No Retreat, No Escape

Bernie · Post by **Bernie** » Sat Sep 07, 2002 1:06 am

____NO RETREAT, NO ESCAPE*
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____Meeting Engagement*
____Japan vs U.S. Army*
_______July, 1945*
________25 Turns*
_____For Version 7+*
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_Scenario Design: BW Behling*
____bwbehling@yahoo.com*
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Map designed by Wild Bill Wilder*
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As sometimes happens during war, or peace for that matter, things were going from bad to worse, quickly.
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A sizable Japanese force had been spotted late the previous day, heading back towards their own lines after an abortive attack on US Army forces to the west. US theatre command thought it over and sent out a reinforced mechanized company, as well as a platoon of Rangers, with the idea of hitting the Japanese force hard before they reached their lines. Unfortunately, due to a mapping error, instead of hitting the Japs from both flanks as intended the US forces overshot their target. Now both forces find themselves trapped in no-mans land, with enemy troops behind them as well as in front. The only chance either side has is to punch through the blocking forces and make it back to their lines.
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Reinforcements are being dispatched from both sides and will arrive as they can. Air and artillery support has been promised to both, but little is availible immediately. Expect that to change as quickly as assets can be freed up from other missions.
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Your mission, for either side is to make it back to your own lines with as much of your forces intact as possible, while at the same time eliminating the forces that block you.
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(While I have tried to keep units grouped together it is suggested you play this scenario with C&C off. I also suggest using limited ammo. Both sides do have some ammo carriers availible for limited resupply. Engineer units on both sides have a few mines availible for use, though none have been deployed in the scenario.)
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Karnaaj · Post by **Karnaaj** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 9:01 am

This was a fun one... played it as the Americans, and mauled the Japs - one flak emplacement, one flak track, an engineer unit, an infantry unit, and a couple crew were all that survived. Took *all* the victory hexes (some not until late in the game), lost more tanks than I like (and halftracks, too), but slapping down the patrol boats in the reinforcement hex itself was worth it. <EG> (Mortars, quad .50s, and send in the Thunderbolts - one kill there, and by then I'd pulled back a couple tanks enough to take out the other two.)

I suspect that I broke up the attack more with my "recon by fire" artillery barrages on the river ford area... the armoured thrust in the southern/central area was a little harrowing, but between Sherman 76s and P-51s, I kept myself out of trouble. (Luckily.)

We'll see how I do as the Japanese this weekend... I'm thinking I'm going to take it in the shorts from the reinforcements, though. Might have to actually run for the exits and let the victory hexes go hang... might *mine* 'em first, just to be eeevil, though. <heheheh>

Nice job!

Bernie · Post by **Bernie** » Sat Sep 14, 2002 6:49 pm

Originally posted by Karnaaj
This was a fun one... played it as the Americans, and mauled the Japs - one flak emplacement, one flak track, an engineer unit, an infantry unit, and a couple crew were all that survived. Took *all* the victory hexes (some not until late in the game), lost more tanks than I like (and halftracks, too), but slapping down the patrol boats in the reinforcement hex itself was worth it. <EG> (Mortars, quad .50s, and send in the Thunderbolts - one kill there, and by then I'd pulled back a couple tanks enough to take out the other two.)

I suspect that I broke up the attack more with my "recon by fire" artillery barrages on the river ford area... the armoured thrust in the southern/central area was a little harrowing, but between Sherman 76s and P-51s, I kept myself out of trouble. (Luckily.)

We'll see how I do as the Japanese this weekend... I'm thinking I'm going to take it in the shorts from the reinforcements, though. Might have to actually run for the exits and let the victory hexes go hang... might *mine* 'em first, just to be eeevil, though. <heheheh>

Nice job!

Thanks for the report, and the compliment. This one came about because I'm playing a PBEM with M4Jess on the same map, and where the retreat hexes accidentialy got switched.

