A Driving Charge Scenario 4: Holding the line at Jitra

This is the fourth game in 'A Driving Charge' a campaign for Chain of Command set in Malaya during late 1941. I am playing the Japanese and Dave, my regular opponent, has the British. 

The three previous games saw the Japanese racing against time to push down the trunk road toward Jitra, seizing bridges as they went. On the way they confronted newly recruited units from the Indian army who were not yet fully trained. Despite that, the men from the Punjabs and Gurkhas acquitted themselves well, but were unable to hold back the Japanese tide.

Now the Japanese have broken through toward Jitra, where they can expect a much tougher reception from the men of the Leicestershire Regiment. These are well equipped British regulars who have been busy trying to prepare a solid defensive line. 

I decide to spend a campaign turn carrying out reconnaissance. That will allow my Japanese to attack across the narrow edge of the table and reduce the ground they need to cover. 

This is a fairly open table, with the most obvious covered approach through the plantation on the Japanese left. The problem is, it's so obvious the British are bound to ensure it is well covered. Regardless, the plantation remains an option I want to keep open, even if it is only for a feint. The advantage of attacking across the narrow edge of the table is it can stretch a defender. If I can threaten from a number of different points I hope to prevent the British concentrating against the main thrust. 

While the Japanese have armour available, this is not the best table. The road is channeled through flooded paddy fields and then secondary jungle. A roadblock and a well sighted 2 pounder anti-tank gun could soon put an end to any attempt to rush the tanks forward.

That said, a limited use of armour in a suppressing fire role could be useful. The HE may also come in handy dealing with the pillbox guarding the road.

The patrol phase plays out very quickly given the close proximity of the front lines. The Japanese manage to place a jump-off-point in the plantation and one close to the village hut. I think that's about the best I could have hoped for. The British are able to cover both sides of the road, but particularly the side nearest the plantation. The other flank is less well covered and it's where I think I want to make my main effort.

The British place their support fortifications. Two minefields cover the road and the area in front of the pillbox. 

Two areas of barbed wire channel any attacker into a narrow gap close to one of the jump-off-points, making the plantation a much less attractive option for the Japanese. 

The monsoon rains hold off for this game and so my first support choice is the obligatory Zero Attack.

I also select a Scout and Jitter team. With any luck the jitter team will distract the British from the real scout team, who will push up on the right flank. That's where I hope to have them act as a jump-off-point once in the jungle. 

The core platoon has suffered five permanent casualties so far in the campaign and one of the sections is severely understrength. With that in mind I will add a support section, to increase the number of full strength manoeuvre elements. While this is not ideal tank country, I will call on a Chi Ha for fire support.

Last, I will include a Ruse, which I hope can provide some options to take the enemy by surprise. Local Guides is an early war ruse that I would have liked to use. Unfortunately, the British jump-off-points are placed in such a way that there are no options for moving a Japanese jump-off-point that gives them any clear advantage.

We start the game with Japanese force morale at eleven while the British are only at eight. The Japanese have the opening phase and the understrength section deploys in the plantation and takes up tactical positions.

The first British command roll includes two 6s and a double phase. Given the potential delays created by the Zero attack, Dave wastes no time trying to deploy. He has both AA machine guns and artillery, so is well prepared to fend off any aerial attacks. That helps a section deploy successfully, but the men suffer three points of shock from the Zero as they do so. 

The corporal puts the men on overwatch, covering the wire and the plantation.

In the following phase the corporal rallies off some of the shock from the Zero attack.

The Japanese then enjoy their own bit of fortune with a double six in their command roll. This is a good opportunity to deploy units and set up the assault. The jitter party make an appearance in the plantation. 

I want Dave to think I'm contemplating focussing the assault on this flank. The advantage of the jitter party is that it could goad the British into triggering their overwatch. That would free up Japanese movement in the plantation should I decide to be more aggressive on my left.

The scout team deploy on the Japanese right near the hut. 

 

The support section deploys behind the barrier growth in front of the hut. 

From there they can cover the pillbox and the jungle fringe at the treeline.

They lay down suppressing fire (although this is somewhat pointless, given it will only last to the next phase).

The Chi Ha arrives on the road.

In the subsequent Japanese phase the scouts press forward. 

The Chi Ha manoevres around to the rear of the hut. 

The support squad continues laying down suppressing fire. 

Rather than move the jitter party forward I move them to the right, staying out of line of sight in the plantation. 

If my main focus is on the right flank I'd like to try to draw more British out on the left flank. I'm hoping the possibility this team might be a real scout team will prove enough of a threat to do that.

In the British phase, the Zero attack successfully disrupts their attempts to deploy a section into the pillbox and the adjacent jungle fringe. 

Another has more success and arrives suffering no shock. They take up position in the jungle fringe between the road and the plantation.

They have a line of sight across to the scout team. It's at effective range and they open fire. 

The scout team hit the dirt, but that's not enough to stop them suffering three points of shock.

