Soviet forces conducted an envelopment of Fuchin on 11 August from the Amur River with other forces attacking from the north. Lead elements of the 361st Rifle Division and 171st Tank Brigade battered their way into the center of the city after brutal fighting. Elements of the Japanese 2nd Battalion, Sungari Naval Infantry Regiment occupied positions in the southwestern potion of the city along with elements of other mixed units. This area was part of the Fortified Military Settlement, with defensive works heavier than what the Soviets had encountered on 11 August.
John and I both looked at this and thought the Japs stood little chance of winning. Outnumbered 2:1, with the Russians able to deploy, facing 9 tanks and OBA, it would be a tough ask. But if anyone could pull it off it'd be John, as he's one of the best defenders I've ever played. Not too surprisingly, roadblocks cut off the top two roads, and the south was heavily lined with AT ditches. This forced me to smash some tanks into buildings, and I lost my first of three tanks to this tactic (a heavy blow), and another bogged. I lost a couple HS to either booby traps while deploying, or the heavy amount of searching I did. Another tank was taken out by a THH on the Jap portion of the turn. John chose to hand over the Q16 building without any resistance, completely the opposite approach I would've taken. Turn 2 saw me lose another two HS to deploy/search, but my juggernaut's push forward was blunted by a well-placed fortified building (O12) supported by an AA gun (O13), both further protected my mines. HMGs guarded the southern and middle roads to make getting to the N14 building challenging. Perhaps I would've been wise to drop some smoke here as cover, but not knowing where most the fortified buildings were dissuaded me from doing so, as uprooting the defenders would be virtually impossible if they were shrouded. Turn 3 saw us swap two HS and a DC apiece as I ousted the defenders from O12, but O13 turned out to be fortified as well, with a HIP squad helping guard the gun. I made inroads into N14, and bypassed the mines in the northern rowhouse via the roof (a move that frustrated John to no end). Wire, HMGs, and lack of tanks stymied my progress in the south. One of the SU-85s was immobilized by the 75L AA gun from its nest in a fortified building (a trick John uses oh so well), but it would break for good on Turn 4. The turn also saw me oust him from O13 and the N14 building, and get my radioman in position in the south to call in some smoke. What I really needed was tank support in conjunction with my OBA, but due to the nature of his defense and my radioman's position this wasn't going to happen. I believe this cost me the game. It also didn't help that Turns 4 and 5 saw me lose two additional tanks to the cellars. And, even though I was starting to dish out more than I lost, John's excellent defense prevented me from getting any tanks in the rear to interdict his reinforcements. These would be crucial to his victory, as he sent all but his 10-0 with a FT to the beleaguered south. Turn 6 saw very little action, as I positioned myself both up top and in the south for human waves. Turn 7 saw me make strong inroads in the north, but my wave in the south was hampered by poorly located smoke. This progress was further dampened on Turn 8 by a fortified position in H18. So, while the south was almost unassailable, I figured I had a remote chance in the north. After a very bloody last turn, John managed to hold on to the victory. A very enjoyable game. The key for the Russians I think is to intercept those substantial Jap reinforcements, which will probably prove quite difficult without taking a preponderance of risks.
2019-08-18
(D) Tom Abromaitis
vs
Draw
Russian win. Solo.
2014-04-26
(D) Richard Carter
vs
Kevin Killeen
Japanese win
A lot of fun and came down to the end. Interesting defense to set up.