Russ Massey
United Kingdom
-
29th September
The weather stays fine. The UN commander gets the initiative and decides to go first.
There are no variable reinforcements, but the Commonwealth Brigade (currently near Taegu) is upgraded to 6-3-3.
Operation Decapitate is given the go order.
The Missouri SAG and Valley Forge move further north to support the landings to come. A LST loads… and at this point I realise that I have 3 ‘deployed’ LST markers in the Sea Box but that vassal does not allow them to be flipped to the transport side. Strange. I check the game’s countersheet. There is only a single LST counter (with capacity 3). The reinforcement list for 1st September says 4 x Landing Craft Points and 3 x LST Points. I guess points here must mean capacity, so I reduce the number of counters in the Sea Box to 1 for the LST. I still can’t flip it, but it won’t matter - I know it can hold 3SP of troops/supply.
I load the LST and 1 pt of Landing Craft with all the Marines in the Sea Box and set out for Sojoson Bay and hex 1431, just west of Sukchon and 30 miles north-west of P’yongyang. The landing is open terrain, and I need to roll 2 dice for a 5+ for total success. There is a -2 modifier for landing north of the 38th Parallel, +1 because all the landing units are Marines, +1 for the SAG within bombardment range, and +1 for the carrier group within 10 hexes. The roll is 9, modified to 10. The LST becomes a 1SP capacity port and supply source. The troops can move half of their remaining allowance after landing, and are considered fuelled.
The 1st and 5th Marines and the division’s artillery race to the outskirts of the North Korean capital while the 7th block the road leading north. The beachhead is temporarily undefended, but other units can be landed at the LST port in reaction and exploitation phases.
The UN surround the defenders of Seoul, while pushing units north as fast as possible. Supply is flown into the forward airbases and landed at Inchon and Pusan. The reduced Panther squadron on the Philippine Sea sweep P’yongyang’s airbase, forcing down the remaining Sturmoviks.
Four shorter-ranged squadrons in Japan (Mustangs and the Commonwealth planes) are rebased into Kimpo and P’yongt’aek airfields.
The Missouri fires an unspotted barrage against the 17th division without effect. The complement of the Valley Forge hits P’yongyang and DGs the capital. The Philippine Sea’s bombers hit the 43rd Division just north of P’yongyang, giving it a step loss and DG. An unspotted barrage against the NKA’s reserve armour near Sariwon is carried out by four of the longest ranged squadrons in Japan, but has no effect.
The reserve NKA tank battalions move north to the outskirts of the capital, creating a potentially powerful overrun stack with the 83rd Motorised Reg. and 16th Tank Batt.
The ROK 1st Division has caught the retreating NKA 14th Brigade near Kumwha, and attacks. The NKA unit has to use internal stocks but gets surprise worth a 2 column shift. It is destroyed anyway in the subsequent attack.
Ten US Regiments attack Seoul, led by the 187th Paras. Surprise and a 3 column shift is obtained. The attack roll is at 15:1+1 on the very close terrain column. A roll of only 4 just kills the AR4 NKA 13th Brigade, and the attackers fall back rather than accept losses to kill more defenders. The best defending unit is now gone, and the US player is confident that one more attack will take the city.
In the exploitation the phase the remaining landing craft transport 1SP (using the LST port), the IX Corps HQ and 6th Tank Batt. At the beachhead... Ah. I’ve just reread the amphibious landing rules to check I’ve done this correctly, and I haven’t. Landings not making use if the LST port would require an Amphibious Landing Table (ALT) roll, and as such are only permitted in the movement phase. In this phase I can only land 1RE of troops/supply using the LST. That’s a tough decision. If I land supply it will be overrun by NKA armour, so I have to defend the beachhead. The only unit that can really do this is the 6th Tanks, and I can fit 2T of supply into the craft with them.
