| 2025-06-19 | (D) X von Marwitz | vs | Jonas Björkqvist | | Dutch win | | This scenario is set in March 1942 in Java, when the Japanese juggernaut was still going strong.
It is an interesting situation, as both sides get to attack and defend. Initially, the Japanese can force an instant win if they succeed in controlling a certain number of buildings. During the first turns they have the numbers to do it, but the attempt will come at a price that might cost them dearly if they don't succeed.
This is because then Dutch reinforcements arrive, led by the vaunted 10-2 De Veer, to push back the Japanese. If the Dutch succeed in controlling another set of buildings, they will defeat the Japanese.
If the Japanese have tried to force an early win and failed, they will likely be weakened by the attempt, giving them a harder time to stand up to "De Veer's Counterattack", the name of the scenario. The Japanese could choose not to go "all out" in the beginning. If they elect for that, they need to carefully consider how far to go and how to deploy their forces to blunt the Dutch counterattack.
I had the Dutch in our playing. Our game was quite dramatic, with my initial two Dutch leader being killed by the Japanese Sniper. The Japanese conducted canny opening moves which partly surprised me. But I was able to whittle down the Japanese force somewhat in their onslaught.
My reinforcements arrived in the nick of time and their initial moves could luckily not be interfered with by the Japanese, which allowed the Dutch to cover some ground to reach the action. Still, I was not even sure if the reinforcements could prevent the insta-win of the Japanese.
It appeared, that my opponent switched to the defense, though, which left my Dutch with the requirement to recapture at least two buildings. When trying to rush towards on, relying on the inspiring morale of 10-2 De Veer, he and his stack of three squads were it by a mortar shell, which caused a 1MC. Uh-oh...
De Veer shrugged it off, but two of the three squads broke. Well, De Veer shrugged it off with an attitude and had gone Berserk. A dive into the rules showed that he would try to inspire even broken units to join him in his Berserk charge. And inspire he did: All three squads went Berserk with him and were hellbent to charge a Japanese 9-1 Leader directing a 228+MMG across an open road...
For good measure, my Sniper killed the Japanese 9-0 Leader, while the sons of Nippon braced themselves for the counterattack now being exposed to a mounting volume of defensive Dutch fire. When it was De Veer's time to charge, he and his posse survided a deadly 8 @-3 attack due to the Japanese MMG malfing and then sought CC with the enemy 9-1, 228+MMG(now malfed). The Japanese fought with any blade and bayonet they could muster but went down to the 4:1 odds against them - not without wounding De Veer, though. In one of the buildings, a lone 237 Japanese HS stood its ground against 3x457 Dutch squads remaining in Melee.
By now, the Japanese where quite whittled down and the substantial Dutch reinforcements had closed in within the village. Thus the Japanese had to husband their forces, which they partly did by clevery recombining to full squads to prevent themselves from breaking. But the Japanese got a break (of the positive sort) by some high rolls of the Dutch during Prep fire despite some Point Blank positions. I made some rather risky moves to yet more ramp up the pressure and was duly punished for this, having one squad killed by a combination of K/1 and Fate and two others broken. However, these reckless moves had not been entirely without plan: They also exhausted the Japanese fire options. Then came De Veer's hour. Insisting to continue to lead the attack from the front in spite of his wounds, he ordered himself being carried forward on a stretcher by his troops. I CX'ed one squad "portaging" De Veer at 5PP, which still had 5MF remaining because even a wounded portaged Leader is able to convey his Leader Movement Bonus. So again, De Veer charged forward with three squads in a stack across Open Ground free of enemy fire to arrive in Palm Trees adjacent to a building I needed to retake which was held by a Japanese 137+LMG which was already marked by Final Fire.
But ours was a dramatic game: The said 137+LMG decided to go fo Final Protective Fire and rolled a 3 for a K/1 against De Veer's stack! Random selection hit two squads which were Casualty reduced. The ensuing morale checks broke everyone but De Veer and a CX halfsquad. Still, a 457 which I had sent before De Veer to draw fire but survived, was able to go into CC with the 137+LMG to obliterate it and to retake the victory building. Instead of De Veer and his platoon, the only support it had to hold that building against the Japanese counterattack in his next upcoming last turn was a CX HS. Meanwhile in the village, the Japanese 237 went down in HtH Melee against 3x457s without causing further losses.
The „village building“ was firmly in Dutch hands and in their last turn, the Japanese did not attempt to retake it but rather moved into a position from where it would be able to interdict the reinforcements of my scant Dutch force on the far side of the bridge. Over there, the Japanese had two 1st Line 247s and a Conscript 126 halfsquad which would theoretically be able to evict my 457 with its captured Japanese LMG from the victory building. Since the Japanese 247s were Stealthy and would immediately to into H-t-H CC, it was a very real chance for them to Ambush my 457 and to kill them, which would have left me only with a single CX 237 halfsquad next to that building in case it survived until next turn. However, one of the Japanese 247s was double-acquired by the Gun and could not afford to just wait out on the street. Thus it assault moved off, which exposed it to Point Blank Fire from by 457+captured LMG. I took this fire opportunity, also trying to lay down a Fire Lane which would force the second 247 either to move through it or to circumvent it at the cost of becoming CX. Ah, yes, more drama: I rolled a 10, which x'ed the captured LMG, did away with the plan for the Fire Lane and did not break the Japanese HS. But it caused a PTC. And, drama, the Japanese HS Pinned and would not be able to advance into CC to retake the building. This left the Japanese with two halfsquads for the job. First, he sent in the 126 Conscripts, but these were killed by a 4 @ -2 shot for FFNAM/FFMO by my Dutch MMG which had just been waiting for them. Things were now looking very grim for the Japanese: My opponent moved his last 247 1st Line halfsquad ADJACENT to the victory building. There it was attacked by 4 Residual FP, flat and had to take a PTC – passing it. Then they took a 4FP flat Final Fire from my 457 in the victory building resulting in a – drama – PTC, which they passed. In a last attempt to prevent the Japanese HS to be able to advance into H-t-H CC, I fired my CX 237 halfsquad for a 2FP +1 shot, causing a PTC. The Japanese – drama – passed their third PTC! So, my opponent was able to advance his 1st Line 247 into CC with my 457 in the victory building. Ambush – drama – did not occur. He attacked me at 1:2 and – drama – killed my 457. I attacked back and – drama – killed the Japanese halfsquad.
At this point, all what was left of the Japanese force was an 8-0 Leader with a 247 halfsquad, a Pinned 247, and another broken 247 halfsquad somewhere behind some hill. The Dutch had lost 8 squad equivalents, broken their HMG and a captured LMG, malfed two LMGs. Of the Dutch survivors, 3.5 squad equivalents were broken and De Veer wounded.
Dutch win as the Japanese had no more possibilty to move in a desperate attempt to retake two buildings.
This has been an extremely bloody and exciting affair.
von Marwitz
|
