Operation Vengeance: the Assassination of Admiral Yamamoto

Yamamoto escapes at Nashcon

This is my Blood Red Skies (BRS) scenario I ran several times this year (Siege of Augusta, Rocky Top Gaming Convention, and Nashcon, as well as a couple of times locally), based on Operation Vengeance, the assassination of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto.

I have had many players new to BRS play in this scenario, and they have a good time, so it seems like a good way to learn the game. And BRS is a blast to play and very suitable for convention play. I have run games with as many as nine players, mostly new to the game, just fine.

On April 14, 1943, American code breakers discovered they had the itinerary of Admiral Yamamoto, as he made a morale-raising tour near the front lines. Yamamoto was likely the most hated man in the world by the Americans, who saw him as the "architect" of the Pearl Harbor attack, and was widely (but falsely) quoted as saying he would dictate surrender terms to the Americans in Washington D.C. He would be flying in a Betty bomber converted for passenger use, and escorted by Zeros.

In the next four days, the decision was made to attempt to assassinate Yamamoto, as he landed on Bougainville, at the top of "the Slot" in the Solomon Islands. 18 P-38s led by John "Mitch" Mitchell took off from Guadalcanal, with 2 turning back due to mechanical issues. They did not fly up "the Slot," which would have allowed for landmarks but exposed them to Japanese coast watchers. Instead, they flew a 600 mile roundabout course over the open ocean using dead reckoning-- relying only on a compass, a speedometer, and a watch for navigation. In an amazing feat of navigation, they arrived within minutes of their target time.

12 P-38s flew high cover, expecting waves of Zeros to arrive from the nearby Japanese airfield to meet Yamamoto, which did not appear. The remaining 4, including Rex Barber and Tom Lanphier, were designated as the "kill team," assigned to shoot down Yamamoto's Betty. The P-38s were at the absolute limit of their fuel capacity, and had just minutes to make the kill. However, to their surprise, instead of a single Betty bomber escorted by Zeroes, there were two! Unexpectedly, Yamamoto's Chief of Staff, Admiral Ugaki, had accompanied Yamamoto in his own Betty! The American had no way to know which Betty held their target, and would have to shoot down both to be sure!

Yamamoto and Ugaki flee the ambush at Siege of Augusta

Setup

Americans

4x P-38J, two with pilot skill 4, and two with pilot skill 3

Cards: 2x Heavy Hitter, 2x Great Dive, Big Game Hunters (doctrine), Clear Skies (theatre)

Japanese

2x Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers

5x M6A2 Zeros, two with pilot skill 4, and three with pilot skill 3

Cards: 5x No Stalling [since I'm not playing with Boom Chits, Deep Pockets doesn't make sense], Seasoned Pilots (doctrine), Low Level Haze (theatre)

Table

I play this on a 6x4 table, with the 6' length half land, half ocean. I start with four clouds.

Starting Positions

Americans start 12" from the ocean edge, all of them disadvantaged.

Japanese start 12" from the land edge, all of them neutral.

Planes are four feet apart, giving time to explain movement and spending advantage to new players before the combat.

Historically, the planes did not approach head on-- it appears the Americans attacked from the 4-5 o'clock position of the Bettys.

Japanese Briefing

A key part of this scenario is the Americans not knowing which Betty has Yamamoto. See this doc for a printable handout for the Japanese players.

The Japanese players should secretly note which bomber has Yamamoto.

In addition, Yamamoto's Betty apparently never fired. It is unknown why. The Japanese players should secretly roll a d6.

• On a 1, neither Betty may fire
• On a 2-5, secretly note one Betty that may fire
• On a 6, both Bettys may fire as normal

American Briefing

New players benefit from two pieces of advice before the game:

• The P-38 is the fastest plane on the board, but if you are disadvantaged when the Bettys pass you, you will never catch up. Pay attention to the turn around here.
• Your goal is to shoot down the Bettys. Ignore the Zeros as much as possible.

House Rules

Boom Chits

I run this game without using Boom Chits-- the game continues until both bombers are shot down or have escaped the map. This isn't something I feel strongly about, though.

VIP safety - Shooting

Historically, Yamamoto was dead before his Betty crashed, killed my American gun fire. 

Whenever a Betty is successfully hit by an attack, mark it with a counter. At the end of the game, roll a d6 for each successful attack. Any 6 indicates the VIP on board was killed by an attack.

VIP safety - Crashing

Historically, there were no survivors from Yamamoto's crash in the jungle, although he almost certainly was killed in the air. However, Ugaki's Betty crashed in the ocean, and he survived with only a broken arm, going on to be instrumental in Japan's kamikaze program later in the war.

If a Betty goes down over land, the VIP on board is automatically killed.

If a Betty goes down over water, roll a d6. On a 1-3, the VIP on board is killed.

Win Conditions

The winning condition is simple-- if Yamamoto survives the scenario, the Americans have failed.

Yamamoto's Betty is torn apart, but limps away with Yamamoto
still alive, at Rocky Top Gaming Con

Sources

The primary reference for this scenario is the very good book, Dead Reckoning: The Story of How Johnny Mitchell and His Fighter Pilots Took on Admiral Yamamoto and Avenged Pearl Harbor. Beyond just the single mission, Dead Reckoning gives biographic information about Yamamoto, squadron commander Mitch Mitchell, and pilots Tom Lanphier and Rex Barber. It also goes into the rather wild post-operation fall out.

A secondary reference is Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy issue 118, which contains the article Killing Yamamoto: To Catch an Admiral-- Operation Vengeance by Dave Davies. There are also several other fan made scenarios floating around the Internet.

The Betty models can be sourced from Armaments in Miniature, which also sell a decal set specifically for this scenario, and BRS adapters for the planes.

• R9-0516, Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty
• Miscellaneous Miniatures G4M1 Betty & A6M Zero/Zeke, Operation Vengeance, Admiral Yamamoto shoot down, 1/200 scale decals
• I'm unsure of the product number for the BRS adapters; contact aim_schmid@yahoo.com