FT297 Black Beach Rendezvous

Steve E7

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This scenario from the LFT - From the Cellar Pack 10. Sand and Snow is the theme of the product, featuring Blood Reef Tarawa and the frigid hills of Korea.
It is the USMC in battle.
This scenario takes place on Black Beach on Tarawa. It is November 22, and to provide background, I will include the synopsis of the scenario as provided on the LFT web page:

Major Kyle and Capt. Williams and their small command numbering less than fifty men had cut the island in half on D+1. However, with no working radio and their position too exposed to send out runners to alert Col. Shoup to their location, the force spent a harrowing night alone and isolated and awaiting a Japanese night counterattack, which fortunately never materialized. With the breaking dawn, the machine gun duels versus scattered Japanese positions, which had characterized much of the previous day’s fighting, renewed their deadly staccato. Unbeknown to Major Kyle, a relief force was preparing to get underway on Green Beach to drive from west to east along the southern shore of the atoll.

I had the Marines. The setup results in Kyle force facing IJA on each side of them. They are outnumbered and facing three guns and a pillbox. The IJA do need to setup with their SW spread out a bit, and cannot multi hex Banzai, but the Marines are in trouble from the get go. Not to fear. 11 Marine squads and 2 tanks enter to their West. I immediately set them to work. Facing a line of MMC's they could only advance 1 or 2 hexes per Mph, but with a lot of firepower, they began to erode the IJA force. My opponent had setup his pillbox at the end of the runway, with the ATG in it. A early malf of that gun, allowed me to run my two M4 Shermans down the runway in an effort to help Kyle and his men. Very helpful and risky without that malf. Down in that area where Kyle's men were hanging on, they were under a lot of pressure. Encircled, they deployed and fought for each hex of the trench line they set up in, but were driven back slowly, with very poor rout options, half of the force was gone after a few turns. But the tanks were firing on IJA stacks, and soon it was mostly hs facing them. THH ran at the tanks in turn 3, and were turned back, but soon it was just Major Kyle , a hs, two crews, and their HMG's. When the last hs finally died, it was time for Kyle and the two crews to get out of the trench line, and attempt to break out to meet the relieving Marines. One of the M4's finally succumbed to a THH, but the other drove west and parked on an IJA AA gun, silencing it. The relieving Marines inched forward a few more hexes, but it was not enough , just before they could link up , Kyle's mg nests broke to IJA fire from the east, and had no rout path. The IJA held the trenches needed for Victory anyway. So despite both sides taking heavy losses the IJA won via the complete destruction of Kyle's men.

Routing and the Sherman tanks are key to this game. Using the hard sand of the beach to move faster is also something to keep in mind.
As the USMC, be ready to take losses but keep pressing. Use your FT and DC's early. You don't have much time.
Get the tanks down by Kyle, I didn't have to face an ATG shot, but go for it, its the best use of the tanks, in my opinion.
As the IJA, get to Kyle and his men fast, and kill them for FTR.
Basic ASL advice, but very applicable to BRT where firepower takes the day.

Here is a screen shot mid game to give you an idea of the action - hope you enjoyed the AAR.

Steve Etz

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