Battle
of the
Coral
Sea
Rules Index
Setting
Notams Avatars Dates Awards Home Register Map Recon Staff
For important
rules updates be sure to check the NOTAM page
Printable
Rules
Table of
Contents
3.2.2
Radar
3.2.3
Winds
3.2.4 Time
Limit
3.2.5 Flight
Boundaries
3.2.6 Task
Group Starting Boundaries
3.2.7 Task
Group Start Positions
The Battle
of Coral Sea, exists as the first time in history Naval combatants fought
without the embarked commanders having visual sighting of the enemy ships. The Carrier versus Carrier battle
occurred in the early days of May 1942.
While several events transpired during the May 1 thru May 11 chronicles,
the major event occurred between the Aircraft Carriers Zuikaku, Shokaku, Shoho
of the Imperial Navy and the Aircraft carriers
Lexington and
Yorktown of the US Pacific Fleet.
Many of the
historical facts surrounding this battle involve operational units and personnel
that, if included, could significantly shift the focus away from what the writer
has attempted to capture within the scenario game play. With people and material resources thin,
minor events that do not contribute to the Carrier battle have been
omitted. To those esteemed
historians who would like the include the Japanese occupation of Tulagi, or the
AAF bombing of the Port Moresby Invasion forces, my humble apologies. Vice Admiral Inouye commanded the
Japanese forces. However, he was
not embarked during the battle, thus omitted. While the collection of events
that comprise the scope of the Battle of the Coral Sea covered the
period from 1 May through 11 May 1942, the scope of this scenario focuses on 7-8
May of that year.
A third
allied element under command of RAdm Crace RAN almost caught the Japanese
invasion force as it passed through the Louisiade chain. This force was a
viable element and was in fact attacked by both Japanese and American
planes. Ship identification was a common problem, and the Oiler Neosho
with her Destroyer Escort Sims were mistaken for a Carrier and Cruiser and
attacked accordingly. The misinformation caused VAdm Takagi to prematurely
release Shokaku to repair damage.
This is a
what if scenario because anyone reviewing the chronicles of the Battle of the Coral Sea knows that
if a butterfly had sneezed on New Guinea then things might have gone in a
dramatically different direction, and history would be altered. One might ask why RAdm. Fletcher did not
launch a second strike even though it was nearing dusk. Conversely, VAdm. Takagi released
Shokaku to repair battle damage because he believed both US Carriers to be sunk,
when in fact, at that moment, both were still afloat!
To
this end, I am leaving as much flexibility as possible to the Task Force
Commanders. Restrictions, where
necessary are intended to induce, but not force a duel between the big Carriers
and their associated Air Groups.
PT Boats
and ship guns are implemented in an effort to keep players in the arena by
providing a valuable resource to their teams. Its a long haul, but conceivably
possible that PT Boats may become the last line of defense against an invasion
of Port Moresby . The intent as a matter of scenario, is
to keep players involved in a positive and entertaining way. PT
Boats are also used as submarines; see submarine duty.
phrases in italics
are historical elements that make the
scenario unique.
Bold RED Small
Caps represent the Game Objects
Representing these Forces
Bold Yellow
Print identifies deviations from history for
play balance and other non-historical elements of the scenario.
Green Bold Print shows squadron designations for minimum uniform requirements
for unit label on the arena roster.
( ) Denotes
Flagship
Japanese:
·
Carrier Striking Force
Zuikaku CV
(Radm. Hara) C5
Myoko CA
(Vadm. Takagi) * operational commander CA in C5 Task
Group
Shokaku
CV C6
Haguro
CA CA in C6 Task
Group
·
Port Moresby Invasion Force
Shoho
CVL C4
Aoba
CA (Radm. Goto) CA in C4 Task
Group
( ) Denotes
Flagship
Allied:
·
Task Force 17.5 Carrier Group
Yorktown CV (RAdm. Fletcher) *
operational commander C3
Minneapolis
CA CA in C3 Task Group
Lexington CV (RAdm.
Fitch) C2
New
Orleans CA CA in C2 Task
Group
·
Task Group 17.3 Support Group
(Note C15 is not a valid landing or refueling platform, this will invoke a
penalty of 5 points)
Australia
CA (RAdm. Crace) * no points for sinking
Chicago
CA C15 A CV with no planes enabled
Hobart
CA * no points for sinking
·
Task Group 17.6 Fueling Group (Note C16 and
its DE will fire on all aircraft approaching it. It will be a CM land
controled "Red Herring, so beware of the CV with only 1
escort.
