Blackronin
08-16-2014, 13:17
December 14, 1941
Honored Father:
I hope this letter will reach you and mother and that both of you are in good health.
Brother is well. Yesterday at the mess I heard a most intriguing story. Lady Luck is a Kami of strange humor.
As I told you before we are now at the Philippines sea. In the morning of the eight we attacked many American, British and Dutch strategic points. Kaigun Jun-i Chishu Ryu, a gunner in a kanbaku dive bomber told us that he went with a pair of Aichi D3A kanbakus to attack a small port, north of Davao's American Base. Their targets were two American ships. He told me that...
I had a terrible feeling that day, but the courageous words of my pilot, Kaigun Shōi Shinichi Chibai, put me at rest. We took of from the Ryūjō as the sun was rising.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck01.jpg
We expected to catch them by surprise as we've done in so many other sorties, but we had no luck.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck02.jpg
As we approached I looked at the other Kanbaku, where Kaigun Chūi Aijima Kazuyuki, the leader of our mission, and Kaigun Jun-i Bandō Eiji, his gunner, were riding in a perfect formation with us. For a moment Kaigun Chūi Aijima Kazuyuki looked at me and shouted something I couldn't hear but I fully understood. Banzai! That moment took all my fears from my head.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck03.jpg
The American fighters moved in our direction with apparent laziness.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck04.jpg
We moved towards them in our previously planned strategy.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck05.jpg
They came at us in line.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck06.jpg
The leading American fighter fired a burst doing small damage to our leader's Kanbaku.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck07.jpg
He fired back in kind.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck08.jpg
Then we sidestepped, each of us to his target, trying to leave the P-40's behind. But the second American reduced speed and fired very near our leader in a frontal assault.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck09.jpg
I looked back, as my pilot shouted a curse. The Kanbaku's engine exploded.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck10.jpg
His fire had failed to connect with the American plane.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck11.jpg
But his gunner, Kaigun Jun-i Bandō Eiji, was still able to fire a valiant burst that damaged the other P-40.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck12.jpg
Then they fell to the sea and we were all alone. "Do we retreat?" I asked my pilot. "No!" He said. "We go on with the mission and we avenge our companions. I nodded, knowing that we would die there. At least we would try to sink an American ship.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck13.jpg
Our determination in continuing the mission left the Americans surprised and they didn't react quickly.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck14.jpg
I fired against the damaged P-40 and a soft trail of white smoke erupted from his engine.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck15.jpg
Then they start making reverse maneuvres and I became scared. I was all that remained to defend us from them.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck16.jpg
And then we start diving. The sheer exhilaration of the dive. My pilot is very good at it.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck17.jpg
I felt the bomb being dropped and the void in my belly as the Kanbaku started straightening. The American was coming near.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck18.jpg
As I looked down, I saw the transport ship in flames, almost broken in two. "Banzai!" I shouted and proceed to target the American fighter.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck19.jpg
I hit him and I wished I had three more machine guns...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck20.jpg
We start turning to move away with the two American hunters coming at us.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck21.jpg
I fired again and again I hit him. But the damage I've done was negligible...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck22.jpg
The second fighter was coming at us slowly, so the damage to his engine must have been important. The trail of smoke was almost invisible...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck23.jpg
I fired once again and once again I hit him. But I was failing to hit him in something vital.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck24.jpg
And then we were heading back.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck25.jpg
The first P-40 was out of range and the damaged one was in range. I swiveled my gun to target him.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck26.jpg
I hit him again in the engine and suddenly the smoke became fire!
