Going to use the Chain of Command rules and their mini-campaign "A Driving Charge: Breaking the Jitra Line, 1941", covering the early days and struggles near Jitra located in northern Malaya.
It is December 10, 1941, remembering the this is west of the International Dateline, so the Pearl Harbor attack took place on Dec 8. Looking south over the Rubber Plantation at the bottom hiding advanced elements of the the Japanese 5th Division's Reconnaisance Regiment commanded by Colonel Saeki. At the top of the photo, are the British/Indian positions (1/14 Punjab under Lt. Colonel Fitzpatrick) behind a flooded river, just south of the village of Changlun. The entire area south (bottom) of the river is jungle (although we've kept it fairly light so as to permit gaming). Engineers are already preparing the bridge for demolition as the game begins. You can just make out advanced Japanese troops in the rice paddy upper right...
The Punjabi have constructed some slit trenches facing the river at the bridge for one squad (upper left), while a second squad (lower left) has taken some fire from advancing Japanese across the river (out of view to left, but mentioned previously)...
The Japanese previously mentioned...
A second Japanese squad emerges from the Rubber trees and rushes across the cleared ground towards the bridge (hidden behind the small patch of jungle at top) They take the first loss from the Punjabi fire...
The Punjabi take the Japanese HMG under fire...successfully...
To the nw of the bridge, fire is exchanged between the Japanese and Punjabi with casualties on both sides. A Japanese mortar barrage is falling on the Punjabi near the bridge (note cotton ball)...
Indian casualties are beginning to mount...
The Japanese make their first assault on the bridge and inflict some casualties but are driven back 9hidden in jungle patch at bottom)...
The Punjabi mortar causes some loss among the Japanese HMG located at the edge of the Rubber trees...
But the squad of Punjabi to the west of the bridge are being chopped up!...
The Engineers had now completed their preparations (but according to the rules, the British commander now had to roll x5 5s on the Command dice! That was going to be very difficult as the Japanese had already stormed the Punjabi position at the bridge. They were driven back, and took further losses from cover fire...
View of the Japanese following their second retreat...
The Punjabi troops to the west of the bridge were now broken and forced to retreat...
With the Japanese preparing to attack again, and casualties mounting, the British commander had to order his men to retire before they were overrun! The bridge will not be destroyed! So close...
the campaign continues...
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