Neosho
(Oiler) C16 CV with no planes enabled
* no points for sinking
Sims DE
* no points for sinking
The chart
below represents the squadron composition based on 210 registered players.
|
Allied
(Representing) |
Japanese |
|
16
F4F-4 as (F4F-3, VF-42,
Yorktown )
USN-VF42 |
12 A6M2 VF
Zuikaku IJN-VFZ
|
|
16
F4F-4 as (F4F-3, VF-2,
Lexington
) USN-VF2
|
12 A6M2 VF
Shokaku IJN-VFS
|
|
8 SBD-5
as (SBD-3, VB- 5, Yorktown )
USN-VB5
|
8 A6M2 VF
Shoho IJN-VFI
|
|
8 SBD-5
as (SBD-3, VB-2, Lexington
) USN-VB2
|
16 D3A1 VB
Zuikaku IJN-VBZ
|
|
8 SBD-5
as (SBD-3, VS-5, Yorktown )
USN-VS5
|
16 D3A1 VB
Shokaku IJN-VBS
|
|
8 SBD-5
as (SBD-3, VS-2, Lexington
) USN-VS2
|
8 B5N VT
Shoho IJN-VTI
|
|
16 TBM3
as (TBD-1, VT-5, Yorktown )
USN-VT5
|
12 B5N VT
Zuikaku IJN-VTZ
|
|
16 TBM3
as (TBD-1,VT-2, Lexington
) USN-VT2
|
12 B5N VT
Shokaku IJN-VTS
|
| 3 PT as (
Submarines )
USN-SUB
|
3 PT as
(Submarines)
IJN-SUB
|
|
6 Task Force 17 Staff USN-HQ
|
6 Operation MO Staff IJN-HQ
|
If the
ships are lost, airborne aircraft may be
recovered by another friendly carrier per landing rules.
*Note: This
is single frame attrition. This is the number of planes available at the
start of each and every frame. There will be a 5 point penalty
for each sortie in excess of this allotment not counting those with the word
(discod) in the log line.
1.
Shoho
a.
8 A6M2
b.
16 B5N
c.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
d. Unlimited PT Boats, LTV-4, and
LTV-2
2.
Shokaku
a.
12 A6M2
b.
32 D3A1
c.
24 B5N
d.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
e. Unlimited PT Boats
3.
Zuikaku
a.
12 A6M2
b.
32 D3A1
c.
24 B5N
d.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
e. Unlimited PT Boats
4.
Shore Based
a.
6 KI67 -- The KI67 will emulate the H6K Flying Boat. It may not bomb
enemy positions, but it may defend itself.
b.
PT Boats will spawn at the Rabaul pier. They are not much
use, but you can spawn them.
If the
ships are lost, airborne aircraft may be
recovered by another friendly carrier per landing rules.
*Note: This
is single frame attrition. This is the number of planes available at the
start of each and every frame. There will be a 5 point penalty for
each sortie in excess of this allotment not counting those with the word
(discod) in the log line.
1.
Yorktown
a.
16 F4F-4
b.
32 SBD
c.
32 TBM
d.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
e. Unlimited PT Boats
2.
Lexington
a.
16 F4F-4
b.
32 SBD
c.
32 TBM
d.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
e. Unlimited PT Boats
3.
Shore Based
a.
6 B26 -- The B26 will emulate the PBY Catalina Flying Boat.
It may not bomb enemy positions, but it may defend itself.
b.
Unlimited PT Boats from Port Moresby (A10)
c. PT Boats used as submarines spawn open ocean
from Lae, Tulagi, Townsville and TonTouta. These fields are "Off
Limits" to the unlimited PT Boats. Unlimited PT Boats may spawn from Port
Moresby, and any Task Group.
4.
TG17.3 ( Radm Crace Cruiser Group)
a.
No Planes enabled.
b.
Unlimited CA 8" triple and DE 20mm guns
c. Unlimited PT Boats
A five point penalty will occur for each
infraction.
-
KI-67 and B-26
scout bombers must jettison ordinance over water upon launch. B26 must
empty forward guns immediately after dumping ordinance.
-
F4F No bombs or rockets,
guns only.
-
SBD No 1000lb bombs,
as a play balance constraint, 500
lb bombs only.
