J9 – A STIFF FIGHT
Legion defending as the Ghurkhas
JP attacking as the Japanese
ROAR (J:G – 73:63) – 8th July, 2007
Played with 2 Live VASL sessions (5 hours)
JP and I enjoyed playing the ‘theatre based’ battles of the Norwegian Scenarios from Journal 3. We decided to continue this style by playing another set from a Journal. This time we chose the Malaysian Scenarios from Journal 3. ROAR puts all of them (except this one) as being pro-Japanese, though I have chosen to play the Commonwealth forces despite that. I have chosen sides this way mostly to allow JP to play the IJA; something he has only done once before. This also gives me a chance to play against them.
Initial Thoughts
This scenario certainly looks short, sharp and possibly sweet. It is set on a less than full sized map, with only 6.5 Game Turns and a very small force size. The idea is that a road-block of Wire has been setup by a Ghurkha force to attempt to hold back the rampaging Imperial Japanese Army.
The Weather is Wet and Overcast, thus there is going to be the chance of Rain (E3.51), not that this will make much difference to us in the Dense Jungle unless the Rain becomes Heavy. The terrain itself is a horrid mess of Dense Jungle, Palm Trees, Kunai and Bamboo and there are parts of each of these terrain features on/adjacent to the central Road. This looks like it is going to be a messy fight if you consider just the weather and the terrain difficulties.
What makes it really tough for the Ghurkhas is the presence of 3x Chi Ha AFVs, to counter them all I have is a pair of ATR! Hardly a very cheery thought. With only 10 road hexes to cover JP can afford to place one of these every 3 hexes to cover most of the road itself. Crashing into the Jungle might not be a very positive move for him, the Wet EC and the Jungle itself gives a fair chance of Bog, but with AFV to burn, why not give it a bash?
Man-for-man-wise we are about equal. I have 7 MMC and 2 leaders, he has 8 MMC with 2x MMG crews and also 2x leaders. I am well stocked with SW, my men almost have a SW each. We are also equal in our H-to-H ability with the Ghurkhas able to benefit from A25.43
Ghurkha Setup
I have gone for a big upfront defence. I have some great bonuses that will help me if he attempts to push right up against me and I want to maximise my chances by doing a lot of damage early. If I can take out a lot of his initial forces then I stand a much better chance of winning as I skulk away.
T8 LMG 648
T9 458
These 2 are mutually supporting to stop him trying to flank me using the T9 path
U2 LMG 458 – More flank protection thanks to the Swamp, Water and Bamboo
U4 458
U5 WIRE LMG 648, ATR 248
U6 WIRE ATR 248
U7 WIRE LMG 648
V4 7-0
V6 8-0
W5 WIRE
My defence here is based around the Wire. Wire can Bog and it can give me a big bonus to Infantry CC – which is going to be useful in H-to-H Combat. I hope to be able to use my massed FP to cut apart his attacking units as they approach, then hang them up on the Wire so I can finish them off. If he charges in with his AFVs then the close range will give me a +2 TK bonus with the LMGs or the ATR due to Case D on the C7.31 TK table. I am worried that he might try to out-flank me, so I have placed a not-too insignificant force on the flanks to deal with this possibility.
The Game
TURN 1 – 3
The Japanese commander has split his force somewhat, with about 40% of it (including all 3 AFV) heading towards the T9 path. Another 40% is going towards the central road while the final 20% is heading up near the T2/U2 lake. I am willing to take only a single shot against his bold moves (being well-aware of my good chances in CC) but it fails. JP has already started to swarm around me and I can see that he is focussed on cutting off Rout Paths and Movement options.
The AFVs split up, one of them bravely pushes into the Path hex (T9) and manages to pass his Bog roll. The other 2 go for the central roll and blunder straight onto the Wire but don’t have enough movement left to attempt to pass the Wire. The Wire has also been hit by his Infantry which really slows him down… my men are now in a pretty-much straight line along the ‘V’ column and he is forced to take it slowly as he tries to come in close. JP pulls out his handy “search Roll’ move but it fails spectacularly as he rolls high for almost every attempt he makes this game. Still by the end of this turn he has noted the first 3 Wire positions and is right up against my men’s positions.
