Luzon, The Philippines
Despite heavy losses, it appears that the tide may finally be turning in the west, as the Marines are finally able to bring the full weight of their artillery to bear. However, the same cannot be said for other points along the line, as the withdrawal continues, and the line grows a bit precarious at points…
19:06 Hours
Zone 1
Mortar fire continues to rain down on the heads of the Marines in
Lieutenant The Afoci’s 1st Platoon, Infantry B. The incessant Japanese attacks are close to creating a breach, despite the best efforts of the Marines from 1st Platoon and the Stuart tanks of
Lieutenant bertogarce’s 1st Platoon, Armor B. Lieutenant Jennings’ 3rd Platoon, Infantry B is ordered to shift to the east, directly behind the men of 1st Platoon, in case a retreat is necessary.
This shift happens not a moment too soon. As the mortar fire lets up once more, what seems like hordes of the enemy set upon the Marines. Attacking in platoon strength at the very least, the attackers take heavy casualties, but the Marines of 1st Platoon have been simply worn down. One squad is reduced to a mere pair of healthy Marines, who are forced to withdraw. Shortly thereafter, Japanese troops swarm over one of the Stuarts from 1st Armored, tossing a live grenade into a hatch and blowing the machine to pieces.
The disruption of the lines and the heavy casualties they have sustained leaves 1st Platoon with no choice but to fall back.
Zone 2
Radioman O’Brian throws down his X-Com radio in disgust.
“It’s no bloody use, cap’n. I kinna get Sergeant Hoock on tha blasted radio. I might as well be usin’ two ration cans an a wee bit o’ string, for all the good these damn things do us.”
Captain Coffee Warlord attempts to digest this information, and wonders where exactly O’Brian materialized from in the first place. Shortly thereafter, a throaty roar is plainly heard, and the three Stuart tanks of
Captain sachmo71’s Armor B Command go rushing past, back towards the north and the enemy. One hundred meters to the north,
Captain sachmo71 opens his hatch and watches as five hollow-eyed Marines, including one very relieved-looking Sergeant Huck, emerge from the jungle and scramble onto the hulls of the tanks. The tanks immediately shift into reverse gears and back out of the area, the gunners unleashing a hail of machinegun fire to discourage any pursuit by the Japanese.
Shortly thereafter,
Captain sachmo71’s Stuarts return to their previous firing positions, and the Marines jump off. Sergeant Huck flashes a weary grin at
Captain sachmo71 as he gathers his men.
“Thanks, Cap! Owe you a beer!” With that, the Marines match south, and soon rejoin their platoon-mates.
No sooner do the Marines disappear into the jungle, then two squads of Japanese infantry emerge from the trees in pursuit. The superior firepower of the machinegun teams in the area and the Stuarts easily cause these units to withdraw, however.
At the same time all of this is going on, the Marines of
Lieutenant Aesyrqwe’s 2nd Platoon, Infantry B and
Lieutenant Superman=#54’s 2nd Platoon, Armor B, are hastily shifting to the southeast in order to cover the gap which has developed with Zone 3.
Lieutenant Aesyrqwe’s men move to fill the gap, and quickly find themselves in a sharp engagement with a platoon of Japanese infantry, no doubt attempting to exploit the gap. With the aid of the Stuarts, the Marines are able to fight the Japanese to a stand-still.
Zone 3
The Marines of
Captain Blade6119’s Infantry Company C continue their withdrawal largely unmolested, although a trailing squad from
Lieutenant Qwikshot’s 2nd Platoon, Infantry C does exchange relatively harmless gunfire with what appears to be a Japanese probing squad.
Zone 4
Zone 4 remains quiet as the men of
Captain ardent enthusiast’s Infantry Company A continue their withdrawal. Some Marines get all the luck.
19:09 Hours
Zone 1
Seventy-five millimeter howitzer shells begin to hammer the area just recently vacated by the retreating Marines of
Lieutenant The Afoci’s 1st Platoon, Infantry B and
Lieutenant bertogarce’s 1st Platoon, Armor B. This, combined with supporting fire from the company’s machinegun teams, allow the remnants of 1st Platoon to join the Marines of Lieutenant Jennings’ 3rd Platoon, Infantry B unmolested.
Zone 2
Lieutenant JeffNights’ 3rd Platoon, Infantry D and
Lieutenant sterlingice’s 3rd Platoon, Armor B are finally able to complete their withdrawal, and form a line well inside of the extreme range of the Marines’ howitzers.
Lieutenant Breeze’s 1st Platoon, Infantry D are also able to get clear, and begin to shift to the east to even out the lines. Marine howitzer shells begin to fall to the north, as the artillery boys are finally able to earn their keep, and hopefully keep the Japanese off of the Marines’ backs.
