My battle for Agingan Point was most likely bloodier then the historical one, maybe not for the Japanese, as they were almost wiped out historically but my Marine casualties were higher than I thought, not too bad but bad enough. The Japanese kept pushing towards the beaches supported by some large on board guns as well as off board artillery but to thin the herd the Americans fire naval Gun including a Battleship, once hitting with a 70 dose on a roll of 2, which reduce a stack of Japanese pretty well. The US air-support helped suppress some of the bigger on map Japanese naval guns.

At one point I ran out of demoralized markers and had to borrow them from another game. On an interesting note the Japanese 120/10 gun took out a step of LVT (A)-4’s before it was taken out in a later turn. When the American Sherman tank reinforcements arrive, I really needed them to help push some Japanese units back into the jungle. This battle was much tougher than it looks on paper but the Americans won with sure fire-power but it was a close contest and a few dice rolls this way or that way and who knows?

En este escenario un batallón reforzado de infantería japonesa ataca la playa donde ha desembarcado un batallón de marines. Los japoneses reciben el apoyo de dos baterías de artilleria de la Marina Imperial (120/10 y 150 mm), emplazadas en dos campos atrincherados en las colinas próximas, y de artillería fuera del mapa (2 x 16). Los americanos reciben el apoyo de dos secciones de vehículos acorazados anfibios LVT-A4 (y de dos secciones de tanques "Sherman" a partir del turno 10), de la poderosa artillería del acorazado "Tennessee" (1 x 70, sólo tres turnos) y de cobertura aérea (una escuadrilla cada turno).

Los americanos se despliegan en hexes de playa o en hexes adyacentes a éstos. Los japoneses empiezan el combate en posiciones en el interior, repartidos a lo largo de todo el campo de batalla. El objetivo de los nipones es ocupar al final al menos un hex de playa.

Los nipones avanzan inmediatamente hacia el enemigo, que responde con un eficaz fuego de oportunidad de los marines, con el bombardeo demoledor del "Tennessee" y con el vuelo rasante de las escuadrillas de "Avengers", "Hellcats" y "Corsairs". Las pérdidas japonesas son grandes, pero a pesar de ello consiguen llegar a la playa y asaltar algunas posiciones enemigas. La potencia de fuego de los marines a corta distancia es devastadora y produce más bajas entre los asaltantes. No obstante, en dos hexes de playa los nipones consiguen hacerse fuertes y resistir los contraataques americanos.

El comandante americano se da cuenta enseguida del peligro, ya que si la batalla acabara así habrían perdido. Por ello da inmediatamente dos órdenes: 1- Reorganizar algunas unidades para desalojar a los japoneses definitivamente de la playa; 2- Hacer avanzar las líneas hacia el interior, para impedir que los nipones lleguen fácilmente hasta la playa.

Los marines vuelven a atacar los focos de resistencia japoneses en la playa, pero éstos se defienden bien y el ataque americano se debilita. Al mismo tiempo, el avance americano hacia el interior se ve enlentecido por la fanática resistencia japonesa y porque los marines no pueden recibir el apoyo de sus blindados, ya que las baterías terrestres de la Marina Imperial impiden su movimiento. La batalla parece haber llegado a un punto muerto.

No obstante, poco a poco los marines reorganizan sus agotadas fuerzas y vuelven a atacar los reductos nipones en la playa. Al mismo tiempo otras unidades consiguen presionar a los japoneses hacia el interior, alejándolos de la costa.

Al final los marines consiguen aniquilar la última resistencia nipona en la playa y, tras violentísima lucha, ocupar uno de los campos atrincherados en las colinas, aniquilando a sus defensores, con lo que eliminan uno de los puntos desde el que podrían los nipones avanzar de nuevo hacia la playa. Tras ello los escasos supervivientes japoneses se dan por vencidos y se retiran hacia el interior.

Costosa victoria americana. Los japoneses han tenido mala suerte con sus tiradas de dados. De no ser así el resultado del combate habría sido dudoso.

