A GENERAL PETTYGREE BATTLESTORY

Location: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Date: July 1942 (2022)
Situation: Japanese Air Attack on Port Moresby

Rules: Foundationally "Bag The Hun" With Home Rule Variants 

Miniatures: We Use What We Have --- Geography Is Imagineered

Click on photos to enlarge them

PRELUDE

Tabletop game background scheduled for 9 July 2022.

Brisbane, Australia

"Right on time General."

"Welcome to Brisbane, General MacArthur."

"Thank you General Pettygree."

"Would you honour us by inspecting our Royal Australian Naval Honour Guard? Afterwards it is only a short drive into the city and your new headquarters."

"Present Arms!"

"Well turned out. Thank you."

"Your staff, I believe you call them the Bataan Gang, has not arrived. Meanwhile, I can give you a briefing as of this morning from Port Moresby." 

"Do so."

"The enemy holds the northeast coast of New Guinea. Our PBYs report significant build-ups. An inevitable move south by air and land assets across the Owen Stanley Mountains against Port Moresby is therefore expected any day.

"We have limited numbers blocking the Kokoda Track. It's the only way to Port Moresby. All dense jungle. Flights of Hurricanes and your P-40Bs are now on station. That's all we know right now."

"More is en-route to help.We'll see them off." 

Kokoda Jungle Track, Owen Stanley Mountains

North of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

1/144th Regiment

"Not much of a trail, Captain Okumiya"

"Hai (yes), Lieutenant Ogawa, and visibility is what, one to two meters? Take your company south until you contact the Australians. I will follow with the rest of the battalion. Force the enemy back and we'll push hard for Port Moresby."

"I hope we will receive air reconnaisance reports soon, Sir."

"It doesn't matter now. The important thing is to get to Port Moresby. That's when we'll need good reports and tactical air support."

Japanese Air Reconnaisance Above Port Moresby

West Bay, Seaplane Base

Port Moresby Ahead

East Bay Harbour Facilities --- Banking For Home

Two Merchant Ships

The Kokoda Track --- Rising To The Owen Stanley Mountains

CLOSING REMARKS

1. Six to seven friends are expected to fly on 9 July to attack and defend Port Moresby.

2. Your remarks are welcome as usual.

Air, Land and Sea Battle For New Guinea

 

A GENERAL PETTYGREE BATTLESTORY

Location: North Coast, Papua New Guinea
Date: May 14, 1943 (2022)
Situation: Allied Invasion and The Japanese Air Response

Rules: Foundationally "Bag The Hun" With Home Rule Variants 

Miniatures: We Use What We Have

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Click on photos to enlarge them, if you please.

Well, there you are my dear chaps. This time my travels have brought me to the north coast of Papua New Guinea. The little port behind me in the distance is Malabacca. You won't find it on a map because Bill imagineered it. 

Four of our ships remain but are departing after offloading an Australian combined arms battlegroup. The latter have moved inland to engage a weaker Japanese defensive force to push them westward. They are supported deeper inland by two new enemy airstrips.

This one photographed a month ago when under construction is near the coast.

The other, a jungle strip, appears almost ready for aircraft. Let's begin here shall we?

This is a flight of Nakajima Ki 43 fighters nicknamed Peregrine Falcons by the Japanese Army rising from the jungle. We call them Oscars.

They are hurtling toward the port to assist....

Mitsubishi G4 M ("Betty") bombers out of Rabaul from the far northeast inbound to play at mischief amidst our forces. Fortunately our code breakers learned of their departure causing....

A flight of Hurricanes to scramble to hopefully engage them in time.

At first the Betty's inexorable approach was curious to our pilots. Their bearing paralleled the shore ignoring the port. They appeared to be angling toward our departing warships, the Flower Class Corvette Racer and Minesweeper Houndstooth. 

Our chaps came in underneath taking out the rear bomber and then another; not shown. That left one enemy aircraft apparently flown by a highly skilled pilot in the lead. Ignoring trouble behind him....

His Betty pulled ahead dropping a load of bombs directly onto the deck of Houndstooth. Massive explosions erupted sinking her in minutes. Our Hurricanes continued the pursuit....

Knocking  out one engine and then the other. 

Some minutes before the plane struck the ground, the crew bailed out.

Previously, the Oscars and a second flight of Hurricanes dueled over the port. In the background are Houndstooth (left) and Racer (right) getting up speed. 

