Peleliu #3*
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Date: September 15, 1944*
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Battle Location: Peleliu Island, Palau*
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Battle Type: US Marines Assault vs Japanese Defend*
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Turns: 8*
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Description: This scenario represents the advance of the 1st Marine Division on Peleliu (part of the operation "Stalemate 2") on September 15, 1944, 09:30 - 18:00 o'clock and can be played only from the US Marines side.*
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Orders: Combat team 1 (1st Marines) has landed with two battalions. Only the beaches at WHITE 1 and WHITE 2 have been cleared. Now we are going to move further inland however, something went wrong with our reconnaissance; we didn't identify the Japanese stronghold called "The point" in the WHITE 1 area. There is no way without heavy loses to take it in a frontal assault. You are in command of the 3/1 Marines battalion. Parts of the third battalion (as regimental reserve), 1/1 Marines are underway to reinforce White 1. K/3/1 has the order to bypass "The point" in the north and attack it from the rear. The other battalion goals are marked with victory hexes. Take and hold them. Beware of counter attacks. Good luck!*
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Historical note: The Marines achieved only little progress at WHITE 1, because of unexpected heavy resistance at "The Point". Company K/3/1 was isolated 30 hours and had only 78 men out of 235 men remaining after the fight.*
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Gameplay Notes/Tips: Move your troops only to the victory hexes because the next scenario will start on these points. Find and fight down the Japanese artillery. They can painful slow down your progress inland. Unload your LVT's at the beach (shallow water hex); don't use them inland, they are needed to transport supplies and must go back to the reef. It is a close combat fight. Use our artillery and air strikes careful to prevent friendly fire incidents! Remember the blast radius.*
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Designer Notes: The troops strength (Marines and Japanese) is reduced to 33%. Combat looses are subtracted. Some LVT 4 have there cargo capacity chanced to transport Jeeps and 37mm AT guns. Marines 37mm AT guns are able to fire AP and clusters; select the ammo (gun; right mouse) before you fire. 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.*
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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*
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Design by: Christian Basener, Germany*
Email: christian.basener@gmx.de*
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AATB = Armored Amphibian Tractor Battalion*
ATB = Amphibian Tractor Battalion*
TCAT = Transportation Corps Amphibious Truck*
CU = Constrution Unit*
AB = West Carolines Air Force Base Units*