Yamamoto deploys his invincible fleet better. He wipes out the USN in Midway
Aug 25, 2017 19:07:04 GMT
Post by simpleton on Aug 25, 2017 19:07:04 GMT
OTL Yamamoto divided his mighty fleet. He sent the carriers far ahead of the surface and invasion fleets. It was absurd to waste scarce planes and aviators and to risk the vital and vulnerable carriers to bomb and strafe Midway. It was also absurd to place Nagumo in charge of the carriers, while Yamamoto sailed in the rear in Yamato. It was also absurd to leave undamaged Zuikaku (the best fleet carrier) in Japan, only because she had lost most of her planes and aviators. An additional carrier would be invaluable to launch, retrieve and rearm planes in black. It would also provide additional AAA, space to transport spares, torpedoes, bombs, plane fuel, operating rooms, mechanics, etc, It was also absurd to send two carriers as decoys to Alaska with reduced plane complements to entice the USN, when the whole purpose of the operation is to attract the much smaller USN to Midway, in order to wipe it out in a decisive battle.
ATL Yamamoto decides to place the much more abundant, less vulnerable and valuable BB (including Yamato) and CA (with 1/4 of the DD) in the van to shell Midway, saving his pilots to attack the carriers and for ground support during the invasionn of Midway. Yamamoto sails with the carrier fleet and places the surface fleet under Nagumo. The surface fleet will sail 100 miles ahead of the carrier fleet and will include 1/4 of available DD. The carrier fleet will include all carriers (also Ryujo, Junyo, Zuiho and Zuikaku with her few planes, the few surviving planes from Shokaku and 12 planes from each of the other 4 fleet carriers), 1/2 of available DD and all CL. The carrier fleet sails 100 miles behind Nagumo's fleet and provides CAP when it comes within attack distance from Midway. The surface fleet is to arrive at 0200 and shell Midway for 26 hours 16,000 shells under 6" (destroyer guns, etc,), 8,000 of 6" shells and a thousand 8" shells. The invasion fleet will arrive before dawn when the bombardment stops and will land with naval gun and air support.
Although Nimitz knows in advance the disposition of the fleet and the time and place it will arrive, there is little he can do other than set up an ambush for the large carrier fleet and let the BB and CA wreak havoc in Midway
. Since surface ships will arrive at night and bomb continuously for a long time, it is pointless to launch the bombers from Midway , so planes are not deployed i PH. they avoid the destruction by shells, since they won't be able to land when they run out of fuel (the ships will still be shelling and the runways will be useless). Even if Midway or carrier planes attack the BB and CA, damage will be small (owing to much better armor than carriers and even if a BB or CA is sunk, the IJN will be much less affected, than if a fleet carrier is sunk will all planes and hands on board. Nimitz evacuates to Hawaii all US personnel from Midway, since it is untenable.
Accordingly, Nimitz places his fleet at point luck and orders them to ignore IJN surface BB, CA, CL and DD. Both USN carrier task forces are detected by the IJN surface fleet scout planes. both carrier fleets start to launch their waves simultaneously. However, the larger number of experienced IJN carriers result in a much larger wave taking off much faster (the IJN is using 8 carrier decks, Vs. the 3 USN, inexperienced carrier decks). The larger IJN CAP and the AAA devastate the smaller, poorly coordinated USN wave, which arrives piecemeal and attacks several carriers (the first each squadron encounters). In contrast, the large Japanese wave attacks in a coordinated manner the three USN carriers, penetrates the limited CAP and AAA and heavily damages all 3 ships within minutes, which are finished off by long lance torpedoes from carrier fleet DD and CL. When the 3 carriers are heavily damaged (even before they are sunk by torpedoes), IJN planes concentrate on USN CA, which are also attacked by IJN BB detached from Midway and DD and CL torpedoes. Within 5 hours both USN task forces are anihilated. The landing force does not encounter any opposition and rpidly occupies the island. without losses. However, Marines buried several tons of explosives timed to go off at 1000, which kill several thousand Japanese and disable key installations.
ATL Yamamoto decides to place the much more abundant, less vulnerable and valuable BB (including Yamato) and CA (with 1/4 of the DD) in the van to shell Midway, saving his pilots to attack the carriers and for ground support during the invasionn of Midway. Yamamoto sails with the carrier fleet and places the surface fleet under Nagumo. The surface fleet will sail 100 miles ahead of the carrier fleet and will include 1/4 of available DD. The carrier fleet will include all carriers (also Ryujo, Junyo, Zuiho and Zuikaku with her few planes, the few surviving planes from Shokaku and 12 planes from each of the other 4 fleet carriers), 1/2 of available DD and all CL. The carrier fleet sails 100 miles behind Nagumo's fleet and provides CAP when it comes within attack distance from Midway. The surface fleet is to arrive at 0200 and shell Midway for 26 hours 16,000 shells under 6" (destroyer guns, etc,), 8,000 of 6" shells and a thousand 8" shells. The invasion fleet will arrive before dawn when the bombardment stops and will land with naval gun and air support.
Although Nimitz knows in advance the disposition of the fleet and the time and place it will arrive, there is little he can do other than set up an ambush for the large carrier fleet and let the BB and CA wreak havoc in Midway
. Since surface ships will arrive at night and bomb continuously for a long time, it is pointless to launch the bombers from Midway , so planes are not deployed i PH. they avoid the destruction by shells, since they won't be able to land when they run out of fuel (the ships will still be shelling and the runways will be useless). Even if Midway or carrier planes attack the BB and CA, damage will be small (owing to much better armor than carriers and even if a BB or CA is sunk, the IJN will be much less affected, than if a fleet carrier is sunk will all planes and hands on board. Nimitz evacuates to Hawaii all US personnel from Midway, since it is untenable.
Accordingly, Nimitz places his fleet at point luck and orders them to ignore IJN surface BB, CA, CL and DD. Both USN carrier task forces are detected by the IJN surface fleet scout planes. both carrier fleets start to launch their waves simultaneously. However, the larger number of experienced IJN carriers result in a much larger wave taking off much faster (the IJN is using 8 carrier decks, Vs. the 3 USN, inexperienced carrier decks). The larger IJN CAP and the AAA devastate the smaller, poorly coordinated USN wave, which arrives piecemeal and attacks several carriers (the first each squadron encounters). In contrast, the large Japanese wave attacks in a coordinated manner the three USN carriers, penetrates the limited CAP and AAA and heavily damages all 3 ships within minutes, which are finished off by long lance torpedoes from carrier fleet DD and CL. When the 3 carriers are heavily damaged (even before they are sunk by torpedoes), IJN planes concentrate on USN CA, which are also attacked by IJN BB detached from Midway and DD and CL torpedoes. Within 5 hours both USN task forces are anihilated. The landing force does not encounter any opposition and rpidly occupies the island. without losses. However, Marines buried several tons of explosives timed to go off at 1000, which kill several thousand Japanese and disable key installations.
) in the critical moment, so the US dive bombers do not find the enemy, the torpedo bombers still get slaughtered and the counter strike - against carriers - again with more luck - find all 3 US carriers, sink all three, maybe an additional cruiser or 3... but - the others will survive. Even a total loss of the pilots (that would hurt, for sure) could only slow down the US gigant.