Saburo Sakai was the greatest Japanese ace to survive World War 2 with 62 air claimed combat kills. This page includes several scenarios based on his exploits as described in Samurai! by Saburo Sakai, Martin Caidin, and Fred Saito.
Saburo Sakai was born in 1916 to an impoverished Samurai family eking out a living on a small farm near Saga in southern Japan. After less than sterling success asa student in Tokyo, Sakai joined the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1933, and went to its extremely thorough Tsuchiura flight school in 1937, and then qualified as a carrier pilot. In 1938, he was posted to the Kiukiang air wing in China and was intriduced to actual air combat. He was sent home for about a year after being wounded in an air raid, returning in to Formosa in time to train up with the new A6M1 Zero, which was tried out flying cover over IndoChina as Japanese troops occupied key facilities in early 1941. In the summer of 1941, Sakai helped combat-test the Zero with the Hankow Air Wing against the Chinese Air Force.
In November, 1941, Sakai was transferred to Tainan and the 11th Air Fleet, which attacked the Philippines in December, 1941. In January, 1942, he was transferred to Tarakan in Borneo. In Februray, Sakai participated in combat in the Dutch East Indies. In March, he went to Rabaul and then in April, to the fighter base at Lae.
From April to the beginning of August, 1942, Sakai was involved with very instense air combat over New Guinea. In August, most of the surviving fighters were pulled back to Rabaul. On August 7th, Sakai was badly wounded over Guadalcanal, barely surviving the long flight back to Rabaul. He lost an eye. He spent the next 5 months in hospitals.
After a year spent training new pilots, in April, 1944, Sakai was assigned to the Yokosuka Air Wing, which transferred to Iwo Jima in June. Its thirty fighters engaged with massed carrier air elements of the US Fleet that attacked Iwo Jima to prevent it being used to support Saipan. By the end of July, all thirty (and most of the 50 others stationed on Iwo Jima at the time) were destroyed.
From September to December, 1944, Sakai (now a commissioned Ensign) help test the Shiden. In January, he was assigned to the Mastuyama Air Wing under Captain Genda. From March until August, 1945, Sakai flew the Shiden against B-29 raids.
Background: In May 1938, the newly graduated Sakai is transferred to a fighter unit in Formosa, who roatates him to a forward unit in China. On his first mission over Hankow Air field, his escorting squadron of 15 Claudes were astounded to see 3 Russian I-16s take to the skies as the raid was commencing. The Russian fighters climbed level with the Claudes - and attacked.
Then suddenly they were at our atltitude, big, black, and powerful. Without warning - at least to my astonished mind - one of the enemy planes whipped out of formation and bore in with alarming speed at my fighter. Abruptly, all my careful plans of what I would do in my first combat evaporated.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 4
Map: Land Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | 1x A5M2 Claude |
| Soviet Air Force | = | 1x I-16 Type 10 |
Setup:
Game Length: 10 turns
Special Rule: At then end of 10 turns, the other IJN pilots will grow bored of watching and will pitch in against the I-16. The Russian must either shoot down the Claude or escape by then.
Additional Rules:
The A5M2 Claude and Polikarpov I-16 Type 10 are available from Uncle Ted's.
Background: Saburo Sakai is trained on the wonderful new IJN fighter, the A6M2, and is then sent to join the Tainan Air Wing, part of the 11th Air Fleet. He took part in the initial strike on Clark Air Field. Due to a lack of aerial targets, Sakai brought his vic in to strafe the field, when they were jumped from behind by a flight of P-40s.
With my two wingman tied to me as if my invisible lines, I pushed the stick forward and dove at a steep angle for the ground. I selected two undamaged B-17s on the runway for our targets, and all three planes poured a fusillade of bullets into the big bombers. We flashed low over the ground and climbed steeply on the pullout.
Five American fighters jumped us. They were P-40s, the first American planes I had ever encountered.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 7
Map: Land Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | 3x A6M2 Zero |
| USAAC | = | 5x P-40E |
Setup:
Game Length: 20 turns
Special Rule: Thick black smoke was boiling up from the airfield. Smoke covers Hexes 2627, 2727, 2724, 2823, 2622, 2722, 2520, 2619, 2716, 2815, 2612, 2712. Treat the smoke as clouds for gaming purposes.
Additional Rules:
| Aircraft | Air Power Issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Zero | 45 | |
| Curtiss P-40C (if you cannot ind E) | 46 |
Background: While waiting in Borneo before the IJN moved on the Dutch Indies, Sakai and his wingmates encountered unescorted B-17Ds operating from Java several times. They had been attacked by B-17s and did not like being under the rain of bombs. When they had encountered them in the skies, however, their Zeros did not seem able to make much of an impression on the lumbering behemoths.
Again. Dive, roll, concentrate on one bomber! This time I caught one! I saw the shells exploding, a series of red and black explosions moving across the fuselage. Surely he would go up now! Chunks of metal - big chunks - exploded outward from the B-17 and flashed away in the slipstream. The waist and top guns were silent as the shells hammered home.
