Korean War: Counter-Attack, scenario #57: Delaying Action

This scenario has always interested me. It is small and only 15 turns with an interest situation and mix of unit types and armor. Besides I wanted to push some Patton tanks around the maps for the first time in the Panzer Grenadier gaming system.

The NKPA are retreating across the front but have some die-hard units delaying the American, UNC and ROK forces and the NKPA 105th Armored Division and 849the Independent Anti-Tank Regiment are buying time for other units to escape and aren’t about to let the American 5th Regimental Combat Team and 6th Medium Tank Battalion to push any further north without a fight.

The North Korean setup first with the majority in a line across the middle of the map, using the town hexes as cover or digging in around other terrain features but able to support each other across the whole map but also setting up minefield counters to funnel the American into the line of sight and deadly crossfire. I didn’t look at the minefield counters, as I didn’t want to know the values, to kind of surprise myself and play honestly. The Americans come on the south end of the map and do have airpower for five turns only but no artillery support. I sent the American M46 and M26 tanks forward first and use a small hill to try and get around the NKPA minefields blocking both the road and the many open path north. The M39 carrying one ENG unit pulled up to the first minefield to try and clear it. One jeep unit carrying and I&R unit and leader tried to flank on the far left edge of the map but had to wait, as there was a half-step of NKPA T334/85s blocking. As the first M26 crested in view of the in range, of both dug-in and town embedded NKPA T34/85s tanks, they blasted the M26 Pershing tank unit reducing it to one demoralized step. The American tried to use their airpower over the next five turns to reduce the North Korean units and open a path but only one strike had any results and it was against a SMG unit that was closing with the American ENG unit which had just cleared a dummy NKPA minefield. It was a B-29 by the way and reduced the SMG unit by a step as well as demoralized it, as who won’t be demoralized by that kind of fire-power.

Time was starting to get short and the American pressed their attack with the M46 Patton tanks but the North Koreans made good use of their cross-fire bonuses by firing their 45mm AT Guns first and then the T34/85s tanks and the American ended up losing two steps of M46 tanks in trade for three steps of T34/85s. However the American also lost a loaded jeep of I&R infantry that didn’t follow the other group off the north end of the map, one M39 unit, besides the two M26 steps and two M46 steps. A total of two I&R steps, two M46 steps, one leader and one jeep exited the north edge of the maps. The Americans only achieved two out of their four victory conditions and need to achieve three or more, thus the North Korean won this scenario and delayed the Americans enough to allow their comrades from other unit for escape.

The Americans never finished off all the NKPA armor or AT-Guns and supporting units, so tactically this was a good win for the North Koreans. Dug-in T34/85s are no joke as I found out, so the American M26s & M46s have a good test in this scenario and throughout Counter-Attack if not respecting the enemy armor. I really enjoyed this scenario and think it will be a good one to try a lot of other times in different approaches and setups, a real puzzle to try and solve. I believe it to have a high replay value and it was just cool.