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View Full Version : Angels on our shoulders

Laconic
11-25-09, 11:38 PM
This is with TMO and RSRD. During the Battle of Guadalcanal I got flash traffic that indicated that there would be as many of three convoys heading into Rabaul, so I high-tailed it over to the blue-water bay just outside of the port to wait for them. I must have been picked up on long-range rader because I was being probed by Jap air recon fairly regularly. After about 12 hours of waiting I picked up another air contact. However, instead of flying a search pattern over my location, this plane vectored for the port.

Curious, I watched him fly a circle or two around the port when all of a sudden a gray "sunk" icon pops up on the map. I hop to external cam and zoom over to the port and find to my delight an American bomber completely owning the port:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle1-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle3-1.jpg


In a few minutes he starts sweeping the shore batteries, too. I'm not sure exactly how bombers are modeled, but he's apparently executing a high-level bombardment with a cannon-like weapon, firing high-velocity, explosive shells, almost like an AC130.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle4-1.jpg


Then he rolls over and easily destroys the DD that was patrolling the entrance to the port:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v167/Laconic/Battle6.jpg


Bizarre encounter, and I sure am glad he's on my side!
Torplexed
11-25-09, 11:43 PM
Rabaul being reduced to rubble again. That's a PBY Catalina recon plane. Not exactly a bomber anymore by WW2 standards, but I guess they could still be one in a pinch, provided there are no fighters about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBY_Catalina
Laconic
11-25-09, 11:52 PM
Rabaul being reduced to rubble again. That's a PBY Catalina recon plane. Not exactly a bomber anymore by WW2 standards, but I guess they could still be one in a pinch, provided there are no fighters about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBY_Catalina

Whoever he is, he's rocking some Final Countdown-like weaponry.
Torplexed
11-26-09, 02:37 AM
Whoever he is, he's rocking some Final Countdown-like weaponry.

Yeah.... he's staging a Nimitz class strike all by his lonesome. :)
Laconic
11-26-09, 09:34 AM
Yeah.... he's staging a Nimitz class strike all by his lonesome. :)

You know what I mean! I see that historically the Catalina did have a tail-mounted machine gun so I suppose that's what he was firing, but the rounds were so powerful that it looked like a gunship to me.

The next day the convoy I was waiting on wandered through, two merchants and two escorts. I managed to attack both merchants at the same time, sinking one and crippling the other. I'll upload the video later.
HMCS
11-28-09, 03:38 AM
I have had that happen to me near the 'Canal as well- I was stalking a convoy coming down the slot when a horde of SBD's and Wildcats descended on the convoy, sinking or crippling all my targets. I managed one merchie out of 8 or so that I was stalking. Very entertaining to watch, though.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c27/citrjazz/convoy.jpg
I'm goin' down
11-28-09, 02:56 PM
great series of screen shots!!
Akula4745
11-28-09, 03:17 PM
Yep... ditto. Same thing happened to me at Rabaul... but since I was using RFB alone the allied planes were B-26s... and there was a whole bunch of them.