DAR Rearguard on Mt Butler

[ArmyEsq]

Canadian Turn 7
CPT Nakatani’s Company was now close to being no longer combat effective. All around his positions, many of his men lay dead or dying, clutching their wounds and moaning quietly…

[ArmyEsq]

Japanese Turn 8
Completely focused. Almost possessed, Nakatani turned with sword in hand and ordered his men forward. The BN mortars had managed to drive the machinegunners away. Nakatani would take advantage of it. “Move! Now!” he ordered his men…

[ArmyEsq]

“Banzai!!” screamed CPT Murakami with sword and pistol in hand. He had made it to the high ridge, and then drove his young men into a frenzy…

[ArmyEsq]

And they over ran the Canadians, eliminating all of them. Every last one, before continuing his charge further up and past CPT Nakatani’s positions, along his left flank.
MAJ Kamishiro, in the meantime, swept the high ridge and the cross roads clear of a rifle PLT and of an enemy MG PLT…

[ArmyEsq]

…while CPT Abe continued in his attempt to advance along the BN right flank. But with so many of his men disrupted and disordered, he could not effectively coordinate their rifle fire…

[ArmyEsq]

Canadian Turn 8
CPT Murakani and his 2nd Company now came under fire from the South, the East, and Northeast flanks. Intensive volleys of small arms fire killed or wounded thirty or more of his men…

[ArmyEsq]

Japanese Turn 9
Brandishing his sword high above his shoulder, and calling for his company to join him, Nakatani pushed forward again; his men followed him without hesitation, yelling “Banzaii!!” as they clambered up the mountainside. When they arrived at the Canadian trenches, the men utterly destroyed anyone who had remained. A first objective was finally taken!

[ArmyEsq]

While Nakatani was driving up the mountainside, CPT Murakami drove his own 2d Co West. Still gasping for air, sweating and spent, his men obeyed. Quietly. Less enthusiastic, but focused. They were disciplined soldiers; so that when Murakami gave the orders, the 3 platoons moved as a single, determined organism…

[ArmyEsq]

CPT Murakani's forward position:

[ArmyEsq]

…and they were successful! Trapped between the chaos generated by Nakatani, and the determined drive of Murakami’s men, the sole Canadian platoon and their CO, surrendered to 2nd Company. The Canadian’s left flank had collapsed!

[ArmyEsq]

MAJ Kamishiro, meanwhile, was growing more and more frustrated with his men. It was as though they had struck a rock wall. A single reduced Canadian platoon was preventing him from keeping pace with the junior officers in the battalion. His men, however, were not unwilling; rather, they had moved so fast, gone so far, and achieved so much, under horrific fire and incurring many casualties, that they were low on ammunition, they were fatigued, and they were disoriented and experiencing a great deal of internal friction. In sum, they were at risk of no longer being combat effective…

[ArmyEsq]

LTC Haga arrived at 2nd Company’s MG PLT’s forward location. Tired and sweaty, he immediately directed their weapons to focus on the crossroads location in order to support MAJ Kamishiro…

[Warhorse]

Nice DAR going on here, just joined it, thanks!!

[ArmyEsq]

Thanks, Mike. I'm glad you think so!

[Warhorse]

A lot of work, putting together a DAR, only did one from a K'talan Mod scenario, adds life to the game reading it along like that, good stuff, man!

[ArmyEsq]

Canadian Turn 9
Canadian artillery was inaccurate or failed to keep up with 1/229th’s advance and resulted in nothing. CPT Nakatani’s 3rd Co, however, had lost all of its 2nd PLT. Intense small arms fire from the Canadians occupying the mountain pass decimated it, and all its remaining soldiers fell dead or wounded; while 1st/3rd and 3rd/3rd platoons were now at 50% strength. CPT Nakatani didn’t like it, but he remained undaunted. He would advance and exact his revenge…

[ArmyEsq]

Japanese Turn 10
The fog thickened. Visibility shrunk to 500 meters just as the BN’s 70 and 75mm guns had set up in positions to bombard the high ridgeline. The gun platoon men were now not just fatigued and drenched in sweat, but cursing their luck: they would have to reload their guns onto the wagons and continue their ascent…

[ArmyEsq]

From the trenches they now occupied, CPT Nakatani peered over the escarpment, and “There…” he said to no one in particular. “There are the enemy’s mortars!” Now he pointed to entrenchments about 50 meters below them; well concealed in the 2 meter high kunai grass. As bullets whizzed past him, he lowered his head intent on seizing this new target of opportunity…

[ArmyEsq]

The assault:

[ArmyEsq]

But his men were too exhausted and weak to succeed. His assault was repulsed…