In the previous game the Japanese succeeded in capturing the bridge at Chaglun. The Indian army platoon decided it was more prudent to withdraw to fight another day. While that gives them the opportunity to form a new defensive line, it comes at a cost. The Japanese are now able to bring their armour across the intact bridge.
They take up tactical positions and don't have far to travel to reach the roadblock.
The platoon's grenade discharger section set up on the opposite side of the road.
It's not a complete success, as it leaves the roadblock only partially cleared. Nonetheless, the tank can now drive across, albeit slowly.
With the roadblock breached the Japanese can now push ahead and this will surely provoke a response from the British.
They do so without suffering any shock and open fire immediately at the section on the bridge.
It's at effective range, but the Japanese will count as being in open ground.
He rallies off their shock.
I'd prefer to push ahead more aggressively, but without sufficient CoC points to hit the dirt it's not an attractive option.
They are now at close range and the fire proves deadly. Despite being tactical, three men are killed, although the section suffers no shock.
That was painful and the section won't be able to withstand too much more of that.
The Type 95 moved flat out in its last phase and I hope between that and the shock on the gun crew, it may make for a harder target.
With both sides of the road covered by the enemy, a rash move in the open could prove costly.
I'm not sure the odds are in their favour. The Indians are defending hard cover, but that is partly negated by them being green and suffering shock. In the end the first round is a draw, although the defenders suffer two killed and one point of shock, while the Japanese lose only one man and suffer two points of shock.
Having broken into the hard cover, the odds now begin to favour the Japanese for the next round.
There are no casualties on either side, but the Indians are pushed back, suffering six points of shock.
In the subsequent Japaneses phase, the Gunso rallies a point of shock and then orders the men to press ahead and pursue the withdrawing Indians.
The difficulty the section will experience as they try to make their way out of the jungle fringe is compounded by their shock. It means they need to roll a five or more on 1D6 to move into contact. I roll a four. They come close, but not close enough.
The three initial campaign scenarios are all about time - the Japanese want to push ahead as quickly as possible while the British seek to cause maximum delay. This next scenario sets up a fairly similar situation. The survivors of the Indian platoon are pursued by the survivors of the initial Japanese platoon. They are trying to make a rapid breakthrough to reach the Jitra defensive line before the British are fully prepared to meet them.
With speed the key, the Japanese will forgo the option to spend a campaign turn carrying out reconnaissance and will attack up the length of the table.
Once again, the focus is a bridge on the trunk road. The terrain on either side consists of flooded paddy fields and secondary jungle, giving the Japanese few options other than to make a headlong assault up the road. The goal for the Indian platoon is to impose delay and inflict casualties, while avoiding a rout. If they have to withdraw, then it's critical they do so in good order to deny the Japanese the opportunity to make a driving charge on to the next table.
Both sides start with their force morale at eleven, which provides scope for an aggressive attack and a stubborn defence. We also find the monsoon rains have struck, giving the Japanese a small advantage at the start of the patrol phase. However, the terrain is such there are few suitable locations for jump-off-points.
The end of the patrol phase sees the British well placed to defend the jungle overlooking the paddy fields.
Given the situation, the plan of attack is simple. I'm considering a rush down the road with a couple of light tanks to seize the British line of communication marker. It comes as little surprise to see that Dave has factored this possibility into his own plans. A roadblock is placed on the bridge after the patrol phase.
I have a fairly clear idea of the sorts of supports the Japanese will need. The appearance of a roadblock was not unexpected. I had already considered taking an engineer demolition team to clear away any obstacles.
Two Type 95 Ha Go will attempt the breakthrough. However, the British are very likely to have a 2 pounder anti-tank gun. In which case, the tanks' survival is likely to depend more on how swiftly they can move across the table than the thickness of their armour. One way of increasing their chances is to call on a Zero Attack, in the hope the gun fails to deploy, or is at least delayed.
The final support choice is a Ruse, although I don't have a specific one in mind at this stage. As always, I won't know what the British have as support until it appears. With that we are ready to start.
The Japanese have the opening phase and I waste no time deploying the engineers close to the bridge.
The first Ha Go also makes an appearance.
A rifle section deploys nearby and takes up tactical positions.
The gunner/commander is placed on overwatch. Until the engineers can clear the roadblock the tank won't be able to cross the bridge. Nonetheless, I want it as close as possible, ready to exploit the breach when it occurs.
To my surprise the British choose to take no action in their phase. I feared they might be tempted to drive off the engineers.
The next Japanese command roll includes two sixes and a double phase. This is a great opportunity to push the engineers forward and try to clear the roadblock. Regrettably, they don't share my sense of urgency and move a meagre 2”.
The Ha Go on the other hand moves flat out down the road.
That brings it closer to the bridge, ready to surge forward once (if!) the engineers complete their task.
The grenade discharger section sends one of the teams across the road to improve their line of sight.
In the following Japanese phase, the grenade discharger section are then placed on overwatch.
That puts them close to the engineers and the bridge.
If the Ha Go can't make the breakthrough, then perhaps the infantry can try to exploit any opportunities.
Once again, the British decide to watch and wait. Which means in the Japanese phase the engineers are able to pick up their pace and move swiftly up to the roadblock.
The platoon's second in command, the Gunso joins the rifle section by the road.
