The 352nd will take Frame 3.
Preliminary:
(2) Steps of Zero 5s at T=0 to react to radar sightings of the enemy strike force on the way to Truk. They will go for max altitude. They will NOT go East of 6 line. Their job is to harass, disrupt, confuse the enemy as they stage for their initial attack. They are to engage only when/if they have the advantage. If higher forces are encountered, they are to drag to the West.
As soon as cleared all other fighters roll. Nobody goes East of 6 line unless chasing F6Fs or the TBDs for a certain kill and have at least one wingman. Expect a "layered" defense directly over the potential targets.
Expect land bases. Following initial takeoff, any field works for refueling and rearming.
Fighter group flight leaders are encouraged to test and report experiences with climbing with DTs. IF the enemy wants more than one shot at Truk, they MUST hit targets sometime near the 60 minute mark. Possibly a few minutes each side of there. "Scramble" fighters should expect something between 30 and 45 minutes of flight time prior to the bad guys arriving. Strikers are expected between 15 and 20 thousand feet over the lagoon. Enemy Fighters who are lower and intend to strafe shipping need to be engaged. In Frame 2, fighters were able to claim as many ships at the strikers. At that point enemy fighters are low and have "fixed attention" on their targets. Those airplanes should live on the bottom of Truk lagoon for the remainder of their airframe's life expectancy.
All IJN aircraft which are only injured but still flyable should have every expectation that there is an airfield near enough to RTB and go for it again.
All of their targets are "on the same block". There is little doubt where they will end up. The plan is to meet them just prior to their destination and splash as many of all types of aircraft as possible. Rinse and repeat if necessary and time permits.
Here's your chance to comment and/or request a base field. There are three available land bases within the atoll. If necessary the Rules allow ALL of the airplanes to be based at the same field.
Light Green radar circles are what we experienced in Frames 1 & 2. Dark Green radar circles are what the coverage would be IF the positions of the carriers happen to be reversed for Frames 3 & 4. If your flights do not go East of 6 line, you will always be under positive control and won't be on any enemy dar but "Jabo Dar".
Zero 5 Flight Test to 25,000' (Please note values are SAE)
100% + DT; CS 140 mph; 90% Power; 18 min.; 51.6 miles.
100%; CS 130 mph; 90% Power; 11:30; 30 miles.
The intent of the information is to give flight leaders options for their flights. Defense of the atoll will require that all IJN fighters be on station over the lagoon at approx. T+40. How that is accomplished is up to the individual COs.
Who'd a Thunk It? Dept.What the bad guys know, that we didn't, is that the IJN CVs were NOT in the No Fly Zone during the first two Frames. That makes the IJN carriers actual targets of which they are aware. IF they elect to scout out the location, and with the effectiveness of both CV and DD escort AAA unknown, they could score points on our Carrier Battle Group. (Even I could hit a super-market-parking-lot-sized carrier deck with the use of a Norden) The steaming route of our carrier assures its presence just to the West of the atoll for the entire Frame. The bad guys and the IJN have the same number of fighters. Any fighters we use to put a CAP up over our carriers takes away from the sides being of equal numbers with the exception of the TBD strike aircraft.
Thoughts from the COs and flight planners of the other Fighter Groups are solicited. Defend the CVs and give up any hope of fighter "equality" over the atoll, or just let the bad guys have them if they want them? Our ONLY way of scoring points is shooting airplanes. The bad guys have "scoring opportunities" all over the map. Additionally, from the position of our CV, it "might" be a reasonable supposition that the starting positions of the Allied CVs have been moved South to make the dark green radar coverage more likely to be accurate.
dewolf
