Empires in Flames

The Pacific and Far East

Written by: Andy Chambers

Edited by: Alessio Cavatore, Rick Priestley and Paul Sawyer

Cover artwork: Peter Dennis

Interior artwork: Peter Dennis, Steve Noon, Richard Sample file Chasemore, Stephen Walsh and Stephen Andrew.

Photography: Bruno Allanson, Warwick Kinrade, Mark Owen, Paul Sawyer, and Gabrio Tolentino

Miniatures painted by: Andres Amian Fernandez, Gary Martin, Bruce Murray, Darek Wyrozebski, and Claudia Zuminich

Thanks to: Paul Beccarelli for help with the Chinese army lists, Bruno Allanson for images of his collection of militaria and John Stallard for his love of Gurkhas.

OSPREY PUBLISHING

ospreypublishing.com warlordgames.com © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com Contents

What Is This Book? 6 Armies of China 31 Army Special Rules 32 The Pacific and Far East 7 Flag 32 Levy 32 The Second Sino-Japanese War 9 Sparrow Tactics (Communists only) 32 Prelude 10 Bodyguard (Nationalists and Warlords only) 32 1937 12 Legends of China: General Sun Li-Jen 32 Marco Polo Bridge 12 Headquarters Units 34 The Battle of Shanghai 12 Nationalist Officer 34 The Rape of Nanking 13 Warlord 34 Communist Officer 34 1938 14 Political Officer 35 Battle of Tai’erzhuang 14 Medic 35 1939 15 Forward Observer 35 The Nomonhan Incident 1939 15 Infantry Squads and Teams 35 World War II in China 15 German-Trained Nationalist Squad 35 Operation August Storm: The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 16 Infantry Squad 35 Aftermath 18 Conscript Squad 36 X and Y Force Squad (Burma) 36 Fighting the Campaign Using Bolt Action 18 Big Sword Squad 36 Scenarios 18 Guerrilla Cell 38 General Scenarios 18 Cavalry Troop 38 Terrain 19 Scout Team 38 Scenario 1: The Marco Polo Bridge 19 MG-34 Machine Gun Team (Early War) 38 Scenario 2: Trench Warfare in Shanghai 21 Machine Gun Team 39 Theatre Selectors 22 Boys Anti-Tank Rifle Team 39 Battle of Shanghai 1937 22 Sniper Team 39 Battle of Tai'erzhuang 1938 23 Legends of China: Sergeant Tung Chi-Yuan 39 8th Route Army 1937–45 Sample23 fileSuicide Anti-Tank Team 39 X and Y Force, Burma 1942–45 24 Flamethrower Team 39 Tank War: Nationalist Chinese Armour 24 Light Mortar Team 40 IJA Kwantung Army, 1937 25 Medium Mortar Team 40 IJA Kwantung Army, 1945 25 Heavy Trench Mortar 40 Soviet Army, Manchuria 1945 26 Field Artillery 40 7.6cm IeFK16 Field Gun 40 Additional Units 26 Type 41 75mm Mountain Gun 40 Generic Unit Options 26 75mm M1A1 Pack Howitzer 40 Horse-Drawn Limber 26 105mm M2A1 Medium Howitzer 41 Mule Team 26 Anti-Tank Guns 41 Imperial Japanese Units 27 37mm PAK 36 41 IJA Cavalry Command 27 37mm M3A1 Anti-Tank Gun 41 Legends of Imperial Japan: Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi 28 ZIS-2 Anti-Tank Gun 41 Japanese / Manchukuoan Cavalry Squad 28 Anti-Aircraft Guns 42 IJN or SNLF Scout Team 28 20mm Flak 38 42 Type 93 13.2mm Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Team 29 Bofors 40mm L/60 42 Type 88 75mm Dual Purpose AA Gun 29 Tanks 42 Soko Sagyo SS-KI Armoured Work Vehicle 30 FT-17/18 42 IJN Type 92 Hokoku-Go Armoured Car 30 Sutton Skunk Holt Armoured Tractor 42 Soviet Units 30 Carden-Loyd MK VI Tankette 43 Mongolian Cavalry Troop 30 L3/33 Tankette 43

