Author |
thomaso827
|
Method |
Solo |
Victor |
United States |
Play Date |
2014-08-01 |
Language |
English |
Scenario |
MARI004
|
Getting to love these night battles. Range matters little when they have to be adjacent to shoot, until the illumination starts popping anyway. The maps sort of beg for the Japanese tanks to attack down the trail, but with a title like Tanks on the Right, I decided to split them and send the full platoon up the right and the reduced platoon along the trail. My Marines were set up in a line, dug in, 3 hexes south of the junction of the boards, and since I set them up before thinking about how the Japanese might enter, I thought that the trail made good sense for the Japanese attacker and put a 37mm with it's disconnected tow jeep just forward of the line of dug in infantry, with the M-3/75 just behind and left of him, so the middle was solid and prepared. I kept the second jeep and 37mm guns limbered and back of the line on the east-west road ready to move to any breakthrough. Mortars were set up in the jungle near the beach where they could fire when called but stay well out of the fire. Japanese infantry started on line with and between the tanks, with the Major and Colonel just behind and in position to move 3 hexes of troops as groups. Japanese plans lasted pretty well until contact, but with the US getting initiative every turn, illumination was delivered as soon as the enemies made contact, and it was like fighting in daylight pretty much the rest of the game. Turn 3 saw the Japanese tank move into assault the Marine's right-most dug in force of 2 rifle platoons and a good quality LT. The Marines searched the foxholes during that initial assault for their bazooka rounds without success, but then the Japanese armor seemed to be oblivious to their being there (the rolls were as bad for the Japanese tanks as it was for the Marines looking for their AT weapons). Immediately in the US turn, the Marines found their AT rounds, and rolled Unit Eliminated. Not just a step loss but the whole platoon. The Japanese armor in the center faired no better as it was eliminated by the M-3/75 in one shot. The game moved from defending against armor to a brawl as Japanese assaulted Marines across the length of the line. US artillery managed to slow down the stacks of Japanese that were approaching the forward 37mm guns just long enough for the guns to get limbered and get the heck out of dodge. The Marines generally had a column better than the Japanese could manage at every point along the line because of their better firepower, so the Japanese started losing steps while the Marines started slowly losing morale. After several turns of assaults in the middle, the colonels on both sides were demoralized but were in hexes with good officers and highly motivated troops who continued to stand. Finally, losses became too much to bear for the Japanese force, and demoralized reduced platoons were in retreat in ones and twos all along the line. Both sides managed to rally here and there, but the Marines simply kept the upper hand, with units on the Marine left leaving their positions to join in the brawl and start rolling up the Japanese right flank. Nearing the time limit of 12 turns, with 30 steps of Japanese lost (including double for the tanks) and only 3 Marine steps lost, and with not a single Japanese unit having penetrated the line, it was time to end the suffering and call the game. A very good scenario, and one I think I took a bit more time in setting up than usual, a setup I would probably keep for face to face play, where often I learn the hard way that my initial setup wouldn't work. Great game.
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