The grenade discharger section deploys into one of the central paddy fields and targets the recently deployed British section. 

Their initial round of grenades only manages to inflict a single point of shock. 

I use a CoC point to activate the scout team using the Recce Action and rally a point of shock.

 

The three man team is very fragile. Expecting them to make it across the open ground and into the jungle may prove optimistic. 

The Gunso (inferior senior leader), the platoon's second in command, deploys at the hut.

He orders the section behind the barrier growth to maintain their suppressing fire. 

Once again, they target the area of the pillbox and jungle fringe.

The Chi Ha moves around the hut and positions itself to deliver additional fire support.

A second section then deploys behind the paddy field bund near the hut.

So far, the combination of either the Zero attack or suppressing fire has prevented British deployment on this flank. With the added firepower of the support section; grenade discharger section and Chi Ha I'm hoping to put down enough direct and suppressing fire to enable the section and scout team to assault across the open ground. 

In an ideal situation the scout team makes it into the jungle and enables one of the remaining sections to deploy directly there. However, that's looking less likely now that Dave has recognised the threat.

In the British phase, another section succeeds in deploying through the Zero attack, but arrives suffering shock.

They are adjacent to the pillbox and immediately target the scout team.

It's deadly. The team lose two men and the survivor breaks. 

That's brings my plans for the scout team to an abrupt end. The sole survivor falls back 12" and Japanese force morale drops to ten. 

The corporal leading the Leicesters section on the other side of the road rallies shock. 

He then orders his men to target the Japanese at the barrier growth. 

Once again British fire proves deadly. One man in the rifle team is a casualty, the Gunso is stunned and both teams suffer shock. Japanese force morale falls to nine. Effective British musketry means things are not going well for the Japanese at the moment.

An attempt by another section to deploy near the bunker is held up by the Zero attack. Can the Japanese take advantage before the Leicesters can bring their full weight to bear?

In the Japanese phase, the Chi Ha fires a round of HE at the newly deployed British section, but it fails to have any effect. The bow machine gunner then lays down suppressing fire. 

The grenade discharger section target the British opposite once again. 

This time they have found their mark. One of the rifle team is killed and the Bren team suffers shock. 

The sniper then deploys into one of the paddy fields and targets the same section. 

The Bren team suffers another two points of shock. While that's a result, it's not sufficient to really limit the amount of fire the Leicesters can bring to bear. 

In the British phase, the platoon lieutenant deploys in the centre. 

He rallies off shock and orders the section to fire once more at the Japanese behind the barrier growth. 

There are no casualties this time, but the shock is beginning to mount on the rifle team. 

The Leicesters' platoon sergeant fails to deploy through the suppressing fire near the bunker. So the section corporal rallies off a point of shock. 

And then orders his section to also target the Japanese at the barrier growth.

They suffer shock and take more casualties, losing a man from each team.

Unlike the Japanese, the British have been able to concentrate their fire to great effect.

In the Japanese phase, I'm desperate to get things moving. Although I have units yet to appear, the Japanese need to press the attack and so the Chui (senior leader), the platoon commander, deploys. 

He joins the section at the paddy field bund.

His first order is to direct the section along the paddy bund to his right. If they were to advance from where they were, there was a danger of forming a bunched up target with the section at the barrier growth. 

His second order is to have that section at the barrier growth continue putting down suppressing fire. 

Meanwhile, the sniper continues to target the Leicesters section in the centre.

He hits the corporal and wounds him. British morale holds steady. 

The grenade discharger section continues firing, but can only manage to inflict a point of shock on each team. 

Before the British phase begins Dave uses a full CoC die to end the turn. That will see the end of the effects of the Zero attack and free up British deployment. The survivor from the scout team routs from the table, but on a more positive note for the Japanese, the stunned Gunso gets back on his feet. 

In the British phase, the Leicesters continue targeting the Japanese behind the barrier growth. The section in the centre fires first, but it's beyond close range and has no effect. The fire from the section adjacent to the pillbox proves more deadly. 

Two men in the Japanese LMG team are killed, which sees that team reduced to a single man. 

Meanwhile, more shock piles up on the rifle team. The British are certainly gaining the upper hand in the firefight.

A fourth section of the Leicesters deploys. The Bren team and corporal are in the pillbox and the rifle team in the jungle fringe behind. That extra section is a good support choice for the British who might otherwise found themselves stretched defending such a long front. Instead, they've done an admirable job of concentrating their fire against the oncoming Japanese.

The newly deployed rifle team target the grenade discharger section in the paddy fields.

One of the crew is killed. 

The corporal in the pillbox directs the Bren team to use concentrated fire to target the sole remaining member of the Japanese LMG team. He is killed in the hail of gunfire, which sees the team wiped out, however Japanese force morale remains steady. 

That leaves what remains of that section in a sorry state. In the Japanese phase, the Gunso activates and rallies off two points of shock. Then he uses his once-a-game ability to administer corporal punishment to try to rally off even more of the shock. Unfortunately, he goes too far. He kills one of his own men in the process and that fails to reduce any of the shock. Things have not gone well for him so far and he needs to find a way to restore his honour.

