Original tactical problem

Rationale

Tactical Problem #3, Assault of Hill 102, received submissions from Mike Kroona, Detlev Simons, John Keyser, Joe Linder, and Alfredo Lorente. The solutions were unanimous is recommending a strike at the northern end of Hill 102 (hey, just like in real life!) There were some differences in pacing and tactics though, so first a few overall comments on the problem.

The Marines have to clear out a small force of dug-in North Koreans who are in reverse slope positions, have not been spotted, and have 6 AT guns deployed to guard the one road traversing their position. This poses numerous problems for the Marines. Because the North Korean units begin hidden (SF rules 1.3a), artillery cannot be used to soften up the NK defenses until NK units have been revealed (cf. 1.3b). Thus no preparatory bombardments are allowed. The Marines will have to move to close range, fix the NK positions, then call in supporting arms. Only one NK occupied hex is in a possible LOS of the Marines: hex 7.14 can be seen from Hill 125 hex 12.12. This is a good starting place for some MG sections and probably the 61mm mortars and the FAC.

The Marines have a very limited avenue of approach. To the north is the boundary with 9 RCT which limits any large flanking maneuvers. To the south is the scenario boundary. Tanks are road-bound since they cannot enter rice paddies and cannot enter any hexes with 2 or more contours in them. This eliminates all non-road hexes. Tanks will be vulnerable to AT overwatch fires while moving, so they should probably wait until all AT guns are eliminated before they try to engage the NKs.

The Marines do have some advantanges. They have decent air support, which can be extremely accurate when using the FAC. They have enough artillery ammo for 8 fast fire missions, which should cause a lot of damage if they can be brought to bear. And they have more manpower on this flank. The NK guns will be vulnerable to AT rolls both from Marine infantry and the AT section (which gets a +1 to AT rolls for the 3.5" bazookas).

Of the plans submitted, Joe Linder's did the best job of presenting a good solution to the problem. It demonstrates that a solution does not have to be very long to encapsulate the main points. The other solutions had many excellent points, so check them out at the Gamer's Website for other ideas and my comments on them. Congratulations Joe, and let's see some more excellent submissions for problem.

TCS Contest #3: Assault on Hill 102

by Joe Linder

While looking over this problem, one thing immediately comes to mind-the Marines are going to take some losses, usually at one hex range. The "big stack" of ten firepower in 7.14, although strong, is a weak point-only one defending hex has a LOS to that hex. That is the point of my attack. Dislodge the occupants of that hex using air and mortars, and then maneuver along the road to dislodge the rest of the defenders. Let's take a look at the overall picture.

The Map:

In the special rules, it states that the Marines cannot move north of the road west of 10.13. Seems that the 9 RCT is attacking in that area, so manueverability is limited. The rice paddies in front of the ridge will slow any attackers, but that is not too much of a problem as you know that the North Koreans are not going to swarm over the top of the hill.

Marine advantages:

The US player has the ability to maneuver to attack anywhere on the map, such as it is. The NK player will not be kind enough to reveal himself until Marines move adjacent. Marine morale is another bonus-they do not double their morale in close assault. US firepower is overwhelmingCorsairs, artillery, mortars, tanks-all can be put to good use. Again, it depends on crossing the ridge to get most of it into the battle.

North Korean advantages:

The NK player is dug in and hidden, and on the reverse slope of the ridge. When the Marines close, you are going to get a one-hex range shot at them. If you cannot suppress them, then you will be in trouble, as the mortars will pound you, followed by artillery and aircraft.

Attack plan:

Since the loss of armor is frowned upon, I will leave the tanks back. Set them up in move mode in hex 14.10.

Everyone else will be in move mode, except the mortars, which will stack in 11.12 with the FAC. Able stacks in 10.12 with the AT section, and Baker goes in 10.11. The AT section moves to 8.13 and enters fire mode. Overwatch fire goes off on the 17-20 column. I'm not an expert on probability, and I hate looking at table breaks, but it looks to me like the section has a 2/3 chance of surviving the fire (one step loss), and a 50% chance of not becoming suppressed.

The mortars and the FAC have a line of sight to 7.14 (Author's note to Lee: Boy, I hope they do. If not the whole plan is flawed.), so either the mortar stack or a Corsair responds, hopefully hitting the hex hard enough for a suppression. If not, wait for next turn for a SFA with the mortars, artillery, or the other Corsair. Once suppression happens, pile into the hex with a platoon of Able and a MG section. You should win the assault and spot the units in 6.13. While the assaults are occurring, move a platoon of Baker with supporting MG to hex 7.12.

Once in position in 7.14, begin calling artillery in on any spotted positions. Fast fires should be the rule, as you have 4 or 5 turns to go and 25 rounds for 4 batteries. When the AT units in 6.13 are gone, move the armor forward with the FAC and a platoon to protect them to 4.14, leaving them stacked together to form another fire group. Don't leave the FAC alone-it is too valuable a unit to be lost to a Korean pot shot, eliminating one step in an area fire. Get a MG moved up to take the platoon's place so the platoon can take part in the assaults that will clear RM The platoon of Baker on the east side of the ridge is there to prevent NK units from retreating that direction. In a couple more turns, you should be able to clear the depleted platoons from the area of Hill 109.

[Lee's comments: overall a fine plan that shows a good understanding of the terrain and enemy. I might be a little less assaulthappy, since assaults can really go bad if you're not careful, but if SFAs don't go well, it may be the only solution. I would lead with a MG section, not the AT section since it should be used in one of the assaulting groups for a bonus to AT rolls. Consider sending it to Hill 102 directly in order to reveal 3 separate stacks. Only one can overwatch, and if the big stack of AT guns performs overwatch, you can clobber it with an airstrike immediately. The chances are good that the MG section can withdraw back behind the hill, and if it's suppressed, it might be able to SYR the next turn if the Marines get the initiative. Imight also consider using some smoke if assaulting to increase AT roll chances vs. ATguns and keep the casualties down a bit. Make sure to get the FAC into the front lines as soon as the first airstrikes on 7.14 have gone off.]