I start to split my forces up, deciding to send them off in vastly different directions to draw his men away from a cohesive line. Partially this was a tactical decision based on JPs unit’s disposition. Part of this was also a bit of nervousness about the amount of FP that the Japanese were starting to put right next to me… losing a Concealment counter could have had dire consequences. My men have pulled back in the East and along the Road, but in the West they are holding their line in the U10 Jungle area. In the one area where I did push forward I note that JP immediately Voluntarily Routed rather than face me in CC… I thought he would have considered that the possible consequences of CC greatly out-numbered the possible problems!
Rain Starts. I am completely surprised when JP sends an AFV past my Western positions and heads for the rear of the Jungle Patch, he is trying to have an AFV circle behind the action. The rest of his moves are very cautious, again I am surprised that he is not being more aggressive in his FP attacks. He seems quite content to move his men to slowly cordon me in and they have flanked my main force in the West. His AFVs suffer a bit of a setback when one of them manages to pass my U6 Wire, but the other is Bogged on it… The Japanese know my ATR is adjacent and they are suddenly faced with the possible loss of one AFV to ATR fire and the other to it’s Bog result.
Under the slow but constant pressure I decide to try and force the enemy to battle with me rather than just push be back and in upon myself. I am well aware that this could be a make-or-break moment in this game, but I think that the odds are on my side. Unfortunately they are not… JPs tiny ‘knee-MTR’ manages to score a CH against the first unit I move, and I roll a 6,6 to really mess myself up; the MTR finishes him off with the next shot. The ATR Hs and an LMG 648, 8-0 AM-ing next to the AFV on the U6 Wire gets unlucky when the AFV’s CMG strips concealment, but then the AFV attempts to IF the MA and it ends up Malfunctioned! The other AFV then fires the lot (including IF-ing the MA) and this time the luck goes the other way; the leader is KIA through a Fate result and the vital ATR HS is broken leaving me with just the LMG to attack the AFV’s with – the ATR HS is eliminated through Failure to Rout. At least I get a bit of luck when I chance a CC attack on the Bogged AFV and Immobilise it.
Ghurkha Losses: 248, 648, 8-0
Japanese Losses: 447 Stepped to 237
Turn 4 and the Ghurkhas are in trouble
TURN 4 – 6.5
His AFVs are unable to move this turn due to their lack of Radio. Despite my guys at the start of the forest-road being in deep trouble the rest are leading him on a merry-chase through the Jungle. With my forces split up and moving in multiple directions he is having to try to cover a lot of territory. I have attempted to use the Bamboo patch near the road (Y3) to break up any aggressive movements. Again I fire at an AFV with my LMG and again I am unlucky with the result… but that is almost the end of this plucky Ghurkha as the Japanese literally surround him, encircle him and then break him – but thanks to a single tiny hole in the forces I am able to Rout a single hex rather than be eliminated for FTR.
More movements in an attempt to keep away from his forces. My now solitary unit in the West (U1) moves adjacent to a broken unit and a Concealed one (JP Routs away again – this I cannot understand). The rest of my units (2.5 MMC in the East and 2x MMC with a 7-0 in the Southern end of the Jungle patch) are aware of the limited time left and are manoeuvring to be close enough for a single AM to put them next to the road for the final
turn.
The Japanese get their AFV moving again and a desperate charge into the Jungle pays off dividends as it stops me having any Rout options with a 648, 7-0 (CC7); I cannot believe the luck that the Japanese have had with their Bog rolls this game – thankfully his attacks are so poor that I am able to survive the turn. The rest of his moves are minor – mostly to keep Concealment, but are also designed to keep me away from the road or to surround my remnants. I will literally have to face a number of attacks before I can be close enough to the road to win.