Honours amongst these duelists concluded evenly without the loss of aircraft. Here we see the Oscars breaking off heading back to the jungle airstrip.

Deeper inland our motor convoy was strafed by a flight of Tony fighters (not shown) from the Japanese Army coastal airstrip.

 

A flight of American P-40s arrived too late to intervene.

However, one of our Hurricanes later downed one of the Tonys. Japanese designation is Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Flying Swallow) Photo courtesy of Dave G.

Final Results

Allies:

12 points (3x Bettys shot down x 4 each)

1 point (1xTony shot down)

Japanese

8 points (Sinking Houndstooth)

4 points (Knocking out four trucks carrying troops at 1 point each)

The Gang of Four Left to Right

Seated: Greg B. (IJA) and John B. "The Formidable" (Allies)

Standing: Dave G. (IJA) and Bill P. (Allies) 

CLOSING REMARKS

(A) We played two games. The first involved air action at sea and over the port. The second happened inland engaging the Allied motor convoy. The description of both blended together into one story above. 

(B) Four missions were available for Greg and Dave.

1. Tonys strafe the Allied Motor Convoy and Oscars Interdict Allied Fighters.

2. Oscars strafe the Allied Motor Convoy and Tonys Interdict Allied Fighters.

3. Bettys Bomb Allied Ships. Tonys or Oscars try to Interdict Allied Fighters.

4. Bettys and Tonys bomb the Motor Convoy. Oscars Interdict Allied Fighters. 

Dave and Greg secretly chose #3 in Game 1 and #1 in Game 2.

(C) Turn 1 movement was Japanese only. On Turn 2 the Allies freely positioned their fighters to engage the Japanese where they wanted but far enough from their opponents to be fair. This simulated the historical breaking of the Japanese code meaning the Allies had a good idea about Japanese plans. Hence John was given the duty to decide how the Allies would engage guessing to some extent on what he observed Japanese planes doing on Turn 1. This worked well.

(D) Orders of Battle

Japanese: 3xBettys, 3xTonys and 3xOscars

Allies: 1xCorvette, 1x Minesweeper, 2xMerchants, 6x Hurricanes and 3xP40s.

Neither side had more than six fighters airborne per game. The 3xP40s substituted for 3xHurricanes in Game #2 to change things up a little.

(E) Thank you for looking in. Comments are welcome from you below.

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A GENERAL PETTYGREE BATTLESTORY

MONGOLIAN RHAPSODY

WHAT HAPPENED?

Date: August 1939 --- 15 May 2021
Adaptation: Khalkhin Gol Campaign NW Sector

Location: Huay Heights, Eastern Mongolia

Circumstances: Soviets vs Japanese

Miniatures: 28mm - We Use What We Have

Rules: Home

See prevous post for background:  

https://lostsouthpacificadventures.blogspot.com/2021/05/mongolian-rhapsody-battlestory.html

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Japanese Left Flank (foreground) --- Communist Right Flank (background)

Not much happened here other than desultory fire by both sides.

Japanese Left Center --- Communist Right Center

Communists approach Huay Ridge with armour and infantry.

Japanese Right Flank

A lot of Communist armoured vehicles outflank the Japanese.

Japanese Rear Echelon (supply)

Japanese Right Flank --- Communist Left Flank

Communist massed armour and infantry come closer.

Japanese tanks finally arrive, deploy hull down. Fire commences.

While in The Center, Communist forces assault the hill.

The tank battle is off image to the right.

At this point a reset was called.

Reason: Japanese Right Flank was collapsing.

This allowed forces of both sides to reorganize in controlled areas,

pick up stragglers and when completed, restart the game.

We simply pick up miniatures and redeploy them.

The Japanese reset found them falling back behind a rise of ground in the rear.

Japanese tanks have fallen back given the weight of Communist

armour piercing shells and the wretched state of Imperial shells.

The Japanese Right Flank is going to be overwhelmed. We all knew it.

However there was one faint hope though coming from the Japanese Left.

Japanese forces from their indolent Left Flank launched a Banzai charge (image upper left) supported by several tanks. However, the Banzai charge was stopped cold by flanking fire off image upper left. This ended the battle.

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CLOSING REMARKS

1. Four old friends played; Dan and Morgan E, Jim H. and me, Bill P. Gosh it was good to game together again --- just like old times. However, I wanted to keep player numbers low at four for uncertain reasons.

