Two weeks ago we put together a fight off the shores of Guadalcanal, 1942. A Japanese force was attempting to land a large number of reinforcements while an American flotilla was out looking for them. It will be a nighttime engagement, and it lead to a very interesting fight.
The Japanese fleet, with two major vessels supporting a number of landing craft and even some suicide motor boots, heading towards the beaches! (upper left)...
At the opposite end of the table, was an American DE supporting nine PT boats and a Coast Guard Cutter. The Japanese can just be made out top center with some PT Boats closing in from the upper left...
These PT Boats will each let loose with two torpedoes each, after successfully spotting the larger Japanese ships. They in turn are seen and fired upon (unsuccessfully)...
The US torpedoes close quickly with the enemy. The lead Japanese skillfully evades a number of the torpedoes, but there are hits!
Japanese suicide motor boats attack! One is destroyed by gunfire while a second (on left) just missed striking home. The third however strikes home and sinks the first PT Boat!
More damage to PT Boats as Japanese gunfire ranges in...
But the Japanese luck runs out as nearly a have dozen torpedoes smash into the Japanese commander!
She doesn't have a chance and quickly goes to the bottom!
Unfortunately for the Japanese commander, he loses his remaining major ship to numerous torpedoes, just before she is able to beach herself!
Many Japanese soldiers go down with her...
With most of their support gone, the Americans close in like sharks to the kill...
It's not all perfect for the Americans however. Coming around a rock formation, one PT Boat mistakingly moves in front of a US torpedo and is blown out of the water!
Dawn sees an American airstrike from Henderson Field before the Japanese, although his bombing run is unsuccessful...
It will however, not save the Japanese barges. The PT Boats will close in and sink all but two of the Japanese boats before they made it to shore. (No photos of this bloody finish, as I ran out of space on my camera!) It was a fun game, at least for the Americans!
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