My men close in a little more and again JP Routs rather than face CC. The only time he doesn’t (this is again with the units at the Southern end of the Road (CC6)) ends up with a successful Ghurkha Ambush and Hand-to-Hand kill!
Suddenly the Japanese go over to the attack and they send their AFV (which are essentially expendable anyway) rushing into OVR against me; this breaks (and kills through FTR) my 7-0 and leaves the 648 vulnerable to CC; he is KIA without loss to the IJA. I only have a single unit in the Southern end of the Jungle now and he will have a unit on either side of him should he try for the road.
My best chance in at the Northern end of the Jungle, here I have a number of units and the Wire stops JP from quickly reinforcing his men… I send my men in close and they all do well-enough to ensure that the pressure is on JP for the first time this game. The fire attacks from JP did break one of my 458, that is a loss I shall sorely regret, but the SAN result also killed off his 9-1 which puts us equal in this little exchange. In an attempt to gain some SMOKE to protect the HS I have in V5 I fire at the now Abandoned AFV here and fail to kill it thanks to a Dud shot!
It is the final turn and although all my men are next to the Road as per the Victory Conditions I have to survive a turn of Japanese Counter-attacks… and that will not be easy. All he has to do is engage me in Melee for my men to not be GO and thus end up failing to secure the VC.
– The 458 in the South (AA4) is eliminated – this happens through a tonne of Fire causing him to be Pinned, Ambushed and KIA in CC through Hand-to Hand combat. At least in the process of this one of JPs Chi-Ha’s was Immobilised and suffered a MA destruction through IF!
– I had a 648 eliminated at the start of the road in the North (T5); 2.5 Squads and a leader piled on top of him and despite failing to score an Ambush they managed to kill him in Hand-to hand with ease.
– This left me with just a ATR 248 (U6) standing between JP and victory. During his turn this HS had fired and caused a HOB result – that HOB resulted in an IJA HS going Berserk. I was fine with this since the Berserk guy would have a lot less chance of scoring an Ambush in CC and that is just what happened. But instead of just failing to get Ambush, it was me who Ambushed him! Now, if my unit was not on Wire I would have Withdrawn for the win, but I did not have that as an option… so I went for the CC kill! (Remember that units in Melee are not Good-Order, thus any result other than a successful CC KIA on both the HS attacking me would have meant an IJA win). With odds of 1:2 and only the -1 from the Ambush assisting me I needed a 4 or less for the win… and ‘4’ was what I rolled! Despite the tight and extremely skilful way that JP had played this game it was an Allied Victory.
Ghurkha Losses: 2x 648, 2x 458, 7-0
Japanese Losses: 2x 238, 447, 9-1 448 Stepped to 348
Ghurkha have a GO unit on/adjacent to the Road
GHURKHA VICTORY
Conclusion
Without a doubt this was an exciting finish, but despite JP’s good grace I could not help but feel he was ripped off. JP played this game beautifully and had me against the ropes for most of it. Sure, some of it was due to good/bad luck, but when isn’t there luck involved? At no time was I able to feel comfortable about my defence or take the initiative from him. This game was won by the Allies thanks to 3 successive DR/dr falling their way… a statistical long-shot that changed the fate of a game.
I will say one thing; for the Japanese there are a lot of hexes to cover. If I had not lost so many men in the terrible counter-attack in Turn 3 then it would have been a very difficult task for the Japanese indeed… stopping the Ghurkhas from getting to the road is a bit like holding sand in your hand; the tighter you squeeze the more slip through.
JP really avoided CC through most of this game, he even took the chance of Voluntarily Routing rather than risking a CC attack against me… if I knew this was going to happen then I would have been a lot less timid about avoiding CC. I think this was in fact one of the biggest mistakes I made this game.
There is little else to add. This is a great little scenario and it really has a desperate feel about it for both sides. I think the designers have done well to conjure up the atmosphere of this battle and thus have given life to the History. I really don’t see how this game can fail to come to a great and close conclusion and I recommend it without any hesitation!