Okinawa: Combat Command

Scenario 16-2:
Charge of the Very Light Brigade

By Larry Freeman

The 306th hangs on against the Japanese 32nd Infantry and 27th Tank Regiments near Maeda on May 4. Larry Freeman

1st Battalion, 306th Regiment, 77th "Liberty" Infantry Division:
Smoke: 1D4
Special Ammo: none
Satchel Charges: 2D6

2 x Lieutenants. They are armed with M2 Carbines.
3x Sergeants. They are armed with either a M1 Garand or a M1 Thompson SMG. 2x Veteran Platoon HQ Section. Each section has 4 men. All are armed with M1 Garands, or M2 Carbines, One man is carrying a radio.
7x Veteran squads. Each squad has 9 men. One to three men can be armed with M1918A2 BARS. The rest are armed with M1 Garands, M1 or M2 Carbines.
2 x Veteran MMG sections. Each section has 2 men. They are armed with the M1919A4 MMGs.
2 x Veteran HMG sections. Each section has 3 men. They are armed with the M2 .50cal HMGs.
1 x Off-table Veteran Battery of four M2 105mm Howitzers. They are available for access from turn 2 onward.

3rd Battalion, 32nd Regiment, 24th Division with elements of the 27th Tank Regiment:
Smoke: 2
Special Ammo: none
Satchel Charges: 12

2 x Tai-i. He is armed with a Taisho 04 Nambu Pistol.
2 x Sho-i. They are armed with a Taisho 04 Nambu Pistol.
12 x Nitto-Hei Rifle Squads. Each squad has 13 men. One may be armed with the Type 11 Nambu LMG or the Type 99 LMG. The rest are armed with Meiji 38 Bolt-action Rifles.
2 x Nitto-Hei HMG teams. Each Team has three men. They are armed with the Type 92 Shiki HMG.
3 x Type 95 or Type 97 Tankettes. No Japanese Leaders may be assigned to the Tankettes.

Victory:

The Japanese must exit four squads off of the East board edge to win. Each tank counts as two squads. Anything else is a US win. The Japanese move first and have six turns to accomplish their mission.

Terrain:

The Hills are considered normal for movement. Woods dot the tops of all the hills. They are considered heavy and give a +2 save. The hedges are also very thick and give any units behind them a +2 save. The hedges, however, will not block line of sight, as they are not high enough. The field is considered normal for movement and gives a +1 save. It is not harvested yet and will reduce all infantry sight ranges to 1". Amy tanks moving through the fields are spotted as if they were in open terrain. The US player may fully entrench every squad section or weapons team.

Deployment:

All Japanese units must start within 6" of the west edge. Unlike other battles, they did not emphasize infiltration as they hoped to overwhelm the US line while it was under attack. The US players must set up first, but they are hidden. Only the entrenchments must be placed on the table, not what they contain until they are spotted or fire. All Hidden units are automatically on overwatch.

Special Rules:

Night rules are in effect for the first four turns.

Okinawa: Gen. Cho's Plan (Historical Account)

Okinawa: Combat Command

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© Copyright 2003 Hal Thinglum
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