My Marines move up as the 3rd wave hits the beach and starts unloading (mainly bottles of Coke and sunshades).
John meanwhile was still embroiled in heavy fighting – and taking 99% of incoming fire. At this stage he had to start assaulting bunkers – and another mini-debate started.
The Japanese manning the bunkers got pluses for close combat for a) being Japanese, b) being Veterans but got no minus for manning entrenched heavy weapons. So basically attacking bunkers meant the Americans were going to be on the equivalent of -3 on a d6 – virtually impossible odds. This I didn’t agree with – my view was that bunkers – if attacked frontally – should be hard to crack but once you could flank or get around a bunker then the attackers should have the bonuses. A satchel charge or grenade through the embrasure will deal with the entrenched troops no matter how good they are and close combat should be a walk over as the defenders have to come out to fight.
As an example, in Saving Private Ryan the Germans exiting the concrete bunkers were gunned down easily before they could get onto level ground.
This had a major impact on the battle now unfolding. Knowing that we were on a hiding to nothing by assaulting the bunkers, we were loath to just throw troops away in a futile manner. John tried time and again to assault the bunkers but until they were Suppressed (which gave the defenders a -2) they were unassailable – especially with the cross fire coming in.
Of course, if we’ve kept a bombardment back we might have cleared this bottleneck but as we hadn’t – and as we had no artillery on the island – we couldn’t suppress the bunkers, which meant we were getting stuck.
Our only other option was to call in destroyer fire and aircraft. Which was controlled and diced for by Mark ‘Snake Eyes’ Shakespeare. A man previously renowned for fearless dice throwing, he was proved over the coming turns to have contracted Phil’s Palsy and became unable to throw any number higher than a 4 on a d6. As we needed 5’s and 6’s, this was to become a big problem.
 |
| John's 2nd going nowhere fast |
Turn 10 4pm
My 6/2 had by this time cleared the whole end of the island. We found that everything had been killed in the bombardment or were dummies. 6/1 pushed along the beach with a rendezvous with a 120mm twin cannon as 6/3 waded through the surf.
John’s 2/2 pushed forward, leaving 2/1 cowering behind any cover they could find. Destroyer fire was called in but radio comms were down and no fire was forth coming. Our mortars also failed to suppress the bunkers – and Japanese fire came in unabated. Their mortar missed but the depressed AA gun took out another platoon. The anti-tank gun – with no more Amtracs in his view to kill – set out splashing shells at any 2/2 troops in the surf.
Then another previously unseen gun also opened up and another 2/2 was suppressed. John’s attack was grinding to a halt in front of the antitank ditch.
 |
| Trying to cross the AT ditch under covering fire is proving impossible |
Turn 11 5pm
The Higgins boats unloaded the 2/3 at the reef and turn back to get more supplies (though the chances of unloading before night are slim)
My 6/1 finally get into action and start trading shots – 6 hours after landing! Such was the effect of shell-cratered terrain and fear of assaulting bunkers on forward movement. We were reduced to pouring fire in and hoping for a lucky suppression before attacking. Lucky suppressions need 6’s. I couldn’t roll a 6 to save my life.
John construed to lose another Stuart tank to a shell hole – so far we only had one tank on the island and – having seen others disappear around them – we were loath to move him just yet. My engineer fills in part of the first anti-tank ditch so we now have a clear path from there to allow supplies and troops to get forward faster. But the Japanese fire suppresses another of the 2/2. Even worse, the AT bunker needs a 6 to suppress troops in the water – and he gets it! The AA gun then kills the suppressed platoon. The twin barrelled gun then opens up and instantly kills the first platoon of the 6/1. We’re getting ripped to shreds
 |
| Engineer fills in part of the anti-tank ditch allowing faster troop movement |
The bunkers are proving hard to kill and even to take on at all! “Too hard and too many bonuses” is the cry from the Americans. We see the need to get artillery on the island and quick.
 |
| John not fooling anyone. We're in the poop! |
Turn 12 (6pm)
The Americans are moved up – all John’s appear to be suppressed. The destroyer salvos fail to kill, hurt or even deafen the AT gun, which keeps blazing away.
Thank goodness the supplies and the artillery start coming in and the 3rd wave comes in to assault the bunkers. Japanese fire is sporadic – mainly as targets are less accessible now (and there's a lot less to shoot at!).
For the first time the Jap 20mm fails to kill or suppress anything but is vying for ‘Unit of the Match’ for the Japanese. But where the 20mm failed, the mortar succeeded and John lost another platoon to a mortar.
The twin-linked nightmare took out a unit of the 6/2 as well.
I called in mortar fire on the bunker I was assaulting which missed. Miraculously I killed the bunker in close assault (a ‘5’ to their ‘1’) – our first success in the ground.
 |
| Our first successful bunker assualt. Success amid the mayhem. |
Turn 13 (7pm)
I pushed forward on the left but my mortar fire was ineffectual. The 20mm killed another platoon. We then found the twin-linked had been rolling for hitting vehicles not infantry (‘CHEATS!’) and so rolled on a revised score – and still killed our platoon! At least the AA gun missed – but the overall effect was slow American progress at a high price. We were making no impression on the Japanese defences (having to try and suppress them first) and they were cutting us down in consequence.
 |
| The AA gun - murderously effective |
 |
| The 20mm in front of the command bunker - also highly effective |
 |
| And the AT gun - killer of inumerable Amtracs. |
Turn 14 (8pm)
Once again we fail to call in the destroyers. The John-O-Meter is looking grim. We also start considering digging in as night starts to fall.  |
| John and Mark failing to call in or hit anything....again. |
6/3 arrrives on the beach as do the supplies and the artillery – they will prove vital in the coming turns. The supplies were diverted to John’s sector as I had plenty.
 |
| Supplies diverted to John - who's need is greatest |
Then! The Japanese start to move and some troops come out to play as they desert their bunkers and come out to attack. We fail to call anything in on them though – except for one mortar hit.
The only bright spot is that the 20mm can’t fire through its own troops so some respite for John’s 2/2.
At this point the whole eastern end of the island is now fully clear – no Jap lives to the east of the main AT ditch which we’re stuck on.
Turn 15 (9pm)
We start digging in to protect us for the night – not that it will do much good. The artillery comes ashore and sets up while the whole front line digs in. Just as well as the Japs are held up for a turn trying to cross the AT ditch as their indirect fire batters us and we can’t fire back. We fail to clear most suppressions and we’re generally in a big mess.On the bright side, Mark calls in the aircraft for a strafing run on the Japs in the open.
 |
| Japs in the open! |
 |
| The artillery lands and starts setting up. |
 |
| The last view before night falls |
The last turn before night and the last chance to get dug in (for a +1)
Mark’s late night run with the aircraft is a bust – they manage to drive one off with a ‘6’ and then shoot down another with another ‘6’!!! Much cursing from the Americans, which doubled in intensity as our indirect fire was universally useless. Unlike the Japanese which inflicted more suppressions.
 |
| A plane falls to Japanese AA fire |
Japanese close assaults kill three more US platoons in short order – and they are now in the ditch ready to unleash hell in the night.
It’s looking terrible for us as the moon rises…
 |
| The Japs look forward to the night..... |