-
TBM Torpedo only, historical element, bomb capable, but
not used at Coral Sea .
-
B5N Torpedo only, historical element, bomb capable, but
not used at Coral Sea .
Setting Dates Rules Map Recon Staff
Japanese = Knight
P8 Rabaul Port (controls all three
task groups)
A14 Tulagi Seaplane Base --
Unlimited PT Boats may not spawn from this
field. Submarines only.
A12 Lae Small Airfield --
Unlimited PT Boats may not spawn from this
field. Submarines only.
C4 K Shoho P8
C5 K Shokaku P8
C6 K Zuikaku P8
Allied = Rook
A10 Port
Moresby Medium Airfield
P7
Noumea
Seaplane
Base Port
A9
TonTouta Small Airfield --
Unlimited PT Boats may not spawn from this field. Submarines
only.
A11
Townsvile Small Airfield --
Unlimited PT Boats may not spawn from this
field. Submarines only.
C15 Chicago (RAN Task Force) P3 --
Not a landing field. Planes may not land for any reason.
C2
Lexington P3
C3 Yorktown P3
Bishop =
CM
A1 Charters Towers Austrailia Small
Airfield -- No planes enabled. CM Headquarters.
A13 Gasmata - Small Airfield -- No planes
enabled. CM Outpost.
C16 --
Neosho -- Not a landing Field. Planes may not land on this field for any
reason.
View the Map
Wind 0-10K SE at 20 kts
Wind >10K W at 20 kts
Clock T+0 = 06:00
ClockMultiplier = 4
Arena Settings (if its not listed its default)
Boat Warning
Range = 63360
Communicationsflags = 0
ExitWhileMoving = 328
(Boat,Amphib,Gunner)
FlightModeFlags = 0
FuelBurnRateMult = 1.5
FullIconRange = 2400
GroundAutoLethality [Armored] = .0362
GroundAutoLethality [Hard] = .0362
GroundAutoLethality [Soft] = .0362
KillShooter = 0
PerkPointDisabled = 1
Protect Objects = 1
RadarAlt = 200
RadarModeBish = 5 (Full Friendly, Full Enemy)
RadarModeKnit = 48 (Disable Friendly Counters, Disable Enemy
Counters)
RadarModeRook = 58 (Tower Friendly, Tower Enemy,Disable Friendly
Counters,Disable Enemy Counters)
ResetAirFieldCount = 1
ResetTotalFieldCount = 1
StratDisabled = 1
TaskGroupCommandCount = 4
TaskGroupRespawnTime = 600
TowerBasedRadarRange = 63360
ViewModeFlags = 2 (External View Bombers Only)
WeaponLethality[Armored] = .6062
WeaponLethality[Hard] = .6062
WeaponLethality[Soft] = .6062
Weapon Lethality is reduced to assist the ship hardness
setting. This does not affect plane guns.
* A note
about ship hardness. We wanted this to be a protracted battle where only
coordinated strikes succeed in sinking the CVs and Cruisers. This
will not be like anything you have experienced, so make your ordinance count,
and don't expect the ships to be easily sunk.
Only the
two Allied Carriers will have radar.
Japanese radar will be non-functional. The Allied radar will be tower based, and have
a radius of 12 miles with dot visibility only. There will be no sector
counters. CM has full radar capability to track the
action.
A 20 knot S
wind will prevail at 0 10K. A 20 knot W
wind will prevail at all altitudes > 10K.
Each frame
of Coral Sea is designed to run from 3PM EST to 6PM
EST. A total of three
hours per frame. Early termination
of the logs shall be by mutual consent of the CO of both teams or if the CM
considers it the best course of action. A 30 minute RTB window will also
be provided to allow pilots a safe RTB period.
All flight
shall stay within the full sectors of the map. A plane loss penalty will occur for each
incident of a plane leaving the map sector grid, denoted by the appearance of an
arrow.
1.
The Japanese striking force
(Zuikaku and Shokaku) groups must
start north of the 10 row and east of the 8 column per border identified in
red on map.
2.
The Japanese invasion force must
start in sector 9,13 per border identified in green on the map.
3.
The Allied task groups must
start south of the 9 row and east of the 8 column per border identified in white
on the map.
1. Frames 1 and 3, the Task
Groups start within the aforementioned boundaries, by CM jump to the desired
waypoints. This shall
occur at T-30 and the starting waypoint should be near the center of the
starting sector, such that the task force is not across the border at
T-0.
