Battle of Comro Gulf - Morning air strikes

 

Allied beach landings on Comro, with air support.

Dawn of 23 Octember 66944 found Allied aircraft over and around the city of Yelte, attacking the shore defences and airfield as the landing craft pushed beachward from their mother ships. Ever alert for enemy intervention, the Admiral ordered that the aircraft available to Covering Groups North and South remain in readiness in their carriers. The arrival of the Ra'esharn fleets in strength was already to cause Admiral Setiyawan to question whether by committing half his air fleet to the land battle he had taken  the path of true wisdom.

Saabian air attacks

At almost the moment the enemy were sighted, the screening squadron passed on the urgent message. Covering Force South scrambled its aircraft at once, and by mid-morning were over the Ra'esharn ships and attacking. Whilst Fighter Squadron 633 attacked RNS Belphegor, larboard of the carrier, RNS Achlys, Squadrons 203 and 246 went in against the carrier itself with bombs and torpedoes. Squadron 203 attacked the starboard battleship Banshee. Pressing home their attacks, the aircraft had to brave the flak from almost every ship in the Strike Group.

RNS Banshee takes a hit!

 The Strike Group's own aircraft had taken off on their own bombing mission, including the fighters. So the Saabian aircraft met no air opposition on the way in. The attacks on Achlys and Belphegor went for nought, but Banshee took two torpedo hits. Fortunately, with 12 Strength Points of damage (2 6s) the ship was able to continue its mission.

A little aside on game mechanics here. The rule set I used was that published in the Fourth Wargames Compendium. It occurred to me that it might be worth elaborating on the process of air attacks. 

1.  There being not a swag of a lot of room in these hexes, I allow two aircraft stands (squadrons) only to stand in the same grid area as the target ship. 
   
2. Bombers and fighters must be in the same hex as their target.
3. Torpedo bombers may attack from an adjacent hex. They are not committed to attacking a ship in the same hex if a more lucrative target is available in an adjacent.
4. Anti-aircraft fire has a range of one hex, so can be used by nearby ships to help defend target ships against air attack. 
5. Aircraft don't 'fly through' air defences, but are placed over their targets. Then the defenders get to select their own targets. An attacked ship must shoot at the aircraft directly attacking it. This makes it worthwhile fighters attacking warships, even though the only damage they can cause is to their AA firepower. AA directed at the fighter is AA not directed at a bomber.
   
6. If a fighter stand and a bomber are attacking a single target, any AA hits are shared, but with priority going to the bomber (i.e. 1 hit will accrue to the bomber; 2 hits will be shared, one upon each stand).
7. Supporting ships' AA may select any suitable target in an adjacent hex.
8. AA having been resolved (6's to hit), then resolve the bombing and strafing attacks.
9. The mission having been completed, the aircraft then move towards their own fleet (or airfield) to land next turn.
10. Just by the by: in the narrative above I identify the Squadrons individually, by that is just post battle narrative. In this attack, the two dive bombers took a hit each, reducing their Flight Points (FlyPs) to 2 apiece. This represents the loss of 4 aircraft from each squadron.
    
    
    

Remarkably, according to the log I kept, Saabian aircraft took no losses whatever in this attack, for all that the results were fairly disappointing.

Kiivar bombing attack on RNS Apollyon

As the morning progressed further air attacks were mounted: by Kiivar's Covering Force North against Strike force Centre; and the retaliatory air assault by Strike Force South against the southern covering force. The former attack by one each of fighter, bomber and torpedo squadrons proved ineffective, but the dogfight between fighter squadrons cost Kiivar 4 aircraft (1 Flying Point).

By contrast, the Ra'esharn air attack upon Covering Force South proved deadly. Whilst 51 (Fighter) and 21 (Bomber) Squadrons attacked SNS Celaeno, 22 (Bomber) and 31 (Torpedo) Squadrons went after the carrier Calypso. 

Devastating Ra'esharn air strikes upon SNS Celaeno and 
the carrier Calypso.

Flak from Celaeno and a nearby destroyer accounted for four bombers (1 FlyP). The fighter attacks upon the battleship's AA weapons reduced their firepower a little, but not before a third of the bomber strike force had been eliminated. The surviving bombers exacted a severe toll: two hits - 12FP of damage. But worse was to come.

Calypso's escorting destroyers had been ordered westward,
Leaving the carrier exposed, The result...

SNS Calypso was caught isolated - not even a single destroyer in close attendance. This was careless! Although its anti-air clawed 4 bombers out of the sky, the remaining twenty obliterated the carrier. The five dice rolled two sixes, and two fives as well (counting towards damage only if a 6 had been rolled), to inflict 22 Flotation Points of damage. That was far beyond what the carrier could endure. SNS Calypso went down. Not only was the carrier lost, but its aircraft, still on the way back from their own mission, wherever they might find a place to land, were also lost to this action. Had the airfield at Yelte been captured by this time - and put into operation - maybe a refuge could have been found there, but the facilities for rearming would have been lacking. 

The loss of Calypso, together with its air strike force, was disastrous for the Allies. 

The opposing southern fleets well within gunnery 
and even torpedo range.

By this time the two southern fleets had closed the gun ranges such that a melee developed around Spot Island and the southern tip of Comro. Probably the carrier Achlys ought to have kept its distance, but Admiral Tohatsu was possibly getting carried away by his success. Certain in his own mind he could prevail in the coming gunnery duel, he signalled the attack.

Aircraft from Bahomet and Bake-Kajura taking off
for their second sortie of the morning

Meanwhile, it was late morning, and Strike Force North has been sighted approaching from the northeast. The bombers squadrons of SNSS Bahomet and Bake-Kajura having returned from their dawn airstrike and rearmed, were ready to take off. Retaining the fighter squadrons for the carriers' own defence - the news from the south inducing caution from the Admiral commanding - all six bomber squadrons took off to strike the newcomers.

