RPT 72 Yangtze Doodle

Mike205

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I'm a Yangtze Doodle dandy
A Yangtze Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July

I've got a Yangtze Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yangtze Doodle joy
Yangtze Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yangtze Doodle boy



I know some of you out there were thinking that. It’s ok, so was I. It’s infectious.

9969


Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can take a look at this quick playing scenario from Rally Point #8. Lately, work has been ridiculous so Doug suggested that we dip into something fast. We turned to the always reliable Sherry Enterprises catalog and discovered this interesting early war scenario that pits the IJA against some Nationalist Chinese forces. I got my ass kicked.

Actually, it was more like this:

9970


Set in October 1937, it covers the Japanese efforts to shape the operational conditions around Shanghai prior to their siege of the city. The action is detailed in Peter Harmsen’s excellent Stalingrad on the Yangtze. In my opinion there’s really no finer work out there, at least in English, on the Japanese invasion of China and the fighting for Shanghai.

9972

The scenario features a diehard unit of Chinese (4 x 4-4-7s, 1-4-9, mmg, 8-1, hexrows R-V) hunkered down in a VL farm complex desperately trying to hang on until reinforcements, deployed on the northern edge of board 66, can reach them (6x 4-4-7s, lmg, 45* mtr, 7-0, 9-1, on/north of row EE). The Chinese win if they can hold on to rows S-U and control the bridge hex in W6.

9971

The IJA start with two forces also set up, one to the south of the farm (2x 4-4-7s, 2-2-8, 50* mtr, mmg, 9-1, on/south of hexrow M), and one to the north (3x4-4-8s, lmg, 9-1(rows Y-BB)). A third force enters on the southern edge on turn 1 (4x4-4-8s, lmg, 8-0). Thus, both sides face the interesting dilemma of being surrounded and having to both defend and attack each turn.

The dice were tossed and I wound up with the Chinese, a nationality that I think I’d played once before in my ASL life and honestly, it was a tough learning curve. I’d discover that morale, even among elite troops is fragile. Once they broke it was hard for them to come back. Leadership wasn’t too awesome either but the real kicker was the ELR level, which was a 2. I had more squads than Doug’s IJA but I knew it would be tough to keep the VL or win it back. My only hope was that he would be seduced by the siren call of Banzai! and run his men into oblivion.

I set up my 4x 4-4-7s, mmg and 8-1 leader in the farm, with one squad, the gun, leader, and hero in U3. I wanted to use my other three squads to occupy the rest of the buildings and make the IJA fight for every single one so that my reinforcements arrived in time.

Speaking of, I deployed one squad in my northern force so that one HS could lug the mortar and the other could crew the lmg. I stacked the lmg, 9-1, and another squad in EE8, the mortar in EE7 with the intention of seizing a good field of fire on the CC 6 level two hill top. Two squads, including my dare death squad, stacked with the 7-0 in EE6, and the final squad was placed in EE5. I figured Doug would probably want to occupy the Y6-Z6 farm in order to slow my rescue attempt so I planned to swing the 8-1 and his forces down and around the ridge while pushing the rest of my units through the wheat fields on the ridge. I wanted to keep my dare death squad and 7-0 in reserve for my push on the VL.

Indeed, Doug set up his northern force in the Y6 complex, while his southern force deployed along the north south road. Turn 1 he advanced these guys up to the Q3-5 hedgeline, drawing insignificant fire from my guys in the farm. Stacked with his leader and CXing, his reinforcements covered a good bit of ground as they marched up the road.

My potshots at his men moving up to the hedge line generated a sniper that whacked my hero. Doug’s sniper would be on fire in the first couple of turns adding to my misery.
9973

My turn 1, I managed to Malf my mmg and the IJA boogey man in the trees CAS reduced its accompanying squad. Farther north, my men struggled to heft their mortar up to the top of the ridge while their fearless leader led his force on a flanking movement to the left. Moving too aggressively, I lost another squad to CAS reduction when the 9-1 directed his lmg to rake the front of the ridgeline. Another squad of mine was pinned down by fire from another 4-4-7 in the northern farm complex. Not good, not good at all.

Turn 2 Doug moved aggressively on the VL, pushing a 4-4-7 up to the S5 building location, reducing to a HS in the process. Meanwhile a 4-4-8 moved out of the northern farm and across the bridge towards to U5. They stripped in the face of accurate Chinese fire but like their compadres in S5, they made their way into CC where they died but took two of the garrison’s squads with them. His reinforcements had also moved into the hedge line as well, in a good position to capitalize on the carnage down on the farm. So, in less than two full turns I’d pretty much lost the VL. One squad was hanging on while my 8-1 desperately, but futilely, tried to rally the broken HS without success. In fact these guys wouldn’t come back until Turn 4. By that time it was far too late.

Chinese turn 2 I continued to trade shots with the IJA to the north without success and my mortar laid down some equally ineffective fire on Doug’s reinforcements set up to storm the VL. The only productive move I made this turn was moving my remaining 4-4-7 in the farm back to take possession of the malf’ed mmg.

