Scenario 4.a
Santa Cruz – The Battle
Time: 0100, 26 October to 1800, 26 October (18 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
- CVs Hornet and Enterprise, and BB South Dakota must begin within 5 hexes of Ndeni Island.
- BB Washington must begin in Sector VII,
within 3 hexes of Guadalcanal Island.
- 2 DD and 2 PG must begin within 3 hexes
of Henderson.
- 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
- 8 DD must begin at Shortlands.
- All other sips must begin within 5 hexes
of the Stewart Island.
Special Rules - Allied Only
- All Allied ships and bases have radar.
- During day turns, Henderson may repair two hits per
turn.
Special Rules – Japanese Only
- Japanese bases Rabaul, Gasmata, Lae, Shortlands
and Buna have radar.
Optional Extra Planes
- 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.
- 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
- Automatic Victory Level: 250
points.
- 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:
- 11 October – Japanese succeed in landing
major reinforcements on Guadalcanal.
- 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.
- 13 October – Americans succeed in landing
major reinforcements on Guadalcanal.
- 14 October – Japanese Battleships bombard
Henderson to cover the largest Japanese landing of reinforcements to
Guadalcanal to date.
- 15 October – American planes snipe at the
Japanese landings throughout the day making significant morale but little
material impact.
- 15 October – During the night, Japanese
cruisers again bombard the Henderson perimeter.
- 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).
- 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.