The patrol boats are a favorite of mine, but I suspect the AI doesn't know quite what to do with 'em. I'll probably have to set some waypoints for them in the refined edition that I'll do after I get more feedback. Those boats are great against the AI, or a human player, because they tend to become the focus of most of the enemy shots, relieving pressure on your other units. Since they can absorb a lot of punishment they typically last 8-10 (or more) turns before being sunk. In a limited ammo scenario, that's a lot of enemy firepower wasted.

Karnaaj · Post by **Karnaaj** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 12:44 am

Played the Japanese side yesterday, and have two words: meat grinder. Ended up with a Marginal Victory, but I suspect some of that was tank losses (I'm kind of impatient <G>) and the one patrol boat I lost. <!> (**** engineer assault when it was adjacent to the shore. You're right, they do suck up the damage, tho - many many multiple bazooka hits, a couple-few satchel charges/flamethrowers, some air attacks [one rocket and lots of MGs/cannon] and mortars mortars mortars. [I'm not sure whose arty was hitting near -might have been my 150mm trying to clear out that pesky infantry...])

AI somewhat less bright about the proper use of ammo carriers, tho; the AI Japs didn't advance theirs as much, I think, while the AI Yanks were putting down fire from the .50s. (Mebbe that's it? The Japanese version didn't have any armament, so... naw, because they'd send up empty trucks and wagons to eat lead. Hmmm.) Either side was smart enough to leave the arty parked, except the US 81s did advance; so did the US flakwagons - the Japanese didn't move *all* of theirs, but I think at least one was immoblised, so.. <shrug>

Ended with meatballs on all the victory locations, and the only undamaged US units were the arty and (north of the river) quad .50s. (One took some dozer fire, while both 4.2s got some as well. Then, with the dozer parked in one emplacement <!> the other mortar killed it after about five shots. <smirk> Think they survived, but not happily. Kept dropping 150mm mortars on 'em both after *that*.) An immobilised Stuart, some mech infantry, some reg'lar infantry, a few crew... one Hellcat routed, ran, and then when they felt safe, got side-shot by a triple-25mm mount. <tsktsktsk> The other took assorted fire (after killing two 20mm AT rifles <grumble>), crew bailed, and got killed by my HQ. <giggle> All four 105 Shermans were taken out in assaults - two by knee-mortar squads, one by a recon unit, and one by a Type 92 <?> MG team with a broken MG. <G> One of the Japanese scout tracks survived all but the last turn - was up front when the main US forces arrived, shot at, hit, hid, popped in and out with assorted fire and arty chasing it, popped out later behind the main battle-lines and annoyed the hell out of infantry trying to head forward/avoid arty/take or retake VLs. Survived *lots* of rifle/MG hits, grenade/rifle grenade/bazooka/tank gun/arty misses, a couple strafing runs, friendly-fire arty misses and splash, to finally charge and take the VL south of the wooden bridge (crossroads, not river-bank) - only to get 'zooked. <sigh> Went from that to the score-screen, so he was the final gesture...

Started 'round 11 AM on Saturday, had to take a break for a store run, back in battle by 6ish, and to watch COPS, back by 8ish, and finally ended about, uhm, midnight?

Needless to say, that one gets replayed (both sides) in the future. Thanks!

Bernie · Post by **Bernie** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 9:02 pm

Originally posted by Karnaaj
Played the Japanese side yesterday, and have two words: meat grinder. Ended up with a Marginal Victory, but I suspect some of that was tank losses (I'm kind of impatient <G>) and the one patrol boat I lost. ... Started 'round 11 AM on Saturday, had to take a break for a store run, back in battle by 6ish, and to watch COPS, back by 8ish, and finally ended about, uhm, midnight?

Needless to say, that one gets replayed (both sides) in the future. Thanks!

Yeah, meat grinder is the way it was designed.

I think it would be more of a challange if the AI were a bit smarter, but that's what human opponents are for, right? I'd love to see an AAR of this one from two human players one day.

Any thoughts on things that need changing/adding/removing?