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 DD must being in Gili-Gili.
- 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.
- 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
- 2 AP, 1 PG, CL Tenryu, CL Tatsuta (and any
number of DDs) must begin at Rabaul.
- 2 AP (and any number of DDs) must begin
within 2 hexes of Goodenough Island.
- CL Jintsu, 4 APD and 1 AP (and any number
of DDs) must begin within 4 hexes of Ontong Java Atoll.
- 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
- Japanese bases Rabaul and Lae have radar.
- 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
- Allied CVs, BBs, CAs, CLs and bases have
radar.
- CV Enterprise has an AAF of 5.
- 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
- 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.
- These same air factors are reduced only
two tables instead of four when making air attacks (not air-to-air combat)
during night turns.
- If this option is used, only 17 Dauntless
and Avenger air factors may begin the game on the CV Wasp.
- The eligible aircraft pieces are
identified by the letter “w”.

Optional - Allied Only - CVs Fueling
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- Automatic Victory Level: 200
points.
- 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.