Adrian Carter
Senior Member
This game is set in Hanoi Citadel, French Indochina on 10 March 1945. The 21st Japanese Infantry Division is attacking the Brière de Isle Barracks defended by the 1er Battalion du 9er Régiment d’Infantrie Coloniale, du 1er Régiment de Tirailleurs Tonkinois supported by a Char Léger Renault FT mle 1917 (F T-17M) of the Détachement Motorisé de Hanoi on one half of board 21. The Japanese must capture 45 or more building Locations in the French setup area but not lose more than 18 CVP to the French, and have 4½ turns to do it. We chose this scenario to accustom ourselves to the Japanese without the complications of PTO terrain. Of note is that Banzai and T-H Hero Banzai were not available. It’s a small, straight city fight with Woods/Orchards designated as Palm Trees. It was a bit of challenge to convert Woods (Non-Inherent) to Orchards (Inherent). Our solution was a judicious use of draggable overlays, but we had to be aware that the VASL LOS checks didn’t work for the draggable overlays. The ROAR record showed 44 Japanese wins against 47 French wins. Johan attacked with the Japanese and I defended with the French.
Figure 1 shows the troop dispositions at the start of the game. The French used the doctrine of the Methodical Battle (Bataille Conduite) and the Supremacy of Fire Power (Le feu tue, literally Firepower Kills) for their setup. I know, it didn’t work in 1940, but maybe it would suffice in Indochina. My plan for the French was to use the weaker 437 MMCs as breakwaters to stem the tide of Japanese supported by the HMG and MMG on the first levels of 21Y4 and 21Z5, respectively. The HIP ACQ counters show the bore sighted locations. The FT-17M was set up at the back. This tank is pretty useless in ASL terms. It has only a 4FP CMG, 5 red MF and no Radio as well as pretty thin armour. The wooden building in 21AA2 is pretty important because it contains 18 building locations over 3 levels. The Japanese decided to attack mainly from the south with a small force in the west to keep the French honest. I really liked the French attack because it spotted my failure to setup any form of MG on level 1 in the 21DD7 building or 21Z8. This meant that the Japanese could run up the wall without taking any fire until they reached it. In retrospect, I think putting the tank 21FF5/6 or 21BB8 might have been a better idea.
Figure 2 shows the troop dispositions at the end of turn 2. The Japanese had made good progress on the south and eastern side of the barracks and had driven the French back. However, the Japanese forces in the west were still trying to work their way around the big building in the north. The challenge for the Japanese is their propensity to reduce rather than break, especially if there is a CVP cap for them. In contrast, the French were able to break and fall back ready to rally and fight again.
Figure 3 shows the troop dispositions at the end of Japanese turn 4 which also happened to be the end of the game. The French had destroyed 25 CVP worth of Japanese and therefore won the game. Although H-t-H combat is normally a big advantage for the Japanese, it is can be deadly for both sides. The French could afford to lose troops, the Japanese couldn’t in this scenario. By the end of the CCPh of Japanese turn 4 we had resolved 4 CCs and 1 Melee and the Japanese had hit 25 CVP (18 was their limit). Ultimately, it was a combination of French MMG fire and the H-t-H combat that finished the Japanese. And, by the way, the FT-17M really was next to useless. We both really enjoyed this scenario, although it looks tough for the Japanese if the French don’t make too many mistakes in their setup. Thumbs up!
Cheers, Adrian
- French advantages: 12 MMCs, 3 MGs, many stone buildings
French disadvantages: only 2 leaders, WW1 vintage tank - Japanese advantages: 16 MMCs, 3 leaders, 4 MGs
Japanese disadvantages: Lots of building locations to occupy, only 4½ turns
Figure 1 shows the troop dispositions at the start of the game. The French used the doctrine of the Methodical Battle (Bataille Conduite) and the Supremacy of Fire Power (Le feu tue, literally Firepower Kills) for their setup. I know, it didn’t work in 1940, but maybe it would suffice in Indochina. My plan for the French was to use the weaker 437 MMCs as breakwaters to stem the tide of Japanese supported by the HMG and MMG on the first levels of 21Y4 and 21Z5, respectively. The HIP ACQ counters show the bore sighted locations. The FT-17M was set up at the back. This tank is pretty useless in ASL terms. It has only a 4FP CMG, 5 red MF and no Radio as well as pretty thin armour. The wooden building in 21AA2 is pretty important because it contains 18 building locations over 3 levels. The Japanese decided to attack mainly from the south with a small force in the west to keep the French honest. I really liked the French attack because it spotted my failure to setup any form of MG on level 1 in the 21DD7 building or 21Z8. This meant that the Japanese could run up the wall without taking any fire until they reached it. In retrospect, I think putting the tank 21FF5/6 or 21BB8 might have been a better idea.
Figure 2 shows the troop dispositions at the end of turn 2. The Japanese had made good progress on the south and eastern side of the barracks and had driven the French back. However, the Japanese forces in the west were still trying to work their way around the big building in the north. The challenge for the Japanese is their propensity to reduce rather than break, especially if there is a CVP cap for them. In contrast, the French were able to break and fall back ready to rally and fight again.
Figure 3 shows the troop dispositions at the end of Japanese turn 4 which also happened to be the end of the game. The French had destroyed 25 CVP worth of Japanese and therefore won the game. Although H-t-H combat is normally a big advantage for the Japanese, it is can be deadly for both sides. The French could afford to lose troops, the Japanese couldn’t in this scenario. By the end of the CCPh of Japanese turn 4 we had resolved 4 CCs and 1 Melee and the Japanese had hit 25 CVP (18 was their limit). Ultimately, it was a combination of French MMG fire and the H-t-H combat that finished the Japanese. And, by the way, the FT-17M really was next to useless. We both really enjoyed this scenario, although it looks tough for the Japanese if the French don’t make too many mistakes in their setup. Thumbs up!
Cheers, Adrian
However, if I understand the setup restrictions correctly 
, I couldn't place the FT-17-M directly in hex 21W3 because the setup must be north of hexes 21W2 to 21W8 and not on. At least that was my understanding after reading the setup instructions. Now excuse me while I go and hug my FT-17M counter 
