British Pacific Fleet TF37 Attack on Japan

[Devildog73]

Not a bad first strike mission.
Dodged the AA, bombed a large hanger, strafed and destroyed a few G4Ms, and landed safely back on HMS Formidable.

Now for a relaxing beverage not available on USN ships......

[stuart277]

Looking Good!
Glad you got them to work.
Cheers
Stuart

[Devildog73]

Airfield builders,

I need Niigata Airfield built please.

37* 57.21 N
139* 06.42 E
Runways 10 & 28
Possibly a 04 & 18

I have a Y runway sitting there for MB purposes for now.

It is the target of my second Corsair airstrike and CFS2 doesn't have it.
I can only find it online in civilian modern airport for FS9 and FSX.

Anyone interested?
Thanks,

DD73

[Captain Kurt]

Airfield builders,

I need Niigata Airfield built please.

39* 57.21 N
139* 06.42 E
Runways 10 & 28
Possibly a 04 & 18

I have a Y runway sitting there for MB purposes for now.

It is the target of my second Corsair airstrike and CFS2 doesn't have it.
I can only find it online in civilian modern airport for FS9 and FSX.

Anyone interested?
Thanks,

DD73

LOL DD, that's the middle of the ocean. You mean 37*52.21 N

Here's a 1945 pic of Niigata

[Devildog73]

Yep, fat fingers! N37*......

LOL DD, that's the middle of the ocean. You mean 37*52.21 N

Here's a 1945 pic of Niigata

[Devildog73]

I built an airbase there with FSSC and MB objects.

Vaguely resembles photo Capt K posted.
But as most of you know, MB objects are limited in numbers for the sim, affect frame rates, and I am not handy converting layouts to GSL objects.
My next flight I will do a couple of screen shots of the airbase.

I have the mission built, tweaking the warps and spawning.
May have to ask Rami to work his magic on the warping and spawning.

I lost one of my wing men on the mission to AA fire.
The other three groups lost wing men to AA fire.
Tough mission.

No dogfights yet......Corsair ground attack missions.
I think the IJA may have been saving fighters for heavy bombers.
The IJN was decimated by this point in the war.

I have to figure out how to NOT lose any aircraft in these first missions and still keep the flak authentic.
BPF - TF 37 flew 78 offensive missions without a loss of crew or aircraft.
I've lost 4 in the first two missions...........

DD

[Devildog73]

Here's some action shots of Niigata.

[Rami]

Devildog73,

Converting layouts into GSL is easy-peasy. I have just finished installing the Solomons, the Carolines, AF New Guinea / Port Moresby, New Britain, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Merauke, the Aru Islands, and the Marianas.

Ir's coming along nicely, and I'm fixing a lot of issues (vehicles/ships/weapons) in GSL, as well as new / corrected airbase.dat entries.

[No Dice]

D Dog,

If you do not have Martins GSL Edit program, I can send it to you.

Makes converting a snap.....

[Rami]

D Dog,

If you do not have Martins GSL Edit program, I can send it to you.

Makes converting a snap.....

No Dice,

It's not foolproof; it has to be used in conjunction with GobCheck, and from time to time, that program can have problems with dividing layouts into separate gobs.

[No Dice]

Yes Sir, I know
I have the full blown program with perms, instructions and all..

[bearcat241]

I have to figure out how to NOT lose any aircraft in these first missions and still keep the flak authentic.
BPF - TF 37 flew 78 offensive missions without a loss of crew or aircraft.
I've lost 4 in the first two missions..........

DD,

Combat simulation AI are just dumb fodder to intense, accurate flak. They don't use any evasive tactics or defensive strategies. Human pilots flying tactical fighter aircraft against flak instinctively know to maneuver against the fire and within the gauntlet and also deploy suppression tactics while on target as much as possible, which could go far in explaining the record you pointed out.

In similar situations involving air base attacks in fighters, i always go after the flak first before the main objectives. I target the most lethal flak batteries as my flight enters the range of the base defenses, usually the 40mm guns and larger at mid range and the 23mm and 25mm guns as we close on the base. As i target each of the big guns i assign an element to attack it. I generally take out the smaller caliber weapons myself since they require pinpoint accuracy and often multiple passes when strafing. Because the AI wingmen are directly targeting the AI AAA guns head-on as assigned, the exchanges are generally tipped in favor of the AI wingmen, as opposed to them being clipped by the flak guns broadside as they fly past or away from them.

Once we've completely neutralized the flak -- or at least suppressed it to a ridiculously low level -- we go after the main objectives, whatever they might be. If there are interceptors to eliminate, i will assign elements to them first or just leave them to the aggression of any assisting flights as i focus on the guns. But regardless, i always make flak suppression my first priority in any airbase strike. Its an old habit i picked up flying in Jane's jet sims against radar-directed base defenses in the good old days. Its the best way to get the job done and get everyone home safely.

