Korean War: Counter-Attack, scenario #33: Breakout Along the Naktong

What is not to like about this scenario, North Koreans attacking in great numbers, including tanks, a captured 75RR gun unit, underwater bridges against dug-in American and ROK units at night with on-board artillery, some tanks also but low morale and some minefields and barbwire counters as well. Two stretched out maps and 28 turns, with some interesting victory conditions, this is going to be pure chaos!

The Americans and South Koreans setup mostly on map 110, as there are more NKPA victory objective there around the town and road hexes but can’t entirely concede the east-west road hexes on map 112 without a fight either, and it helps split the NKPA forces a bit, as not to feel the full hammer blow. There is no way to defend all the possible areas the North Koreans might setup their underwater bridges, so just trying to prevent the North Koreans from achieving their three victory condition objectives is the main U.N. strategy and setting up most of the wire and mine counters around the town hexes on map 110. The North Koreans setup their underwater bridge counters in two areas, one in the far east out of range of any American or ROK units and one kind of in the middle of the two maps to split and cut-off the smaller U.N. force to the west and the Americans will not have time to react to either bridge before the NKPA cross in numbers.

The North Koreans come on the map in two places and cut-off the U.N. forces on the western map, map 112, destroying it piecemeal and then turn their full attention to map 110, the eastern map. The Americans lose both Sherman tanks units to North Korean T34/85s and captured 75RR Guns, their on board artillery is overrun and by the end, the NKPA achieved all three of their victory conditions for a Major Victory. The Americans and South Koreans together lost more steps then I have ever lost before in a scenario for the U.N. side but the NKPA did lose some as well including one step of T34/85s but lost far less, with a 8/6 morale, compared with a the U.N. 7/5 morale.

But this was a very confused but fun scenario to play. I think I could have done better with the American/ROK side by just abandoning the 112 map and defending only the 110 map with all my American & ROK forces and maybe the NKPA would only achieve 1 or 2 objectives but still with the 7/5 morale a tough fight but worth trying again and pretty fun to try again as well.

My original historical conclusion before APs editing:

Conclusion

The North Koreans first stuck F Company on the north side of the pass, ROK troops fell back into in G Company and the North Koreans used captured 75mm recoilless rifles to knock out two American tanks, they then overran a section of 81mm mortars. The enemy came through one section of barbed wire that was supposedly covered by BAR men but they had fled. Enemy tanks fired on E Company and several men from E Company fleeing their positions ran through their own minefield and were killed. To make matter worst the 2nd Battalions command post was overran killing many men. The 159th Field Artillery was able to pull out with the assistance of tanks from the 89th Tank Battalion. The 24th Infantry performed poorly!

When the enemy broke through, the gates to Haman were open. The N.K. 6th Division poured into and through the 3 mile wide Haman gap.