Alligator Creek - ASL G16
If you like the Japanese and the night, you must play this scenario. About a dozen marine squads plus reinforcements with some wire and a 37LL w/ C12 try to hold off the entire Japanese army, or at least 35 squads. It uses boards 32 and 34, but all woods/jungle are palm trees. To win, the Japanese must exit 30 VP off the west edge.

The American player set up strong with his dummies on the Japanese right and strong on his left, hoping to draw me there. I (the Japanese) took the bait, and went hard left, with about 20 squads, the remaining 15 went up the gut. On the right was a sea of dummies, with the MG teams to interdict any planned lateral reinforcements. After brushing away the early resistance, I found the MLR, only about eight hexes away from the board edge. Aside from a squad or two, between me and a quick win on the left was only the 37LL and a stack 9-1, 558, 458, hmg. I figure- I'm Japanese, with about a 20-2 advantage- BANZAI!!!

Well, I don't know who was manning that MG nest, or how many wheaties he had for breakfast but he went crazy. The first charge of 10 squads swarmed both the nest and the 37LL, and the 37LL falls quickly, only managing to flip a squad or two. On the other hand, the MG nest goes crazy, and kills everyone who got close- and I mean everyone! Figuring that kind of luck can't last forever, I throw in 10 more squads. The net result? This stack passed eight (8!) consecutive FPF MC's, rolling a KIA of better on five (5!) separate occasions! It literally, in a single phase, eliminated (by KIA!) about 10 squads! I could not beleive it. What is worse- he did it with my dice! (Which I will now put in a special container and save for emergencies) About the only good thing that happened, was that I finally managed to break him with AFPh TBF fire.

I'm telling you, watching that occur was a personal 4MC, which I barely passed. Despite the carnage, I was still able to exit most of the surviving ten squads on the subsequent turns. It was up to the center to carry the day. Here again the marines were hard, when, as I fire to encircle the last decent stack of marines, the cry goes up "HEAT OF BATTLE!", creating a hero and a fanatic squad. He jumps a squad and a half in CC, and waxes the first. My return attacks were ineffectual, but my half squad hung tough, duking it out for a turn and a half; long enough to get my troops behind them, and start dashing for the exit.

Just when I thought I had a chance, down comes the OBA, blocking the center of the map. Bravely (and rather hurriedly at this point) the Japanese charge through the barrage all save the last stack making it by relatively unscathed. The last group however, was pinned, and could not exit. With a turn and a half to go, I needed to exit 10 VP's, and I had 11 that could theoretically exit. The hero and fanatic squad proceed to double-time after a lone crew trying to escape, and, together with a lonely half-squad manage to double break it in his AFPh. Unable to rally him, I only exit 29 VP.

What a game!

Mike O'Leary