Although it looked like I knew where this would end up at the start of turn 17, there were enough single step units and leaders on the table, I had to play it out to the bitter end. The Marines start on or just inland from the beach but nothing is dug in anywhere, there are just a few town and jungle hexes to deploy in to protect their initial line. The Japanese start with two heavy guns entrenched on the hill, both capable of taking out armor pretty well with a 6 anti-armor number and plenty of range. I set up the Japanese in 3 attack groups based on a captain with two HMG platoons supporting 3 LTs each with 2 infantry platoons. The Japanese commander set up with the SGT and the mortar on the highest point of the hill, keeping him out of harms way for the most part but keeping him where he can keep an eye on things and move to trouble spots if he can help. The Marines get one plane counter each turn but naval gunfire support is spotty, with the big stuff only available any 3 turns and 30 points available every hour on the hour. Japanese have a couple of 16s that together offer some firepower even against the troops in jungle. Right from the beginning, the Japanese guns ranged in, drawing first blood right away reducing one step from one of the LTV-A4s helping to hole the Marine right flank anchored on the town there. Another turn, another shot and the final step gone of that vehicle. Retaliation didn't take too long as Marine air support over the next two turns came in and rolled exceedingly well, taking out the two guns, leaving their Navy officers to scratch their heads and help call in artillery from what was left of their entrenchments. While Japanese troops got within 2 hexes of the beach, they never really were able to hold and keep any beachfront property as Marine firepower was just too great for them. The two Marine Flame units really took their toll as they make any assault they participate in a Marine First Fire assault, so even the Japanese advantages in assault was of little help where those were found. Japanese losses built quickly, and by the time the 2 Marine M4s came ashore, the Japanese had lost nearly half of their troops. The only other damage they did was to take out the other two steps of LVT in assault, and were promptly dispatched by point blank fire from an adjacent hex. As I mentioned earlier, by turn 17 it looked like it was all over, but there were still 2 or 3 steps of troops on both the north and south ends, with enough leaders present to make it possible to reach and at least contest a beach hex at the last moment, but during those last 3 turns, the Marines were able to outmaneuver and outfight the Japanese troops as the flame units became part of two hunter-killer stacks. At the end, every single step of Japanese troops had been eliminated and just a few officers left. Really good game.

This 20-turn scenario actually played much faster as the Japanese rolled the dice on a single charge at the weaker southern end of the US line. The Japanese had a strong battalion of infantry and HMGs, supported by some artillery and service troops, with which to drive to the US-held beach and occupy a portion of by the end of the game. The US Marines had a battalion supported by a few platoons of amphibious tanks, a few turns of battleship fire support, and Navy aircraft. The Marines deployed in strongpoints along the length of their beach, and the Japanese set up most of their forces in the shadow of some high ground near the southern end of the battlefield. They also posted a heavy antiaircraft gun and some service troops farther to the north to try to pin some Marines at the far end of their beach. In this way, the full combat power of the Japanese force could quickly be brought to bear on a single stretch of the Marine line, held by about a company.

The game began with the Japanese launching an immediate charge against the Marines. One Japanese company diverted toward the northern (right) flank of the attack, to block American reinforcements from working their way south, but the bulk of the Japanese force moved directly into contact with the Marines in the south. Marine opportunity fire in response was devastating. The Japanese took significant losses in the first 2 turns, and numerous platoons suffered demoralization as well. This was to be their downfall, as the Japanese were completely unable to rally their demoralized units during the course of the battle. The Japanese banzai charge played out over about an hour, with the Marines holding morale and avoiding all but light casualties. The Marines struggled to get any of their force into position to relieve their beleaguered comrades at the southern end of their line, but an aggressive local counterattack by a platoon reinforced with flamethrowers tipped the balance of the fight against the Japanese.

After two hours the Japanese force was in shambles. The Marines had succeeded in moving a flanking force behind the Japanese right and up the hill in the Japanese rear, knocking out a battery of artillery and threatening the growing mob of demoralized troops futilely attempting to rally. With the banzai attack spent and the Japanese remnants in utter disarray, the Marines began to organize a strong push off the beach. At this point I called the game.

Had the initial Japanese assaults been more fruitful, they could have cleared the southern beach and held off the Marine counterattacks. Instead, they utterly failed to rally any of their troops and the Marines' withering fusillades shattered their force and carried the day.