Panzer Grenadier Headquarters - Library: Waltzing Matilda #8

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The Lighthorsemen Waltzing Matilda #8
(Attacker) Japan	vs	Australia (Defender)

Formations Involved
Australia		1st Cavalry Division
Japan		Cavalry Group

	Total
Side 1	0
Draw	0
Side 2	1

Overall Rating, 1 vote
5 4 3 2 1 3
Scenario Rank: --- of 913

Parent Game	Waltzing Matilda
Historicity	Alt-History
Date	1942-10-01
Start Time	07:00
Turn Count	20
Visibility	Day
Counters	143
Net Morale	0
Net Initiative	0
Maps	6: 14, 17, 18, 25, 4, 5
Layout Dimensions	86 x 84 cm 34 x 33 in
Play Bounty	206
AAR Bounty	171
Total Plays	1
Total AARs	1

Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Meeting Engagement
Road Control

Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Randomly-drawn Aircraft

Scenario Requirements & Playability
Afrika Korps	Counters
Eastern Front	Maps
Elsenborn Ridge	Maps
Guadalcanal	Counters
Road to Berlin	Maps
Waltzing Matilda	Base Game

Introduction
While Australia's Diggers performed exceptionally well on the Western Front, it was the Light Horse that captured the public's imagination. All surviving Light Horse regiments were part of the Militia, with most of them grouped in two cavalry divisions that eventually converted to armored units. A Japanese invasion would eventually have to tackle the continent's more heavily populated areas, and there they could expect to meet even fiercer resistance.

Introduction

While Australia's Diggers performed exceptionally well on the Western Front, it was the Light Horse that captured the public's imagination. All surviving Light Horse regiments were part of the Militia, with most of them grouped in two cavalry divisions that eventually converted to armored units. A Japanese invasion would eventually have to tackle the continent's more heavily populated areas, and there they could expect to meet even fiercer resistance.

Conclusion
First Cavalry Division would be converted to First Motor Division in mid-1942, and later to Third Armoured Division. With Japanese invasion imminent, the lighthorsemen probably would have kept their mounts and been deployed to bar the road to Canberra. The Australian Army would not have had the luxury of time to complete the conversion and, with the already tenuous supply line to the United States cut before the invasion, would have lacked sufficient trucks to motorize the division. But the horses would have remained ready and able to ride into battle just like their sires had in Palestine.

Conclusion

First Cavalry Division would be converted to First Motor Division in mid-1942, and later to Third Armoured Division. With Japanese invasion imminent, the lighthorsemen probably would have kept their mounts and been deployed to bar the road to Canberra. The Australian Army would not have had the luxury of time to complete the conversion and, with the already tenuous supply line to the United States cut before the invasion, would have lacked sufficient trucks to motorize the division. But the horses would have remained ready and able to ride into battle just like their sires had in Palestine.

Additional Notes
Players should make extra copies of the both Australian and Japanese pieces from Waltzing Matilda to provide all the units needed for the scenario.

Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0). AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement. AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1). Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2). Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3) Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0). Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3). Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3). AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42). AFV's may Dig In (16.2). Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present. Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC) Tank Destroyer: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB) Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC). Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle

Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
Open-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables, but DO take step losses from X and #X results (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT). If a "2X" or "3X" result is rolled, at least one of the step losses must be taken by an open-top AFV if present.
Closed-top AFV's: Immune to M, M1 and M2 results on Direct and Bombardment Fire Tables. Do not take step losses from Direct or Bombardment Fire. If X or #X result on Fire Table, make M morale check instead (7.25, 7.41, 7.61, BT, DFT).
Closed-top AFV's: Provide the +1 modifier on the Assault Table when combined with infantry. (Modifier only applies to Germans in all scenarios; Soviet Guards in scenarios taking place after 1942; Polish, US and Commonwealth in scenarios taking place after 1943.) (ACC)
Tank Destroyer: do not provide the +1 Assault bonus, even if closed-top (SB)
Armored Cars: These are Combat Units. They are motorized instead of mechanized. All have their own armored car leaders, who can only activate armored cars (6.85). Do not provide the +1 Assault bonus (ACC).
Reconnaissance Vehicle: 8.23 Special Spotting Powers Both foot and vehicle mounted recce units (1.2) possess two special spotting abilities. The first ability is that they can spot enemy in limiting terrain at one hex further than the TEC specifies for other units and leaders. For example, an enemy unit in town can normally be spotted at three hexes or less, but a recce unit can spot them at four hexes.Their second ability is that they can place a Spotted marker on any one enemy unit they can spot per turn, just as if the enemy unit had "blown its cover" by firing. Such Spotted markers are removed as described earlier.

Display Order of Battle

Australia Order of Battle

Army
Foot Leader Motorized

Army

Foot

Leader

Motorized

Japan Order of Battle

Imperial Japanese Army
Foot Leader Mechanized Towed

Imperial Japanese Army

Foot

Leader

Mechanized

Towed

Display AARs (1)

Lighthorsemen Live Up to Their Fathers

Author	rerathbun
Method	Solo
Victor	Australia
Play Date	2012-12-26
Language	English
Scenario	WaMa008

This is a large cavalry meeting engagement where each side is trying to control the two east-west roads.

Since I was playing solo and not trying to 'win,' I decided not to use the 'gamey' tactic of sending single units to 'hold' sections of the road without support. Each side would try to drive the other back rather than just running around them.

Both sides spread out and raced for the center of the field to get control of as much road as possible. They met pretty much in the middle. Since the Scenario Conclusion mentions that the Lighthorsemen were being used to "bar the road to Canberra," I kept them on the defensive as the Japanese attacked.

Since the Japanese did not have the leadership to win a firefight (very few Combat Bonuses among the Japanese officers), they used their off-board artillery to soften up the Aussies and charged. The charge was largely broken up by Opportunity Fire, but a goodly number of the Japanese horsemen got through.

Once the cavalry mingled in assaults, it settled down to a long slogging match and neither side could really push the other back. Casualties mounted on both sides.

As the cavalrymen mixed it up, the Japanese Ho-Ni's chased the Australian armored cars. The Australians had no anti-tank capability at all (unless you count off-board artillery), so the armored cars could not afford to get tied down in assisting assaults where the slower Ho-Ni's could track them down and pick them off. The Ho-Ni's kept the armored cars on the move and prevented them from supporting the cavalry.

In the end, neither side was able to move the other back. The battle ended where it began, in the middle of the board with both sides blocking the other from advancing. They were pretty evenly matched.

With each side holding the same amount of road, the scenario came down to casualties. Due mostly to the Japanese losses to Opportunity Fire, and some good die-rolling with the Australian off-board artillery, the Lighthorsemen were able to get the win.

Minor Australian victory

Despite it's being evenly matched, I ranked this as a '3.' Due to the number of units and the large field of play, I wound up with lots of groups spread out over a large area. Even with Fog of War, each turn took a long time to complete. It seemed like a lot of work for not much movement on the field. Perhaps if I'd kept the cavalry more mobile instead of tied up in assaults I'd have enjoyed it more. If you like cavalry and large scenarios, (and can handle cavalry better than I do) you'll probably enjoy this one very much.

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