Wee Blokes: WoW - Attack on the Intrepid: Wave 2

Thursday, 19 May 2016

WoW - Attack on the Intrepid: Wave 2

This week MacSver came down to continue his attack on the USS Intrepid.

The action continues roughly from the end of the last game. One of the carrier lifts is out of action, but one more remains and will be the target of the Japanese. The eagle eyed among you will notice that I've swapped out the surviving Zero from last time with a Ki-100 to let the next wave have its 2 bombers. (If a bit of between episodes tweaking is good enough for Flash Gordon every week it's good enough for me!)

As the next wave of Japanese appear over the horizon flak opens up at the wave 1 survivor. The US planes are trying to circle round to protect the remaining eleveator, but going is slow and they are at a low altitude.

The two Japanese Zero bombers are coming in at different heights this time. One at low level and one just below the cloud line (altitude 4).

Flak opens up, but like last game the gunners underestimate the speed of the approaching enemy. The higher Zero has an advantage as less anti-aircraft guns have the range to fire at it.

The lone Ki-100 is taking hit's though,

and eventually succumbs to sustained damage.

The low level Zero misjudges it's approach and abandons that bombing run.

The Wild Cat fiannlly manages to squeeze off a shot, but strays into the cloud of flak taking some fuselage and rudder damage. A final accurate airburst takes out the low lvel Zero, but it only just misses crashing onto the aircraft carrier.

Down the other end of the ship a lone Ki-100 has been closing down the slow covering Dauntless, but some brutal flak cover takes the fighter out just as it's prey comes into range.

The remaining Japanese bomber climbs. From the edge of the cloud cover it is way above being troubled by any US fire. The pilot lines up a higher altitude bombing run towards it target. But from up here can he judge his bomb release distance well enough?