If I'd thought about it we could have linked this game to the Incheon landings that we did a couple of months ago, and it may have worked into quite a good mini campaign. I didn't, however, so what we ended up with was another stand-alone. Ranged against the NKPA (Comrade Al) were the Western Imperialist aggressors of the US 5th Marines (Dave Russell) and the 1st ROK Marines (Paul Foster).
Here is the extreme left of the NKPA, deployed in defensive blocking positions on the line of Kimpo to Seoul. Unfortunately, they lacked the firepower to effectively engage the lead US forces that moved on this area, and so had to remain hidden and hope for easier targets later in the fighting.
This shows the beginnings of the NKPA counter attack, which started at dawn. Spotting distance was heavily reduced due to the time of the event and the North made quite rapid progress down the valley, heading in the general direction of Incheon.
By about 08.00 the NKPA had dealt with the point forces of the ROK Marines advance and were looking to occupy an area that would force them onto a narrow front, thus limiting the amount of firepower the Western Aggressors could bring to bear against them. However, in the background can be seen a force of light tanks and a couple of companies of ROK Marines which had moved much faster than anticipated, so the NKPA flank was never secure.
This is another picture from the early part of the battle. Both sides had taken a few casualties, but the US air power started to make regular appearances over the battlefield, slowing the advance of the NKPA.
More US armour begins to arrive from the Incheon area, supported by ROK Marines. General Foster had swamped the NKPA line in this position, and although some of his forces suffered heavy casualties the rest had no problems securing excellent field position for an assault on the hills in front of Kimpo.
North Korean Yaks made the odd bit of difference between turns four and five (about 10am actual time) by strafing the advance units of the ROK. Several Shermans had been damaged in exchanges with the T34/85s, and for a while it looked as though the NKPA might pull off a spectacular victory.
From about the same time, an ROK Marine company is forced into cover; casualties weren't too bad but their morale had not held up. The western aggressors weren't having it all their own way at this point, and their air support actually attacked their own forces during this phase of the battle as well.
Here is a couple of companies of the 5th Marines. They engaged the NKPA counter attack forces head-on and brought the whole forward movement to a screaming halt.
This is from about the mid-way point. The NKPA had been fairly well outflanked on both sides, and as only the centre was still fighting well, the north concentrated the last of their uncommitted forces to this area. The counter attack was fast becoming a defensive battle, however, and I was starting to have to move troops out of their dug in positions around Kimpo to bolster both sides of the line.
The last undamaged, uncommitted, NKPA tank unit tries to slow the right flank advance of the 5th Marines. My anti-tank guns were still holding off General Foster's advance on the left, so using this last platoon here seemed like a good move.
It wasn't. Without infantry support the US had nothing really to fear from a single tank platoon, and in the event David's forces here didn't even have to slow down.
This is from turn 10. NKPA forces were flowing back towards the Kimpo perimeter. The counter attack had been largely destroyed, and although there were still a couple of companies fighting well, they were now mostly cut off and without tank or aircraft support.
Armoured infantry from the reinforcement units dismount from their carriers and engage the NKPA platoons trying to stall the left flank advance. Also on this turn the ROK Marines captured the main hill position guarding the airfield, and 5th Marines on the other flank broke clean through the NKPA defensive line in two places. We called it quits here as the NKPA counter attack had been smashed, which it was historically, and the Western Imperialist Aggressors had all the good field positions, and more and more reinforcements were arriving, including as yet uncommitted tanks and infantry. All in all the UN suffered slightly more casualties here than they did historically, although the game went pretty much as it did on the day in terms of the timing and movement of key units involved in the battle.
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Here is the extreme left of the NKPA, deployed in defensive blocking positions on the line of Kimpo to Seoul. Unfortunately, they lacked the firepower to effectively engage the lead US forces that moved on this area, and so had to remain hidden and hope for easier targets later in the fighting.
This shows the beginnings of the NKPA counter attack, which started at dawn. Spotting distance was heavily reduced due to the time of the event and the North made quite rapid progress down the valley, heading in the general direction of Incheon.
By about 08.00 the NKPA had dealt with the point forces of the ROK Marines advance and were looking to occupy an area that would force them onto a narrow front, thus limiting the amount of firepower the Western Aggressors could bring to bear against them. However, in the background can be seen a force of light tanks and a couple of companies of ROK Marines which had moved much faster than anticipated, so the NKPA flank was never secure.
This is another picture from the early part of the battle. Both sides had taken a few casualties, but the US air power started to make regular appearances over the battlefield, slowing the advance of the NKPA.
More US armour begins to arrive from the Incheon area, supported by ROK Marines. General Foster had swamped the NKPA line in this position, and although some of his forces suffered heavy casualties the rest had no problems securing excellent field position for an assault on the hills in front of Kimpo.
North Korean Yaks made the odd bit of difference between turns four and five (about 10am actual time) by strafing the advance units of the ROK. Several Shermans had been damaged in exchanges with the T34/85s, and for a while it looked as though the NKPA might pull off a spectacular victory.
From about the same time, an ROK Marine company is forced into cover; casualties weren't too bad but their morale had not held up. The western aggressors weren't having it all their own way at this point, and their air support actually attacked their own forces during this phase of the battle as well.
Here is a couple of companies of the 5th Marines. They engaged the NKPA counter attack forces head-on and brought the whole forward movement to a screaming halt.
This is from about the mid-way point. The NKPA had been fairly well outflanked on both sides, and as only the centre was still fighting well, the north concentrated the last of their uncommitted forces to this area. The counter attack was fast becoming a defensive battle, however, and I was starting to have to move troops out of their dug in positions around Kimpo to bolster both sides of the line.
The last undamaged, uncommitted, NKPA tank unit tries to slow the right flank advance of the 5th Marines. My anti-tank guns were still holding off General Foster's advance on the left, so using this last platoon here seemed like a good move.
It wasn't. Without infantry support the US had nothing really to fear from a single tank platoon, and in the event David's forces here didn't even have to slow down.
This is from turn 10. NKPA forces were flowing back towards the Kimpo perimeter. The counter attack had been largely destroyed, and although there were still a couple of companies fighting well, they were now mostly cut off and without tank or aircraft support.
Armoured infantry from the reinforcement units dismount from their carriers and engage the NKPA platoons trying to stall the left flank advance. Also on this turn the ROK Marines captured the main hill position guarding the airfield, and 5th Marines on the other flank broke clean through the NKPA defensive line in two places. We called it quits here as the NKPA counter attack had been smashed, which it was historically, and the Western Imperialist Aggressors had all the good field positions, and more and more reinforcements were arriving, including as yet uncommitted tanks and infantry. All in all the UN suffered slightly more casualties here than they did historically, although the game went pretty much as it did on the day in terms of the timing and movement of key units involved in the battle.
Oh Al, from what I can recall the first casualty of the battle was your fridge stocks. Cheers for a great night!!!
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome Paul, and thanks to you for your contributions.
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