I think, when building your own briefing, fluency with the history is necessary. It'll allow you to build accurate, historical lists that you can then balance for play-ability. In other words, research is key. Thanks to a number of folks (including a certain Marine Corps historian) and a ton of online resources I've been able to start hashing out the nitty gritty of the campaign.
So, here I'm going to post a timeline of the fight with some annotated game design notes (in italics) that have helped me shaped my thoughts on how to put the briefing together:
OK, the first big question here is: IS this a mid-war or early-war breifing or does the Pacific really exist in it's own Meta? The Marines on Corregador used a 1930's force organization, the PS and PA units didn't have "modern" equipment and the Japanese aren't much changed from what you'd see in 39 to 40. The major difference would be better air support and some of the better (such as it is) tanks are more available than they would have been in Nomonhan.
I'm still debating but I'm starting to lean heavily towards early war. What do you think?
Diversionary/Stage Setting Invasions:
7 Dec ’41: Pearl Harbor
8 Dec ’41: Air Strikes begin on Philippines, in 48 Hours
half of all US Air Power on the islands is destroyed
This gives me two options. Sporadic Allied air support or no air support. Interestingly, B-17's were used as part of the air support package for allies during the fight. IF I were to add in sporadic B-17, how would that work? It would certainly need its own special rule.
8 Dec ’41: Japanese Land on Batan (not Bataan) small island
build air base
8 Dec ’41: US Asiatic Fleet withdraws from the Philippines
due to bombardments
10 Dec ’41: Diversionary landings on Camiguin Island and at
Vigan, Aparri, and Gonzaga in northern Luzon, more airbases underway
10 Dec ’41: Guam Surrenders
12 Dec ’41: the Japanese landed 2,500 men of the 16th
Division at Legaspi on southern Luzon, 150 miles from the nearest American and
Philippine forces. General Parker sent only token forces from the 41st and the
51st Divisions (PA) to meet the invaders.
19 Dec ’41: attack on Mindanao: Japanese troops staged a
night landing that met little resistance as the badly outnumbered 2d Battalion,
101st Infantry (PA), withdrew
Main Invasion:
22 Dec ’41: 43,110 men of General Homma's 14th Army entered
Luzon's Lingayen Gulf. The 48th Division and elements of the 16th Division,
with support from artillery and 80 to 100 tanks, landed at three points along
the east coast of the gulf. General Wainwright's poorly trained and poorly
equipped 11th and 71st Divisions (PA) could neither repel the landings nor pin
the enemy on the beaches as outlined in USAFFE's defense plan. The remaining
Japanese units of the 48th and 16th Divisions landed farther south along the
gulf, linking up with the other Japanese forces for the march south. The 26th
Cavalry (PS), advancing to meet them, put up a strong fight at Rosario but,
after taking heavy casualties and with no hope of sufficient reinforcements,
was forced to withdraw.
Likely to be the first lists in the briefing. FV Japanese with SNLF support versus 8 million Bayonets-esque Philippine Army force.
26th Cav PS is awesome. They average trooper had 13 years of experience on the island. I've rated them Confident Vet and have already blocked out their basic force org. They'll have Stuarts from the Provisional Tank Battaltion, PA/PS infantry support, a special character, half track 75mm guns and some arty support. In a later incarnation they'll lose the special character but will have Bren Carriers and White Scout Cars going from horse mounted mech to fully mechanized.
22 Dec ’41: Wake surrenders
24 Dec ’41: 7,000 men of the 16th Division hit the beaches
at three locations along the shore of Lamon Bay in southern Luzon where they
found General Parker's forces dispersed and unable to offer serious resistance.
They immediately consolidated their positions and began the drive north toward
Manila where they would link up with the forces advancing south toward the
capital for the final victory.
26 Dec ’41: MacArthur orders Warplan Orange, the defense of
the Bataan Peninsula into effect.
Retreat to Bataan:
23 Dec ’41: MacArthur withdraws from Manila and relocates to
Bataan
26 Dec ’41: Manila declared open city
Through 30 Dec ’41: . The tenacity of the 3d Battalion of
the 21st Division (PA), in particular, allowed the Americans and Filipinos to
hold this defensive line until 30 December before withdrawing to their final
defensive position prior to entering the Bataan Peninsula.
2 Jan ’42: Japanese Take Manila
2 Jan ’41: Most Philippine forces enter Bataan
6 Jan ’41: Rearguard American forces enter Bataan
Jan ’42: Entrenchment in Correigador
Battle for Bataan:
Jan to April ’42: Fight for Bataan
Early Jan ’42: Experienced Japanese 48th division
pulled off the line and sent to Dutch East Indies and replaced by the recalled
reserve unit of the 65th
Brigade
2 to 9 Jan: First defensive line established. Wainwright's I
Philippine Corps held the eastern sector. His command included the 1st, 31st,
and 91st Infantry Divisions (PA); the 26th Cavalry (PS); and a battery of field
artillery and self-propelled 75-mm. guns. General Parker commanded the western
sector. His II Philippine Corps, including the 11th, 21st, 41st, and 51st
Divisions (PA) and the 57th Infantry (PS), numbered some 25,000 men. MacArthur
designated the Philippine Division as the reserve force.