3 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com EMPIRES IN FLAMES

Captured Type 95 Ha-Go 43 Burma And India 62 Captured Type 97 Chi-Ha 43 Prelude 63 Vickers Carden-Loyd M1931 Amphibious Tank 43 Panzer I 43 The Campaigns 64 T-26 Model 1933 44 The Advance on Rangoon 64 Vickers 6-Ton Mark E Type B 44 Pegu and Taukkyan 64 M3A3 Stuart V 44 Retreat to India 65 M4 Sherman 75mm 44 Madagascar – Operation Ironclad 66 Armoured Cars 44 General Slim and the Forgotten Army 66 SdKfz 221 & 222 44 Legends of the Commonwealth: Brigadier Mike Calvert 68 BA-10 44 Kohima – Imphal 1944 69 BA-20M 45 Return to Burma 70 Citroen Kegresse b2 Armoured Half-Track Car 45 Aftermath 72 Captured Type 92 Hokoku-Go 45 Fighting the Campaign Using Bolt Action 73 Transports and Tows 45 Scenarios 73 Morris 15cwt Truck 45 General Scenarios 73 Buessing-NAG Truck 45 Terrain 73 Universal Carrier 46 Scenario 5: Ambush on the Burma Road 74 Jeep 46 M2 Half-Track 46 Scenario 6: HQ Raid 77 M3 White Scout Car 46 Legends of the Commonwealth: Orde Wingate 79 Additional Units 79 The Red Sun Rises 47 Generic Unit Options 79 Native Irregulars 79 Prelude 48 Imperial Japanese Units 80 The Campaigns 49 The Indian National Army 80 Opening Moves 49 Chinese/US Units 80 The Philippines 49 Merrill’s Marauders 80 Attack on the Dutch East Indies 51 Commonwealth Units 81 Malaya 51 Australian Commandos 81 The Fall of Singapore 53 Gurkha Paratroops 81 Aftermath 55 Legends of the Commonwealth: Bhanbhagta Gurung 82 Fighting the Campaign Using Bolt Action 56 Scenarios Sample56 Island file Hopping 83 General Scenarios 56 Prelude 84 Terrain 56 The Campaigns 86 Scenario 3: Battle of the Points 57 New Guinea and the Kokoda Trail 86 Scenario 4: Airfield Defence 59 Guadalcanal 87 Theatre Selectors 60 Legends of the United States: John Basilone 90 The Battling Bastards of Bataan, December 1941–May 1942 60 Advance into the Central Pacific 91 Legends of the Commonwealth: Sergeant Tom Derrick 92 Additional Units 61 Return to the Philippines 93 Philippine Units 61 Iwo Jima and Okinawa 94 Philippine Scouts 61 Legends of Imperial Japan: Tadamichi Kuribayashi 96 Legends of the Philippines: PFC Narcisco Ortilano 61 Aftermath 97

4 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com

Fighting the Campaign Using Bolt Action 98 Minefields 115 Scenarios 98 Minefield Rules 115 General Scenarios 98 Minefield Sections 115 Terrain 98 Effect of minefields 115 Scenario 7: Alligator Creek 99 Clearing Minefields 117 Manual mine clearance by infantry 117 Scenario 8: Bloody Tarawa 101 Blowing it up! 117 Additional Units 104 Amphibious Assaults 118 US Units 104 Movement in Water 118 USMC Raiders 104 Deep Water 118 USMC War Dog Team 104 Shallow Water 118 M29 Weasel 105 Lagoons, Reefs and Coral Atolls 118 Legends of the United States: Lewis “Chesty” Puller 105 Landing Craft 120 Boats 120 New Scenario Rules 106 Landing Craft, Assault 120 Tropical Hazards 107 Landing Craft, Personnel 120 Exhaustion 107 Landing Craft, Mechanized 121 Mud 108 City Fighting 122 Monsoon Season 108 The City as a Battlefield 122 Night Fighting 110 Rubble 122 Different Types of Night Fighting Games 110 Movement in Rubble 122 Dawn Assault 110 Shooting in Rubble 122 Longest Day 110 Buildings 123 Flare! 110 Roads and Open Ground 123 Night Fighting Rules 110 Sewer Movement 123 Limited Visibility 110 Command and Control in a City Fight 124 Muzzle Flashes 111 Fires 111 Japanese Infiltrators 111 Reacting to an Assault 111 Indirect Fire 111 Forward Air and Artillery Observers 111 Dug In: Foxholes, Trenches and Gun Pits Sample112 file Dug In Rules 112 Dug In Vehicles 112 Dug In with Hidden Set-Up 112 Japanese “Spider Hole” Networks 113 Dug In vs Preparatory Bombardment 113 Dug In vs Tank Assault 113 Digging In During a Game 114

What is this Book?

Sample file

Tank clash around San Manuel, by Richard Chasemore © Osprey Publishing. Taken from Duel 43: M4 Sherman vs Type 97 Chi-Ha.

6 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com What is this Book? The Pacific and Far East his book is a supplement to the tabletop wargame Bolt factor did this play tactically? By answering these and TAction. It focuses on the Far East and Pacific theatres other questions, we hope that you will enjoy a more during World War II, from the Japanese invasion of China rewarding game and perhaps gain a glimpse of what the two years before the official start of the war in Europe brave men of many nations endured in the Pacific through to the Allied plans to invade the Japanese home Theatre. islands in 1945, and the end of the war. This book is not intended to be a definitive account of This supplement provides a context for your games all the campaigns fought in the Far East, such a subject set in the Pacific Theatre, addressing common historical would (and does) occupy many volumes of equivalent questions asked by players such as: How did the size. Instead we aim to present a primer for this area of relatively small, lightly equipped Japanese Army the conflict that points out items of interest as we go. conquer the territories of the colonial powers so quickly? Should anything pique your curiosity you will be able to How were they eventually stopped and what kind of find many resources to dig deeper into it: World War II is battles were fought? What was the terrain like and what undoubtedly the most written about war in history. The

Sample file

Allies beware – the Burmese jungle teems with camouflaged Japanese soldiers