von Marwitz
Forum Guru
BFP-48 Ninth Tanks - AAR
I had played this one before a couple of years ago as the US and remembered it being a fun scenario, so I gladly played it again when proposed by one of my opponents. This time as the Japanese.
Note: The Mild Breeze must go into the opposite direction.
I conceded the outer approaches and defended in strength where in the jungle area behind the open space (32C9 to J9 area) with the objective to delay the Americans there and then to fall back with the remains towards the 'Alamo' in the Japanese rear.
Situation at the start of the game:
The first two American turns were taken up with approaches. During turn 3, theJapanese had to balance the necessity to put up some threats and resistance with the need to avoid the vicious
US firepower. Many Japanese units were striped or suffered casualties despite being rather cautious.
During US turn 4, the Americans attempted to get into the fringes of the Jungle on their left in force and assaulted the Japanese in the Jungle on the right, too. On the left, at long last my Japanese would have some effect breaking 2.5 squads and then another 2 squads by a HIP Japanese HS. Some US HS were pinned and/or CX, too.
This relieved a lot of pressure. In the jungle on the US right flank, I did not manage to break much but to pin some decisive units that would not be able to advance into non-HtH CC. As I had carefully kept a few small Japanese units concealed, advancing with the unpinned remaining US units into CC would have been very dangerous with regard to their chances of being ambushed (and subjected to HtH CC instead of non HtH CC), so that the US did not do it.
The way things lay, the US was forced to select some very inopportune rout destinations, that would place 4.5 of his squads in locations, where the Japanese could re-DM them in their upcoming turn 4 Prep Fire on the US left. On the US right, the Japanese AA Gun was ADJACENT to the previously pinned important US stack for a 24FP shot and had good odds vs. a US HS, too.
The AA gun proved its worth breaking everything ADJACENT. With altogether around 7.5 squad equivalents broken, more than half of which freshly under DM, my opponent conceded during the Japanese Turn 4 Prep Fire Phase.
Situation at US concession:
I believe he could have taken greater advantage of his tanks (that were still a pain, though). Probably in his space, I would not have surrendered yet. The Japanese, while not having lost many units to go "off the board" were heavily striped all around and their punch had been reduced. The AA Gun (crew already striped) would probably have gone down in Defensive Fire being in LOS of 3 tanks. The US 9-2 had KIA'ed one of the MMG crews leaving the valuable weapon abandoned in the jungle with no hope of retrieving it although it would have been very important to block the road for the later game. All 5 tanks were yet up and running (except for 1 malfed MA) and the 9-2 with three squads, DC+FT+MMG still unscathed. Another stack had both .50Cals and a747 poised to retaliated vs. the unit that had to re-DM the broken US squads. So Japanese assets would have been thinned out further.
On the other hand, it would have taken the US a turn to recover and to regroup and then to move through the jungle before reaching the end-game area where the Japanese had set up all fortifications and some HIP units.
Interesting and good scenario that will probably play on both players' PMCs. Currently 12 to 12 at ROAR.
von Marwitz
I had played this one before a couple of years ago as the US and remembered it being a fun scenario, so I gladly played it again when proposed by one of my opponents. This time as the Japanese.
Note: The Mild Breeze must go into the opposite direction.
I conceded the outer approaches and defended in strength where in the jungle area behind the open space (32C9 to J9 area) with the objective to delay the Americans there and then to fall back with the remains towards the 'Alamo' in the Japanese rear.
Situation at the start of the game:
The first two American turns were taken up with approaches. During turn 3, theJapanese had to balance the necessity to put up some threats and resistance with the need to avoid the vicious
US firepower. Many Japanese units were striped or suffered casualties despite being rather cautious.
During US turn 4, the Americans attempted to get into the fringes of the Jungle on their left in force and assaulted the Japanese in the Jungle on the right, too. On the left, at long last my Japanese would have some effect breaking 2.5 squads and then another 2 squads by a HIP Japanese HS. Some US HS were pinned and/or CX, too.
This relieved a lot of pressure. In the jungle on the US right flank, I did not manage to break much but to pin some decisive units that would not be able to advance into non-HtH CC. As I had carefully kept a few small Japanese units concealed, advancing with the unpinned remaining US units into CC would have been very dangerous with regard to their chances of being ambushed (and subjected to HtH CC instead of non HtH CC), so that the US did not do it.
The way things lay, the US was forced to select some very inopportune rout destinations, that would place 4.5 of his squads in locations, where the Japanese could re-DM them in their upcoming turn 4 Prep Fire on the US left. On the US right, the Japanese AA Gun was ADJACENT to the previously pinned important US stack for a 24FP shot and had good odds vs. a US HS, too.
The AA gun proved its worth breaking everything ADJACENT. With altogether around 7.5 squad equivalents broken, more than half of which freshly under DM, my opponent conceded during the Japanese Turn 4 Prep Fire Phase.
Situation at US concession:
I believe he could have taken greater advantage of his tanks (that were still a pain, though). Probably in his space, I would not have surrendered yet. The Japanese, while not having lost many units to go "off the board" were heavily striped all around and their punch had been reduced. The AA Gun (crew already striped) would probably have gone down in Defensive Fire being in LOS of 3 tanks. The US 9-2 had KIA'ed one of the MMG crews leaving the valuable weapon abandoned in the jungle with no hope of retrieving it although it would have been very important to block the road for the later game. All 5 tanks were yet up and running (except for 1 malfed MA) and the 9-2 with three squads, DC+FT+MMG still unscathed. Another stack had both .50Cals and a747 poised to retaliated vs. the unit that had to re-DM the broken US squads. So Japanese assets would have been thinned out further.
On the other hand, it would have taken the US a turn to recover and to regroup and then to move through the jungle before reaching the end-game area where the Japanese had set up all fortifications and some HIP units.
Interesting and good scenario that will probably play on both players' PMCs. Currently 12 to 12 at ROAR.
von Marwitz
. Great scenario!
