I played Highway 5(A92)this weekend and thought I would try my hand at the (in)famous AAR:
The wily Jap set up his 5/8" ? counters to the rear of the village, all out of my LOS. His squads were scattered widely, but with the village as a central point. Three ? counters hide in the NE corner of board 38, evidently to take me in the flank if I try to move on the village from that direction. These, then became my initial targets.
My plan was to leave a platoon of Stuarts on the south end of the village on board 24 and sweep north on board 38 and knock out the three ? 5/8" counters. Things went smoothly and I pulled up to them on Turn 2 and started shootin.
Meanwhile, a HIP MMG crew popped up in the south part of the village and shot at a CE tank with no effect. A Type 95 pulled up to cover the road behind him, but his side was vunerable to a bold Stuart maneuver. On my next turn, two Stuarts rolled up and the first one KO'ed the Ricewagon on a 4 or less. Then, a Stuart drove into the MMG crews hex, survived Reaction Fire and killed the Jap hidey boys in CC.
To the north, a lucky shot revealed a 5/8" dummy. His flank was phoney! Two Stuarts blazed into the center of town and got in a tight spot. A 95 pecked away, and a Jap squad ran out of the building and tried to CC my overeager Stuart. Fortunately, the SSR favored me, as the MMC failed their PAATC.
Sending two more tanks to assist, the Jap squad went down by MG fire while the MA turned to pot shoot at the 95. Four Stuarts to one 95 isn't fair, but hey, it's war you know. The 95 went down and the southern Stuart platoon pushed north on the west flank to tackle skulking Ricepanzers in the NW corner of board 24.
On turn 4, his reinforcements moved in, four to each board. The Chi-Ha's came in against me on 38 and I turned to meet this threat, when, suddenly, a 95 appeared from the "phoney" flank! Tactically embarassed, I watched as fortunately, the Jap blew his big ambush against a bogged Stuart. The Stuart then sent him to meet his ancestors and got out of the bog...and then foolishly bogged again. You have to stay away from those accessible-to swamp hexes!
Now came the "Mad Minute" Five Ricepanzers (Chi-Ha's) and Two Ricewagons vs. three Stuarts caught with their knickers down! Prep Fire: Blam, blam, blam! Bye bye two Chi-Ha's and a 95! Two more Stuarts, smelling blood (including the quiet 9-1) moved to reinforce. But the Americans peaked here.
A Stuart, smug in his supremacy, crashed into the jungle behind a skulking 95, finally spotting the six Jap tanks hiding in the north part of board 24. The 95 turns around it's turret as if it's a Tiger and sends John Wayne and the boys to 'ol Ranch in the Sky. Now the Empire strikes back. A Ricepanzer KO's a Stuart and then on Prep, stuns another. The Jap 9-1 moves his DC squad to the ready. I have already flattened some huts to have clear firelanes, so he's wary. But he blows the TH-Hero creation and so the infantry do nothing.
Now it's turn 6 and I've lost two Stuarts. I am forced to be desperate. The west flank attack has become a death trap, with two Jap squads under ? looking for some easy street fighting. The same lucky 95 claims yet another Stuart with a critical hit! I decide enough's enough and pull back, but the wily Jap squads are well placed and two dice rolls later, I'm minus another Stuart. Only a turn of hideous carnage will save me now. All the Stuarts, pennants flying, race into the village and flank the remaining 95's and Chi-Ha's. But now my dice have sensed the highly improbable numbers I'm asking of them and they sullenly roll high. At point blank range, no hits, even from IF are scored and the 9-1's Stuart goes down from a Ricepanzer at PB range.
Game over. Five Stuarts are street pizza to about eight or nine Riceburners and a squad and a crew. Although I lost, I had an entire blast and I think it's a great armor chase. Now for the quibbles. We both rate it 65% favoring the Japanese, if the Jap tanks skulk behind the village on board 24 and send suicide tanks to die to keep the Stuarts from getting at them. If the Jap player plays conservative with his armor, then he'll be very hard to dig out.
If this happens, then the American player must be almost reckless with his tanks. You must drive hard, shoot well and keep clear terrain between you and the Jap squads. Try to knock out the Chi-Ha's first, they are almost on par with the Stuarts and use the 95's to rack up VC. Just remember to keep a distance from the 95's or their penetration will give them a decent chance of a kill.
One of his Chi-Ha's (the Demon Tank Crew from Hell) killed two Stuarts and shocked one that recovered. One of his Type-95's, ambushed, turned his turret and claimed a Stuart at one-hex range and then scored a critical hit on another VC-hungry Stuart on the last turn. The fifth Stuart went down from street fighting, immobilized and CC. My bog-crazy Stuart claimed a Chi-Ha and a 95. The 9-1 wet his pants.
In summary, a whale of a tank action, and in the PTO no less! But at least give the U.S. the balance. Thanks to Pete for the scenario, MMP for editing it and AH for putting it out! Sayonara!
Jeff (Blazin' Chariots) Harris