Assault on the 'Roc'

Following the successful recon mission of the crashed Roc, a reinforced Imperial force arrived. x3 squads ea of Catachan, Royal, and Cadian soldiers, alongside 3x Chimera and a Leman Russ. This is that struggle:

The view taken from the Imperial side moving out into the burned area. (Unfortunately, the Imperial Player forgot the Chimera and so they are marked by the plastic cases)...

View opposite of the Ork forces...The Greenskins fire on (and some excellent shooting by the Orks!) and charge two different Cadian squads...

On the far left, Orks and Catachan exchange some losses...

Even as one Ork Mob is devastated in the center, a rolling mist/fog descends on the right on the battlefield (bottom). Then a chittering sound is heard getting louder and louder, until suddenly, masses of Tyranids appear! A whole new fight has arrived...

In our narrative, the Tyranids followed the escaping Roc from the environs of the space battle mentioned earlier, to land right behind the Orks, and thereby escaping Imperial eyes! 

  Meanwhile on the far left, the Catachan are nearly destroyed in melee. (note the lone Catachan survivor top center)...

Close up of some Genestealers advancing against the Imperial left flank, with the Leman Russ at the top...

The final dramatic photos have disappeared! (this has occurred twice now and I don't have an explanation) A Tyranid Hierophant next appeared to devastate the Orks on this flank. The Imperials withdrew into the jungle while the Greenskins fell back into their Roc! The fight for Skyren will continue!

To replace the lost photos, Ive added separate images of the Tyranid Titan...

The Return to Skyren

Following the initial battle that taught the Imperium that Orks had arrived on Skyren, a Reconaisance Force was sent out to discover where the Orks had come form. 

You have to use a bit of imagination here as the Ork Roc that escaped from the Tyranid infested Space Hulk moving on the planet Harvest, would be located at the left edge of the table. the crash has created a furrow and a fire burned much of the jungle edge. To the right zre the forces of the IMperium, inc three squads each of Catachan, Cadian, and Skyren Royal Regiment, along with some supporting weapons. A single Greenskin Mob can just be seen below the crest of the furrow...

The view taken from over the Greenskins, showing the Warboss (center bottom) ready for the struggle...

The opposing view, as the Royals can just make out some Greenskins...

Following the opening shots by a Big Shooter, it becomes a casualty to return fire...

The Orks inflict some losses on the Royals as their compatriots advance...

As the Royals get closer, the Ork Mob advance but take casualties...

More Greenskins appear on the right but more losses are taken. Well the Orks are not built for shooting! If only the Humies continue to get closer...

They do score a few hits, as the Royals' Command takes a hit...

The Cadians, led by "Rambo", take their first loss...

The Catachan and Cadins (background) take down their first Orks...

Back on the right, the Royals and Greenskins exchange losses. They are getting closer..

But more Orks go down...

The first charge strikes home and one Royal Squad is destroyed along with much of the command. Total carnage...

On the left, another charge strikes home and a Cadian squad is wiped out. Now the Greenskins are in their element...

The last Royals retire, but do not escape Orkish revenge, and are totally destroyed...

The last Royals are hardpressed on the right...

The successful Orks in the center pay for their exposed position from Imperium support weapons...

Back on the right, it is virtually mutual self destruction...

The Recon comes to an end and the Imperium now knows the location of their hated enemies...

The Jats in the Rubber

 As the Japanese assaulted the main British lines at Jitra, they also slammed into the Jat battalion nearby in a rubber plantation. This game turned quickly into the most lopsided struggle I ever experienced. It involved the Chain of Command Rules surrounding the Japanese using the aircraft bombardment attachment. This required a d6 roll by the British player to determine if they will arrive on time. In three of five rolls, I (British player) a one was rolled which kept three of the Jat squads from entering the battlefield until the end of the turn (x3 sixes in the Command points phase needed in a turn! It turned out that they never did arrive. That meant 3/4 of the defenders would never take part. Needless to say, this meant for an impossible game, but hey, thats the way things go.

On the third phase of the turn, the Jats received their Vickers MMG team which opened fire on the quickly approaching Japanese...

The one Jat squad that did arrive (to the right of the Vickers team), quickly inflicted numerous casualties on a second Japanese squad, although it did receive a lot of Shock in return...

That same squad then took numerous casualties and even more Shock. The unit is nearly suppressed already (Shock markers equaling the remaining figures)...

The Vickers team got exactly one phase of fire before it was overrun and destroyed...

Unfortunately for the Jats, their one squad was now suppressed in the fifth phase!

The Jats get their 2lb ATG which scores a hit on the Japanese Chi Ha tank, forcing it to retire a few inches. Howeveer, it then it is hit by Shock that almost suppressed it...

Closeup of the brave gun crew...

The Jat squad is barely hanging on...

The Chi Ha tank plays cat and mouse behind the native hut...

The ATG is forced to fire against the advancing Japanese squad because there is literally nothing else at the Jats disposal. They do succeed in getting a hit...

The Jats seem to be getting the advantage against the Japanese to their front...

But Additional Japanese troops are now flanking the Jats from the left, who are now Suppressed...

And then they are outed as the 2lb crew is wiped out as well. And that was it, very frustrating...

This game unfortunately reinforces my opinion that Chain of Command is not my choice of WWII Rules. It was however interesting to use their mini-campaign covering Malaya, something you do see very often!

Main Battle Front at Jitra

Following the first three games of this miniseries where British/Indian forces t\attempted to delay the oncoming Japanese forces during their invasion of Malaya in 1941, the main defensive line at Jitra has been reached.

On the Brits right flank in the Rubber Plantation (palm trees standing in for rubber trees), both sides exchange fire and each take a casualty

Guarding the main road from the Japanese invasion beaches to the north in Thailand, stands a substantial concrete bunker (r). The Brits and Japanese forces here too exchange fire and a casualty each...

Back on the right, the Japanese take additional losses...

In the center, a weakened Japanese squad (from previous fight), loses more men...

Then the Japanese player makes an incredible shot, penetrating the bunker and downing one of the Vickers MMG crew!

Joining the Japanese forces in their center, another squad and a Chi Ha tank make their appearance...

On the right, British forces take losses, and at this point the Brits were getting frustrated as they have two squads exchanging fire on one Japanese squad her.  They are pounding the Japanese to their front as well...

The Brits take another loss in the center from long range fire. The Japanese just can't miss...

And yet more losses to long range fire!

Finally the Brits get a good shooting round inflicting losses and enough Shock to suppress the Japanese on this flank. Perhaps things are looking up!

The Brits pour more devastating fire into the Japanese on the right, causing the squad to rout...

Finally some reinforcements for the Brits, but no sooner do they arrive and they take heavy losses! (Again at long range)

Then suddenly another bad round and they break! The luck of the British has just simply been terrible...

And more losses for the Brits on the left...

Another casualty! Can the Brits catch a break!

Not letting up on the right following the rout of the Japanese squad here, the Brits maintain their fire and bring down a senior Japanese leader. Unfortunately it will be their only success...

The last shots of the Brits before they break as a force, a 2lb AT shot hits the tank and momentarily stops its advance. Unfortunately a photo showing the courageous attack by Japanese engineers destroying the bunker with a satchel charge has disappeared, so that British disaster does not show up here. Overall it was an incredibly frustrating game for the British forces. With all their forces entrenched or in a bunker, they suffered three times the losses of the attacking Japanese troops. Oh well...