Scenario 2.a
Coral Sea – The Battle
Time: 0100, 8 May to 1800, 8 May (18 turns)
Weather: Cloud Front
Allied Order of Battle
CV Lexington
CV Yorktown
CA Astoria
CA Australia
CA Chester
CA Chicago
CA Minneapolis
CA New Orleans
CA Portland
CL Hobart
14DD, 2AO, 5SS
Sea Based Planes: 25 Dauntless, 8 Devastator, 14 Wildcat
Land Based Planes at New Caledonia: 4 Catalina
Land Based Planes at Australia and/or Port Moresby: 5 B-17, 5 B-25, 12 B-26, 3 Dauntless, 1 Catalina, 2 Hudson, 12 P-39, 2 P-40.
Allied Ships’ Starting Positions
- All ships must begin in Sector VI, not
over 15 hexes from the South edge of the map.
Japanese Order of Battle
CV Shokaku
CV Zuikaku
CVL Shoho
AV Kamikawa
CA Aoba
CA Furutaka
CA Haguro
CA Kako
CA Kinugasa
CA Myoko
CL Tatsuta
CL Tenryu
CL Yubari
15DD, 4AO, 8PG, 13AP, 7SS
Sea Based Planes: 3 Dave, 17
Kate, 4 Pete, 14 Val, 16 Zero
Land Based Planes at any or
all of Kavieng, Lae, Rabaul, Shortland, Truk and Tulagi: 12 Betty, 5 Mavis, 16 Nell, 1 Rufe, 21 Zero
Japanese Ship’s Starting Positions
- CVs Shokaku and Zuikaku must begin within
7 hexes of New Georgia Island.
- AV Kamikawa and 2 PG may begin at Deboyne Island (AV Kamikawa may begin with a temporary seaplane base already
established).
- 12 AP and 2 PG must begin within 15 hexes
of Deboyne Island.
- All other ships must begin with any of
the foregoing groups.
Special Rules - Allied Only
- Allied CVs and bases have radar.
- Wildcat units have a BHT of 7 for
Air-to-Air Combat.
- The optional fueling rules are not used
for this scenario.
Special Rules – Japanese Only
- The Japanese APs may unload only in the
Port Moresby hex.
- The Pete float planes on the Kamikawa may
be used only if the AV Kamikawa has established a temporary seaplane base.
- Shokaku and Zuikaku have only 5 Damage
Factors.
- Ignore the Japanese Coastwatcher symbols
on the following islands; Choiseul, Santa Isabel, Vella Lavella, New
Georgia, and Guadalcanal.
- The optional fueling rules are not used
for this scenario.
Optional Extra Planes
- Allied: 5 B-17, 6 P-39 and 5 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: 5 Betty and 10 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: 100 points.
- The Allied player receives 50 points if
the Japanese player cannot unload 50 points in the Port Moresby hex.
- If the Japanese player unloads 150 points
in the Port Moresby hex,
the game ends immediately and he wins.
Historical Background & Optional (Historical) Scenario
Rules
The Battle of the Coral Sea
was a tactical victory for the Japanese but a strategic defeat. The strategic
goal of the Imperial Japanese Navy General Staff was to invade Port Moresby for the purpose of anchoring
the southern perimeter of Japanese control on the southern shores of Papua New Guinea before striking towards Fiji. Control of Port
Moresby would force Allied strategic bombers to fly
an additional 500 miles from Australia against Japanese targets. Japanese strategic bombers on the other
hand, would now be in reach of targets in Australia and could interdict any Allied supply convoys north of Australia.
- Ca Australia, CA Chicago, CL Hobart and 3DD must deploy within 4 hexes of
hex V33 on board VI. This TF was under the command of Australian Rear
Admiral Crace and were assigned to cover the Jomard passage. They must
deploy and operate as an independent Task Force until such time as any
Japanese ship is spotted more than 5 hexes from Rabaul and Tulagi by Allied
naval or air units. This task force ignores the optional fueling rule.
- The Allied B-17s must be deployed in Australia and cannot transfer to any
other base for the duration of the game. MacArthur and the Australian
General Staff took very little interest in Port
Moresby. They garrisoned it with only a small
contingent of their lowest quality militia.