Korean War: Pusan Perimeter, scenario #15: Retreat to Suwan

A very fun scenario, with so many different little strategies to attempt. Obviously the South Koreans should try and exit as many units as possible but they are limited by their slow refugee’s road movement rule while the North Koreans are not.

I left a ROK blocking force in the town on map 92 and maybe too many units at that, while the rest attempted to exit off of the south edge of map 94. Sure the three truckloads of reduced Infantry and the M20 made it but an American airstrike gone awry took-out a truck load of ROK Infantry including a Major. The next air-strike did take-out a step of NKPA T34/85s worth two points each. Airstrikes in the first weeks of the war are a 50/50 proportion.

The ROKs got 4 points for exited steps, and 4 points for eliminated enemy steps, including that T34/85 step, for a total of 8 points. The NKPA got 6 points for ROK steps still on the map including an abandon 57mm AT Gun and some demoralized and disrupted Infantry & Engineer steps. But also they eliminated 5 points of ROK steps, for 11 total points, for a North Korean victory.

Looking back on this, I should not have left such a large blocking force so far north, maybe half of what I had, as none of them make it back and if everything went well, the ROKs could have won with the 9-7 strategy. Not using those deadly air-strikes until the end of the game might have helped the ROKs as well. But then again not blocking with a large enough force and the NKPA tanks with mounted SMG INF would just drive around the roadblock and cut off most of the convoy. Sure, the M20 will make it off every time with a 15 MPs but then everything else is up in the air. The Infantry can try and scatter in the hills off the road, which could be another good approach, then the North Korean armor would have to race to the south to setup a blocking position, all in 12 turns.

I will have to try this scenario again, it feels so different than most PG scenarios and a nice change of pace as well as fun to play.