) of VT-2, the torpedo-bombing squadron on the USS Lexington. We were flying TBM Avengers. Today, VT-2 consisted of me (Brooke), Zacharof, Tudza, KKEN, Snefens, Babalon, flight17, CLONE155, Jerkins, pope14, brogy, Beefcake, and LTARhamr.
VT-2 taking off from Lady Lex. It's dawn, and there are rain squalls about. From top to bottom: brogy, KKEN, Snefens, flight17, CLONE155, me, Beefcake, Jerkins, pope14, Babalon, tudza, and Zacherof. I think that LTARhamr might have dipped low enough off the deck to not be visible. t=0:00
Me, Zacharof, LTARhamr, and Babalon banking left after takeoff, as we pass the escorting destroyer USS Anderson. t=0:00
A view left out of my cockpit as VF-2 (in their F4F-4's) pass us on our left as we climb north. A Japanese carrier group has been spotted about 100 miles north. From left to right: gosthntr, Klingan, Amsoil, thrila, SF3 (the GL), and airbull. VB-2 (the SBD bombing squadron from the Lexington) is just visible as black dots on the right side of the image, between the cloud layer and the horizon. t=0:17
We eventually lose sight of VF-2 ahead of us as they sweep out ahead. We continue our climb to about 18,000 ft altitude, then level off and continue to head toward the last-reported location of an enemy carrier. When we are about 30 miles from that location, we start seeing high bogies at 11 o'clock. We assume that they are Zeros and so I ask VT-2 vector off to the northeast for a bit, but the bogies chase us and do turn out to be Zeros.
The first A6M2 Zero to attack us receives an engine-oil leak for his efforts. From left to right: Beefcake, Jerkins, me, Babalon, CLONE155, flight17, LTARhamr, tudza, and pope14. t=0:35
A view from my belly gunner position as I (among others) fire at the 2nd Zero in to attack us. The Zero takes some chunks out of tudza's TBM, but he is set on fire by our gunners. Unfortunately for us, more Zeros are starting to show up. I ask for VT-2 to come back to a heading of north. From left to right: Jerkins, Babalon, CLONE155, tudza, flight17, and pope14. t=0:36
A view to my left rear as a Zero shoots down Zacharof . I ask for VT-2 to come to a heading of northwest, back toward the reported location of the enemy carrier. t=0:36
A view from my belly gun as another Zero shoots off tudza's tail section. t=0:39
More Zeros show up from time to time, but we manage to keep getting closer to the reported CV location as the Zeros chew away at us, shooting down our Avengers here and there.
A view behind me showing the situation as flight17 spots the enemy carrier group. He says it is near a cloud to our east. Good spotting, flight17! We have lost about 1/3 of our Avengers at this point. Yet more Zeros are coming in from my left. From left to right: pope14, Babalon, Snefens, Jerkins, LTARhamr, CLONE155, flight17, Beefcake, and me. t=0:40
A view out of my cockpit as I head toward the cloud flight17 pointed out. As I go in toward target, I see friendlies in a fight north of the enemy task group. From left to right: DDGhost and Twizzty. t=0:40
I dive in over the enemy CV. I call for all VT-2 pilots to attack as best they can. With all of the Zeros around attacking us that this point, we can't do orderly formation approaches -- everyone has to take whatever best line he has. There are yet more Zeros converging now, but also more of our guys doing the same. From left to right: tuk151, Curnutte, Babalon, PanosGR, TwinTail, DDGhost, Twizzty, and pope14. t=0:41
Snefens and I bore in under fire, past the destroyer screen toward the enemy carrier. I'm at 20 ft altitude, 150 mph, and nearing my drop point. I'm hearing my Avenger taking enemy gunfire and shedding parts. t=0:43
I am just about at my drop point when I hear a loud bang and feel my Avenger start to roll and yaw left. I drop my torpedo immediately. The Zero in the upper right of the picture has just shot off my vertical stabilizer and my left wingtip. The fight swirls around, with dogfights, Avengers on their torpedo runs, and enemy gunfire all around. Very shortly after this picture, I crash into the water. Fortune smiles upon me, and my torpedo ends up hitting the enemy carrier -- the Shoho! From left to right: Beefcake, RAT, two I can't tell, and Curnutte. t=0:44
All but perhaps one pilot of VT-2 is shot down in this attack. I believe we got some torpedoes into the Shoho, but not enough to sink her. However, VT-5 does manage to get in and finish the job and get's to announce on the radio, "Scratch one flattop!"
