writers to have to wait eve?

y Turn for the slowest writer "FH", or "FL" guns during the same Turn as it dpops
involved to finish his notations. Besides, actual air its tanks.
combat calls for split-second decision making, and it is Aircraft carrying drop tanks are considered to be
more realistic to have the players operating under a loaded, and require one less "L" hit than normal to be
pressure-producing time limit. To make the game move destroyed.
quickly, use a kitchen timer (one with a bel1 that rings
when the time is up) to time the Movement Plotting
XX!X. KAMIKAZE ATTACKS
Phase. The time limit should be agreed upon before the
An issue that may surface during a game regards
game begins. Two to three minutes is usually about suicide attacks by aircraft. It is very tempting in a
scenario where a ship must be sunk to win the game to
ilght, being lonEl enough to finish the task, but not long
try to crash into that ship after aI1 bombs have missed.
enough to permit prolonged contemplation of the cur-
rent situation.
Is this realistic? WeIl, yes and no. Japanese and
American pilots did, on occasion, make suicide dives in-
Players who are slow in making their Log notations
should be given the command of a smaller number of
to enemy ships. Except for the specially-designated
Kamikazes late in the war such suicide dives were ex-
aircraft or formations to enable them to meet the time
tremely rare, and certainly were not part of either na-
Iimit restrictions. Aircraft or formations whose move-
tion's training programs. Players must decide if such
ment is not noted when the time limit expires, should
actions are to be allowed on their own.
fly straight ahead, performing no maneuvers or
alti.tude changes, unless these are absolutely necessary The clapanese used virtually eve?y type of aircraft
(i.e., an aireraft in the stall speed increment would have available to them during the last ten months of the war
to perform a "spin", and an aircraft in the dive speed for their kamikaze sui.cide attacks. These attacks re-
would have to apply brakes and/or continue driving to quired less skili than normal bombing attacks, and
meet the requirements of the rules). Power factors can- could be carried out by the poorly-trained pilots
not be used in any such case. available. To make a kamikaze attack and crash into a
COMMUNICATIONS
ship, the aircraft must end its movement at an altitude
Aircraft-to-aircraft communication durinEl the Second of "0", and either pass over or end its movement in a
World War was by radio, hand signals, andlor by air- hex containing a ship.
When a single engine kamikaze hits a ship, roll one
craft motions such as "wagging the wings", etc. A11 of
die. Multiply the number rolled times two and find the
these methods proved to be less perfect in the heat of ac-
tion, even radio communication breaking down be- number of hits scored on the ship.
tween the various formations involved in a battle. When a two engine kamikaze hits a ship, roll one
die. The number rolled times three is the number of hits
1. Allow no talking between the players on a side.
scored on the ship.
2. Players may pass written notes d.uring the timed Kamikaze attacks were used only by the.Iapanese
Movement Plotting Phase. Such note wflting and pass-
ing may only take place during this time period. in the last stages of the war. In the game they can be
made only by clapanese aircraft. Most kamikaze pilots
3. Before a player may read a note that is passed to were very poorly trained, and it is suggested that these
him he must roll a die to see if he sees or hears it. If the
aircraft types of the players involved are the same (i.e., rules be used with the TF,AINTNG AND EXPEH,IENCE
ru1es. treating the kamikaze pilots as novice.
if both the player sending the note and the one receiv-
ing it were in Corsairs), the die roll must be "4-6" for
successful communication. If the aircraft types of the XXX. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
players involved are different, the die ro11 must be a THE WAR IN THE PACIFIC
a "6" for successful communication. The Far Eastern or Pacific Theater of Operations in
\llorld War II covered the most extensive batUefield in
the history of warfare. It stretched over an a ea com-
XXVIII. DROP TANKS prising more than one-half of the globe; from California
Fighter aircraft and many bomber types would extend in the east to India in the west, and from the Aleutians
their range by carrying "drop tanks" under the in the north to New Zealand in bhe south. Campaigns
fuselage and/or wings. These extra gasoline containers were fought over vast stretches of land, and even larger
would be used during the flight to the target, then nor- expanses of wate . Fierce battles raged; from vicious
mally dropped before the plane entered combat. For sea battles in Arctic and tropical waters to bloody land
game purposes, only the drop tanks used on fighter air- engagements fought in parched deserts, drenched
craft are considered. tropical rain forests, dense jungles, inhospitable moun-
Players must decide prior to ihe game which air- tain ranges, and sunbaked coral attols. The common
craft are carrying drop tanks. denominator of aI1 these actions was that, for the first
Drop tanks are considered to be dropped when the time in history, airpower proved to be the decisive and
player announces that this has been done, during the deciding factor. Land and sea forces could operate suc-
Plotted Movement Execution Phase. They cannot be cessfully only in areas where friendly airpower pre-
dropped prior to the aircraft entering the Mapboard, or vailed. From the surprise clapanese air attack on Pearl
iif Visibility Options are in use) until the enemy is Harbor, which started the shooting, to the destruction
sighted. of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which ended it, the
An aircraft can drop its tanks only during a Turn airplane played the dominant role in determining vic-
:n which it ends in a level bank and moving in its tory and defeat.
::raneuver speed increment (aircraft with no maneuver By war's end, Japan found herself at war with
speed increment cannot be exceedinEi their lowest most of the rest of the world, but from first to last the
;cssible level speed). An aircraft cannot fire "FF", prima y and decisive conflict was between Imperial

DAUMTLESS 11