Scenario #22 "Making the Best of a Bad Job"

Sunday saw an outing for the RJW project over at Wyvern Wargamers, I picked another scenario from Grant & Asquiths - Scenarios for all ages, an excellent find in a local charity shop.

Outline.

The Russian's are lost, they know they need to head east, they are tired and have become strung out  out over a length of road, which appears to be heading into a wood. They are on the march when the action starts. The Japanese unaware of the Russian forces are not much better off. They are camped on the edge of the wood. Their cavalry have gone off to find provisions and the remainder of their force is unprepared for action.

Both sides have less than ideal circumstances, the Russians need to proceed east through the wood with at least 60% of their forces, the Japanese need to prevent this.

 The Road east with the wood at the far end of the table.

 Russian blinds, stumble into Japanese blinds, the Russians getting the first opportunity to find out what they were up against.

The Japanese camp is revealed.

 Guns and machines guns are rushed into defensive postions but still the Russians remain on blinds and the Japanese have little idea what they are facing.

At the far end of the table the Russians have a similar idea, their artillery and machine gun ocuppy the little wood. Both sides swap fire.

Russian blinds and Japanese blinds stumble into one another, two units of Cossacks face off against 3 units of Japanese infantry, this will be bloody....

Standby for a fistful of dice.

 The bloody encounter is over, one unit of cavalry is forced back, whilst a unit of Japanese infantry head for the tree line, whilst the other 2 units are littered with shock and low ammo markers.

 Finanlly further Russian units arrive, but the Japanese still hold the high ground.

 Yet more Russians are unmasked.

Time was running out for the Russians, they have smashed the Japanese defenders, but had failed to make it beyond the ridge line, as with many a game, if only we had another hour... :-)

Played using Too Fat Lardies Mud and Blood rules, for once the MG's kept firing and the cavalry actually made an impact.....