Panzer Grenadier Battles on October 24th:
Afrika 1944 #22 - PAKfront Leyte '44 #12 - Flying Wedge
Fronte Russo #9 - Potemkin Village Leyte '44 #13 - Failure at Buri Airfield
Red & White #28 - Bastion
Errors? Omissions? Report them!
Night Action on Red Beach
Saipan 2 #8
(Attacker) Japan vs United States (Defender)
Formations Involved
Japan 136th Infantry Regiment
Japan 1st Yokosuka Special Naval Landing Force
Japan 9th Tank Regiment
United States 6th Marine Regiment
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for Sap2008
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 0
Overall Rating, 0 votes
5
4
3
2
1
0
Scenario Rank: --- of 1093
Parent Game Saipan 2
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-06-15
Start Time 23:30
Turn Count 32
Visibility Day & Night
Counters 84
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 0
Maps 2: 80, 82
Layout Dimensions 56 x 43 cm
22 x 17 in
Play Bounty 183
AAR Bounty 168
Total Plays 1
Total AARs 1
Duplicates Saip007
Battle Types
Inflict Enemy Casualties
Rural Assault
Beach Control
Conditions
Naval Bombardment
Off-board Artillery
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Saipan 2 Base Game
Introduction

Despite some local counter-attacks during the first day, the Japanese defense plan for Saipan relied on a large-scale assault on the beaches during the first night following the landings. They targeted the northern end of the American landing zone with tanks and infantry from both the Imperial Army and Special Naval Landing Forces.

Conclusion

The Marines had landed two howitzer battalions during the first day, but with both dedicated to other missions they turned to Tennessee’s sister ship, California. Starshells illuminated the advancing Japanese and rapid fire from the Prune Barge’s 5-inch secondary batteries devastated them, while Sherman tanks from 2nd Marine Tank Battalion provided armored support to the Marine riflemen.

“The counterattack which has been carried out since the afternoon of the 15th,” wrote Maj. Gen. Igetea Keiji, 31st Army’s acting commander, “has failed because of the enemy tanks and firepower. We are reorganizing and will attack again.”


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: all are closed-top and provide the +1 Assault bonus, when applicable
  • Anti-Tank Gun Carrier: half-track with anti-tank gun, NOT a Tank Destroyer

Display Order of Battle

Japan Order of Battle
Imperial Japanese Army
  • Mechanized
Imperial Japanese Navy
  • Mechanized
United States Order of Battle
Marine Corps
  • Mechanized
  • Misc

Display Errata (1)

1 Errata Item
Overall balance chart for 1466

The 8-3 Marine Infantry counter appears in most of the Saipan 1944 and Marianas 1944 scenarios, replacing the 10-3 DF valued Marine counters for those scenarios and is currently published in the most recent Saipan printing.

(JayTownsend on 2015 Dec 26)

Display AARs (1)

Saipan 2nd Edition, scenario #8: Night Action on Red Beach
Author JayTownsend
Method Solo
Victor Japan
Play Date 2026-07-19
Language English
Scenario Sap2008

Saipan 2nd Edition, scenario #8: Night Action on Red Beach

This was some confused night action but a fun scenario to play. Maybe 32 turns should have been 24 turns however. The U.S. Marines have to defend the beaches from two group on Japanese, one Army and the other SNLF Naval with a great morale of 8/8. Both Japanese groups have some armor, in fact the SNLF have an amphibious Type 2 KA-MI tank step that surprises the Marines by crossing a lake/marsh/swamp area.

The Marines are spread pretty thin at night to defend all this area but have off off-map battleship support and some M4 & M3/75 armor reinforcements on turn 12. Fighting is brutal and after the Japanese penetrate the Marine lines in several places, they have to leave the security of dug-in and town positions and assault Japanese behind their line, both Infantry and armor and the assault dice rolls were not kind. The American LVT A-1s and M3/75s have a weak, armor protection values, just like the Japanese armor but the American M4 help set the casualty losses back in their favor. The Americans were just barely able to clear the southern beaches on map 80 but the northern part of map 80 still had 7 hexes with Japanese units on them, some dug-in and the Americans were too worn down to retake that amount. Giving the Japanese a hard-fought minor victory.

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