AAR: Tropic Lightning (J159)

SITREP

Resolving to fight to the death, Major General Shigemi ordered his forces to dig in at San Manuel. Several tanks were converted into fortified bunkers by burying them in the ground so only their turrets were visible; the remainder were to be used as mobile reserves. The Americans commenced a 5-day bombardment on 19 January, followed by an initial assault on January 23. The main assault began on 24 January and was made by the Army’s 161^st Infantry Regiment, supported by the 716^th Tank Battalion.

The Players

Neal – Americans – Attackers:
161^st Infantry Regiment, 25^th Infantry Division

Scott – Japanese – Defenders:
2^nd Mobile Infantry and 7^th Tank Regiment, 2^nd Armored Division

After Action Report

Location:
San Manuel, Philippines

Date:
24 January 1945

ROAR Balance	Archive Balance
Americans 34	Americans 26
Japanese 41	Japanese 29

Download the VASL .vsav setup file.
Download the VASL .vsav setup file.
With custom PTO boards.

M5A1 Stuart (Courtesy of David Bocquelet)

Neal (Americans)

Advantages:

• Superior manpower
• Better leadership
• Armor superiority (in theory!)
• Significant infantry firepower

Disadvantages:

• Tough victory conditions (capturing distant stone buildings)
• Strict time constraints
• Potential hidden Japanese units (major paranoia factor!)

It’s interesting to note this is a PTO scenario, but features the regular U.S. Army as opposed to the USMC, as it takes place in the Philippines.

Anyhoo, I deployed my units aggressively, setting up behind the green line of departure, preparing a swift infantry push straight up into the village. Supporting my grunts were two Shermans (M4), five Stuarts (M4A1), and a single Priest (M7 HMC)—essentially my armored Swiss Army knife capable of firing all kinds of nasty ordnance … which I couldn’t wait to unleash. I planned a daring flank maneuver using two Stuarts, hoping to sweep around the village to cut off Scott’s anticipated Japanese reinforcements entering on the east (top). Simultaneously, my remaining tanks would flank to intercept Scott’s armor reinforcements, then encircle and provide cover for the infantry’s final assault.

My infantry immediately made short work of Scott’s initial defenders. With good use of smoke from my Priest (before the damn thing broke), my Americans quickly steamrolled into the village, annihilating one of Scott’s useless dug-in Japanese tanks with a flamethrower. “You call that armor?” I laughed, as it burned.

As my fast moving Stuarts swung in, Scott revealed a sneaky Japanese anti-tank gun (35H6). It immobilized one tank almost immediately, giving me a nasty surprise. Still, progress was swift. In just two turns, I was at the road dividing the village, feeling pretty optimistic.

And then things began to unravel dramatically.

Scott’s “inferior” Japanese armor rolled in from the east (top)—and unbelievably, started annihilating my Shermans. His dice were hotter than the tropical sun; each roll of his weak 47mm pew-pew-shooters turned into catastrophic hits against my supposedly superior American armor. A 47L has a Basic TK# of 11, meaning he needed to roll TK #s of 3 or 5 to kill most of my armor, assuming a front aspect hit. Well, that didn’t seem to stop him!

Then my Priest broke its main armament, robbing me of crucial smoke, canister, and HE support. This armor meltdown was crippling.

“What the hell?!” I groaned repeatedly, helplessly watching my tanks become wrecks in the kunai and palm trees of the Philippine countryside.

With most of my armor up in flames, my infantry faced the daunting task of capturing the two distant stone buildings in hex row Z, Scott’s stronghold … his Alamo. Time was ticking. I rushed my remaining Stuarts to secure positions, but they couldn’t break Scott’s reinforced defense. I set up white phosphorus smoke perfectly for the final assault—only for boxcars to show up during the Wind Change die roll (causing wind gusts), clearing away my vital cover at the worst possible moment.

“Seriously, dice gods?” I lamented. Scott laughed, knowing the feeling of being on the receiving end of the VASL dicebot’s wrath.

I made a final, desperate, blood-soaked dash towards those last stone buildings, facing a hailstorm of Japanese firepower. It became a heartbreaking sight: bodies piling up with every hex traversed. Not a single unit reached the objective. Defeat was bitter and decisive.

Scott (Japanese)

Advantages:

• Hidden initial placement (HIP units)
• Tank Hunter Heroes (stealthy surprises!)
• Defensive positions in stone buildings

Disadvantages:

• Spread-out defense with limited manpower
• Inferior armor quality (“cardboard tanks”)
• Ineffective dug-in AFVs

My strategy was all about slowing Neal’s overwhelming forces. With only modest initial resources and plenty of territory to cover, I spread my men thin, hoping to delay rather than defeat the inevitable advance. I carefully hid two squads with heavy and medium machine guns and concealed Tank Hunter Heroes, saving a couple to pop up as nasty surprises.

I placed my laughably “dug-in” tanks on each flank, fully aware they wouldn’t survive long—though their demise might help to stem the American tide, even if just briefly.

Initially, Neal steamrolled through me as expected. My first dug-in tank fell immediately to a flamethrower assault. His elite units stormed forward, leaving behind nothing but smoldering Japanese dreams of victory.

“This is fine,” I tried to convince myself, sipping nervously from my coffee mug.

Yet my hidden anti-tank gun gave a small morale boost, immobilizing one of his pesky Stuarts in the kunai trying a clever flanking move. The first two turns felt painful, but I hoped reinforcements and my secret setups would even things out.

Then came the glorious turning point Neal lamented about just above—my armor reinforcements arrived. Yes, my tanks were Japanese tin cans with pop guns, but on this day, Lady Luck favored the Rising Sun! In an outrageous streak of dice-roll miracles, my feeble 47mm shells ripped through Neal’s “superior” American armor like tissue paper.

“Boom!” I rubbed my hands together each time one of Neal’s tank counters flipped to a wreck.

Neal’s incredulous and mounting frustration only sweetened the moment. He lamented bitterly about “dice gods,” fueling my confidence. My improbable armor success bought vital time, allowing my infantry reinforcements to fortify the crucial stone buildings in hexrow 56Z1 & 56Z2 for a determined last stand.

My defensive plan solidified beautifully in those final turns. Neal pressed desperately against a wall of Japanese firepower. Despite losing a few vehicles to bazooka fire and lucky shots, my carefully hidden Tank Hunter Heroes finally sprang into action, eliminating isolated Stuarts.

“Where did he come from?” Neal exclaimed, as my hero blew up another tank from point-blank range. I shrugged innocently. “Guess he was hiding in the bamboo you just rolled by.” Japanese THHs can be a great equalizer.

Neal’s units surged toward my final stronghold, I peppered the battlefield with residual fire, pinning, breaking, and eliminating unit after unit as he tried to meet the VCs. He’d capture every stone building needed exept for the two in my Alamo.

Debriefing

Tropic Lightning proved wildly entertaining, with dramatic swings of fortune and nail-biting action. Neal’s American forces initially dominated with superior infantry firepower and aggressive maneuvers, but a catastrophic collapse of American armor (aided heavily by Scott’s ridiculously hot dice) sealed their fate.

Scott’s Japanese defense succeeded through the clever use of HIP units, Tank Hunter Heroes, and improbable armor victories, ultimately repulsing the American assault decisively.

Neal, paranoid throughout about potential HIP surprises, concluded the scenario muttering darkly about “Checking every bamboo hex next time!” while Scott basked in the glory of an unlikely, yet thoroughly enjoyable, Japanese victory.

Final verdict: a thrilling scenario with enough wild moments and tactical twists making Tropic Lightning a memorable scenario.

GET TO THE CHOPPA…!!!

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