The target: Strike Force North. SU66 lets fly with torpedoes,
misses, and bugs out before the depth charges start 
descending...

Standing in the way of the late-arrived Strike Force, SU66 launched two torpedoes - with the same dismal results achieved by the other patrolling submarines. Both torpedoes missed, whereat SU66, rather than incurring the wrath of depth charges, effectively absented itself from the battle.

General view, looking westward, at the developing situation

So the situation by late morning was that the ineffectual submarine patrols had been brushed aside, Saabia air attacks had achieved nothing beyond some serious damage to RNS Banshee, but Covering Force South had lost its carrier - and hence, in effect, its aircraft. With a badly damaged battleship as well, Rear Admiral Tokashi was about to take on the more powerful Ra'esharn Strike Force. Much hope rested upon the success of the 72-plane attack launched from SNSS Bahomet and Bake-Kajura, but they had other objectives than to assist Vice-Admiral Sirega's Covering Group.

For context: the situation on land. Beachheads established 
both sides of Yelte; assault held up on the beach at the southern
end of the line. Airfield and sea port still in Ra'esharn possession

At this time, elements of 14th Marine Division had driven small bridgeheads on both sides of Yelte City, but 73rd Marine Regiment was still held up on Red Beach One to the south. The airfield being so far still in Ra'esharn hands, there was no refuge for the orphaned aircraft from SNS Calypso. [Note that the land battle was not really part of this scenario - just there to provide context]. 

Air attacks upon Covering Force East

The late morning Saabian air raids coincided with the attacks upon its warships by aircraft from Strike Force North's carrier, RNS Azir-Dahak. Escorted by fighters, the Ra'esharn bombers were vulnerable to the Saabian interceptors from both carriers. The escorting fighters and one squadron of bombers driven off, left one bomber squadron attacking the carrier Bake-Kajura, and the torpedoes attacking the battleship SNS Karkinas. 

Considering the relative weakness of this air strike
- just 4 squadrons - they achieve hits upon a carrier ad the battleship

A note, here: Fighter protection for the ships does not diminish flak defence under the rule set presently constituted. Although I have some doubts about this, I haven't really decided upon making the change such that the one obviates the other. Suffice to say here, that the surviving squadrons burst through the defences in sufficient strength to hit both vessels. Bake-Kajura took 6FP of damage; Karkinas 11 - not enough to knock them out of the action, but serious injuries enough. These Ra'esharn pilots were sure lord earning their corn!

Heavy airstrike upon Strike Force North.

Meanwhile, the huge attack was happening several miles north against the Ra'easharn Strike Force North. Three of the six squadrons lost aircraft going in. Two squadrons attacked the battleship RNS Botis; two more the aircraft carrier. The cruisers Chemosh and Choronzon each drew the attention of a single bomber squadron. Of the surviving aircraft, 2 Flights (FlyPs) attacked Chemosh, 5 attacked each of the main ships, and 3, Choronzon. As luck would have it, the gunships emerged from the maelstrom unhurt. 

At the cost of a dozen aircraft, Saabia sends 
RNS Azir-Dahak to the bottom - their first really 
major success of the day,

The carrier didn't. With acute precision, Saabia's bombers landed 16 hit points upon Azir-Dahak, sending her at once to the bottom. SNS Calypso had been avenged. Naturally, this disaster also meant the loss of valuable air-crew. However, the Yelte airfield still in Ra'esharn hands allowed them safe landing, although there was no prospect of their mounting later sorties from thence.

Devastating air attack on the Kiivar Covering Force

At around midday, aircraft from Strike Force Centre arrived over the Kiivar Covering Force as it was passing through the strait north of Comro Island. At that time, KNS Condor had just one fighter available for its defence. The other aircraft having returned, were still in the process of rearming and bombing up for a second sortie later in the day. My rule set allows the carrier's fighters, if available, to scramble and intercept the incoming aircraft. But the raiders also had a fighter escort. They got the better of the dogfight over the carrier into the bargain, shooting down half the Kiivar interceptors, for no loss to themselves. 

The defensive flak accounted for a dozen bomber aircraft, but that left plenty more: 4 FlyP attacking the carrier, 6 going for the battlecruiser, KNS Pteradodon, and 5 more the battleship Harrier. Fifteen Fly Points represented as many 'flights' - 60 aircraft. Harrier emerged unscathed, but the other two ships targeted took heavy damage. Taking 17FP of damage, Pteranodon was left a wreck, speed reduced to a crawl, and 'A' turret knocked out, along with half its secondary and AA armament. The battlecruiser had no choice but to turn about, away from the oncoming enemy fleet.

Disaster for Kiivar. the battlecruiser reduced to a wreck barely afloat; 
the carrier sunk. 

Worse was the fate of Condor (damn: I liked that name!). Three torpedo hits were enough to sink the carrier at once, with the consequent question mark over the fate of the Kiivar air crews. The training of the Ra'esharn air crews so far in this battle was showing to advantage, but the attrition on both sides was starting to cause concern.

Approaching gunnery duel between the southern fleets...

The morning's action had so far consisted of a series of damaging air attacks, leading to the loss of one Ra'esharn and two Allied aircraft carriers. The loss of air crew was becoming serious, especially as  the loss of a carrier meant the loss of its aircraft - at least their services for this action - even though the Ra'esharn at least could find refuge on Comro. Heavy damage had also accrued to a number of other capital ships, most notably to the Kiivar battlecruiser Pteranodon. During the afternoon, as the distance between opposing fleets narrowed, the battle was to become a gunnery duel, with the agile destroyers adding to the carnage...

To be continued: the Battle of Spot Island; and the Melee in the Strait.