2. My command was the Japanese Left Flank. I had to laugh at myself because I was not on top of my game making rookie mistakes. The wretched lockdown dulled my thinking. The Japanese left flank had half the infantry plus a surprise cavalry force. The latter never showed up. I should have pitched into the Communists a lot sooner. Sorry Dan!

3. The scenario called for poor Japanese supply and ammunition. We realized toward the end of the game, the penalty was too much to overcome. Rethinking is needed for next time. The Japanese could hardly cause casualties. My fault as the designer. Historically the Japanese held the ridge against superior Communist numbers.

4. This was certainly a different game --- fielding opposing sides in eastern Mongolia.

5. Comments welcome below.

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MONGOLIAN RHAPSODY BATTLESTORY

A GENERAL PETTYGREE BATTLESTORY

MONGOLIAN RHAPSODY

PRELUDE

Date: August 1939 --- 15 May 2021
Adaptation: Khalkhin Gol Campaign NW Sector

Location: Huay Heights, Eastern Mongolia

Circumstances: Soviets vs Japanese

Miniatures: 28mm - We Use What We Have

Rules: Home

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"The Japanese and Soviets have sparred across this area for months. It appears we've arrived in time for the finish and a singularly different Battlestory for my readers." 

"I see little value here for them to spill blood and expend resources. This vast grassland is almost empty of everything."

"Aye Grandmaison but the Japanese desire to defend their Manchukuo protectorate to the east. More important is their prodigious fear that the Communist socialist movement will eventually reach Japan. This way they fight the Reds here instead of militarily and culturally in the home islands."

"I understand General; the principle of keeping the enemy busy far from home." 

"Most of Europe is similarly alarmed about the Communist menace Lieutenant."

"We have only to be reminded of thirty Ukrainian millions starved to death and imprisoned when Stalin eliminated small farms to create state-run collectives. Intellectuals, teachers and religious disappeared too in other parts of the Soviet Union when they expressed free thought and opposition. The Red Army suffered a great purge as well decimating the officer corps. Most Communists are godless and so --- brutality in this life has no consequence in the next because for them, it does not exist."

"We can be very thankful the Japanese are engaging the Soviets here. This way they will be less able to foment and support their principles even in our own country." 

"Here is General Ishigura, Sir."

"My compliments General Ishigura. I am honoured to be invited to view and report the singular events to the world you expect will occur soon."

"General Pettygree. No, it is my honour. In fact the new Communist commander, Zhukov, has launched his offensive southeast of our location. We hold the northwest flank to prevent our Main Army from being turned. We can discuss this later."

"Meanwhile, I would be further honoured if you would share a welcoming drink in that wretched hovel you just rode by. I apologize. It is all there is in this wilderness."

"Of Course. Grandmaison, let's dismount."

"Sirs, excuse me, if you please, but look eastwards. Something is afoot."

All turned to observe....

Japanese infantry rushing forward along a primitive path while....

Beyond them other infantry was ordered to kneel apparently to hide out of sight while the crew of a nearby anti-tank gun began loading vigorously. The reason?

A Soviet reconnaissance force appeared and began to ascend the Huay Heights.

"Fire on my command!"

"FIRE!"

"You missed." 

"Reload and fire again." But....

The Reds found out what they wanted to know; that a Japanese force occupied the height. This news needed to be reported and so the armoured car and BT-7 tank turned about and raced away covered by their own dust and the smoke of a parting shot. The latter harmlessly sailed over the anti-tank gun.

"Alright then. General Pettygree, let's have that welcoming drink and afterwards adjourn to the height. We have time for more of our forces to arrive and dig in before the Communists appear in force."

"Splendid."

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CLOSING REMARKS

Pard Jim H. asked that we have a tabletop game featuring Soviet and Japanese forces in Mongolia. Adapting the Huay (sp?) Battle seemed best given our resources. Actually I had to imagineer everything! The latter is cheerfully very old school. The game is scheduled for 15 May 2021. I dearly regret still limiting the number of participants to four friends.

It appears the region was almost entirely steppe; grassland for miles in every direction except for probably sparse and stunted trees near streams.

The Japanese historically were mortified that Communism would enter and overwhelm their culture. Indeed, their surrender in 1945 though stimulated by two atomic bombs was made certain when Stalin attacked Manchukuo and could not be stopped that August.

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