The planner of Operation Decapitate is hauled over the coals for overestimating the capacity of the forces to support the initial landings. Their objective was to prevent the communists escaping to the Chinese border. They still have to do it, just with minimal supplies and support for a week or so. The Marines shrug their shoulders and say, ‘So what’s new?’.
The Communists get 1 Pax and 2.2SP. P’yongyang is still connected by rail to another supply source, so can be used as a source of supply and reinforcements, but the Pax is placed in Ji’an, in China. I just realised that the UN should have an extra 2 ROK Pax for the capture of 2 hexes of Seoul, so I’ll place them in Pusan.
The Il-2s are refitted and flown to sanctuary in China.
Trucks, wagons and 4 replacement units travelling by rail evacuate P’yongyang and head north. The mobile units are fuelled up, and together with the garrison of Chinnamp’o they are able to surround the 2 Marine regiments near the capital.
The 18th Division in Seoul nips south to recapture 1 hex of the city and then returns back to its origin hex. It seems gamey, but according to the rules this generates a Pax from Sweeping the Streets, which is added to the one already in Ji’an. Of course, it also means the ROK will get another Pax on their turn, but the NKA losses are much higher, and will take a lot longer to replace.
Other units plod north to try and outrun the pursuing UN forces.
The units in Seoul eat 3T to avoid attrition rolls, leaving 3T in their hex.
The Marines are desperate for air support, and in the Reaction Phase they call in the remaining 3 active UN squadrons for a 17pt strike on the stack headed by the fresh 17th Division north of the city. There is a 2 column right-shift for troop density and the stack is DG’d.
The NKA spends 2.1 supply to get a 38pt attack against the 1st Marines and artillery, led by the AR3 16th Tank Batt. The attackers roll 11, but thanks to the -2 for AR difference they narrowly fail to get surprise, and the attack goes in at 7:1 -2. A roll of 5 results in the elimination of the (irreplaceable) NKA tanks, but the Marines have to take a loss option as well, and are now on low internal stocks.. They retreat onto the 5th Marines, which results in the combined stack being DG’d as the retreat was through enemy ZoCs. The two remaining tank battalions and the 17th Division advance into the hex.
1st October
VP time again. The UN now have control of the Kansas Line, but because of the loss of the hex of Seoul last turn they no longer own the entire Wonju Line to the south of it. There are no Vps awarded, and the Communists remain on a score of 8.
Chinese Intervention becomes possible from this date on, but a roll of 9 has no effect (10+ is needed to trigger Intervention).
The Missouri SAG is removed back to the Strategic Interdiction box.
The weather remains fair, and the Communists win the initiative and decide to go first in order to try and finish off the Marines. They get no replacements, but a max roll for supply gives them 9SPs less 3SP from Interdiction (the Chinese have increased the flow of supply with the start of October - an average roll will now be 7SP rather than 4). Four supply are taken in P’yongyang, and the others in Chinese supply centres.
III Corps HQ and artillery evacuate P’yongyang and cross the Chinese border to safety.
The garrison of Seoul consume the last of their supplies.
Four SP are spent to get a 62pt attack on the trapped Marines, led by the AR3 9th Division. The Marines defend as 5.5pts with AR4. There is no surprise, and a roll of 7-1 on the 11:1 column wipes out the defending stack as they have no retreat option. I guess those are the consequences of a badly planned amphibious landing! Four star heads roll in Washington and Tokyo and there is a groundswell of public anger putting political pressure on MacArthur to resign. Fortunately he is able to link the planner of Operation Decapitate to relatives who were members of the Communist Party in their youth. Treason is the buzzword in the corridors of power…
The UN player receives no new replacements, but reconstitutes 1 step of the ROK 3rd Division in Pusan. The C-47 transport is deleted.
The 7th Marines retreat to the Sukchon beachhead, where they are reinforced by the IX Corps HQ, who successfully risk a landing roll so that the LST port will be available to ship in supply in the exploitation phase.
