Here is the promised story from a remote place of the world: 6 miles from Toungoo, Burma. The Chinese are on the attack today, in a scenario where you see pitched 31 squad equivalents are pitched against 19 2nd line IJA squads and 8 crews. I was the consultant of the IJA-player, which meant he asked me what t do to do it otherwise ;-). We already played this one twice, and both time it was an easy Chinese victory, so we decided to give the IJA the balance (The Chinese has to make 70 CVP and or Exit VP).
In the southeast part of the set-up area is an airfield guarded by 2 75* INF pieces along with some infantry. The Chinese is allowed to pre-register three hexes for 70 mm HE Concentration fire, so the boys guarding the airfield will mere hang around in the open, for not to be victim of a OBA strike while in the woods/bamboo. The INF are not allowed to set-up in concealment terrain, so they are hanging around in the open. The crews are set-up in the buildings, where they have max. protection. There is a 7/8 hexes wide strip running through the playing area, where the IJA is allowed to set-up. The Chinese can set-up/come from offboard with their force. There are 26 squads, 6 HS, 4 HS on carriers, 6 T26 TU M33(r) tanks. (Tanks with long name but short life if exposed to AT fire with AF of 1 (2 on front turret). Parts of that force can be held offboard, to enter at the right time at the right place, which is a big boon to the Chinese.
Exit can achieved only via crossing the set-up stripe of the IJA and get past the airfield for units coming from the north, or along the edge of the airfield for those coming from west.
How it went:
IJA sets up a rather big trench/foxhole system on the south edge of board 36. Using the bamboo hexes X3/Y3 as a LOS shield, considerable forces are in the hexes X2 (HIP)/W2/V2/V3/U4(HIP)/T4, which includes a HIP 70* gun. T7/W2 holds MMGs, U4/R5 LMGs, U10 holds some units to cover the bottle-neck at V10.
The jungle area (light jungle is in effect) around 37 S3 holds to concealed units to be sure Chinese units coming from their northern/western set-up of board 37 will lose ? or be considerable lowered. A trench system is established around 37 Q2/O4 to cover the open ground hexes in front of them. 3 of the MTRs are placed her to welcome any units in the jungle from 37 S3 to Q4. 37M4 to K5 is also defended lightly (and gives the gun in H4 some coverage.38 P8 holds a 70*. This gun will prove to be awfully effective because it has some kind of 360 degree LOS.37 H4 holds a 37L AT Gun, a nearby lurking 347 is available to help pushing this thing if necessary. The other 37L AT Gun was set-up on 37 oK1 with the plan to unHIP it and push it into the building J8 if the Chinese does not come in with his AFVs at this area of the board at the beginning of the scenario.
The Chinese decided to set-up all his forces except the vehicles. As he told afterwards, his plan was to uncover the guns in the set-up area of the IJA, silence them, then come in with the tanks to backup the infantry.
The scenario started bloody. One of the units in the jungle at R4 received an OBA CH and bite the kunai. This spot held a foxhole to protect the unit, since once conquered, this fox will not help the Chinese, but alas, as it came it was no protection but a trap. The second hex hit by the OBA was 38 R4, step reducing two squads in the FFE. The airfield was also hit by an OBA strike, and was not on target, but went wrong in a direction to kill the leader (boxcars on MC), step reducing the squad stacked with him.
Then the assault began, the Chinese grinding forward slowly. Those trench system proved to be costly, since interlocking fire-lanes, Gun Fire, complicated LOS due to the inherent terrain status of the bamboo hexes involved made the approach very dangerous. The 70* gun had a 9-0 stacked with it, and the crew seemed to be invincible. Just the sheer amount of Chinese who were laying there like a big carpet, with broken units littered in between, proved to be to much. A dare-death squad took out one position, a micro banzai (leader + HS) retook the position. 24 FP shots were now be seen, Chinese MTR pounded the jungle/bamboo with their puny shells. CC was unexpected dangerous, the Chinese took positions killing all defenders, while being killed himself.