Nothing! No fire, no telltale sign of smoke trailing back... The B-17 continued on in formation.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 9
Map: Sky Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | 2x A6M2 Zero |
| USAAC | = | 4x B-17D |
Setup: Set the USAAC up in a diamond formation, one per hex 2020, 1919, 2119, and 2019. All are at at 20.0, speed 4.5, heading east in a fixed formation. Having just completed their bombing mission, they are unloaded. The bombers fly straight ahead and maintain formation unless one cannot due to damage.
Set the IJN up in 2010 and 1909 at 21.0 speed 7.0 in a shallow dive.
Game Length: 20 turns
Special Rule:
Additional Rules: One Zero pilot is Vet/Ace/CS/GF (Sakai); the other is Vet/Ace (Ota).
| Aircraft | Available from... | |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero | Air Power Issue 45 | |
| Boeing B-17C/D | Uncle Ted's |
Background: After the Phillipines, the Tainan Air Wing was sent to the Dutch East Indies. There was a large air battle over Surabaya, where 23 Zeros took on "50-60 P-36s, P-40s, and Buffalos" flown by Dutch, American, and British pilots in a large, mesy furball.
We reached Surabaya at about 11:30 AM, flying at 16.000 ft. The enemy force anticipating our arrival was unprecedented. At least 50 Allied fighters flying at about 10,000 ft., maintained a large counter-clockwise sweeping over the city. The enemy planes extended in a long line, composed of three waves of V groups which outnumbered us by more than two to one...
Sighting our force, the Allied fighters broke off their circular movements and at full speed closed toward us... Less than a minute later, the orderly formations disintegrated into a wild swirling fight.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 10
Map: Air Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | 6x A6M2 Zero |
| Allies | = | 4x Hawk 75A-6 (Dutch) 5x P-40E (American) 6x F2A-2 Buffalo (Brit&Dutch) |
Setup: Set the IJN up in vics at 16.0, speed 5.0, in hexes 3125, 3024, 3224, 3527, 3428, 3628, in level flight, level banked.
Set the Allies up at 10.0 in 3 great waves of Vs:
Game Length: 20 turns
Special Rule:
Additional Rules:
Formations:
Pilot Quality:
Variants:
To play with different numbers:
| Aircraft | Original | Half-size | 1/3 | Micro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A6M2 Zero | 23 | 12 | 9 | 3 |
| Hawk 75A-6 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| B-339D & B-339E Buffalo (Keep ratio of ~2 D:1 E) |
20 | 10 | 7 | 3 |
| P-40E Warhawk | 16 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
Aircraft:
| Aircraft | Air Power Issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero | 45 | |
| Curtiss P-40E | 52 | |
| Brewster F2A-2 (B-339) | 45 | |
| Curtiss Hawk 75A-6 | 49 |
Background: After a short break, Sakai's Sentai was sent to Lae. He made his first trip to Port Moresby on 11 April, 1942.
Nine of us flew to Moresby, spoiling for a fight. We got one. Nine enemy fighters, P-39s and P-40s, waited for us over the enemy airstrip, willing to fight!
Hardly were we in sight when they broke off their circle and roared head-on against our planes.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 13
Map: Land Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | 9x A6M2 Zero |
| USAAC | = | 5x P-40E Warhawk 4x P-39D Airacobra |
Setup: Set the IJN up in 3 vics at 10.0, speed 5.0, near hex 2025; (leader in hex, all others in flexible formation behind them).
Set the P-40s in hexes 2015, 1914, 1814, 1713, 1912, all speed 6.0. Set the P-39s in hexes 2213, 2312, 2412, 2310. all speed 5.5.
Game Length: 20 turns
Special Rule:
Additional Rules:
Roll for additional characteristics as desired.
| Aircraft | Air Power Issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Zero | 45 | |
| Curtiss P-40E | Origins 98 | |
| Bell P-39D | Origins 98 |
Background: The morning of 7-Aug-42 found the Tainan Sentai at Rabaul, where they had been pulled for a few days rest. While arming and fueling to escort the daily bombing mission over Port Moresby, the Japanese naval command was stunned to hear reports of a sudden air raid and landings at Tulagi and Guadalcanal, where an airfield was being built at the southern end of the Solomons Island chain. The bombing missionw as hastily re-routed and sent to hit the invasion force off Guadalcanal - 560 nautical miles away! This was the longest escort mission flown up to that point in the war. Sakai was one of the 18 Tainan pilots sent on the mission.
Nine of us flew to Moresby, spoiling for a fight. We got one. Nine enemy fighters, P-39s and P-40s, waited for us over the enemy airstrip, willing to fight!
Hardly were we in sight when they broke off their circle and roared head-on against our planes.Saburo Sakai
Samurai!, Chapter 13
Map: Land Map
| Aircraft: | IJN | = | one A6M2 Zero |
| USN | = | one F4F-4 Wildcat |
Setup: Set the IJN up in 3 vics at 10.0, speed 5.0, near hex 2025; (leader in hex, all others in flexible formation behind them).
Set the P-40s in hexes 2015, 1914, 1814, 1713, 1912, all speed 6.0. Set the P-39s in hexes 2213, 2312, 2412, 2310. all speed 5.5.
Game Length: 20 turns
Special Rule:
Additional Rules:
| Aircraft | Air Power Issue | |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi Zero | 45 | |
| Curtiss P-40E | Origins 98 | |
| Bell P-39D | Origins 98 |
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