Matrix Games Forums

For Pacific-Far East war lovers, just a note to let you know some of that which is out there. I hope you have them all.

We hope in the next week to post two Pacific scenarios on our support sites done by the very industrious Fabio (Tiger)Prado and Rick (Tankhead)Cloutier.

Here is at least what I have done to date.

Scen016 The Bushmasters
Scen018 Brave Men of Betio (hard)
Scen020 Angels of Los Banos
Scen035 Flying Chindits
Scen048 The Raiders Hold
Scen050 Jungle Rats
Scen068 Water to Blood
Scen076 A Marine Ordeal
Scen082 Blood Soaked Trail
Scen090 Hospital Heroes
Scen091 Chiang's Nightmare
Scen118 A Marine Moment
Scen125 Latecomers
Scen131 A Marine Proving Ground

Enjoy, those who love this theater of war as much as I do!

Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

As the great bard Homer would say, "Mmmmmmmmm Pacific Operations." Whoops wrong Homer. D'OH. Seriously though, I love the Pacific Operations. Can't wait for these.

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USMCGrunt

-When it absolutely, positively, has to be destroyed overnight.

Got a Pacific campaign going...from the Japanese side, but what the heck! It will still be fun

WB

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

wild bill -
i have yet to figure out a way to win in the pac. it took me some time to figure out those pesky russians, but they are nothing compared to the japs who JUST WONT GIVE UP!

Originally posted by panzerfist:
wild bill -
i have yet to figure out a way to win in the pac. it took me some time to figure out those pesky russians, but they are nothing compared to the japs who JUST WONT GIVE UP!

Well, first, you kill them all...

Originally posted by Wild Bill:
Got a Pacific campaign going...from the Japanese side, but what the heck! It will still be fun

WB

I recently played a WWII campaign from the Jap side and it was a hoot. Of course, I stayed in the Far East and didn't tangle with Marines; only Chinese, Russians, and Brits. Had I hit the islands it probably would have been very depressing!

I posted this is another topic, but it seems to fit here, too: ...Japanese infantry are tough SOBs. I've tried that Iwo Jima scenario three or four times and just get disgusted and quit after 6 or 7 turns. That one really brings home the comment made that the Japanese weren't ON Iwo Jima, they were IN it! I'm currently reading "Flags of Our Fathers", by James Bradley (a MUST read for students of the battle, IMHO), and having the game map in front of me while I'm reading only increases the awe and respect I have for the USMC. I went back and used the editor to give names of actual company and platoon commanders for the Marines. That may have been a mistake, since it's a bit discouraging when the platoon that raised the flag on Suribachi gets mowed down before they can reach the top. By the way, Wild Bill, that's a beautiful map of a VERY ugly place...

I'll have to check this map out, I was at Iwo Jima in 1981, with Lima Co. BLT 3/3. What a place!! I had to carry the spare barrel for the M60, plus my 203mod M16, when I jumped off the LC, I could see why our boys got so tore up, I immediately sunk up to my knees in the black sand!! Add to that the fact there was virtualy no cover whatsoever till you get to the first burm line, and the heights command an excellent field of fire..... My hat(cover for all us Jarheads)goes off to all the fellows that had to storm that sulphorous pit of hell.There are still many signs of the battle, where we landed, there was the bottom half of a LVT still on the beach, and many 20mm warheads laying about, encrusted by 50+ years of salt-water. Rumor had it(we weren't allowed past the 2nd burm line), that the underground hospital, and the caves still had lots of equipment in it. A special detail was all that was allowed to venture to the top of Suribachi, the Japanese had about 150 reporters out for our landing, it was the 40th anniversary of the landing. Quite an honor to have walked where our forefathers did, and very touching...

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Mike Amos
Meine Ehre Heisst Treue

Warhorse, Iwo Jima is Scenario #167. Oh, BTW, what's the deal with the vehicle icon for the USMC M19 60mm mortar? Isn't that an infantry-type unit?

Let me guess, it's a halftrack, right?! If so, it's because the scenario was designed with a different version of the oob, and the program is having a brain-fart figuring which icon to give a unit. This usually happens if a unit was moved, or occasionally for no apparent reason, other than different versions!! The way to fix it is to open the scenario in the editor, and save w/o doing anything to it, now it should be in sync with the current oob!!

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Mike Amos
Meine Ehre Heisst Treue

OK, thanks, Mike!

Thanks KG! That took a while to do. I had numerous sources for it, thankfully, so I was able to put in a little more detail than usual.

Wow, that must have been an experience for you Warhorse! Wish I could see it at least once.

WB

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Those Betio (Tarawa) and Pelelu caves are just brutal...havent even come close to breaking through. So with the new Campaign from the Jap persepective we will finally be able to occupy those caves.

Fun trying to defeat them though.

About winning in the far east ... this is how I did it:

Artillery: Lots of Land Matress
Tanks: M3 Satans, and lots of them.
Infantry: I ended up with Marine Assault squads ... satchel charges, bazookas /and/ a flame thrower? Maaaaaaaaaan. They just move really slowly.

