Finally! The Japanese get some Respect!

[Cpt. John Miller]

Got my case of WaS today and I'm glad to see that the Japanese are more powerful than the Germans in this game. They seemed so marginalized in AAM so I am glad WotC has recognized their naval prowess and air power in WaS. Can't wait to get a Yamato and an Akagi and start sinking some allied capital ships!:p

ps.The Italian ships look really dope! I got their whole register in my first case!:D

[RollingThunder]

Got my case of WaS today and I'm glad to see that the Japanese are more powerful than the Germans in this game. They seemed so marginalized in AAM so I am glad WotC has recognized their naval prowess and air power in WaS. Can't wait to get a Yamato and an Akagi and start sinking some allied capital ships!:p

ps.The Italian ships look really dope! I got their whole register in my first case!:D

I appreciate that you called the Italian ships "dope." No seriously...it's 5 am and I am writing a paper that's due at 11am...it made my morning...

[Muenchausen]

Got my case of WaS today and I'm glad to see that the Japanese are more powerful than the Germans in this game. They seemed so marginalized in AAM so I am glad WotC has recognized their naval prowess and air power in WaS. Can't wait to get a Yamato and an Akagi and start sinking some allied capital ships!:p

ps.The Italian ships look really dope! I got their whole register in my first case!:D

Does this not reflect what actually happened in WWII? The Germans had the most powerful army at the beginning and the Japanese had a navy that could challange all Allied control in the Pacific.

[TheJudge]

Ditto that.

The German navy was small but powerful and the IJN had 10 aircraft carriers and a bunch of battleships and cruisers and they also had excellent planes in 1941. What is not accurate about the game is the comparison between the Zero and Wildcat. The Wildcat was a decent plane but did not match up well with the Zero at all. It could outmaneuver the F4F easily.

As in the land game, there is an inherent bias by Avalon Hill to make the Americans better for some reason instead of having balance. The Yamato is an amazing unit, as it should be and the heavy cruisers are very good but they are very expensive. As usual, you get 2 Atlanta's for a Myoko or Tone.

Washington and Kongo don't match up well at all either but of course, there is a big point difference there. I just wouldn't want to use the Yamato all the time against the US, it will get boring. Need to see if any other matchups favor the IJN against the USN but so far, it doesn't look very good.

[Reemule]

Italians are on the way. I just need several more Destroyers, and a bolzano. I'm going to repaint 3-4 Zero stands to be Mc-202's and use the Zero card for them to indicate Land based fighter cover. And then just let the big Vinny sink them all.

So far I like the Rules, and the game. I hope single nation rules are not long in coming.

[Khayman7]

Ditto that.
The Wildcat was a decent plane but did not match up well with the Zero at all. It could outmaneuver the F4F easily.


True, but the F4F had heavier armament and armor compared with the zeros. With the introduction of tactics such as the "Thatch Weave" the maneuverability become mostly an asset in terms of escape and evasion because dogfighting 2 Wildcats became quite dangerous. 1 on 1 its no contest in terms of planes.

Pilot skill makes up for a lot. While the individual Japanese pilots early in the war were better trained and experienced, the American pilots worked as a team with tactics that minimized their planes weaknesses and accentuated their strengths.

2 things to remember about air combat though...

1.) Its the man not the machine.
2.) 80% (can't remember the exact stat, but its close) of all planes shot down never knew there was an enemy plane in the area.

[kaze256]

If I recall correctly. The us navy pilots didn't start posting better k/death ratios until the introduction of the f6f. Pilot skill helps, but the zeros far outclassed the f4f.

[Joisey]

If I recall correctly. The us navy pilots didn't start posting better k/death ratios until the introduction of the f6f. Pilot skill helps, but the zeros far outclassed the f4f.


Not according to the History Channel. Did you see the episode of "Dogfights" that featured the "Cactus Airforce" on Guadalcanal?

[wildger]

Not according to the History Channel. Did you see the episode of "Dogfights" that featured the "Cactus Airforce" on Guadalcanal?

The IJN lost almost all its best pilots in Midway and they have no effective way of training young pilots. Since the turning point battle, the Japanese air force suffered trmendously because of inexperienced pilots. While the Americans got trained in a real plane in the air, the Japanese received their lessions on ground using wooden sticks and then a few hours of flight time and that was it. Actually, there was a footage in the History Channel showing the Japanese training.

At the start of the Pacific war, the IJN lacked the number and the tonnage comparing to the British and American but it was possibly the strongest navy in the world because of the carriers and the deadly topedo bombers. At that time, even many of the IJN officers still believed that battleships were the most powerful force. Unknowing to many others, the main battleships were actually becoming obsolete.

The IJN had many problems. The subs were used mainly for scouting and did not contribute any significant offensive power. The ASW was poorly done. They could not tell whether a submarine was sunk or not. Coupled with limited resources, the production rate never met the demand. The entire war was lost after Midway. It was a question of time and when.

[Photoner Hawkwind]

ps.The Italian ships look really dope! I got their whole register in my first case!:D

Send some British Swordfish in to sink them and be done with it!:D

[horacus]

Does this not reflect what actually happened in WWII? The Germans had the most powerful army at the beginning and the Japanese had a navy that could challange all Allied control in the Pacific.

Agree. That's the point of everything.

[swarbs]

As sweet as the dogfights program on the history channel is I'm not sure I'd use it as a basis for historical argument. I don't really know the relative merits/demerits of the wildcat and zero, but dogfights isn't really the place to find it.

[Khayman7]

As sweet as the dogfights program on the history channel is I'm not sure I'd use it as a basis for historical argument. I don't really know the relative merits/demerits of the wildcat and zero, but dogfights isn't really the place to find it.

Never said it was. It is a great show, especially graphically, but they do make some glaring errors. Check it out in some research, you'll find my statements are supported. With the right tactics the Wildcat could be competitive with the Zero. Just like the 109 could compete with other fighters up until the end of the war. Tactics and Pilot skill can make up for a subpar airplane.

[Joisey]

Dogfights on the History Channel compared the Wildcat and the Zero to the broadsword and the rapier: Both can kill, but they use very different tactics.

In a head on attack, the Wildcat was superior. In a turning battle, the Zero had the advantage.

The Wildcat had heavier armament, an armored cockpit, and self sealing fuel tanks. The Zero had a partially wooden and fabric fuselage, and turned into a fireball after only a few hits. It depended on it's lightness to outmaneuver the enemy and stay out of harms way. But if you weren't skilled enough to do that, you were in big trouble.

I agree that it principally came down to the tactics used and the skill of the pilots, not the planes themselves.

[Colonel_Coo]

Dogfights on the History Channel compared the Wildcat and the Zero to the broadsword and the rapier: Both can kill, but they use very different tactics.

In a head on attack, the Wildcat was superior. In a turning battle, the Zero had the advantage.

The Wildcat had heavier armament, an armored cockpit, and self sealing fuel tanks. The Zero had a partially wooden and fabric fuselage, and turned into a fireball after only a few hits. It depended on it's lightness to outmaneuver the enemy and stay out of harms way. But if you weren't skilled enough to do that, you were in big trouble.

I agree that it principally came down to the tactics used and the skill of the pilots, not the planes themselves.

And after the Mariana's: Japan lost their skilled pilots.

US war theory was superior to the Japanese: Pilots mattered. Aircraft crews mattered. They were not to be expendible like an airframe.

[Joisey]

I think Japan's pool of skilled pilots was already gone by the time of the Marianas Turkey Shoot.

[Khayman7]

I think Japan's pool of skilled pilots was already gone by the time of the Marianas Turkey Shoot.

I agree. At the Battle of Midway they lost a lot of their best and most experienced carrier pilots. They were not set up to replace the losses through their training programs fast enough. There were few experienced pilots left by the tmie of the "Turkey Shoot".

[OrangeCat]

I think Japan's pool of skilled pilots was already gone by the time of the Marianas Turkey Shoot.

Yep, that's what happened.

Victory or death does not leave much room for passing your skills on to your replacements.