The first the VF-6 pilots new of the attack was a garbled message on the intercom from a destroyer anchored outside the reef line. The 2 pilots Lt (jg) Curtis Hampton flying no2 in 1st Section and Lt (jg) Garret Woods flying 12 in 4 Section were on an orientation flight from Enterprise and to date had never fired a shot in anger. Today would change all that.
The 2 Val had spotted the Wildcats
and chose to ignore them . Each had its own primary target and with no fighter cover they had to press on and sink the unsuspecting ships. They flew straight and level as Woods came in high over the starboard lead plane . A short burst but accurate (1pt) .was met with a similar response from the Val (1,0) Diving Woods avoided the tail gunner as the 2 planes pass eachother
Hampton peeled right aiming to cut of the other bomber before it could take a run at the destroyer .
Coming in low he peppers the belly of the Jap plane (3) but the pilot was no novice and the burst from the forward guns takes pieces out of the F4 (2) while still
maintaining his bomb run.
Hamptons inexperience cost him dearly and as he immelled to get back on his target the Val unleashed its payload directly on the destroyer. A black pall of smoke erupted from the stricken ship as the klaxons started up.
Woods glance quickly around and sees a cruiser not far from the now sinking USS Francis. A sharp turn brings him behind the second attacking Val but his long range shots do little to slow it down, Bullets smash into his screen and cowling from a well aimed burst from the rear gunner (3)
Hampton now focuses on the same Val Coming in quickly from behind his burst hits the port wing (3)
but it is to late as the second bombers cargo hits the cruiser amidships the explosion rocking the plane as it passes . Frustrated by his inability to stop the bomber he fire a long burst and to his surprise sees smoke erupt from his foe (2+smoke)
The Tail gunner replies and Hampton feels his plane shudder as the bullets strike home (3) but at short range even the first time pilot cannot miss (2,0)
Gaining on the second slower Jap plane Woods takes careful aim at the engine and squeezes of a 3 second burst. Fragments of cowling fly off an the tell tale flicker of red appears (3+fire)
but despite this he takes more damage to his F4 from the 2 seater (1,2) .
which by now is almost totally engulfed in flames
As the 2 planes pass a defiant shot from the doomed Val tears a hole in Wood’s rudder as it nose dives toward the sea.
Hampton follows the smoking second Val coming in hard from his blind side with a series of devastating salvos
( 2,2+ smoke,4) crippling the bomber which flipped over and spiralled to the waiting ocean below.
Result
Allies
2 USN ships sunk.
Lt (jg) Garret Woods RTB 1kill
Lt (jg) Curtis Hampton RTB 1 kill
IJN
2 Val lost crew status to be determined.
Great starter for me there loosing 2 ships but that was down to not getting the fighters into place infront of the bombers to stop their run. Once the F4's got into decent firing positions they creamed the slower bombers . A very nice little scenario Baz Got the enthusiasm up now for the campaign.
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