Flames of war - Late Pacific war - Dust up

Forces 1500

Banzai - Japanese Hohei Chutai (FV)
HQ

Platoon
Platoon

2xHMGs

3x Ho -Ni tank hunters

3x Te-Ke 

2x 150 mm Howitzers 

Limited Zero air support

Gung Ho - Marine infantry (FV)

HQ 

Platoon (2 squads)

Platoon (2 squads)

2x Assault section (attached)

4x Lmg

4x 60mm mortar

2x 37mm at-gun w Bazooka

3xM4 Sherman 
4x M3 Stuart

2x M4 Priest

We roll for scenario and it results in a dust up. the Japanese wins the roll for deployment and choose to attack with a night-fight assault, as per the "Hell by day, paradise by night" Japanese special rule. Half of both players armies are deployed in delayed reserve.

Turn 1
The Japanese push forward concealed by the night. Their battle-plan is to win the battle before dawn. The artillery spotter see the hiding US infantry just 50 cm away, but the artillery fail to range in.

The Americans lay still, waiting for the perfect moment to open fire...

Turn 2
The Japanese don't care much for concealing terrain, their soft shoes will not betray their silent approach.

The American Stuarts spots the oncoming Japanese infantry and opens up with their machine guns. Two Japanese teams are killed.

Turn 3

No reserves arrive. Still not close enough to assault, the Japanese takes position further ahead for an later assault. The Ho-Ni open up at the Stuarts, but miss all shots.

No reserves arrive, neither is dawn coming, as the defender rolls a dice for daybreak. The Stuarts hide from the Ho-Ni behind the houses. the mortars fail to range in.

Turn 4

One japanese platoon of reserves arrive, but still no daybreak. the Infantry on both sides are now close enough to assault so both platoons attempt assaults. In the middle, the assault is prevented by tank terror (come on, 3+ with re-roll), but two Nikku hakku teams continues the assault, one getting killed by defensive fire, the other destroying two Stuarts before getting killed in the counter attack. The newly arrived platoon also launch an assault, but losing a team in defensive fire and only killing a single marine team.

The night is still on in defenders turn 4, even with 3 dices to see if day breaks. The Sherman platoon arrive from reserve. Both Marine platoons line up for counter assaults and pinned, with only rifles the Japanese have little hope of stopping the assaults. Both Japanese platoons are slaughtered, with only two teams left in the center.

Turn 5

Day breaks. The Zero air support finally arrive! Te-Ke and HMGs also reinforce the Japanese, but with only support platoons remaining things looks really bad for the Japanese. The Ho-Ni destroy a Sherman and another is lost to the Zero bombing run - but the fearless remaining tank still push on.

At-guns and Priest reinforce the battlefield. The Last Sherman double towards the objective in the Japanese corner. The Stuarts destroy two of the Ho-Ni forcing a morale for the last one. The platoon fails but instead of fleeing, the tank crew dismount as a rifle  The last two Japanese infantry is killed in assault and the Marines now hold the objective.

Turn 6

In Japanese manner, the dismounted vehicle crew launch an assault to retake the objective, They survive three hits in defensive fire and kills a marine in assault, forcing them to break off (!). The Zero kills another three infantry with MGs, but the marine platoon is still in good spirit enough as they pass their 3+ morale.

The Stuarts destroy one of the Te-Ke and then the marines assault the last remaining infantry team, resulting in nothing now left to prevent a US-victory.

US victory 6-1