How Quickly a Battle Can Change

[Riley D. Smith]

or: How to Stay Fluid and Kill People.

Playing a really great Korea scenario against our esteemed colleague Mr. Harden. The Bowling Alley. My 27th Infantry Division along with my ROK 1st Division facing the NKPA's 1st and 13th Infantry Divisions.

Through the first 8 turns or so I was pretty happy with my progress. Took some casualties but overall meeting my objectives on time and in good order. Became pretty heavily engaged in the village on the middle/western area of map but the communist forces were taking extremely high casualties as they threw wave after wave of soldiers at my line. My men were holding, dishing out some serious damage, and would (I then believed) be able to advance, mop up, and take the 20vp hex just to my north. After that my plan would be to attack the ridge upon which his mortar batteries lay. All seemed to be reasonable.

I began moving a regiment up the main road to reinforce and jump off in support of my attack on the my left flank. Supported by heavy and constant motor fire, they proceeded as planned, taking sporadic long distance fire, minimal casualties. I was winning a pretty serious artillery dual, giving more than I was taking. I move my armor contingent (4 Pershing tanks) forward to take up supporting fire positions on a ridge in the middle of my lines, just south of the middle of the map and east of the main north/south road.

I know he has armor roaming about from the sound (that plus I spotted an SU-76 and a T34/85 with a regimental commander that was waaay further north than he should have been). Yes Loz...that was a LtCol, his radio operator, and a HQ squad that you saw haulin' butt back down the road in the duece and a half and the jeep. Risked his (and his command posts) lives, but gathered valuable intel, directed a couple of arty strikes, then saddled up and skee-daddled as NKPA troops began advancing on them in a rapid fashion from the north. All told, I was kicking ass and taking names, and felt pretty good about continuing the fight with power moves up the flanks.

Then comes what probably will be the biggest mistake of this fight. I want to move my tanks into a better firing position and see if I can find his armor which I am certain is hiding behind cover in the north center of the map. Orders are issued to my tanks to "head northeast appox 800-1000 meters or so, occupy the ridge running north/south and start laying down heavy fire to the west/northwest. Enemy armor is to be engaged as the primary target."

My 4 tankers proceed as ordered. Then, as they poke their snouts over the ridgline for a look-see, they promptly get brewed up by some T34/85's that are sitting only about 400-600 meters away. Two turns later I am looking at 4 smoldering hulks of steel and planning a hasty defense instead of a game securing attack. Nicely done Loz. Very good fire discipline and very well done not getting too anxious w/your armor.

This small and rapid turn of events has completely changed the complexion of this game. A routine movement of supporting armor into a position that (had I been the one that dealt the kills) would have gone a long ways towards stalling the North Korean assault is now an ill considered (and failed) gambit. This was not a risky move, where my armor was exposed carelessly. They weren't hanging out there with no infantry support. Just a solid, aggressive attack that should have swung things further the way of the allied force. I might still get a draw, perhaps the winds of war will change again and I might even win (not likely but possible). This just shows how quickly a battle can shift in this great series.

For now, my soldiers are scrambling to find a way to kill some tanks with infantry fired weapons. Bazookas up!!

My point? Always be prepared to have your battle plan tossed out the window when the lead starts to fly.

[Mad_Dog]

Nice post Riley, you should write up an AAR for this game.:)

Abram

[TheBigRedOne]

Which is why I enjoy this game so damn much.

[Riley D. Smith]

This would be a good to write up. It's pretty large and has a real diversity in arms, units, and terrain.

I have not lost the battle by any means, but as I said in my post, things have taken on a completely new complexion. Having any sort of result other than a loss is going to take some pretty good leadership and more than a little luck.

I've been wanting to write one for some time now, but the way I want to do it will be a bit time consuming. I might just do it in the game we just started Abram....An Khe Pass. That would make for a good AAR.

[Laza]

Excellent little write up Riley

Though I do consider myself lucky that couple of your beasts lost their tracks and my initial unsuccessful fire didnt provoke any deadly counter opfire

Certainly that one turn has swung the match right round for me. Though I very mindful of fact , how quickly this game can turn.
A few zooks in right place and swings and roundabouts will be on again

[Nikb]

And the other lesson out of all of this. We Kiwis know...you must always keep your eye on the Aussies. They are just plain sneaky.

Korea has for a long time been one of my favourite titles. Some really good match ups.

I liked the write up as well Riley. Good fun.

---

[Mad_Dog]

I've been wanting to write one for some time now, but the way I want to do it will be a bit time consuming. I might just do it in the game we just started Abram....An Khe Pass. That would make for a good AAR.