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck27.jpg
As I watched the P-40 turning away burning I saw his pilot leave the cockpit to avoid being burned alive. I didn't saw a parachute opening but I hoped it did.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck28.jpg
The P-40 went violently to the ground.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck29.jpg
Kaigun Shōi Shinichi Chibai said aloud. "Your first kill. Congratulations!" Yes, my first kill. I didn't really knew what to think, except that the other P-40 was coming at us with a vengeance.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck30.jpg
We were trying to escape now and for a moment I believed we would.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck31.jpg
Then he fired his guns at us and I understood the difference between my machine gun firepower and a fighter's firepower.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck32.jpg
But I couldn't do nothing but firing at him.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck33.jpg
For some reason he didn't close for the kill choosing to fire from afar.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck34.jpg
But even from afar he was destroying our Kanbaku easily.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck35.jpg
I kept firing. And hitting him, but it seemed that it was to no avail. Soon we would be going down.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck36.jpg
"Give up! Give up!" I shouted in my head.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck37.jpg
And it seemed to work because he failed the burst that would kill us for sure.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck38.jpg
And I hit him again. This time, I was sure doing some good damage.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck39.jpg
And finally I felt that he was turning on us to finish us for good.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck40.jpg
Our plane was hanging for a thread.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck41.jpg
And then, as I shoot at him, the Kamis of fire smiled to me and came at my rescue. A fire erupted from his engine. "He's on fire! He's on fire!" I shouted.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck42.jpg
And he turned hard right, moving away from us.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck43.jpg
I fired again, but I was so surprised with our salvation that I missed.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck44.jpg
"Let's get him!" said Shinichi Chibai. "What? We're almost falling apart", I said. "We must take the chance when the Kamis are smiling at us!" And we banked right.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck45.jpg
But even taking damage from the fire, he was still faster than us.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck46.jpg
"He's going down", he said. I looked over his shoulder to the burning P-40.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck47.jpg
"Jump you foolish American", he shouted. And I wondered about all. How fickle was lady luck.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck48.jpg
And we saw the American going down to the sea. "It's your second kill, Chishu Ryu-san. Both in the same mission. You're becoming an ace." I smiled and nodded but I only wanted to land in our carrier.
In this Mission:
Val 3 Pilot: Aijima Kazuyuki (Veteran - Evasion)
Gunner: Bandō Eiji (Standard)
Val 4 Pilot: Shinichi Chibai (Veteran - Evasion)
Gunner: Chishu Ryu (Standard)
1. The American pilots are Standard.
2. I used the Universal Diceless Solo Chart.
My PTO Hose Rules
After the first mission I decided that something must be made to achieve the true feeling of Eastern early war combat.
All accounts point to a drastic difference in performance between the Zero and Ki-43 and the allied fighters. We can't feel that difference between C deck and the other decks.
Also, even knowing that the Ki-43 was brutally under-armed, the truth is, a vast number of allied fighters and bombers fell under the guns of this fighter.
And finally the 16 damage the zero has comparing with the 17 and 18 damage points of the American fighters doesn't really shows how much more fragile the Japanese fighters were in the initial stages of the war.
In order to offset this and without wanting to change the spirit of the game or making it more complex I devised the following house rules that I'll use in my Solo PTO Campaign:
1. The C+ deck - I add 1 left and 1 right 90º turn card from the L deck. The ki-43 Hayabusa and the A6M2 Zero will use the C+ deck instead of the C deck.
2. No self sealing fuel tanks - The early versions of the Japanese planes didn't have self sealing fuel tanks. A damage chit of smoke becomes automatically a fire chit.
3. No cockpit protection armor - When a Japanese plane takes a pilot wounded damage take another yellow damage chit. If a special damage (any) appears in the chit, the pilot is mortally wounded and the plane crashes. If not, it's a normal wounded damage and a second one will kill the pilot as per normal rules.
4. Angling Shots - All shots that don't enter the enemy plane in its rear arc and front arc are always long range shots;
All close range shots that enter the enemy's plane rear arc at close range add an A damage chit;
All close range shots that enter the enemy's plane frontal arc suffer reduction. All B, C and D chits become A chits instead.
These rules adds to the extra A damage chit for continuous fire (i.e. firing against the same enemy plane for consecutive turns).
Example: A ki-43 is firing for the second consecutive time against a P-40 in the P-40 rear arc at close range. It would make AAB damage.
Butchers Tally
Japanese
Val 3
Pilot: Aijima Kazuyuki (Veteran - Evasion) / EXP / ET / S
Gunner: Bandō Eiji (Standard) / EXP / ET / S
Val 4
Pilot: Shinichi Chibai (Veteran - Evasion) / RTB / 1 Ship
Gunner: Chishu Ryu (Standard) / RTB / ET / 2 Kills
Americans (AI)
P-40 11 (Standard) / FLM / FT/ WIA / S /1 Kill
P-40 12 (Standard) / FLM / FT / S
Honored Father:
I hope this letter will reach you and mother and that both of you are in good health.
