Invasion of Malaya, Dec 10, 1941: The Battle of Changlun

 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...

The Struggle begins on Skyren

 Planet Skyren is host to extremely various climates, from thick jungle on its equator belt to deserts and Ice Polar regions. It has been unaware of a small Chaos presence hiding in the jungle regions. In fact, a squad-sized Krieg patrol has disappeared. A search team consisting of four squads is dispatched to locate the men. It will contain one squad each of Catachan, local PDF, and two squads of Cadians... 

A view of the battlefield, looking over the Chaos positions towards the Imperials opposite. The ruins at bottom represent the Chaos staging area. The jungle is extremely thick Moving off trail one must roll 6d for a movement of 1-6")..

The Cultists are discovered asone scout tears into some mutants...

The second column of Catachan warriors locates the missing Krieg men...theyve been turn into walking nightmares...the dead! The scout here dispatches numerous monstrosities before he too is wounded...

His fellow Catachan wade into the former Krieg, destroying them utterly...

Returning to the first group, the scout here finishes off the mutants but has taken two of his three wounds...

Cultists appear before the Catachans but are swiftly dealt with...

With the other column, more cultists take down the wounded scout, but an Imperial Psycher, in turn dispatched them...

The Catachans are attacked by a band of Chaos Marines and they take serious losses! They do eliminate numerous Marines in a hard fight...

With intelligence gained of the loss of Krieg but the discovery of a serious Chaos presence, the remaining Catachan sell their lives dearly, enabling the rest of the column to withdrawal successfully back to Imperial lines...

The fight for Skyren will continue!

The Orks Evacuate the Hulk

Da Big Boss decided that it was better to move off the Hulk and locate better Warrrg grounds. Three different Clans held two Roks each with a small number of escorts would attempt to fight their way out...

 On the right sector, a Kill Kroozer with three Onslaught Attack ships face off against two Nyd Cruisers, six Kraken in order to screen their Roks (off photo to left)

The Greenskins strike first and destroy one Kraken...

On the left sector, the Orks take down another Kraken...

But then one of the Onslaughts on the left is vaporized Note the Rok on right....

Staying on the left sector, the Tyranids press through the Greenskins escorts to bring the Roks under fire...

The Orks lose all their escorts on the left! The Roks are seen in the upper right...

Back to the right sector, a torpedo attack will take down a second Kraken. while six Brut Ram (l) ships move in to attack...

The torpedo strikes home...

Still on the right sector, the Kill Kroozer and Ram ships try desperately to screen their Roks. One Nid Kraken is destroyed (l-Kraken sits on top off Burst marker)as a Ram ship makes contact...

The Orks Ram ships succeed in destroying two Kraken, but they lose their Kill Krooser and three other Ram  ships!

On the right sector, the Tyranids close in on a Rok (its doomed)and the remaining Kill Krooser...

The Tyranids swarming all around a second Rok...

As the Kill Krooser attempts to fight off its tormentors, The Roks (which are the slowest moving unit on the table) are trying to escape while one takes numerous strikes...

Two Roks left now; can any make it! The Kill Krooser has been slowed so much it can't even escape the blast markers...

Closing in on one Rok...

The three remaining Ram ships have circled around in an attempt to save the Roks, but although they make a strike, another Rok is lost. one remains...

Despite the close approach and attack by a Nyd Cruiser, the remaining Rok escapes! Note the heavily damage Kill cruiser (t) is limping away...

So only one Rok escaped the carnage! It will steer towards the planet Skyren and try to land the surviving Evil Sunz Boyz...

Space Hulk 024X

 The Club game returned to the original Space Hulk to recreate the discovery of Oks of and by Tyranids. The struggle was epic!

The battlefield, with the Oks appearing from the left and the 'Nids from the right...

A gang of Hormagaunts charge a mob...

A closeup...

Tyranid Warriors and a Lictor strike back...

The Lictor (t-l)and friends...

Last two standing, the Lictor and one Warrior...

The Boyz smashing up some more Hormagaunts...

Some Beast Snagga Boyz dealing with Ripper Swarms...

The last of the 'Gaunts go down...

The Beast Snagga Boyz also put a hurt on another group of Hormagaunts...

Some of the Boyz dealing with 'stealers and Barbcasters...

Termagaunts facing down other Boyz...

The last Hormagaunts go down...

Hard fighting between Genestealers and some of the Boyz. note the Broodlord to the right...

The Boyz striving to finish off the Lictor while in the background, von Ryan's Leapers get ready to aid their master...

The Beast Snagga Boyz and Genestealers are going at it...

The Lictor has only one wound left!

But the Genestealers save the beast...

The last of the Boyz are fighting their way to reach the Broodlord...

Although the Boyz take down all of the Genestealers, the Broodlord is the last standing...

The groups first conflict involving Orks and Tyranids contained a lot of fun. The Orks will attempt to evacuate the Hulk and find a tempting planet nearby. That is next up.