Order of Battle Pacific: US Marines – AAR, Scenario 8 Part 1

January 7, 2017 Featured Posts, Order of Battle Pacific No comments

Order of Battle Pacific: US Marines – AAR, Scenario 8 Part 1

Now that the holidays are in the rearview mirror, Airboy’s battles through the Pacific continue ~

Avery Abernethy, 7 January 2017

click images to enlarge

Scenario 8 – Saipan

Saipan is huge compared to the Marshall and Gilbert Island targets. I used two landing zones because the city in the middle was too tough to take on D-Day. My initial objectives are: 1] link up the two landing zones; 2] seize the southern airfield; and 3] secure all Southern Saipan so I could fight on only one front. But achieving these three objectives was not easy. I continue my strategy of concentrating my forces and landing my artillery in a second wave. The Japanese make multiple counter-attacks including several led by armor. It takes many turns to seize the southern airfield and land air support. It takes even longer to eliminate the Japanese snipers and infantry in Southern Saipan. The infantry allocated to eliminating resistance in the South never catch up to the main battle until the issue is decided. Much of my heavy artillery was allocated to the South and had to be shipped north. Central Saipan is mountainous which is excellent defensive terrain. The heights must be secured by infantry and the going was slow until I got all of my heavy artillery up from South Saipan.

Saipan D-Day

Saipan Linkup

Saipan Counter Attacks

Excepting three destroyers, on Saipan you do not control Navy gun support. This was a design feature to better simulate the actions of the US Navy during Saipan. The Navy left the Saipan landings to respond to a Japanese attack. The great naval victory deprived the Marines of heavy naval guns for much of the battle.