Here is the first, the para landing to take the airfield:
Title: Small Battles, IJA Airborne P1, PTO
Type: Axis Attack
Date: 14 February 1942
Location: Pangkalanbenteng (P1)
Region: Sumatra, Dutch East Indies
Weather: Hot and damp
Terrain: Scrub jungle, plantations and gravel airfield
Wind: Breeze from the north
Turns: 34+
At the air field north west of Palembang, Sumatra Island, 14 February 1942.
Situation:
The Allies are in full retreat, in Europe the Germans have advanced to El-Alamein, the war in Russia seems to be heading for Axis victory. In the Pacific, Burma and Borneo have been invaded. Bataan in the Philippines is under siege and Singapore is reeling under Japanese assault. Java and Sumatra are considered to be the next targets and the Allies have very little to stop the Japanese advance.
At 8.00am on 14 February the Allied observer corps warned of "a large hostile formation of enemy aircraft" approaching. All available Hurricanes were on escort duty for the bombers and were out of range for radiotelephone communications. The Japanese bombers hit P1, then the large escort of fighters swept the aerodrome with machine-gun fire and almost immediately airborne carriers dropped two groups of parachutists.
Difficulty: Japanese: Difficult Allies: Average
Balance: Pro-Allied Japanese points: 1,400 Allies points: 1,700
Map Size: 1,500 x 1,500
Historical; the scenario is best played with you as the Japanese and the AI as Allied or vice versa. If playing the AI please give the computer +25% points and +1 experience.
It is also recommended for play against another human in IP or PBEM. The stronger player should take the Japanese.
If you are an experienced player* I suggest an additional +25% be added to the computers points.
When playing the AI please select "Stick to Scenario Default" and it is also recommended that you use "Fog of war Extreme".
Scenario notes:
* Who is an experienced player? Wins nearly all balanced QB battles against the AI. A player who wins more than half of balanced IP or PBEM battles against a human. Plus a gamer who understands the interaction and relationship between weapons, terrain, supply, weather, morale and tactics within the CM game system.
Source: Bloody Shambles, Volume two, The defense of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma by Christopher Shore, Brian Cull and Yasuho Izawa ISBN 0-948817 67 4
More information on Japanese Airborne units:
http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindie ... troop.html
Thanks to Junk2Drive and Lucho for their play testing.
CMAK designer: Wayne Rutledge, "Hans"
>>>>>>>>Spoilers and what happened<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The operational success of an earlier airborne drop on the Celebes peninsula led to the Japanese Command to attempt a larger-sized army airborne force being dropped on Sumatra island, over Palembang. This task was assigned to the 1st Parachute Force, and in particular the Parachute raiding Regiment, a four company formation of 425 soldiers, under the command of Colonel Seiichi Kume. The Palembang operation consisted of the 2nd Paratroop Regiment, other sources call it the 2nd Raiding Regiment, either way, this was the second outfit ready for the parachute operations. The 1st Raiding Regiment remained at Haikow Field on Hainan Island.
About 260 Japanese paratroopers were dropped around P1 originating from airfields in occupied Malaya. At the airfield P1 and nearby were stationed only 150 British soldiers manning the anti-aircraft batteries at Palembang and 110 Dutch soldiers drawn from the Sumatra garrison as well as 3 officers and 72 men of the RAF ground defense unit. The Japanese paratroopers were from 1st Airborne Division with the first wave originating from Kahang for the assault on P1, After engaging in small fire fights and setting up a road block with over turned vehicles the Japanese paratroopers persistently attacked the aerodrome P1, defended under the command of Wing Commander H.G. Maguire. Worrying reports were coming from Palembang and the oil refinery so it was decided to evacuate the two Group HQs along with most of the support personnel. During the afternoon the situation was a stalemate, Maguire's men held the airfield but were short of supplies and blocked in by road. He was then advised, wrongly, of a further Japanese landing 15 miles away and decided to pull out from the town and the airfield.
Enemy losses from anti-aircraft fire were slight and the Japanese airborne troops only lose a few men on the bamboo stakes set up around the airfield. Organizing quickly they attempted to rush the aerodrome. But this improvised banzai charge was checked by 3.7inch AAA guns and 40mm Bofors firing over open sights, the Dutch infantry force plus its two home made armoured cars and RAF ground defense units from No.258 and No.605 RAF Fighter Squadrons. The AA guns once they spent their meager ammunition supply withdrew with excess RAF personnel and the Dutch remained with RAF ground troops to deny the enemy their objective. When the first echelon of paratroopers were reinforced by another airborne drop on the morning of 15 February a rearguard was posted on the aerodrome and the Japanese airborne force moving in combat formation occupied Palembang town later that afternoon.
Japanese casualties were heavy, upward to 80% of those dropped. They were hard pressed to control and secure the objectives. The allied losses sustained in the close infantry fighting, and rumours of further paradrops by enemy stormtroopers, coupled with general disorganization opposing the enemy airborne assault led to an allied general withdraw. Allied loses were between 120-150 men.
That afternoon the reinforced IJ Army airborne unit marched into Palembang town, as the scratch amphibious relieve force, elements of the 229th Regiment, 38th Division, moving up the Musi river, using the water course for a highway, linked with the forward paratroopers. The Japanese paid a heavy price in troop laden landing barges for not locating the airfield twin to P1, P2 aircraft from this second field inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese advance.
The Japanese operation at P1 was both a victory and a defeat. They were unable to take the airfield by storm. Yet military surprise multiplied the outnumbered Japanese paratroopers to neutralize the airfield P1 and disrupt demolition of the refineries. Although battle damaged and still isolated while the fighting was going on, their objectives had been reached by nightfall. The combat depleted Army paratroopers held for longer than the required 24 hours and returned to their base after two weeks of operations.
The Allies abandon southern Sumatra, the airfields at P1 and P2 and the important oilfields of Palembang.
>>>>>>>>End Spoilers and what happened<<<<<<<<<<<<<