I'm happy to help out with whatever you need. I should start taking some screenshots I guess.

[Riley D. Smith]

Barely audible over the sceaming of the battle ranging on all sides of him, Col Mulch's radio comes to life. He can hear the rattle of small arms, heavy weapons, mortars pounding away. Men screaming in three languages.
-"This is Dog Company...repeat...this is Dog Company. We are stalled in Sinjumac. Repeat...we are....<snap> <whizzzzzz>...being overrun. Might hold...but situation in doubt. Repeat....situation in doubt."
-"Can you read us 27?? We need reinforcements...or we need orders to fall back!!!!"
Mulch picks up the handset...then ducks as a T34/85 tank roars past the shack he is in...not even 15 meters away....dust billows up and the tanker lets fly a shot straight down the road. The Col hears the shell scream as the tank clatters past followed by an explosion that could only be that American tank he just saw coming up the main road.
-"This is Two Seven...repeat...this is TWO SEVEN...son...you gotta hold that line. You are all we have right now and there are no reinforcements. Did you read that Dog Company?" "And while you are at it...you find some men...hand 'em a bazooka...shouldn't be too hard to find on this battle field...and go find a tank to kill!! We ain't outa this fight son...but YOU GOTTA HOLD!!"
Suddenly his artillery radio sparks to life as well. "This is Lt. Alvarez...we have tanks point blank....repeat...armor point blank....I can't fight tanks with mortars!!!" Col Mulch hears a wall explode over the radio as a Russian Su-76 knocked some blocks down....dying men screaming in the background.
-"El-Tee....you keep laying that mortar fire down on that road...you do it until the last man. You got 'em pinned man...you keep 'em that way!! That infantry has got to be stopped on that road."
-"Two Seven...be advised that these mortar tubes are starting to glow from the heat...we're gonna cook off a round in a tube if we don't give 'em a break."
-Then you better start pissin' on 'em son....get them cooled off because you gotta get those tubes popping!!"
Col Mulch leans slightly out the wood framed window just in time to watch as a heavily damaged Su-76 lurches around a corner...pauses and then heads forward....only to suddenly explode 60 yards away. An American bazooka team caught the light tank off guard....a small victory but Mulch catches himself starting to smile and thinks to himself, "You crazy bastard...you son of a bitch....don't you think you can win this fight. You pack this mess up and retreat with what you got".
The battle weary Col knows that if that armor gets through this valley unscathed that the Pusan perimeter itself is in danger of being breached. He knows the prudent thing would be to fall back at least 2 miles. But he had been backing up since the NKPA first attacked...forcing him all the damn way down to this bloody peninsula. He was tired of backing up. The Col stands up, wipes his bloody, sweaty brow with the arm of his filthy field jacket, automatically checking his .45 and his M-1. "Top!! Take these 12 men and head Northwest to Sinjumac. We gotta hold that line Jim. I'm counting on you. I'm headed just north to rally those rocket troopers. The ROK 27th is doing what they can on that pass on the east side of the valley. If we can't kill those tanks we're all going to die here. But we damn sure ain't gonna do it backing up".
With that, and with a regimental sized battle screaming at a fever patch on every side of the command post, the battle-hardened Master-kick saw his commander lock and load his rifle, grab his white-faced, scared to death radio operator (a kid from Kansas that had just turned 19 two days prior) literally by the collar, peek out the door (looking both ways twice before crossing the street...his momma hadn't raised no fool...), and set off on a dead sprint to the trees...about 40 yards away, dragging that radio operator the whole way.
The Top shook his head, rubbed a stubbled chin, pulled his helmet strap up tight, and turned to his men, saying "Well...you heard the Col. We may all be going to hell but we're taken' some of them with us. See ya's on the other side boys".
Master Sargeant Rockfield Maguire Malone (always known as "Rock" to his family), a former iron worker from Brooklyn, tosses his burnt out stub of a cigar into the dust. He takes a quick look out the west side window (looking both ways...cause his momma hadn't raised no fools either) and heads off at a trot leading 12 of his friends and fellow soldiers to what he felt would finally be his last fight.

[Ozgur Budak]

You are a talented writer Riley. You should make AARs.

[Riley D. Smith]

Thanks. I actually used to write a column for a magazine for "higher order multiple" families (i.e. triplets and higher) called "The Father's Forum" as well as had a couple of articles about our unique life with quads and disabilities published by the same company.

I write quite a bit of poetry as well. Lots of sort of dark stuff, some even having to do with war and its aftermath. Some just having to do with life and what has happened in mine. Not all of that so dark. Ha.

This scenario I am playing against Loz is pretty good. The Bowling Alley if anyone is interested in a really well balanced fight.