Things do not go as smoothly to the east, however. With continued and valuable fire support from
Lieutenant Superman=#54’s 2nd Platoon, Armor B, the men of
Lieutenant Aesyrqwe’s platoon are able to complete their shift, but still have ground to cover to the south before they can come within the artillery umbrella. Unfortunately, they still appear to be in danger of enemy bombardment, as 81mm mortar shells and 75mm cannon shells begin to land within their ranks. The bombardment is fierce, and at least two Marines are wounded by the numerous explosions.
Zone 3
More gunfire is exchanged between Marines from
Lieutenant Qwikshot’s 2nd Platoon, Infantry C and pursuing Japanese troops, as the Marines scramble to get out of the open ground which they have found themselves upon.
Lieutenant jfbbis dispatches one of the Stuarts from 2nd Platoon, Armor A to provide fire support for the Marines.
Otherwise, the withdrawal continues without incident.
Zone 4
Quiet as a tomb.
19:12 Hours
Zone 1
Some enemy troops appear to have slipped through the bombardment to the north, and attack the line. These troops appear to have been rattled, at the very least, by the shelling, and are easily forced back by the fresh Marines of Lieutenant Jennings’ 3rd Platoon, Infantry B and the four remaining Stuarts of
Lieutenant bertogarce’s 1st Platoon, Armor B. Many of the Marines from
Lieutenant The Afoci’s 1st Platoon, Infantry B have managed to slip back from the lines, welcome for any respite they can find, however brief.
Zone 2
Marine howitzers continue to shell the between Zones 1 and 2, lending their assistance wherever they can, and it seems to be doing the trick here. Only one small attack is mounted against the western part of the line, and is easily driven back by
Lieutenant JeffNights’ 3rd Platoon, Infantry D and
Lieutenant sterlingice’s 3rd Platoon, Armor B.
The same cannot be said for the eastern part of the line, where
Lieutenant Aesyrqwe’s 2nd Platoon, Infantry D and
Lieutenant Superman=#54’s 2nd Platoon, Armor B still remain outside of friendly artillery range. The fierce bombardment by the Japanese continues, holding the Marines in place. Rifle and machinegun fire are added to the cacophony by the Japanese. To their credit, the grunts and the tank crews do their best, and hold the Japanese at bay, despite being pinned.
Zone 3
The Japanese probing efforts in the center of the retreating line turn into a full on attack. The Stuart tank of Sergeant Franco, dispatched by
Lieutenant jfbbis to support the grunts, lends its considerable firepower to the exchange. While many Japanese are cut down, the tank Marines in the immediate area are outnumbered, and the squad caught on open ground is quickly cut down. Sergeant Franco continues to cut loose on the enemy positions, as the few able-bodied Marines remaining from Sergeant Easter’s squad run past and out of harm’s way.
Things remain quiet across the rest of the zone.
Zone 4
The Marines in Zone 4 continue their march to the south without contact by the Japanese.
STATUS
Zone 1
The entire area is now safely under the umbrella of friendly artillery fire, and enemy contact seems to be dying off because of that. Lieutenant Jennings’ platoon has taken the place of Lieutenant The Afoci’s platoon on the line, giving The Afoci’s men a chance to regroup.
A few precious mortar rounds remain for the 60mm and 81mm mortars. I have yet to hear from Captain RainRaven, so I am releasing command of the mortars to the individual platoon commanders.
Zone 2
We’re in good shape in the western portion of the zone, where the howitzers are now pounding the area to the north. A fairly contiguous line is nearly completed.
To the east, however, Lieutenants Aesyrqwe and Superman=#54 are in a fair amount of trouble. They’re pinned down, at least for the moment, and unless the enemy bombardment lets up soon, they could easily find themselves in a very tough, close-range fight. They still need to withdraw about 100 yards before artillery support in the area is a safe possibility.
Zone 3
One squad did get caught in the open during the retreat, but the rest of the troops in the area are under pretty good cover. There are definitely Japanese troops at the other end of the open area, but we have no idea where else they might be in this zone.
You still need to cover about another 100 yards before the howitzers can be brought to bear. You do have a few 81mm mortar rounds left, though.
Zone 4
You guys must be living right, because you’ve had it the easiest by far. No contact with the enemy for some time now. The eastern edge of the zone only needs to fall back another 50 yards or so. Captain WSUCougar and Lieutenant samifan24 are a little behind, however, and still need to cover about 150 yards.
ORDERS ARE NOW OPEN!
Semper Fi!