[PatG]

Game 3
1931 China
Meeting Engagement
36 turns

Japan vs AI Chinese Nationalists

Japanese Forces:

I decided to simply reconstitute my forces after the debacle of the previous game.

Infantry Coy

Tank platoon

All mule-born:
Weapons Platoon - Trying again with the trench guns
70mm mortar platoon - 2 tubes
70mm inf gun platoon - 2 guns
HMG section - 2 guns
AOP on horseback
4 Motorcyclists
2 ammo wagons

Support:
Trucks for all non-mule borne infantry.

Terrain:
Fairly flat overall with moderate woods. North/South creek in small valley with village at map centre. East/west road through village crossing north south road paralleling the creek. VHs - two clusters just on the Chinese side of the village, one near north map edge just to my side of map centre.

The Plan:
One and three platoons to move rapidly into the village and set up a reverse slope position in the gully. Tank platoon and two platoon to advance along North flank and take upper cluster. Support platoon to set up on high ground on the East side of the village and provide fire support over the heads of the main force. Motorcycles up the flanks to create havoc as usual.

The Attack:
Pretty much text book. With the speed of the trucks I was able to set up the village position and get decent interlocking fields of fire before the Chinese arrived. The tankers in the north, supported by truck borne gunjin moved on the northern VH cluster unopposed. The motorcycles managed to by-pass any opposition and went sniffing for the artillery's cooking fires. The FO got into a good position to observe the probable line of advance. The support platoon was slow in moving up - as expected due to their equine mounts so were a little out of position when the Chinese hit the village.

Mid-game was almost boring - The Chinese came over the ridge line smack into my waiting infantry. The FO rained HE death on their heads, the 37mm and HMGs fired into the densely pack troops and - wash - rinse - repeat. In the North, my Type 89's ran into some moderate opposition but by reverting to the infantry support role helped two platoon crush the opposition and take the northern cluster. The tanks and infantry then turned south to flank the Chinese main body. In the enemy rear, the bosozuko were back in fine form eliminating the enemy artillery. The Kami smiled on the steel samurai and they over-ran the Chinese HQ eliminating it without casualty - obviously Mao Zhe Dong was elsewhere for this battle.

The end game was predictable. With their HQ eliminated, the Chinese broke en-masse and all that was left was the mopping up. There was a very brief moment of tension when one group of militia managed to take a couple of potshots at my HQ only to be annihilated.

Next mission: China 1932