Into the Grinding Mill CBI (id:#61651)
(ASL Journal #10 ID: J147)   [next]   [previous]
Luodian, China 1937-09-12 ()
Designer: Chris Mazzei and Peter Struijf
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
JapaneseChinese
33.333333333333%

Overview:

In August 1937 hostilities broke out between Chinese troops and Japanese Marines posted in Shanghai. The Japanese escalated the conflict by large-scale troop landings outside the city and took the coastal town of Baoshan after a brutal siege. Japanese forces then advanced toward a line of fixed defenses near the key road junction at Luodian, manned by 300,000 Chinese soldiers. The Japanese massed more than 100,000 troops, supported by overwhelming firepower of naval guns, artillery, tanks, and airplanes. The carnage and ferocity of the ensuing battle earned Luodian the Chinese nickname “grinding mill of flesh and blood”.
Attacker: Japanese (35th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Brigade, 9th Division and 5th Tank Division)
Defender: Chinese (18th Infantry Division, 16th Artillery Regiment, and 2nd Tank Battalion)  
6.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: Japanese     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:19.0 D:16.0
AFVs: A:5
Type 89B CHI-RO x 5

AFVs: D:4
FT-17C x 2
Vickers 6-Ton Mk E(b) x 2

Guns: A:0
Type 89 Heavy Grenade-Launcher x 3
D:3
7.5cm Krupp M08 x 3
5cm leGrW 36(g)

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: PTO, LJ (Exc: Roads/bridges exist. Dirt roads and wooden buildings). A: pre-game bombardment
Map Board(s): 12 13
Overlays: X16 X18 OW1
Errata (source)
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Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultComments
2023-07-28(A) Shane Pask vs Japanese winDefinitely a grinding mill that went down to the last CC and a lucky roll for the Japanese (won a 1:4 HtH CC with a roll of 3). After this, the Chinese only had a 7-0, a broken conscript HS and 3 tanks (counting one surviving dug-in Ft17). Japanese did not have much more with all of their tanks lying in ruins and their only remaining leader wounded. Reliability cost the Chinese with their MMG and HMG malfing on the crucial last turn - a total of 10 Chinese malfunctions for the game but only 1 (Vickers CMG) disabled. One Jap was hung up on wire for 2 turns right in front of a Chinese gun but refused to even pin.
I remember hearing that a good game is one where both sides constantly think they are losing. For most of the game I did not give the Japs much chance - especially when my FT blundered into a minefield and disappeared in a red mist before even firing a shot.
2023-06-18(D) Lawrence Spangler vs Charles WatsonA Chinese win
2021-08-21(D) Rich Weiley vs Dave Wallace Japanese winI think my initial setup was flawed and while the opening Japanese bombardments were relative ineffective (reduced, ELR'ed squad and a 6 minefield and MMG destroyed) I felt I was always on the backfoot as the Chinese force was steadily attritted and Japanese losses weren't that heavy.
I built a trench network in the village that was more or less a waste as the Chinese squads seemed to break everytime they exited a trench to enter a building and then the unoccupied trenches (a pet peeve of mine that trenches don't automatically connect to buildings) became relative safe avenues for the Japanese to exploit in their advance.
I did manage to put together a semblance of a defence with the reinforcements and held out until the last Japanese turn before my last squad in the victory area succumbed.
One little vignette to share - I used my tanks in turn 5 to move into the hexes of a japanese two tank platoon. This worked well at first as I prevented these tanks shooting at my skulking infantry and DM'ing my rally pointing and one Japanese tank malf'ed and then permanently disabled its MA. My infantry was abler to relocate and my now non DM'ed rally point was able to bring most of its units back in the next Rally Phase.
All this good work was undone immediately in Japanese Prep Fire as the remaining Japanese tank took out the Vickers in its hex with a critical hit. Turned its turret and firing out of smoke hit and destroyed the second Vickers, and retaining rate again turned and hit and broke everyone in the rally point. Such is ASL.
2021-06-01(D) rene cote vs Ranger Japanese win
2017-12-02(D) Tom Kearney vs Lindsey Murillo Chinese winI diced him.
View all or balance report
ActionDate
Pte Parts Added a playing2023-07-29 03:10:43
Lorenzoknight Added a playing2023-06-19 03:43:01
Lorenzoknight Rated the scenario2023-06-19 03:42:27
hoxson1 Uploaded the Board image2022-11-04 23:55:05
Bongiovanni Added a playing2022-09-28 13:04:15
FileDescriptionUserViews
(jap-kmt.png)Imagehoxson1678
(grinding mill tanks pic.png)Imagehoxson1520
(grinding map corrected G-EE.png)Map Imagehoxson1119
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 6.56Votes: 9
Views: 3857
To-Play list count: 2
Estimated Play time: 8.5 hours
Recorded Games: 7
Archive recorded plays:
Japanese4
Chinese3
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of October 2023)
Into the Grinding Mill [Confirmed]
[A] Japanese 6
[D] Chinese 17
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.