Turn numbers are approximate.
Situation: 1931, Fall Japanese assault against Nationalist Chinese in hills. Map 80 wide by 40 high. Extra turns added to compensate for infantry advance speed. Hills along the Chinese (west) map edge with smaller hill group around map centre. Fairly heavily treed. Road running east-west along the north side. Visibility 27 hexes. VHs were in 3 shotgun clusters, two north of the center line near the west edge and one a good distance away on the south side.
For core I took a company F+, stripped out the two support platoons, re-added the two MG/GL groups with pack horses and re-added the 70mm mortars as a platoon with pack horses and an ammo wagon. I then added an infantry support platoon (2x37mm IG, Rifle section, GL section) again with pack horses. I use horses to have some transport for the MG and support units so they can keep up with the leg units. Not quite Pony-Grenadiers yet
. I prefer to have the mortars in their own group so they are not always lagging behind their 0 command unit.
For support, I found I had some airstrikes so I took an observer flight and 3 attack flights. I then added two scout groups.
My plan was to advance with the whole force along the north side avoiding the obvious road. One support scout group would secure the left flank of the main body while the other did some snooping around on the south side of the map. The mortars were set up just back of the start line about board centre so they could reach anywhere on the board.
Main force was set up with two platoons up, one either side of the road and one back south of the road, Command group in the centre with the support platoons flanking the command and reserve groups.
Much to my dismay, my GL groups don't fit on their designated transport ponies (the arty GL groups I normally use are smaller), so I establish a petting zoo of surplus transport on my back edge.
Gold spots dropped on and between the VH clusters and to cover the advance route with one deep in the Chinese rear to catch any arty. I'm light on artillery myself and don't expect to encounter anything too soon so my only prep fire is a recce flight over the deep gold spot.
Turn one opens with my Aichi string bag sputtering over the Chinese rear area. Thinking it is some sort of dragon, the Chinese decline to use any AA fire. My intrepid aviators find a few dug in militia, an armoured truck and the Chinese artillery park of 76mm guns! Attempting to pre-empt Guderian-san, I open the bombardment window planning on plastering mortars and dive bombers all over the Chinese artillery. Two nasty surprises await. First, my A0 Chuso can barely count let alone do the math required to plot artillery. His delay on gold spots is 2.2 turns and 4.4 any where else on the board. The rest of my officers are no better. Second, my 70mm mortars won't reach by a considerable margin. So I plot half my dive bombers with a minimum of 3 turns delay, saddle up the mortars and send them trotting off toward the Chinese lines hoping he hasn't put any forward scouts out. Dreams of Stuka like deep strikes vanish.
Down south, my lone scout troop traipses over hill and dale looking for the bad guys.
Up north, the main body begins its slog forward. Formations are broken up a bit by terrain but I expect to regroup closer to the expected Chinese front lines. The left flank scout group scoots forward but can't get ahead of the main body.
Turns two and three are the same slow advance. I manage to get another recce flight in and uncover some more dug in infantry. The south scout group finds a lone armoured truck and is moving swiftly. The mortars are slowly moving forward but have a long way to go yet. Held up by terrain, the flank scout group still hasn't gained a lead on the main group. I need them to get up and scout so up the dangerous road they go and find - nothing at all.
Turn 4 and things get interesting. My string and canvas Eagles finally arrive. Set to enter from the bottom enemy edge, one sees nothing and aborts, one attacks supressing an enemy gun and one drops his egg right in the middle of the sand bags and takes out a gun position. Not bad but not what I had hoped for. I set another strike, with the attendant delay and wait. Still the mortars advance trying to get in range.
Since my flank scouts made it up the road unscathed, I send C platoon up as well. C's scout section trots along - not a peep. C1 follows unmolested. C2 ambles along admiring the flowers then - bang - takes defilade fire from two hidden Chinese groups. C0 decides to lead from the rear and wait for the GL group to catch up.
