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
PG-HQ Library - Panzer Grenadier Hall > Scenarios > WaMa010
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Hurling Down the Track
Waltzing Matilda #10
(Attacker) Japan vs Australia (Attacker)
Formations Involved
Australia 2nd Armoured Division
Japan 2nd "Geki" Tank Division
Display
Balance:
Overall balance chart for WaMa010
Total
Side 1 0
Draw 0
Side 2 1
Overall Rating, 1 vote
5
4
3
2
1
3
Scenario Rank: --- of 940
Parent Game Waltzing Matilda
Historicity Alt-History
Date 1942-11-01
Start Time 07:30
Turn Count 32
Visibility Day
Counters 260
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 1
Maps 6: 1, 18, 19, 2, 21, 4
Layout Dimensions 86 x 84 cm
34 x 33 in
Play Bounty 241
AAR Bounty 171
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Meeting Engagement
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Randomly-drawn Aircraft
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Afrika Korps Counters
Eastern Front Maps
Guadalcanal Counters
Road to Berlin Maps
Waltzing Matilda Base Game
Introduction

Japanese planners could not agree on the ultimate goal of an invasion of Australia. Did they want to seize port centers on the north coast, like Darwin and Townsville, to limit Australia's usefulness as a base for an Allied counteroffensive? Or were they after outright conquest of the island continent? If the latter, then the big centers of population and industry in the southeast would have to be taken and held. The Australian Citizen Military Force would have something to say in that case.
Conclusion

The Militia's initial mechanized force, 2nd Armoured Division, began as 2nd Cavalry Division, converting first to 2nd Motor Division before becoming an armored unit. Australia issued its first shipments of American-made tanks to the Australian Imperial Force's favored unit, 1st Armoured, and the Militia divisions were expected to make do with the Australian Cruiser, a local copy of the British Crusader tank (with a unique all-cast turret and upper hull). They would eventually receive their own American-made vehicles, but never took them into action.
Additional Notes

Players should make an extra copy of the Japanese pieces from Waltzing Matilda to provide all the Japanese units needed for the scenario.
Display Relevant AFV Rules
AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
  • Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
  • Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
  • Tank: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable
  • APC – Armored Personnel Carrier: These are Combat Units, but stack like Transports. They can transport personnel units or towed units. They are not counted as combat units for the +1 stacking modifier on the Direct Fire and Bombardment Tables (4.4). They may be activated by regular leaders and tank leaders (1.2, 3.34, 4.3, 5.43). They do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
  • Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.
  • Armored Transports: These are not combat units and are therefore not APC's, and they can transport all types of transportable units (5.6) so they are not Prime Movers. They suffer the same vulnerabilities in combat as open-top AFV's (7.61). All are mechanized. (SB)
Display Order of Battle
Australia Order of Battle
Army
  • Towed
Japan Order of Battle
Imperial Japanese Army
  • Motorized
Display AARs (1)
Hurling the Japanese Back
Author rerathbun
Method Solo
Victor Australia
Play Date 2013-03-25
Language English
Scenario WaMa010

This is a very large meeting engagement, with tanks on both sides. The Australians have very few tank leaders, six for 23 tanks (perhaps the scenario writer forgot that the AC1 and AC3 are tanks?), so they have to be careful with them.

The Australians used their fast, wheeled APCs to win the race to the big town on map 2. The Japanese moved up to the attack, but made a mistake in trying to stand off and wear down the defenders before assaulting. This gave the Australians the opportunity to move up their slower and more heavily armed Bren Carriers and tanks.

Once the Australian firepower arrived, the Japanese were out of options. The Australian tanks have poor guns but good armor. Some of the Japanese tanks have good guns, but none have good armor and the Australians were able to drive them back, inflicting heavy casualties.

The Australian firepower and the fact that they held the majority of the town hexes forced the Japanese into desperate assaults in the towns at poor odds.

In the end, the Australians inflicted over 100 step losses on the Japanese (tanks counted double), suffering less than half as many themselves. They controlled most of the small towns, and almost all of the large town.

Major Australian Victory

I rated this one a 3. The ending would have been a lot closer if I'd played the Japanese better. I'd like to try it again, but it's a big time commitment. If you're a fan of large combined-arms scenarios, you'll probably rate it a 4.
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