Pusan Perimeter, scenario #35: Roadblock Yongdong

These road block scenarios are fun but a hard puzzle to solve for the American forces. With this scenario, points are awarded for eliminated units on each side but also the Americans can achieve points for units that exit north to relieved their trapped historical comrades off the map north but can only get these additional points IF no North Korean units occupies any of the north-south road.

The NPKA setup in four layers of defense along this road with the main one up front in the main town hexes blocking the Americans first advance north. This force caused a ton of problems for the American relief force. Setting up HMG, T34/85s, INF units and very strong leader counters. The first strategy for the American forces was to send strong Infantry forces in first and use their range and off-board artillery to blast the NKPA units out of the larger town, thus keeping their lighter armor: M24s and M15A1s out of harm’s way from the dreaded T34/85s. But as would have it, the American Infantry was being blasted by the NKPA off-board 2 x 10 artillery and their 2 x 18 artillery could do little harm to the NKPA units in town hexes. So the next move was to swarm the North Koreans with American Infantry units, which proved to be a bloody mess and the NKPA rolled some very good dice rolls against American soft units. In desperations I even assaulted with an American stack of one LT, one I&R and one BAZ unit against a lethal stack of NKPA units consisting of a CAPT with a 1 Combat modifier, one INF unit and one T34/85 unit and all the American units were lost in that bad advised assault. Next I thought it was necessary to bring in the American lighter armor, which proved to be another poor chose, losing all of them over time to the T34/85s which had the extra advantage of the town hex modifier and the M24s could never roll high enough.

With casualties really mounting on the Americans side, I sent some units around the first NKPA roadblock and into the second line of defense, which proved almost as difficult. Into about turn twenty three, the American forces were pretty much scattered and disorganized enough to call the game and giving the NKPA a major victory. The result proved to be a repeat in history.

These roadblock scenarios are really fun to play and the NKPA setup and terrain use is their key while the Americans have to solve each battlefield puzzle and not bunch up to much as each battle/scenario is a new situation to figure out.