Saipan, scenario thirty six: Shifting the Lines

An interesting scenario for both sides to figure out on how to setup, approach, attack, defend and win or lose this one. There are so many options but very little time. Both sides have Infantry units and both sides have armor, the Japanese armor is dug-in to try and off-set the U.S. Armies stronger M5 Stuart tanks. Both sides also have similar but different victory conditions.

I set up the Japanese around the main trail running east-west right or wrong, this battle would happen in the flat-lands of this hilly map terrain. The Americans trying to ram through but knocking-off Japanese casualties at the same time! The battle swings back and forth with one side getting a minor victory and then the other, then a major victory, then the other side, each time I thought one side was down, something would happen to change the direction of the battle. The Americans lose a step of M5’s, the Japanese lose a step of Type 95’s to Bazooka fire, the direct fire and assaults take some Infantry steps, the Type 97 is lost and finally the correct steps exit east side but in the very end the scenario it is a close draw!

I think I need to play this one 2 or 3 more times to figure this puzzle out.

Side note, Tinian & Saipan are 3 miles apart not 30.

This scenario has two half-step Japanese tanks dug in and immobilized as bunkers. The handful of Japanese infantry (half of them reduced to start) and an HMG have to cover the width of board 83, while US Army comes in from the east side of the board. The trail to the south of the hill masses is the best route for the US M-5s but the infantry can come along just about anywhere, so the Japanese decided to cover the eastern slopes of the western hill, sitting in jungle so the US troops have to expose themselves to find them. The Japanese guns on the tanks are not very effective, and both were knocked out by turn 5, one getting killed by AT fire from the M-5, the other getting nailed with snake-eyes in assault. The Marines win by keeping casualties low while eliminating at least 1 tank and 5 steps of the Japanese, so the Army major and a rather poor LT lead a force of 2 full and 1 reduced platoons of INF off the west end of the board along the trail followed by the M-5 to get the exit victory. They had already eliminated all but 1 step necessary for a major US win, so the remaining 3 leaders, 3 INF, 1 ENG and 2 HMGs fired, called arty and finally assaulted, getting the last step on the final turn and avoiding all but 1 step of US losses. Great little game, lots of replay possibilities as there are so many ways to defend and attack on this board.