VT-2 reassembles at the Lexington and takes off for another attack mission. However, before we are more than about a minute out from our ship, the Yorktown's radar picks up a large raid incoming to the currently unprotected carrier, and we are ordered to jetison our torpedoes, get to the Yorktown asap, and to do our best to help protect her.
A picture of Zackerof, me, and Snefens against the gray backdrop of a rain squall about the time we are jetisonning our torpedoes. We turn around and climb, heading toward the Yorktown. t=0:46
A picture out of my cockpit as we ID the first wave of the incoming attack -- they are D3A Val divebombers. We were not able to get enough altitude to get up to them and probably aren't high enough to catch them in their dives, either. Also, there is another wave after this one, and I am fearing that the second one might be B5N Kate torpedo bombers. So, I ask VT-2 to ignore this wave and continue climbing toward the second wave. Enkre is visible up ahead. t=0:52
A view forward right out of my cockpit as I draw within bogie range of the incoming 2nd wave. They are the black dots upper middle of the image. They are still higher than we are, so I ask VT-2 to turn back around and climb hard back toward the Yorktown, ahead of the incoming 2nd wave. They will gain on us as we climb, but with luck, we'll be up to their altitude by the time they reach the carrier. Jerkins is visible off to my right. t=0:54
A view back from my top-gunner position as we climb in front of the incoming 2nd wave. They also are D3A's. We are close enough that the task force's AAA is opening up (black puffy spots). There are a lot of D3A's. I ask for VT-2 to engage if they can or to attack the D3A's in their dives. I figure that we will be able to overtake the D3A's in their dives before they get to the CV. We are all up above 15,000 ft by now. Behind me from left to right: LTARhamr, pope14, and Zacherof. t=0:57
A view right from my cockpit as the D3A's start their dives and I start my roll over to follow them down. From left to right: tudza, (not sure), Babalon, and pope14. t=0:57
A view out of my cockpit as I dive vertically, chasing D3A's. The Yorktown is directly below. CLONE155 is ahead of me doing the same. t=0:58
I rake a D3A with gunfire. He sheds parts (like a left landing gear) but doesn't go down. We're both diving at a very steep angle, but he's got his dive brakes deployed, while I am doing 500 mph. My rate of closure is so fast that I have to evade to keep from colliding with him, zooming close by under his left wing. t=0:58
I come screaming up upon another D3A that has already been worked over. I give him a burst of fire, and blow off half of his left wing, then am past him at high speed toward the next one in line. Unfortuantely, all of these D3A's have already released their bombs upon the Yorktown. t=0:58
I line up from 12 o'clock low on the next D3A in line (so that his rear gunner can't fire on me) and give him a long burst. I blow his left wing off, and he goes down. t=0:58
At this point, most of the D3A's that have dropped and are trying to egress have US Navy planes hot in pursuit. I go after one a lot farther out, but am no longer closing quickly (my speed having bled back down to normal). I give up and climb back toward the Yorktown to cover in case of further attacks. I ask VT-2 not to bunch up on stragglers -- to break off if they already see two friendlies in pursuit and to get back over the Yorktown in case of additonal attacks. A bit after we mill around over the Yorktown, climbing, there is a call of more enemies coming in from the east. I call for VT-2 to climb in that direction for interception.
A view out of cockpit as I come upon enemies: a couple of Zeros up high and there are calls of B5N Kate torpedo bombers on the deck. I can just make out lighter specs down on the water below (left of my gunsight, just above the instrument panel) and start my dive to go after them and away from the Zeros. t=1:06
A view as I pursue a B5N that is being shot down by GE063 in his SBD Dauntless. Also chasing is Enkre in an SBD. The Yorktown and escort destroyers are visible ahead.
