PRESRT STD US POSTAGE PAID DISPATCHES BAKERSFIELD CA PERMIT NO 66 FROM DECISION GAMES #40 SPRING 2021 (661) 587-9633 | (661) 587-5031 fax | P.O. Box 21598 | Bakersfield CA 93390 | DECISIONGAMES.COM Excerpt from Midway Solitaire Campaign Analysis Carrier Aircraft By Joseph Miranda Aircraft were the primary combatants at both Coral Sea and Midway: fi ghters, dive bombers, and torpedo planes doubling as level bombers. Every fl eet carrier on both sides carried some combination of all three, while the smallest Japanese light carriers had only fi ghters and one bomber type. The specifi cations as usual tell only part of the story. The generally superior performance of the Japanese aircraft came at the cost of less fi repower and the omission of virtually all armor, including self-sealing fuel tanks. US aircraft, therefore, could infl ict and sustain more punishment. The latter ability not only made completion of a mission more likely, but gave the crew a better chance of survival. This may have had no impact on crew morale, given the Japanese spirit of self-sacrifi ce, but certainly told in the long run as experienced US crews were more likely to live to fi ght again. That said, Japanese aircraft had two fundamental advantages over their adversaries. First was the more comparable cruising speeds of the different types. That made it easier for Japanese formations to stay together during the fl ight to the target, and therefore help in the coordination of attacks. US squadrons tended to fl y independently. The Americans were perfectly aware of the problem and adopted a technique known as a “deferred launch,” in which the long-range dive-bombers went off fi rst to circle, then the torpedo bombers launched and headed to the target. The dive bombers USN Douglas TBD-1 Devastators (VT-6) on USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of Midway. 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Next we’ll be The second Japanese advantage was generally longer range. The obvious working on getting boxed games back on track for 2022. We were hoping to be manifestation of this was a longer reach during naval battles; it was possible for back on a regular convention schedule, but it looks like a good portion of it will Japanese strikes to reach US carriers while the Japanese carriers stayed out of US air be taking a second year off. We expect to be at the rescheduled CSW Expo in range. This could be exacerbated by a tactic used by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor late August (testing our combustibility in Phoenix/Tempe!) and are hoping for and later in the Philippine Sea (June 1944). This called for carriers to close on a target ORIGINS at its rescheduled October date. Hopefully, all will be rolling again in before launching. After the strike group was airborne, the carriers would turn and run 2022. at fl ank speed, lengthening the return leg by a hundred miles or more. This ensured any US pursuit of the strike planes, or counterattacks against the carriers, would Our boxed game releases for 2021 are at the printers and should be ready for have to fl y the long leg in both directions, beyond the capability of US carrier aircraft. release in June. As such, there is still time for pledge orders. Our fi rst boxed game is Another effect of longer range was the ability of the Japanese to form larger Midway Solitaire Deluxe Edition. This game features a mounted game board, and and more coherent strike groups, not just off one carrier but from several extra variant counters along with an updated rules booklet. The “deluxe” series simultaneously. Since only one plane could launch at a time, the fi rst planes is our new update/reprint program where we run our out of print games in an off the deck might have to loiter for a half-hour or more, burning precious annual survey and the top game is selected for the “deluxe” treatment. The game fuel while the remainder took off. With a shorter combat radius, US strikes selected to join the deluxe series in 2023 is Sealion. This will be a reprint/update of rarely had that luxury, each squadron or fl ight having to set off on its own. the game that appeared in World at War #52. The composition of a carrier air group had been the subject of much discussion in the years preceding the war. Japanese fl eet carriers carried a roughly Our second boxed game is Corrupt Bargain. This game is based on the 1824 equal mix of all three types, precise numbers fl uctuating with the availability Presidential Election that was the last time the election was determined in the of aircraft and pilots. Aircraft shortages were a particular problem for bombers House of Representatives. With simple, dice-less game mechanics and layers of as production had been curtailed or halted while that of new models was still direct and indirect play, it is both intriguing to play as well as informative about pending. Pilots were another shortage; it was not yet a critical problem, but the the history and with a civics lesson to boot.