Let's dive right in on the actual mission with Figure 1.
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| Figure 1 - Mission starts |
The very first action is taken by VP3 who beelines towards the promontory at the mouth of the bay. It moves in two identical pulses of three tiles revealing the Coastal Gun in the first leg and one bunker and one destroyer in the second leg. There's also a ship's echo at the edge of radar range.
The most immediate threats to our most vulnerable assets (the units aboard transports) are thus identified and can be engaged. We also learn that two beach tiles are rendered unsafe.
All this intelligence from a combat ineffective unit. Granted that if the auxiliary DD was the first to move and had done so in a parallel course to the one taken by VP3 she would also have revealed the Coastal Gun and the OPFOR DD but the bunker and the second ship would remain in the FoW. It might also have been left with no targets in firing range.
The greatest value of reconnaissance units is not how much damage they do themselves but how much information they can gather that can then be acted upon by actual combat units.
In any case I've known this for over seven years and planned accordingly. The blind player might have to rethink or refine his/her plans.
The highlights on the bottom left corner of the map are VXF1 (the auxiliary F4F3 Wildcat fighter) moving to the exit tile (to make room for VF1, my other core fighter) and CV Lexington moving out of range of the Coastal Gun (the thin black wavy line).
The bunker at the North edge of the map was fired upon by a destroyer rushing towards the mouth of the bay with no other visible outcome than a loss of one efficiency point. This was the closest of the northern pair of destroyers neither of which can fire at the Costal Gun.
The Coastal Gun is at this point the most dangerous threat to our units and will thus be the priority target of all units that can engage it. First salvo will be the privilege of Joseph Wright aboard BB 55 North Carolina firing her primary battery. Both heavy cruisers and the destroyer in the image join in as will VB1 (SBD3 Dauntless dive bomber) and VF2 (F4F4 Wildcat fighter). The Coastal Gun is left at 7/13 HP and 4/10 efficiency.
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| Figure 2 - Aerial reconnaissance |
Figure 2 is again a mosaic very early during turn 2 when only VP3 has taken action. Once more two pulses of three tiles this time (almost) straight North. At the end of the first leg a second bunker defending the shoreline and a defensive position comprised of a Heavy Infantry, an anti-tank, a light artillery and a Recruits are revealed. On the second leg a Infantry unit is revealed at the northernmost Supply Depot.
The defensive position was hinted at by the barbed wire and doesn't require urgent reevaluation of plans. It's nice to know where artillery fire can come from so we can avoid it. The second bunker however turns a seven tile beach into two very small landing zones and will have to be dealt with swiftly.
I chose this particular moment in the beginning of turn 2 because it shows how I moved most (if not all) of my units during turn 1. Of particular note is the destroyer at the entrance of the bay and how its Zone of Control (ZoC) prevents the OPFOR DDs from exiting (they didn't actually move or fire in turn 1). There's a damaged (9-strength) transport carrying an auxiliary Marine that was fired upon by the half-strength and low on efficiency Coastal Gun. Only one of my core Land units (a Marine) is in range of the Coastal Gun.
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| Figure 3 - Turn 2 |
Figure 3 focuses on the bay area at or near the end of the turn. The Coastal Gun was destroyed by the combined fire of the battleship, both cruisers, one destroyer and the dive-bomber. One of the destroyers fired on the bunker inflicting one point of damage and the last one entered the bay to further impede the OPFOR's movement and fire on one of its ships. VF2 is escorting VB1 and its radar detects an airborne aircraft over the airfield.
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| Figure 4 - Naval action, turns 1 to 5 |
Figure 4 is a plot of all "fighting" ships for the first five turns. The small black lines represent salvoes fired. Destroyers stop moving and firing in turn three and the auxiliary cruiser in turn four, they have done their job.
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