I go after a Zero in the area. I fire at long range, but don't hit, and he's faster than I am, so I can't close. The cruiser USS Mineapolis and escort destroyers Hammann and Phelps are visible ahead. There is a Zero to my forward right coming in to break me off this Zero. t=1:08
I turn into the attacking Zero, but his aim is good, and he shoots off my rudder (though fortunately not my vertical stabilizer, so I'm still airworthy). From left to right: flight17 and (I think) Klingan, Babalon, tuk151, Fianna, Enkre, and me. t=1:08
Zackerof (left) and I (middle) evade another Zero in the area. The tail of Yorktown and various escorting destroyers are visible, throwing up a barrage of flak against the enemy aircraft that are left in the area. t=1:08
Almost immediately after the above picture, I spot a B5N making a run past the Minneapolis in a front-on attack toward the Yorktown. I turn to try to cut him off. t=1:08
Amid a storm of flak from the escort ships, I pour rounds into the B5N, and he explodes. Unfortunately, I didn't get to him before he dropped his torpedo, though. I don't know if it hit the Yorktown. The area soon is clear of enemies. t=1:09
I'm in the landing pattern for the Lexington. VT-2 was ordered back to land and to get back up for another strike. From front to back on deck: tuk151 (in a beatiful blue Dauntless), flight17 (Avenger), and Babalon (Avenger). In the air about to land: RAT (Dauntless), airbull (in a snappy little Wildcat), Zacherof (in his Avenger), and me (in my Avenger, minus a rudder). t=1:19
ToNYJoEY in his fancy F4F-4 Wildcat providing close escort for us in VT-2 as we fly north hoping that an enemy CV is spotted. The Shoho is sunk, and a cruiser has been spotted, but we haven't found the Shokaku or Zuikaku. From left to right below: me, pope14, Snefens, flight17, and LTARhamr. t=1:45
We look around for a while, but still no joy on the Shokaku or Zuikaku. Command orders us to attack a cruiser that has been spotted as a secondary target.
A view as we sight the cruiser and destroyers. I'm almost on top of it before I see it. There is no CAP, so we set up our attacks as we like, splitting into two groups to attack from both sides of the ship. t=2:06
My view at the moment I drop my torpedo. 150 mph, 15 ft altitude, pointing at the nose of the cruiser, with the tail of the cruiser just off the right edge of my view (which means 200-300 yards range). LTARhamr is above the ship, probably having just dropped his torpedo. flight17 is veering off, so he is probably dropped his. Incoming is the north-side group, led by KKEN. t=2:08
Two torpedo hits rock the cruiser as my torpedo makes its splash in the water under me. t=2:08
A view back of me as my torpedo detonates. t=2:08
A zoomed in view, left out of my cockpit, of the sinking cruiser. Others put torpedo hits on it after mine and sent her to the bottom. From left to right: flight17, Beefcake, Babalon, and KKEN. Others report hitting destroyers as well. I call in to command that our target cruiser is sunk. t=2:09
We climb back to the Yorktown/Lexington area. As we are climbing back, the Yorktown and Lexington are hit by divebombers and, among other damage, the radar is taken out. The attackers are gone before we can make it back to our ships. It's getting late in the day, and we haven't spotted the Shokaku or Zuikaku yet. VT-2 is ordered to fly CAP around the carriers until dusk. But then . . . a report comes in of an enemy carrier a meer 25 miles from the Yorktown. I call in to command and say that VT-2 can be landed and back up with torpedoes and get to that CV before the end of the day. Command tells us to go for it.
I'm landing back aboard Lady Lex, still on fire from the attack earlier that knocked out her radar. The cruiser USS New Orleans cuts protectively through the water ahead. t=2:39
After taking off and heading full speed on the deck toward the enemy carrier, I see our CO, gwurzel, in a fight with an enemy D3A near the Yorktown. gwurzel shoots it down, and I continue past. About that time, another report comes in of another enemy CV spotted even closer! I get verification of the report, and head that way, asking any VT-2 behind me to do the same. t=2:43
I come upon the enemy carrier, burning and under attack by our XO, Redtail7, in his Dauntless. His bomb is just exploding aft of the island. You can barely make him out in the smoke, trailing white smoke, as he has been hit by 20 mm AA.
I bore in on the Zuikaku, through smoke from the fire, and with splashes all around me from the anti-aircraft fire directed my way. I'm taking 20 mm AA hits and have a fuel leak (trailing white vapor). I'm getting very, very close to my drop point, but taking a lot of hits. Soon, my engine is hit, and oil sprays all over my windshield, and it becomes hard to see. t=2:47
I drop my torpedo, and my wing is blown off immediately thereafter. Alas -- I don't make it back. Even worse, I think that I missed with my torpedo. t=2:47
I got a torpedo hit on the Shoho and one on the cruiser Yubari. I think that I missed hitting the Zuikaku. I made it back alive on two missions and didn't return on two. I shot down one D3A, one B5N, and got 3 assists.
VT-2 did very well. It put torpedoes into the Shokaku (fighting its way there through many Zeros), sunk the Yubari, and I think some VT-2 pilots might have gotten torpedo hits into the Zuikaku. VT-2 also shot down 20 enemy aircraft, including downing many B5N's before they could get to the Yorktown. Snefens shot down 8 (!) enemy aircraft, making him an ace and a half in one day. He gets the Swede Vejtasa award! :) Good work, lads!
-- Brooke, GL, VT-2