Special: Battle of Rennell Island

Pilots,

Those of you who have been with us since summer of last year will know that we already held a number of specials in honour of the massive air and sea clashes that unfolded between the US and the Empire of Japan in the South Pacific.

However, our tales on the subject would not be complete without also taking a look at the lesser known Battle of Rennell Island, which played a major role in the outcome of the Guadalcanal Campaign. This week, as we commemorate the anniversary of this historical event, we invite you to learn about it while taking advantage of great bonuses in the game.

Here’s what you can look forward to over the next three days:

Double crew experience

A good pilot uses every opportunity to learn from battle. You and your crew should do the same!

50% discount on training and re-training your crew 

Nothing helps you more in the skies than being properly trained and prepared for when it counts.

50% discount on the following planes:

						Mitsubishi A6M1 Reisen
						Mitsubishi A6M2 Reisen
						Curtiss P-36 Hawk
						Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk
						Brewster F2A Buffalo
						Grumman F4F Wildcat

Will you be playing on the side of the Japanese or the US this week?

The special will run from Tuesday 28^th January at 7:00 until Friday 31^st January at 06:30 CET (GMT+1).

The Guadalcanal Campaign in November 1942 ended with a decisive victory for the US forces over the Japanese in the Pacific. However, despite being very much on the retreat, the Japanese would prove that they still had a lot of bite during the Rennell Island attack on January 29^th-30^th, 1943.

Operation KE was originally a Japanese offensive plan for the region, but it became an evacuation instead. One of its first stages involved a diversionary attack on the Americans in order to protect the evacuation.

Revelling in their victory and believing the enemy to be routed, the Americans had become complacent. They had started to move out of the area to other operational theatres in several task forces. One of these, Task Force 18, consisted of three heavy cruisers and 13 smaller vessels – their mission was to escort a convoy of four troop transport ships.

Expecting any attacks to come from submarines, Admiral Giffen, the commander of Task Force 18, was unused to Pacific conflict and had dismissed the possibility of an airstrike on his ships, particularly during the night. This proved to be a huge tactical mistake, and one that the Japanese took full advantage of.

Thirty-one bombers carrying torpedoes came from the east to attack in two waves. The first wave struck and Giffen made another critical mistake. Believing the first wave to be the entire attack, and ignoring the targeting beacons that had been dropped, he ordered his ships to keep steaming ahead. Twenty minutes later, the second wave struck the exposed targets, and one of the three heavy cruisers – the Chicago, was crippled with torpedo fire.

It wasn’t over yet. The next day, January 30^th, the Americans began to tow the Chicago away but the Japanese kept coming. Although defensive fire shot down many Japanese planes, enough managed to break through to fire more torpedoes into the Chicago, sinking it completely.

Although it was just a minor victory for the Japanese, it was a blow to the confidence of the Americans, who tried to cover it up completely for a while. In the meantime, Operation KE was a full success – when the Americans attacked Guadalcanal again in February, the Japanese were long gone.

Don’t just repeat history! Use this special to make history, pilots!