2. Frames 2
and 4, the Operational Commanders may choose any adjacent sector for task force
deployment, based on their last recorded position. This accounts for the
dusk to dawn movement of the task groups from May 7th thru the morning of May
8th.
3. Scout
planes will be allowed an early start through a pre-arranged schedule.
Scout planes must stay within the starting boundaries until T-0 when general
flight is opened.
From: COMMANDER
COMBINED FLEET
To: Commander
Japanese Forces Rabaul
Subj: Operation MO
Msg: With the cooperation of the South Seas Army Detachment and
the Navy you will occupy Port Moresby and important positions on Tulagi and
southeastern New Guinea.
The
Japanese Commander shall maintain operational command of the Port Moresby
Invasion Group and the Carrier Strike Force. He shall have two subordinates. Command of each group, to include the
tactical operation of the carriers is the responsibility of the subordinate
commanders, who may delegate that authority. The Port
Moresby invasion group is ordered to capture the town of
Port Moresby . The Carrier Strike
Force is ordered to seek out and destroy allied opposition to the invasion
force.
Occupation of Port
Moresby is
specifically defined as: Capturing the town with LVT carried troops from the
Port
Moresby invasion force task group.
From: CINCPACFLT
To:
Commander TF 17
Subj: Operational Order No
2-42
Date: 01MAY42:: 0600
Msg: Naval Intelligence has identified
the Japanese objective as Port
Moresby . Reports of 2 first line carriers and a
light carrier in addition to other naval elements are said to be gathering in
the vicinity of the Solomon chain.
You are to rendezvous with USS Lexington and the Royal Australian Navy
support group and assume operational command.
The
Allied operational commander shall maintain operational command of Task Force 17
comprised of Task Group 17.5 (Carrier Group) and Task Group 17.3 (RN Support
Group). He shall have two
subordinates. Each subordinate
shall maintain operational command of the Carriers Lexington and
Yorktown , and the Royal Australian Navy support group
and may delegate that authority.
Task Force 17 is ordered to prevent the capture of
Port Moresby .
Setting Dates Rules Map Recon Staff
Bomber
pilots are allowed 2 planes. All others have 1 plane. Unlimited
lives on both aircraft and ship guns.
It is the responsibility of the operational commanders to strictly
account for all ships and aircraft allotted to his team.
Pilots who die or
crash/ditch/bail their aircraft, shall immediately notify their group leader
(GL), and request further instructions. At the discretion of the operational
commanders, extra aircraft due to no-show personnel may be used by downed
pilots, not to exceed the total frame equipment
allocation.
Note:
C15 and C16 are not operational and are not eligible landing fields. Any
Allied plane landing on C15 or C16 is lost. Re-launching counts double the
loss and pilot will be warned.
Refueling
is permitted on any friendly Carrier or Base. Refer to section 4.1 for un-successful
carrier landing attempts. Hotpad
only for land base refuel/rearm.
Carrier planes are not enabled at bases.
Rearming is
permitted on any friendly Carrier or Base.
Hotpad only for land base refuel/rearm. For Carrier landings a change of weapons
load out shall be permitted. This
specifically means that a pilot can land and exit his plane, change the fuel
load out and re-launch. In the
event of an un-successful landing attempt the plane is lost to attrition. If the pilot dies,e.g., the you
have been killed or captured or ditched message appears he is
subject to the rules of lives section 4.1
See section
2.3 special rules. Due to the
unavailability of historical models, the toughness of AH Carriers, and the
limited number of players, the ordinance restrictions specified are intended for
play balance as well as an attempt at historical significance.
A 20 knot
wind will prevail from the south east at 0-2K. Successful launch of aircraft will
require the tactical maneuvering of the Carriers so that launch and recovery
operations are into the wind. This is SOP for carrier
operations. However, simply
continuing on a south eastward course during the frame would be poor game. As such the operational commanders are
required to change the course of the carriers a minimum of once per
hour.
Carrier
Launch Sequence: At launch time, groups must launch and hold (engines off) on
the flight deck to simulate the arming sequence. Planes may launch only after
the CV has turned into the wind, and the launch signal is
given.
Scout
missions are left to the discretion of the respective commanders. Surrogate seaplanes are available from
land bases subject to the rules of equipment attrition. There are a total
of 6 seaplanes available per frame.
Landing
aboard a carrier the only valid landing.
