The first Japanese battalion game along the road, the second along the railway and the edge of the ridge. The tank company came along the railway.

A tank was detached to support the first battalion which was engaged in a duel with the armoured car that appeared out of the jungle on to the road to machine gun infantry.

Infantry on the road was soon spotted by both battalion mortars. Luck was largely with the Japanese and lots of straddling of the infantry moving on the road occurred. Over a 10 inch road section there was 2 81mm and 18pdr acquisition point. Light mortar fire was also being brought down. It did make the Japanese think twice about bring troops along this corridor with a backing up by the infantry gun which had only just set up to fire at the Rolls Royce.

The third battalion with 75mm gun regimental gun attached came on when there was enough room to move along the road.

The second battalion moving slowly through the jungle and along the railway had a hard game under direct fire from the 18pdrs and dug in infantry. Unlucky dice rolling left the 18pdrs intact even though duelling a tank plus infantry company, HQ and support company.

The 37mm regimental gun was also attached to this battalion and with two infantry companies and an mg fired shot in against one dug in infantry company. A lucky shot early on took out Indian company AT rifle and the only tank attempting to cross the bridge was taken out by direct fire from an 18pdr. The second battalion never made it across the river unfortunately failing there first moral roll but the Indian first battalion strung out along the river line also failed their moral. Both sides effectively losing a battalion in the same turn sequence.

Late in the game the first battalion's infantry gun lost 2 men while crossing the ford.

Japanese troops continued to pile in against the Indian troops which were mustering for a counter attack. Piecemeal fights and slow moving allowed the Japanese to hit lone units which fast brought the Indian troops to a moral roll. The first time they passed with ease, they were less lucky the subsequent round being pinned down with only a zeroed in 81mm mortar now ranging in on Japanese troops which had taken up position in a house.

A duel between the Regimental gun and the 18drs silenced the battery for a round and decrewed one gun. An infantry company from the second battalion was used to recrew the guns but the by the end of play 6 gunners and 6 infantry had been killed. Luck was with them as for 4 rounds the Japanese FOO failed to radio in the position of the 18pdr battery which stood its ground for the whole game.

Final casualties amounted to 22 casualties on the first Japanese battalion, 22 casualties second battalion and 2 casualties on the third battalion. A heavy damaged and a destroyed tank. The third was lucky to still be around surviving quite a few rounds of Anti tank rifle fire.

The Japanese second battalion broke and first battalion passed a moral test. All except the regimental 75mm, a 37mm armed tank and the FO unit crossed the river out of British direct fire.

British casualties ; Broken battalion c 22 casualties, Pinned battalion over 25 casualties

The Indians were left holding 1 road section, but dominating the river line with the 18pdr battery, which was finally under 75mm indirect fire and still under 75mm direct fire.

While the second Japanese battalion engaged on the right of the battlefield the first battalion approached the village in the centre left. 2 companies of Indian infantry covered the village one in a lead house and the other in dense jungle where it remained hidden for a large part of the game. The British FO also had a position in the town along with a light mortar and anti-tank rifle.

The Indian light mortar eagerly sprung into action against groups of approaching Japanese infantry but was spotted by the Japanese FOO unit moving up. The first turn of 75mm fire missed the mortar but struck the house containing the British FOO and the Indian antitank rifle. Three men were killed and the FOO unit thought about moving back. Deciding not to it brought down artillery fire on the second battalion before moving it onto the first Japanese battalion.

The Indian light mortar crew came under direct fire from several Japanese companies and light mortar fire was returned slowly killing crewmembers.

After firing one shot from the lead house the Indian infantry moved back into the jungle away from a swarm of Japanese crossing the river. A few were fired at fleeing into the jungle but most made it.

When the Japanese broke over the river they did so in force with the tank and 2 infantry companies and part of the HQ unit.

The lead company of the third Japanese battalion had fanned out left to find another crossing and spotted an Indian company in dense jungle. This Indian company challenged fire but highly effective fire from the third battalion units and a charge by units of the first battalion from the river brought the destruction of this company and the one that had formerly held the house. This forced the moral roll because of casualties also suffered by the first company against the second Japanese battalion.

The first Japanese battalion MMG company on this flank lost its MMG but not crew to 3" mortar fire.

The whole Indian front-line collapsed in one turn and the second Indian battalion was slowly brought up while the Japanese consolidated in the town. British observers meanwhile changed targets and 81mm and 18pdr fire became directed into units that were leaving the town to assault forward Indian units.

The lone Japanese tank supported by infantry in the town went on to assault the closest Indian unit also in dense jungle and swung backwards and forwards between this and a further set back unit armed with an antitank rifle.

It suffered several lucky escapes from AT fire including one from a flanking shot.

Japanese weight of numbers was beginning to tell and Japanese infantry kept attacking as I was prepared at this point to lose the first battalion in order to cripple the Indian battalion. My troops mixed in with the British were less likely to receive indirect fire.

THE FORCES

British

2 British battalions each with ; 44 men 2 Antitank rifle, 81mm mortar, Lt mortar, MG
Plus 2 18pdr, FOO, 8 gunner , and one Rolls Royce armoured car MMG/ E class.
Regimental HQ of 6 men

Japanese

2 battalions of 45 men each with 2 10 men company lt mortar, 1 10 man company Grenade launcher,
HQ/support company ; MMG, 70mm infantry gun 15 men
1 battalion 45 men
2 10 men company lt mortar, 1 10man company Grenade launcher
HQ/Support company ; 2 MMG, antitank rifle 15 men
75mm regimental gun and a 37mm regimental gun 6 gunners
2 75mm gun and a FOO 6 gunner
3 37mm armed tank Type 95 HAGO tanks - armour E - gun 5

Battle set for 16 turns with the following objectives;

Bridge and railway bridge 50 pts each. Town 3 20 pt sector's . The road 4 10pt section's. Total victory points available 200. Total victory was guaranteed if the Japanese take both ends of the road.

Jungle rules being used for this game

2 jungle types. Dense and open

Dense jungle d6 movement penalty, impassable to tracked and wheeled vehicles. Visibility as woods.

Light jungle impassable to wheeled vehicles d6 penalty to tracked vehicles.

Infantry move 3". ( Will be increased to 4" in the next game) Visibility through jungle 12". Visibility along the road normal

The ford d6 penalty to movement. Chance test to cross elsewhere possible on a 5 or 6 on a D6

Battlefield 6ft by 6ft