Peleliu #1*
*
Date: September 15, 1944*
*
Battle Location: Peleliu Island, Palau*
*
Battle Type: US Marines Assault vs Japanese Defend*
*
Turns: 30*
*
Description: This scenario represents the landing of the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu (part of the operation "Stalemate 2") on September 15, 1944, 05:30 - 09:30 o'clock and can only be played from the US Marines side.*
*
You are in command of three regimental combat teams (RCT) and assigned troops. Combat team 1 (1st Marines) will assault WHITE 1 and WHITE 2 with one battalion each. Combat team 2 (5th Marines) will assault ORANGE 1 and ORANGE 2 also with one battalion each. Combat team 3 (7th Marines) will assault ORANGE 3 with one battalion. The remaining battalions of the regiments will land after the clearing of the beaches. Your goals are marked with victory hexes. Take and hold them. We expect approx.10.000 Japanese troops (both IJA and IJN) on the island. Good luck!*
*
Historical note:  The USMC had learned a lot from it's experience on Tarawa,. Now LVT(A) were in the first wave to bring firepower and armour onto the beach from the beginning, tanks were available in an early stage of the assault and the unarmoured LVTP deliver the troops only to the reef and then they transfer to the armoured LVT's to give some protection.*
*
Gameplay Notes/Tips: The first six waves of Marines will approach in Amtracs and DUKWs at the beginning of turn 8. The following waves of Marines will start unloading at the submerged reef line (turn 14+, marked "TP") and must transport with the (remaining) Amtracs to the beach. So move your Amtracs after the delivery of the troops at the beach back to the reef line to pick up embarked (reinforcement) troops. Move your landing crafts straight to the beach and stay in the marked landing sectors, but you can chose any beach hexes inside the sectors to land your units. The LVT's have the proper landing beach in the name; i.e. "LVT 4 W-1" = landing beach WHITE 1. The LCI(R) and LCI(M) should not move over the reef line. The LCI(R) should fire from the reef edge, the LCI(M) can fire at approval. Pound the landing beaches hard with all you have in the pre-invasion bombardment phase (don't spray the hole island!). Don't change the planned bombardment; you'll have the aircraft and guns available after their first fire mission. Fight down the enemy artillery. Move your troops only to the victory hexes and do not move further because the next scenario will start at these points.*
*
Designer Notes: The game time is time compressed. The troops strength (Marines and Japanese) is reduced to 33%. The M4A2 can move in deep water with a speed of 4. Some LVT 4 have cargo capacity chanced to transport Jeeps and 37mm AT guns.  Japanese light tanks can transport 4 men (wooden handhelds; frontline modification). The Japanese side have also reinforcements to simulate sheltered troops and the relocation of troops in the battle, this means you are not able to destroy all the enemy with your bombardment or locate them with your spotter planes. A large number of  the original units have been changed in the editor; name, number of men, weapons, ammo, armour, land speed, water speed, sometimes the icon etc to accomodate the compressed time span and other issues. One Example of this is that the number of men in all marines units goes constantly down between scenario Peleliu #1 to Peleliu #5 due to casualities.*
*
Sources:
Moran J. & Rottman, G. L., Peleliu 1944, Osprey*
Rottman, Gordon L., Japanese Pacific Island Defence 1941-45, Osprey*
Zaloga, Steven, Amtracs: US Amphibious assault vehicles, Osprey*
Camp, Dick, Last man standing, Zenith Press*
http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-Peleliu/index.html#index*
http://home.sprynet.com/~kier/peleliu.htm#Overview*
http://www.4point2.org/gunboats.htm#peleliu*
*
Design by: Christian Basener, Germany*
Email: christian.basener@gmx.de*
Thanks to playtesters:gila*
*
AATB = Armored Amphibian Tractor Battalion*
ATB = Amphibian Tractor Battalion*
TCAT = Transportation Corps Amphibious Truck*
TP = Transfer Point*
CU = Constrution Unit*
AB = West Carolines Air Force Base Units*
Koku = Kokutai*