Here's where I'll detail the Philippine Division, the only regular army division on the island and the Provisional Tank Regiment (stuarts), 26th Cav fully Meched, A CT Japanese regiment (the 65th), a japanese tank regiment and the Philippine Scout infantry company (CT) with some special morale rules.
9 Jan: Assaults begin on eastern & western portion of
defensive line
17 Jan ’42: Philippine Division commited to western portion
of defensive line under General Parker.
17 Jan ’41: Japanese forces establish solid salient in
Western portion of defensive line at Abucay Hacienda.
22 Jan ’42: Japanese break through first defensive line by
crossing over Mt. Natib, a feat believed unthinkable by Army planners
22 Jan ’42: Japanese units attempt to outflank the now
falling back Americans with an amphibious attack in the southern portion of the
Bataan pennensula. Enemy infantry landed in the service command area held only
by an assortment of headquarters and service units, the 1st Constabulary
Regiment, and the grounded airmen of five pursuit squadrons. Between 22 January
and 2 February, in what became known as the Battle of the Points, the Americans
turned back successive Japanese attempts to gain a beachhead. The Japanese
suffered heavy casualties in these actions, a total of about 900 men, or two
full battalions, of the 20th Infantry. The defenders suffered approximately 750
casualties, about a third of these killed. Two Scout units were particularly
weakened: the 3d Battalion, 45th Infantry, lost 60 percent of its effectives;
Company B of the 57th Scouts, 40 percent.
Here I'll be featuring the SNLF and a really neat mixed American company of all sorts of pilots, sailors and cooks led by 4th Marine Sergeants.
26 Jan ’42: Evacuation of first line completed establishment
of Orion-Bagac line
26 Jan to 7 Feb ’42: Japanese assaults on the Orion-Bagac
line. The enemy renewed the offensive against the 4,500-yard Orion-Bagac line
on 26-27 January, attacking the II Corps' Sector C along Trail 2. Brig. Gen.
Clifford Bluemel had organized his defense of the area on the assumption that
he would have most of his 31st Division (PA) and what was left of the 51st
Division (PA) to put into the line. In the midst of the fighting Bluemel
discovered that two of his regiments had been moved to defend Sector A, leaving
no defenders east of Trail 2. The Japanese, also severely debilitated by the
continuous fighting, failed to take advantage of the situation, and when the
attack finally occurred, Bluemel's hastily reorganized force was able to drive
the enemy back. The Japanese were more successful in the I Corps area, but they
were again unable to exploit the opening.
8 Feb ’42: Homma orders a general withdrawl of the 14th
Army to lick wounds and rebuild
9 Feb to 2 Apr ’42: Defenders rations cut to starvation
levels and they continue to dig in while Japanese receive reinforcements for 16th
and 65th and reinforced by newly arrived 4th Division
from China (in March). Artillery bombardments and infiltration raids are the
order of the day during this period.
12 March ’42: MacArthur leaves Philippines, Wainright put in
charge.
3 April ’42: Homma resumes the attack. after a sustained
aerial and artillery bombardment. The strongest enemy push, spearheaded by the
4th Division and the 65th Brigade, was directed against Sector D on the II
Corps' left flank. The exhausted, malnourished, and dispirited defenders soon
gave ground, and the entire line began to crumble. In thirty-six hours the
Japanese succeeded in breaching the American line. Command and control in II
Corps quickly broke down as troops retreated under heavy air attack.
6 April: II Corps destroyed, I Corps flank turned
9 April ’42: Remaining
I Corps troops under General King surrender the Bataan Peninsula.
Siege of Corregidor:
April - May ’42: Siege of Corregidor
1 May ’42: Initial preparatory bombardment for invasion of
Corregidor begins and lasts 5 days.
5 May ’42: Invasion of Corregidor. On the night of 5-6 May,
two battalions of the 61st Infantry landed on the northeast end of the island.
Despite a strong resistance, they established a beachhead that was soon
reinforced by tanks and artillery. Artillerymen and other miscellaneous Army and
Navy personnel fighting as infantry joined the 4th Marine Regiment to meet the
invasion. The defenders were quickly pushed back toward the island's Malinta
Hill stronghold where their position became untenable. President Roosevelt had
personally authorized General Wainwright to decide if or when surrender was
proper. Late on 6 May, Wainwright broadcast a message to General Homma asking
for terms.
The 4th Marines are the other list I've got mostly fleshed out at this point (along with the 2 26th Cav Reg't lists) though I'm still waffling between FT and FV. Thoughts? They'll also have a special rule regarding their use of machine guns and the list will incorporate ad-hoc units that made it off Bataan and, likely, coastal artillery. The Japanese will have access to captured stuarts, off board artillery and another trick or two.
6 May ’42: Corregidor Falls
9 May ’42: Mindanao falls
References:
