Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 21st:
Desert Rats #16 - The Panzers Pull Back Desert Rats #19 - The Panzers Return
Desert Rats #17 - The Tomb Of Sidi Rezegh Jungle Fighting #7 - Line Of Departure
Desert Rats #18 - A Pibroch's Skirl South Africa's War #5 - Irish Eyes
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The Ballad of Francis Wai
Leyte '44 #3
(Defender) Japan vs United States (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for Leyt003
Total
Side 1 4
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 4 votes
5
4
3
2
1
3.25
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Leyte '44
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-10-20
Start Time 10:00
Turn Count 8
Visibility Day
Counters 32
Net Morale 1
Net Initiative 1
Maps 1: 80
Layout Dimensions 43 x 28 cm
17 x 11 in
Play Bounty 148
AAR Bounty 165
Total Plays 4
Total AARs 2
Battle Types
Exit the Battle Area
Rural Assault
Conditions
Anti-infantry Wire
Entrenchments
Minefields
Off-board Artillery
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Leyte '44 Base Game
Saipan 1944 Maps + Counters
Introduction

Capt. Francis Wai, the 34th Infantry Regiment’s popular intelligence officer, came ashore with the fifth wave. He found the first four waves still pinned to the beach, with at least one company commander already dead and the men frozen and unwilling to move. The former UCLA quarterback picked up a Browning Automatic Rifle and proceeded to show the way forward.

Conclusion

Having received word that his wife had just delivered a baby, 12 months after he had last seen her, Francis Wai landed on Leyte determined to die - but not without taking as many Japanese with him as he could. He personally knocked out four Japanese pillboxes before a burst of machine-gun fire cut him down. Racist military policies kept him from being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; that wrong was righted more than fifty years later and he remains the only Chinese-American ever awarded his nation’s highest decoration for battlefield valor.


Display Order of Battle

Japan Order of Battle
Imperial Japanese Army
  • Misc
  • Towed
United States Order of Battle
Army
Marine Corps
  • Leader

Display AARs (2)

Leyte 1944, Scenario Three: The Ballad of Francis Wai
Author JayTownsend
Method Solo
Victor Japan
Play Date 2020-12-10
Language English
Scenario Leyt003

Leyte 1944, Scenario Three: The Ballad of Francis Wai

This is one of the two or three scenarios Mike added into the mix. The Americans start already surrounded on the beach by Japanese forces the scenario starts right in the thick of action. The special rules for this scenario, rule #3 encourages you to kill off the American leader counter representing Captain Francis Wai who was committed to die in combat after finding out about his cheating wife.

In 8 turns the American have to do a lot: exit 10 steps off the west edge of the map, eliminate both casemates and four other Japanese steps and get Captain Wai killed off. It was a heated fast battle. The Americans were able to exit 10 steps off the western edge of the map but only knocked out one casemate and 5 other Japanese steps and two leaders but missed out on the second casemate and that objective. I tried to get Captain Wai but to no avail, so on the last turns he went through a minefield and survived, then into an assault by himself on the last turn and survived again. I think I could have used some of those Americans steps that exited off the west edge of the map but then they might have missed out on this victory objective. The American lost three steps of units and two leaders but not the right leader!

So the Americans only achieved one of the three victory objectives and the Japanese get a minor victory. Interesting, Leyte is a bit harder on the scenarios for the Americans but fun to play, either way. Of course the American Marines have better fire power then the American Army Infantry units.

0 Comments
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Slug your way through.
Author Grognard Gunny
Method Solo
Victor Japan
Play Date 2023-12-12
Language English
Scenario Leyt003

Not much to this one. Trying to get through the terrain AND knock out the Japanese pill boxes and troops at the same time proved to be a little too much to do in eight turns. (Maybe ten...) ...and I really TRIED to get that Captain killed off....

1 Comment
2023-12-12 23:00

Mike from AP added this scenario into the mix for some reason.

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