Brother is well. Yesterday at the mess I heard a most intriguing story. Lady Luck is a Kami of strange humor.
As I told you before we are now at the Philippines sea. In the morning of the eight we attacked many American, British and Dutch strategic points. Kaigun Jun-i Chishu Ryu, a gunner in a kanbaku dive bomber told us that he went with a pair of Aichi D3A kanbakus to attack a small port, north of Davao's American Base. Their targets were two American ships. He told me that...
I had a terrible feeling that day, but the courageous words of my pilot, Kaigun Shōi Shinichi Chibai, put me at rest. We took of from the Ryūjō as the sun was rising.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck01.jpg
We expected to catch them by surprise as we've done in so many other sorties, but we had no luck.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck02.jpg
As we approached I looked at the other Kanbaku, where Kaigun Chūi Aijima Kazuyuki, the leader of our mission, and Kaigun Jun-i Bandō Eiji, his gunner, were riding in a perfect formation with us. For a moment Kaigun Chūi Aijima Kazuyuki looked at me and shouted something I couldn't hear but I fully understood. Banzai! That moment took all my fears from my head.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck03.jpg
The American fighters moved in our direction with apparent laziness.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck04.jpg
We moved towards them in our previously planned strategy.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck05.jpg
They came at us in line.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck06.jpg
The leading American fighter fired a burst doing small damage to our leader's Kanbaku.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck07.jpg
He fired back in kind.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck08.jpg
Then we sidestepped, each of us to his target, trying to leave the P-40's behind. But the second American reduced speed and fired very near our leader in a frontal assault.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck09.jpg
I looked back, as my pilot shouted a curse. The Kanbaku's engine exploded.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck10.jpg
His fire had failed to connect with the American plane.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck11.jpg
But his gunner, Kaigun Jun-i Bandō Eiji, was still able to fire a valiant burst that damaged the other P-40.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck12.jpg
Then they fell to the sea and we were all alone. "Do we retreat?" I asked my pilot. "No!" He said. "We go on with the mission and we avenge our companions. I nodded, knowing that we would die there. At least we would try to sink an American ship.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck13.jpg
Our determination in continuing the mission left the Americans surprised and they didn't react quickly.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck14.jpg
I fired against the damaged P-40 and a soft trail of white smoke erupted from his engine.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck15.jpg
Then they start making reverse maneuvres and I became scared. I was all that remained to defend us from them.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck16.jpg
And then we start diving. The sheer exhilaration of the dive. My pilot is very good at it.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck17.jpg
I felt the bomb being dropped and the void in my belly as the Kanbaku started straightening. The American was coming near.
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As I looked down, I saw the transport ship in flames, almost broken in two. "Banzai!" I shouted and proceed to target the American fighter.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck19.jpg
I hit him and I wished I had three more machine guns...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck20.jpg
We start turning to move away with the two American hunters coming at us.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck21.jpg
I fired again and again I hit him. But the damage I've done was negligible...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck22.jpg
The second fighter was coming at us slowly, so the damage to his engine must have been important. The trail of smoke was almost invisible...
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck23.jpg
I fired once again and once again I hit him. But I was failing to hit him in something vital.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck24.jpg
And then we were heading back.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck25.jpg
The first P-40 was out of range and the damaged one was in range. I swiveled my gun to target him.
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I hit him again in the engine and suddenly the smoke became fire!
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As I watched the P-40 turning away burning I saw his pilot leave the cockpit to avoid being burned alive. I didn't saw a parachute opening but I hoped it did.
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The P-40 went violently to the ground.
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Kaigun Shōi Shinichi Chibai said aloud. "Your first kill. Congratulations!" Yes, my first kill. I didn't really knew what to think, except that the other P-40 was coming at us with a vengeance.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck30.jpg
We were trying to escape now and for a moment I believed we would.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck31.jpg
Then he fired his guns at us and I understood the difference between my machine gun firepower and a fighter's firepower.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck32.jpg
But I couldn't do nothing but firing at him.
