's first experience with 1:4800 scale naval models.
Carrier Duel in the Coral Sea
May 8th, 1942
The Coral Sea action resulted from a Japanese amphibious operation intended to capture Port Moresby, located on New Guinea's southeastern coast. A Japanese airbase there would threaten northeastern Australia and support plans for further expansion into the South Pacific, possibly helping to drive Australia out of the war, and certainly enhancing the strategic defenses of Japan's newly-enlarged oceanic empire.
The Japanese operation included two seaborne invasion forces – a minor one targeting Tulagi, in the Southern Solomons; and the main one aimed at Port Moresby. These would be supported by land-based airpower from bases to the north, and by two naval forces containing a small aircraft carrier, several cruisers, seaplane tenders, and gunboats. More distant cover would be provided by the big aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku with their escorting cruisers and destroyers. The U.S. Navy, tipped off to the enemy plans by superior communications intelligence, countered with two of its own carriers, plus cruisers (including two from the Australian Navy), destroyers, submarines, land-based bombers, and patrol seaplanes.
Preliminary operations on 3-6 May and two days of active carrier combat on 7-8 May cost the United States one aircraft carrier, a destroyer, and one of its very valuable fleet oilers, plus damage to the second carrier. However, the Japanese were forced to cancel their Port Moresby seaborne invasion. In the fighting, they lost a light carrier, a destroyer, and some smaller ships. Shokaku received serious bomb damage, and Zuikaku's air group was badly depleted. Most importantly, those two carriers were eliminated from the upcoming Midway operation, contributing by their absence to that terrible Japanese defeat.
We have provided this scenario for free in our Free Scenarios folder on the PANZERKORPHQ Yahoo! Group. As Force Fleet Command is the naval module for the Panzer Korps divisional warfare system, we have provided it here. You will also find the fast-play charts for FFC here as well.
Force Fleet Command: Naval Rules for Miniatures are available from On Military Matters or Game Kastle.
In the U.K., visit Caliver Books; and in Europe, Worean.
Order direct at panzerkorps.com.