[Devildog73]

Thanks bearcat,

I will add a couple or four aircraft to each mission as individual aircraft assigned specifically to the AA batteries just ahead of my ground attack flights and see if that improves the success rates.

DD

[Devildog73]

D Dog,

If you do not have Martins GSL Edit program, I can send it to you.

Makes converting a snap.....

No Dice,

Yes, please do so.

In the past I always asked Rami to do the converting of airfields I built in MB.

If I can learn to do the "easy peasy" part myself, it will take the load off Rams....

Lee

[Rami]

Devildog73,

The tricky part is to make sure that you don't have anything else in that gob already before you add to it with Martin Wright's tools. If you don't, it will overwrite whatever is there already, and erases what was there before.

I've wiped out more than a few ports making that mistake, inevitably followed by a few words not worth repeating, especially in mixed company.

[Devildog73]

Devildog73,

The tricky part is to make sure that you don't have anything else in that gob already before you add to it with Martin Wright's tools. If you don't, it will overwrite whatever is there already, and erases what was there before.

I've wiped out more than a few ports making that mistake, inevitably followed by a few words not worth repeating, especially in mixed company.

Yeah, I am only going to do for scenery I create in FSSC and MB where there is nothing else but possible stock, flat streets, grass, and trees.

[No Dice]

Here you go Lee

http://thefreeflightsite.com/Vietnam_Projects_2.htm

[No Dice]

Lee,
Please let me know when you have it so I can remove the link from the FFS.

[Devildog73]

No Dice, GOT IT.
REMOVED LINK.

Thanks

[UncleTgt]

DD

Building on what Bearcat was saying, by now the FAA tactics honed off Sakishima were pretty standardised. Ramrod first, low level strafing to suppress flak, quickly followed by strike element (almost exclusively 500lb MCs).

1 section would say high just in case of air opposition, sometimes to draw the flak for the low level ramrod flights.

Time & again naratives speak of the Jap AA not responding until they are over the airfield, sometimes not until after bombs gone. I think this can be reproduced by waiting & spawning the flak after the first attackers payload has been released. It means no flak layouts for ease of mission construction, but it might mean less dumb Player AI flak losses.

[UncleTgt]

LOL DD, that's the middle of the ocean. You mean 37*52.21 N

Here's a 1945 pic of Niigata

Awesome find CK

[Devildog73]

DD

Building on what Bearcat was saying, by now the FAA tactics honed off Sakishima were pretty standardised. Ramrod first, low level strafing to suppress flak, quickly followed by strike element (almost exclusively 500lb MCs).

1 section would say high just in case of air opposition, sometimes to draw the flak for the low level ramrod flights.

Time & again naratives speak of the Jap AA not responding until they are over the airfield, sometimes not until after bombs gone. I think this can be reproduced by waiting & spawning the flak after the first attackers payload has been released. It means no flak layouts for ease of mission construction, but it might mean less dumb Player AI flak losses.

Unfortunately, the Kamikaze Hunters by Iredale doesn't mention the Ramrods going in ahead of the strikes. I did see in the book that Seafires equipped with P-40 external drop tanks were doing escorts and Ramrods.
Nothing about Hellcats though?!!

I may have to take journalistic liberties and make some Ramrods with both.

DD

[No Dice]

Here are the GSL airfields of Japan in you are interested.

Lee download Airfields

[UncleTgt]

Unfortunately, the Kamikaze Hunters by Iredale doesn't mention the Ramrods going in ahead of the strikes. I did see in the book that Seafires equipped with P-40 external drop tanks were doing escorts and Ramrods.
Nothing about Hellcats though?!!

I may have to take journalistic liberties and make some Ramrods with both.

DD

Lee,

Same tactic as Meridian & Iceberg, just on a smaller scale. Let's say 1836 sqn was targeting an airfield, We'd have 4 x Corsairs for high cover, 4 or 8 x Corsairs for "Ramrod" flak suppression, then the last flight of 4 would be for pinpoint strike (if required). Even the Ramrods could be toting bombs.

Hank Adlam's musing are quite illustrative, he mentions flights doing rotations: A flight is TARCAP whilst B & C Flights beat up the airfield - if no air opposition & the target needed a further beating up, A Flight would get replaced by B or C on TARCAP & go in to finish the job. He hated flying in A flight in this example, because if they were called on down to strafe any flak that wasn't already suppressed was ready & waiting for you!

[Devildog73]

Interesting: http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/a...em=tbm_avenger

The Royal Navy called them "Tarpon" instead of Avenger...

I do like the .50 cal wing and dorsal mounts.
Not so keen on the .30 cal in the ventral.

DD