1942.02.27 - The Battle of the Java Sea.

seisen · **seisen**

This is yet again another of my shameless semi-plagerizations of AP's Second World War at Sea Series of Boardgames...

"Not yet back in Soerabaya from another fruitless search for a Japanese landing force, ABDA fleet commander Admiral Doorman recieved orders to attack a Japanese force east of Bawean. The Allied ships quickly refueled, rearmed and sailed, again without time to properly prepare a plan for the upcomming engagement. Doorman's fleet used two languages and three sets of naval instructions. Disaster was almost preordained, but desperate times demanded desperate measures. The Japanese turned their Eastern Java Invasion Force back while the covering Forces sought battle. "(1)

This is a Night Battle.
Map: Use map #3, Japanese player sets up first. Allies have initiative on the first turn.
Game Length: 1D6+4 turns.

Axis Forces:
Destroyer Squadron 4: set up in opposing players submarine deployment area.
1x Jintsu
4X Yukikaze

Eastern Attack Force: normal deployment.
2x Myoko's
4x Yukikaze

Destroyer Squadron 2: set up in owning players submarine deployment area.
1x Jintsu
4x Yukikaze

Allied Forces:
Doorman's Strike Force: normal deployment.
1x Ajax (represents the De Ruyter)
1x Sydney (represents the Java)
2x Javelin

Royal Navy Detachment: normal deployment.
1x Sydney (HMAS Perth)
1x Exeter
3x Javelin

US Navy Detachment: normal deployment.
1x Salt Lake City (represents USS Houston)
4x Fletcher

Special Rule: Admiral Doorman provides an initiative bonus of 2 (flag 2 on the De Ruyter) until she is lost. If Doorman is lost then the Allies suffer a -1 initiative penalty each turn. This represents the coordination difficulty they suffered in communicating between the three squadrons.

Victory Conditions:
The Allied player receives 10VP's for each DD and 30VP's for each CL or CA that exits the map through the Axis players deployment zone. All other victory point rules apply...there are no objectives. If no Allied ships exit the map or all Allied ships are destroyed, the Axis player wins automatically.

This is a challenging, fast and furious free for all battle. It works well if each detachment (including the Axis) is controlled by a different player, but it is designed for 2 players. Enevitalbly the Allies will have to sink Japanese ships to make it across the map. The Japanese player is relegated to sinking as many ships as possible before they leave the map. This shouldnt prove as difficult as it sounds. The map has plenty of islands that the allies must maneuver around, while providing ample opportunity for the Axis to set up several "road blocks". Try it out, make changes if you like, have fun.

(1) The flavor text presented here is quoted from page 9 of Avalanche Press's Strike South Naval Board Game from their excellent Second World War At Sea Series . I give full credit to Brian L. Knipple and Shane Ivey of Avalanche Press.
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Mutants For Nukes!

Sink the Bismark · **Sink the Bismark**

I like it!

The Long Lances will be fast and furious. boxing

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WAS 64/64
39-45 36/60

The Admiral · **The Admiral**

With set II we now have more of the correct ships available.

I have been a naval fan for many years and in my youth when I first looked at this battle I thought It looked fairly balanced on paper, however playing this battle will soon disabuse any such thoughts!
This makes no attempt to be a balanced game and is purely for historical interest, although you could give a newbie the IJN and let them kick your butt to get them interested.

IJN:
2CA -Haguro (use Myoko) and Nachi
2CL - Naka (use Jintsu) and Jintsu
13DD - Amatsukaze, Asagumo, Hatsukaze, Kawakaze, Sazanami, Ushio, Totitsukaze, Yamakaze, Yukikaze, Minegumo, Muraseme, Samidare and Yudachi (Use either of the Kagero class DD's for these)
1DD - Harukaze (use Akitsuki and see notes below)

ABDA:
2CA - USS Houston (use USS San Francisco + see notes) and HMS Exeter
3CL - RNN De Ruyter, RNN Java (use De Ruyter + notes) and RAN Perth (use RAN Sydney)
3DD - HMS Jupiter (use Javelin), HMS Electra and HMS Encounter (use Javelins for both + notes)
2DD - RNN Witte De With and RNN Kortenaer (use RNN Van Galen for both)
4DD - USS Alden, USS Edwards, USS Ford and USS Paul Jones (use USS John C Butlers for all four + see notes)

NOTES:
1) Houston does not have the Flagship or Flotilla leader special abilities, is worth 14 VP's and has a -1 on all main gunnery as it started the battle with a damaged turret due to a previous air attack.
2) Java is not a flagship or a Cruiser leader and is 9 VP's.
3) Electra and Encounter use Javelin stats with a -1 modifier to guns, AA, ASW and vital armour. They are not sub hunters and are 7VP's each.
4) Alden, Edwards, Ford and Paul Jones use John C Butler stats with no special abilities and +1 to guns, torpedoes and vital armour. Not sure about AA and ASW but it doesn't matter anyway. These ships should have a higher torpedo value but they were only carrying half their torpedoes.
5) Harukaze uses Akitsuki stats with no special abilities (other than note 9), no range 3 torpedo attack, -2 Vital armour and VP's and -1 AA and ASW.
6) OPTIONAL - I think the 2 two dutch destroyers should also be -1 on their guns and VP's.
7) OPTIONAL - Use the house rules from the Official WAS1 Action deferred scenario.
8) OPTIONAL - Ignore all above notes altering ship stats. Not as historical but easier to play.
9) All Japanese DD's have the lay smokescreen special ability.

SET UP
This is based on the first sighting report by HMS Jupiter that I found on the internet. Count the lettered spaces as 1 i.e. the A space is A1 and then each space up the map is one higher.

IJN:
1 CA each in A6 and A7.
1 CL each in B1 and C1.
2 DD's each in B2 to B5 and C2 to C4.

ABDA:
I3 - Jupiter
J3 - Electra
J4 - De Ruyter and Exeter
J5 - Houston and Perth
J6 - Java
J7 - Edwards and Alden
J8 - Ford and Paul Jones
K3 - Encounter
K6 - Witte De With and Kortenaer

ENDING THE GAME AND VICTORY
Play until ABDA has lost 4 ships then roll 1D6. On a 6 the Game ends otherwise continue playing. Make the same dice roll as each successive ABDA ship is sunk adding 1 to the roll for each additional sunk ship. e.g. 6th ship sunk = +2 to the roll. Dice rolls are only made at the end of a turn e.g. if a turn ended with ABDA having lost their 3rd, 4th and 5th ships that turn roll 2 dice, the 1st for a 6 and the 2nd for a 5 or 6 and the game would end if either were successful. The winner is the player with the most points. There are no fixed objective spaces.