Turn 5-7 The flank scout group sneaks back through the woods flanking the road to pinpoint the defilade positions and look for more enemy. C platoon sorts itself out and begins to engage its attackers. The reserve platoon (E) starts moving across the road to by pass the defilading positions but becomes entangled with the support groups - bad traffic control by my part compounded by poor terrain - which is probably why they built the road in the first place. Further north, D platoon finally gets something decent to walk on, pushes out its scouts and dresses its lines. Down south, one half of the scout group is rambo-ing through the bushes when it walks right into a Chinese grenade group. Luckily, they were drinking something a little stronger than tea and only manage to wing one of the scout group. Another air strike goes in without much effect as half my planes are down to mg fire only.
Around turn 8 it gets hot again. Using supressing fire and smoke, C platoon manages to by pass the defilade group, routing a few Chinese squads in the process. But the Chinese have been busy too. Reserve platoon and the support groups are still trying to get untangled when - splat - their ration of horse meat gets tripled as Chinese arty lands in their midst. While the transport took a beating - first time I have ever seen mule "wrecks" in the game - the support troops come out relatively unscathed. Knowing the defilade has been broken I move the support survivors up the road toward the Chinese lines. The flank scouts push well up the road encountering no resistance untill it is alomost inline with the northern VH group. C platoon follows intending to pass the VH line flank then come in from the rear.
Up north, D platoon gets into a nasty punch up. Its scout group took fire form a hidden bunker right along the map edge but went to ground without casualties. The scouts got un-supressed and had a good look round but could only find the one position. The rest of D deployed to assault. as the first infantry section moved to assault from the rear, it came under fire from another concealed bunker. Fortunately the scouts smoked it out and the second section took out the first bunker. Clearance operations continued locating and destroying three interlocked bunkers. I was very lucky that the scout section had gone to ground in exactly the right place to smoke out the other bunkers.
Down south, the scout group is bouncing around trying to pick up information and stay out of trouble. A few more militia squads are picked up along with more armoured trucks. All the while the Aichi strafing was hampering the Chinese gun positions.
The Sudden Bitter End.
While D platoon was playing bunker busters, the flank scouts in the north poked around a bit near the first VH group and finding no resistance, began to pick off the hexes supported by C platoon moving up. E platoon and the remnants of the support groups thundered up the road smoking off the Chinese defilade group that was starting to regroup. In the south, one scout section fumbled and was wiped out but the remaining section was able to report armoured trucks pulling off their position and heading north after the first VHs were taken.
Thus the 37mm IGs were given road priority as my only AT assets followed by E and the rest of the support. Having no more bunkers to bust, D platoon moved back towards the road to join up with C and E. Just north of the road, D scouts ran into a Marmon Harrington light tank and sucessfully grenaded it. I sent some infantry to beat the bushes and found a whole platoon of mini-panzers tucked up against the north map edge. Attacking valiantly they ran right into my 37mm IGs who, despite having a pathetic AT round, shot them to pieces.
Getting ready to rampage south down through the enemies rear, I pushed the next button and Mr. Gates the Umpire blew his whistle ending the excercise. My machine froze hard and I had been so wrapped up in the fight I hadn't saved since the deploy phase so that campaign ended.
I am very impressed with the AI. Twice it sprung an ambush after letting some troops by pass. It's artillery was inspired - conducting a text book interdiction fire on a congested area. It's bunker placement was very good - only luck prevent a lot more carnage on my side. If it had held onto its armour a bit longer, it could have chewed up the rear of my final assault. I was a bit surprised that the AI took no shots at all at any of my air support.
The days of A0 with decent artillery skills seem to have passed making FOs much more desirable. Scouts also seem to be a better buy than in the DOS version.
I was a little disappointed that the stock GL teams in the infantry menu have reverted to direct fire only (and are too big for pack horses) but I have to admit the mortar versions gave the Japanese player a little too much artillery. The 70mm mortars were also disappointing. The never got a round off. Not the reliable 90mm I am used to.
A very enjoyable first WinSPWW2 game.
LONG - Japanese - Aborted Long Campaign
Linear Mode
