Counter Attack at Meiktila

20/3/45

Pictures of the Game

On the 3rd of March 1945 the Meiktila was taken by the 17th Indian Division from the Japanese. However the advance from the Irrawaddy had been undertaken without any concern about the division's lines of communications. Meiktila was deep within Japanese lines and the Japanese just closed around behind the Commonwealth troops. The operation's commander, Lieutenant-General William Slim was unconcerned: the Allied airforces had wrested air superiority from the Japanese and flew uncontested in the skies over Burma. The defenders of Meiktila could be supplied and reinforced from the air.

At first this went to plan, despite the fact that the heavy artillery of Nagamura Force overlooked the airfield from the high ground to the north of the town. However the Japanese commanders soon realised the vital nature of the airfield and on the the night of the 18th moved their forces close enough to the airfield to stop it being used.

On the 20th the Japanese decided to exploit their success of the 18th and  make a major assault through suburb of Kyigon to take take Meiktila

The game represents both the Japanese attack and Commonwealth efforts to remove the Japanese from the perimeter of the airfield. Available historical documentation on the action is sparse so the scenario represents a best guess as to the actions on the day. The OB is broadly accurate though I've had to guess which battalions of the 9th and 99th Brigades were involved. The map is bases on a 60's US army map and Google earth so is also broadly accurate

Map and Order of Battle

Deployment

On the map the the blue dashed line is the forward deployment zone of the Commonwealth Forces and the pink dotted line the forward deployment zone of the Japanese Forces

The British forces are deployed as indicated on the map. Each battalion has a distinct deployment area indicated by the dashed lines. The 99th Brigade HQ can be in  the JAT or Punjab deployment area. All British forces are entrenched (-3 cover). The 3rd Battalion 4th Punjab Battalion may not be entrenched on the runway

A Squadron Probyn’s Horse 255th Tank Brigade is a reinforcement. Start rolling for arrival just before turn 4 - it arrives on a 6. Next turn it arrives on a 4-6. It arrives automatically on turn 6. It can enter any place on the South West board edge

The Staff 17th Indian Division is a reinforcement. It can be diced for at the end of a turn where any Commonwealth battalion or brigade HQ goes shaken, demoralised or is KO'ed. The turn after the occurrence it arrives on a 6. Turn after that is 4-6. It automatically arrives after the third turn. It can enter any place on the South West board edge

No reinforcement can arrive within12" and LOS of an un-demoralised enemy stand. If entry is impossible, the reinforcements can enter a turn later up to 12" from  their indicated entry location. If entry is still impossible move 12" further away every turn until entry is possible.

The Japanese forces are deployed as indicated on the map. Within their deployment zone the 55th Infantry Regiment can be deployed anywhere south of the Kondaking River, the 119th Infantry Regiment anywhere north of the river. The 14th Tank Regiment starts on the road adjacent to Zuanggyangon.

The 55th Infantry Regiment is dug-in in foxholes (-2 cover)

Terrain

The map is designed for a 5ft x 6.6ft table where 1"=50m. North is towards the top of the page

For the most part the terrain is flat and open. Off table to the north the ground rises to some hills held by The Japanese

The red lines are dirt roads

The black dotted line is a railway. It is slightly raised on a low embankment. Direct fire (not H class) that crosses the embankment against personnel and Type I gun stands touching, but not on the railway (i.e. hiding immediately behind it), suffers a -2 penalty

The blue lines are streams. They are no impediment to movement except for man-handled guns and wheeled vehicles that take the equivalent of a cautious advance move to cross. So if moving with a hasty advance order, the unit loses half its movement. If moving with a cautious advance order, a stand must start on one bank and will be moved to the other. The stream gives cover against direct fire (not H class) to personnel and Type I gun stands in the stream. Intermittently along the streams are stands of trees that break LOS: over 8" from each other an not more than 4" long. Anyone touching the stream is assumed to be adjacent to the trees no matter which side the trees are modelled.

The grey areas (excepting the square adjacent to the runway) are 4x4 BUA's, mostly consisting widely spaced wooden shacks with plenty of trees interspersed. These are better modelled in rules terms as open woods rather than BUA's

The grey square next to the airstrip is a 4x4" BUA representing admin buildings. They are wood and corrugated iron, -2 cover

The green area is a open wood.

The thick green line is a grass airstrip. It has little game significance, apart from the victory conditions, however its is so flat that halted stands do not get -1 cover when halted on it.

The open ground, over 3" from the airstrip is a jumble of small dry fields. For the most part the boundaries are little more than lines in the dirt. But occasionally bushes and trees grow long the margins. These should be widely spaced on the tabletop, over 8" from each other an not more than 4" long. Treat them as -1 cover which breaks LOS.

Air Support

The British have air supremacy. Starting Turn 6 roll 2d6. One dice is for the Austers of B Flight 656th AOP Squadron, other for CAS by RAF Hurricanes or USAAF Thunderbolts (50% chance of either)

On a roll of 4+ an Auster is available

On a roll of a 5 a single Strike plane is available, on a 6 two strike planes are available

Special Rules

The game starts before dawn. The first three turns are in darkness. Its a clear night and visibility is 4". Turn 4 is dawn and visibility is 12". After that its full daylight - visibility is 60"

The game lasts 12 turns

The Japanese have some AA weapons, but not enough to warrant a stand. To model them collective ground fire hits on a 1-2 rather than a 1.

Naganuma Force

The spotters for the force are situated on the high ground to the north. Assume the spotting point is mid way along the NW table edge. On turn 5 they have LOS to any point on the table that isn't directly behind an obstacle that breaks LOS. In such cases if all parts of the stand are closer than 3" to the obstacle then the spotters do not have LOS

For the first four turns of the game fire arrives as follows:

From turn 5 fire arrives as follows

Victory Conditions

The Japanese are aiming to take Kyigon and to continue to interdict the airfield. The Commonwealth wishes to defend Kyigon and push the Japanese back from the airfield

The Japanese win a famous victory if they take Kyigon and take the admin building next to the airstrip

The Japanese win a standard victory if they take Kyigon and have at least one personnel stand that is not shaken or demoralised within 6" of the airstrip

The British with a standard victory if they hold Kyigon and the Japanese have no personnel stands that are not shaken or demoralised within 6" of the airstrip

The British win a famous victory if they hold Kyigon and the Japanese have no personnel stands that are not shaken or demoralised within 6" of the airstrip and they hold Zuanggyangon

To count as holding you must have one stand within that is not shaken or demoralised and the enemy must not have any stands within that are not shaken or demoralised

Pictures of the Game