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All,
We’re here, it’s finally begun, my 15mm campaign to follow a platoon of Marines through WWII in the Pacific, 1941 to 1945, from the Philippines to Okinawa. I’m playing with toys from Eureka and Peter Pig, using Ivan Sorensen’s “No End In Sight” ruleset (modified a bit), with some campaign help/structure from Joe Legan’s “Platoon Forward.”
Overview of table, north is to top left, with the village of Dadangan at top right. It’s 0830 on 13 Dec 1941, and Captain Moon’s 1st Platoon enters the table at bottom center left, via the dirt road, moving east towards the Filipino village. The ridge on the left is Hill 100, the knob at top right is Hill 125. Mostly open grasslands, with some coconut palms scattered here and there.
Looking east from the Marine start point, you can see the ridge of Hill 100 at top left, and Hill 125 at top center right.
The opposing forces, with Japanese on left and Marines on right. The entire US force shown (three rifle squads, a sniper, a .30 cal MG team, a 60mm mortar team, and a Platoon Commander and Platoon Sergeant) will be on the table. The Japanese will be on ‘blinds’ in accordance with Joe Legan’s “Platoon Forward,” so I don’t have any idea what’s going to show up.
A Japanese Type 92 machine gun fires on 1st Squad.
A banzai charge straight at the US M-1917 machine gun, threatening the right flank.To see the campaign plan concept, there’s a blogpost here:
http://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2017/01/another-new-blog-plan.htmlTo see the rest of this battle report, there’s a blogpost here:
http://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-philippines-fight-1.htmlWhat a fight! I think the rules, coupled with the blinds from Platoon Forward, worked like a champ, making things VERY tense. Hell, the boy was sure we were going to lose when the Japanese 3rd Squad was on the verge of breaking through on our right flank. Casualties were rougher than I expected; some of that is my fault as I didn’t play with the idea of ‘breaking/pressure,’ but I do recall Ivan saying you wouldn’t see as many casualties in these rules 😉 For all intents and purposes, the Japanese lost a full platoon of infantry, and the Marines didn’t fare much better.
The next fight will be 1st Platoon assaulting ‘Horseshoe Ridge,’ coming soon!
V/R,
JackJack:
To quote the eminent gentleman from Oklahoma, “Wowzer!”. No time now to talk but soon I want details on this battle mat you bought and if you modified it at all. The table looks great and it finally is of a size which might allow manoeuvre and machine guns to play a meaningful doctrinaire role in the combat. I gotta say Jack, I’m very impressed indeed! Perhaps even a bit envious too! We shall talk come the weekend I hope. My teddy bear fur fields and carpet contour hills are looking pretty lame these days. Well done, Jack! Keep up the great work. And no, you can never have too many minis, you heretic!
Cheers and outstanding gaming.
Rod Robertson.
All,
It’s 0930 on 20 December 1941 and another fight is brewing for the Marines of 1st Platoon. After the fight in Dadangan on 13 December, the platoon has been on a series of marches to shore up supply lines, avoid being cut off, avoid Japanese patrols, then find and occupy a defensible position. The platoon has reached its assigned defensive position, what they’re calling “Horseshoe Ridge,” but as the platoon makes its approach from the east, they find it’s actually occupied. The Japanese are behind them! Captain Moon and Sgt Carlson call a halt, then come up with a quick plan of attack. Sgt Carlson will take 1st Squad and move left, take up supporting positions with the MG team and mortar team, while the Captain takes 2nd and 3rd Squads right, with 3rd Squad being the assault element to take the east end of Horseshoe Ridge. Ready, break!
Overview of map, north is to top right. Horseshoe Ridge is at top center/top left, and the Marines are advancing from the east (right). Once again the table is 6′ x 4′, and my boy and are playing co-op against the Japanese in 15mm using Ivan’s rules, “No End In Sight,” and running the Japanese on blinds as per Joe’s “Platoon Forward.”
The Marine Platoon. Or what’s left of it.
The Japanese will be on ‘blinds’, so I don’t have any idea what’s going to show up. But I know what they have available: four 9-man rifle squads (each has an LMG and a knee mortar), three 7.7mm Type 92 machine gun teams, a 70mm howitzer, two snipers, two officers (complete with Samurai swords), and a Type 95 tank. Some, none, any, or all could show up on the table, I have no idea.
