LIKE SHADOWS INTO THE SEA

A Gear Krieg scenario by Scott Lynch

"When you have those Jap bastards in sight, I want you to de-value that beachfront property with everything you've got. I want you to kill them so hard you get their ancestors three generations back, too."

-Major General D.S. Wilson, 24th infantry Division, 8 December 1941

Battlefield
Location: Oahu, Hawaii, 1941
Conditions: Clear
Time of Day: Night

Allied Order of Battle

Any surviving units from the previous three scenarios, plus reinforcements.
Japanese Order of Battle

Any surviving units from the previous three scenarios, plus beach forces.

Morale
All Japanese units are Elite.
All American units are Rookie.

Terrain and Setup
The map should describe a pleasant coastal area, with approximately 1/3 of the table being taken up by water (As this ia a night scenario, a darker blue or black backing might be more appropriate than the usual light sea blue). Divide the table in half perpendicular to the waterline. A frontage road should loosely follow the beach along the full length of the map. Inland, the map should rise several gradual degrees of elevation. Scattered trees may be placed as the players see fit.
On the edge of the beach, place markers or models to represent twelve Japanese landing craft.
The American setup area will be anywhere within 5 MUs of the landward edge of the board. The Japanese units may set up anywhere within 5 MUs of the waterline.

Mission Briefing

For better or for worse, the Japanese have carried out their raids on the designated objectives and are withdrawing under fire toward the beach where their landing craft await to evacuate them to the three waiting submarines. American prisoners (General Short among them, if he was successfully captured) have already been evacuated. Now the Japanese forces remaining on the beach must delay the American advance while falling back in good order.

This scenario is High Mission Priority for both sides.

Mission Objectives

The Japanese objective is to withdraw as many surviving units as possible from the beach before American naval and air power arrives on the scene to threaten the submarines (At the end of Turn 10).

The American objective is to delay the Japanese withdrawal as long as possible, destroy Japanese landing craft to trap units on the beach, and destroy whatever remains.

Tactical Notes

Landing Craft
Each landing craft can carry a single walker, a single tank, or up to three infantry units. Once a landing craft has been loaded, it may withdraw from the beach. Landing craft must exit the map on the Japanese edge. A landing craft that does so carries its passenger unit(s) safely to one of the submarines and is effectively removed from the mission.

Japanese Beach Forces
To the Japanese forces surviving from the earlier encounters, add the following:

2 x Model 94 AT Gun

These guns, any other surviving guns, and the small scout cars are not to be withdrawn via landing craft. They are collectively referred to as the "beach forces." The crews of all of these units may abandon their equipment and escape via a single landing craft. When the Japanese player abandons his (booby-trapped) beach force equipment, he should place a single special infantry marker (call it a Rifle Squad) on the beach 1 MU from the landing craft chosen for this task. During the following Turn, this unit may embark and try to escape.

Alternatively, the Japanese beach forces may fight to the death, sacrificing themselves while the rest of the force escapes. However, these men are among the very best in the Imperial Japanese Army, and recovering them is worth the Japanese player's time.

American Reinforcements
To the American forces surviving from earlier encounters, add the following:

4 x M3A1 Stuart Tank

4 x M11A1 General Early Walker

8 x Rifle Squad

2 x Heavy Weapon Squad

American reinforcements may also be kept off the board until the U.S. player desires, entering via the landward edge at the beginning of a Turn and moving their regular distance.

Japanese Bombardment
The three Japanese submarines may bombard the beach with their deck guns in an effort to buy more time for the withdrawal. The Japanese player has fifteen total attacks, and may use up to three per Turn. Each attack (x12) is made by a Veteran gun crew with a base modifier of -3, modified by any actions the target American unit takes to avoid getting hit. Any American unit that is within detection range of a Japanese unit on the beach may be fired upon.

Incoming American Support
Due to the rapidly encroaching threat of American naval and air power, any Japanese unit still on the board at the end of turn 10 is abandoned by the submarines, intentionally or unintentionally.

Sacrificial Japanese units left on the board may continue fighting until Turn 15 in an effort to improve the Japanese score for the mission. Naval bombardment will not be available after the submarines vanish beneath the waves at the end of Turn 10.

Japanese Landing Craft

Size: 6
Armor: 10/20/30
Maneuver: -2
Sensors: None
Fire Control: NA

Crew: 2
Move: 3
Deployment Range: NA
Communications: None
Threat Value: NA

Perks and Flaws:

Exposed Crew
Rugged Movement System

Weapon
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Arc
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S
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M
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L
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Ex
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Acc
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