Forward Observer(s)

Land Matress fires on one side of the green flags, and is immediately followed by a wave of M3 Satan flame tanks. My elite tanks fire 7 shots a round, and japanese infantry seems to be highly flammable.
While the M3 is a pretty light tank, and vulnerable to japanese infantry assaults (or was, this was 2.4), the Land Mattress usually supresses them enough that they won't assault. Since the flame tank is firing 7 shots a round, basically anything within 2 hexes of the tank is more or less vaporized. Since you're American, you get fast artillery, and you can just roll that forward, following it closely with your men and tanks. As a side-effect, the artillery throws up so much smoke that japanese anti-tank guns don't have very clear fields of fire (Not that they do in the jungle, but there are some plains ..) and so your tanks can roll right up to them and apply a shot of napalm. Once you've broken through their main infantry line, you have to deal with their tanks. Early on in the war, the Japanese tanks aren't much to worry about -- you can roll your M3's up to them while they bounce shot off your face, but later on, you might want to mix in some flame Shermans, or pull back into smoke and let your experienced crews opfire when the enemy pops up.

It's cheap ... but it works. I think I lost 10 tanks, and 220 men the entire campaign, against ... well, the Japanese death count rolled over again after it hit 32767 in terms of infantry ...

Hey Bill, weren't you working on a pacific campaign?? If so, can it be played from both sides. I just can't bring myself to play as the Japanese. No offense intended to our Asian friends.

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MJ
We serve others best when at the same time we serve ourselves.

This particular one approaches the war from the Japanese side. I did that just to give a new perspective to what the game offers.

For some, however, I realize this is not really the side you want to play. Of course, this one covers so many sides of the war that I would have to do a separate one, Major, for the USMC or say, Merrill's Marauders. But that will come, God willing!

In this one, the Japanese will face, British, Dutch, Australian, New Zealanders, USMC and US Army, lots of enemies

Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

Has anyone thought of making an 'easy' campaign about Russia's Tank rush in Manchuria? It gives a real context for Russian armor in 1945 using all of their modern theories on a relatively easy target. If anyone has any detailed maps of the area...

Tomo

There is one scenario done on that theme. It is called "Latecomers," dealing with a Soviet tank-infantry assault on Japanese forces in that area at the close of the war.

LATECOMERS

USSR Advance vs. Japan Delay. Hualin, Manchuko, August 13, 1945

Fortunately for Russia, their undivided attention was able to be focused on fighting the Germans. The Japanese, after receiving a bloody nose in 1939 from Soviet forces in Mongolia, were too busy waging war elsewhere.

Since, however, Germany had capitulated, Stalin turned his eyes to the east. Even now, as a red veil began to setle over Europe (later to be called an "Iron Curtain" by Churchill), The Premier also wanted to grab as much of Asia as possible.

On the same date as the dropping of the second Atom Bomb on Japan, Russia unleashed her forces of over one million troops, 5,000 tanks, 26,000 artillery pieces and a Far East Air Force of 4,000 aircraft.

The Kwangtung Army fights back ferociously. The shame and desperation borne of the knowledge of a possible surrender creates a suicidal fanaticism in the Japanese soldiers.

The key battle to breaking the back of Japanese defenses in Manchuko would take place around the city of Hualin and the large bridge spanning the river.

Colonel Anischik's 257th Tank Brigade, reduced to 19 T-34 tanks with Soviet Engineers will now charge the bridge. Japanese soldiers, committed to the death, tie large satchel charges to their bodies to become human bombs against the tanks. It is a critical hour for both sides.
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No campaign as yet
Wild Bill

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In Arduis Fidelis
Wild Bill Wilder
Coordinator, Scenario Design
Matrix Games

[This message has been edited by Wild Bill (edited January 24, 2001).]

MANCHURIAN CAMPAIGN...

I am working on a campaign covering Soviet operations in Manchuria during August 1945.

I have created most of the scenarios, but I need to polish and playtest them before creating the campaign. The majority of my battles take place in the sector of the 1st Far Eastern Front (Eastern Manchuria). As I am in the midst of executing PCS orders (Feb 15), I am temporarily on hold. I intend to resume work by late February.

My main sources have been:

Leavenworth Paper No. 7, August Storm; The Soviet 1945 Stategic Offensive in Manchuria. COL David M. Glantz

Leavenworth Paper No. 8, August Storm; Soviet Tactical and Operational Combat in Manchuria, 1945. COL David M. Glantz

Japanese Studies on Manchuria; Published by United States Army Far East

Unfortunately, there is a lack of published information about this significant campaign in the war's waning days.

On a side note, the Japanese fought with their trademark fanaticism during this campaign. For example, defenders of the Hutou Fortress held out from 9-26 August before being overwhelmed (the Japanese allege the use of poisinous gas by the Soviets).

The incompetence of the Japanese Kwangtung Army's Command, combined with the boldness of the Soviets resulted in a a successful strategic envelopment of 700,000 + troops.

I'll definitely look forward to this one, Captain!

Wild Bill