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For some reason he didn't close for the kill choosing to fire from afar.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck34.jpg
But even from afar he was destroying our Kanbaku easily.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck35.jpg
I kept firing. And hitting him, but it seemed that it was to no avail. Soon we would be going down.
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"Give up! Give up!" I shouted in my head.
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And it seemed to work because he failed the burst that would kill us for sure.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck38.jpg
And I hit him again. This time, I was sure doing some good damage.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck39.jpg
And finally I felt that he was turning on us to finish us for good.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck40.jpg
Our plane was hanging for a thread.
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And then, as I shoot at him, the Kamis of fire smiled to me and came at my rescue. A fire erupted from his engine. "He's on fire! He's on fire!" I shouted.
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And he turned hard right, moving away from us.
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I fired again, but I was so surprised with our salvation that I missed.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck44.jpg
"Let's get him!" said Shinichi Chibai. "What? We're almost falling apart", I said. "We must take the chance when the Kamis are smiling at us!" And we banked right.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/WW2%20Mega%20Campaign/PTO%20-%20Banzai/Chapter%201%20-%20Lady%20Luck/Sc1-LadyLuck45.jpg
But even taking damage from the fire, he was still faster than us.
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"He's going down", he said. I looked over his shoulder to the burning P-40.
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"Jump you foolish American", he shouted. And I wondered about all. How fickle was lady luck.
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And we saw the American going down to the sea. "It's your second kill, Chishu Ryu-san. Both in the same mission. You're becoming an ace." I smiled and nodded but I only wanted to land in our carrier.
In this Mission:
Val 3 Pilot: Aijima Kazuyuki (Veteran - Evasion)
Gunner: Bandō Eiji (Standard)
Val 4 Pilot: Shinichi Chibai (Veteran - Evasion)
Gunner: Chishu Ryu (Standard)
1. The American pilots are Standard.
2. I used the Universal Diceless Solo Chart.
My PTO Hose Rules
After the first mission I decided that something must be made to achieve the true feeling of Eastern early war combat.
All accounts point to a drastic difference in performance between the Zero and Ki-43 and the allied fighters. We can't feel that difference between C deck and the other decks.
Also, even knowing that the Ki-43 was brutally under-armed, the truth is, a vast number of allied fighters and bombers fell under the guns of this fighter.
And finally the 16 damage the zero has comparing with the 17 and 18 damage points of the American fighters doesn't really shows how much more fragile the Japanese fighters were in the initial stages of the war.
In order to offset this and without wanting to change the spirit of the game or making it more complex I devised the following house rules that I'll use in my Solo PTO Campaign:
1. The C+ deck - I add 1 left and 1 right 90º turn card from the L deck. The ki-43 Hayabusa and the A6M2 Zero will use the C+ deck instead of the C deck.
2. No self sealing fuel tanks - The early versions of the Japanese planes didn't have self sealing fuel tanks. A damage chit of smoke becomes automatically a fire chit.
3. No cockpit protection armor - When a Japanese plane takes a pilot wounded damage take another yellow damage chit. If a special damage (any) appears in the chit, the pilot is mortally wounded and the plane crashes. If not, it's a normal wounded damage and a second one will kill the pilot as per normal rules.
4. Angling Shots - All shots that don't enter the enemy plane in its rear arc and front arc are always long range shots;
All close range shots that enter the enemy's plane rear arc at close range add an A damage chit;
All close range shots that enter the enemy's plane frontal arc suffer reduction. All B, C and D chits become A chits instead.
These rules adds to the extra A damage chit for continuous fire (i.e. firing against the same enemy plane for consecutive turns).
Example: A ki-43 is firing for the second consecutive time against a P-40 in the P-40 rear arc at close range. It would make AAB damage.
Butchers Tally
Japanese
Val 3
Pilot: Aijima Kazuyuki (Veteran - Evasion) / EXP / ET / S
Gunner: Bandō Eiji (Standard) / EXP / ET / S
Val 4
Pilot: Shinichi Chibai (Veteran - Evasion) / RTB / 1 Ship
Gunner: Chishu Ryu (Standard) / RTB / ET / 2 Kills
Americans (AI)
P-40 11 (Standard) / FLM / FT/ WIA / S /1 Kill
P-40 12 (Standard) / FLM / FT / S