empires in flames -...

Empires in FlamesThe 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 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.

OSPREYPUB L I SH ING

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ContentsWhat Is This Book? 6The Pacific and Far East 7

The Second Sino-Japanese War 9Prelude 10

1937 12Marco Polo Bridge 12The Battle of Shanghai 12The Rape of Nanking 13

1938 14Battle of Tai’erzhuang 14

1939 15The Nomonhan Incident 1939 15

World War II in China 15Operation August Storm: The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria 16

Aftermath 18

Fighting the Campaign Using Bolt Action 18Scenarios 18

General Scenarios 18Terrain 19

Scenario 1: The Marco Polo Bridge 19

Scenario 2: Trench Warfare in Shanghai 21

Theatre Selectors 22Battle of Shanghai 1937 22Battle of Tai'erzhuang 1938 238th Route Army 1937–45 23X and Y Force, Burma 1942–45 24Tank War: Nationalist Chinese Armour 24IJA Kwantung Army, 1937 25IJA Kwantung Army, 1945 25Soviet Army, Manchuria 1945 26

Additional Units 26Generic Unit Options 26

Horse-Drawn Limber 26Mule Team 26

Imperial Japanese Units 27IJA Cavalry Command 27Legends of Imperial Japan: Colonel Baron Takeichi Nishi 28Japanese / Manchukuoan Cavalry Squad 28IJN or SNLF Scout Team 28Type 93 13.2mm Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Team 29Type 88 75mm Dual Purpose AA Gun 29Soko Sagyo SS-KI Armoured Work Vehicle 30IJN Type 92 Hokoku-Go Armoured Car 30

Soviet Units 30Mongolian Cavalry Troop 30

Armies of China 31Army Special Rules 32

Flag 32Levy 32Sparrow Tactics (Communists only) 32Bodyguard (Nationalists and Warlords only) 32Legends of China: General Sun Li-Jen 32

Headquarters Units 34Nationalist Officer 34Warlord 34Communist Officer 34Political Officer 35Medic 35Forward Observer 35

Infantry Squads and Teams 35German-Trained Nationalist Squad 35Infantry Squad 35Conscript Squad 36X and Y Force Squad (Burma) 36Big Sword Squad 36Guerrilla Cell 38Cavalry Troop 38Scout Team 38MG-34 Machine Gun Team (Early War) 38Machine Gun Team 39Boys Anti-Tank Rifle Team 39Sniper Team 39Legends of China: Sergeant Tung Chi-Yuan 39Suicide Anti-Tank Team 39Flamethrower Team 39Light Mortar Team 40Medium Mortar Team 40Heavy Trench Mortar 40

Field Artillery 407.6cm IeFK16 Field Gun 40Type 41 75mm Mountain Gun 4075mm M1A1 Pack Howitzer 40105mm M2A1 Medium Howitzer 41

Anti-Tank Guns 4137mm PAK 36 4137mm M3A1 Anti-Tank Gun 41ZIS-2 Anti-Tank Gun 41

Anti-Aircraft Guns 4220mm Flak 38 42Bofors 40mm L/60 42

Tanks 42FT-17/18 42Sutton Skunk Holt Armoured Tractor 42Carden-Loyd MK VI Tankette 43 L3/33 Tankette 43


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EMPIRES IN FLAMES

Captured Type 95 Ha-Go 43Captured Type 97 Chi-Ha 43Vickers Carden-Loyd M1931 Amphibious Tank 43Panzer I 43T-26 Model 1933 44Vickers 6-Ton Mark E Type B 44M3A3 Stuart V 44M4 Sherman 75mm 44

Armoured Cars 44SdKfz 221 & 222 44BA-10 44BA-20M 45Citroen Kegresse b2 Armoured Half-Track Car 45Captured Type 92 Hokoku-Go 45

Transports and Tows 45Morris 15cwt Truck 45Buessing-NAG Truck 45Universal Carrier 46Jeep 46M2 Half-Track 46M3 White Scout Car 46

The Red Sun Rises 47Prelude 48

The Campaigns 49Opening Moves 49The Philippines 49Attack on the Dutch East Indies 51Malaya 51The Fall of Singapore 53