If the plane is not capable of re-launching due to damage either in
combat or on landing, then the plane is lost to attrition. If a pilot
exits a plane on a CV and gets a "Landed Successfully" message then the plane is
not lost. Landings of any kind at a
land base means losing the plane to attrition.
Setting Dates Rules Map Recon Staff
|
Event |
|
|
Capture of
Port Moresby
|
-135 |
|
Lexington
Sunk |
-90 |
|
Yorktown Sunk
|
-90 |
|
New
Orleans Sunk |
-45 |
|
Minneapolis
Sunk |
-45 |
|
Chicago
Sunk |
-45 |
|
Allied Plane Lost (-1
point per) |
-320 |
|
Japanese Plane Lost (1
point per) |
320 |
|
Zuikaku Sunk
|
90 |
|
Shokaku Sunk
|
90 |
|
Shoho Sunk
|
45 |
|
Myoko Sunk
|
45 |
|
Haguro Sunk
|
45 |
|
Aoba Sunk
|
45 |
|
Port Moresby
Uncaptured |
90 |
Strategic USN Victory
Port Moresby Uncaptured
Tactical USN Victory 75%
465 pts
Limited USN Victory 50%
310 pts
Limited IJN Victory -50%
-310 pts
Tactical IJN Victory
-75%
-465 pts
Strategic IJN Victory
Port Moresby Captured
Yes, just as in the actual event,
it is possible to have a limited victory for one side with a tactical
victory for the other. While
the loss of Lady Lex determined a tactical victory in favor of Vice Admiral
Takagis Carrier Strike Force, the withdraw of the Port Moresby Invasion
forces by Vice Admiral Inouye represented a strategic victory for Allied
Forces. There cannot be a tie.
Ships have elaborate damage control measures which
include a command center called DCC or Damage Control Central. Ships not
sunk in the frames 1 and 3, the first day of the battle will regain all non
gun objects for frames 2 and 4 respectfully .
Setting
Dates Rules Map Recon Staff
Frame 1 and
3 will represent May 7th
1942 . Equipment
Attrition will carry over to the next frame. If either CO concedes defeat by the end
of either Frame 1 or frame 3, then the following frame will restart at full
allocation. Example, if both Allied
carriers are sunk in frame one, the Allied CO must surrender, and frame two will
begin at the beginning. A surrender
involves the loss of both large carriers.
Final scoring will accrue accordingly.
If the
first frame of each half sees both sides capable of carrying out their orders,
i.e., having at least one Carrier in service, then the following frame, 2 or 4
will continue as May 8th
1942 .
T- 60 CO/CM presence required
T- 45 GL presence required
T- 30 Commanding Officers report
readiness to CM. Task Forces are Jumped to starting positions.
T- 0 Commence Operations --
Flight is enabled by CM
T+90 CM Announces
Half Way
Timing
T+170 CM Announces 10 minutes to end of
Hostilities
T+180 CM Announces Cease Fire
T+210 All planes must have landed, logs will
close.
Frame 1 and 2, Team Zulu will play
Japanese, Team Alpha will play Allied
Frame 3 and 4, roles
reverse.
It is the
option of the Task Force commanders when and how to deploy their forces. If Takagi wants to use his bombers as
kamikaze then he may with full knowledge that losing his planes will have a
negative effect on the victory conditions.
If Fletcher wants to search the arena at the cost of his planes the same
conditions prevail. The only
restriction the Task Force commanders must adhere to is their specific orders
from higher command, as listed in section 3.3, and the guidelines embodied
by these rules.
At the discretion of the Operational Commanders each
may accept a total of three volunteers from their ranks for submarine
duty. Six mid ocean boat entry points provide the randomly selected
submarine patrol points. A total of three submarines for each side may
be active at any given time. Penalty points remain at the discretion of
the CM for exceeding the maximum number of submarines.
Each submarine gets two chances per frame to spawn.
The logs may reflect no more than 2 spawns, and they may be from either of the
two available fields to any of the six available entry points.
This will limit jumping around, cause the subs to be conservative in their
movements, and somewhat emulate a subs ability to escape by submersion.
Deep ocean spawn fields are off limits to the unlimited PT
boats.
Be aware! Submarine duty will be isolated, you
will be the eyes and ears of the fleet, but your chances of getting close to a
task force will be minimal. It is entirely possible that a submarine
will never get a shot off. But if it were me, this would be my
billet.
Setting Dates Rules Map Recon Staff