The Marine Tank Battalion races north to capture the port of Chinnamp’o, and 1SP is immediately shipped in, as well as 1.2 more into Inchon.
Seven more Regiments push forward to the Taedong River, supported by tanks, artillery and plenty of supply. Other units are sent to overtake the slow-marching ROK Brigades in the east in pressing the retreating NKA forces.
A heavy air bombardment of the defenders in Seoul DGs the stack, but a Corsair squadron takes a step loss from flak. The ground attack gets surprise and leaves just 2 infantry steps surviving, but at the loss of the parachute regiment leading the attack.
A point of supply is shipped into the Sukchon beachhead.
5th October
The weather remains clear. The UN wins the initiative and elect to go first.
There are no variable reinforcements, but the ROK adds another step to the 3rd Division in Pusan. The 11th ROK Division is received as a reinforcement in the southern hex of Seoul.
US troops move to pocket the bulk of the remaining NKA forces around P’yongyang, cutting the capital off from supply.
Seoul is masked with 2 ROK and 1 US divisions while as many forces as can be spared speed northward.
Air strikes on the surrounded pocket destroy a step of the 43rd Division and a MG Battalion while DGing 4 stacks, but 2 steps of Mustangs are lost to flak. The Brigade defending Yongdok from the advancing US 19th Brigade is also Disorganised, but a barrage against Wonsan on the east coast fails.
The 19th Regiment attacks and takes Yongdok, wiping out the defenders. The Tanks driving in the northern section of the pocket destroy the last step of the 43rd Division, and a Security Brigade also perishes in the retreat. On the west section of the pocket the attackers kill one defending step but are forced to withdraw to avoid losses. The 9th Division defending P’yongyang itself is caught unprepared and destroyed in an attack led by the Commonwealth Brigade to the skirl of the pipes.
The Communist player gets 1 Pax and 5 supply. They rebuild the 16th Brigade in Ji’an. The roll for Chinese Intervention is 7 - no effect.
The defenders of Wonsan fall back to Yonghung, while the troops trapped in the pocket - now with no supply - attempt to break out through the gap left by the attack on the west perimeter. Tank units are left behind, as there is no fuel to be had.
Attrition leads to the surrender of the remaining NKA forces in Seoul, and *all* the forces attempting to break out of the Seoul pocket. Rumours that Marine units were failing to accept surrender in revenge for the annihilation of two of their regiments a few days earlier quickly gained currency, but as it happened a good many Marine had taken to the hills or laid low. Hundreds of survivors of the supposed massacre began to trickle in and report to friendly units - the Marines will be reformed in time (and with a few more UN Pax).
There is now only the equivalent of a single division of NKA troops south of the Chinese border. The road is clear for a UN dash to the Yalu and auto victory, providing the Chinese stay out of it.
8th October
The good weather continues. The UN player wins the initiative and chooses to go first. No variable reinforcements are received (again!).
The UN player needs to capture (from west to east) Sinuiju, Chongsongjin, Manpojin and Hyesanjin on the UN Sudden Death Line to win an automatic victory. The first 2 are in easy reach, but will be lightly held. Manpojin is at least 2 turns away and may be moderately garrisoned. Hyesanjin is currently undefended but very distant - at least 2-3 turns away.
The problem is the lack of petrol. The idiots in Washington have decided the war is almost over, and from the start of October the shipping capacity has been cut back from 5 points per turn to 2.5. That means 10 units worth of mobile movement plus the 12 or so supply still in theatre. To advance along 3 different axes and probably fight at the end of it. It’s worth a try, but at the first sign of Chinese troops (and after his experiences in the last game), the UN player is going to leg it back to the Kansas Line.
The 7th Marines and their Tank Battalion plus organic truck race NE, and reach Kanggye, less than 15 miles from Manpojin. The 25th Division follows in their wake, but heads off west along the mountain trail that leads to Hyesanjin.
