Solo AAR: Rising Sun, Falling Skies: Game 3 Shanghai September1937
By the 5th of September the Japanese 2nd & 3rd Fleets blockaded most of the Chinese coast. As the war situation in the Shanghai area became more critical, the 12th Kokutai was posted to the 3rd Fleet and advanced to Kunda base in Shanghai.
IJN Ryuju & Hosho moved into the Hangzou Bay area and prepared to support the forthcoming offensive. They also provided CAP for Kunda base, rotating their fighters from the carriers. They were also expecting the arrival of IJN Kaga to further reinforce the air wing.
Later that day the Chinese launched a raid on Kunda base and the nearby railhead, where Japanese reinforcements were being moved into the Shanghai area from the landing areas on the coast.
Col Kao Chi-Hang and his wingman Lt Tan Won would be the bombers, from the 19th Bomber Group, escort; whilst the remainder of the 21st PS would keep Japanese fighters off the small group. As the Chinese aircraft approached 3 A5M’s from IJN Ryujo were providing CAP. Captain Sjiro Chono was leading his 2 wingmen, 2Lt’s Hatsuo Hikada & Kiichi Oda.
The 19th BS with Hang and Won escorting them were soon approaching the target.
The CAP quickly identified the danger and sped in for the attack.
Oda went after the Hawks whilst Chono and Hikada went for the 2 bombers. Col Kao smiled as his bullets lanced into the A5M, he shrugged off the holes in his upper wing. Tan opened fire at long range and his buillets didn’t seem to find their mark. Closer, closer....must get closer. Chono and Hikada both engaged the lead bomber. Chono’s A5M taking the brunt of the fire from the forward mg position in the nose.
Chono and Hikada banked and followed the bomber as Oda went for a reversal to keep the 2 Hawks away from his 2 wingmen. Hikada’s A5M was fired upon by the nose gunner in the 2nd bomber.
Chono and Hikada kept plugging away at the slow bomber as its partner kept up a slow supportive fire from behind. Chono was rewarded as smoke started to billow out of the starboard engine.
Oda had managed to elude the Hawks of Col Kao and Tan and had supported an attack on the lead bomber. The lead bomber with the railhead in its sights dropped its load of bombs and began a lumbering bank to starboard as all 3 A5M’s again swarmed in for the kill. Oda was rewarded for his accurate firing as smoke started to billow out of the 2nd bombers port engine.
Chono fired another close in burst and flames started shooting out of the lead bomber as its nose steadily dropped. Hidaka and Oda closed in on the 2nd bomber.
The first bomber slowly descended and crash landed in the suburbs of Shanghai. Col Kao and Tan tried to close in and protect the 2nd bomber.
Col Kao caught Oda as he banked for home, his A5M badly damaged from accurate machine gun fire not only from the bombers but the Hawks too. Oda knew the end was here so he flipped the A5M over and fell into space. He fell quite a way before pulling his parachute cord. He was lucky, he landed near to a Japanese infantry unit.
Captain Chono could not believe his luck...his damn controls were jammed and he could only fly straight. He decided to lose height and try and make it back to Kunda base. Lt Hikada was engrossed in nailing the 2nd bomber. The bomber had just released its bomb load onto the railhead and was trying to bank away smoke still pouring from the left engine nacelle.
Hikada could see the explosions below as he saw Captain Chono’s A5M loosing height. Col Kao signalled to Tan to close on the last A5M. They would try and save the bomber. They had precious few as it was.
As He banked Hiikada knew he was in trouble. The top and belly gunners on the bomber drew a bead on his A5M and bullets thudded into the airframe. To make matters worse the 2 Hawks had closed and they too were firing at him!
His A5M could take no more as it spiralled down he managed to climb onto the wing and bail out of the stricken aircraft.
Col Kao and Lt Tan moved into formation either side of the bomber and escorted it home knowing that at least the railhead had been partially destroyed.
Butchers Bill:
1901: RTB/12 damage
1907: SD/ET/25 damage/Crew killed
Col Kao (yellow): RTB/2 damage/1 kill
Lt Tan Won (red): RTB/no damage/shared kill
Lt Hikada: SD/FT/19 damage/ 1 wound/shared kill
Lt Oda: SD/FT/16 damage/shared kill
Captain Chono: RTB/8 damage/shared kill
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Originally Posted by Skafloc
). Seriously good 
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