I failed to repair it, my guys failed to rally and Doug’s samurai swept them off the map CCing them out of existence. The VL was his.

At this point I was freaking out.

9974


My rescue force was being held off by a 4-4-8, lmg, and 9-1 leader and had gone to ground. No way those 4-4-7s were ever going to force them out of a stone building. My 8-1 in the AA8 woods did manage to stripe their opponents but that was where my impact on Doug’s forces ended. I wound up with another broken squad trying to pressure the farm. My attack was falling apart into scattered, individual efforts. No one had rallied either. Out of desperation I managed to maneuver my dare death squad down to the Z2 woods where my survivors were trying to rally. Bottom of turn 4 they managed to come back. My men hugged each other, said goodbye, swilled some moonshine they made back at camp and then, the dare death squad leading the way, charged out to meet their fate.
9976

The Double D Boys survived a rate tear on the IJA mmg but then evaporated into red mist when Doug’s triple stack in U5 rolled original 2s. My HS and 7-0 broke and I did as well. Game over. I conceded with a full turn left to play.

I didn’t play this one well and I also feel that there’s just a wide disparity in quality between the Chinese and IJA that I wasn’t able to navigate. That, and the early IJA sniper rolls wrecked me in the first two turns. Having the mmg malf on its first shot also didn’t help. It was, overall, a craptastic game for me but well done for Doug. He was able to keep his banzai addiction in check but still played aggressively enough to set up the conditions of a successful sweep of the VL. I’d play this one again but take the balance, which changes the IJA 4-4-8s to 4-4-7s.

9975
 

Cpl Uhl

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What do you think about stacking the hero, -1 leader w the squad/mmg IOT get a nice 9-2 shot? Enough to hold off the initial IJA force a while? (barring a hot sniper...)

Question: no Smoke/WP used by the IJA? Seems key to getting into the village.

Thanks for the AAR.
 

jrv

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What do you think about stacking the hero, -1 leader w the squad/mmg IOT get a nice 9-2 shot? Enough to hold off the initial IJA force a while? (barring a hot sniper...)
The hero can only use its heroic DRM to range 4 unless it is manning the MMG. If it is manning the MMG, it would need another SMC or its heroic DRM would only cancel out the +1 for firing at full FP. If the leader helps, it can't use its leadership DRM. I don't know the situation, so I can't say if -2 DRM out to four hexes is good enough.

JR
 

Cpl Uhl

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The hero can only use its heroic DRM to range 4 unless it is manning the MMG. If it is manning the MMG, it would need another SMC or its heroic DRM would only cancel out the +1 for firing at full FP. If the leader helps, it can't use its leadership DRM. I don't know the situation, so I can't say if -2 DRM out to four hexes is good enough.

JR
But the hedges and other bldgs in the village are all within 4 hexes aren't they? That was my thought.
 

jrv

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But the hedges and other bldgs in the village are all within 4 hexes aren't they? That was my thought.
As I said, I have not looked at the situation. If shooting at a max range of 4 is reasonable, then it might be a good plan.

JR
 

Ed Donoghue

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I'm a Yangtze Doodle dandy
A Yangtze Doodle, do or die
A real live nephew of my Uncle Sam
Born on the Fourth of July

I've got a Yangtze Doodle sweetheart
She's my Yangtze Doodle joy
Yangtze Doodle came to London
Just to ride the ponies
I am the Yangtze Doodle boy




I know some of you out there were thinking that. It’s ok, so was I. It’s infectious.

View attachment 9969


Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can take a look at this quick playing scenario from Rally Point #8. Lately, work has been ridiculous so Doug suggested that we dip into something fast. We turned to the always reliable Sherry Enterprises catalog and discovered this interesting early war scenario that pits the IJA against some Nationalist Chinese forces. I got my ass kicked.

Actually, it was more like this:

View attachment 9970


Set in October 1937, it covers the Japanese efforts to shape the operational conditions around Shanghai prior to their siege of the city. The action is detailed in Peter Harmsen’s excellent Stalingrad on the Yangtze. In my opinion there’s really no finer work out there, at least in English, on the Japanese invasion of China and the fighting for Shanghai.

View attachment 9972

The scenario features a diehard unit of Chinese (4 x 4-4-7s, 1-4-9, mmg, 8-1, hexrows R-V) hunkered down in a VL farm complex desperately trying to hang on until reinforcements, deployed on the northern edge of board 66, can reach them (6x 4-4-7s, lmg, 45* mtr, 7-0, 9-1, on/north of row EE). The Chinese win if they can hold on to rows S-U and control the bridge hex in W6.

View attachment 9971

The IJA start with two forces also set up, one to the south of the farm (2x 4-4-7s, 2-2-8, 50* mtr, mmg, 9-1, on/south of hexrow M), and one to the north (3x4-4-8s, lmg, 9-1(rows Y-BB)). A third force enters on the southern edge on turn 1 (4x4-4-8s, lmg, 8-0). Thus, both sides face the interesting dilemma of being surrounded and having to both defend and attack each turn.

