Scenario 4.b

 

Santa Cruz – The Campaign

 

Time: 0100, 25 October to 1800, 27 October (66 turns)

Weather: Scattered Clouds

 

Allied Order of Battle

CV Enterprise

CV Hornet

BB South Dakota

BB Washington

CA Northampton

CA Pensacola

CA Portland

CA San Francisco

CL Atlanta

CL Helena

CL Juneau

CL San Diego

CL San Juan

22DD, 2PG, 11SS

Sea Based Planes: 9 Avenger, 24 Dauntless, 23 Wildcat

Land Based Planes at Espiritu Santo, Henderson and/or New Caledonia: 10 B-17, 9 Catalina, 6 Dauntless, 3 Hudson, 3 P-39, 8 Wildcat.

Land Based Planes at Australia, Gili-Gili and/or Port Moresby: 4 A-20, 9 B-17, 16 B-25, 24 B-26, 4 Beaufighter, 4 Beaufort, 2 Catalina, 2 Hudson, 4 P-39, 24 P-40.

 

Allied Ships’ Starting Positions

  1. CVs Hornet and Enterprise, and BB South Dakota must begin within 8 hexes of Ndeni Island.
  2. BB Washington must begin in Sector VII, within 6 hexes of Guadalcanal Island.
  3. 2 DD and 2 PG must begin within 1 hexe of Henderson.
  4. All other ships must begin with any of these groups of ships.

 

Japanese Order of Battle

CV Shokaku

CV Zuikaku

CVL Zuiho

CAV Chikuma

CAV Tone

BB Haruna

BB Hiei

BB Kirishima

BB Kongo

CA Atago

CA Chokai

CA Kumano

CA Maya

CA Myoko

CA Suzuya

CA Takao

CL Isuzu

CL Nagara

CL Yura

38DD, 12SS

Sea Based Planes: 17 Kate, 2 Jake, 1 Judy, 4 Pete, 21 Val, 31 Zero

Land Based Planes at Buin, Buka, Buna, Gasmata, Kavieng, Lae, Rabaul, Shortland and/or Truk: 11 Betty, 1 Emily, 6 Kate, 4 Mavis, 9 Nell, 2 Rufe, 15 Val, 30 Zero

 

Japanese Ship’s Starting Positions

  1. CL Yura (and any number of DDs) must begin in Sector III, within 4 hexes of Guadalcanal Island.
  2. All other sips must begin in Sector III, not over 8 hexes from the north edge of the map.

 

Special Rules - Allied Only

  1. All Allied ships and bases have radar.
  2. During day turns, Henderson may repair 2 hits per turn.

 

Special Rules – Japanese Only

  1. Japanese bases Rabaul, Lae, Shortlands, Gasmata, and Buna have radar.

 

Optional Extra Planes

  1. Allied: 4 B-26, 1 Hudson, 4 P-38, 8 P-39, 6 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: 10 Betty and 15 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: 250 points.
  2. The player with the most points at the end of the game must have scored at least 200 points to be declared the winner, otherwise the game is a draw.

 

Historical Background

In October of 1942, Japanese Imperial Headquarters decided to decisively intervene in the battle of Guadalcanal. The plan was to first provide major reinforcements to General Kawaguchi’s 17th Army on Guadalcanal and then to support his overwhelming assault against the Americans around Henderson field with a naval bombardment from a number of battleships and cruisers. A supporting five carrier task force would either intimidate or overwhelm any American attempts to reinforce or support the marines on Guadalcanal. Circumstances, luck, and a measure of timidity on the part of the Japanese caused their timetable to go awry.

 

Events Leading Up to This Scenario:

  1. 11 October – Japanese succeed in landing major reinforcements on Guadalcanal.
  2. 11 October – Rear-Admiral Goto Aritomo’s CA Aoba, CA Furutuka, CA Kinugasa and 2DD are defeated by Rear-Admiral Norman Scott’s CA San Francisco, CA Salt Lake City, CL Boise, CL Helena, and 5DD at the night battle of Cape Esperance.
  3. 13 October – Americans succeed in landing major reinforcements on Guadalcanal.
  4. 14 October – Japanese Battleships bombard Henderson to cover the largest Japanese landing of reinforcements to Guadalcanal to date.
  5. 15 October – American planes snipe at the Japanese landings throughout the day making significant morale but little material impact.
  6. 15 October – During the night, Japanese cruisers again bombard the Henderson perimeter.
  7. 16 October – Bombardment of the Japanese landing zone by two American destroyers has the good luck to set the ablaze a major stockpile of Japanese ammunition causing General Kawaguchi to delay the opening of his ground offensive (unknown to the supporting IJN forces).
  8. 24 October – Japanese ground forces belatedly commence their attack against the Henderson perimeter. It will last three days. The delays have resulted in the Japanese ships being very low and fuel. There are no reserves in the area.