This scenario looks about as balanced as it gets at 8 infantry on each side. The US enters the board from the east edge of board 94, in column and on the road until they can spot an NKPA unit or are fired on. They are on foot, with 3 HMGs, a mortar, a .50cal jeep and a 75mm RR jeep, while the NKPA defend anywhere 8 hexes or more to the west of the east edge. This scenario has only one objective, killing more of the enemy than they kill of you. The US green troops have a slight problem with 7/6 morale to the NKPA 8/6, but I drew good leaders for the US and mostly 7s for the NKPA. The US moved west down the road for 2 turns before the NKPA opened up on them. The jeeps lead and were the first to die, but US losses after that were pretty minimal while the NKPA failed in several assaults, losing their Major and several other leaders in the process. The US gets aircraft on any 4 turns, and I tried for them from the 3rd turn, the first plane not finding the target, but the next 3 striking home. Even a B-29 strike made an appearance but the bombing pattern only caused temporary demoralization and the NKPA in the target hex were back to good order soon, the LT in the hex being in a good position to call the limited NKPA on- and off-board arty, but the 10 OBA and the 8 mortar had little effect. The game ended on the end of turn 14 with NKPA stacks pulling back from contact while the US held a solid line in the western slope of the river bed. With the NKPA setting up the ambush so far to the east, I even pulled the western board off the table since there was no need for a pursuit or an exit accross it. US won with 16 steps eliminated to only 5 for the NKPA. Great game.

Korean War: Pusan Perimeter, scenario #38: Hadong Road Junction

A fun scenario to play, the North Koreans setup pretty far back on map 94 and closer up on map 95 with two lines of defense, one on each map, this gives them time to dug-in before the Americans approach. The Americans enter the map in single file on the road or adjacent to it until they are fired on or spot the enemy.

The U.S. forces keep their Air Force forward air controller forward but as safe as possible as he is the only officer that can spot for air-support. In hindsight I shouldn’t have separated my two NKPA forces into two lines but kept them together, as the Americans make short work of the first North Korean line and with the four airstrikes, which rolled very well this time around made the difference in the outcome. The North Koreans lost 6 steps and the Americans lost only 1 steps as the Jeep.50 doesn’t count for an American Minor Victory.

The Americans decide to hold off on a general attack on the NKPA second line, as they had used up their air-support and the second force of North Koreans were dug-in on the hills, which means the American might lose their minor victory and the risk was not worth going for a major victory by the overall looks of the battlefield. It was kind of cool using a Jeep75mm but it counts if eliminated, so since it’s kind of weak in DF, I used if for fire support from a distance.

Overall the North Koreans made the mistakes and the Americans didn’t!