In the meanwhile the attack running from the northwest also gained ground slowly. The MTR barrage costed a heavy toll, the whole jungle was a smoked area with WP-spots in between. The IJA sniper insisted on firing at the squads with the MMG, even broke the same unit twice within one FPh. Then one Chinese managed to get out a smoke grenade. This did it. A dare-death charged through the smoke, silencing fire from the main defensive hex. Chinese were pouring out of the smoke, AM or running like hell. Some HS bypassed the position and started to run through positions which would be especially nasty if occupied by HIP Guns.
On the south the IJA made, (although I repeatedly told him _not_ to do so) counter attack at a moment of great disorder on the Chinese part. I tried to convince him, if he uses this break to fall back on board 38 to take position in the bamboo/Jungle hexes on the south side, I could not imagine how the Chinese would manage to exit/kill enough units enough units in an easy way. The 37l set-up on the overlay had been pushed into the building of 38J8, thus having awful good LOS, both guns of the airfield were in a super position to bag some vehicles, the gun in P7 had started to fire into the brawl going on (also a thing I would not have done at that time, but actually this ROF 1 weapon managed to fire three times in the PFPh it started to shot.
OK, the counter-attack was a disaster, it bagged some Chinese units, but, CCPh further thinned out the IJA ranks, leaving no leader at that area. Than the Chinese came in with all his vehicles from the west edge of board 38. It was awful! fire from all sides, tanks cruising around, More CC by those 447 let not even one IJA survive, they were butchered and here all momentum, advantage was thrown away. Although TH-Heroes and other CC bagged a carrier (burning) and a tank (burning). But the dam had been broken, and the Chinese was making meters in at a horrific rate.The IJA had to shift some of his forces from the north, thus leaving only token defense behind to cover the move. This also proved to be costly. As anyone of us know, once you are rolling downhill, unplanned hasted counter-measures will expose further weaknesses. The Chinese hit the IJA forces in the north very hard. The gun in 38 P8 was doing great, but fell due to the onslaught from all directions.
The Gun from 37 H4 seemed to be in a wasted spot, but never made it into a position from where it could bring fire onto the Chinese. Now came into effect, what makes this scenario so tough: Once the IJA is on the border of the airfield, there is no way to go, just sit and die. Once the open ground can be covered by the Chinese, it is impossible to cross that wide open area. If he would have retreated, he could have done a quick nice regroup and let the Chinese come over the open ground, since the Chinese lacks long range weapons, he could be on the spot - depending on how many units he lost before. The climax of humiliation took place when the Chinese captured the gun in P8, hooked it up and headed toward the exit. This made the IJA concede to save at least part of his face.
All in all an intense scenario, the balancing provision (5 points more to achieve) is not so meager as it looks, the Chinese cannot throw away too much points, and the AFVs (big VP spenders) should be watched carefully. Otherwise I am not sure if this balance is enough in the long run, since the setup restrictions for the IJA are pretty hard.
The pushing of the Gun to J8 is actually a good idea, the position was just too prone too the infantry attack from the north to be fully appreciated. Those carriers are pretty difficult to hit, and most of the tanks are in constant motion/non-stopped status. If the Japanese is not able to build up a second defensive line he is done. The set-up is very restrictive for him, and of course no one likes to give up those funky trenches/foxholes, but it is a must, and it has to be done at the right time (difficult).
He has a lot of equip, and he can harass the Chinese a lot, but at some time he just have to give ground, there are just too many of them, and defense on the southern side is much easier.
The IJA sniper was nerve-racking, he broke MMG possessors multiple times, killed the Chinese 9-1(this broke two already broken units in the same location), wounded a 8-0 who died immediately, pinned enemy units at the best time one could think of.
Hey ASL is also very interesting and enjoying, even if one is just onlooker (consultant). It is like a movie you are watching, very cool (if those playing ones try hard).
Fritz Tichy