The bow gunner in the Chi Ha lays down suppressing fire on the jungle fringe.

The main gunner then sends in a round of high explosive.

That proves more effective, killing one man and inflicting shock. 

The Japanese are struggling to gain anything from the firefight and with the appearance of a fourth British section it's unlikely they will gain any superiority using gunfire alone. I need to press the attack and break into the defensive line. That means trying to cross the open ground. 

The grenade discharger section fires off their limited smoke rounds to screen off one of the British sections. 

That should limit some of the fire that can sweep the open ground near the pillbox. 

The Chui orders the nearby section to clamber over the bund and advance toward the jungle fringe. Climbing out of the wet paddy fields proves slow and cumbersome and they make little progress. 

The Japaneses cause is not helped by a British command roll of 66655. While it doesn't provide anything in the way of activation dice, the triple six will see the turn end and with it the carefully laid smoke screen. 

In the following British phase, the platoon sergeant deploys near the pillbox. 

That puts him in command range of several units.

He orders them to fire at the section in open, who immediately hit the dirt. Only one man is hit, but it's the Chui, the platoon commander and he is stunned. That brings Japanese morale down to eight and takes the best Japanese leader out of action for the foreseeable future.  

The rifle team in the jungle fringe behind the pillbox fire at the grenade discharger section once more.

 

This time it leaves them unscathed. 

More ominously, a Vickers medium machine gun team deploys entrenched near the centre of the British position. 

That puts it with a good field of fire across much of the table.

The British are determined to drive off the remaining men behind the barrier growth and the fire from the medium machine gun adds to their shock. 

The next Japanese command roll includes a double six, heralding a double phase. Is this the moment to break the deadlock and swing things around? The Gunso rallies shock from the rifle team. 

He then orders the nearby section to move at the double, across the open ground towards the jungle fringe. 

The Gunso is attached and so he will join them. There is a real sense of desperation to this move, but perhaps fortune will look kindly on this act of reckless Bushido? 

Regardless, the Gunso has a chance to restore some honour, either through a glorious death or driving off the British at the point of his sword.

The men he is leading make for a very inviting target and the nearby British section waste no time responding using react fire. 

Had I thought this through with a more level head I should have ordered the bow gunner from the Chi Ha to lay down suppressing fire first. I suspect this might be a lesson learned the hard way.

In the end, the Japanese are fortunate to lose only a single man and suffer a point of shock.

They will have the next phase and the Chi Ha still has time to make a contribution. It moves toward the jungle fringe, putting down suppressing fire with the bow machine gun as it does so. 

Better late than never! As I hope to reach the jungle in the next phase it may yet play a part in supporting the assault.

In the following phase, the Gunso rallies off some of the shock. 

The Chi Ha gunner precedes the assault with a round of high explosive, which inflicts three points of shock on the defenders. 

I'm determined to break into the jungle and so use the Japanese national characteristic of For the Emperor to gain the extra dice of movement and negate the cost of entering the jungle fringe. This is a real Hail Mary, but Japanese aggression may yet pay off.

As the final charge is made the Vickers team respond with react fire. 

This proves very effective. Three men are killed, including the section's Gocho (junior leader). Not only does that bring force morale down to seven, but those losses will have quite an impact on the close combat that's about to ensue. 

The odds were never going to favour the Japanese, yet despite that they inflict two kills on the British, one of which sees the section corporal lightly wounded. The British kill two of the Japanese in return. However, they also inflict five points of shock. 

That differential means the Japanese break and fall back 18", suffering even more shock. The collapse of the attack sees their force morale drop to five. 

Well, that was a desperate attempt to seize the initiative. Sadly, it comes to nothing.

The Leicesters' defensive line holds firm.

With Japanese force morale starting to look brittle, the British concentrate on trying to break or wipe out the remainder of the section at the barrier growth. They are targeted by the British section nearest the Vickers. 

That puts enough shock on the Japanese to pin the remaining riflemen. 

The teams in the pillbox and jungle fringe target the grenade discharger section.

They manage to inflict only a point of shock.

However, it's become obvious that the Japanese attack is now a spent force. With force morale low, the Chui stunned and casualties mounting it's hard to see how the British defence can be broken. I think it's time to call it a day. 

The Japanese have had much of the campaign their own way, until now. Here they met a well thought out and determined defence. Dave made excellent support choices to ensure he could cover a wide front and deal with whatever the Japanese were going to throw at him. His platoon were able to concentrate their fire and put paid to any attempts by the Japanese to dominate the firefight or get to grips in close combat.

That now takes us to scenario 6, where a British victory will see them win the campaign and stall the Japanese advance. The Japanese must win this next game to have any chance of gaining a campaign victory themselves. Even if they do, they must then fend off a British counterattack in the final game. It's all to play for.