Heading to Darwin

projected cover image

Well, not physically, but I believe the next scenario booklet will feature the American experience in the skies over and near Darwin during 1942. I have thirteen scenarios completely written, and perhaps will create a few more. My decision to do Darwin next is because today I received a VERY generous offer to have some planes painted gratis, and with my Blue Falcon Hobbies 49th Fighter Group decals just waiting to be used (admittedly I have to obtain the planes to use them on), this seems like the best direction for the next scenario booklet. It will still be a few months before the booklet will be ready for publication as I have to order the planes, ship them off to be painted, then play some scenarios as well as take some pictures of the scenarios in progress. The good news is I already have nine carrier based A6M2s painted, and I have five P-40Es painted for the 33rd Pursuit Squadron, both of which will be featured in the first two scenarios. The bad news is I need to paint a dozen G4M2s (after purchasing them) or use a dozen G3Ms I already have for my Wake Atoll booklet (and also need painting). Realistically I should buy nine more A6M2s and paint them properly in the 3rd Kōkūtai colors (and which I have decals for, also from Blue Falcon)....decisions, decisions!

Soooo, I went forward and ordered the P-40s and the A6M2s (yeah, like I really need nine in the proper green scheme) from Flight Deck, and while I was on my mad shopping spree ordered a desert aerial mat from Deep Cut Studio. The desert mat isn't perfect for the outback, but it will find use in many other scenarios and eras. And now...the A6M2s were painted in ame-iro...I did not need to order nine more, but at least then I can do these nine in proper 3rd Kōkūtai decals.

Back to the booklet - I have the background also written, and I just need to add my usual rules modifications, color schemes, miniatures and publication sources, and then paste the scenarios in. Sounds like a lot of work, but most of it is relatively easy. The booklet will be titled Eagles Over the Top End. UPDATE (7/31/26): this will be the largest booklet thus far, coming in at nearly thirty pages.

My Take on Operation Vengeance

I know this scenario exists already, I believe in a file obtainable from the Check Your 6! discussion group, but I wanted to delve into the mission to shoot down Yamamoto on my own, without reviewing the existing scenario. I am pretty pleased by the result, after consulting various books and YouTube videos about the event. Then I used a little AI to mix the parts together, providing direction in terms of Check Your 6! formatting, and then did some adjusting, and now I have a pretty good scenario for Operation Vengeance. One could of course add in the other eight P-38s but that would make a huge scenario, and historically it was the "Killer Flight" that saw all the action (which begs the question, just where were the covering flights?).

Without further ado, Operation Vengeance.

The 9th Pursuit's First

49th Pursuit Group P-40E Warhawks over Northern Territory, 1942

In the aftermath of the Japanese surprise attack on Darwin, Northern Territory, in February 1942, the lead elements of the 49th Fighter Group, specifically the 9th Pursuit Squadron, were sent to bolster the air defenses of the threatened Australian town, which was in range of land-based Betty bombers and their escorts, the formidable Zero, flying from airfields in Java. Darwin was an important port town and had been used to stage convoys of supplies and material into Java before the fall of that Dutch colony. Darwin now became the front line as the Japanese launched a campaign to neutralize northern Australia and potentially invade the continent.

Stephen (Steven/Stephan) Poleschuk

The 9th Pursuit, manned by well-trained but inexperienced pilots and based south of Darwin at Batchelor, would obtain their first victory against the Japanese on March 22nd, when a Babs recon plane, flying at 19,000 feet and escorted by three Zeros, flew over Darwin in preparation for a bombing mission slated to hit Darwin later that day. The Japanese incursion had been picked up on the Royal Australian Air Force radar at Dripstone Cliffs. The Babs and the Zeros became separated and a section of P-40Es pounced on the helpless Babs before the Zeros could intervene, resulting in the loss of the recon plane, which crashed near Bathurst Island with one crewman parachuting from the stricken aircraft. Credit for the American victory was determined by a flip of a coin as Second Lieutenants Clyde L. Harvey and Stephen "Polly" Poleschuk had both caused damage on the Japanese recon plane - Poleschuk was the winner of the coin toss.

I have created a work in progress Check Your 6! scenario for this action which can be found on the Downloads page. 

Sources:

ADF Serials Newsletter, August 2004.

Ferguson, Steve W. & Pascalis, William K - Protect & Avenge: The 49th Fighter Group in World War II. Schiffer Military History, 1997.

Hess, WIlliam F. - 49th Fighter Group: Aces of the Pacific. Osprey Publishing, 2004.

Lewis, Dr. Tom - Eagles over Darwin: American Airmen Defending Northern Australia in 1942. Avonmore Books, 2021.

McDowell, Ernest R. - 49th Fighter Group. Squadron/Signal Publications, 1989.

New Toys Ordered Part III - World War Two

I have gone on a recent spate of ordering new planes. Some are to be used for future projects, others for expanding existing projects, while others will be to replace existing metal planes with higher quality 3D prints and more accurate paint schemes.

The Nell - needed for Wake Atoll

For the two scenarios I created that take place during the February 1942 surprise attack against Darwin, I needed to obtain planes for both sides as my collection was did not have any aircraft to cover. Regardless of the Darwin scenarios, I had the intention one day of adding A6Ms to my collection, so picking up a chūtai of Zeros not only fills the Darwin scenarios, but will see duty for my Wake Atoll scenario booklet as well as other early Pacific projects - likewise the purchase of a dozen Nells to use for Wake (as the price point at Table Top Flights for bombers is very low I justified a dozen bombers based on how much I "saved" - and the Nells will see duty as Sallys over Burma and Bettys in other Pacific regions as I am NOT buying thirty-six Japanese bombers). The P-43 Lancers will fit in for 1943 China while the Heinkel 170s will be used as Heinkel He 70s for the Slovak-Hungarian War (I have one scenario that involves a pair of Heinkels on a recon mission).

All in all a bit of a mix of airplane types for a variety of projects.

Flight Deck P-43, P-40E, Heinkel He 70, and A6M2

Flight Deck Decals

Mitsubishi A6M2 - 9

P-40E Warhawk - 5

P-43A Lancer - 4

Heinkel He 170 - 2

Table Top Flights

Mitsubishi G3M2 Nell - 12