This scenario piqued my interest because it pitted the GMD Chinese against the Red Chinese (in ASL terms). I greatly enjoy the variety that ASL can provide. This is a combination of forces that I had not previously experienced in ASL. Unsurprisingly, this battle takes place in 1948, after World War Two. When I tried to look up Pantang, China, where the scenario states that the battle took place, Google Maps could not find it. AI then suggested to me that Pantang was probably merged with other villages to become Guangzhou in Guangdong province.

The People’s Liberation Army is attacking the GMD Chinese. The PLA have 22 squads, five HS with five leaders. The troops have two MMG, three LMG, three Japanese light mortars, two DC, a Japanese 70mm INF gun and a Pak36 37mm AT gun. The victory conditions require the PLA to either take two multi-hex buildings or reduce the GMD Chinese force to < five good order squads or eliminate two GMD Chinese AFV. The Red Chinese can Human Wave, they have Dare Death squads and they do not cower. They can also trade a leader for a kinder, gentler Commissar.

The GMD Chinese force has fifteen squads, two leaders, two MMG, two LMG, two German light mortars. They receive three Stuart tanks on turn three or four. The GMD Chinese lose the Dare Death option by SSR and a Human Wave doesn’t seem like a good option for their defence.

Here is the battlefield on maps 33 and 43. 

Here is the setup for both sides.

My GMD setup has the two light mortars targeting the woods hexes. One LMG and one MMG can also reach the woods. I erred with the MMG in level one of 33R6. I think the 33R8 stone building is a better location; it could lay down a firelane from there in the southeast direction to interfere with some PLA movement. My overall plan was to defend the 33R6 building for a very short time and focus on preserving units.

The PLA obtained one smoke round on the south LMG position and then charged forward. I don’t know why the PLA player didn’t use Human Wave on the first turn; there were a lot of orchard hexes to protect the troops. The GMD troops started leaving the 33R6 building, but under fire. One squad was broken and reduced. The attrition of the B11 weapons started during game turn one with a PLA light mortar leaving the game.

In turn two, the PLA made a Human Wave through the orchard hexes, consisting of six squads, two LMG and an 8-0 leader. There was only one GMD Chinese unit that could and did defensive fire; first at a squad that moved next to it in open ground. The result was a broken reduced PLA squad. The same GMD unit broke a follow-on squad with the leader. The north flank force moved carefully closer; this group contained two the OB-given HS. A PLA sniper attack broke the GMD unit in 33R6. Some PLA moved into the center woods hexes as well.

Any GMD unit that could not skulk fired. Their light mortars broke three PLA squads in the woods and reduced one of them. One of the GMD light mortars went away and one MMG malfunctioned. A GMD squad surrendered. An SSR prevents the PLA from invoking No Quarter.

The PLA spent most of their third turn bringing up more units to take the 33T9 building. The north flank group went down to two good order HS; one moving squad broke, another moving squad broke and reduced.   The GMD tanks came in on turn three (yay). The broken GMD MMG went away. The four squads in building 33T9 fire-grouped for one attack that broke two PLA squads across the road. Return fire broke two of them and then reduced those two. The tanks entered with only 8MP to spend, so they didn’t get far.

During PLA turn four, a squad with two prisoner squads went down to a KIA. The prisoners casualty-reduced and then re-armed. The PLA sacrificed some HS to strip concealment in the 33T9 building for later opportunity fire. Replacements continued to move in.

In the north, a PLA squad rallied to double the strength of forces on that flank in GMD turn four. Prep fire broke one of the PLA HS on that flank. Two of the three units in building 33T9 skulked. The Stuart tanks moved to protect that building and to keep the PLA rally point under DM. The 9-1 leader with a squad and LMG moved from protecting the north flank to the south flank. The PLA rolled a KIA when the re-armed prisoner squad tried to return to the GMD lines. They also broke the squad that remained behind in the 33T9 building. In the advance phase, I started to sow the seeds of my defeat when I failed to re-garrison the northern multi-hex building 43O7. I could have done it, but the AT gun constantly shooting the occupants pushed out the thought that ANY multi-hex building meets the PLA victory conditions. As well, I thought I had the approach covered well enough.

The PLA failed to get smoke in their turn five. The PLA setup a few opportunity fire stacks. In the north, they had no problem moving a leader and squad closer to the objectives. The tanks and squads were able to break or pin all the units that approached the 33T9 building. The opp fire broke one of the two squads in building 33T9. Both PLA MMG malfunctioned. The PLA advanced three units adjacent to building 33T9.

GMD prep fire from two tanks was ineffective against the PLA units adjacent to building 33T9. The two concealed units in that building skulked. I sent one squad from the north to re-posses the light mortar, another move that would contribute to my defeat later.

The PLA again made some opportunity fire stacks in the south. The PLA made several moves against the 33T9 building, including placing a DC from an adjacent unit. The moves stripped the concealment, but the DC was not placed. At this point, my opponent saw the possibility of victory on the north flank. I had two units defending, but he had the MMC available to attack. A PLA HS ran towards building 43O7. GMD unit fires. The PLA HS passes the NMC. The PLA HS moves another hex. The same GMD unit fires; I roll snake eyes to cower of the IFT table! At that point, we both realize that there is nothing I can do to stop a PLA unit from controlling building 43O7 resulting in an immediate win.

The PLA still had another turn to accomplish their mission. Despite that, the scenario feels balanced to me. Both sides need to play smart. If I had kept a unit in building 43O7, the PLA would have needed to fight for it. I think the starting position for the two PLA guns was good. They covered two multi-hex buildings. The PLA main attack will probably always focus on building 33R6 first because of the relatively protected approach.