This is the one with the Japanese Sherman tank used mostly as a Japanese pillbox. Although it shows 24 turns, I wrapped it in 12, but really need to do this face-to-face to get how somebody else would set up a defense, perhaps more in depth. I set up the Japanese Sherman 4 hexes in from the edge, east of the town hex where USMC infantry would have to skirt the swamps and come around the town to avoid close range shots from it. The 45mm AT guns I put in the entrenchment on the road in the light jungle just behind the Sherman, and put all 3 mines around the northern 3 hexes, keeping with the mines having to be on or adjacent to the road. The 70mm gun I placed on the hill to the east, along with a stack of HMG and Service platoon with the Major. I placed two infantry with a good LT in the second row of light woods south of the north edge, so that USMC would have to go through the first light woods before they could fire at them. The other Japanese infantry, one more full and 2 half platoons, I placed with the Japanese Captain 2 hexes further west, giving me a chain of troops every other hex from the 70mm gun to the 45mm gun. I put the HMG in the entrenchment with the 45mm guns. USMC took it slow, since there is plenty of time. First blood was drawn when the US Sherman was able to engage and destroy the Japanese Sherman. 1 victory condition down - the Marines have to take out the tank and both guns by the end of the scenario. Second blood goes to the Japanese AT guns as they find the range and a lucky shot on the halftrack with the 75mm gun. The 0 armor and a roll of 11 made short work of it and both steps were lost in one shot. The USMC armor split up, with the M5 heading for the hill along with half of the troops, including the flamethrower element, knowing that they would likely have to assault both the forward Japanese defense as well as the gun on the hill. The USMC Sherman stayed in light woods east of the town while the troops used the town as a staging area. The USMC LTC, Captain, infantry and engineer went forward to try to get through the western minefield hex and found it a 3 level hex. The engineer negated one, and both dice rolled ended in 1s. This was not much help, as the next thing was to have the entrenched Japanese 45mm guns, the HMG and the Sergeant firing adjacent, with up 2 for that and another up 1 for the target being in a Japanese minefield. The LTC became disrupted and then demoralized over the next 2 turns while the troops and the Captain exchanged fire with the entrenchment. The USMC troops were finally all demoralized and then failed their morale, a good thing in this situation, allowing them to flee back to the town hex, where they were able to recover and allow things to develop on the eastern side of the field. Here things were going very well indeed, unless you were the M5 crews, as they were eliminated in two turns of adjacent AT fire before the foot troops could do something about that gun. The flamethrower giving the Marines first fire in assault gave a definite edge in the assaults. They took out the forward defense on turn 4, the infantry gun and troops on turn 5, and started marching west on turn 6. A single step of Sevice troops, who had fled to jungle behind the hill, had regained their composure and exchanged a few shots with the Marine LT and his troops as the Major moved west, and even managed to disrupt them for a few turns. The Major and his troops became something of a steam roller. The one stack of full Infantry platoons moved forward to assault them, but the USMC getting the first fire with 30+ factors cut them in half and demoralized them. A second assault during the Japanese turn finished them off. Now, with both the Japanese Major and Captain captured or killed in these actions, the rest of the Japanese leaders shook it off, passing their morale checks easily. The Major kept moving forward, the Sherman finally managed to do a little bit of damage to the entrenched troops and then rolled forward into the central mines on the road, getting by with no losses there but losing a step to adjacent AT fire and shaking off the morale check. The LTC and his troops moved forward to join the Sherman and, with their Engineer getting them through that mine hex unbothered, awaited their opportunity for payback to the entrenched Japanese. In turns 11 and 12, the Japanese failed to do any harm, while the HMG was cut in half and the gun destroyed, then the HMG failing a morale check and losing the second step. Japanese tank and both guns destroyed, US win. And the only Japanese survivors on the field, the single step Service unit to the east and the Japanese Sergeant to the west. Great little game. I was beginning to think that Japanese entrenchment was going to fight on, but luck suddenly changed sides and the game ended quickly. Placing the Japanese in a deeper defense or just placing their whole defensive line further south would certainly make the game last longer.

Marianas 1944, scenario #8: A Busy Day for the 4th Tank Battalion

Simple American victory objectives, destroy the Japanese heavy weapons that have been giving the Marines a headache, including one of their own disabled M4 Sherman tanks which the Japanese are using as a machine gun pillbox and a 47mm AT gun and 70mm gun units.

The American enter from the north and the Japanese setup a couple roadblock Infantry units up north as well but the majority of their units setup on the far south hill and road hexes, with their units dug-in, or entrenched with minefield surrounding them.

The first Japanese unit eliminated was the captured/disable M4 Sherman tank, after that it was slugfest and the Japanese were actually throwing some nice die-rolls for a change. Not until the last two turns were the Americans, with a last ditch organized assault, able to eliminate the last Japanese gun units. I sweated it out, as one bad die roll and the Japanese would have won this scenario. Though it was an American victory, it was a hollow one, as I never lost so many marines in this small of a scenario. I lost two steps of POI/ENG stuck trying to clear a minefield but adjacent to firing enemy units. I lost both steps of FLM/INF in an assault where the Japanese rolled a 2 on the dice. I lost both steps of M3/75s, both steps of M5s and one step of M4s as I mentions, the Japanese rolled well with their Anti-Tank Fire and the Americans had no on or off board fire support. The Marines also lost one Infantry step and two Leaders, including one to desertion. So even though they killed a lot of Japanese and won this scenario, it was one of the toughest fight for this size of a scenario. One dice roll different on the last two turns and it would have gone the other way.