I agree najdorf. F6F's vs A6M5's, Ki61's and NikJ' s would even have an historical flare to it. In late 1944 and early 45 it was common practice for F6F's from Task Force 38 to sweep and attack targets on Mindanao.
The F6F's faced these exact planes, the A6M5, Ki61, NikJ as well as some lesser able planes and yes even some Ki84's. It was basically any operable aircraft that the IJ could field from the Philippines and what ever they could get ferried in from mainland Japan.
There are those who would have you believe that the Ki84 is the only saving grace of the late war for the IJ. No doubt the 84 did play an important role and is needed in AH, but the absence of this one plane is no reason to shun late war PTO setups imho.
The ki61 and NiKJ are both very formidable aircraft if flown properly. The A6M5 is no slouch either.
Now this all sounds good but there is one important thing to remember and if you forget you will be reminded continuously on Ch1.
This is the combat theater, not the historical theater. While history does play a small part, it is important to remember that "fairness" seems to be the overriding matra for the CT, which I can understand up to a point but imo it often gets in the way of some good setups.
Why some want the CT to be a glorified dueling arena is a mystery to me.
On a related note, I proposed this snapshot idea a few months ago based loosely on the above.
Hellcats over Mindanao I have no idea when or if it will even make it into the snapshot rotation.
Regards