Aftermath 55



Scenario 3: Battle of the Points 57

Scenario 4: Airfield Defence 59

Theatre Selectors 60The Battling Bastards of Bataan, December 1941–May 1942 60

Additional Units 61Philippine Units 61

Philippine Scouts 61Legends of the Philippines: PFC Narcisco Ortilano 61

Burma And India 62Prelude 63

The Campaigns 64The Advance on Rangoon 64Pegu and Taukkyan 64Retreat to India 65Madagascar – Operation Ironclad 66General Slim and the Forgotten Army 66

Legends of the Commonwealth: Brigadier Mike Calvert 68Kohima – Imphal 1944 69Return to Burma 70

Aftermath 72



Scenario 5: Ambush on the Burma Road 74

Scenario 6: HQ Raid 77Legends of the Commonwealth: Orde Wingate 79

Additional Units 79Generic Unit Options 79

Native Irregulars 79Imperial Japanese Units 80

The Indian National Army 80Chinese/US Units 80

Merrill’s Marauders 80Commonwealth Units 81

Australian Commandos 81Gurkha Paratroops 81Legends of the Commonwealth: Bhanbhagta Gurung 82

Island Hopping 83Prelude 84

The Campaigns 86New Guinea and the Kokoda Trail 86Guadalcanal 87

Legends of the United States: John Basilone 90Advance into the Central Pacific 91

Legends of the Commonwealth: Sergeant Tom Derrick 92Return to the Philippines 93Iwo Jima and Okinawa 94

Legends of Imperial Japan: Tadamichi Kuribayashi 96

Aftermath 97


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Scenario 7: Alligator Creek 99

Scenario 8: Bloody Tarawa 101

Additional Units 104US Units 104

USMC Raiders 104USMC War Dog Team 104M29 Weasel 105Legends of the United States: Lewis “Chesty” Puller 105

New Scenario Rules 106Tropical Hazards 107Exhaustion 107Mud 108Monsoon Season 108

Night Fighting 110Different Types of Night Fighting Games 110

Dawn Assault 110Longest Day 110Flare! 110

Night Fighting Rules 110Limited Visibility 110Muzzle Flashes 111Fires 111Japanese Infiltrators 111Reacting to an Assault 111Indirect Fire 111Forward Air and Artillery Observers 111

Dug In: Foxholes, Trenches and Gun Pits 112Dug In Rules 112

Dug In Vehicles 112Dug In with Hidden Set-Up 112Japanese “Spider Hole” Networks 113Dug In vs Preparatory Bombardment 113Dug In vs Tank Assault 113

Digging In During a Game 114

Minefields 115Minefield Rules 115

Minefield Sections 115Effect of minefields 115

Clearing Minefields 117Manual mine clearance by infantry 117Blowing it up! 117

Amphibious Assaults 118Movement in Water 118

Deep Water 118Shallow Water 118

Lagoons, Reefs and Coral Atolls 118Landing Craft 120

Boats 120Landing Craft, Assault 120Landing Craft, Personnel 120Landing Craft, Mechanized 121

City Fighting 122The City as a Battlefield 122Rubble 122

Movement in Rubble 122Shooting in Rubble 122

Buildings 123Roads and Open Ground 123Sewer Movement 123Command and Control in a City Fight 124


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EMPIRES IN FLAMES

What is this Book?

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


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What is this Book?

The Pacific and Far EastThis book is a supplement to the tabletop wargame Bolt

Action. It focuses on the Far East and Pacific theatres during World War II, from the Japanese invasion of China two years before the official start of the war in Europe through to the Allied plans to invade the Japanese home islands in 1945, and the end of the war.

This supplement provides a context for your games set in the Pacific Theatre, addressing common historical questions asked by players such as: How did the relatively small, lightly equipped Japanese Army conquer the territories of the colonial powers so quickly? How were they eventually stopped and what kind of battles were fought? What was the terrain like and what

factor did this play tactically? By answering these and other questions, we hope that you will enjoy a more rewarding game and perhaps gain a glimpse of what the brave men of many nations endured in the Pacific Theatre.

This book is not intended to be a definitive account of all the campaigns fought in the Far East, such a subject would (and does) occupy many volumes of equivalent size. Instead we aim to present a primer for this area of the conflict that points out items of interest as we go. Should anything pique your curiosity you will be able to find many resources to dig deeper into it: World War II is undoubtedly the most written about war in history. The

Allies beware – the Burmese jungle teems with camouflaged Japanese soldiers


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