KG Erwin
Posts: 8981
Joined: 7/25/2000 From: Cross Lanes WV USA Status: offline
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I'm now in my third battle of an 8.3 long campaign as the USMC, begining in August 1942. The first two missions were Decisive Victories. Mission 1 was a defend, and I lost 59 men, I soft vehicle (a support Ammo Carrier which carelessly drove into the line of fire) and an M2A4. The Japanese lost 716 men. In battle 2, I drew an Assault ; on a 40 hex-front, the Japanese defended in depth, but I used my four Raider platoons and my Para platoon to work around their flanks and capture the two rear VH groups. About ten hexes in front of the north VHs, the 3rd Raiders encountered a large bunker and another smaller bunker. I'd already captured all of the VHs, so direct assault of these fortifications was unneccessary. Nevertheless, I got a taste of what may yet come. I lost 164 men in gaining a Decisive Victory; the Japanese lost 672 men and 13 artillery pieces, mostly mortars but also a couple of 37mm ATGs. A note on my core force: I have three custom-designed infantry companies--each company has three D infantry platoons (with the MMG removed), three 2-man scout teams, an engineer platoon, three 60mm mortars and three custom MG platoons, each with one 30 cal HMG and two 30 cal MMGs. No individual unit prices were changed whatsoever --I only altered the TOEs. Add to this a Light Tank Co (18 M2a4s), three 75mm M3 GMCs, four 81mm Mortars (with jeep transport), three 37mm ATGs (with jeep transport), two 50 cal HMGs (Scout Jeep transports), and a 30 cal HMG (Scout Jeep transport). The elite element is what is essentially a fourth company: three 1st Raider Bn Patoons, one 2nd Raider Bn Platoon (the Johnson LMG and shotgun-armed platoon), and a Para Platoon. The Para Platoon is altered, with a 30 cal MMG and Reising SMG as secondary armament replacing the 60mm mortar. This is a prime example of how one can alter existing units and formations, stick with established 8.3 unit prices, and still stay within reasonable historical parameters. The 1942 Marine Infantry Battalion (reinforced) is a powerful infantry core force, with prodigious amounts of supporting automatic firepower, but it is weak in armor , AA and scout capability. The Japanese will occassionally attack you with air assets, and they can be devastating. All you have are the AAMGs on your M2A4s and GMCs, so in the opening jungle fights, pray for rain. Your mobility will suffer, but you will be safe from air attack. You will quickly find out that your mortars are vital quick-response assets. Their value is inestimable, and keep them as close to the front as possible. At 3-5 hex range, they can wreak havoc on enemy stacks. Historical note: a peculiar thing I've noticed is that the 1942 BAR Squads are very fragile--they were designed for fire support, NOT as front-line infantry. They were disbanded in 1943, and in-game its easy to see why. They are habitually under-strength, and in this campaign, I've already had one 7-man squad completely destroyed. I have a special reason to keep these guys healthy, and that will be seen once the 1943 upgrades are available. (BTW, if anyone is interested in getting a copy of my customized USMC OOB, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.)
< Message edited by KG Erwin -- 10/17/2004 11:06:59 PM >
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