Double Deuce
Forum Conscript
SPOILER PAST THE 1ST POST!
SACRIFICIAL LAMBS (#2 in Wild Bill Wilder's SPWAW Korea Series)
NK Advance vs. US Army Delay
Chonan, South Korea
1400, July 8, 1950
Turns: 15
Scenario Size: Medium
Scenario Designer: Wild Bill Wilder
Version: SPWAW 8.3
Designer Notes: Don't expect to win this one. The UN forces, primarily American, were losing battle after battle. What you want to avoid is a defeat. If you can pull off a draw and hold the road leading out of Chonan, consider it a victory.
Your Orders: Colonel, Forward units of the NKPA 4th Division, with tank support, are headed your way in a big hurry. General Dean is demanding that the line be drawn firmly here at Chonan. He emphatically states that there is no road south for any American soldier.
I know you are low on ammo, especially for your mortars. We have no tanks to support you. You may get air support. Its going to be a race to get to Chonan before the Commies do. Give it your best. The enemy must be halted or we'll soon be swimming home!
Historical Background: Having been cruelly initiated to the harsh climate of war, the American forces that had arrived in Korea to stop the NKPA were being systematically wiped out. The first defensive lines set up south of the 38th parallel had crumbled as North Korean soldiers, led by T-34 tanks, had smashed American and South Korean positions. Those who did not turn and run sacrificed their lives in a vain effort to stem the Red tide.
General Walker, in command of the Allied forces, was desperately trying to buy time and hold the enemy in place. There seemed to be no stopping them.
The North Korean 4th and 6th Divisions contained experienced troops who had fought in China under Mao Tse Tung. On the American side was the 24th ("Indian Head") Infantry Division which had been born from the old Hawaiian Division early in 1942 and had served with distinction in New Guinea and the Philippines.
It had been posted to Japan during the post-war years and was the first major American commitment to Korea. It was this division, ill prepared and equipped that would be slammed again and again. Even though the 24th was forced to continually retreat, there were heroes, many of them during that dark period. The 34th Regiment had immediately been thrust into the line and the onrushing North Koreans had decimated two of its battalions.
Now it was the turn of the 3/34th to step into the gap. A new commander for the regiment had been chosen: Lt.Colonel Robert Martin. His presence was steadying to the GIs and gave them strength. Pulling them into a cohesive line, he stated matter of factly, "Men, as long as I am in command, this regiment will not withdraw another inch."
On July 8th the units of the 4th NKPA Division hit the lines of the 3/34th at Chonan. In the street fighting that ensued early that morning, Martin, manning an older 2.36" bazooka, stood firm beside his soldiers. He attacked a T-34 at point blank range, but the bazooka misfired. The tank's cannon did not. Martin's body was shredded and cut in two. He had been in command of the regiment for fourteen hours.
It did not take long after that for the American lines to crumble and disintegrate. More young Americans had been thrown into the meat-grinder of the first days of the war in Korea and had paid the ultimate price. The gods of war, however, were still not satiated and would call for more sacrificial lambs in the days to follow. Each battle, however, bought a few more hours, giving the United Nations a chance to maintain a toehold on the Korean peninsula.
Sources:
The Forgotten War, Blair
The Pusan Perimeter, Hoyt
Korea War Order of Battle, Rottman
The Military History of the Korean War, SLA Marshall
SACRIFICIAL LAMBS (#2 in Wild Bill Wilder's SPWAW Korea Series)
NK Advance vs. US Army Delay
Chonan, South Korea
1400, July 8, 1950
Turns: 15
Scenario Size: Medium
Scenario Designer: Wild Bill Wilder
Version: SPWAW 8.3
Designer Notes: Don't expect to win this one. The UN forces, primarily American, were losing battle after battle. What you want to avoid is a defeat. If you can pull off a draw and hold the road leading out of Chonan, consider it a victory.
Your Orders: Colonel, Forward units of the NKPA 4th Division, with tank support, are headed your way in a big hurry. General Dean is demanding that the line be drawn firmly here at Chonan. He emphatically states that there is no road south for any American soldier.
I know you are low on ammo, especially for your mortars. We have no tanks to support you. You may get air support. Its going to be a race to get to Chonan before the Commies do. Give it your best. The enemy must be halted or we'll soon be swimming home!
Historical Background: Having been cruelly initiated to the harsh climate of war, the American forces that had arrived in Korea to stop the NKPA were being systematically wiped out. The first defensive lines set up south of the 38th parallel had crumbled as North Korean soldiers, led by T-34 tanks, had smashed American and South Korean positions. Those who did not turn and run sacrificed their lives in a vain effort to stem the Red tide.
General Walker, in command of the Allied forces, was desperately trying to buy time and hold the enemy in place. There seemed to be no stopping them.
The North Korean 4th and 6th Divisions contained experienced troops who had fought in China under Mao Tse Tung. On the American side was the 24th ("Indian Head") Infantry Division which had been born from the old Hawaiian Division early in 1942 and had served with distinction in New Guinea and the Philippines.
It had been posted to Japan during the post-war years and was the first major American commitment to Korea. It was this division, ill prepared and equipped that would be slammed again and again. Even though the 24th was forced to continually retreat, there were heroes, many of them during that dark period. The 34th Regiment had immediately been thrust into the line and the onrushing North Koreans had decimated two of its battalions.
Now it was the turn of the 3/34th to step into the gap. A new commander for the regiment had been chosen: Lt.Colonel Robert Martin. His presence was steadying to the GIs and gave them strength. Pulling them into a cohesive line, he stated matter of factly, "Men, as long as I am in command, this regiment will not withdraw another inch."
On July 8th the units of the 4th NKPA Division hit the lines of the 3/34th at Chonan. In the street fighting that ensued early that morning, Martin, manning an older 2.36" bazooka, stood firm beside his soldiers. He attacked a T-34 at point blank range, but the bazooka misfired. The tank's cannon did not. Martin's body was shredded and cut in two. He had been in command of the regiment for fourteen hours.
It did not take long after that for the American lines to crumble and disintegrate. More young Americans had been thrown into the meat-grinder of the first days of the war in Korea and had paid the ultimate price. The gods of war, however, were still not satiated and would call for more sacrificial lambs in the days to follow. Each battle, however, bought a few more hours, giving the United Nations a chance to maintain a toehold on the Korean peninsula.
Sources:
The Forgotten War, Blair
The Pusan Perimeter, Hoyt
Korea War Order of Battle, Rottman
The Military History of the Korean War, SLA Marshall