The 2nd Infantry Division reaches the outskirts of Sinuiju, currently defended by just a Security Brigade. A brigade of the 1st Cavalry, with accompanying tanks and truck, gets to within 10 miles of Chongsongjin.
These movements have used all available supply around P’yongyang except that carried by the organic trucks. A landing craft brings in one SP to the LST port, while normal shipping lands another at Chinnamp’o.
The 6th Tank Battalion fuels up from the newly arrived petrol and takes Chongsongjin. A Regiment of the 7th Division plus tanks moves to support the 2nd Division at Sinujiu. The NKA MG Battalion near Tokch’on is engaged by 2 Regiments of the 24th Division.
IX Corps HQ leaves the beachhead to set up in the road hub of Onjong, where is should be able to support advancing units in attacks on the three westernmost objectives once it returns to combat mode. The Puerto Rican Regiment joins the HQ to garrison the town.
X Corps HQ rebases forward to Wonsan on the east coast. Most other units foot-march north to conserve fuel and bullets for the spearheads who are racing for victory.
Three squadrons from Pusan and P’yongt’aek rebase themselves at P’yongyang.
In the supply phase enough of the rail net of North Korea has been captured that all advancing units are in trace supply, despite their distance from supporting HQs.
Carrier-base air succeeds in a DG result against the 3rd Brigade defending Yonghung, but the already reduced unit of Panthers is eliminated due to flak.
In the attack on Yonghung the 17th Brigade of the Capital Division is wrecked and the US 31st Regiment thrown back after the NKA get defender surprise.
The MG Battalion is eliminated by the 2 US Regiments of the 24th.
Sinuiju is easily taken by a 2 unit attack led by the 73rd Tank Battalion.
The Communists pray for the Chinese to make their presence felt. The roll is 7 - not enough. The NKA player gains no variable reinforcements and 4 supply. The two replaceable Tank Battalions that were lost last turn are reconstituted in Ji’an from the evacuated Eq, as well as the I Corps Artillery Regiment.
The NKA commander can do little, except move the 16th Brigade and the new tanks into Manpojin and place the artillery in reserve over the Chinese border.
A security brigade, motorcycle regiment and a point of supply are railed into Hyesanjin, and the 3rd Brigade retreats towards Hamhung.
The commander kicks himself for not preparing to defend these crucial hexes earlier, but the completely collapse of the army defending P’yongyang took him by surprise. There could have been hedgehogs in some of these hexes if only he had taken the threat seriously a week ago.
Artillery in An-Tung shells the troops in Sinujiu to no effect.
The next turn could be decisive. If the UN player gains the initiative he has two crucial attacks to win the Korean War. If the NKA gain the initiative and the Chinese intervene it will be a different story…
-
4.1 Rules
United States
Rutland
Vermont
Drop the dice and step away from the table!
Move along, nothing to see here!
-
Great AAR. One of my favorite OCS games.
-
Antonio B-D
Spain
Madrid
Madrid
-
I must admit I am currently routing for the Chinese to make an appearence. I don't want this AAR to finish!
-
Russ Massey
United Kingdom
-
abendoso wrote: I must admit I am currently routing for the Chinese to make an appearence. I don't want this AAR to finish!
So 32 turns are not enough for you - you want to see me slog through the full 109? Slavedriver!
-
-
Great landing attempt at Pyongyang. Dramatic gamble, sir.
-
Russ Massey
United Kingdom
-
boyinblue1 wrote: Great landing attempt at Pyongyang. Dramatic gamble, sir.
And actually, thinking about it, it succeeded in gathering all the NKA defenders in a concentrated mass where they could be surrounded and elimiminated quickly by the advancing UN forces.
Cold comfort for the marines acting as the tethered goat. perhaps.
-
Ryan Powers
United States
Marble
Minnesota
-
Rutan wrote:
Cold comfort for the marines acting as the tethered goat. perhaps.
Isn't that what Marines are for? To do the shitty jobs that the Army is scared of doesn't want?
-
|
|