Japanese ‘knee mortars’ bracket the US M-1917 machine gun team (bottom left), but it and the 60mm mortar team pound Horseshoe Ridge (top right).
As Captain Moon leads 3rd Squad to the crest of the ridge. Will the Marines take Horseshoe Ridge? Check the blog to find out:
http://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-philippines-fight-2.htmlNext fight, coming right up.
V/R,
Jack(I don’t know if mortarmen call it ‘traverse and elevation,’ or what?). Every time you fire a mortar round, it kicks the tube over a bit, digs the baseplate in a bit deeper, which changes the point of impact slightly, creating its own ‘sheaf,’ just not as dispersed as they’d normally like.
Sorry for the temporary hijack:
We call it Bearing and elevation here in Australia. I am an artilleryman by trade, and they took our guns from us as gave us mortars
What Jack has described is very accurate… more accurate than actual mortar rounds themselves
Hollywood has a lot to blame for peoples’ impression of artillery – it is an area effect weapon, which means you can expect to hit something within a given area in the impact zone.
For 105mm howitzers, that is 100 x 100 meters if they converge. Target rounds (rounds that actually hit a specific object) do happen, but not as muchas in the movies.
We play ‘grid square bingo’ with the mortars, as they can really hit anywhere within a grid square, even when aimed and fired accurately. The mortar round is so light and slow (being a high trajectory weapon) that the wind can blow them a bit off course on the way up or down. I can’t speak about the 120mm mortars as my trade is in 81mm mortars.
There are no petrol explosions either. Just a big ball of dust that obscures a little burst of flame as the projectile detonates.
Oh, and they really do make a much louder bang than one expect from such a tiny thing. And concussion.
Now back to your normal transmission…
Shelldrake – Cool man, I didn’t know you were a plunker
And 81s, too. Man, I just remember looking over at the 81mm platoon whenever we went on a hump and thinking, ‘thank goodness I’m a machine gunner.’ Them tubes AND the baseplates are heavy, and there just isn’t a good way to carry it. Every thing you mentioned is why I hate the 81’s. I want my guns back!
The AARs are really cool, and looking forward to the next one.
All,
Ask, and ye shall receive 😉
It’s 2130 on 20 December 1941, and following its ass-whoopin’ at Horseshoe Ridge, 1st Platoon is moving Back up the slopes under the cover of darkness to recover its casualties.
Sgt Carlson: “Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna wait ’til it’s nice and dark, then we’re gonna go get our men. We’ll set the gun and Cpl Duncan’s mortar into the same exact positions, and I’ll take 2nd Squad up the ridge. 1st Squad stands by down below, just in case. We go up, grab our guys, then get the hell outta dodge. If any shootin’ starts, I want the mortar and MG to open up. I want a wall of fire between the eastern side of the ridge and the west, keep the Japs from getting at us.”
With that, the Marines of 1st Platoon moved into their start positions, ready to jump off.
The full table is still set up, but this is the contested area we’ll be dealing with for this fight, just the eastern slope of Horseshoe Ridge. North is to top right, and you can see the Marine casualties lying in the open at center top left. It’s night time, but apparently the moon is pretty bright 😉
The Marines: the actual fighting force will the Platoon Sergeant (bottom center), Sgt Carlson, and the six Marines of 2nd Squad (right). As a figure, Sgt Carlson is carrying a .45-caliber pistol, but for the game he’s carrying a Tommy Gun (I have plenty of Tommy Gun figures, I just wanted his pose to stand out).The MG and mortar teams are for decoration, scenario fodder. The Marine fighting force is just seven men with Tommy Guns, a BAR, and Springfield 03s.
The Marines move up the slopes to recover their fallen buddies, but as they do, a Japanese sentry spots Sgt Carlson and fires. To see how the fight went, please check the blog at:
http://oldleadbreed.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-philippines-fight-3.htmlThe remains of 1st Platoon falls back to regroup, and they make contact with higher headquarters. Major Ford, their Company Commander orders them return and take Horseshoe Ridge! While a few of the wounded have been able to return to the line, the Major knows 1st Platoon is still pretty understrength, so he lets them borrow an M-3 Stuart of the 194th Tank Battalion, an Army National Guard unit.
Captain Moon saw to it that his men got plenty to eat and drink, and plenty of rest. Then they mounted up on the morning of 24 Dec 41 and began making their way back to Horseshoe Ridge for our next fight, which I’ll post in a couple days.
V/R,
Jack
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