The two marks (Mark and Marc), continue their chronological newsreel AAR series thru the sands of time  with Combat Commander as the metaphor of their exploration of squad level combat in WWII.

 

Nippon Proves A Formidable Enemy

Fighting continues apace in the Pacific. Our allies from “down under” seek to drive back the forces of Japan but the Emperor’s troops prove a determined match!

Shootout at Elevala Creek, New Guinea, September 3, 1942

The bonnie Aussie lads are moving against a strong Japanese force. They met across a shallow depression through which flows Elevala Creek. Here is their contact disposition:

A recon of the area showed the Japanese mounted a well-placed battalion gun and medium machine gun. Progress was slow but the jungle wasn’t as thick along the coastline, giving the troops the opportunity to see and fire at the enemy. As the Aussies moved up, the Japanese shifted to the left. There was no fire from the battalion gun but the MMG opened up as they approached the sloped down to the creek. Philips had his men open up and there were soon rounds zipping back and forth. It rattled the men but they held fast until Philips was killed. Meanwhile, on the Aussie left, Foley kept up fire across the creek and then finally led a mad dash down the bank and toward the Japanese foxhole opposite. The Japanese were ready and jumped in, taking out Foley and his men! Orders were coming over the horn but the Aussies couldn’t advance fast enough. Winslow managed to get behind the Japanese lines and take the trailhead but it wasn’t soon enough. A bad day for our allies! Here is the carnage that remained:

Game Notes

We only had time for once scenario today, Scenario M3 from the Combat Commander: Pacific expansion, Combat Commander: Battle Pack #4 – New Guinea. The Australians really needed to grab the objectives that were worth points and kill some of the enemy but we just weren’t fast enough. It was a pretty ineffectual back and forth for awhile but all that did was give the Japanese time to rack up VPs from Time Triggers. Getting a bit desperate, I went for the melee which is not so wise with the Japanese. If I had a couple more turns, I might have been able to kill some more off. It was pretty sweet watching Winslow dash around the rear and grab objective 3 (a ten point total swing) though to no ultimate avail. The reason the battalion gun never got off a shot was because a one hex jungle was a hindrance instead of blocking LOS (scenario special rule) and so I could see it to drop two Asset Denied orders right away. That was a small triumph in an otherwise difficult battle ending in a loss.

This is part of our Combat Commander Series play through of all the scenarios in chronological order. Current standings: Allies-Axis, 8-11.