The dice were tossed and I wound up with the Chinese, a nationality that I think I’d played once before in my ASL life and honestly, it was a tough learning curve. I’d discover that morale, even among elite troops is fragile. Once they broke it was hard for them to come back. Leadership wasn’t too awesome either but the real kicker was the ELR level, which was a 2. I had more squads than Doug’s IJA but I knew it would be tough to keep the VL or win it back. My only hope was that he would be seduced by the siren call of Banzai! and run his men into oblivion.

I set up my 4x 4-4-7s, mmg and 8-1 leader in the farm, with one squad, the gun, leader, and hero in U3. I wanted to use my other three squads to occupy the rest of the buildings and make the IJA fight for every single one so that my reinforcements arrived in time.

Speaking of, I deployed one squad in my northern force so that one HS could lug the mortar and the other could crew the lmg. I stacked the lmg, 9-1, and another squad in EE8, the mortar in EE7 with the intention of seizing a good field of fire on the CC 6 level two hill top. Two squads, including my dare death squad, stacked with the 7-0 in EE6, and the final squad was placed in EE5. I figured Doug would probably want to occupy the Y6-Z6 farm in order to slow my rescue attempt so I planned to swing the 8-1 and his forces down and around the ridge while pushing the rest of my units through the wheat fields on the ridge. I wanted to keep my dare death squad and 7-0 in reserve for my push on the VL.

Indeed, Doug set up his northern force in the Y6 complex, while his southern force deployed along the north south road. Turn 1 he advanced these guys up to the Q3-5 hedgeline, drawing insignificant fire from my guys in the farm. Stacked with his leader and CXing, his reinforcements covered a good bit of ground as they marched up the road.

My potshots at his men moving up to the hedge line generated a sniper that whacked my hero. Doug’s sniper would be on fire in the first couple of turns adding to my misery.
View attachment 9973

My turn 1, I managed to Malf my mmg and the IJA boogey man in the trees CAS reduced its accompanying squad. Farther north, my men struggled to heft their mortar up to the top of the ridge while their fearless leader led his force on a flanking movement to the left. Moving too aggressively, I lost another squad to CAS reduction when the 9-1 directed his lmg to rake the front of the ridgeline. Another squad of mine was pinned down by fire from another 4-4-7 in the northern farm complex. Not good, not good at all.

Turn 2 Doug moved aggressively on the VL, pushing a 4-4-7 up to the S5 building location, reducing to a HS in the process. Meanwhile a 4-4-8 moved out of the northern farm and across the bridge towards to U5. They stripped in the face of accurate Chinese fire but like their compadres in S5, they made their way into CC where they died but took two of the garrison’s squads with them. His reinforcements had also moved into the hedge line as well, in a good position to capitalize on the carnage down on the farm. So, in less than two full turns I’d pretty much lost the VL. One squad was hanging on while my 8-1 desperately, but futilely, tried to rally the broken HS without success. In fact these guys wouldn’t come back until Turn 4. By that time it was far too late.

Chinese turn 2 I continued to trade shots with the IJA to the north without success and my mortar laid down some equally ineffective fire on Doug’s reinforcements set up to storm the VL. The only productive move I made this turn was moving my remaining 4-4-7 in the farm back to take possession of the malf’ed mmg.

I failed to repair it, my guys failed to rally and Doug’s samurai swept them off the map CCing them out of existence. The VL was his.

At this point I was freaking out.

View attachment 9974


My rescue force was being held off by a 4-4-8, lmg, and 9-1 leader and had gone to ground. No way those 4-4-7s were ever going to force them out of a stone building. My 8-1 in the AA8 woods did manage to stripe their opponents but that was where my impact on Doug’s forces ended. I wound up with another broken squad trying to pressure the farm. My attack was falling apart into scattered, individual efforts. No one had rallied either. Out of desperation I managed to maneuver my dare death squad down to the Z2 woods where my survivors were trying to rally. Bottom of turn 4 they managed to come back. My men hugged each other, said goodbye, swilled some moonshine they made back at camp and then, the dare death squad leading the way, charged out to meet their fate.
View attachment 9976

The Double D Boys survived a rate tear on the IJA mmg but then evaporated into red mist when Doug’s triple stack in U5 rolled original 2s. My HS and 7-0 broke and I did as well. Game over. I conceded with a full turn left to play.

I didn’t play this one well and I also feel that there’s just a wide disparity in quality between the Chinese and IJA that I wasn’t able to navigate. That, and the early IJA sniper rolls wrecked me in the first two turns. Having the mmg malf on its first shot also didn’t help. It was, overall, a craptastic game for me but well done for Doug. He was able to keep his banzai addiction in check but still played aggressively enough to set up the conditions of a successful sweep of the VL. I’d play this one again but take the balance, which changes the IJA 4-4-8s to 4-4-7s.

View attachment 9975
Nice AAR, and am very interested in Harmsen's book. I would like to buy it, but need more info. Date published would be most useful to help define where to look, though author's name might be enough. Thanks.
 

Ed Donoghue

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I found and ordered Harmsen's book in B & N. It is a relatively recent publication. Thanks for the heads up on it.
 
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