Defense of Kokoda Kokoda Campaign #3 |
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(Defender) Australia | vs | Japan (Attacker) |
Formations Involved | ||
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Australia | 39th "Hawthorn-Kew" Infantry Battalion | |
Australia | Papuan Infantry Battalion | |
Japan | 144th Infantry Regiment | |
Japan | 15th Independent Engineer Regiment |
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Overall Rating, 11 votes |
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3
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Scenario Rank: 778 of 940 |
Parent Game | Kokoda Campaign |
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Historicity | Historical |
Date | 1942-07-29 |
Start Time | 02:30 |
Turn Count | 8 |
Visibility | Night |
Counters | 24 |
Net Morale | 2 |
Net Initiative | 1 |
Maps | 1: 35 |
Layout Dimensions | 43 x 28 cm 17 x 11 in |
Play Bounty | 135 |
AAR Bounty | 165 |
Total Plays | 10 |
Total AARs | 2 |
Battle Types |
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Airfield Control |
Urban Assault |
Conditions |
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Off-board Artillery |
Terrain Mods |
Scenario Requirements & Playability | |
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Kokoda Campaign | Base Game |
Introduction |
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Following the sharp engagement at Oivi, the Yokoyama Advance Force took several days to build up supplies and gather forces for the assault on Kokoda. Lt. Col. Owen continued to desperately request airlift for additional elements of his battalion. Early on the morning of 28 July an additional platoon of D company was loaded into planes and circled over the strip at Kokoda, but the American flight crews refused to land as they believed the Japanese were too close for safety. It would be up to B Company and a few detachments to hold Kokoda against a vastly superior Japanese force. Finally early in the morning of 29 July the Japanese launched one of their famous night attacks. |
Conclusion |
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Lt. Col. Owen deployed his forces about the village of Kokoda using the slope up to the plateau to further strengthen his position. The Japanese brought the Australians under mortar fire as darkness fell, but waited until 2:30 AM before launching troops toward the Australian positions. Once again the Australians lost their commander early in the battle as Lt. Col. Owen fell with a mortal head wound during the initial charge of the Japanese forces. The Australians held firm for about an hour before breaking under the pressure of the more numerous Japanese and retreating back up the track toward Deniki. |
Still looking for the right strategy |
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A small Australian force - 5 platoons - has a choice of 4 ways to earn victory points. The Australians earn victory points by eliminating Japanese steps, holding village hexes, holding an airfield, or exiting the board. The Japanese forces, reinforced since the previous scenario, have the same objectives, except for exiting the board. For the Japanese side, given the short scenario length of 7 turns, a direct charge at the closest Australian forces in the village seems the only option. Opportunity fire from the defenders costs Japan a step and demoralizes the rest of the stack, but those are the last significant losses the Japanese will suffer. The Australians slowly lose steps to assaults and free shot exits. The last two turns see the Japanese reach the airfield, and the Australian survivors start to exit. Major Japanese victory by 19 to 4. Lessons learned? The Japanese player might have tried to detach one or two platoons to block the Australian escape route, but it would be difficult to improve on the assaults. For Australia, a smaller force in the village might have delayed the Japanese as much as the larger force did, and a stronger airfield garrison might have held on. Or the Australians might have forgone opportunity fire and headed straight for the exits. Multiple objectives and the short time frame make this an interesting scenario to play, despite the imbalance in forces . |
0 Comments |
What a rout |
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The Australians picked their ground and dug in. It didn't help at all. The Japanese quickly overwhelmed the outnumbered defenders, who just couldn't buy a decent fire roll. The scenario went out of control for the Aussies quickly, and the Japanese nailed the door shut in round 4. It was a massacre. |
0 Comments |