The gunner of the Ha Go is placed on overwatch.
That puts a small Japanese assault force waiting eagerly for the engineers to complete their task.
Once again, the British elect to remain hidden in their phase, but I note with some concern that they have now accumulated five CoC points. I suspect Dave has his mind set on ending the turn at the first opportunity. It gives him the option to make an orderly withdrawal while also negating the effects of the Zero attack.
In the Japanese phase, the engineers set to work with their demolition charges.
Meanwhile, the Gunso orders the rifle section to move forward and on to the bridge.
The following British command roll doesn't produce that elusive CoC point, but it does generate a reaction to the Japanese advance. One of the Indian platoon's sections deploys successfully through the Zero attack.
They hit the dirt and find what cover they can.
There are no casualties, but each team suffers a point of shock.
The grenade discharger section are on overwatch. Only two of the teams have line of sight to the Indians and they fire off an initial round each.
The Indians suffer a single point of shock.
The opening round of fire has been fairly ineffectual and a second section attempts to deploy, but fails. However, the VCO Jemadar, the platoon commander does succeed and he rallies shock from the rifle section.
In the Japanese phase, the Gunso spends the phase inspiring the men on the bridge.
The driver of the Ha Go then drives flat out towards the bridge.
Meanwhile, the section leading the assault keep their tactical stance and move forward cautiously.
One of the grenade discharger teams continues firing, but the rounds have no effect.
In the British phase, they gain another CoC point, which gives them their first full CoC die. I've no doubt Dave will want to reserve that to end the turn when the moment is right. In the meantime, the rifle section continues engaging the advancing Japanese infantry.
A second Indian rifle section fails to deploy. A third is more successful and they take up positions on the other side of the road in the jungle fringe.
They don't arrive unscathed, suffering three points of shock from the Zero attack, which limits the volume of fire they can lay down. They too target the men on the bridge. Only one man is hit, but it's the Gocho, who is stunned, taking Japanese force morale down to ten.
More ominously, a 2 pounder AT gun deploys through the Zero Attack, although the crew do suffer shock in the process.
The gun commander rallies off some of the shock and the gun engages the Ha Go.
However, Dave rolls a double six, a critical hit giving an extra two AP dice, for a total of seven. The diminutive Ha Go has armour of only two and I don't fancy its chances. Yet, to the great relief of the crew, the shot manages only a single AP strike, inflicting a point of shock and causing engine damage. A very lucky escape.
The following Japanese command roll includes another two sixes. Perhaps this is the time for the Japanese to seize the moment and push ahead aggressively? A second rifle section deploys by the road.
At the bridge the Gunso rallies off a point of shock and I consider my options. With a double phase I could have those men move with greater urgency, however I can't ignore the fact the Indians could react fire using some of their precious CoC points. I doubt that's what Dave has in mind, but the uncertainty has me erring on the side of caution. The Gunso orders the section to continue moving tactically along the road.
The following Japanese command roll includes a second double six. It looks like the Japanese are enjoying a run of good fortune, but can I make the most of it? The commander of the Ha Go rallies off the point of shock and has the driver move the tank as far as the roadblock.
I decide to take a gamble at the bridge. The Gunso leads the section forward, heading for the Indian section to their left. I wasn't expecting them to move particularly quickly, hoping to have them precede any close combat in a future phase with a few grenades and using the crawlers ruse. However, inflamed with the spirit of Bushido, they charge straight at the jungle fringe.
That puts the Japanese in the jungle in a good position to brush aside the remainder of that section and close in on the line of communication marker. A much better outcome than I was initially expecting. The gamble may have paid off.
The second Japanese rifle section moves up to join the Ha Go on the bridge.
Meanwhile, the grenade discharger section continues targeting the Indians in the jungle fringe.
One of their rifle team is a casualty.
With the Japanese phase complete it comes as little surprise to see Dave uses the CoC die to end the turn. He then announces a withdrawal at the start of the British phase. It couldn't be more timely, as it allows an orderly withdrawal just at the point where it looked like the Japanese were going to force a rout.
We discussed whether he should have used the CoC points to react fire at the Japanese infantry assault. While not without merit, it had to be weighed up against the opportunity to end the turn and conduct an orderly withdrawal. The latter gave the longer term benefit in campaign terms and carried the least risk. The safe withdrawal was a certainty. On the other hand, the react fire had too many variables and would have expended all the carefully accumulated CoC points with no guarantee of replacement. As always, Dave has his eye on the long game, where the success of any scenario is measured against the campaign objectives.
All three of the initial scenarios are really setting up the situation before the finale that takes place in the final two to three games. Time gained or lost will determine the state of the British defences when the Japanese arrive. There they will find better trained and equipped British regulars who will be expected to make a determined stand. The Indian platoon may not have been the same calibre, nonetheless they have done what was asked of them and done it without collapsing into a rout.
The orderly withdrawal denies the Japanese the opportunity to make a driving charge and fight the next scenario in this same campaign turn. As I said earlier, timing is everything and while the British may be falling back, they are not allowing the Japanese to set the pace.
We now move on to Scenario 3: Gurkhas at Assun. Here a fresh platoon of Gurkhas will confront the same Japanese platoon as they continue to press forward relentlessly.
