This scenario was a lot of fun. To win, the US has to exit 20 steps off the south edge. The trick is that they only have 26 step-equivalents on the board, and they are going down the long way. With a narrow board, I focused the North Korean defense on the town in the center, with one stack on a hill on each flank with an squad (SMG, I think) and some ATRs. I put the 45mm AT gun on the hill in the south center to deter any Jeeps or Jeep .50s from making a break for it.

As the US, I decided to try to keep moving as much as possible, except for a small group to try to pin down guys in the town. The rest of the force would try to force the western defenses as quickly as possible, and dash off the board. I had 19 turns, so I could stay and fight a bit, however each turn of delay made the chances of losing steps higher.

As it turns out, this was a less than perfect plan. The HMGs unloaded from the Jeeps to avoid getting shot up and with one stack of infantry tried to tie up the forces in the town. The tanks and Jeep .50s along with some infantry went straight for the western stack, while the rest of the infantry tried to skirt the town to the west. The North Koreans responsed by sending the eastern stack as reinforcements, and as the fighting got heavier, started stripping the town of troops to help wall in the Americans. The Americans lost a tank step early to an assault, partially due to some overconfidence on my part, and one of the Jeep .50s fell prey to ATRs. I suddenly got a bit more cautious. The forward western defenses eventually cracked, however by that time the North Koreans had shifted enough troops from the east and the town to form a 2nd line of defense. I got some troops into an assault with the AT gun, which took it out of the fight, although I wasn't ever able to kill it! A number of troops infiltrated past the North Koreans and escaped.

Then came my big blunder. I loaded the HMGs back into the jeeps, ready to make a break through a gap in the North Korean lines. However, I forgot to leave an extra unit with them. The North Koreans won the initiative, jumped into the hex with the Jeeps and their HMG passengers, and assaulted, killing them and eliminating any chance the US could win.

This scenario was a lot of fun. Both sides have room to maneuver, the US has some tough decisions on where to go and how soon to get off the board. I can see it playing out very differently on a repeat play. It's also one I think would be very good FtF.

Korean War:Counter-Attack, scenario #27: G Company is Missing

Kind of an interesting situation where the Americans must exit passed a blocking North Korean forces which setup pretty much across the lines, centered around the town hexes and dug-in on either flank. The Americans enter from the north and led the charge with a platoon of M46 Patton tanks thinking they are invincible and plow through one wreck on the road only to find out that they are not invincible, getting hit by North Korean 45mm AT Gun fire that rolls a 12 on the dice for one steps loss. Still not learning my lesson, a few turns later I pulled adjacent to the same 45mm AT Guns in town, hoping to suppress it and their HMG staked with it. But as it would be for almost the first 8 turns, the NKPA rolled a higher Initiative roll each turn to start first. This time they roll 11 on the dice, with a 3 AT factor and a plus 1 Modifier for being adjacent. Which is 15 – 5 = 10 or another step loss. First time in a game where I had a 45mm Gun give me so many problems to a heavier tank unit. I almost reset the game but didn’t.

The American Infantry and assorted jeeps units either head through a gap in the lines or move around one of the flanks. The North Korean pull out some of the units from their lines to head off some of this movement but the Jeeps .50cal carrying one leader and the standard Jeeps carrying two HMG units and one Leader exit off the south edge of the map. This leaves just the Infantry to try and fight their way off the map. Most are trying to avoid combat and make their exit but the repositioned North Koreans and maneuver fighting causes some casualties on both sides. The Americans are only able to get 16 steps off the south edge of the map counting the Jeeps .50cal steps as the Standard Jeeps steps don’t count but the .50cal type do. The Americans lost three steps of Infantry besides their tank steps, also some were demoralized or disrupted and didn’t make it off the map in time. The North Koreans lost maybe three steps, but I didn’t keep track of them as the victory conditions are all about exiting 20 of more American steps, which didn’t happen and the North Korean win this one.

I think in a replay, it’s very doable for the Americans to win, but wasting my M46 Patton tanks, which I should have just rushed off the map to get those 4 points. Also, the NKPA were hot of the dice with Initiative rolls, always activating first. Not easy but I think if I avoid combat as much as possible I could exit the required 20 steps or maybe I should have just eliminated the NKPA units and then tried but with only 19 turns that is risky as well. It should be a good scenario to try again!

The US 21st Infantry is ordered to withdraw from Angang-ni to Kyongju. As the regiment moves out, the 2nd battalion realized that G Company was left behind. The Regimental commander orders the battalion to return, fin the company and then continue to withdraw. Thye do so and now must fight their way through North Korean roadblock.

The battalion encounters a strong NK roadblock at a village and decides to out flank it hoping to defeat a weaker line of infantry in the woods. One company is sent on the West flank to fix the NK units in the town and those on the west ridge. The NK infantry in woods put up a stiff resistance which allows the the rest of the NK force to react and establish a defense in depth. In the West, the NK infatry devastates the US company sent to fix that flank. Accurate fire demoralizes the Americans, the North Koreans counterattack and send the Americans reeling back. In the east, The Americans do push through and start to grind down the North Koreans, but the reacting NK infantry sets up in length along the ridge line forcing the Americans to face a gauntlet of fire. US casualties mount from deadly and accurate NK fires and soon the unit casualties are too high. The 2d Battalion commander orders the battalion to fall back so they can find another way out of the trap. The North Koreans win.