Turn 1

Turn 2

Turn 3

Turn 1

USN Report: This game started off bad for Joe and got worse.  On Turn One, both of my LBA got the chance to return fire.  The 5th AF in Indonesia shot down an IJN LBA before being shot down itself.  Both British BB escaped.  At Pearl Harbor, only a cruiser and the 7th AF escaped.  However, the 7th AF shot sank the Hiryu.  I actually left the LBA in port when the IJN didn't target it for the third round.  However, the third round was night.  In the fourth round, the LBA earned 2 damage and didn't cause any harm.  Three bottomed BB remained in the muck at the end of the turn.  POC was the usual 3 for an NT1 game.

Turn 2

USN Report:  The bad news for the IJN this turn was 1) only Zuiho managed to sink a USN CV, 2) four units in the Coral Sea were lost including the CVL and NLF, 3) Sasebo took 3 damage from the British BB, 4) my LBA in the Marianas escaped without further damage, 5) three CA were lost in the NE corner with no USN losses, and worst of all 6) the IJN failed to flag the U.S. Mandate and lost Zuikaku too.

The good news for the IJN was that no units were lost in the Marshall Islands (Hosho was disabled with 1 damage) and that he flagged the Hawaiians.  He also finished off the repairing bottom-dwellers at Pearl Harbor.  POC rose only to 9.

Turn 3

USN Report: In the NE corner the IJN loses another 4 CA but, in night action in CPO, manages to sink two USN CA in return.  In the vicinity of Truk, the USN loses one CA but stops Sasebo from reaching Guadalcanal while only taking one damage on Saratoga.

In the Coral Sea, Hyuga is disabled without dispatching the patroller.  In the U.S. Mandate, Ise is sunk but does manage to disable the Canberra and deny 2 POC to the USN.  No USN CV is sunk this turn.  The I-Boat does manage to disable a CV.

In the Hawaiians, it gets worse for the IJN.  The first daylight round sees the IJN put damage on two USN LBA but fail to shoot down any.  In return, the USN sinks Akagi and Shokaku while disabling Kaga with 3 damage and Soryu.  Junyo also took 1 damage.  With one damaged CV and three CVL left against six LBA, the IJN surrendered.

I concur.  When a Pearl-emphasis strategy fails to take Pearl Harbor and CPO is wide open besides and the USN will have five CV, the IJN is in a irrecoverable world-of-hurt.  Better luck in your future games, Joe!

IJN Surrender: Congratulations John!  My position looks hopeless. You are the second guy that I have the honor of congratulating today. This must be some kind of record, two VITP PBEM losses in one day.