davegin
Senior Member
Well New Years has passed so Kevin Killeen and I are back at our weekly forays.
This Monday we chose to try the new Corregidor HASL from Bounding Fire. Be forewarned, this scenario is not for the squeamish.
The setup has the americans (14.5 squads worth) with one M4 set up on or adjacent to the third level hills and within two hexes of a jungle hex on their left flank.
The Japanese must enter two forces on the first two turns between I1 and S1 on board 2. This is a limited area which the americans can get LOS to almost every hex.
As the defender, I used all but one of the eight foxholes on the third levels but one on second which proved to be critical.
Kevin entered fairly cautiously on turn one and the American DF shots were too high to cause much damage. I think he lost a half squad total. On turn two, he made a massive two pronged banzai, one on the American left and the other through the jungle in the center. Because of the DF on these banzais, his second turn force entry was unscathed. However, both banzais failed to reach their objectives as the American fire power whittled them unmercifully. The key attack was from a HIP 6-6-7 with a demo that had a devasting result on his center assault.
The second turn group, however, was able to send a sizable force around the cliffs on the American right and apply needed pressure on the left. The center had disintegrated. Once Kevin had cleared the weaker American force on his right and had taken the two level three hills on that flank, he pressed up the hill on the American right with the larger force. This was partly due to his having been able to immobilize the M4 on the road below with a 1/2 sq. jap straggler even though I had reinforced this melee with a leader and 1/2 sq. (Well done Kevin). The americans now either in foxholes on the third levels in the center or just behind them were caught between the Jap forces on both flanks. So any broken americans were not going to be able to rout out of their holes and therefore the holes could not be reinforced.
Seeing this as problematic, I pulled two squads, a mmg, and a wounded leader from the center to try to get a 16 FP shot at his lone squad in a foxhole on the third level hill on my left. His DF saw the wounded leader die but the squad battled hardened and created a hero. Their subsequent shots in the next prep fire, thanks partly to getting two ROFs with the mmg and hero and Kevins gratiously high MCs, reduced this squad to a 1/2 squad. The only other Jap unit on the American left flank now was a 4-4-7 who was being pressed between 3 American squads and a 7+1 leader stranded on the third level.
On the American right the aforementioned critical foxhole saw a CC that killed the Jap attacker but reduced the US squad. On a subsequent Jap shot this 3-4-6 rolled an eyes on a 2MC and battled hardened and created another hero. This gave me a shot at 2FP down 1 at his stack of two leaders and 3 squads. Kevs resulting MC saw the entire stack go beserk and now facing charging the final American position and having to deal with a 36 down three and at least one more 24 down two. Meanwhile on the American left, the remaining Jap 1/2 squad on the third level also went beserk and would not have survived the ensuing 36 down three. With no other GO jap squads and the American left flank now wide open to US reoccupation at the start of turn 6, Kev threw in the towel.
Losses on both sides were crushing. The Japs were in position to have lost 2 crews and 17 out of 18 squads. While the americans would have been left with 5.5 squads out of an original 14.5. As I said, not for the squeamish.
This was a great scenario and both Kev and I can see how, even though it looks pro American at the start, the right combination of banzais will make it very balanced. A few different rolls and this could have gone a very different way. If this is any indication of the balance of the scenarios in this BFP offering, we are all in for a real treat.
One item to note is, however, you need to be careful in that the CrT HBR is PTO and makes all woods light jungle, but brush remains brush. The two level light jungle is important in this scenario. Also there is a +1 LV for the first four turns which will somewhat help the Japanese entry.
This Monday we chose to try the new Corregidor HASL from Bounding Fire. Be forewarned, this scenario is not for the squeamish.
The setup has the americans (14.5 squads worth) with one M4 set up on or adjacent to the third level hills and within two hexes of a jungle hex on their left flank.
The Japanese must enter two forces on the first two turns between I1 and S1 on board 2. This is a limited area which the americans can get LOS to almost every hex.
As the defender, I used all but one of the eight foxholes on the third levels but one on second which proved to be critical.
Kevin entered fairly cautiously on turn one and the American DF shots were too high to cause much damage. I think he lost a half squad total. On turn two, he made a massive two pronged banzai, one on the American left and the other through the jungle in the center. Because of the DF on these banzais, his second turn force entry was unscathed. However, both banzais failed to reach their objectives as the American fire power whittled them unmercifully. The key attack was from a HIP 6-6-7 with a demo that had a devasting result on his center assault.
The second turn group, however, was able to send a sizable force around the cliffs on the American right and apply needed pressure on the left. The center had disintegrated. Once Kevin had cleared the weaker American force on his right and had taken the two level three hills on that flank, he pressed up the hill on the American right with the larger force. This was partly due to his having been able to immobilize the M4 on the road below with a 1/2 sq. jap straggler even though I had reinforced this melee with a leader and 1/2 sq. (Well done Kevin). The americans now either in foxholes on the third levels in the center or just behind them were caught between the Jap forces on both flanks. So any broken americans were not going to be able to rout out of their holes and therefore the holes could not be reinforced.
Seeing this as problematic, I pulled two squads, a mmg, and a wounded leader from the center to try to get a 16 FP shot at his lone squad in a foxhole on the third level hill on my left. His DF saw the wounded leader die but the squad battled hardened and created a hero. Their subsequent shots in the next prep fire, thanks partly to getting two ROFs with the mmg and hero and Kevins gratiously high MCs, reduced this squad to a 1/2 squad. The only other Jap unit on the American left flank now was a 4-4-7 who was being pressed between 3 American squads and a 7+1 leader stranded on the third level.
On the American right the aforementioned critical foxhole saw a CC that killed the Jap attacker but reduced the US squad. On a subsequent Jap shot this 3-4-6 rolled an eyes on a 2MC and battled hardened and created another hero. This gave me a shot at 2FP down 1 at his stack of two leaders and 3 squads. Kevs resulting MC saw the entire stack go beserk and now facing charging the final American position and having to deal with a 36 down three and at least one more 24 down two. Meanwhile on the American left, the remaining Jap 1/2 squad on the third level also went beserk and would not have survived the ensuing 36 down three. With no other GO jap squads and the American left flank now wide open to US reoccupation at the start of turn 6, Kev threw in the towel.
Losses on both sides were crushing. The Japs were in position to have lost 2 crews and 17 out of 18 squads. While the americans would have been left with 5.5 squads out of an original 14.5. As I said, not for the squeamish.
This was a great scenario and both Kev and I can see how, even though it looks pro American at the start, the right combination of banzais will make it very balanced. A few different rolls and this could have gone a very different way. If this is any indication of the balance of the scenarios in this BFP offering, we are all in for a real treat.
One item to note is, however, you need to be careful in that the CrT HBR is PTO and makes all woods light jungle, but brush remains brush. The two level light jungle is important in this scenario. Also there is a +1 LV for the first four turns which will somewhat help the Japanese entry.
