[PatG]

Game 4


1932 China


Meeting Engagement

39 turns


Japan vs AI Chinese Nationalists


Japanese Forces:


I neglected to mention that before the last battle, the support platoon was changed to all 37mm Type 11 giving me 4 of the little HE chuckers in total.


Given my previous successful integration of armour and infantry I was allowed to upgrade my motorcycles to Type 91 So-Mo armoured cars. The loss of speed will be offset by greater staying power. The endless waves of Chinese triggered a request for some dedicated artillery support. HQ replied with a 75mm battery and another observer team.

Some replacement gunjin were brought in to offset my minimal casualties.


For support, I purchased a motorcycle group for fast recce and an Aichi D3 scout plane for some eyes in the sky.


Terrain:


Low partially wooded hills. Two East-West roads with a North-South cross road about map centre. Moderate hill map South of centre overlooking a clearing to the north with two VH clusters. To the West of map centre along the bottom edge, a paddy field constricts movement. To the East of map centre one row South of the north map edge is a rectangular clearing surrounded by a low hill wall containing the last set of VHs.


The Plan:


Two pairs of motorcycles will charge up the two roads until they find something interesting then report back. Mortars to set-up along forward edge of set-up line along with one ammo wagon. Lead by the tank platoon, the infantry company will advance in column on the south side of the map skirting the rice paddy and staying screened by the central hill.

Infantry guns and support platoon supporting. The company will advance past the central hill then turn north by platoons and hit the enemy rear. One FO to advance to the hill to call fire on the VH clusters there from a covered position. The armoured car platoon will take their shining steeds along the north map edge and advance past the walled field and into the enemy rear area. At the opportune time they will take the northern VH cluster.


The Attack


The attack went in pretty much as planned. The motorcycles advanced to contact and confirmed that the main enemy advance was toward the central VH cluster. The Chinese advance was monitored by the D3 until it was driven off by AAMG fire. As expected , the motorcycles were driven off by the advancing infantry but three of the four were able to rally and took up flank watch positions north of my mortar group.


The amoured cars raced along the north map edge until they found themselves deep in the enemy rear area completely screen from any Chinese forces.


One FO raced up the hill, left it's horses back of the ridge line and crept into position in a cluster of trees. Careful to ensure all safeties were on, they surveyed the mass of infantry below. Plotting boards came out, radios were warmed up and the tekkokaze began.

Meanwhile the main force trudged through the woods reaching about board centre as the FO got into place. The FO reported Chinese troops advancing on a line high up the hillside so the HMGs and Type 11s were deployed as flank security.

Unfortunately, there was a small dead space just beneath the FO position and the FO was surprised and wiped out by a Chinese grenadier group. The second FO dismounted and took up direction duties.


The armoured cars rampaged through the rear areas chewing up artillery then advanced on the northern VH cluster in the enclosed field. As the infantry moved through the bush, the tank platoon moved onto the hilltop and engaged the Chinese troops below who were already suffering under the artillery. A few sections were seen heading east toward my now very obvious mortar positions so the motorcycles were told to keep an eye out and get into mutual support positions.


Over the next few turns, a platoon of Chinese cavalry with some assorted infantry battered themselves to pieces on the MGs of the motorcycle troops. While I had moved the ammo wagon feeding the mortars to safety, the heroic efforts of the motorcycles let me bring it back into service position. Note to self: Do Not Charge Concentrated MGs with cavalry!


While the horse slaughter was underway, the HMGs and type 11s moved into over watch positions and added their fire to the tanks and artillery and the Chinese infantry caught in the cauldron began to route. Safe from close assaulters, the tank platoon swept in, tagged the VH clusters and returned to the hilltop. This drew out fresh Chinese forces from the north and pulled a few battered infantry away from the savage fire of the motorcycles. By this time, one platoon of infantry had worked its way into the bush on the Chinese edge of the central clearing while the other two platoons had set up a gauntlet of fire along the obvious Chinese retreat road. Up in the field, the So-Mo crews were having a tea break, admiring nature and picking off the odd router. They mounted up and tagged the last cluster leaving only a couple of hexes in the cauldron under Chinese control.


As the last of the Chinese troops trickled in from the north, they were split between the So-Mo group and the cauldron - despite their dedication they perished. The infantry company made short work of the routers and annihilated a few Chinese AAMG groups who dared to move up.

With nothing left of the Chinese force, I tagged the last few hexes and the game was over.


Observations


I've now completed my 4th meeting engagement and my tactics really aren't changing much: recce forces to the enemy rear, commit main body to a flank attack and let the artillery hammer on the Chinese hordes. While I'm looking forward to getting my first elites in the next game, a bit more variety would be nice. I may restart the end game until I get something other than a meeting engagement.