This one gives the NKPA an objective of getting 40 steps off the south edge of the board. The US Army has to trade casualties and space to try to stop and tie down as many steps as possible, and have no requirement to keep casualties low. I set up the US in a rough line covering the northern sides of both east and west central hills as they had to set up at least 5 hexes from the north edge, which kept them off the northernmost hills. The US COL and LTC each took half of the troops and leaders and set up to either side of the north-south road using the wooded hills for their defensive line, with the US Major, an INF and an HMG on outpost duty in the village, where I hoped he could exchange fire at an advantage as the NKPA came to the southern edges of the northern hills, and also call fire as much as possible before making a withdrawal to the main line of resistance. The NKPA came in with tanks on the road, SMG troops riding with an LT and remaining SMG troops with a Captain not far behind, with the NKPA LTC and MAJ each taking half of the rest of the troops in line east and west of the road, giving them 3 command groups at least until maneuver seperated them. The tanks cleared the first bend in the road just coming out of the woods when they were hit by extremely accurate off board arty - roll of 2 taking 2 steps of the SMG troops and the LT, leaving the other 2 steps demoralized and affecting the 2 tank units they were stacked with, leaving one disrupted and the other demoralized. The NKPA force to the west pushed the US force out of the village, and for a few turns, outside of the initial results on the tanks and SMG troops, it looked like the NKPA were the army that just would not break, beating morale check after morale check. The US forces fell back trading single hexes in stead of accepting assaults until they had either woods or high ground advantage, which spomewhat turned the tables, bogging down the NKPA about mid board. At this point, the US had taken no casualties outside of some morale check failures fleeing into woods to the rear, but a friendly fire hit changed that, with aother roll of 2 for a 2X. The leader survivied to help regroup but the stack became the obvious focal point for an attempted breakthrough, which became another point of stagnation. The NKPA armor, having rallied, made a dash down the road and past the defenders and were the first 6 steps off the board. 2 other stacks of an INF and HMG lead by an LT and the other 2 INF also lead by an LT made it off the board to the extreme east and west edges as other NKPA troops pinned the flanking defenders, but that was the last troops the NKPA were able to exit. At the end of 10 turns, a body count discovered that, if every NKPA unit still on the board managed to break free and head south, they would still be one step short of their goal. 14 steps succeeded in exiting, leaving 26 to go, but there were only 25 steps having survived to that point, and with still only 2 steps lost to the US, it was an obvious US victory. Great game.

Korean War: Pusan Perimeter, scenario #34: Join the Cavalry

In July 1950 the North Koreans still had a high morale and were on the attack mode. This scenario is all about exiting 30 or more steps off the south edge of the map in 18 turns and elements of the 1st Cavalry Division were trying to plugs the holes.

The Americans setup in what looks like a good defensive line and the North Koreans enter the map on a broad front with their 15 T34/85s leading up the middle. The North Koreans decide on an exit strategy avoiding combat whenever possible as victory for them is cutting off the enemy from the rear and causing chaos.

It was a very tense and interesting battle and with each stage I wasn’t sure who was going to win. The NKPA rushed 12 points of armor off the hole in the middle of the line, then another 4 points of Infantry, followed by 6 more points, than another 6 points, giving them 28 points. The last stage was exiting 2 more points and the Americans desperately tried to cut-off those winning points but to no avail, the North Koreans win by getting those 30 points.

It was a touch and go scenario right to the end. The North Korean may have gotten their 30 steps off the south edge of the map plus 4 leaders but they lost 10 steps eliminated and still had 23 steps stuck on the map with little hope of exiting, while the Americans only lost 1 step of a Bazooka Team and a Lieutenant that tried to stop a column of North Korean armor. So it was hollow NKPA victory but still enough units are now hitting the rear of the American lines that they will have to fall back once again as the North Koreans tactics continued to work at this stage of the war.

A fun scenario that could go either way and should have some good replay value.