Scenario 3.b

 

Eastern Solomons – The Campaign

 

Time: 0100, 24 August to 1800, 26 August (66 turns)

Weather: Scattered Clouds

 

Allied Order of Battle

            CV Enterprise

            CV Saratoga

            CV Wasp

            BB North Carolina

            CA Minneapolis

            CA New Orleans

            CA Portland

            CA San Francisco

            CA Salt Lake City

            CL Atlanta

            CL San Juan

            21DD, 3AO, 6SS

            Sea Based Planes: 15 Avenger, 36 Dauntless, 34 Wildcat

Land Based Planes at Espiritu Santo, Henderson, Ndeni and/or New Caledonia: 3 B-17, 5 Catalina, 3 Dauntless, 2 Hudson, 2 P-39, 4 Wildcat.

Land Based Planes at Australia, Gili-Gili and/or Port Moresby: 3 A-20, 8 B-17, 10 B-25, 20 B-26, 2 Beaufighter, 3 Beaufort, 1 Catalina, 1 Hudson, 6 P-39, 16 P-40.

 

Allied Ships’ Starting Positions

  1. 1 DD must being in Gili-Gili.
  2. CV Wasp, 3 AO, CL San Juan, CA San Francisco, CA Salt Lake City, and 8 DD must begin in Sector VIII, not over 10 hexes from the east edge of the map.
  3. All other ships must begin in Sector IV.

 

Japanese Order of Battle

            CV Shokaku

            CV Zuikaku

            CVL Ryuyo

            AV Chitose

            CAV Tone

            CAV Chikuma

            BB Hiei

            BB Kirishima

            BB Mutsu

            CA Aoba

            CA Atago

            CA Furutaka

            CA Haguro

            CA Kinugasa

            CA Kumano

            CA Maya

            CA Myoko

            CA Suzuya

            CA Takao

            CL Jintsu

            CL Nagara

            CL Tatsuta

            CL Tenryu

            CL Yura

            31DD, 4APD, 5AP, 1PG, 12SS

            Sea Based Planes: 17 Kate, 4 Jake, 1 Judy, 8 Pete, 17 Val, 25 Zero

Land Based Planes at any or all of Buka, Buna, Gasmata, Kavieng, Lae, Rabaul, Shortland and Truk: 8 Betty, 1 Emily, 2 Mavis, 3 Nell, 2 Rufe, 2 Val, 20 Zero

 

Japanese Ship’s Starting Positions

  1. 2 AP, 1 PG, CL Tenryu, CL Tatsuta (and any number of DDs) must begin at Rabaul.
  2. 2 AP (and any number of DDs) must begin within 2 hexes of Goodenough Island.
  3. CL Jintsu, 4 APD and 1 AP (and any number of DDs) must begin within 4 hexes of Ontong Java Atoll.
  4. All other ships must begin in Sector III, within 3 hexes of the north edge of the mapboard, or at Rabaul.

 

Special Rules – Japanese Only

  1. Japanese bases Rabaul and Lae have radar.
  2. The Japanese APs and APDs may only unload in the Gili-Gili hex or any Guadalcanal Island hex (except Henderson). If the Japanese unload 50 or more points in Gili-Gili, the base becomes a Japanese base on the next turn. Any Allied planes remaining at the base are considered eliminated. The Japanese player will have to make the Gili-Gili Air Operations box on a separate piece of paper. Any damage is carried over. Only the following Japanese plane types may land and take-off at Gili-Gili; Zero, Val and Kate.

 

Special Rules - Allied Only

  1. Allied CVs, BBs, CAs, CLs and bases have radar.
  2. CV Enterprise has an AAF of 5.
  3. Only the following plane types may land and take-off at Gili-Gili; P-39, P-40, Avenger, Dauntless, and Wildcat.

 

Optional - Allied Only - CV Wasp Night Capable Air Factors

  1. All Dauntless and Avenger air factors that begin the scenario on the Wasp, may add +2 to the night landing die roll when they land on the Wasp during night turns.
  2. These same air factors are reduced only two tables instead of four when making air attacks (not air-to-air combat) during night turns.
  3. If this option is used, only 17 Dauntless and Avenger air factors may begin the game on the CV Wasp.
  4.  The eligible aircraft pieces are identified by the letter “w”.

   

 

Optional - Allied Only - CVs Fueling

  1. CV Wasp and accompanying ships are fueling when the scenario begins. CVs Enterprise and Saratoga and accompanying ships must begin fueling by 1200, 25 August.

 

Optional Extra Planes

  1. Allied: 5 B-17, 2 B-26, 7 Dauntless, 6 P-39, 10 Wildcat if any Japanese TF is observed in Sector V or VIII. May take off armed from Espiritu Santo or Australia on the turn after observing the TF.
  2. Japanese: 6 Betty and 20 Zero if any Allied TF is observed in Sector I or II. May take off armed from Truk on the turn after observing the TF.

 

Special Victory Conditions

  1. Automatic Victory Level: 200 points.
  2. The Japanese player receives 50 points if he can unload 50 points in the Gili-Gili hex.

 

Historical Background

The battle of the Eastern Solomons was the result of a poorly organized, poorly co-ordinated, misinformed and nominal Japanese effort to dislodge the newly arrived Americans from Guadalcanal. To the Japanese high command, Guadalcanal was a distraction from their main focus, which was their efforts to dislodge the Australians from Papua New Guinea.